The advantage of hiding in a dense forest is that it makes it difficult for the Hunting Eagle to search, but there’s also a disadvantage.
The Hunting Eagle exerted great effort before spotting sothing convulsing through the gaps in the mottled branches.
It thought it found prey and swooped down for a closer look.
It was Luo San.
In the Hunting Eagle’s mind, Luo San equates to two strips of dried at.
Just two strips—not worth the trouble.
The Hunting Eagle disdainfully slapped Luo San with its wing!
By the ti ng Qianqian arrived at the scene, Luo San’s right cheek had already swollen to the size of a bun, and even the Human Skin Mask couldn’t hold up.
The Hunting Eagle innocently shuffled to the side.
Its body language seed to say, "Not ."
Then it swiftly used its wing to brush away a leftover feather caught in Luo San’s mouth.
ng Qianqian: "..."
Upon carefully examining Luo San’s condition, ng Qianqian was shocked. Had she really hurt him this badly?
How were his injuries so swollen, and why was he poisoned?
ng Qianqian noticed a half-eaten berry on the ground.
"You actually ate poisonous berries that even birds avoid? The brighter sothing looks in the forest, the more likely it’s toxic! Don’t you even know that basic survival rule?"
Nearby, Princess Wanping—who was casually eating berries under a large tree—suddenly sneezed for no apparent reason.
"Why didn’t you just surrender quietly? Did you really have to cause all this drama?"
After clicking her tongue, ng Qianqian brought out the Golden Silkworm Gu to detoxify Luo San. As for his wounds—he’d have to endure the pain for now since he brought it upon himself.
Still, she couldn’t fathom why Luo San, in an apparent fit of delirium, had tried to treat his wounds with salt and liquor.
"Did water seep into your brain, or what?!"
ng Qianqian smacked Luo San on the forehead.
On the other side, Princess Wanping sneezed loudly again.
ng Qianqian picked up Luo San and was just about to leave when she ran right into Chang Kuan.
"Lady Lu?"
"Lord Chang."
Both were visibly startled.
Neither could fathom the other’s presence there—Chang Kuan didn’t understand why ng Qianqian was carrying a grown man, while ng Qianqian was baffled by Chang Kuan’s sudden appearance.
"Why are you here? What happened to Princess Wanping?"
ng Qianqian inquired.
Chang Kuan replied, "I just went ahead to scout the area; the Princess is nearby."
"Hiss—"
ng Qianqian gritted her teeth and took a sharp breath—an insubordinate disciple, no doubt!
Chang Kuan’s gaze rested on Luo San’s face for a mont before asking suspiciously, "Lady Lu, what happened to the Grand Commander?"
"Sothing happened to him?"
ng Qianqian froze, realizing that Chang Kuan was staring at Luo San, who still wore Lu Yuan’s Human Skin Mask.
The right cheek revealing so truth, but conveniently, the left side remained intact for Chang Kuan.
ng Qianqian was about to explain that he wasn’t Lu Yuan but rather an impersonator when Princess Wanping arrived, drawn by the conversation.
"ng Xiaojiu, I thought I recognized your voice earlier—it really is you!"
ng Qianqian smiled while still carrying Luo San and turned around. "My Princess!"
Chang Kuan cupped his hands in a polite greeting.
Princess Wanping gestured casually, indicating that Chang Kuan could rise.
She walked up to ng Qianqian, glanced at Lu Yuan, and frowned deeply. "What happened to him?"
The once-dashing Grand Commander now resembled a beggar, carried on a woman’s shoulder—thoroughly unmanly!
Honestly, what had she been thinking before? Clearly, she had been utterly blind...
Princess Wanping took a deep breath, closed her eyes briefly, and gripped her handkerchief tightly as she asked, "After court sessions, was he like this when he returned ho as well?"
"Like this?"
ng Qianqian blinked.
Princess Wanping remarked offhandedly, "Earlier, when this Princess tried to treat his wounds, he constantly found fault with —complaints nonstop, rejecting my thods as if this Princess were untrustworthy regarding dicine."
ng Qianqian: You know dicine? Who taught you?
"Wait, earlier, you treated his wounds?"
Princess Wanping sighed with lingering frustration, saying, "Who else would care enough to do so? Everyone else despises him for being the Great Traitor, but this Princess—alas—was blinded by her past infatuation and failed to see his true character. Now that his mask is off, he’s utterly insufferable! This Princess was deceived by an empty-headed obsession."
Luo San, regaining so consciousness, slowly turned his head.
Just as his right cheek was about to co into view, ng Qianqian slapped him back into unconsciousness and scolded, "You dare to find fault with the Princess? Who gave you that audacity?!"
Princess Wanping: ... That wasn’t necessary.
The mountain weather proved unpredictable, and soon, heavy rain began to pour.
"Princess, there’s a cave ahead—we should find shelter from the rain there."
"Alright."
"Lady Lu, allow to carry the Grand Commander."
"Thank you, Lord Chang!"
ng Qianqian handed Luo San over to Chang Kuan, greatly relieved.
The four of them entered the cave to escape the rain.
Taking advantage of Chang Kuan lighting a fire and Princess Wanping warming herself, ng Qianqian surreptitiously applied Miaojiang’s swelling-reduction ointnt to Luo San.
Luo San’s face swiftly returned to normal, and the Human Skin Mask finally fit seamlessly.
Chang Kuan had two rabbits with him. After cleaning them outside, he returned to the cave and coated them evenly with seasoning he had earlier obtained from ng Qianqian.
"Princess..."
"Do you think, in such heavy rain, the Saber-Toothed Tiger would hide?"
ng Qianqian and Princess Wanping spoke at the sa ti.
ng Qianqian facepald.
Princess, oh Princess, can we please drop this obsession with saber-toothed tigers?
Princess Wanping muttered coldly, "What kind of date did the Astronomical Bureau choose today? Can’t even predict rainy weather accurately?"
ng Qianqian: The worse the weather, the better for military training—it’s not like wars wait for sunny days.
Princess Wanping sighed, "Forget it. It’s pointless asking you—you wouldn’t understand. Honestly, how can you tolerate Lu Yuan?"
"Eh?" ng Qianqian felt a pang of uneasiness.
Princess Wanping glanced at the unconscious, intentionally posed Lu Yuan sprawled on the ground: "You still haven’t answered this Princess—was he like this at ho as well? Or is he just embarrassingly out of sorts because of his injuries?"
With an expression of great anguish, ng Qianqian replied, "Princess, he’s always like this behind closed doors... If only you knew... After marrying him... That’s when I discovered... he’s actually... this kind of person!"
"ng Xiaojiu, what kind of person do you think this Commander is?"
Lu Yuan’s icy voice suddenly echoed from the entrance of the cave.
ng Qianqian jumped in shock, as if struck by lightning, and looked outside.
There stood Lu Yuan, cloaked in a Silver Fox Cloak, just having removed his wide-brimd hat. His cold gaze locked onto her.
Princess Wanping and Chang Kuan froze collectively.
What’s going on now?
Why was there yet another Lu Yuan?
ng Qianqian’s gaze flickered, and she drew her blade, shouting, "Luo San! It’s you again! You hard my husband! I’ve been searching for you—didn’t expect you’d deliver yourself to !"
She swung her sword at Lu Yuan.
Lu Yuan didn’t even blink.
Her blade stopped re inches from his neck.
Why wouldn’t he dodge?
Wasn’t he afraid she might slip up?
Luo San often boasted about his flawless impersonation skills, but even ng Qianqian realized now that he was riddled with flaws.
Lu Yuan’s courage and strategic brilliance—those were impossible for Luo San to replicate.
Lu Yuan raised an eyebrow at ng Qianqian.
ng Qianqian whispered, "I’ll explain later. For now, just pretend to be Luo San, okay?"
Lu Yuan replied coolly, "This Commander refuses."
ng Qianqian was on the brink of panic.
After painstakingly dismantling Princess Wanping’s feelings for Lu Yuan, wasn’t his sudden appearance going to ruin everything?
A once-in-a-lifeti chance—she couldn’t afford to waste it!
ng Qianqian implored him with her eyes: Just this once! Please!
Lu Yuan silently replied through his expression: No.
Frustrated, ng Qianqian shoved him against the cave wall and shielded his waist with her arm to prevent him from bumping into the hard stone.
"Luo San! Are you seeking death!"
Then, in a low voice by his ear, she murmured, "Little Nine loves you!"
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