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Concubine Xu still felt a bit of fear as she stared at the object in his hand, resembling a small bell--who would have thought it contained a Gu insect?

"Is it poisonous? Does it bite?"

The man in black replied, "Not poisonous, nor does it bite. Its only function is to chirp."

Concubine Xu, upon hearing this, felt significantly relieved. She watched the Gu insect in his palm for quite some time but didn’t see the insect itself, only the golden bell it was presumably inside.

"How does it chirp?"

The man in black held out the bell toward her, "You take it."

Concubine Xu, recalling that the bell contained a Gu insect, felt a bit scared and hesitated for a long while. Finally, she slowly extended her hand and picked up the bell from his palm.

No sooner had she steadied her grip than she saw the man in black suddenly depart. By the time she reacted, he had already vanished.

"He always comes and goes as he pleases."

Concubine Xu was somewhat dissatisfied as she looked down at the small bell in her hand, which was tied with a red string. It was quite pretty, she had to admit.

Concubine Xu was about to walk away with the bell when she suddenly heard two crisp sounds, and the bell in her palm also gave two little jumps.

She lifted the bell and watched as it jumped in her palm, accompanied by the clear sound.

Before she could understand what was happening, a dark figure suddenly appeared before her.

She hastily raised her head, only to see the man in black standing right in front of her.

The man in black asked, "Did you hear it?"

Concubine Xu finally realized that the man in black had departed suddenly so she would hear the Gu insect’s chirping. She had thought he had left without a farewell...

She looked surprised and pleased: "I heard it. It doesn’t just chirp; it also jumps."

The man in black said, "From now on, as soon as I come, you’ll know."

Concubine Xu lowered her head to look at the Gu insect in her palm. While she had initially found the Gu insect somewhat terrifying, now she thought it was rather cute. It could chirp, jump, and even signal the arrival of the man in black. She wouldn’t be startled by him again.

The man in black gazed down at her, then at the small bell in her hand, wondering why he had given it to her.

This sensing Gu was not something easy to come by.

It was years ago, when he passed through the Miao Territory, that a friend had given it to him. Sensing Gu was difficult to make and thus very rare.

Was it called a small bell because it looked like one and its chirp was as clear as a bell’s ring?

Concubine Xu tied the small bell onto herself, ensuring it wouldn’t fall off, before raising her head to look at the man in black, "Right, do you not reside in the Capital?"

The man in black asked, "How do you know?"

"You often show up only once every few months or sometimes once every month or two. If you lived in the Capital, surely you wouldn’t appear so infrequently?" As Concubine Xu spoke, she paused to think and then asked, "Your little ninth, have you found him?"

"No," the man in black sighed. "It’s like searching for a needle in a haystack. How could it be easy?"

Concubine Xu then asked, "Then how would you know that little ninth might appear in the Daxia Palace?"

Upon hearing this, the man in black paused for a moment – naturally, it was because of Crown Prince Xiao Jinyan.

Meanwhile

Lady Tao had shuffled the cards several times and had not seen Concubine Xu return, which made her somewhat worried.

She looked toward Shen Chuwei, who was asleep, and reached out to shake her awake.

"Crown Princess, Concubine Xu has been gone to the Gong chamber for quite some time and hasn’t come back yet. Could something have happened?"

Shen Chuwei was feeling somewhat sleepy but was startled awake by the shaking. At first, she was still a bit groggy, but after hearing Lady Tao’s words, she quickly became more alert.

"Let’s go look for her."

"Alright." Lady Tao put down the cards and followed Shen Chuwei toward the Gong chamber.

The Gong chamber wasn’t far, just a short walk away.

Shen Chuwei and Lady Tao pushed open several doors but saw no sign of Concubine Xu, which scared them both greatly.

Lady Tao clutched Shen Chuwei’s hand, concerned. "It’s Concubine Xu’s first visit here; she wouldn’t just wander off on her own."

Shen Chuwei speculated, "Could she have seen a rabbit or a pheasant and run after it to catch it?"

The two exchanged looks, now frantically calling for help.

"Concubine Xu, where are you?"

"Concubine Xu, come out quickly!"

Shen Chuwei turned her head to Chun Xi, "You go find Guard Qin and ask him to bring people to search. It will be faster."

"I understand." Chun Xi could sense the gravity of the situation and turned to run back.

She saw Qin Xiao from a distance and ran up to him, gasping for breath.

"Qin Xiao, it’s bad, Concubine Xu is missing."

Qin Xiao was happy to see Chun Xi coming to him, but after listening to her, he realized the seriousness of the matter.

"Where did Concubine Xu go missing?"

Chun Xi caught her breath and said, "Concubine Xu has been out to the Gong chamber for a long time and just now we discovered she’s missing."

Qin Xiao said, "I’ll take people to search right now. Tell the Crown Princess not to worry."

Chun Xi nodded, "Alright."

Qin Xiao called for twenty guards and began searching with the Gong chamber as the center, calling out as they went.

"Concubine Xu, where are you?"

"Concubine Xu, come out quickly!"

Concubine Xu had long forgotten how much time had passed since she’d gone out, until she heard Shen Chuwei and Lady Tao calling for her. Only then did she realize she was out to relieve herself and hadn’t returned for so long, and they must be worried about her.

She looked up at the man in black. She had wanted to ask his name several times but never found the right opportunity.

"I should go back now, they must be worried about me."

The man in black nodded, "Hmm."

Concubine Xu gripped the small bell tightly, glanced at the man in black one last time, and turned to run back in the direction she came from.

Shen Chuwei saw Concubine Xu running toward them and was overjoyed, "Concubine Xu, where did you run off to?"

Lady Tao let out a sigh of relief, "You disappeared suddenly, we were so frightened."

Concubine Xu felt a bit guilty seeing them worried for her.

"I saw an exceptionally cute rabbit and chased after it for a while but didn’t catch it, I’m sorry for making you worry."

Shen Chuwei looked Concubine Xu up and down, relieved that she wasn’t injured, "It’s good that you’re okay. Let’s go back."

The group happily headed back.

The man in black emerged from behind a tree, his gaze following the departing figure of the Crown Princess, a trace of confusion flickering in his eyes.

Just as he was about to leave, he spotted a cat not far away. The cat was entirely snow-white, with a pair of deep blue eyes fixed unblinkingly on him.

The man in black was just momentarily stunned before he strode toward the cat, bent over, and picked it up.

What was strange was that Xuetuan, who typically disliked being held by anyone, unexpectedly did not struggle nor lash out with its claws this time.

ps: Second update.