Captain Long knew this guard was resentful because he had been parachuted in to become their captain, but he wasn’t about to argue with him at this juncture.
The current urgency was finding the Princess. His trip from Nanyang Town had made him realize just how deeply His Majesty was attached to her.
If anything were to happen to her, His Majesty would certainly fly into a rage!
So, at this moment, he wasn’t in the mood to squabble about anything else. The top priority right now was to find the Princess!
Captain Long led his team past the front of the Xie Family residence, circling directly to the alley behind it. Suddenly, he sensed the intense sounds of a fight coming from the courtyard.
Everyone heard a series of "BANG! BANG! BANG!" sounds, and then sensed imminent danger.
"Retreat! Hurry back! Danger!" Captain Long shouted for everyone to fall back. Just then, they saw a large section of the courtyard wall beside them come crashing down.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
Xiaosuisui was also shocked. She looked at her feet, then at her hands... and murmured, "Did I do this to him?"
Xie Yinghui was buried under a pile of bricks. A host of Xie Family servants and guards hurried forward to help him up, only to look up and see a team of Inner Guards surrounding them.
"Gentlemen, what on earth is the matter?" Clutching his chest, Xie Yinghui coughed and asked Captain Long, their leader.
Captain Long looked solemnly at Xie Yinghui. He knew this man. For years, His Majesty had wanted to establish a powerful army capable of taking on hundreds in battle, aiming to recapture the former glory of when old General Ji led the troops.
Therefore, under His Majesty’s command, he had observed many individuals in the Capital City with high martial prowess, regardless of whether they were from noble families or common folk.
Among all the young nobles, Xie Yinghui’s martial prowess was considered quite high—excluding, of course, those prodigies from the Ji Family.
Seeing Xie Yinghui so battered and covered in dust, Captain Long was greatly surprised. In this Capital City, who could beat him into such a sorry state, like a homeless dog? Probably only some of those old masters who rarely made a move!
While Captain Long was thinking, he asked Xie Yinghui, "Who injured you?"
Hearing this, Xie Yinghui suddenly felt an inexplicable sense of unease. Before he could speak, a young servant beside him pointed at Xiaosuisui and exclaimed, "It was her! That veiled freak!"
That veiled freak? Why did that phrase sound so familiar?
Captain Long’s gaze followed the direction the young servant was pointing, and then a sweet, soft voice reached his ears.
"Guard Brother! What are you doing here?"
Such a familiar voice! Captain Long was almost beside himself with excitement. Upon seeing the Princess, all his years of training to remain impassive as an Imperial Guard were thrown to the wind.
"Your Highness! This servant has finally found you!"
Sob... He really wanted to cry. But it would be too embarrassing. It was so hard to hold it in...
"Guard Uncle, why are you here? And with so many people!"
"Reporting to Your Highness, we are here on His Majesty’s orders to find you. Your Highness, His Majesty was very worried when he heard you had suddenly disappeared. Please, accompany this humble servant back to the Palace to report!"
Upon hearing this, Xiaosuisui blinked. "Ah! His Majesty, my adoptive father, already knows I left? And he sent you all to find me? But I haven’t finished this fight yet!"
Hearing this, Captain Long’s eyelids twitched. "Your Highness, this... Young Master Xie... was he beaten by you?"
Xiaosuisui blinked. "Yes! Guard Brother, aren’t I incredible?"
Captain Long asked with mixed feelings, "Why did you hit him?"