Traveling through the busy farmland of a peasant girl

Chapter 251 Nangong Qi is lost

Nangong Qi staggered and struggled to move through the mountains and forests. His face was pale, and fatigue and haggardness were deeply imprinted on it. The clothes that once fit him well now hung loosely on his skinny body, ragged, broken and dirty, as if they were part of this wilderness and forest.

Every step he took seemed to use up all his strength. The dead branches and leaves under his feet made a rustling sound, which made the forest even more silent and eerie.

At this moment, he looked around and saw only dense and unfamiliar forests. Layers of branches and leaves covered the sky tightly, and only a few rays of light struggled to penetrate the gaps and shine through.

He was filled with confusion and helplessness, and had no idea where he was. He felt that the forest was like a huge maze that trapped him tightly inside.

He looked up at the endless forest, his eyes bloodshot, filled with resentment and helplessness.

His thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the moment when Shen Li gave him the compass. The compass was small and exquisite, with exquisite craftsmanship. The pointer shone with a cold metallic luster, which brought him endless hope and peace of mind.

He treasured it very much and often took it out gently when resting, stroking and playing with it repeatedly, as if it was his only hope on this wandering road.

But who could have expected that Qiu Bin, whom he met on the road, would bring him such a misfortune!

Nangong Qi clenched his hands into fists, his knuckles turned white, his teeth were clenched, and his facial muscles twitched slightly with anger.

When he thought of Qiu Bin, an uncontrollable anger surged in his heart.

That night, he fell into a deep sleep in the simple inn, unaware of the impending disaster.

When he woke up, he saw that his bag was in a mess, the all-important compass was nowhere to be found, and even most of the banknotes had been stolen.

If it weren't for Shen Li's parting words, "When you're away from home, you need to be more careful. There's nothing wrong with dividing the banknotes into several places, do you understand?" He would probably be desperate now.

Nangong Qi took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down, but the anger and despair were still with him.

He understood that it would be useless to indulge in negative emotions. The most urgent thing was to find a way to get out of the mountains and return to a familiar place.

So, he forced himself to move his exhausted body again, walking slowly towards the unknown front. His lonely and determined figure gradually disappeared into the depths of the forest.

In the royal hunting ground, the Xiqi Emperor Nangong Zhaolie was dressed in a black suit embroidered with gold patterns. He stood tall and agile, riding steadily on the tall and mighty Ferghana horse.

His facial lines were hard, his sword-like eyebrows slanted into his temples, his eyes were deep and bright, as sharp as an eagle, staring closely at the agile and nimble white deer in front of him. He held the reins in his hands firmly, which rose and fell slightly with the rhythm of the horse's gallop.

Behind him, a group of guards in armor followed in high spirits and majesty. The sound of horses' hooves was quick and powerful, like rolling thunder, shattering the original tranquility of the hunting ground. The dust raised filled the air, like a veil, covering the vast hunting ground.

Just as Nangong Zhaolie was concentrating on chasing the white deer, he suddenly caught a glimpse of an unusual movement in the grass out of the corner of his eye.

At that moment, his eyes became as sharp as a falcon. His many years as an emperor had given him a keen intuition about danger.

Without any hesitation, he quickly took out the longbow carved with exquisite patterns from his back, put the arrow on it and pulled the string. His movements were smooth and the sharp arrow flew out in an instant like a black lightning and accurately hit the shoulder of the figure hidden in the grass.

"There is an assassin!" Nangong Zhaolie shouted loudly, his voice like a bell, echoing for a long time over the hunting ground. The voice was full of majesty and vigilance, making the surrounding air seem to tremble.

A personal eunuch in dark grey eunuch uniform immediately trotted forward, his figure appearing somewhat flustered on the undulating grass.

After a while, he hurried back and replied nervously, "Your Majesty, it's a little beggar. It seems he accidentally stumbled into the hunting grounds. He has fainted and looks very pitiful."

Nangong Zhaolie frowned slightly, and a hint of subtle doubt flashed in his eyes.

He gently pulled the reins and drove the horse slowly towards the figure who had fainted on the ground.

The man was thin and frail, as if he could be blown down by a gust of wind. His clothes were tattered, full of patches and stains, and emitted an unpleasant smell.

His face was also covered with dirt, making it impossible to see his original appearance. His hair was tangled together like a bunch of dead grass.

The arrow was deeply embedded in his shoulder, and blood was slowly oozing out of the wound, staining the surrounding clothes a deep red, which was particularly glaring on the green grass.

"Take him back to the palace and ask the imperial physician to treat him properly." Nangong Zhaolie said indifferently after a moment of silence.

After all, this was in his own royal hunting ground, and such an unexpected situation occurred. He also wanted to find out the origin of this little beggar and why he broke into this heavily guarded place.

The guards quickly obeyed the order, carefully lifted Nangong Qi, and followed the emperor's horse in an orderly manner, walking out of the hunting ground.

The noise in the hunting ground gradually died down, leaving only the grass that had been ruthlessly trampled by the horses' hooves, and a small pool of shocking blood on the grass, as if silently telling the story of the thrilling accident that had just happened.

After returning to the palace, Nangong Zhaolie, while handling government affairs, was still worried about the little beggar.

So he walked to the Imperial Hospital.

When he stepped into the room filled with the aroma of medicine, he saw the imperial doctors bandaging the wounds of the little beggar.

As the imperial doctors gently wiped away the dirt on Nangong Qi's face with a wet cloth, Nangong Zhaolie's face turned pale in an instant, and his eyes were full of shock and disbelief.

"This...how is this possible? He is actually Qi'er! He is the child of me and Ling'er. I always thought that he was no longer alive!" Nangong Zhaolie's voice trembled slightly, and his hands clenched into fists unconsciously, his knuckles turning white due to the force.

A complex emotion flashed in his eyes, including surprise, guilt, and a hint of indescribable sadness.

For many years, he has been feeling guilty about his son's "death", but now he finds out that he is still alive, which makes him unable to calm down for a long time.