Chapter 369: Xie Xian's Torment
Under the night sky.
Only a single torch illuminated the courtyard, casting dim light.
Xie Xian was brought before a man around forty years old by two individuals.
A group of people chattered in a language Xie Xian couldn't understand, and her fear rapidly spread, causing her entire body to tremble uncontrollably.
"I've inquired—tomorrow at dawn, the city gates will open for one shichen," the man spoke gravely. "The Great Jin have a saying: 'lure the snake out of its hole.' They're likely trying to draw us out. Even knowing it's a trap, we must seize this chance to exit the city gates. Are you all confident?"
A man with a rough voice said, "Why not just knock her out and hide her in the carriage compartment to take her out?"
"Hah, as if you're so clever and everyone else is a fool. The soldiers will definitely search the carriage thoroughly—you'd be delivering yourself to them."
"We need her to cooperate willingly, disguised as a family of three traveling to visit relatives," the man pondered. "Put a human skin mask on her and dress her as a young boy."
"Making her obey is simple enough!"
Slap!
Xie Xian stood there when suddenly, a harsh slap struck her own face.
The man grabbed her by the collar and slapped her repeatedly back and forth.
She was beaten dizzy, seeing stars.
But she stubbornly bit her lip, enduring without crying out.
"Enough, don't hit her face," the leader spoke up. "If her face is damaged, anyone will notice something's wrong. Don't create trouble for yourselves."
The only Great Jin person present approached Xie Xian and said with a smile, "Tomorrow morning, I'll take you out of the city. No matter who asks you, you'll say your name is Chen Cai, you're six years old, and you're going to Qingzhou to visit your gravely ill grandmother. Remember that?"
Xie Xian shook her head: "No, I'm not Chen Cai. I want to go home to my father! Let me go, I want to go home!"
She absolutely could not agree to these people's demands.
If she handled this properly, these people would surely divert their attention to deal with Changsheng and Shiyun.
She needed to buy time—the longer she delayed, the more chance Changsheng's father and mother would have to find this place.
"My father is the Crown Prince! If you've captured me, my father won't let you go!" Xie Xian cried out desperately. "Let me go, and I can beg my father to spare your lives... Mmph!"
The man choked her neck.
"Brat, how dare you threaten me! So what if your father's the Crown Prince? We still captured his daughter!" The man sneered, grabbing Xie Xian's hair. "I'll ask you one more time—will you cooperate or not!"
Xie Xian struggled violently: "No, I won't..."
Since these people wanted to take her away, they definitely wouldn't kill her. As long as she didn't cooperate, she could stall them, buying more time...
"Someone, teach this girl a lesson!"
An old woman emerged from the house, pulling out a small cloth pouch from her clothes containing silver needles.
She pressed Xie Xian to the ground, took out a thin, small needle, and slowly pushed it into Xie Xian's scalp.
Xie Xian shuddered all over, the intense pain making her cry out in agony as if she were about to die.
A needle was thus pushed into her head.
"Little Commandery Princess, if you don't cooperate tomorrow, your head will be filled with needles, and you'll become an idiot later. Be good and obey, alright?"
"Let... let me go!" Xie Xian wailed. "My father won't spare you..."The old woman picked up the second needle, located the acupuncture point, and pushed it in once more...
Just then, a young lackey rushed over in panic: "Boss, it's bad! Those two children have escaped, and they killed one of us!"
"What?! Useless fools, damn it!" The leader cursed loudly. "Send some men after them! We can't stay here anymore—knock her out, quick, we're moving out!"
Everyone in the courtyard sprang into action.
Xie Xian was knocked unconscious, stuffed into a sack, and thrown into a carriage.
As the group opened the courtyard's back gate to evacuate, they spotted torchlights in the distance—a search party was approaching.
At this hour, every household had barred their doors, yet this group was traveling by carriage, appearing highly suspicious. The search team headed straight toward them.
The leader lowered his voice: "I'll hold them off. You must take the Crown Princess and run—ensure she returns alive to the Eastern Tomb Kingdom!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a black-clad figure from the carriage behind him scooped up the child, leaped onto a horse, and with a sharp cry, galloped away like the wind.
"Stop him!" Cheng Xu shouted. "Some of you, go alert the Crown Prince immediately!"
While speaking, he tugged the reins, vaulted over the leader, and pursued the fleeing horse.
The leader's curved blade slashed across the belly of Cheng Xu's horse, which let out a piercing whinny.
"Don't you dare collapse!" Cheng Xu kicked the horse's abdomen. "If you fall here, you die. Stay with me—I'll have the imperial physician treat you and record a great merit for you!"
The wounded horse had no choice but to press on, carrying Cheng Xu in pursuit. But its injury slowed it down, and Cheng Xu could only watch helplessly as the horse carrying the child vanished from sight.
Meanwhile, Chu Yi and Yun Chu were searching the western part of the city.
Two manor soldiers rushed over at top speed: "Your Highness, Crown Princess! Lord Cheng has spotted suspicious figures in the eastern city—they fled northeast from there!"
Chu Yi immediately visualized all the major roads, paths, and alleys in the capital suitable for horseback travel.
Even as he processed this, he tightened his reins.
Before he could speak, Yun Chu declared: "Judging by their escape route, they'll either head to Hua'an Road or be trapped in Plum Blossom Lane. I'll take the lane—you cover the road. Hyah!"
Without waiting for Chu Yi's response, she spurred her horse toward Plum Blossom Lane.
Chu Yi dispatched two-thirds of the soldiers to follow Yun Chu, while the rest accompanied him on a shortcut to Hua'an Road.
This was the capital's longest thoroughfare—a crucial passage to many destinations. Due to the nighttime search, the normally bustling street stood completely empty.
"Clip-clop, clip-clop!"
He heard hoofbeats approaching.
With a wave of his hand, all his men shifted to alert positions.
The man carrying Xie Xian was from the Eastern Tomb Kingdom and the gang's second-in-command. The moment he emerged from the alley, he sensed something amiss.
But with no alternative routes available—and the need to pass through this road to reach their secondary hideout—he had no choice.
While riding, he warily scanned his surroundings.
Suddenly, an arrow sliced through the air.
He threw himself flat against the horse, dodging the projectile, then hoisted the sack from the saddle. In broken, heavily accented Dajin language, he growled: "Let's see whether your arrows are faster... or my blade!"He took the long blade, cut open the burlap sack, and revealed a little girl in a dress.
The girl's dress was filthy, her hair disheveled and covering her face. She lay limp in his grasp, clearly having suffered greatly.
Chu Yi's breath caught sharply in his throat.
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