Chapter 53: The Great Shift of the West

Two days later, in Yangyuan City.

“What! Princess Ling is missing?! Say that again, what in the world happened!!!”

In the Prefect’s office, Wen Fu, who had just finished dealing with current affairs and hadn’t had time to rest, stared wide-eyed at the few tired and shame-faced Ling Wei soldiers in front of him, nearly throwing the teacup he had just lifted to the ground in anger.

Due to days of hard work, this Prefect’s face looked noticeably haggard, with unhealthy dark circles appearing on his once formidable square face, but he clearly wasn’t able to heed his body’s alarm bells and enjoy a peaceful sleep.

He probably wouldn’t get any sleep for quite a long time.

The leading Ling Wei soldier hung his head in despair, explaining in a voice almost as thin as a mosquito’s buzz.

“Sir, this was a premeditated attack. To ensure the safety of the Sacred Beast, Princess Ling sent out several waves of elite Ling Wei to support the Tidal Valley, and by the time we were attacked, our defensive forces were already reduced to less than half.”

“Furthermore, the enemy was very cunning; they didn’t choose to launch a direct assault on us but rather used the wind to spread poisonous mist, forcing us to disperse our teams and enter a more complicated mountainous region.”

“Afterwards, they laid an ambush there, temporarily cutting off the Ling Wei from Princess Ling’s convoy. By the time we dealt with the enemies and arrived…”

“You! You you…!”

“Ugh…”

Wen Fu took deep breaths, trying to suppress the massive pressure that had accumulated over the past two days and the impulse to angrily berate them.

As the head of a county, the Prefect understood that getting angry at this moment was meaningless; the Ling Wei army could not fail to do their utmost to protect the Princess. While they could not escape responsibility, it was also impossible to lay all the blame on them.

At this point, whatever he said was pointless; the immediate priority was to contain the news to avoid panic and, on the other hand, to find Princess Ling as quickly as possible.

“Fine, I will immediately report this to the capital, seeking further instructions and assistance. The matter of the Princess’s disappearance is a shared responsibility; you must ensure the Ling Wei army keeps their mouths shut about this, understood?”

“Understood… Lord Wen Fu.”

“Go take a rest; if there are any changes, this office will notify you again.”

“We take our leave.”

The few Ling Wei leaders that had rushed to deliver the news turned to leave. Wen Fu glanced at the trusted Chief Assistant standing behind him and rubbed his forehead in frustration.

“What’s going on over at the Tidal Valley?”

“Sir, Lady Qin Xuan just recently returned with her team. It is said that they have found the Sacred Beast Qilin and dealt with the crisis in the valley, but she indicated that she needs to meet with you to discuss the specifics.”

“Just when one wave calms down, another arises… Go fetch her, and also have the Yin Yang Office prepare the ‘Sky Eye’—something of this magnitude… we can no longer hold back.”

“Yes, I will handle it at once.”

The Chief Assistant bowed deeply, prepared to leave, when Wen Fu suddenly raised his hand to stop him as if recalling something.

“Wait, is Mr. Murong safe? And what about that highly skilled senior, Miss Vilyric? Are they still in the city? With Yangyuan County in chaos, if they are willing to lend a hand…”

The young man dressed in light-colored official robes hesitated, his expression seeming a bit awkward.

“Sir, Mr. Murong is said to be fine, but he and Miss Vilyric, along with her two friends, did not return with Lady Qin Xuan.”

Hearing this, Wen Fu couldn’t help but furrow his brows.

“They left? Why so hurriedly? I haven’t even distributed the promised rewards yet. Do you know what they were in a rush for?”

“Uh…”

The Chief Assistant’s expression grew even more strange, but being dutiful, he simply recounted what he had heard.

“It seems… they went with the Ling Wei to search for Princess Ling.”

…

“Is this the place?”

At a corner of the temporarily sealed official road, the Black-haired Girl surveyed the surrounding environment, raising a hand to knock on the large wreck of a fallen carriage beside her, looking thoughtful.

This place clearly showed signs of a fierce battle.

Scattered wheel tracks and running marks stretched from the granite-paved road into the deep shade of the forest, large patches of blood and broken weapons littered the ground. The corpses of fallen Ling Wei and attackers had already been collected by other Ling Wei troops, but the signs of battle and heavy objects like broken carriages had yet to be cleared.

Miss Vilyric hadn’t arrived too late; having come out from the Tidal Valley, she deduced that the enemy’s target was likely the missing Princess Ling. She gathered the general location from the Ling Wei and moved towards this area with Ling Feng and others.

However, even so, by the time they arrived, the situation had already settled, leaving only the aftermath of destruction, the Ling Wei cleaning the battlefield, and the Princess’s entourage of officials, female attendants, and patrolling members.

Their identities had already been explained by the Ling Wei leaders who came along; strong individuals commanded respect wherever they went, let alone someone like Vilyric, who was “recognized by the Sacred Beast of her nation.”

Seeing such a situation, the local Ling Wei promptly chose to allow them to assist in the investigation and cooperate in searching for the missing Princess amid the chaos.

Upon hearing the Black-haired Girl speak, a robust man beside her, dressed in more ornate gear than regular Ling Wei and wielding a sword instead of a dagger, nodded solemnly.

“Indeed, we were escorting the Princess along the official road when suddenly a large cloud of green poisonous mist swept towards us from the distant woods, and the vanguard didn’t evade in time, immediately getting engulfed.”

“To be honest, that poison was incredibly potent; even our carefully selected soldiers found it hard to withstand. Within a few seconds, they fell to the ground, bleeding from their orifices.”

“Taking advantage of the sudden turn of events, a large group of disheveled but fierce enemies, who could somehow act freely in the poisonous mist, rushed out from the forest, engaging in fierce battle with the central troops responsible for protecting the Princess.”

“The situation was sudden; Princess Ling noticed that the poisonous mist seemed to be man-made, and to prevent it from spreading further and affecting innocent passersby, she decided to lead a small number of elite Ling Wei to flank and divert the enemy’s attention.”

“I intended to follow and protect the Princess, but she insisted that the enemy’s condition was unclear and ordered me to stay on the official road to protect the patrol team from unforeseen events.”

“Wait.”

Hearing the other party’s account of events, Miss Vilyric frowned.

“To let the person who genuinely needs protection act as bait, while keeping the guards and subordinates in a relatively safe place? What are you thinking?”

Seeing the Black-haired Girl relentlessly question him, the middle-aged general, rumored to be a leader of the Ling Wei army, named Ji Xun, could only force a wry smile.

“Indeed, I could not understand the reasoning behind that order at the time, but Princess Ling was resolute. As a subordinate, I could only follow her orders.”

“And although those attackers seemed fierce and frenzied, they were essentially a scattered bunch fighting for themselves, with a rather rudimentary armament. Once some of the enemies and a lot of the poisonous mist pursued the Princess, I quickly led the Ling Wei to defeat them.”

“After confirming that the patrol team was safe, I hurriedly sent people to follow the Princess’s footsteps to provide support, but for some unknown reason, they have yet to return.”

   

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