Because she was eager to find Sima Yongheng, Wei Shuxuan and Xin Zizhao extended their stay in Baolan Town. They had originally planned that if they still couldn't figure out the organization behind the disappearance cases in Baolan Town, they would return to the capital first. Wei Shuxuan would then take the evidence back to the palace to study it slowly. After getting the results, she would come back to Baolan Town.
As the weather gradually became hotter and the land was slowly soaked in the sweltering heat, this was the first time for Wei Shuxuan, who had traveled through time from the modern era, to experience days without fans or air - conditioners. The stuffiness in her heart had nowhere to be vented. Coupled with Sima Yongheng's disappearance, she became even more irritable.
"Ah, why haven't we found anything after so long!" Wei Shuxuan angrily threw all the notebooks in her hand to the end of the bed. She turned her head and looked at Xin Zizhao, who was sitting at the table reading a book. Even in this increasingly hot weather, Xin Zizhao remained calm and composed.
She lay on the bed with one cheek pressed against the mattress, her cheek flesh squeezed out. She pouted and looked at Xin Zizhao sitting opposite her unhappily. "Xin Zizhao."
"What?" Xin Zizhao calmly turned another page of the medical book in his hand. He was completely unaffected by the hot weather outside. He turned his head and looked at Wei Shuxuan's somewhat cute face, and his heart was slightly moved.
"Why can you be so calm even in such hot weather?" Wei Shuxuan rolled over and lay on the bed, looking at the calm Xin Zizhao with a depressed face.
"Because a calm mind leads to coolness. If you're so impatient like this, you're bound to feel hot. Also," Xin Zizhao put down the medical book in his hand and walked towards Wei Shuxuan. Wei Shuxuan looked up at him as he sat down beside her. She saw him reach out and stroke her somewhat messy hair. "Don't worry about Sima Yongheng's matter anymore. You've already tried your best."
"..... I know. After all, I brought him by my side, and it was us who brought him here. Now that he's missing, we should take some responsibility. Speaking of which, we've been here for more than half a month, but we still haven't found him."
Wei Shuxuan murmured softly. Xin Zizhao listened to her complaints but said nothing. He stroked Wei Shuxuan's hair gently, and each stroke soothed her restless heart.
"We've been out for a long time. If we still can't find him, we'll go back to the capital first. Then I'll ask Xin Shang to leave a few people here to investigate. If they find any clues, we'll come back here to continue the investigation. Okay?"
"..... Alright."
Wei Shuxuan couldn't think of a better way to deal with the current situation for the moment, so she had to agree to Xin Zizhao's suggestion first and then make other plans.
At dinner time in the evening, Wei Wei and Xin Shang had returned from outside. They had searched the entire Baolan Town. No, not only Baolan Town, but they had also gone to Lepu Town and Kele Town to look for Sima Yongheng, but they still found nothing.
"Sorry, miss. It's the subordinate's incompetence..." Before picking up the chopsticks, Wei Wei apologized to Wei Shuxuan on his own initiative. His originally handsome face looked haggard, and the dark circles under his eyes showed his heaviness and guilt.
"It's not your fault, Wei Wei. Don't blame yourself."
Wei Shuxuan could see Wei Wei's inner struggle. After hearing his words, she comforted him, hoping that he wouldn't be crushed by this matter.
In the middle of the night, an unexpected guest came to Xin Shang's room. Xin Shang, who always slept lightly, immediately noticed the guest's arrival. He opened his eyes wide and looked in the direction where the sound came from in the room. He saw a gray pigeon standing on the windowsill, flapping its wings. After seeing Xin Shang get up, the gray pigeon remained unmoved and occasionally turned its head to groom its feathers.
Xin Shang found it very strange. Why was there a pigeon - delivered message at this time? Who would send him a pigeon - delivered message so late at night?
He walked to the pigeon's side and first gently stroked the pigeon. The pigeon obediently nestled in Xin Shang's warm big hand. He picked up the pigeon, took off the bamboo tube tied to its foot, and took out the note inside. By the faint moonlight outside the window, he read the content on the note, and his brows frowned.
When the sky was still slightly bright, Xin Zizhao had already woken up. He got up, looked at the still - sleeping Wei Shuxuan, smiled slightly, and then planned to go to the yard outside the inn to fetch water to wash his face. As soon as he opened the door, he saw Xin Shang raising his hand and about to knock on the door. Xin Shang obviously didn't expect Xin Zizhao to open the door just in time. When their eyes met, he couldn't help but be stunned for a moment.
"..... Master, good morning."
Xin Zizhao didn't reply. He made a shushing gesture, indicating that he should go outside to talk.
The two came to the inn's yard. At this time, the sun had slowly risen, and the thin light gradually became stronger, lighting up the whole yard. Xin Zizhao picked up the wooden bucket placed on one side. While fetching water, he asked Xin Shang, "Xin Shang, what's the matter that you came to find me so early?"
Amid the gurgling sound of water, Xin Shang told Xin Zizhao exactly what he had received in the pigeon - delivered message last night. Xin Zizhao, who was washing his face, couldn't help but be stunned. His hands stopped moving, and his voice was slightly excited. "Father Emperor urgently wants me to go back? Father Emperor has returned from his journey?"
"Yes, the retired emperor has returned from his journey. He said that he wants the master to come back quickly. He said that he has something important to discuss with you."
Looking at Xin Shang's slightly lowered head, Xin Zizhao didn't know why Emperor Jinzheng was in such a hurry to call him back and even sent a pigeon - delivered message overnight. He wondered if something big had happened in the court during his absence from the palace.
A strong sense of uneasiness grew like a vine in his heart. He was worried both about whether something big had happened in the court and about what to do with Xuan'er if he went back. Should he leave her alone here?
"Master, if you're worried about Miss Xuan, you can discuss it with her first."
Xin Shang reminded Xin Zizhao on one side. Xin Zizhao nodded. "Okay, I'll go back and tell her."
"The retired emperor said that he wants the master to return to the palace within fifteen days," Xin Shang said, and then took out the note he had received last night from his bosom. "This is the note sent by the retired emperor last night. Please take a look, master."
Xin Zizhao took the note and glanced at it briefly. A look of hesitation clearly appeared on his face.