Before the house was raided, the maidservant of the Prime Minister's residence absconded with t

"Master, it's the sound of wolves. Someone has encountered wolves."

Qingfeng's expression changed, wondering if it was one of his partners who were searching for him.

"Yes, it's the sound of wolves howling, but not just one wolf. The cries for help seem to be coming from over there."

Let's hurry over there!

If it were a pack of wolves, that would be terrifying!

Xiao Yi's expression grew increasingly cold and stern.

The two then exchanged a glance and stood up together.

Despite being exhausted, he didn't hesitate for a moment and ran towards the source of the sound.

The firelight flickered in the forest. When they pushed aside the bushes, they saw two women surrounded by four jackals.

They waved the torches haphazardly in their hands, but only managed to disturb the wolf pack in vain.

The firelight illuminated two deathly pale faces, which turned out to be Dongkui and Xiaohe, who was by the side of the First Madam.

"Don't be afraid!" Xiao Yi shouted in a low voice, and his figure moved.

Qingfeng followed closely behind, and the two of them moved with lightning speed. In just a few leaps, the four jackals fell to the ground one after another, without even having a chance to let out a wail.

Dongkui and Xiaohe's legs went weak, and they collapsed to the ground, their bodies trembling uncontrollably.

Xiao Yi stopped his attack, looked around, and asked in a deep voice, "Where are the others?"

Why are there only two of you?

Have Tao'er and Ayan been found?

Dongkui's eyes reddened, and she cried, "Seventh Brother Shi, no..."

Not found...

We searched all day, but found nothing..."

Xiaohe chimed in, her voice trembling with emotion: "The others... went back to Tiger Head Village first."

King Cheng led his troops to camp at the foot of the mountain, saying he was going to attack it. The people in the village all went back to defend it...

Xiao Yi frowned.

King Cheng arrived very quickly!

Now only the First Madam remains in the village; all three heads of the household are dead, and she probably can't handle things alone.

Although Tiger Head Stronghold is easy to defend and difficult to attack, it would be bad if the people inside were not united and became a disorganized mess.

If King Cheng were to act recklessly and allow his troops to charge forward, given enough time, they would eventually manage to create an opening, and then...

Qingfeng stepped forward and whispered, "Master, two things have come together now."

Finding the person is important, but defending the mountain stronghold is equally important.

That place cannot be allowed to be seized by the heartless and ambitious King Cheng!

In my opinion, we should leave two strong men to search for the missing person, while we return to the village to set up defenses.

Furthermore, it's not suitable for us to have a large-scale search for people here right now, since King Cheng and his men are guarding the foot of the mountain.

We must not let King Cheng's men know that we are looking for Peach Girl and Ayan.

Otherwise, he would definitely have sent people to look for them, since his goal was to find Tao'er and the others.

Xiao Yi didn't respond to this, but his expression seemed somewhat relaxed.

Qingfeng's gaze swept across the mountain forest, and he continued, "Since neither of them has been found, they are most likely still alive."

If it were caused by a wild animal, there should be some traces, such as the smell of blood and the remains of clothing, but there is nothing here.

Perhaps she was rescued by hunters in the mountains.

Xiao Yi remained silent for a moment, then slowly nodded.

"You're right." He looked up, his expression serious.

"They must still be alive."

Let's go back to Tiger Head Village first, hold the village, and then discuss things further.

Send two capable men to continue the search, discreetly, and have them pose as hunters so as not to arouse suspicion.

Qingfeng, you take care of this matter.

"Report any news to Qingniao immediately."

Qingfeng nodded. "Yes, Master. I will make the arrangements properly."

"We will inform you as soon as we get news about Peach Girl and the others."

Xiao Yi nodded and looked at the two little girls on the ground, who were terrified, exhausted, and disheveled.

He said, "You two have worked hard too. Come back to the village with us!"

We haven't seen Tao'er and the others yet. Perhaps they're still alive and well, having been blessed with good fortune.

Having not been very polite before, Xiao Yi softened his tone considerably this time.

Dongkui nodded, struggled to her feet, and Qingfeng helped Xiaohe, whose legs were trembling with fear, to her feet. The five of them left the ravaged place together and headed towards Tiger Head Village.

At the foot of the mountain, the lights were bright.

A thousand soldiers camped here, their tents scattered like stars.

Inside the central command tent, Prince Cheng, Xie Jingxing, sat alone at his desk, a deep, unyielding worry etched on his brow.

On the table lay a secret letter, which his father, the emperor, had personally handed to him before he left the capital.

Tell him to open it when he gets to the foot of Jingmeng Mountain.

The letter essentially stated that whether or not they could capture Tiger Head Stronghold was secondary.

But we must catch that young cook and the young master of the Xiao family.

I suspect that the thing is in the hands of those two.

If you can defeat them and retrieve that item, I will make you the crown prince.

The position of crown prince was something he had always dreamed of, so he couldn't miss this opportunity.

Xie Jingxing tapped the table lightly with his fingertips, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

The ministers all thought he had come to suppress bandits, but little did they know that his real prey was not those mountain bandits at all.

Instead, she was a cook and a young child from the Xiao family.

No, you're wrong. What's important isn't them, but what they have.

Otherwise, why would Father want to capture them alive?

He raised his eyes, gazing at the faint outline of Tiger Head Stronghold visible outside the tent, his lips slightly pursed.

The fact that his father valued a parchment so highly only fueled Xie Jingxing's curiosity about the secrets it held.

The night was deep, and the mountain wind howled.

King Cheng couldn't sleep at all. Looking at the leaping flames in front of him, he thought about how to conquer Tiger Head Village.

Previously, with Hu Biao, the second-in-command, acting as his inside man, he had a certain degree of confidence.

Now that the man is dead, he really has no chance of taking Tiger Head Village.

If only we could force that brat and that child down the mountain.

They're hiding in the mountain stronghold, so it'll be very difficult for them to find those two people.

Just as Xie Jingxing was troubled, his trusted confidant Liu Wei walked in.

A soldier then escorted in a young man who looked like a beggar.

Qingfeng waved to the soldier, "Go down and collect your two taels of silver. There's nothing more for you to do here."

The soldier thanked him happily and turned to leave.

"Kneel down immediately! Hurry up and pay your respects to King Cheng!"

Liu Wei kicked the man directly, and the man almost fell over.

Upon hearing that it was Prince Cheng, he hurriedly knelt down, saying, "This humble subject, Chen Ergou, kowtows to Your Highness!"

He kowtowed three times.

Xie Jingxing glanced at the kneeling man below, his expression nonchalant, and asked in a gloomy tone, "Where did you catch this stinking beggar?"

Liu Wei, you're getting worse as you get older. What are you doing with a stinking beggar?

I'm feeling really annoyed!

You even brought out such a disgusting thing to disgust me?

Has it been too long since you've been punished with a rod?

"Your Highness, this is not a stinking beggar!"

This person is very useful to us; he can solve your urgent problem.

Your subordinate knows what's bothering you!

That's why I'm here to lend you a hand!

Liu Wei chuckled, his tone ingratiating and eager to claim credit.

Upon hearing this, Xie Jingxing immediately perked up and asked, "Liu Wei, you said this person is of great use to us."

"Tell me quickly, who is this person?"