With her delicate face and slender waist, the royal uncle lost control.

Qin Jiuchen turned around and quickly walked away.

Yun Nian stood alone in the same spot, the night wind blowing her clothes slightly, but it couldn't dispel the growing unease in her heart.

My heart was pounding faster and faster.

Reason told her that Qin Jiuchen's decision was correct; her going would only slow down the rescue and might even cause more trouble.

Emotionally, the thought of Qiluo possibly being in danger, Chensha having already sent out a distress signal, while he could only wait here helplessly...

Every moment felt like being tortured on a fire.

She looked towards the dark northern foothills of Yeling Mountain, where the dense forests and trees appeared even more mysterious and fraught with danger in the night.

No, she can't wait.

Even if it's just following from afar, even if I can't help in any way, at least...

At least being closer to them makes me feel a little more at ease.

Once this idea takes hold, it grows wildly.

Yun Nian observed her surroundings and, seeing that no one was paying attention to her, lifted her skirt and quietly followed Qin Jiuchen's team.

Soon, the team was ready and began their trek into the mountains.

The terrain deep in the forest is complex, making horseback riding inconvenient.

Yun Nian slipped out of her hiding place and followed.

The paths in the mountains were indeed difficult to traverse.

Beneath my feet lay a thick layer of fallen leaves and tangled tree roots, above me a dense canopy that obscured the stars and moon, and all around me were shadowy, varied shapes of trees.

The occasional eerie cry of a night bird added to the sinister atmosphere.

The team ahead was clearly well-trained, moving quickly and quietly.

Yun Nian gritted her teeth and followed behind.

She remained silent, focusing all her attention on keeping up with the group.

She knew she must not be a burden or cause trouble.

After walking for an unknown amount of time, the mountain path became increasingly rugged, and the slope began to increase.

Yun Nian's breathing gradually became heavy, and her physical strength was being rapidly depleted.

Just when she felt she was about to fall behind, the group ahead seemed to slow down, as if they were checking for directions or traces.

She felt a little more at ease and was just about to catch her breath when she saw the group suddenly speed up.

Yun Nian was startled and, without thinking, quickly quickened her pace to catch up.

However, the fog in the forest had quietly spread out and enveloped the entire mountain forest.

The torchlight and figures ahead quickly became blurred in the thick fog, until only a few flickering points of light remained, and the distance seemed to be stretched out by the fog.

"Oops!"

Yun Nian knew something was wrong. He stopped trying to hide and started running as fast as he could, trying to close the distance.

However, the fog was so thick that visibility was extremely low.

She had only run a short distance when she was horrified to discover that the last faint glimmer of light ahead had also completely disappeared behind the thick white fog.

"Your Highness! Wait!"

She couldn't help but lower her voice and call out, but the only response was the rustling of the mountain wind through the leaves and her own echo.

"Qin Jiuchen!"

She shouted even louder.

There was only an empty echo.

Yun Nian's heart jumped into her throat.

She stood there, looking around. There was nothing but white mist and the twisted shadows of trees in the darkness.

She forced herself to calm down.

Don't panic.

She crouched down, trying to make out the messy footprints on the ground.

Fortunately, the soil was moist, and the team had passed through quickly, leaving obvious traces.

She identified the clearest set of footprints and quickly followed the direction.

She quickened her pace, her vision blurred by sweat, but she dared not stop.

Sudden.

Suddenly, a dark figure emerged from the thick fog.

A large hand suddenly grabbed her wrist, and she was pulled by a tremendous force, making her dizzy.

"what!"

Yun Nian let out a short scream.

However, she fell into a firm and familiar embrace, and her nose was instantly filled with a clear and cool pine scent.

She looked up in alarm and met a pair of eyes as sharp as a hawk's.

"Your Highness..."

Yun Nian was still in shock, her voice trembling.

Qin Jiuchen's face was not clearly visible in the dim light.

Yun Nian panicked instantly, at a loss for words, and began to explain and apologize incoherently: "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, Your Highness. I... I didn't mean to cause trouble. I was really worried about Qi Luo, I couldn't wait, I..."

Tears welled up in her eyes as she pleaded, "Please don't be angry. I know it was my fault. I shouldn't have followed you here secretly. It's all my fault..."

She felt utterly terrible; not only had she failed to help, she had become a burden, forcing him to divert his attention to her.

However, Qin Jiuchen suddenly stretched out his arms and hugged her in his arms.

His voice sounded above her head, deep and steady.

"fine."

"Just stay close to me."

Yun Nian was stunned, tears still clinging to her eyelashes.

She tilted her head back, straining to see his face in the dim light.

His face remained expressionless and stern, but his eyes were no longer cold.

Instead, it is like a quietly burning ember in the dark, radiating silent heat and convincing composure.

Those few simple words instantly soothed her nerves, which had been stretched to the limit by worrying about Qiluo for days, and dispelled the panic and helplessness she felt when she got lost.

She admitted that she had been in a state of high tension and anxiety ever since Qiluo disappeared.

The fear of the unknown safety of her loved ones almost overwhelmed her.

Holding her in his arms like this, Yun Nian's heart, which had been hanging in suspense, finally slowly settled back down.

The worries, tension, and anxiety of the past few days seemed to be swept away by his brief words and firm embrace.

A subtle, warm feeling quietly flowed through my heart.

Her fingers gripped the fabric of his shirt, tightening unconsciously. She buried her face in his shoulder for a moment, inhaling his comforting presence.

When she looked up again, the panic in her eyes had disappeared.

She said softly.

"Your Highness, thank goodness you're here."

Qin Jiuchen tightened his arms around her for a moment, but quickly returned to normal strength.

His eyes darkened, and a very low "hmm" escaped from his throat as a response.

He then released his arms from hers and, quite naturally, slid down to take her cold, trembling hand in his.

His large, warm palm completely enveloped her hand.

He turned around, facing the dense, fog-shrouded forest ahead, without looking back at her, and simply uttered in a low voice:

"Don't lose them."

Then, I took her hand, started walking, and continued on.

A quarter of an hour earlier, Qin Jiuchen had decisively given the order, commanding the guards to split into several groups and expand the search area.

He himself, along with Yun Nian, chose the most rugged and difficult-to-discern path to venture deeper.

The mist in the forest had not yet dissipated, and the ground was slippery. All around were the monotonous sound of footsteps and each other's breathing.

After walking in silence for an unknown period of time, Qin Jiuchen suddenly stopped and turned to the side.

He looked at Yun Nian, who was slightly out of breath, and asked in a low voice:

Are you tired?

Yun Nian raised her hand to wipe away the fine beads of sweat from her forehead, met his gaze, and shook her head: "I'm not tired, I can keep going."

Just then, out of the corner of his eye, he caught sight of an inconspicuous rock face on the right.

A thought struck her, and she unconsciously took a few steps closer, raising the small torch in her hand.

The dim light dispelled the shadows on the rock face, revealing a clear carving.

It was a somewhat naive five-pointed star, with one point deliberately elongated and sharply pointing north.

"Your Highness!"

Yun Nian's voice trembled slightly with excitement, "It's Qi Luo! This is the mark left by Qi Luo!"

"This is the code I taught her before, only the two of us know it! She went north, she must still be alive, guiding us!"