Chapter 550: Who Started the Big Fire?
"I’m not afraid." Sang Zhi looked up, fumbling to grab Ye Qianning’s small hand. "If my eyes really hold such a huge secret, does that mean I’ll have the power to protect you in the future?"
Ye Qianning froze for a moment, then squeezed his hand back. "The most important thing is that you protect yourself."
Sang Zhi pressed his lips together. ’She must really despise me.’
"Stop overthinking things. Your imperial father should know you’ve left the palace by now. He should be able to find Four-direction Mountain soon. We just have to hold out until they arrive, and we’ll be fine." Ye Qianning pulled him to his feet. "Are you done eating?"
Sang Zhi nodded. "That giant cauldron from before..."
"It’s a secret." Ye Qianning cut him off before he could finish.
Sang Zhi was perceptive. "Don’t worry, I won’t tell anyone."
"Good. We have to go. The sky will be light in about an hour." Once it was light, their line of sight would be clear, making it difficult to deal with assassins.
So they had to get as far away as possible, then make their way down the mountain.
"Mm."
Sang Zhi agreed, letting himself be led through the pitch-black mountain forest by a pair of small hands.
Holding her chubby little hands, he felt no fear at all.
He knew that even if his imperial father sent people, it would only be because of the rumors about his eyes. No one was truly loyal to him. Even knowing he had been taken hostage, no one other than her would risk their life for him.
Only Ye Qianning. Only her!
The path underfoot was treacherous and extremely difficult to walk. The overgrown grass on the ground was taller than both of them.
The sky gradually brightened, turning the color of a fish’s belly.
Ye Qianning suddenly stopped. She caught the strong scent of something burning. She looked back and saw massive plumes of smoke rising into the sky behind them.
Someone was setting the mountain on fire!
"Stay here and don’t move," she instructed, letting go of his hand.
A sleeve arrow shot out from her wrist. Her body soared into the air, and she landed on a large tree, her gaze fixed in the direction of the smoke.
The fire was spreading up from below the broken cliff. It probably wasn’t the people from East Shu. They wouldn’t set fire to the mountain until they had Sang Zhi’s eyes.
’Could it be Xi Yan?’
’Or has someone else appeared on the mountain, trying to prevent them from getting off Four-direction Mountain?’
The blaze was spreading quickly in their direction. Seeing its path, Ye Qianning had a bad feeling.
Sang Zhi’s vision gradually cleared. The small figure came into focus, and a bitter feeling welled up in his nose, his eyes turning slightly red. Her chubby little face was covered in scratches.
Although he couldn’t see colors, he knew the specks on her face were the red of blood.
Ye Qianning leaped down from the tree, her expression grave. "There’s a huge fire below, and the wind is against us. We need to move, fast."
There was a strong easterly wind today, blowing straight up the mountain, which would help the fire spread uphill quickly.
Sang Zhi also saw the smoke billowing toward the sky and understood the severity of the situation. Not daring to linger, he grabbed Ye Qianning’s hand. This time, he walked in front, pushing aside the tall weeds with his hands.
Ye Qianning said nothing more, listening instead to the sounds of the birds and insects.
Because of the massive fire below, the roars of animals echoed continuously through the forest.
After they had walked for about ten minutes, Ye Qianning stopped and looked behind her.
"What is it?" Sang Zhi turned back.
Ye Qianning’s eyes darkened. Staring in one direction, she let go of his hand. "Find a place to hide."
"Did they catch up to us?" Sang Zhi’s heart sank.
"It’s not people. Go hide, quickly." The bloody scent of a wild beast was growing stronger. Something was heading their way, and it was moving very fast.
"We’ll go together."
"Hurry."
Ye Qianning snapped coldly, pulling a large broadsword from her storage space.