"You?" Chu Qianli gasped, nearly scared to death.
It was Feng Yexuan!
"How did you get here?"
Just now, her silver needle had almost hit him.
No, that wasn't right. He was highly skilled in martial arts; how could her silver needle possibly hit him?
But it had truly been a close call.
Fortunately, he recognized her. Otherwise, with his martial arts, how difficult would it be for him to kill her?
If he hadn't given her his power, it would have been as simple as raising a finger.
Even with the power bestowed upon her, it would still only take him a few finger movements now, easily done!
As Chu Qianli was about to say something, a thought suddenly flashed through her mind.
He... had given her power before?
Chu Qianli furrowed her brow, and a sharp pain shot through her head.
She instinctively raised her hand and pressed it firmly against her head.
"What's wrong?" Feng Yexuan stared at her face. Why was her small face contorted as if in great pain?
"I think... I remembered something, my head... hurts." Chu Qianli tapped her head. The stinging pain still lingered.
A barely audible sigh sounded from above her head.
She looked up in surprise, but his eyes showed no emotion.
Had that sigh truly come from him?
It didn't seem like it.
Why was he sighing?
"Someone's coming!" Feng Yexuan suddenly reached out and pulled her towards him. "Don't speak!"
Chu Qianli immediately became alert, instantly suppressing all her presence.
Indeed, someone was approaching outside.
A group of people stopped just outside the cave.
Someone said, "My lord, it should be here."
My lord? It sounded like people from the imperial court.
Chu Qianli subconsciously looked up. For some reason, when facing problems, her instinct was to look at Feng Yexuan's expression.
She wanted to know what he was thinking.
Feng Yexuan didn't look at her, his focused gaze fixed on the cave entrance.
The arm around her waist tightened again, his tall body tilting slightly to shield her completely within his embrace.
Chu Qianli lowered her head and immediately blushed.
They were so close!
She wanted to pull away, but the people outside were about to enter. Any slight movement now would easily give them away.
As expected, the man referred to as "My lord" gave a deep command: "Go in and take a look!"
"Yes!"
Imperial guards!
As the first two guards entered, Feng Yexuan, holding Chu Qianli, leaped up.
Chu Qianli felt a surge of panic. They were clinging to the stone wall at the cave's ceiling.
This man! He was incredible!
Holding her, he could use his palm force to silently adhere to the stone wall above, his legs and one hand seemingly nailed to it.
If it were her, with no leverage, she definitely wouldn't be able to do it.
However, in this position, they were pressed even closer together!
Especially since she had to hold onto his waist tightly, otherwise, she feared she would fall at any moment!
This posture... if it weren't for the critical situation, she would suspect the scoundrel was deliberately taking advantage of her.
But then again... why did such a strange moniker pop into her head?
Below, the two imperial guards entered and quickly discovered the opening by the stone bed.
"My lord, there's a hidden cave inside."
The "my lord" on horseback immediately dismounted and walked in quickly.
Chu Qianli looked up. This time, she finally met Feng Yexuan's gaze.
People from the Emperor?
She asked with her eyes.
Feng Yexuan nodded, his gaze gliding over her face before returning to the situation below.
The group of imperial guards was discussing how to enter the second cave.
Chu Qianli was genuinely worried. How much longer could Feng Yexuan maintain this?
He was currently using his palm force to firmly adhere his body to the stone wall at the cave's ceiling.
If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, Chu Qianli wouldn't have believed that anyone in this world could possess such power.
But, would he suddenly fall if he couldn't hold on much longer?
Also, what was inside that second hidden cave?
She looked up at Feng Yexuan again.
Sensing her gaze, Feng Yexuan shifted his attention back to her: Did she want to ask something else?
Chu Qianli blinked.
That cave inside, have you been there? What's in it?
Feng Yexuan remained silent. They were too close; speaking would surely be heard by the people below.
"You two guard here, the rest of you come with me to take a look!" the "my lord" commanded.
Apart from the two guards remaining in place, the others immediately crawled into the small cave opening and entered the second cave.
Chu Qianli also wanted to see inside, and she couldn't help but shift slightly to the side.
Initially, she wanted to get a clearer view of the cave's interior, but she accidentally brushed against a token hanging from Feng Yexuan's waist.
The small token looked ancient.
For some reason, she suddenly had a strong urge to see what kind of token it was.
Her hand instinctively released his waist and reached for the token.
Feng Yexuan's eyes darkened, and he tightened his arm, holding her.
Chu Qianli then realized that even without holding him, she wouldn't fall.
This man's strength was immense.
Her face inexplicably flushed.
Although it felt a bit awkward, it was a critical moment, and she wasn't intentionally trying to be intimate.
Safety first.
She still couldn't help but pull the token from Feng Yexuan's waist.
Feng Yexuan didn't stop her... it felt like being indulged?
Chu Qianli quickly shook her head, refusing to dwell on such nonsensical thoughts.
Indulged? She had decided to stay with Wuya for her entire life, so Feng Yexuan was their Fourth Imperial Brother!
He was their Fourth Imperial Brother! A senior figure!
Don't think about those messy things! Absolutely not!
She lowered her head, using the faint light from outside to finally see the characters on the token clearly.
Dragon?
Unaccountably, her heart tightened.
The token flipped over. The next moment, every single meridian in her body tensed, her small mouth parted, and she almost cried out in surprise.
Feng Yexuan immediately covered her lips.
But by doing so, both hands were released from the stone wall, and their bodies immediately began to fall.
"Mmm..." Chu Qianli's eyes widened, a considerable amount of shock evident.
The two guards below, stationed at the cave entrance, immediately heard the noise.
Just as they were about to act, they heard two muffled sounds in the air. Feng Yexuan had struck their acupoints from a distance.
To avoid alerting those in the second cave, Feng Yexuan immediately embraced Chu Qianli, and upon landing, leaped up, disappearing from the cave in an instant.
Chu Qianli had no chance to push him away. In a mere moment, he had taken her away from the cave, darting through the treetops for a while before landing steadily on the ground.
As soon as her feet touched the ground, Chu Qianli pushed him away and asked urgently, "Why is Long Xiyue's token on you?"