At the time, the General’s whereabouts and condition were unknown; despite that, Taihang Town seemed a beacon of hope, though uncertain whether the General could be found.
As for the Ninth Princess...
Now confined to the palace, though alive, she might as well have been dead, her mind lost to madness, hardly ever lucid.
Doctor Yun faced even greater burdens.
In these past two-plus years, nearly three years, Doctor Yun had led those like her, originally part of the armed forces, later marked as "Stamp of Rebels" by the Imperial Court and recorded as ’dead’ in their identity files, through hard times and great adversity.
For instance, Doctor Yun’s previous head of white hair, or the blinded eye... his survival to this day was nothing short of miraculous.
Zhang Yu sighed, yet couldn’t help but cast a lingering, reluctant glance at the petite girl.
Perhaps since the General had left, all of them—Divine Doctor Yun, she, Hong Fei, and the others—were subconsciously doing one thing.
Searching endlessly in the vast sea of people for someone.
Searching for someone whose life and death were unknown, who might have turned to bones, not knowing where he ended up.
They would subconsciously follow anyone with dark skin, a face full of moles, or perhaps those who were petite and short...
And whenever old sorrows were stirred, they could only think quietly.
Perhaps no news was good news.
At least, not knowing whether he was alive or where he was was far better than witnessing the General’s corpse and having all hope shattered.
Huiying stood with her back to Zhang Yu and Yun Ge, sensing that the other occasionally glanced at her with a greedy look, as if they were recalling someone through her...
"Baobao?" Noticing her distraction, Liang Zhichen gently placed his hand on her leg. As he picked food for her, he asked concernedly, "What’s wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
Huiying scratched her ear, "No, it’s just someone keeps staring at me."
Liang Zhichen’s brow furrowed slightly, could they have been followed?
His expression darkened, then he gently patted Huiying’s leg.
Although Baobao appeared thin and frail, her legs were actually quite meaty, soft to the touch.
She clutched his arm with concern, and he chuckled softly, "Don’t worry, I won’t act rashly, just going to check so you won’t have to worry."
But she shook her head saying, "It’s not that I’m worried, it’s just that the person’s gaze seems strange? But it doesn’t seem hostile."
Her mood was not calm, and it seemed that ever since a woman in white with black hair, her eyes loosely covered by White silk, appeared, her heart had been in turmoil.
Like ants on a hot pan—hopeful, excited, sad, self-blaming, guilty—or perhaps something else...
In any case, a myriad of emotions filled her heart like a chaotic stew, making it unclear what exactly she felt, but she could only sense a tumult of flavors.
Liang Zhichen gently pressed her shoulder, seeing that she appeared very restless.
Then he called out, "Shopkeeper!"
He stood up, turning naturally, about to stride forward when suddenly... it was her!!?
Liang Zhichen’s eyes widened as the Shopkeeper approached him.
The Shopkeeper was a woman, appearing to be in her late twenties, but her expression was haggard, and the furrows at her brow indicated she had been preoccupied with many concerns recently.