Ji Lingchuan knew how important Song Yixuan was to Song Yihuan. Seeing her so determined, he didn't stop her but followed her instead.
"I'll go with you."
The two completely ignored Song Nanxin, who was also on the scene. They walked side by side further and further away, their figures gradually disappearing into the darkness.
Gu Yunzheng and Cao Jinyu exchanged a look. There was deep worry in each other's eyes. They each picked up a lantern and went in another direction to help Song Yihuan search for the person.
Everyone was concerned about Song Yixuan's safety. No one noticed that Song Nanxin let out a soft sigh of relief after everyone left.
Her eyes flickered. She lifted her skirt and walked up the stairs to the wing - room of the Princess of Ningqin.
The Princess of Ningqin was also very concerned about Song Yixuan's whereabouts. When she saw Song Nanxin, she immediately got up and asked, "Well, have you found little Xuan'er?"
Song Nanxin shed silent tears and shook her head.
The Princess of Ningqin slumped into the chair, constantly stroking the armrest of the chair and murmuring softly, "It's my fault, it's all my fault. I should have watched him closely."
Song Nanxin stepped forward to support the Princess of Ningqin and comforted her, "Don't be too anxious, Mother Princess. With the heir apparent around, they will surely find him."
As the night grew darker, most of the villagers in Xile Town had already gone to bed. However, because the Black Armored Army was searching in the town, every household lit up their lamps again. The barking of dogs came one after another, sounding somewhat eerie for no reason.
"Song Yixuan, Xuan'er, where are you?"
"Fourth sister is here to find you. Don't play hide - and - seek with fourth sister anymore. Be good and obedient. It's cold. Come back with fourth sister!"
"Song Yixuan, if you can hear me, make a sound so that we know where you are!" Ji Lingchuan also called out loudly.
However, the only responses to Song Yihuan and Ji Lingchuan were the cold night wind and the barking of dogs.
Suddenly, there came a rush of footsteps from behind. "General, General!"
Song Yihuan and Ji Lingchuan both turned around to look behind them. Gu Yunzheng, leading Cao Jinyu and a Black Armored soldier, ran towards them.
Out of breath, Gu Yunzheng reached Song Yihuan. His face was extremely solemn. He held up the thing in his hand and said, "I found this at the town entrance. Yihuan, take a look. Is this Xuan'er's personal item?"
Song Yihuan took it and shone the lantern on it. Instantly, a chill crept over her whole body.
"Yes! This is exactly the fabric of the clothes Xuan'er was wearing. The pattern on it was embroidered by my own hands. You just said where you found it? At the town entrance?"
Gu Yunzheng nodded. "To be exact, I snatched it from the mouth of a wild dog at the town entrance."
Hearing this news, Song Yihuan felt a sharp pain in her chest. Her vision went black and she fainted immediately. Ji Lingchuan was right beside her. He subconsciously reached out and caught her falling body, calling out anxiously, "Yihuan, Yihuan?!"
He picked Song Yihuan up horizontally in his arms. Without hesitation, Ji Lingchuan knocked on the door of the nearby house.
"Sorry to bother you. My wife fainted due to excessive anger. Could you please lend us a place for her to rest for a while?"
Seeing that he was wearing armor and looked extraordinary, the man didn't dare to refuse. He immediately told his wife and children to make room for the guest room in the house.
After placing Song Yihuan in the guest room of that family, Ji Lingchuan turned to Gu Yunzheng and Cao Jinyu who had followed him into the house and said, "You two stay here and take good care of her. I'll go and look for Xuan'er's whereabouts."
Gu Yunzheng didn't miss his introduction of Song Yihuan just now. Recovering from the shock, he nodded vigorously. "Don't worry, Heir Apparent. I will surely take good care of her."
Ji Lingchuan went out. He threw the waist token in his hand to his subordinate, instructing him to go back to the post - house to invite the imperial physician. Then he strode quickly towards the town entrance of Xile Town.
All the way, Ji Lingchuan's eyebrows were tightly knitted.
The town entrance of Xile Town was at least two li away from the post - house. How could a child go out alone in such a late night, and his clothes be snatched by a wild dog?
The disappearance of Song Yixuan was really too strange.
When he arrived at the town entrance, because Gu Yunzheng had made a discovery, several Black Armored soldiers were already guarding there. They had captured the wild dog and protected the scene, so it hadn't been damaged too much.
After Ji Lingchuan arrived, he took the torch from his subordinate and carefully inspected the place bit by bit.
The light of the torch illuminated the ground. Ji Lingchuan didn't miss any details. However, after shining the torch around, he didn't find any footprints of a child.
With his eyebrows tightly frowned, Ji Lingchuan's sense of strangeness grew stronger.
If Song Yixuan hadn't come here, why was there a piece of his clothes in the mouth of this wild dog?
His eyes fell on the captured wild dog. Ji Lingchuan had an idea.
"Go to the hunter's house in the town and borrow a smart hunting dog." Ji Lingchuan said to the Black Armored soldier beside him.
"Yes!"
A Black Armored soldier received the order and immediately went to do what he had been told.
Ji Lingchuan only waited for a short while at the town entrance. Then the Black Armored soldier led a majestic hunting dog in front of him. Ji Lingchuan knelt down on one knee and put the piece of the corner of the clothes belonging to Song Yixuan in front of the hunting dog's nose for it to smell.
The hunting dog was very smart. After distinguishing the smell, it began to walk around with its head down.
It circled around the scene twice and then barked towards the outside of the town.
Ji Lingchuan's eyes darkened. He took two Black Armored soldiers and chased after the hunting dog, disappearing into the darkness.
In the guest room of a civilian house in Xile Town, the imperial physician sat beside the bed and felt Song Yihuan's pulse. His eyebrows were tightly knitted.
Gu Yunzheng and Cao Jinyu were guarding beside. Their faces were full of worry. "Imperial Physician, how is her condition?"
Imperial Physician Liu said, "She's just suffering from excessive internal heat and over - thinking. There's nothing else serious."
"That's good!" Gu Yunzheng couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.
Imperial Physician Liu's beard trembled slightly. He said, "Let me give her a few acupuncture needles to force out the stagnant blood in her chest. Please ask one of you to go and pour some hot water. After she wakes up, you need to feed it to her."
"I'll go! Miss Cao, you stay here with her!" Gu Yunzheng immediately said.
Imperial Physician Liu took out his acupuncture tools, roasted them on the fire, and then inserted them into several vital acupoints on Song Yihuan's body. He gently twirled the silver needles. After a while, Song Yihuan had a reaction. She coughed out a mouthful of blood and opened her eyes.
The imperial physician removed the silver needles. Cao Jinyu stepped forward to help her sit up. "Yihuan, how do you feel?"
Before Song Yihuan could speak, tears rolled down from her eyes. She moved her lips and asked hoarsely, "Ayu, where is Xuan'er? Have they found his whereabouts?"
Seeing her cry, Cao Jinyu also cried. "The Heir Apparent has gone to look for him. With the Heir Apparent and the Black Armored Army's abilities, they will surely find Xuan'er. Yihuan, don't be anxious, okay?"
Song Yihuan knew that Ji Lingchuan would never go back on his word once he promised. He would surely do his best to find Song Yixuan.
However, Xuan'er couldn't wait.