Chapter 312 No News

Li Xi chased after him all the way to the fork in the road, not knowing which way to go.

She launched a signal flare into the night sky. The flare streaked across the night like a brilliant shooting star, leaving a magnificent trail in the silent night.

After an unknown amount of time, Prince An finally arrived with his men.

"Your Highness, I'll take this route. You take your men and go that way. Remember to send a signal flare if there's any news."

When Li Xi saw that people had arrived, a huge weight was lifted from her heart, and she knew she could find Lan'er sooner.

Without waiting for his response, Li Xi dashed off down the left-hand path.

As dawn broke, she took a whistle from her waist and blew it softly.

Not long after, a golden eagle swooped down from the sky and landed steadily in front of her.

Li Xi then leaped up and landed steadily on the golden eagle's back.

The golden eagle let out a loud cry, carrying Li Xi as it soared into the sky and flew towards the distant mountains.

The wind whistled past her ears, and she saw Prince An heading down another road.

Looking down from her vantage point, she saw only deep, uninhabited forests all around, dense and secluded.

In just one night, those people vanished without a trace. No one knows where they've taken Lan'er to escape to. There are no signs of anyone on the road.

For a moment, Li Xi didn't know what to do.

Just as she was lost in thought, the golden eagle suddenly let out a sharp cry, tilted its body slightly, and flew towards the depths of a dense forest. Li Xi's heart stirred, and she tightly hugged the golden eagle's feathers, letting it carry her through the lush forest.

Soon, the golden eagle landed on a wide-open grassland. Li Xi jumped off its back and looked around. She could see a village not far ahead.

Upon entering, there was no one inside, only a few dilapidated houses.

She looked around and noticed signs that someone had been in the small courtyard in front of her.

There were footprints in the yard, and more than one person's footprints. There was also a fire that had just been extinguished in the yard.

Li Xi strode into the room and immediately noticed the unfinished food on the table.

Her gaze shifted to the bed, where several pieces of bloodstained gauze were scattered. The bloodstains had darkened, indicating that someone had been treated there.

The room was not spacious; you could see it all at a glance.

At this moment, Li Xi's gaze fell on a handkerchief on the bed; it belonged to Lan'er.

It seems those people stayed here with Lan'er last night.

She quickly placed her handkerchief on the table along with Lan'er's, and then fired a signal flare.

They followed the messy footprints and tire tracks until they reached the main road.

With a wide-open view ahead, Li Xi summoned the golden eagle. The view became even more expansive from the air.

At this moment, more and more people were hurrying along the way.

The imperial examination had just ended, and the students who had not passed the exam returned to their residences in droves.

Her younger brother passed the provincial examination last autumn and became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). Feeling that he was not talented enough, he decided to wait until the next metropolitan examination to take the metropolitan examination.

The students returning home rode horses, traveled by carriage, or walked; some in groups, others alone. There were also many merchant caravans traveling along the road.

Right now, those people are probably taking advantage of this opportunity to blend into the crowd and avoid being tracked.

Li Xi rode the golden eagle, circling high in the sky, her gaze darting between the clouds and the ground, searching for traces of her target.

She carefully controlled the flight altitude, afraid of being noticed by people on the ground.

At this moment, Meng Zhelan's hands and feet were tightly bound, and she was unable to break free.

Inside the car, the injured man lay there. His injuries had been treated promptly and he was now out of danger, though he remained unconscious due to the medication.

The child sat to the side, fiddling with a Rubik's Cube.

His face was expressionless, as if he had become accustomed to everything around him.

"Hey kid, your skills aren't up to par. It's been half a day and you still haven't solved the Rubik's Cube," Meng Zhelan teased.

However, the child still seemed not to understand, but Meng Zhelan didn't mind and continued to tease, "It seems you need to find a good teacher to teach you. How about it, do you want to learn from me?"

The child glanced at her, seemingly uninterested in her suggestion, and then continued fiddling with the Rubik's Cube.

Seeing this, Meng Zhelan wasn't discouraged; instead, she became even more enthusiastic: "You know, the Rubik's Cube is actually very simple; there are formulas..."

The Rubik's Cube was made by Yu Meng at Xi'er's request, but the solution formula was actually devised by Xu Shanzhang.

Upon hearing this, the child was clearly stunned, and the Rubik's Cube in his hand stopped turning.

He looked up, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes, seemingly not expecting Meng Zhelan to know so much about the Rubik's Cube.

"Do you really know the Rubik's Cube formula?" The child's tone was tinged with doubt and curiosity.

Meng Zhelan smiled smugly and said, "Of course I can! I'm an expert. Do you want to learn? I can teach you."

The child was silent for a moment, then untied Meng Zhelan.

He placed the Rubik's Cube in her hand and said coldly, "Don't even think about running away. I'm very capable. Even if you run away, I can still catch you and bring you back."

The child was quite good-looking, but the words he said were chilling.

Looking at the child's earnest eyes, Meng Zhelan smiled gently and said, "Don't worry, I won't run away."

The child didn't seem to believe her, but didn't say anything, just silently watched her.

Meng Zhelan didn't mind; she patiently began to teach the child how to turn the Rubik's Cube.

How to find the center point of each face, and how to use mnemonic devices to quickly solve the Rubik's Cube.

Although the child was initially resistant, he gradually became attracted to Meng Zhelan's skills and began to learn them seriously.

And so, the two sat there quietly.

Meng Zhelan taught patiently, and the children learned attentively; time seemed to slow down and become peaceful at that moment.

The man lying on the other side had regained consciousness at some point.

He heard Meng Zhelan's voice, but without opening his eyes, a subtle smile appeared on his lips.

He remembered her...

Li Xi followed them all the way to Mu City, but still couldn't find any trace of them, which inevitably made her feel disappointed and anxious. She knew that every minute that was delayed meant more danger for Lan'er.

However, she still couldn't understand why those people would go to such lengths to kidnap Lan'er, and what their purpose was.

In order to find Lan'er as soon as possible, Li Xi went to the stronghold of the Hidden Sect without stopping, and handed Lan'er's portrait to the disciples of the sect, hoping that they could help in the search.

She knew that trying to find Lan'er in this vast sea of ​​people on her own was like looking for a needle in a haystack.

However, waiting is not the solution.

Therefore, Li Xi decided to return to Tingfeng Courtyard first to see if her grandmother had any ideas.

Upon returning to Tingfeng Courtyard, she discovered that news of Meng Zhelan's disappearance had not yet reached them.