The sky was already so late, and Yu Jingchen couldn't help but worry about what might happen to Nan Zhiyun, whether she would be scared, whether she would be hurt.
"Your Majesty, we just found this wolf with an arrow wound ahead." Suddenly, someone came to report, and behind them, a wolf was dragged back, barely alive. Yu Jingchen looked over, and Xing Lai, wisely, stepped forward to examine it. However, at this moment, his brows furrowed.
"Your Majesty, this arrow is not the feather arrow we use for hunting. And this wolf seems to have only this one arrow wound. The wound is very deep, and almost all the arrow feathers have penetrated its body. It can be seen that the person who shot this arrow has profound inner strength." Xing Lai's expression became serious.
"Investigate!" Yu Jingchen ordered, "Expand the search area and continue looking. You must find the person within half an hour!" Yu Jingchen could no longer wait.
"Your Majesty, this is a restricted area ahead, and the terrain inside is complex..." Xing Lai originally wanted to persuade him, but Yu Jingchen didn't intend to listen. He directly rode his horse deeper into the area. It was clear that in addition to worry and nervousness, Yu Jingchen was also angry. If Shu Fei was found this time, His Majesty would likely not let it go easily.
The entire hunting ground was filled with torches, all searching for Nan Zhiyun alone. But at this moment, Nan Zhiyun... was still curled up alone in a pit. She looked like she was about to fall asleep, and it was unclear if she was about to faint or was simply tired.
This was the restricted area of the hunting ground, which was usually not opened. The trees inside were much denser, and there were dangerous situations everywhere.
The further Yu Jingchen went, the more panicked he became. It wasn't that he was afraid of the environment, but he was afraid that Nan Zhiyun was truly trapped inside. How could this girl be so unthinking? Today, he had clearly told her that if she wanted to ride a horse, it must be when he accompanied her. This was not the palace; how could her courage be so great?
If she was found this time and there was nothing serious, it would be fine. But if there were other problems, Yu Jingchen dared not continue to think about it. It was in this moment that he realized he too could have something that caused him such fear.
Yu Jingchen led his men deep into the woods, where horses could no longer enter. He had to dismount.
"Search separately, and search every place carefully!" Yu Jingchen couldn't believe what he would do in a frenzy if he still couldn't find her.
"Who?!" Yu Jingchen acutely sensed the presence of others. Everyone also became alert, shining their torches into the distance. They saw someone emerge from the grass.
"Your servant has seen His Majesty!" The man trembled as he approached. Only when he got closer could Yu Jingchen see that it was Jiang Ji, who was by Nan Zhiyun's side.
"Why are you here?" Yu Jingchen looked at him, his eyes filled with inquiry.
"Just now, the Empress's horse was startled, and this servant followed the horse in. But when I entered, the Empress had already disappeared. This servant came in to search alone. Just now, this servant found this on a tree..." Jiang Ji presented the feather arrow with both hands. Yu Jingchen recognized it; it was the same as the one from before.
"Where did you find it?" Yu Jingchen's suspicious gaze fell on Jiang Ji.
"It was taken from a tree. Moreover, this servant discovered that there was a feather arrow on the trees at intervals," Jiang Ji said truthfully.
Yu Jingchen did not know whether to believe him. He looked at Jiang Ji thoughtfully, but Yu Jingchen had no time to bother with him now.