Chapter 100: The Princess Disappears

In fact, Mo Yi had been exactly the same way back then; while gathering herbs on the mountain, she had been instantly captivated by Yan Heru.

"Sister Mo Yi... what kind of person is the Princess, really?" Ano suddenly asked. As soon as the words left her lips, she felt she might have overstepped.

What if Mo Yi suspected her motives because of this question? What if she was perceived as someone plotting against the Princess? If that were the case, even if it were purely for the Princess's safety, she would be arrested regardless of the truth. Even if she were innocent and wronged, no one would care.

"Her? She is truly an extraordinary person. She is unlike anyone else—not only is she beautiful, but she is kind-hearted and treats subordinates and servants like us with such immense care. However, telling you this now, you might not grasp it. As time passes, you will feel it for yourself. You will surely come to love the Princess." A glow graced Mo Yi’s face as she spoke.

Ano nodded, only half-understanding.

The two waited in the courtyard for the Princess’s return, but as time stretched on, Yan Heru did not appear, which began to worry them.

"Sister Mo Yi, so much time has passed. Why hasn't the Princess returned yet? Should we go and check on her together?" Ano asked tentatively. At that moment, she was genuinely concerned for Yan Heru.

Mo Yi nodded, and they immediately set off in the direction Yan Heru had taken. They searched the entire path, but found no clues, nor did they see her at the infirmary.

Mo Yi panicked. She rushed to the main gate and asked the two guards, "Did you see the Princess leave, or did you hear any strange noises?"

The two guards exchanged a confused look and shook their heads. "We have been standing guard here the whole time. We haven't seen the Princess go out, no one has come in, and we haven't heard any strange sounds nearby."

"Damn it..." Mo Yi hurriedly searched the post house again, but Yan Heru was nowhere to be found.

She was at a loss for what to do. Ano, appearing to be the more composed of the two, suggested, "This is a serious matter. Our best course of action is to inform the Prince, but we might not have the means to break into where the Prince is staying."

Hearing this, Mo Yi forced herself to steady her nerves. "I have a way. Let's go find the Prince!"

"Okay," Ano nodded, and they left the post house together.

Meanwhile, Yan Heru...

"What is the meaning of bringing me here?" Yan Heru asked, looking helplessly at the two men kneeling before her.

They had forcibly knocked her unconscious and brought her from the post house to this cave. The two men looked refined and scholarly, not like villains, but rather like martial artists who possessed some knowledge of combat.

One of the men heard her and immediately replied, "I beg of you, I know you are the closing disciple of the head of the Shengjing Medical Hall. Please, I implore you to save our eldest brother! If you can save him, we will be forever in your debt—we would be willing to work as your servants for the rest of our lives!"

Yan Heru turned to look at the other unconscious man lying beside her. "Is this the man who is your eldest brother?"

"Yes... our eldest brother is a peerless martial artist, one of the best in the world, but we never expected him to be ambushed! He has been poisoned by a lethal toxin. We have sought out many doctors, but none could save him. We had no choice but to bring the Princess here." One of the men spoke through tears.

Looking at the two men, Yan Heru found it hard to imagine how powerful the man lying there could truly be. Furthermore, the most unexpected thing was that this unconscious man was their leader. Initially, she had assumed he was another victim kidnapped just like her.

"It is not that I cannot save your brother, but could you not have found a more polite way to bring me here? Did you ever consider my feelings when you knocked me unconscious? Moreover, since you know I am the Princess, you should realize that if I suddenly disappear, you can imagine the fury of the Ninth Prince should he find out," Yan Heru stated.

The two men exchanged glances and nodded. The one who had spoken earlier replied, "We are aware of all that, but we had no choice. Our status prevents us from entering the post house, so we had to resort to this desperate measure."

The other man added, "Exactly. If the Princess can cure our brother quickly, we can take you right back, and the Ninth Prince will never even know you were missing!"

Yan Heru covered her eyes with her hand, unable to bear looking at them. She couldn't fathom their logic. Did they really think that as the Ninth Prince’s wife, she had no one watching over her? If she vanished, would those around her not notice? Faced with these two men of questionable intelligence, she couldn't imagine what kind of person the unconscious man was.

"I will help you, but let me first assess his condition." Yan Heru sighed, turned to the side, and began to examine the unconscious man.

She hadn't looked closely at him before, but upon examining his injuries, she realized his features were exceptionally handsome. Was it possible that most of the men in this world were this beautiful? Yan Heru suddenly felt that the women of this world weren't as striking as the men.

After checking his pulse, her expression grew grave. His symptoms were identical to the cold poison flare-ups that Shen Hezhi suffered from, and there was even a trace of the same toxin in his body.

How could this be? Could they be related? That shouldn't be... If there were a connection, Shen Hezhi would have surely told her, given the nature of the poison. Since he hadn't, there were only two possibilities: either this man was an enemy of Shen Hezhi, or they were complete strangers.