In the darkness, the man's face was obscured by shadows, yet his short three words sent a chill down Feng Yinwan's spine.
"Feng Wuxi...!"
If seeing Li Chengyan in the military camp during the day could be described as surprise, then facing Feng Wuxi now, Feng Yinwan felt an overwhelming urge to die!
The matter of the Qiling Pill had already created a rift between her and Feng Wuxi. Now, she was experiencing the worst luck imaginable, encountering her enemy even in Jinzhou!
Feng Wuxi nodded, appearing satisfied with her reaction.
"Indeed, it seems the Princess of Mo remembers this Lord."
These words were equivalent to "I'm going to take your life right now."
Feng Yinwan trembled, immediately feeling a sense of dread. Before she could even formulate a response, the knuckles pressing against her neck tightened once more.
"Where is the Qiling Pill?"
"Hand over the Qiling Pill, or don't blame this Lord for being ruthless!"
Feng Yinwan was almost scared, if not for the latter half of his sentence.
She couldn't fight him, nor could she run. She didn't have the pill, and he didn't seem bold enough to kill her. Realizing all this, Feng Yinwan instantly gave up.
Her expression quickly calmed, and she even raised her hand to slap Feng Wuxi's hand.
With a crisp "snap," Feng Wuxi was momentarily stunned. As he narrowed his eyes with a darkened expression, Feng Yinwan went even further, yanking his hand away.
"Pavilion Master Feng, to tell you the truth, the Qiling Pill is no longer with me. Even if you question me until the heavens crack, this Princess cannot conjure another for you."
This was the truth. After the bracelet had awakened, she had tried to coerce and entice it. However, advanced pills like the Qiling Pill and the Zishen Xuan Dan were indeed not stored within the bracelet.
Upon hearing this, Feng Wuxi's entire being surged with malevolence.
"Nonsense! The Qiling Pill is an item for awakening spirits. It's useless in your hands, hand it over!"
His eyes clearly blazed with killing intent, and Feng Yinwan's eyelids twitched, causing her to shrink back.
She seemed to have underestimated his obsession with the Qiling Pill...
"Who says this Princess finds it useless! Whatever purpose Pavilion Master Feng has for it, this Princess has the same!"
Her tone was commanding, yet it also dropped somewhat. She used the opportunity to reach for the silver needles in her sleeve. However, Feng Wuxi paused for a brief moment before swiftly subduing her again.
"Since that's the case, you have no choice."
The chilling tone sent a shiver down Feng Yinwan's body. Before she could even utter "What do you intend to do?", a swift blow to the back of her neck rendered her unconscious.
It was not until the next morning that Yuping realized Feng Yinwan was missing.
Perhaps it was due to the Jade Skin Dew, but she had fallen asleep unusually quickly the previous night. After feeling weak for several days, she woke up feeling uncharacteristically refreshed this morning. To her surprise, Feng Yinwan did not come to check her injuries even after waiting for a long time. When Yuping went to look for her, she discovered that her mistress's room was empty, with only a few silver needles scattered on the floor by the door.
Her mistress's silver needles were always with her. In such an abnormal situation, something must have happened!
The moment this thought struck her, she put aside all other concerns, changed her clothes, and rushed to the military camp.
Li Chengyan had woken up last night, his wounds having been treated by Feng Yinwan herself, and he had been taking the prescribed medicine for several days.
Xu Yunxiao was currently accompanying him for a walk in the open space. Upon hearing from the guards that a woman was looking for him, his expression changed, and he quickly went to meet her.
Feng Yinwan was always cautious when traveling and disguised herself as a man. If a woman was looking for her, it was likely Yuping!
He rushed out and, as expected, saw Yuping's anxious little face. Xu Yunxiao quickly approached her, and Yuping's distressed voice rang out.
"Brother Xu, something bad has happened, Miss is gone!"
"Gone?!"
Caught off guard by this news, Xu Yunxiao's face froze, and his expression immediately became grave.
"What happened? Did the Princess return to the military camp yesterday?"
Yuping nodded. "She was fine yesterday evening. Miss returned from the military camp, said you were alright, then applied medicine to me before going back to her room to rest. Who knew that when I woke up this morning, she was already gone, and her silver needles were scattered on the floor. I fear... I fear something has happened!"
By the time Xu Yunxiao finished listening, his brows were already deeply furrowed. He pursed his lips, and before he could utter words of comfort, a playful voice suddenly sounded from behind him.
"Oh, what a coincidence, meeting each other from afar. Isn't this the little crybaby by the side of the cousin-in-law?"
Upon hearing this, Yuping was completely stunned.
Looking up, she met Li Chengyan's somewhat roguish smile. She remained frozen for a good half-minute before speaking again.
"General Li?"
Why was he here?
Realizing something, she instinctively wanted to flee. However, the moment she took a step, her back was firmly caught by a strong grip.
Her clothing was pulled up, and with a single glance, Li Chengyan spotted the glaring scar on her neck, his expression immediately darkening.
"How did you get that?"
Thanks to Feng Yinwan's careful care these past two days, and the Jade Skin Dew used last night, the surface of the scar had peeled off a thin layer of skin, no longer as horrifying as before. However, even so, on such fair skin, it remained conspicuous and unsightly.
Hearing his question, Yuping suddenly snapped back to reality. She immediately struggled to break free. Li Chengyan frowned and was about to reach out again when Xu Yunxiao suddenly stepped in front of him.
"General Li?"
Blocked, Li Chengyan's brows furrowed even more noticeably. Impatiently, he lowered his gaze and then retracted his hand.
"What is it?"
Xu Yunxiao smiled innocently. "Nothing. Your injuries haven't healed yet, so you shouldn't stand for too long. Perhaps it's better if you..."
He meant no harm. He just felt that it wasn't appropriate for him to stare at a young lady's neck like that.
After he finished speaking, he received a cold glare. Li Chengyan, however, looked past him and directly at Yuping behind him.
Feng Yinwan's sudden disappearance had already made her anxious. Now, after being pulled to have her scar examined, her eyes were slightly red, whether from anxiety or anger.
Li Chengyan's eyes darkened. "Why are you in Jinzhou? And why did you rush to the military camp just now?"
"And the injury on your person, how did you get it?"
Aside from the last question, these words, in Yuping's eyes, were no different from him interrogating her on behalf of Ye Tinglan.
"It's nothing..."
Even with his slow understanding, Xu Yunxiao could tell that the two knew each other long ago. He vaguely recalled Feng Yinwan's instructions to him yesterday and finally understood their meaning.
How could he forget? General Li was the Prince of Mo's cousin!
A sense of emotion washed over him, and he felt a pang of guilt.
Song, as a brother, I've failed you. After being so careful, I still couldn't keep it a secret!
Since they had bumped into each other, running away was futile. Yuping pursed her lips and cautiously tugged at Xu Yunxiao's sleeve.
"Brother Xu, come closer..."
If it were just her being discovered alone, it would be one thing. But regarding her mistress's affairs, she absolutely would not tell him!
Xu Yunxiao nodded dumbly. However, before he could take a step, the voice beside him rang out again.
"Where are you going? Is there anything this General cannot hear?"