The sharp hairpin sliced through the guard's hair by his ear, whizzed past his eyes, and embedded itself into the opposite wall.
The guard froze for a moment, and Meng Yi successfully escaped his grasp.
"Stop!"
As several guards moved to attack Meng Yi again, Gu Qianying called out to halt them.
The guards turned, saw Gu Qianying standing up, and each retracted their weapons, moving to the side.
Meng Yi, with one arm severed, was now disheveled, his robes and hair equally messy.
His eyes, which seemed to have been open for several days without rest, were bloodshot.
He dragged his sword along the ground, his injured leg trailing, and walked step by step towards Gu Qianying.
*Bang!*
He fell to his knees heavily. His lips were dry and cracked, and his voice was hoarse, "I beg the Ninth Princess Consort to save my master."
"Get up and speak. Ouyang Qinglin, what happened to him?"
Gu Qianying had already recognized Meng Yi, a guard by Ouyang Qinglin's side.
This man was a subordinate recently promoted by Ouyang Qinglin.
She had seen him a few days prior.
Gu Qianying reached out to help Meng Yi up, but he dodged her hand.
Gu Qianying frowned, waiting for Meng Yi to continue without speaking.
"Ninth Princess Consort, my master was taken away by some men in black!"
"What?"
Gu Qianying was extremely surprised.
"How could this happen? What exactly did you go through?"
She knew Ouyang Qinglin's martial arts skills.
How could he be taken away so easily?
Furthermore, there were no enemies of Ouyang Qinglin found around him.
Dong Sheng Kingdom had changed hands, and the new emperor had ascended the throne, bringing peace and prosperity.
The situation in Xia Kingdom was similar. Regardless of Ouyang Qinglin's identity as a Grand Tutor or a prince of Xia Kingdom, he would not be threatened.
If so, who could have taken him away?
"Ninth Princess Consort, when my master was taken, he disfigured himself to help his subordinate escape and survive. Meng Yi has risked his life to return and implore you, the Ninth Princess Consort, to save our master."
Meng Yi's tears flowed freely.
He prostrated himself, kowtowing. When he looked up,
Gu Qianying had already stood up and picked up her sword.
At this moment, Nangong Mo happened to be walking over with freshly made pastries.
"Where are you going?"
Seeing that Gu Qianying seemed to be preparing to leave, he handed the jade butterfly in his hand to Lu Zhu and blocked Gu Qianying.
"I'm going to..."
Gu Qianying didn't know how to explain.
Instead, Nangong Mo spoke first, "To save him, have you decided?"
When he arrived, Nangong Mo had already noticed the disheveled Meng Yi.
Meng Yi was someone by Ouyang Qinglin's side.
He had already guessed what had happened.
"He was taken away by some people and was injured. I... I want to go save him, but don't worry, I will protect myself well, and I will also protect our child."
As she spoke, Gu Qianying touched her belly.
She knew very well what Nangong Mo was worried about.
She also knew that Nangong Mo would be unhappy with her decision.
However, she was determined to save him, not out of love, but out of a sense of righteousness.
The sunset had completely fallen, and the sky was as red as if a great fire had consumed the clouds.
Nangong Mo stood against the light, blocking Gu Qianying's view.
His gaze fell upon her face, meeting her eyes.
A chilling aura emanated from him.
"Why do you think this King will not accompany you?"
Gu Qianying was slightly stunned.
She smiled, "You mean... you've agreed to save him, and you'll go with me?"
Leaving her husband to go and save another man.
She thought Nangong Mo would be very angry, but she didn't expect him to agree and even accompany her.
"Silly girl, you are this King's wife. This King dotes on you. Whatever you want to do, how can this King bear to go against your wishes? Moreover, you are pregnant. How can this King rest assured if you go alone? If you must go, this King will accompany you. Otherwise, you will not leave this King's sight for a moment."
He raised his hand and flicked her nose, his eyes full of affection.
"Alright, we'll go together. Thank you, husband. You're so good."
Gu Qianying tiptoed and hugged Nangong Mo's neck, kissing his cheek.
Such a small gesture stunned Nangong Mo, his cheeks flushing slightly.
The others quickly turned their backs.
The guards around them all subconsciously lowered their heads.
At this moment, no one noticed Meng Yi, who had been kneeling on the ground and had not yet risen.
A hint of coldness flashed in his eyes, and the hand that was not severed was clenched tightly within his sleeve.
Since they were going to rescue someone, they needed to find out who had captured Ouyang Qinglin.
Meng Yi, who had escaped, could not describe the appearance of those people.
He could only say that they wore strange clothing, were tightly wrapped from head to toe, with only their eyes exposed, making it impossible to see their faces.
Moreover, those people were tall and did not resemble ordinary individuals.
Gu Qianying was troubled as she received no valuable information from Meng Yi.
The night was hazy, the starlight faint, and the moon shone brightly.
In the courtyard filled with blooming flowers,
Gu Qianying stood in the pavilion, leaning against a pillar, looking up at the moon in the sky.
She had been frowning for a long time.
Because there were no clues regarding the rescue, she couldn't sleep and had quietly come out.
The nights in the Ninth Prince's mansion were different from before, not harboring people with unclear intentions.
Now, although there were few servants in the Ninth Prince's mansion, only trusted individuals remained within the estate.
The nights here were very quiet.
Lost in thought, she didn't notice the figure approaching from behind her.
"Why are you standing here instead of sleeping? The wind is cool at night, be careful of your health."
Nangong Mo draped the outer robe he was holding over Gu Qianying.
He reached out and hugged her, letting her lean into his embrace.
"It's nothing, I just have no leads and can't sleep."
From a friend's perspective, she was very worried about Ouyang Qinglin's safety.
"Alright, don't think about it. He was captured by the people of the Evil Emperor. He should be in the Evil Emperor's hands now. To save him, we must venture into Demon Mountain."
"Evil Emperor? Demon Mountain?"
Gu Qianying turned to look at Nangong Mo.
She was very surprised why Nangong Mo knew these things.
Perhaps guessing her thoughts,
Nangong Mo raised his hand and flicked her nose again, "Silly girl, besides being the Ninth Prince, this King is also the Lotus Emperor, the King of the Three Realms. The Evil Emperor is the King of the Demon Realm, and he and this Lotus Emperor are mortal enemies.
When Ouyang Qinglin's subordinate came to find you, this King had already sensed an evil aura on him. Ordinary people with evil auras are either controlled by people from the Demon Race or have come into contact with them recently.
Judging by his appearance, it seems to be the latter.
However, the purpose of this capture is likely not Ouyang Qinglin, but you and I. But since you want to save Ouyang Qinglin, even if it's a trap, this King will accompany you through it."
"It's just..."
Nangong Mo hugged Gu Qianying tighter.
"It's just... the journey is long. You must follow your husband closely along the way, and your husband must ensure your safety at all times. Is that acceptable?"
Nangong Mo turned around and pinched Gu Qianying's cheek.
He did not want his wife to take risks.
But if he didn't bring her, he wouldn't be at ease throughout the journey.
Gu Qianying slapped away Nangong Mo's hand, rubbed her cheek, and gave him a glare, "I'm pregnant, not completely useless in martial arts. Why are you worried about me?"
"Alright, alright, my wife is the most capable. It's your husband who needs your protection. How about that?"
Nangong Mo hugged Gu Qianying from behind, his voice very gentle.
His chin rested on her head, his soft, uncombed dark hair brushing against his cheek.
He lowered his head and kissed her hair.
Gu Qianying remained still, letting Nangong Mo hold her.
Two figures overlapped under the moonlight.
The beautiful story began here.
"How do we get to Demon Mountain? And how do we rescue him? Are there specific plans?"
Gu Qianying's voice broke the silence.
"We must obtain the Wu Yin Mountain, the Demon Command, the Imperial Realm of Qiong Ling, and the Demon Pearl. Only then can we open the entrance to Demon Mountain. Upon reaching our destination, we can exchange one life for another with someone from the Demon tribe."
One life for another?
She looked back at Nangong Mo.
Nangong Mo smiled, "The Evil King is the son of the King of Demons."
He didn't say more, but Gu Qianying understood.
In a corner behind the rockery not far away, someone was hiding.
Upon hearing this, he immediately fled the place.
In the dark night, he, clad in a black robe, moved through the mansion walls.
As his receding figure disappeared,
Nangong Mo and Gu Qianying both looked in the direction of the vanishing figure.
"Are you sure he will fall for it?"
"My wife, please rest assured. He doesn't have the brains not to fall for it."
Gu Qianying: "..."
"Then we depart tomorrow."
"Alright, I'll listen to my wife."