Chapter 450: Lost
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The moment she saw the wolf pack pounce on Xiao Juan, Yu Niaoniao’s heart was in her throat and she almost forgot to breathe.
She took an involuntary step forward and was immediately grabbed by Chun
Feng and Ye Yu behind her.
“Princess Consort, you can’t go over!”
Yan Nanguan arrived in time with the Eagle Guards and helped Xiao Juan block most of the wild wolves.
Then, Wei Liao and the Sky Wolf Guards arrived.
At this critical moment, they could not care less about factional struggles. They pulled out their sabers and attacked!
Amidst the blades and shadows, wild wolves kept falling and wailing in pain.
The alpha realized that something was wrong. If this continued, even if they could capture a few humans as prey, they would pay a heavy price. The losses outweighed the gains.
After weighing the pros and cons, the alpha made a prompt decision and let out a piercing howl.
When the remaining wolves heard the order, they immediately withdrew from the battle and quickly gathered together.
They lowered themselves to face the enemy, growling low in their throats as they retreated.
Yan Nanguan asked, “Should we chase after them?”
The night was dark and windy. They did not know the terrain here. If they continued to pursue the wolves, it was very likely that the team would get separated and fall into even greater danger.
Xiao Juan quickly made a decision. “Don’t chase after a desperate enemy.”
After waiting for the two sides to put a relatively safe distance between them, the wolf pack turned and left. Their backs quickly disappeared into the vast night.
Yu Niaoniao quickly ran out from behind the rock. After confirming that Xiao Juan was not injured, she heaved a sigh of relief.
A few carcasses of wild wolves were left at the scene. In addition, a few Eagle Guards and Sky Wolf Guards were injured in the battle. Fortunately, no one died.
Lo Pingsha was treating the injured.
Yan Nanguan brought people to deal with the carcasses of the wild wolves and cleaned up the remaining blood on the ground to prevent the smell of blood from attracting more wild beasts.
Wei Liao spoke suddenly.
“Cheng Qi is gone.”
Yu Niaoniao and Xiao Juan immediately turned to look for Cheng Qi’s carriage. Only then did they realize that his carriage was gone. The guards and servants who had been following Cheng Qi were also gone. Xiao Juan’s expression immediately darkened.
“They must have escaped in the chaos.”
Just now, all of them were busy dealing with the wolf pack and no one was in the mood to pay attention to Cheng Qi and the others.
Yu Niaoniao frowned. “Why did Cheng Qi run away for no reason?”
Wei Liao sneered. “Of course, it’s because he’s guilty.”
Hearing him say this, Yu Niaoniao had a guess and blurted out.
“Could Cheng Qi have deliberately led us the wrong way?”
Wei Liao said, “Cheng Qi has lived in Liangzhou for so many years. Logically speaking, he should be very familiar with this place, but he led us to take the wrong way. This doesn’t make sense. In addition, Cheng Qi took the opportunity to escape when the wolves suddenly attacked in the middle of the night. Who would believe that he didn’t deliberately arrange this?”
Yu Niaoniao was still puzzled. “But what does he want? Even if he kills us, he won’t gain anything.”
Xiao Juan said in a low voice, “Don’t forget what we came to Liangzhou for.”
“We’re here to celebrate Princess Ni Yang’s birthday and secretly investigate the whereabouts of that stolen silver…
At this point, Yu Niaoniao was enlightened.
“It’s that stolen silver!”
If Cheng Qi was related to that stolen silver, then he had a very good reason to kill Duke Lang!
Yu Niaoniao said angrily, “He can run, but he can’t hide. Cheng Qi definitely has to return to the princess’s residence. When we find him, we’ll definitely confront him!”
Wei Liao said lazily.
“But we have to get out of here safely. It’s only been one night and we’ve encountered a wolf pack. We don’t know what we’ll encounter tomorrow.”
Xiao Juan said in a low voice, “At dawn, we’ll set off and reach Jinwu City as soon as possible.”
Wei Liao yawned. “I hope we can still make it to Jinwu City.”
With that, he turned around and walked away, planning to sleep well while there was still some time before dawn.
Xiao Juan asked Yu Niaoniao to go back and sleep for a while.
Yu Niaoniao also knew that at this point, it was most important to recuperate and deal with the next predicament.
“Have a good rest too.”
“Yeah.”
Yu Niaoniao, Chun Feng, and Ye Yu returned to the carriage.
After that soul-stirring battle just now, the three of them were still a little afraid.
Fortunately, Yu Niaoniao was happy-go-lucky. She closed her eyes and fell asleep not long after.
When she woke the next morning, the wolf’s carcasses were gone and the blood had been cleaned off the ground. The Eagle Guards were methodically counting the supplies. Everything looked normal again.
It was as if the fierce battle last night had been a dream.
At this moment, the sky was bright and Yu Niaoniao could finally see her surroundings clearly.
Large rocks were scattered everywhere. Their surfaces showed signs of being eroded by wind and sand, interspersed with small trees. Occasionally, crows flew across the sky, letting out ugly cries.
No matter how she looked at it, this was not a good place.
After a simple breakfast, the group set off again.
They tried to head back the way they had come, but after walking for most of the day, they could not find the original path.
No matter how they walked, they were still surrounded by huge rocks in strange shapes.
They could neither see anyone nor find a decent path.
Yan Nanguan pointed at a triangular mark on the rock and spoke with difficulty.
“This is the mark I made before. We’re back where we were.’ In other words, they were lost.
Xiao Juan looked at the triangular mark with a dark expression.
“Try another direction.”
The group chose a completely opposite direction and continued on their way.
But in the end, they returned to the marked place.
This time, the entire team fell silent.
Even the horses were moving uneasily in place.
At this moment, the sun was already setting in the west. It would be dark soon.
Yu Niaoniao jumped out of the carriage and walked over to look at the triangular mark on the rock. Then she looked around.
The rocks were like natural walls, turning the place into a huge maze.
And they were the travelers trapped in the maze.
If they couldn’t find a way out, they could only die trapped in this godforsaken place.
Wei Liao was also a little frustrated.
He said angrily, “This finally explains why Cheng Qi lured us here.lf we were bitten to death by the wolves, he could blame the wolves for everything. Even if we were lucky enough to escape from the wolves, we would not be able to leave this godforsaken place safely. In the future, if the Imperial Court sent someone to investigate this matter, Cheng Qi could say that we had taken the wrong path. In short, everything has nothing to do with him.”
Cheng Qi did not look promising. He seemed to be just a profligate son who was obsessed with alcohol and sex. They did not expect him to be so powerful when it came to harming people.
Not only Wei Liao, but even Xiao Juan had misjudged.
Yu Niaoniao stroked the triangular mark with her fingertips and asked coldly.
“Little Yan, are you sure this is the mark you drew?” Yan Nanguan nodded without hesitation. “Yes..”