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Xiao Jinyan pushed open a door, finding no one inside, all was well.

He pushed the third door, but it was locked from the inside.

He said to Jin Zijin, "Cousin, over here."

Jin Zijin quickly came over and knocked on the door.

Inside, Gui Yunxi was sleeping; he had been weary from the journey, and could finally sleep as he wished.

He was in dire need of catching up on sleep.

When the knocking startled him awake, he was very displeased.

"Who is it?"

Naturally, his tone wasn’t very pleasant. Xiao Jinyan heard an unfamiliar male voice, stealthily glanced at his cousin, and seeing that he showed no reaction, knocked again.

Inside, Gui Yunxi rose from bed with great reluctance, threw on some clothes haphazardly, and came out.

Upon seeing two strangers with an extraordinary bearing, he obviously froze, and asked, "Who are you looking for?"

Xiao Jinyan said, "Where have the people you’re with gone?"

Gui Yunxi, now fully awake, said, "Are you asking about Searcy? Or the two doctors?"

Jin Zijin and Xiao Jinyan quickly understood and pushed Gui Yunxi back into the room, locking the door behind them.

Gui Yunxi got a shiver down his spine, feeling chilled to the core.

Judging by the two men’s demeanor, they were up to no good. What did they want to do?

He immediately covered his head, saying, "I... I don’t know anything, kind sirs, please spare my life, it was that Searcy who captured me, I was just driving the carriage for them."

"Who is Searcy?" Xiao Jinyan’s voice pressed down on Gui Yunxi’s throat.

Jin Zijin coughed and said, "That’s someone Youyou keeps around as a partner, they work together studying those poisons and antidotes."

Xiao Jinyan: "..."

He asked Gui Yunxi again, "Where have they gone?"

"I don’t know!"

"Oh, you don’t know?" A dagger was suddenly held against his throat.

Gui Yunxi broke into a cold sweat, cursing his own misfortune. He was just a carriage driver; who had he offended to deserve this?

"I... I know, they have gone out to sea, just tonight, said something about heading to Fusang Island!"

Jin Zijin and Xiao Jinyan’s expression darkened, they exchanged a glance, and then both headed to the General Residence by the East Sea.

Late at night, two visitors from Beijing arrived, surprising Che Xiangyuan greatly.

He dressed and came to the front hall, where he saw Jin Zijin and Xiao Jinyan sitting calmly.

He recognized Xiao Jinyan of the Xiao Family, but he had never seen Jin Zijin before.

However, seeing his demeanor... he seemed very much like a member of the Jin Royal Family.

Not daring to be negligent, thinking he might be Prince Qin, he bowed with his hands folded and asked, "General Xiao, may I inquire who this is?"

Knowing that his rank was lower than Che Xiangyuan’s and seeing that Che had misunderstood, Xiao Jinyan played along with the error.

He hurriedly gave a formal bow and said to Che Xiangyuan, "General Che, my visit with Mr. Jin late at night is indeed out of urgent necessity."

Xiao Jinyan kept it simple when explaining their purpose to Che Xiangyuan and borrowed a boat.

Che Xiangyuan was a straightforward man; he immediately arranged for a boat capable of reaching Fusang Island, and even supplied several experienced sailors just in case.

...

At that moment, on the boat where Gu Youyou was, the fishermen had pulled in their nets, and the catch was a full load.

It was a good omen.

The fishermen began to busy themselves, gathering the fish they caught and discarding unnecessary items back into the sea.

When they threw away the crabs, Youyou felt an ache in her heart.