Just as it seemed too late, in that split second, Cheng Changyan’s crossbow had already appeared in his hand.

A sharp arrow whizzed through the air.

Puff!

The sharp arrowhead pierced precisely into the right eye of the man in black.

The man screamed in agony and quickly covered his eye with his hand.

Seizing this opportunity, Li Zhiyue swiftly bent down and broke free.

However, she had underestimated the willpower of the man in black.

Though his eye was injured, how could he possibly let her go?

He clutched her arm tightly and dragged her towards the lake at the foot of the mountain.

She couldn’t swim, and if she fell in, she would either die or lose half her life.

Cheng Changyan’s dark eyes grew cold with killing intent.

An aura of horror emanated from his entire being.

He drew his sword and leaped off his horse. Without hesitation, the sharp sword pierced the heart of the man in black.

Zhao Shaoqing’s face was filled with disbelief.

The master… actually killed Li Sheng.

The important eyewitness was dead, and now finding the next witness would take who knows how much effort…

In the next moment, Cheng Changyan reached out and caught the falling Li Zhiyue.

The two of them rolled uncontrollably toward the bushes on the other side of the mountain path.

Li Zhiyue only felt the wind rush past her ears, her body tumbling and her head hitting several tree trunks. Suddenly, she was shielded by a pair of hands and pressed into a warm chest.

By the time they reached the lowest point, she hadn’t been hurt by any more branches, though her head was spinning.

“Are you alright?”

The man’s voice sounded beside her ear.

Li Zhiyue rubbed her temples, opened her eyes, but couldn’t see anything.

They seemed to be deep in a dense forest, with the thick branches blocking the sparse moonlight, and everything around them was pitch dark.

“I’m fine.” She said, “Thank you.”

Cheng Changyan spoke calmly, “If you’re fine, then get up.”

Only then did Li Zhiyue realize that she was in the man’s arms, her face pressed against his chest.

As she calmed down, she could even hear the strong, steady beat of his heart.

She immediately flushed red, hurriedly standing up and retreating a few steps.

Cheng Changyan stood up as well.

The man, dressed entirely in black, blended with the night.

He looked up at the sky before speaking, “It’s not safe here, we should leave first.”

Li Zhiyue followed him in a direction, casually asking, “How does Lord Cheng know this place leads out?”

“I don’t know.” Cheng Changyan’s voice was calm, “But we must first get to an open area. Once we see the stars, we can determine the direction. Don’t worry, we won’t get lost.”

As a modern person, Li Zhiyue naturally feared dense forests and darkness, and faintly heard the howling of wolves.

Normally, she should have been scared, but for some reason, walking behind Cheng Changyan, the fear in her heart gradually faded, replaced by a sense of calm.

After about a quarter of an hour, they reached an open area.

Li Zhiyue looked up and saw the starry sky.

Having grown up in the city, she had never seen so many stars before.

The Milky Way was dazzling, the scattered light in the vast sky moving toward the deep universe, providing a great visual treat.

As she gazed at the stars, Cheng Changyan noticed the unhealed wound on her neck, a small cut made by a dagger.

He took out a porcelain bottle from his sleeve and handed it to her. “Miss Li, treat your wound.”

Li Zhiyue casually replied, “It’s just a small injury, it’s fine.”

Cheng Changyan’s tone was firm. “Even small wounds can become infected.”

Li Zhiyue looked up, surprised.

Infected?

She was taken aback. As far as she knew, ancient medicine didn’t have a concept of infection. They referred to inflammation as “heat poison,” and treating it was called clearing heat and detoxifying.

How could an ancient person say “infection”?

She took the porcelain bottle, poured out some powder, and applied it to her neck.

Looking up, she continued to admire the moon. “It’s rare to see such starlight in the capital. We shouldn’t waste such a beautiful scene. Lord Cheng, do you know why the moon has phases?”

Cheng Changyan’s voice was cold. “When the moon is full, it is whole, and when it is whole, it wanes. That is the way of things.”

Li Zhiyue frowned.

This was standard ancient thinking.

Could she have overthought it?

She rested her chin on her hand and said, “I’ve always thought the moon doesn’t shine by itself. What do you think, Lord Cheng?”

Cheng Changyan’s dark eyes showed a rare fluctuation.

His voice became deeper. “Miss Li, why would you think that?”

“Don’t you think so, Lord Cheng?” Li Zhiyue slowly spoke. “I even think that one day, humans will go to the moon to see it. There won’t be any Chang’e or Jade Rabbit there. It will probably just be a barren land with pits and craters…”

She noticed that under the night, Cheng Changyan’s expression visibly changed.

A rare light appeared in his dark eyes.

He spoke slowly, word by word, “How do you know about these things?”

Li Zhiyue immediately responded with a cryptic phrase, “Palace Imperial Wine?”

Cheng Changyan looked confused.

Li Zhiyue thought to herself, maybe intellectuals don’t watch TV, so they wouldn’t understand this code.

“Odd things don’t change, but even things do?”

“What’s your ID number’s last digit?”

Cheng Changyan remained perplexed.

Li Zhiyue instantly felt defeated.

She had thought she met someone from her hometown, but it was all just her imagination?

Finally, she understood why some people say that when hometown people meet, their eyes fill with tears—because in a foreign land, someone from your hometown feels like family.

She sighed. “It’s nothing, let’s keep going.”

Cheng Changyan looked at her deeply.

They walked out of the forest, crossed the fields, and soon reached the outskirts of the capital.

Cheng Changyan was very familiar with this area and led the way.

Li Zhiyue followed, stumbling along the way.

Before long, they reached the city gate.

The gate had already been locked, but Cheng Changyan took out his badge, and the guards respectfully opened a small side door.

As they stepped into the city, they encountered people from the Xiangyang Marquis’s residence.

Li Suifeng dismounted from his horse, rushed forward, and cried with joy, “Yue’er, you’re safe! Thank goodness. You almost scared your father to death…”

Half an hour ago, Mo Yu had returned with the news, and the entire Marquis’s residence had gone into chaos.

In the middle of the night, they had no choice but to ask the capital’s military commander for help, but he said there was a curfew, and they’d have to wait until tomorrow.

For the first time, Li Suifeng realized that the splendid Marquis’s residence was just an empty shell without real power.

No one would take them seriously.

With no other options, Li Suifeng had gathered all the household servants and was preparing to leave the city with Li Muyun to search for Li Zhiyue.

Thankfully, nothing serious had happened!

Li Muyun squinted at Cheng Changyan. “Lord Cheng, my sister got into trouble because of you. Chasing the murderer is fine, but what kind of skill is it to harm the innocent?”

Cheng Changyan lowered his eyes. “I will apologize at another time.”

“Brother!” Li Zhiyue spoke up. “If it weren’t for Lord Cheng’s protection, I might have drowned.”

Li Muyun was furious.

After just a short while alone with this man, his sister was already defending him.

Women really shouldn’t be kept.

He snorted and said, “Please keep tonight’s events confidential, Lord Cheng. If my sister’s reputation is tarnished, it wouldn’t be good.”

Cheng Changyan nodded. “Then I’ll take my leave.”

He turned and walked toward the city gate, leaving the city.

Though he was a third-rank official, his family was poor, and he still lived on the outskirts of the city.