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

Seeing him nod, she didn't hesitate any longer, suddenly stood up, and followed him.

Qin Jiuchen shook his head helplessly, "True love is nosy."

He immediately stood up and quickly followed Yun Nian.

Despite its injured left foreleg, the gray wolf was still quite fast at moving through the forest and was exceptionally familiar with the terrain.

It led Yun Nian and Qin Jiuchen around several bushes and arrived at a narrow cave entrance.

The gray wolf stopped at the entrance of the cave, looked back at them, let out a low whimper, and then burrowed in first.

Yun Nian and Qin Jiuchen exchanged a glance.

Qin Jiuchen kept his hand on the sword hilt and whispered, "Stay close to me, be careful."

The cave was pitch black, and one could only make their way by the faint light coming through the cave entrance.

But soon, they spotted a smaller mother wolf curled up in the cave, with a small wolf cub nestled close to her.

Yun Nian used the dim light to her advantage.

She saw that one of the wolf cubs' hind legs was firmly caught in a rusty animal trap.

The dark red bloodstains had already congealed.

The wolf cub breathed weakly.

"Oh my god..."

Yun Nian covered her mouth.

The gray wolf was actually trying to save its own cubs.

"Your Highness!"

She immediately turned to Qin Jiuchen and said urgently, "Little Wolf is injured, very seriously! Do you still have any wound medicine on you?"

Qin Jiuchen didn't say much, just nodded, and then took out a porcelain bottle from his bosom.

"We need to remove the animal trap first."

He spoke succinctly and walked over to the little wolf.

The mother wolf raised her head warily, baring her teeth and growling, but was soothed by the gray wolf gently nudging her with its head.

Qin Jiuchen was skilled and quickly deflected the animal trap, then applied medicine.

The gray wolf stepped forward and gently nuzzled Qin Jiuchen's hand with its head.

The mother wolf also lowered her head in Yun Nian's direction.

Looking at this wolf family that seemed to understand human nature, Yun Nian's heart softened completely.

Seeing that the little wolf was in stable condition, the two decided not to stay any longer.

Qin Jiuchen got up, took Yun Nian, and followed the original path out of the cave.

When they returned to their hut, the campfire was reduced to embers.

The night was deep, and it was nearly midnight.

As soon as she entered the shack, Yun Nian slumped down, her eyelids heavy.

Her body tilted uncontrollably to one side, and in her hazy state, she felt a solid and reliable support. She leaned against it, found a comfortable position, and drifted off to sleep.

Qin Jiuchen shook his head helplessly when he saw Yun Nian snoring softly.

He carefully adjusted his position to make her more comfortable, then took off his outer robe and gently covered her with it.

He leaned against the frame of the shack and closed his eyes to rest.

-

The first rays of morning light filtered through the gaps in the branches and leaves of the hut, gently illuminating Yun Nian's face.

The crisp, melodious chirping of birds echoed through the woods.

Yun Nian's eyelashes trembled, and she slowly opened her eyes.

The moment she regained consciousness, the first thing she felt was the comfort of being enveloped in warmth, and the crisp scent of pine trees lingering around her nose.

She blinked and found herself snuggled affectionately in Qin Jiuchen's arms.

His arms were around her shoulders and back, and her face was pressed against his firm chest.

Yun Nian's face turned bright red, and she was wide awake.

She sprang up from his arms, the movement so sudden she almost bumped into the roof of the shack.

Her sudden movement naturally woke up Qin Jiuchen, who was only in a light sleep.

He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze languid as he awoke.

Seeing Yun Nian blush, a hint of a smile flashed in his eyes.

"Awake? Did you sleep well?"

Yun Nian was so embarrassed she wanted to disappear on the spot. "Yes, I slept very well. I'm sorry, Your Highness, I was too tired last night and I don't know how I ended up... sleeping on top of you. It was truly offensive..."

Her voice grew softer and softer as she spoke, and her head drooped lower and lower.

Qin Jiuchen sat up straight and casually turned his somewhat stiff neck.

He glanced at her and said slowly, "You're a restless sleeper, and you're drooling."

"What?"

Yun Nian raised her head, her eyes wide, "I...I didn't! My sleeping posture is clearly very elegant!"

She instinctively raised her hand to wipe her mouth, and sure enough, she felt a wet patch...

Her face flushed even redder, and she stammered, "This...this is morning dew!"

Qin Jiuchen chuckled softly.

Yun Nian was both embarrassed and annoyed. Just as she was about to retort, her gaze inadvertently swept over the outside of the shack, and she suddenly exclaimed "Eh!" as her attention was drawn to it.

Not far in front of their hut, a small pile of wild fruit was neatly stacked on the open ground.

Right next to the pile of wild fruit, a gray wolf, a mother wolf, and her cubs were sitting there!

Yun Nian looked over, and three pairs of wolf eyes simultaneously stared at the two people in the shack.

Yun Nian stood up, looking at Qin Jiuchen with a mixture of surprise and delight, "Your Highness, look! Are they here to thank us? They brought us breakfast."

Qin Jiuchen was also somewhat surprised. "It seems so."

Yun Nian waved happily, "Thank you!"

The gray wolf let out a low whimper and its tail swayed gently.

Yun Nian picked up a plum, wiped it on her clothes, and took a bite.

The sweet juice spreads in your mouth, carrying the unique fragrance of the mountains and fields.

As she ate, she looked at the clever and grateful gray wolf, and suddenly a brilliant idea flashed in her mind.

She turned excitedly to Qin Jiuchen, "Your Highness! I've heard that wolves have an extremely keen sense of smell, capable of tracking scents from miles away. Could we ask the gray wolf for help in finding Qiluo and Chensha?"

Upon hearing this, Qin Jiuchen raised an eyebrow and looked at the gray wolf.

That's a good idea.

Yun Nian thought about it more and more and felt it was feasible, so she immediately took out a handkerchief from her bosom.

Unfolding the handkerchief, she found the gold chain that Qiluo had given her for safekeeping when she redeemed herself that day.

Holding the gold chain, she walked up to the gray wolf, squatted down, and said, "Brother Wolf, can you smell this scent?"

She held the gold chain to the gray wolf's nose. "The owner of this scent is my good friend. She might be lost in the mountains. Can you help us find her?"

The gray wolf lowered its head, its nose twitching as it carefully sniffed the lingering scent on the gold chain.

Then, it suddenly raised its head and let out a long and clear howl towards the brightening sky.

Before the whistling sound had even faded, it had already turned around and, without hesitation, sped off in a certain direction deep within the mountains and forests.

Yun Nian was overjoyed and excitedly grabbed Qin Jiuchen's arm: "Your Highness, it understands! It's willing to help! Quick, let's catch up!"

Qin Jiuchen grasped Yun Nian's hand in return and said in a deep voice:

"Walk."