The palace corridors were winding and surrounded by pathways, with heavy guards stationed every few steps. Ji Yuluo walked openly through them, heading towards the side gate of the palace. Today, the side gate was guarded by the Jinyiwei, who were easier to talk to than the Imperial Guards.
The leader was the same Liu Wu she had encountered before.
Liu Wu greeted her respectfully, clasping his hands and asking, “At this hour, Madam is going out?”
Ji Yuluo nodded, looking distressed, and sighed, “This morning during the prayer, I left my handkerchief at Jiuzhen Temple. It has some small characters embroidered on it, and I need to find it.”
Liu Wu scratched his head and replied, “Then I will send two people to accompany Madam.”
Ji Yuluo said, “No need, it’s just nearby. There are Imperial Guards and Jinyiwei everywhere; it won’t be a problem.”
Liu Wu did not insist further. Since the temple was just in front of the palace, a short turn away, and with many eyes around, nothing should happen. He waved his hand to let her pass.
Ji Yuluo left the palace but did not go to Jiuzhen Temple. She waited behind a rockery until the guards changed shifts. When no one was around, she hurriedly walked up the mountain.
The Concubine Shi was known for being jealous and competitive. She had followed the entourage to the palace outside with much effort, so she wouldn’t remain inactive. She couldn’t be content with just watching the Emperor being monopolized by a newcomer for ten days to half a month, while she herself found solace in nature?
Outside this palace, only the stone cave left by Empress Wen years ago remained.
Although it was called a stone cave, it was actually exquisitely crafted and splendidly decorated. A waterfall flowed straight down from the top of the cave, forming a curtain of water at the entrance, which dampened the light white gauze. A semi-circular screen made of stone stood in the center. Further inside, there were tables, chairs, and a soft couch, all arranged as elegantly as in a palace.
The stone walls were uneven, but they had been polished, making the surfaces smooth and unlikely to cause cuts.
This place offered a broad view. From a distance, one could see the entire Jiuzhen Temple and the palace. Nestled against the mountain and beside the water, it was a perfect spot for summer scenery.
One had to admit that Empress Wen had refined tastes.
Usually, no one came here, but from time to time, maids would come to tidy up, so it was very clean.
Ji Yuluo circled the screen once, leisurely sat on the soft couch for a while, stretched her neck, and then walked out through a gap where the water curtain didn’t reach. She opened the blood packet given by Su Fang and sniffed it.
It wasn’t ordinary blood. It must have been mixed with something because its scent was more intense than regular blood, very thick and appealing to wild animals.
She looked back at the mountain path, assessed the terrain, and destroyed the nearby animal traps. Then she sprinkled the blood around the stone cave.
Finally, she threw the empty blood packet down a steep slope, inevitably getting some blood on her hands.
Ji Yuluo frowned, lowered her eyes, and impatiently wiped the blood off bit by bit.
Suddenly, footsteps rustled in the distance, and the leaves shook.
She looked up and saw Liu Wu, followed by a figure in red partially hidden by the bushes.
Ji Yuluo frowned deeply this time. How… did he find her?
She couldn’t just run into them. If Huo Xian saw her in the stone cave, he would definitely become suspicious and order a thorough investigation later.
Almost immediately, Ji Yuluo slipped back into the shadows of the trees and walked along another path.
—
Liu Wu was supposed to change shifts and rest in his room, but before he could even take off his boots, Huo Xian came looking for him.
After a detailed inquiry, he learned that Madam had not returned for a long time.
Liu Wu became nervous at this point. How could a living person go missing? Moreover, the palace was surrounded by deep mountains and dense forests, with hidden pits and caves. If anything happened, he would have to answer for it with his life!
Following Huo Xian around for half a circle, he said anxiously, “It’s all my fault. I should have sent someone to accompany Madam, or else this wouldn’t have happened… But on this mountain, did you really see Madam come up here?”
He was asking the Jinyiwei who had just changed shifts near Jiuzhen Temple. The Jinyiwei hurriedly replied, “Well… I didn’t see clearly who it was. I just glanced back and saw a figure that looked like a woman. At the time, I thought it was a maid from the palace picking wild fruits, so I didn’t pay much attention.”
The wild fruits on the mountain were sweet, and some maids from the city, finding them novel, would indeed come in groups to pick them.
Hearing this, Liu Wu felt even more troubled. “Sir…”
Huo Xian, on the other hand, was the least anxious among them. While others worried that Ji Yuluo, being a delicate woman, might encounter dangers in the wild mountains, he knew she had some ability to protect herself.
The only question was, why did she run up the mountain for no reason?
Huo Xian rubbed his brow and said, “Alright, let’s split up and search.”
“Yes!”
Liu Wu responded, dividing the men into four groups to search separately.
Meanwhile, at the other end of the forest, two figures were hiding in the shadows.
One of the Imperial Guards chuckled, “Is Madam Huo lost? How interesting.”
Standing beside him in full armor, Xiao Yuanjing remained silent, his face calm as he watched Huo Xian.
The scorching midday sun was unbearable, and Ji Yuluo finally stopped at a valley, panting lightly and wiping the sweat from her temples with her sleeve.
The mountain paths were intricate and confusing. Without having memorized a map beforehand, she would have had a hard time finding her way out.
Huo Xian…
If he figured it out by then, would he be angry?
Ji Yuluo squatted by a stream to wash her hands. As she stood up, she saw a reflection in the water.
Tall and imposing, with a blank expression.
Who else could it be but Huo Xian?
Ji Yuluo rarely got scared, but this sudden appearance almost made her fall into the water.
However, she didn’t show any fear on her face and turned her head in surprise. “What are you doing here?”
Huo Xian looked at her, “That’s a question I should be asking you.”
He shook the small object in his hand.
—
The mountain was vast; if he hadn’t found this cord, he might not have located her.
Ji Yuluo quickly felt for the accessory at her waist and found the cord was indeed missing.
Her expression remained unchanged as she stood up, holding the washed fruits, and said, “What else could I be doing? There’s a stream in the valley, and the fruits along the river are sweet. I heard Concubine Shi mention it. Staying in the palace is boring… Isn’t the Emperor going to the central courtyard to watch the prayer play this afternoon? Don’t you need to be there?”
Huo Xian took a deep breath. Of course, he needed to be there.
He glanced at the plump, red fruits. Trusting her was out of the question, but he had no evidence since nothing had happened.
The more nonchalant Ji Yuluo appeared, the more uneasy he felt. He approached her, taking the cloth-wrapped fruits from her hand, and asked, “Are you sure you have nothing else going on?”
Ji Yuluo smiled. “Lord Huo, do you want me to find something to do, or do you hope I won’t?”
Huo Xian said coolly, “I’m regretting that I got distracted by bringing you along.”
But knowing her, if she was determined to come, and if he refused her, she would surely find another way.
Better to keep her where he could see her.
She always had a knack for making people anxious.
Ji Yuluo teased, “Oh, isn’t that called being infatuated?”
Huo Xian let out a cold snort. As he pulled her to leave, he suddenly noticed a bloodstain on the hem of her dress. He stopped and asked solemnly, “Are you injured?”
Ji Yuluo followed his gaze and calmly said, “No, I ran into a young deer in the forest earlier. I thought it was a wolf and accidentally hurt it.”
Huo Xian relaxed a bit and said, “All the large wild animals in the mountains have been cleared by the Jinyiwei. There’s no need to be nervous, but don’t think this mountain is completely safe. This place is a royal hunting ground, full of hidden traps for live capture.”
These traps were designed for capturing aggressive animals like tigers and wolves and were not marked on maps. Only the Jinyiwei and Imperial Guards responsible for hazard control knew their locations.
Huo Xian surveyed the area and realized they were within the range of one such trap.
Typically, there was no need to worry as these traps were triggered manually and wouldn’t activate on their own.
However, at that moment, both their expressions changed.
Years of living on the edge had given them a terrifying intuition, making them especially sensitive to the gaze and presence around them, even from a distance.
Huo Xian felt a sudden sense of foreboding. He heard a faint, breaking sound beneath his feet… Not good.
As the ground began to collapse, he instinctively looked towards the mechanism’s location and saw a glint of something shiny flash by.
The sensation of weightlessness hit them abruptly.
Ji Yuluo was startled. Despite her quick reflexes, grabbing the edge of the pit, she was immediately pulled down by Huo Xian, landing heavily at the bottom of the pit. Sharp spikes descended from the pit’s opening, but Huo Xian’s pull saved her hands from being impaled.
“……”
Ji Yuluo had not anticipated this turn of events. For a moment, her wide eyes looked almost childlike in their surprise. She turned to Huo Xian and asked, “This trap has a mechanism?”
Huo Xian adjusted his sturdy armor, a dark expression crossing his face. He wiped the dirt from his chin, his mind racing through countless possibilities.
—
That flash of light just now was the reflection off armor.
It was the Imperial Guards.
There were many in the Imperial Guard with whom he had grudges, and it was impossible to tell who it might be.
At this moment, the layer of grass was slowly pushed back into place.
The light grew dimmer and dimmer until it was completely gone.
They were plunged into darkness so thick it was impossible to see one’s own hand in front of their face.
It was clear they intended to trap them here.
Huo Xian remained calm and unperturbed, which reassured Ji Yuluo that he had a backup plan.
She sat up straight, trying not to lean against the walls.
In the enclosed space, the smell in the pit became increasingly intense—a mix of the stench of long-buried animal carcasses and damp earth.
Some wild animals were inherently difficult to tame, preferring death to submission.
The odor, mingled with the moisture of the soil, seeped into their nostrils. Huo Xian noticed that Ji Yuluo’s breathing was no longer steady. He glanced at the faintly glowing frost flower hairpin and touched her lightly.
Her body was tense.
He removed the armor from his chest and tossed it aside, then pulled Ji Yuluo close.
She did not cooperate, and it took him some effort to bring her stiff body into his arms. “Hang in there a bit longer. I marked the way as we came. If Liu Wu and the others have any sense, they’ll find us soon.”
He paused before adding, “If not, and we die here, we could be considered lovers who died for each other.”
“Sounds rather touching when you think about it.”
