SFS Chapter 170 Who is it?
Chapter 170 Who is it?
Mu Xiaoqiao rushed to the tea shop without stopping, and her heart sank immediately. The shop was empty, with no one there at all.
Nichang, who followed, turned pale and knelt down, saying, "It was my fault that I was careless and fell into the trap of the thieves and lost His Highness. Please punish me."
Ruonan is the person in charge of punishment for the Phantom Guard. She knows that Nichang has committed a capital crime this time. According to the commander's previous temper, Nichang will definitely die this time. However, she has worked with Nichang for many years and they have a very good relationship. She couldn't help but kneel down and plead for Nichang.
"I hope the commander can make Nichang redeem himself and find His Highness back."
Mu Xiaoqiao carefully searched for clues and said without raising his head: "Everyone, get up. The most urgent thing is to find His Highness. If His Highness is fine, you are fine too. If His Highness is in trouble..."
She paused and didn't say anything else, but everyone knew what it meant. If the prince died, Nishang would have to be buried with him.
"Thank you, Commander!" Nishang and Ruonan said in unison.
"Look." Mu Xiaoqiao squatted on the ground and waved away the fallen leaves. There were a lot of fresh fallen leaves nearby. If you didn't look carefully, you couldn't see anything unusual. But it was clearly spring now, not the season for falling leaves at all.
Someone deliberately picked the leaves and dumped them along the road. The purpose was, of course, to cover up the traces.
Once the fallen leaves are swept away, it is easy to see that the soil underneath has just been turned over.
"Nichang, is this where you park your carriage?"
Nichang looked around and nodded, "Yes, it's here."
Mu Xiaoqiao's eyes flickered, and he said coldly: "Dig it up!"
At Mu Xiaoqiao's command, the Phantom Guards immediately found a shovel and started digging.
Mu Xiaoqiao was nervous and clenched her hands tightly, fearing that what she dug out was Ruan Haoyu's body. Now there was no news about Longtengtu. If he met with an accident and could not return to the modern era, the consequences... she dared not imagine it.
"Commander, please look."
A Phantom Guard exclaimed, and Mu Xiaoqiao quickly stepped forward, only to see that the excavated area had collapsed, revealing a tunnel underneath!
"Ruonan, send someone to guard this place. Nishang, come with me."
Mu Xiaoqiao jumped into the tunnel first. A Phantom Guard had already lit a torch and handed it to Nishang, who followed behind Mu Xiaoqiao to provide lighting for her.
The tunnel was very low and one had to bend over to pass through it. It looked like it had been dug temporarily and there was a smell of fresh soil in the hole.
The tunnel is not long, and I think it is only used to transfer people and avoid the eyes and ears of the Phantom Guards.
After coming out of the tunnel, there was a forest outside. Mottled sunlight poured into the forest and shone on the ground. Mu Xiaoqiao could clearly see messy horse hoof prints and footprints on the ground.
It seems that a carriage and a large number of people had stopped here before. They must be the people who kidnapped Ruan Haoyu. Who went to such great lengths to kidnap him?
Ruan Haoyu was just a hostage. He had no power or influence in the Great Rui Kingdom and was bullied in the Chu Kingdom. Even if he was a hidden rich man and the other party robbed him for money, that would not be right. If they knew that he was a hidden rich man, they would definitely know the existence of the Phantom Guards.
The combat effectiveness of the Phantom Guards should not be underestimated. Unless the opponent is absolutely sure that it can deal with the Phantom Guards, it will not act rashly.
Mu Xiaoqiao thought it might be Hu Sanniang or Ruan Haofeng, but after thinking about it, she ruled out both possibilities.
First of all, Hu Sanniang is the daughter of the general of Chu State. The emperor of Chu State had just agreed to form an alliance with Rui State, but then the general of Chu State kidnapped the prince of Rui State. Such an inconsistency is not what a monarch should do. If the general pretends to obey and secretly takes action against Ruan Haoyu, it would be tantamount to treason and he should be executed.
It is even more impossible for Ruan Haofeng, who aspires to be the next king of Rui State. Although Ruan Haoyu's return to the country will pose a certain threat to him, the threat is not great. After all, Ruan Haoyu left the country at a young age and has no foundation in the court.
Who is it?
Mu Xiaoqiao frowned in thought. Nishang stepped forward and whispered, "Commander, do you want to send three teams of tracking dogs to track them down?"
Mu Xiaoqiao's eyes lit up, "Call Yu Han and bring the tracking dog immediately."
Yu Han, the captain of the third team of Phantom Guard, not only has men under his command, but also more than a dozen tracking dogs.
An hour later, Mu Xiaoqiao let the tracking dog smell Ruan Haoyu's clothes, and then took the Phantom Guard to follow the tracking dog to the south.
Three days later, they arrived at the border between Chu and Sui, which was a sea area.
During these three days, Mu Xiaoqiao and the Phantom Guard traveled day and night, not daring to rest for a moment. They just wanted to catch up with Ruan Haoyu as soon as possible to prevent him from getting into trouble. Unexpectedly, the other party seemed to be in a hurry as well and also traveled day and night.
Mu Xiaoqiao looked at the boundless sea and felt a pain in her heart. It had been three days and she didn't know how Ruan Haoyu was doing now. Yu Han had just come to report that when they arrived at the beach, the traces left by His Highness became fewer and the tracking dogs could hardly smell anything.
There was wind on the sea at this moment, and the waves rolled over one after another, making a rustling sound, knocking on Mu Xiaoqiao's heart.
Although she had been familiar with the sound of the waves since childhood, this moment reminded her of the fear she felt when she jumped into the sea. Was Ruan Haoyu being taken across the sea to Sui State?
"Commander," Yu Han ran over from not far away, with a happy look on his face, "I found out that the tracking dog smelled your Highness at the dock. I asked the fishermen at the dock, and they said that about an hour and a half ago, a dozen people rented a boat and went out to sea, saying they were going to Sui State. One of them was carrying an unconscious person on his back. According to the fishermen's description, this person was your Highness."
Mu Xiaoqiao perked up and held Yu Han's arm, "Have you found out? Is it really His Highness?"
Yu Han nodded repeatedly, "I have confirmed it again and again, it is definitely His Highness."
"Great! Prepare the boat immediately and find the best sailors. They have only been sailing for an hour and a half. We should speed up and try to catch up with them before reaching Suiguo."
"Yes!" Yu Han took the order and did it immediately.
"Nichang, notify all nearby Phantom Guards to assemble. In half an hour, follow me across the sea to Sui Country."
Nichang also took the order and left.
Mu Xiaoqiao stared at the sea, huge waves rolling in her eyes. She secretly swore in her heart that no matter who the other party was, she must rescue Ruan Haoyu and give him a taste of his own medicine.
But it is not a good time to go to Sui State right now. I heard that Sui State is at war with Nandi. The treasury is tight and the people are suffering and starving. I don’t know why the other party kidnapped Ruan Haoyu and took him to Sui State. Could he be a member of Sui State?
Mu Xiaoqiao didn't know whether Ruan Haoyu had any connection with Sui State before, so she couldn't determine whether it was done by someone from Sui State. She could only chase after him and find Ruan Haoyu first.
It has been three days and Ruan Haoyu is still in a coma. It seems that the other party wants to take him back quietly. How can his body withstand being in a coma for such a long time?
Mu Xiaoqiao felt extremely anxious.