Chapter 326 Departure for the Capital

The child's face turned pale instantly, as if deeply moved by Li Xi's words.

He struggled, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't break free from Li Xi's control.

"You...you, the master will not let you get away with this!" He looked defiant.

She couldn't stand this stubborn child, so she grabbed a rope and tied him up.

He warned, "Hey, aren't you thinking of using your internal energy to break through your acupoints? As soon as you circulate your energy, the poison will take effect instantly, and then even a great immortal won't be able to save you."

"You...you just wait!" The child glared at her fiercely, but his eyes were filled with fear.

Li Xi was too lazy to pay attention to him anymore, so she casually put him aside and turned to check on Meng Zhelan's condition with concern.

"Lan'er, are you alright? Look how thin you've become. These guys are really awful." As she spoke, her eyes revealed her dissatisfaction with Prince An.

She had originally thought that Prince An would be capable of something, but she never expected him to be so vulnerable that he couldn't even protect a single person.

However, when she met Prince An's gaze, Li Xi quickly changed to a concerned expression: "Lan'er, quickly take a look at His Highness, he's vomiting blood."

Actually, it can't be entirely blamed on him; Prince An's martial arts skills are also considered outstanding in the martial arts world.

However, the child's martial arts skills were too strange; even in the martial arts world where masters were numerous, few could match them.

However, faced with Li Xi's powerful star energy, the child was suppressed to the point of having no power to fight back.

Fortunately, Prince An only suffered minor injuries and was otherwise unharmed, and was still able to continue his journey.

But now, Meng Zhelan's heart is filled with gratitude and emotion towards Prince An.

She never expected that Prince An would be so persistent in searching for her, refusing to give up easily.

This persistence moved her deeply, after all, they had no special relationship, just a normal doctor-patient relationship.

Although the two never confessed their feelings, Prince An's deep affection for her was more like a one-sided obsession.

When Prince An's men discovered that their prince had left, they quickly disappeared into the dense jungle.

The black bear then left.

Those who remained in the thatched hut secretly lamented, "Oh no! We've fallen into a trap. Quick, go find Xiaoze and Doctor Meng!"

Without hesitation, they got up and went to search for them, but even as night fell, they still couldn't find any trace of Xiao Ze and Meng Zelan.

Li Xi drove the carriage to catch up with the team escorting the treasure.

Inside the carriage, Xiaoze's eyes were blindfolded by Li Xi.

He wanted Meng Zhelan to release him, but found that no matter what he said, no one responded to him.

At this moment, Prince An was shirtless, and the bright red and conspicuous handprint on his back was shocking.

Without a doubt, this was caused by Ozawa's palm strike just now, and he used at least 80% of his power.

If it weren't for Prince An's profound internal strength, this palm strike would probably have been enough to seriously injure him.

"Your Highness, have Lu Yi go and buy some liniment to rub on your back. Also, try not to pull on your back too hard, so as not to aggravate the injury."

Seeing that Prince An was unharmed, she helped him get dressed and then sat quietly to the side.

After all, for a doctor, taking off or putting on clothes is just a routine matter for her.

Prince An nodded slightly, but his gaze was like a blazing flame.

He kept his eyes fixed on her, as if trying to see through her eyes and uncover the secrets of her heart.

His eyes revealed a deep, indescribable emotion, seemingly tinged with doubt and confusion.

"Why...why did you risk your life to stand in front of me?" Prince An's voice was deep and powerful, as if every word contained boundless strength.

His gaze was piercing, fixed on her, making her hesitant to meet his eyes. "If Li Xi hadn't arrived in time, that child might have hurt you."

She paused for a moment, then fell into deep thought.

She had never thought about that question; it was just an instinctive reaction to protect the person in front of her.

When asked so directly by Prince An, she suddenly felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her.

She instinctively clenched her sleeve, trying to hide her unease, then mumbled, "I'm a doctor; I can't just stand by and watch someone collapse in front of me."

However, Prince An did not let her off easily.

His gaze remained fixed firmly on her face, as if he wanted to see right through her.

"But I don't want you to be like this. I'd rather that dagger pierce me than you." His tone was unusually serious, and the concern he revealed touched her deeply.

She gazed into Prince An's eyes and felt a warmth and peace of mind she had never experienced before.

At that moment, she realized that Prince An's concern for her was not just out of ordinary affection, but a deeper emotion.

This realization made her heart beat faster involuntarily, while also making her feel a little lost and confused.

"Anyway, everything's fine now. Xiaoxi definitely won't let anything happen to me." She was confident.

Upon hearing Li Xi's name, Prince An felt a surge of intense jealousy: "You like him? I see you two are always together..."

She looked up abruptly, her eyes filled with surprise: "How could you think that? Xiaoxi and I are just...siblings. She's good to me, and I'm good to her too. That doesn't mean there's anything else between us."

Prince An looked at her, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "I'm just worried about you, afraid that you'll be deceived by his appearance. Although he seems gentle and harmless on the surface, people's hearts are unpredictable, so you still need to be careful."

She sighed softly and shook her head: "Your Highness, you've misunderstood. Xiaoxi would never harm me. She's a friend I can trust."

But why does Li Xi always seem to be targeting him, even though she's all smiles on the surface?

Li Xi, who was sitting in the front and driving the carriage, naturally overheard the conversation between the two people inside the carriage, thanks to her excellent hearing.

Hearing Prince An sowing discord, a surge of anger ignited within her. She clenched her teeth tightly, as if she wanted to chew up and swallow that anger.

The reins in her hands were tightened from her excessive force, and the horse, sensing the force, let out a neigh, causing the carriage to lurch.

Caught off guard, Prince An's back slammed against the carriage wall, causing him to wince in pain and let out a wail.

Hearing his screams, Li Xi felt a surge of pleasure, but outwardly feigned panic, hurriedly saying, "Your Highness, I'm so sorry! There seems to be something ahead..."

"It's alright!" He could only pretend to be nonchalant.

Meng Zhelan, standing to the side, covered her mouth and chuckled behind his back.

Meanwhile, Black Wolf and his men, still in the dense forest, were digging holes all over the woods.