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After a moment's pause, a wry smile crept onto Lu Zhao's lips as he snorted lightly.

Xiao Mu and Shen Qingli both looked at him, or rather, everyone present was watching him. Seeing him smile like that, Shen Qingli was the first to understand something. She widened her eyes in disbelief and exclaimed, "Lu Zhao!"

Xiao Mu also frowned, his expression serious as he stared at Lu Zhao and quietly called out, "Changfeng!"

Ignoring these two, Lu Zhao remained seated on his horse, tilting his head up towards the city wall, his voice calm and steady: "Alright, I can go up there. Release the hostages first."

Xiao Jing smiled, and someone beside him quickly approached to advise him against it. If they released the hostage, they would have no leverage. Xiao Jing waved his hand dismissively, his gaze sinister and cold as he said, "Young Master Lu keeps his promises. I release the hostage, and you come over. Do we have a deal?"

Lu Zhao immediately dismounted, while Shen Qingli grew anxious and shouted, "Lu Zhao! This is a trap!"

Lu Zhao turned his head back, giving a faint smile. "I know, but how can we catch the tiger's cub without entering its den? Please rest assured, Your Highness."

With that said, he took the first step forward, and Xiao Jing on the city wall closely watched him. Seeing this, he gestured with his finger, and immediately the three elders were escorted down from the wall, keeping their promise.

Shen Qingli breathed a sigh of relief as she watched her parents rescued, but as she looked at Lu Zhao's resolute figure, she felt a new sense of unease rise within her.

"Lu Zhao! Remember, Yaoyao is still waiting for you!" Suddenly, Shen Qingli shouted loudly at him.

Lu Zhao paused his steps forward, as if recalling Shen Qingyao's appearance, a slightly tender smile appearing on his lips. He waved his hand back and stepped into the palace...

A thunderous clap rang out. After brewing all night, the rain finally began to patter down. As dawn broke, before the black night had fully retreated, a sudden lightning bolt illuminated the room for an instant, then darkness fell again.

Shen Qingyao opened her eyes groggily. It seemed the pouring rain had startled Cui Qiao, who hurriedly rushed in to close the windows for her. Turning around to see that she was awake, Cui Qiao hurriedly came closer, complaining, "Why does it have to rain so heavily all of a sudden? It's really frightening."

Shen Qingyao struggled to lift her hand and push aside the heavy blanket. She opened her mouth, but her throat felt as if it were on fire, and it took a long time before she could manage to produce a few broken and dry sounds. Cui Qiao quickly brought her a cup of tea, and after a few sips, Shen Qingyao felt somewhat better.

"Cui Qiao, what time is it?"

Cui Qiao took back the cup from her hand and answered, "Miss, it's just past the hour of the tiger1. You should rest a bit longer; it's still early."

Shen Qingyao shook her head, propping herself up with Cui Qiao's help. She realized not only did her chest hurt, but her whole body was also incredibly weak. Every slight movement made her want to cough. She bent over and coughed twice, and Cui Qiao immediately came nervously to feel her forehead. After a moment, Cui Qiao exclaimed, "Oh no! Miss, why do you have a fever again?"

Shen Qingyao was taken aback. Besides her recurrent heart condition, she hadn't expected to have a fever as well. But thinking back, she saw that the weather was hot and humid last night, so she had gone out in light clothes. Catching a cold now was probably her own fault. She lowered her head guiltily and didn't dare to speak.