After Qi Yunruo had reunited with Li Chen, it slipped his mind that the other two youngsters, who had just settled down in their shared little tent, were waiting for his return. Sui Yu kept watch at the entrance and kept asking, "Why hasn't he come back yet?"
Sullenly, Zhou Liang said, "I haven't seen him since last night."
"Me too..."
"Did he get lost? There are many tents here. It's hard to tell the difference between them at night. Maybe he went to another person's tent and fell asleep."
Sui Yu returned inside to lie down. "This would be the best case scenario. I'm exhausted from today, so I'll sleep first. If he doesn't come back tomorrow, then we'll go look for him."
Zhou Liang nodded. "Okay."
Qi Yunruo roused, mind still hazy. Then he remembered that he had found the prince last night. At present, he was by the prince's side. A smile graced his lips. He crawled out from Li Chen's arms and prepared to quietly step outside.
"Little Qi." Li Chen sat up.
"Your honored self should lie down. I will draw some water. I won't be too far."
"Little Qi, come over," said Li Chen, beckoning.
Qi Yunruo approached and Li Chen pulled him into his arms. He could hear his chest vibrate. Sighing, Li Chen said, "Don't leave me. In a little while, someone will come."
A good while later, Qi Yunruo nodded. "...Alright."
The person who delivered the water was a little girl Qi Yunruo recognized. Surprise painted her face when she laid eyes on Qi Yunruo. Somewhat embarrassed, Qi Yunruo said, "I'll help you."
Li Chen and Qi Yunruo washed their faces with a basin of water. The little girl flushed in an instant. As if she realized something, she said in a neutral tone like before, "Brother Shui, just now Sui Yu and Zhou Liang were searching for you."
At the moment, they should be residing in a single tent. Feeling apologetic, he turned around and said to Li Chen, "I'll go talk to them."
For a few seconds, Li Chen hesitated. But Qi Yunruo pointed to a direction. "It's at the tent over there. I'll return very quickly. The people living around here all belong to Princess. I'll be fine."
Finally, Li Chen nodded, from his lips a sigh. Embracing Qi Yunruo, he said, "Return quickly."
"Alright."
Qi Yunruo and the little girl left together. She asked, "Brother Shui knows that prince?"
He nodded. The little girl was from Xinyuan Country and originally thought Qi Yunruo was as well. She blinked, still not connecting the dots.
As Qi Yunruo entered the communal tent shared by him, Sui Yu, and Zhou Liang, anger peppered Sui Yu's voice as he said, "Where were you last night? We waited for you for a long time."
"Did you get lost?" asked Zhou Liang.
Very soon, they would be separated. Qi Yunruo couldn't refrain from feeling sentimental. However, he had no idea how to explain his circumstances. After wavering for a good while, he pulled the two into a sitting position. "I've kept from you from the start that... I am not from Xinyuan Country."
Shock collided into the two youngsters.
"I'm from the Great State of Kang. Because of certain reasons, I was detained in Xinyuan Country and unable to return. Then I followed Boss Mo She here because I'm looking for someone."
After a long time, Zhou Liang said, "You're not staying with us?"
Qi Yunruo shook his head.
Sui Yu remained silent. Although they had only been together a few days, they had relied on each other during times of adversity and as such developed a lot of feelings. Bitterness existed in the gazes of Sui Yu and Zhou Liang, and also sadness. All of a sudden, Qi Yunruo's eyes brightened. If the prince brought the princess away from here, could her slaves follow along? Qi Yunruo said, "Wait for my news. After I determine a few things, I'll return."
Before the two youngsters could respond, he had rushed off.
Qi Yunruo made for Li Chen's tent, catching sight of a familiar figure at the doorway. Somewhat surprised, he shouted, "Guard Fang." Fang Ge had once lent 250 g of silver to Qi Yunruo to purchase Granny Kong and her daughter-in-law in the human market. Among Li Chen's guards, he was the one Qi Yunruo was most familiar with. The battlefield was unpredictable. As such, Qi Yunruo was thrilled to see him unharmed.
As soon as Fang Ge finally saw him, shock colored his face. After a while, he said, "Why is your honored self here, Young Master Qi?"
A smile graced Qi Yunruo's lips. "Once I arrived at Xinyuan Country, I followed one of their merchants to this place to meet with His Highness."
During that period, Fang Ge had followed the prince's side. Therefore, he was very clear on the prince's worries. Not to mention, he had a good impression of Qi Yunruo. He sighed deeply. "This is truly great."
Hearing voices from outside his tent, Li Chen called out, "Little Qi."
