The Cousin Is About to Marry，The Abstinent Young Lord Loses Control-Chapter 244 - 243: You’re Alive!

The place where Xie Yunzhen disappeared was far away, and it took half a day of hard riding to arrive.

"Madam, we found this."

The soldier presented the found item before Ji Mingzhu, a piece of blood-stained fabric.

The fabric was something Ji Mingzhu had gone to buy; one look and she knew to whom it belonged.

Gazing at that glaring red, Ji Mingzhu’s head began to spin.

Forgotten past memories started creeping into her mind again.

No matter how skilled Xie Yunzhen was, he too was made of flesh and blood.

And he still had hidden injuries.

Being led to such a dank and cold place, was it truly unintentional by the other party?

His hidden injuries were a weakness, also a secret.

If the thieves had known earlier, they would have exploited this weakness long ago.

So why wait until the last moment?

Various thoughts emerged, and Ji Mingzhu couldn’t make sense of them all.

Only by finding Xie Yunzhen could the situation be clarified.

Her thoughts were in turmoil; Ji Mingzhu endured her discomfort and carefully put away the blood-stained fabric.

"Continue the search, we must find the General quickly!"

The soldiers saluted and split into several groups, continuing to search deeper.

Ji Mingzhu didn’t just wait passively; she took a hidden guard and went another direction to search.

As Xie Yunzhen had mentioned, when his old ailment acted up, his hands would lose strength.

He was aware of his physical condition and was especially cautious. Last winter, he went to the battlefield without triggering his old ailment.

As long as he hadn’t fallen into the hands of thieves, he would find a way to save himself.

At this moment, no news was the best news; Ji Mingzhu firmly believed Xie Yunzhen was safe.

Every hidden guard he left behind was trained with a lot of money, possessing strong abilities in various aspects.

After traveling far enough without discovering new clues,

the hidden guard suggested scouting the terrain first to determine which direction the Young Master might have gone.

Compared to searching blindly, Ji Mingzhu also found this suggestion more reliable.

To increase efficiency, she immediately appointed four people to scout in different directions.

As a result, she was left with only two hidden guards by her side.

Ji Mingzhu was eager to find the person, she couldn’t afford to think about much else.

With the remaining hidden guards, she continued to move forward.

While in the capital, Ji Mingzhu’s constitution was better than other noble ladies, but she couldn’t withstand long travels.

In the past half year, following Xie Yunzhen on campaigns, she hadn’t learned much else, but her stamina had improved significantly.

After walking in the mountains for several hours, until it grew dark, she finally lost her strength.

Once the sun set, the temperature in the mountains dropped sharply.

Although Ji Mingzhu’s clothing was thick, and she had sweated from the long walk, she still felt cold.

The lower the temperature, the more she worried about Xie Yunzhen.

Fortunately, the hidden guards who had been dispatched returned, after some deliberation, they pointed in a direction.

But they couldn’t guarantee its accuracy.

After all, they didn’t know what state the Young Master was in at the time, whether he was clear-headed, or moved freely.

They asked Ji Mingzhu for her opinion.

Ji Mingzhu, of course, listened to them.

In such circumstances, she couldn’t afford to give orders as an outsider.

"Whether this judgment is correct or not, as long as we find the Young Master, there will be a great reward."

Because of an incident in the capital, the hidden guards were punished once.

If they made another mistake, they’d probably be sent back for re-training.

They didn’t expect a reward, but Ji Mingzhu’s words still boosted everyone’s morale.

"Madam, can you still walk? Or should you wait here while we go first to check on the Young Master’s whereabouts?"

No matter how good Ji Mingzhu’s stamina was, it couldn’t compare to the hidden guards.

Following them would only slow their pace.

The longer it took, the more dangerous it became for Xie Yunzhen.

Ji Mingzhu said, "You go first, I’ll follow later."

As before, the hidden guards split into three teams.

Leaving two people to protect Ji Mingzhu, the rest paired up to find someone first.

Perhaps it was too cold in the woods, as they walked along, they didn’t see any living creatures.

The more Ji Mingzhu searched, the more anxious she became.

She even thought of causing a big commotion to attract Xie Yunzhen’s attention.

But she was worried he might be injured, possibly unconscious, unable to hear, and there was a chance of bringing danger upon him.

No matter how she looked at it, there wasn’t a correct approach; she could only search in the most clumsy way.

Ji Mingzhu’s anxiety was overwhelming, and she couldn’t help but tear up.

As darkness fell, and with tears blurring her vision, she unconsciously veered off track.

The hidden guards responsible for her protection could only follow.

After all, they were all searching for the same person; someone went that way, going slightly off didn’t matter.

As the night deepened, every sound around seemed amplified countless times.

Ji Mingzhu’s choking sobs were especially noticeable.

"Why are you crying?"

Out of a pit covered with dead branches and leaves, a hand suddenly reached out, causing Ji Mingzhu to let out a startled cry.

The hidden guards drew their blades in unison, taking a defensive stance.

Seeing the person crawling out, Ji Mingzhu ignored her image and burst out crying.

"Xie Yunzhen, you’re not dead!"

Without thinking, she moved to embrace Xie Yunzhen.

Approaching, she saw insects crawling all over him and hurriedly stopped in her tracks.

Xie Yunzhen was pallid from excessive blood loss.

Due to an old ailment and to evade the thieves’ pursuit, he temporarily hid there.

Unexpectedly, the pit was full of insects; the urgency of the situation left him with no choice.

He had been taken to deep mountains and forests for training as a child and had experienced similar situations.

Compared to survival, such discomfort was nothing.

While he managed to evade and hide, the blood loss caused him to faint.

If he hadn’t heard the noise, he might still be unconscious.

Ji Mingzhu was terrified of insects.

This fear ran deep, to the bone.

She didn’t dare approach Xie Yunzhen, standing at a distance, neither too far nor too close.

Tearfully, she asked, "Where are you hurt?"

He evaded her question, saying, "Don’t cry, I won’t die."

Xie Yunzhen wanted to wipe her tears, but his body was too dirty, and he was still covered in insects, making it impossible to get close.

Compared to Ji Mingzhu, the hidden guards were more seasoned.

Without hesitation, they checked Xie Yunzhen’s condition while another helped remove the insects.

Seeing this, Ji Mingzhu took two steps back,

afraid the insects might crawl onto her.

It wasn’t that she didn’t care about Xie Yunzhen; some things couldn’t be overcome.

She wiped her tears haphazardly with her sleeve.

"The soldiers are all searching for you, I’ll send a signal to bring them here."

Xie Yunzhen stopped her, "There are still people nearby, don’t signal yet."

The soldiers wouldn’t make it in time, and it might make things dangerous.

Hearing this, Ji Mingzhu even controlled her breathing.

Instinctively, she gripped the bow and arrows in her hand tightly.

In a low voice, she asked, "Then what should we do? I’ve sent out all the other hidden guards."

The speed of the hidden guards’ movement was very fast, even if she sent a signal now, it might not be in time.

Xie Yunzhen’s mouth curled into a smile, feigning ease, "Madam, coming to save me—I have nothing to repay you with."

In such a situation, he still had the mind for jokes.

Ji Mingzhu glared at him, "You’re injured, can’t you be more careful?"

Seeing the hidden guards remove the insects from his body and helping him to a new position, Ji Mingzhu finally dared to get closer to him.

Immediately, she saw several frightening wounds. "Does it hurt?"

Xie Yunzhen nodded, "When we return, you can blow on them for me."

Ji Mingzhu said nothing, she merely took out a handkerchief and the injury medicine she carried, to treat his wounds.

Xie Yunzhen lowered his eyes, intently watching Ji Mingzhu.

Moments later, his ears twitched.

Xie Yunzhen suddenly asked, "Are you scared?"

Ji Mingzhu shook her head, "As long as you’re here, I’m not afraid."