"Huai An!" Gu Ying wanted to call out to him, but he had already flipped onto his horse, and his silhouette quickly blended into the pitch black night.
Gu Ying laughed helplessly. She was no longer so eager to see the Eldest Prince.
All this way, she had been worried sick that Jiang Yin would continue to harm the Eldest Prince. If it weren't for her, Jiang Yin and the Eldest Prince wouldn't be at such odds with each other. She felt guilty and remorseful, hoping all along that the Eldest Prince was safe and sound.
Now that she knew the Eldest Prince was alright, she was determined to bring Yin Lan back to Yueyang first thing tomorrow morning. They would recuperate for two days at the Ning family residence before going directly back to Bianjing, lest something else happen over there.
She wanted to bring Huai An to leave together.
But now that Huai An had already gone to look for the Eldest Prince, she wouldn't keep him back.
Huai An was the Eldest Prince's man to begin with. It was good for him to stay and accompany the Eldest Prince.
As for her and Yin Lan, they didn't want to linger here any longer.
Thinking thus, she bent over again and went back inside the tent, using her little hand to press on her aching lower abdomen. The pain made her unable to stand up straight.
She tiptoed over and sat down next to Yin Lan. Her stomach churned as if she would vomit. She retched for a long time but couldn't throw anything up.
Covering her lips, she stared blankly.
What was wrong with her body?
She wasn't pregnant... So why did she keep having intense pain? And now she was even starting to feel nauseated, just like when she had first gotten pregnant in her past life.
Could it be because she had travelled such a long distance, caught cold, and gone a whole day and night without eating?
Gu Ying broke out in a cold sweat. She curled up before the discomfort finally alleviated slightly.
She endured it for a while longer. Through the small window in the tent, she saw the dense, pitch-black night. Endless fatigue washed over her like a tide, making her head spin continuously.
She resisted it for a bit before wanting to lie down and rest a while. But she became vigilant again upon hearing footsteps approaching from outside.
Her drowsiness instantly vanished. She pulled herself together and grasped the kirin dagger the Eldest Prince had given her tightly in her palm.
The footsteps grew nearer and nearer.
Gu Ying's gaze turned cold as she woke Yin Lan up.
When Yin Lan opened her eyes, she was stunned.
The faint candlelight illuminated the strange figure outside—two soldier-looking men were actually sneaking around their tent.
"This little beauty will definitely satisfy our general. We'll go in later and tie her up directly. Anyway, the Eldest Prince isn't here. Can't we brothers have some fun?"
"You're right. The Eldest Prince manages things too strictly here. Ever since we arrived at Xianlin Town, he hasn't let us take advantage of decent women. It's truly suffocating me. Even Miss Shen isn't allowed to be touched—"
"You dare touch Miss Shen? Have you eaten the guts of a bear and the boldness of a leopard? Miss Shen is the Eldest Prince's favorite... Anyone who dares look at Miss Shen will have their eyeballs scooped out by the Eldest Prince."
"Hehe, I was just joking! We can't touch Miss Shen, but shouldn't we be allowed to touch the little beauty who came today?"
"Only after General Zhang enjoys her first. Then he may reward her to us brothers. What are you thinking?"
The two shamelessly discussed Gu Ying's figure by the tent, laughing lecherously from time to time.
Yin Lan's face turned ghastly pale. "Mistre—"
Gu Ying hurriedly covered her mouth, signaling her not to cry out.
Yin Lan nodded fearfully, listening to their discussion about Miss Shen. Her gaze toward her mistress was both indignant and distressed.
Only then did Gu Ying let Yin Lan go. Her expression was cold, seeming not to have heard anything about that Miss Shen as she gripped the dagger more tightly.
General Zhang had looked at her oddly today... Sending people over so late at night surely didn't bode well.
She clenched the dagger as both corners of her lips drew back in a taut line. Her heart felt cold and angry.
These dogs of men!
If General Zhang dared touch a hair on her, she would make him walk the same road as Zhao Changxing!
The two soldiers swaggered inside, seemingly not expecting them to still be awake. Borrowing the candlelight, their gazes roamed longingly over Gu Ying's dreamlike beauty.
Tsk tsk tsk, such a great beauty. Just touching her a bit would be heavenly fortune.
The soldier put away his drool and curled his lips vulgarly. "Lady Yin, General Zhang invites you over to his tent."
Gu Ying gave a cold laugh. "I don't believe General Zhang and I have anything to talk about."
The soldier chuckled. "The night is long. If there's nothing to talk about, we can do some other fun things."
As he spoke, the two men edged closer, rubbing their hands.
The tent wasn't big. Gu Ying shielded Yin Lan behind her and retreated several steps.
Seeing their weak and bulliable appearance, the two soldiers grew bolder.
The one in front even dared to reach out and touch Gu Ying's cheek.
Gu Ying's eyes flashed icily. She swung her leg in a flying kick, aiming straight for his chest. "Go to hell!"
The soldier hadn't expected her to know martial arts. Caught unawares, he was kicked away, covering his crotch painfully as he screamed.
"Wow! Seems we've underestimated you—you actually know how to fight! Li Er, what are you still dawdling for?"
Yin Lan didn't know any martial arts. Gu Ying could only get her to hide in the corner while fighting the two by herself.
These two weren't skilled fighters. But her body wasn't well, her stomach hurt badly, sapping away her strength. She was at a disadvantage time and again.
In less than three rounds, the two soldiers took advantage of the chaos to capture Yin Lan and threaten her. "Y-You...! Quick, put down the dagger, or we'll kill your servant girl!"
Gu Ying's gaze was icy cold. "You dare."
Despite the seemingly mild tone, her aura was overwhelmingly oppressive.
But the two soldiers were just big talkers. "If you don't obey, we'll... we'll just kill this maid of yours! You don't believe us? Just try!"
Silver tears brimmed in Yin Lan's indignant eyes. "Mistress, don't mind me! Just escape by yourself!"
How could Gu Ying possibly abandon Yin Lan? She knitted her brows, one hand over her stomach and the other grasping the dagger. "Release her and I'll go with you."
"Throw the dagger on the ground."
Without another thought, Gu Ying flung the dagger to the ground.
Seeing her obey, one soldier restrained Yin Lan while the other picked up the dagger, snorting coldly before tying Gu Ying up with ropes.
"Why didn't you just listen so obediently from the start? You're forcing us to get mad."
"Walk. No noise allowed. If you dare yell, don't blame us for killing you."
Gu Ying pressed her lips together silently. She turned back to look deeply at Yin Lan, telling her with her eyes not to worry—she had her ways of escaping once they reached General Zhang's tent.
Tears streamed down Yin Lan's face as she struggled desperately to charge out like a madwoman.
Li Er turned back and kicked her before tying her up tightly as well, only then going out after them.
Yin Lan glared at him tearfully, continuing to writhe futilely. "Mmph mmph!"
"Huai An!" Gu Ying wanted to call out to him, but he had already flipped onto his horse, and his silhouette quickly blended into the pitch black night.
Gu Ying laughed helplessly. She was no longer so eager to see the Eldest Prince.
All this way, she had been worried sick that Jiang Yin would continue to harm the Eldest Prince. If it weren't for her, Jiang Yin and the Eldest Prince wouldn't be at such odds with each other. She felt guilty and remorseful, hoping all along that the Eldest Prince was safe and sound.
Now that she knew the Eldest Prince was alright, she was determined to bring Yin Lan back to Yueyang first thing tomorrow morning. They would recuperate for two days at the Ning family residence before going directly back to Bianjing, lest something else happen over there.
She wanted to bring Huai An to leave together.
But now that Huai An had already gone to look for the Eldest Prince, she wouldn't keep him back.
Huai An was the Eldest Prince's man to begin with. It was good for him to stay and accompany the Eldest Prince.
As for her and Yin Lan, they didn't want to linger here any longer.
Thinking thus, she bent over again and went back inside the tent, using her little hand to press on her aching lower abdomen. The pain made her unable to stand up straight.
She tiptoed over and sat down next to Yin Lan. Her stomach churned as if she would vomit. She retched for a long time but couldn't throw anything up.
Covering her lips, she stared blankly.
What was wrong with her body?
She wasn't pregnant... So why did she keep having intense pain? And now she was even starting to feel nauseated, just like when she had first gotten pregnant in her past life.
Could it be because she had travelled such a long distance, caught cold, and gone a whole day and night without eating?
Gu Ying broke out in a cold sweat. She curled up before the discomfort finally alleviated slightly.
She endured it for a while longer. Through the small window in the tent, she saw the dense, pitch-black night. Endless fatigue washed over her like a tide, making her head spin continuously.
She resisted it for a bit before wanting to lie down and rest a while. But she became vigilant again upon hearing footsteps approaching from outside.
Her drowsiness instantly vanished. She pulled herself together and grasped the kirin dagger the Eldest Prince had given her tightly in her palm.
The footsteps grew nearer and nearer.
Gu Ying's gaze turned cold as she woke Yin Lan up.
When Yin Lan opened her eyes, she was stunned.
The faint candlelight illuminated the strange figure outside—two soldier-looking men were actually sneaking around their tent.
"This little beauty will definitely satisfy our general. We'll go in later and tie her up directly. Anyway, the Eldest Prince isn't here. Can't we brothers have some fun?"
"You're right. The Eldest Prince manages things too strictly here. Ever since we arrived at Xianlin Town, he hasn't let us take advantage of decent women. It's truly suffocating me. Even Miss Shen isn't allowed to be touched—"
"You dare touch Miss Shen? Have you eaten the guts of a bear and the boldness of a leopard? Miss Shen is the Eldest Prince's favorite... Anyone who dares look at Miss Shen will have their eyeballs scooped out by the Eldest Prince."
"Hehe, I was just joking! We can't touch Miss Shen, but shouldn't we be allowed to touch the little beauty who came today?"
"Only after General Zhang enjoys her first. Then he may reward her to us brothers. What are you thinking?"
The two shamelessly discussed Gu Ying's figure by the tent, laughing lecherously from time to time.
Yin Lan's face turned ghastly pale. "Mistre—"
Gu Ying hurriedly covered her mouth, signaling her not to cry out.
Yin Lan nodded fearfully, listening to their discussion about Miss Shen. Her gaze toward her mistress was both indignant and distressed.
Only then did Gu Ying let Yin Lan go. Her expression was cold, seeming not to have heard anything about that Miss Shen as she gripped the dagger more tightly.
General Zhang had looked at her oddly today... Sending people over so late at night surely didn't bode well.
She clenched the dagger as both corners of her lips drew back in a taut line. Her heart felt cold and angry.
These dogs of men!
If General Zhang dared touch a hair on her, she would make him walk the same road as Zhao Changxing!
The two soldiers swaggered inside, seemingly not expecting them to still be awake. Borrowing the candlelight, their gazes roamed longingly over Gu Ying's dreamlike beauty.
Tsk tsk tsk, such a great beauty. Just touching her a bit would be heavenly fortune.
The soldier put away his drool and curled his lips vulgarly. "Lady Yin, General Zhang invites you over to his tent."
Gu Ying gave a cold laugh. "I don't believe General Zhang and I have anything to talk about."
The soldier chuckled. "The night is long. If there's nothing to talk about, we can do some other fun things."
As he spoke, the two men edged closer, rubbing their hands.
The tent wasn't big. Gu Ying shielded Yin Lan behind her and retreated several steps.
Seeing their weak and bulliable appearance, the two soldiers grew bolder.
The one in front even dared to reach out and touch Gu Ying's cheek.
Gu Ying's eyes flashed icily. She swung her leg in a flying kick, aiming straight for his chest. "Go to hell!"
The soldier hadn't expected her to know martial arts. Caught unawares, he was kicked away, covering his crotch painfully as he screamed.
"Wow! Seems we've underestimated you—you actually know how to fight! Li Er, what are you still dawdling for?"
Yin Lan didn't know any martial arts. Gu Ying could only get her to hide in the corner while fighting the two by herself.
These two weren't skilled fighters. But her body wasn't well, her stomach hurt badly, sapping away her strength. She was at a disadvantage time and again.
In less than three rounds, the two soldiers took advantage of the chaos to capture Yin Lan and threaten her. "Y-You...! Quick, put down the dagger, or we'll kill your servant girl!"
Gu Ying's gaze was icy cold. "You dare."
Despite the seemingly mild tone, her aura was overwhelmingly oppressive.
But the two soldiers were just big talkers. "If you don't obey, we'll... we'll just kill this maid of yours! You don't believe us? Just try!"
Silver tears brimmed in Yin Lan's indignant eyes. "Mistress, don't mind me! Just escape by yourself!"
How could Gu Ying possibly abandon Yin Lan? She knitted her brows, one hand over her stomach and the other grasping the dagger. "Release her and I'll go with you."
"Throw the dagger on the ground."
Without another thought, Gu Ying flung the dagger to the ground.
Seeing her obey, one soldier restrained Yin Lan while the other picked up the dagger, snorting coldly before tying Gu Ying up with ropes.
"Why didn't you just listen so obediently from the start? You're forcing us to get mad."
"Walk. No noise allowed. If you dare yell, don't blame us for killing you."
Gu Ying pressed her lips together silently. She turned back to look deeply at Yin Lan, telling her with her eyes not to worry—she had her ways of escaping once they reached General Zhang's tent.
Tears streamed down Yin Lan's face as she struggled desperately to charge out like a madwoman.
Li Er turned back and kicked her before tying her up tightly as well, only then going out after them.
Yin Lan glared at him tearfully, continuing to writhe futilely. "Mmph mmph!"
