Prince Ding did not distrust his daughter, but the situation was urgent and he could not explain it in a moment.
"Ziyue probably can't get out either. I'll explain this to her."
She grabbed Chu Qianli's wrist, holding it tightly.
"Your Highness, remember, no matter what, you must save your life. Even if someone threatens you with my and Ziyue's lives, you must save yourself first."
"You are our only hope, please remember!"
"Okay! I will remember what Imperial Uncle-Ancestor said."
Prince Ding then let go of her and called out hoarsely, "Ziyue, come in."
...When Long Ziyue entered, Chu Qianli was already supporting Prince Ding and had returned to bed.
"A'li, my mother... how is she?" Long Ziyue asked anxiously.
Chu Qianli's expression was blank, and she said calmly, "Her condition is too serious. I... may not be able to cure the Prince, I can only do my best."
She handed the prescription to Long Ziyue.
She also gave her some pills: "You must hide these pills. Remember not to let Long Xinghe see them."
Long Xinghe would know what was going on if he saw modern medicine.
"Okay." Long Ziyue quickly put the medicine away.
Then, she whispered, "A'li, outside, it's all the Emperor's people. The leader is called Changming, and he's an expert."
"It seems the Empress wants to trap us all here."
The reason she was being guarded like this wasn't because she knew her identity was unusual, but simply because she didn't want her to do anything for Prince Ding.
After all, on the surface, her relationship with Long Ziyue was indeed very good.
"A'li, what are you planning to do?" Long Ziyue asked.
"I haven't thought of it yet," Chu Qianli rubbed her temples. "Let me think about it."
...That night, Chu Qianli tried to go out three times, and each time she was blocked by Changming.
Each time, Changming had only one reason: since she had come to treat Prince Ding, she should take good care of him. After she cured Prince Ding, the Emperor would reward her handsomely and personally escort her back to the Northern Ming Kingdom.
It seemed the Emperor didn't quite believe what she said about coming to arrange a marriage for Prince Xuan.
That old fox.
At midnight that day, a dark figure stealthily slipped out of Prince Ding's sleeping quarters.
However, she had ultimately underestimated the power of the Dragon Teng Kingdom's imperial palace. She hadn't expected that there were Fusang ninjas guarding the palace!
With one careless move, she attracted the attention of two ninjas and was pursued into the rear garden.
The ninjas' martial arts might not have been formidable, but their Qinggong... it was damned! They could become invisible by blending with the colors of their surroundings, and their Qinggong was so good, it was simply impossible to guard against.
Chu Qianli leaped from behind a rockery, preparing to leave.
Unexpectedly, two more ninjas were rushing from another direction.
If she jumped out now, it would be walking right into a trap.
But it was very difficult to change direction in mid-air.
Just as she was wondering what to do, her waist suddenly felt heavy.
Someone roughly pulled her from behind, dragging her leaping body back behind the rockery.
Chu Qianli instinctively struck out with a palm towards the person behind her.
But she heard a hoarse, low voice say in her ear, "Always so reckless, aren't you afraid of injuring an ally?"
Chu Qianli was startled, and her palm strike instantly retracted.
Her powers had become quite profound now, and the retracted palm wind could not be fully dissipated in time. By accident, it caused a surge of blood qi to churn within her chest.
She almost vomited blood!
It was the big hand of the man in black that pressed against her vital acupoint, using his internal energy to help her calm down, and only then did she manage to catch her breath.
But his hand...
"Hero..." Chu Qianli dared not speak loudly. Her hand landed on his wrist, and she pushed him away forcefully.
Feng Si stared at her hand, his eyes somewhat indifferent.
It was as if he was disdainfully saying: If I wasn't saving you, do you think I'd want to touch you? You're skin and bones!
"I'm not interested in women who have no feel," he snorted, in a volume only she could hear.
This look was very contemptuous!
Chu Qianli's small face flushed red, and she glared at him.
She wanted to speak, but she was afraid that she couldn't control her volume as well as he could.
There were Fusang ninjas everywhere outside, and a single mistake could lead to them being discovered.
A wisp of stray hair gently brushed past her ear.
Chu Qianli immediately looked up, gazing at Feng Si.
Feng Si's long fingers landed on the corner of her lips, signaling her to remain silent.
There were two Fusang ninjas nearby, who could arrive at any moment.
His tall, imposing figure leaned forward slightly, completely enveloping her petite frame in his embrace.
That rich, pure Yang Qi completely enclosed her presence.
Chu Qianli immediately felt that her breathing was being controlled by him.
Most importantly, he wrapped her with his Qi, and within his aura, she could breathe freely, no longer needing to fear being discovered by the ninjas outside!
Grandmaster Feng Si's internal energy was even more formidable than she had imagined.
But what made her heart inexplicably quicken was his protective gesture.
He held his breath himself, but she could breathe freely within his Qi circle.
Chu Qianli tilted her head slightly. She truly hadn't realized that the distance between them was so close.
As she looked up, her nose bumped against his chest.
Even through the fabric, she could feel his presence, and the powerful thumping of his heart.
So familiar...
Chu Qianli didn't know what she was thinking. In a feeling of dizzying familiarity, her consciousness gradually detached from her body.
She actually cherished this scent...
Her hand subconsciously lifted, clutching his lapel, and gently pulling it open.
She closed her eyes, her cool little face pressed against his chest through the black mask.
Feng Si frowned, lowering his gaze to the little girl in his arms who was clearly lost in a daze.
This foolish woman! With the enemy at hand, she was still in a stupor! What on earth was she thinking?
Perhaps, even Chu Qianli herself didn't know what she was thinking.
Just by smelling his scent and listening to his heartbeat, many images inexplicably flashed through her mind.
She was happy, she was sad, she was angry, she was desperate, and finally, it seemed there was a hint of sweetness.
And the man standing by her side was always so tall, stern, seemingly unattainable, yet each time, just as she was about to let go, he would wrap his large hand around her small one and hold her tightly.
Chu Qianli's brow slowly furrowed.
A tearing pain arose in her heart.
The more she tried to see clearly who the man standing beside her was, the clearer that tearing pain became.
Finally, she was in so much pain that her consciousness began to blur.
Her hand still lightly brushed across his chest.
But her heart felt increasingly uncomfortable, and finally, even breathing became difficult.
She looked up, still unable to see clearly the man standing before her, but a name was stirring within her heart.
Constantly, it was knocking on the door of her heart.
Finally, the breath trapped in her chest became chaotic.
She opened her mouth, and a wisp of blood seeped out.
The name finally escaped her lips: "...Ye Xuan."