Forcibly Snatched by the Tyrant After Transmigrating into a Book 28

Chapter 28: Pursuit and Interception

The moment Sheng Qianheng looked back, his vision was blurry. The instant Chu Yi disappeared from sight, he felt the veins in his forehead throb.

He searched frantically but could only see a sea of bobbing heads. Chu Yi’s figure had already been swallowed by the crowd.

He realized that Chu Yi might have been separated from him, and panic instantly seized his heart.

Sheng Qianheng immediately turned around, trying to push through the crowd, desperately searching in the direction Chu Yi had been. His eyes scanned the crowd, trying to find that familiar figure. However, there were simply too many people surging from all directions. Every step he took was exceptionally difficult, as if he were being held tightly by countless invisible hands.

Helpless, Sheng Qianheng forced himself to calm down. He closed his eyes and stood in place, thinking of a countermeasure.

The sudden appearance of this surging crowd was too strange, as if it were deliberately meant to push him and Chu Yi apart. Chu Yi’s hand had also slipped away with exceptional ease, and his figure had vanished without a trace in a mere moment…

On second thought, could someone have deliberately arranged this? He didn’t want to delve into who it was for now. After the crowd around him had dispersed, the leader of the hidden guards finally found him and said, “Young master… we haven’t found any trace of madam yet…”

Sheng Qianheng tried to capture the scent of Chu Yi’s xìnxiāng in the surrounding air but couldn’t smell a thing.

“Immediately seal the city gates and summon all the hidden guards to find madam!”

The hidden guard leader: “Yes, this subordinate obeys!”

Sheng Qianheng searched a small area where Chu Yi had disappeared but found nothing.

The feeling of discomfort he had felt in the teahouse while listening to the storyteller suddenly intensified. He had no choice but to return to the inn for now and have the accompanying imperial physician take a look.

After taking Sheng Qianheng’s pulse, Imperial Physician Xu said with trepidation, “Did Your Majesty eat anything unusual today?”

Sheng Qianheng shook his head.

Imperial Physician Xu continued, “Your Majesty’s dragon body is fine, and your pulse is strong and powerful… As for the headache and that… symptom, this subject speculates it is quite similar to a folk knockout drug. This drug is colorless and odorless and can make a person sleep soundly without them knowing. The headache is caused by Your Majesty forcing yourself to stay awake.”

Sheng Qianheng supported his forehead with one hand, the anger in his heart almost impossible to suppress. “Is there an antidote?”

Imperial Physician Xu: “There is none… A good sleep will suffice.”

Sheng Qianheng overturned the teacups on the table and roared, “All of you, scram! If you can’t find madam, bring me your heads!”

After successfully slipping away, Chu Yi hastily shed his luxurious outer clothes, revealing the inconspicuous coarse linen underneath.

He hurried down the nearest alley. After meeting up with Moshu, the three of them rushed toward the city gate.

As long as they could leave Chang’an City before the gates closed for the night, Chu Yi would be able to escape from Sheng Qianheng’s side.

But Sheng Qianheng’s hidden guards moved swiftly, quickly ordering the guards at the city gate to close it. Chu Yi stood about three li from the gate, and from a distance, he could see it slowly closing. For some reason, he felt his right eyelid twitching, and a faint fear arose that if he were caught by Sheng Qianheng this time, the outcome would only be beheading…

Sheng Qianheng’s speed of action far exceeded Chu Yi’s expectations. Since he couldn’t leave the city smoothly now, he could only proceed with his backup plan.

Lianfang had already rented a house in the east of the city. He could only hide there for now, in the part of the city farthest from the inn. As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is the safest place!

Lianfang quickly took out the pills she had prepared in advance and handed them to Chu Yi. “Your Highness, take one. It will help to hide the scent on your body…”

Chu Yi was puzzled. Was there some strange smell on him?

“Is there a smell on me?”

Lianfang wanted to tell Chu Yi the truth several times, but thinking that His Highness was only focused on escaping from His Majesty’s side, telling him now would only throw him into disarray. A Qianyuan, if capable, could find the Kunze they had marked through perception and scent.

She could only make up another lie for now. “Everyone in the world has their own unique body fragrance, and each is different. His Majesty and Your Highness have been together day and night for several months. His Majesty can surely recognize the scent on Your Highness. This pill can temporarily hide Your Highness’s scent and is harmless to the body…”

Although Chu Yi didn’t understand what Lianfang was saying about body fragrance, he recalled that Sheng Qianheng seemed to have mentioned his scent several times during their intimate moments…

He felt a heat rise to his cheeks and could only shake his head slightly to get rid of the inappropriate thoughts. He then took the pill from Lianfang and swallowed it.

Sheng Qianheng ordered the hidden guards to start a carpet search from the inn in the west of the city, not sparing a single household. However, even after two hours, they still couldn’t find any trace of Chu Yi.

In a fit of rage, Sheng Qianheng directly dispatched the Imperial Palace Guard to search door-to-door, starting from the palace gate!

Chu Yi had only rested in the rented house for half an hour before he began to feel anxious and uneasy.

When Moshu returned from gathering information, he was covered in dust and panting. “Your Highness, His Majesty did not fall asleep and seems to be furious. He has already sent the Imperial Guard to search for you… I’m afraid we’re doomed this time…”

“Don’t say such discouraging things!” Chu Yi immediately interrupted Moshu, thinking about how to deal with the situation. “Lianfang, go and find a set of women’s clothes, the more common-looking the better! Moshu, you stay. I’ll put some makeup on you!”

Although Chu Yi gave his orders quickly, his movements were still flustered. He couldn’t help but wonder if this escape was really a wise move. He had thought it was a foolproof plan, but Sheng Qianheng didn’t seem to have been affected by the drug he had given him.

Chu Yi carefully altered the features on Moshu’s face, transforming him into someone else.

After Lianfang found a set of women’s clothes, he quickly changed and then continued to apply makeup to Moshu.

After the three of them had changed their attire, they had just sat down to rest when they heard the thumping of the Imperial Guard at the door.

“Open up! Routine inspection!”

Moshu went to open the door as planned. Seeing the soldiers, he feigned a look of fear and asked, “Officers, what’s going on?”

The Imperial Guard glanced into the room. “We’re catching a fugitive. Who’s in the room? Everyone, come out.”

Lianfang supported Chu Yi, who was disguised as a pregnant woman, and slowly walked to the door. He pitched his voice high, sounding no different from a woman. “Officers, we are all law-abiding citizens. We would never dare to hide a fugitive…”

The Imperial Guard carefully compared the three of them with the portrait in his hand. Only after entering the room to search and confirming that there was no one else did he leave.

Chu Yi instantly breathed a sigh of relief. “We can’t stay here for long. We’re full of flaws. Only those blockhead soldiers wouldn’t be able to see through it…”

Due to the drug, Sheng Qianheng was overcome with drowsiness. He was on the verge of falling asleep several times, but the thought of Chu Yi’s unknown whereabouts forced him to stay awake.

He even had Imperial Physician Xu apply needles to his Baihui and Fengchi acupoints to keep himself awake…

When the Imperial Guard reported that their search had been fruitless, he smelled a faint scent on the soldier. He immediately stood up, grabbed his collar, and asked, “Where did you just search?”

The soldier was stunned for a moment before replying, “The east side of the city…”

Sheng Qianheng: “Were there any similar-looking people? Any suspicious people?”

“No…” The soldier shook his head, but on second thought, he said, “There was a family with a pregnant woman who was tall and slender, not like an ordinary woman…”

Sheng Qianheng immediately took all the hidden guards and the Imperial Guard and headed for the east of the city to block it off.

Chu Yi had never expected that in less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, he would almost come face to face with Sheng Qianheng. He looked at the Flower-Filled Pavilion on his right and, without looking back, ran inside with Lianfang and Moshu…