In the darkness, the young Crown Prince, Mo Lingwei, was dressed in vermilion robes and wore a red gold crown.
His sharp, handsome eyes seemed coated in a layer of frost.
He sat casually, but his aura was one of cool nobility.
He wore the most merciless expression, yet on his left hand, which held a teacup, hung a string of Buddha Beads the Emperor himself had prayed for on his behalf.
Mo Lingwei's gaze was ice-cold.
"Keep hitting him."
The two members of the Crown Prince's personal guard, holding long whips, immediately resumed the flogging.
The housekeeper let out scream after scream.
Chen Shaobei, who had been standing slightly behind the Crown Prince, finally couldn't hold back any longer.
"Crown Prince, the housekeeper truly didn't know. If he had known that little girl was here to see you, he never would have driven her away."
Mo Lingwei lifted his eyes, the depths of his gaze a black, icy cold.
"After I returned to the palace, there were too many trivial matters, and I forgot to inform you."
As he spoke, he raised a hand and pressed it to the bridge of his nose.
He didn't know if Shen Ningning had come looking for him because she'd encountered some difficult problem.
But when he heard that the housekeeper had someone throw her out…
Mo Lingwei felt he had to stand up for Shen Ningning.
'She's already so pitiful.'
'Everyone is bullying her.'
Chen Shaobei watched the housekeeper being beaten until he gradually couldn't even cry out in pain anymore.
He spoke again, "Crown Prince, if you are worried, why don't I accompany you tomorrow to see where the little girl lives?"
This was precisely what Mo Lingwei had in mind.
In case Shen Ningning had an urgent matter and needed his help, he would be there to lend a hand.
And so, he ordered, "Stop."
The housekeeper was finally spared from the whipping.
Mo Lingwei stood up and walked past him.
He left him with a parting word: "This beating is to teach you to keep your eyes open. The next time she comes to the General Zhen Nan Mansion, you are to treat her with the utmost respect."
With that, Mo Lingwei departed with his columns of Iron Cavalry.
「The next day.」
Mo Lingwei and Chen Shaobei rode in a carriage, with a column of personal guards clearing the way, heading straight for Wolf Mountain.
They arrived at the foot of the mountain.
Chen Shaobei disembarked from the carriage and looked around, his expression bewildered.
Seeing Mo Lingwei confidently start up the mountain as if he knew the path well...
He quickly followed.
"Crown Prince, are you sure the little girl who saved you lives in the mountains?"
"Yes," Mo Lingwei replied coldly. "She's bullied by her family and has nowhere to live, so she can only live in a cave with a pack of wolves."
"So, the housekeeper threw her out, everyone bullies her and kicks her while she's down. Tell me, isn't she pitiful?"
Chen Shaobei was speechless.
'He hadn't even said anything, yet the Crown Prince was already jumping to her defense.'
'It's not like I said the little girl wasn't pitiful!'
However, when the two of them stumbled their way near the Wolf Cave…
Mo Lingwei called out, "Shen Ningning."
Only the soft chirping of insects answered him. No one responded.
Mo Lingwei frowned faintly.
He climbed the slope and went forward.
Only to find the Wolf Cave completely empty!
The traces of a cooking fire had long since gone cold.
Chen Shaobei struggled up the slope, looked around, and said, "No one's here?"
Without answering, Mo Lingwei turned and walked out of the Wolf Cave to check on the Spiritual Spring behind it.
But it was no use.
The lush forest and the clear, azure spring he remembered were all gone.
The spring had run dry, and the surrounding trees had withered, losing their vibrant green.
The calm blackness in Mo Lingwei's eyes finally wavered.
He searched the area for a long while.
He even raised his cool, clear voice to shout, "Shen Ningning!"
Still, there was no response.
Chen Shaobei led his men in a sweep of the surrounding area.
They found no trace of human activity, nor a single wolf.
He returned to Mo Lingwei's side.
"It seems she's gone. Wolves are naturally cautious; they don't stay in one place for long."
Hearing this, Mo Lingwei's eyes turned as dark as thick ink.
His long, thick eyelashes cast a shadow over his eyes.
'Shen Ningning… is gone?'
He couldn't help but go back inside the Wolf Cave.
He looked at the wall, where the name he had carved was still visible.
Shen Ningning's soft, sweet voice seemed to echo in his ears—
"Brother, is this another way to write 'Longevity Root'?"
The image of her, earnestly practicing writing his name in her palm, was etched into his memory.
Whenever Mo Lingwei closed his eyes, the image would surface with perfect clarity.
It was a year of famine.
'Why did she have to run off?'
'If she's gone somewhere else, can she even survive?'
Chen Shaobei saw the chill in Mo Lingwei's expression, his ink-black pupils deep and frigid.
He couldn't help but offer a word of comfort. "If you want to investigate, it would be simple. We could send men to the surrounding—"
Before he could finish, Mo Lingwei cut him off. "Forget it. There's no need."
He turned and left the Wolf Cave.
"I originally wanted to repay the debt of her saving my life. But if fate decrees we shall not meet, then so be it."
On the way back, Chen Shaobei noticed that Mo Lingwei remained completely silent.
There was a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
「That night, at the Eastern Palace.」
Mo Lingwei tossed and turned, unable to fall asleep.
The moment he closed his eyes...
...all he could see was the image of Shen Ningning eating an egg, shell and all.
Mo Lingwei shot upright.
He pressed his fingers to his cold, stern brow, his voice seething. "She doesn't even know to peel an egg before eating it. How can she possibly survive out there on her own?"
Clearly.
He had completely forgotten that when he was injured, Shen Ningning had not only taken care of him but had also supported Grandma Qin and the wolf pack all by herself.
Mo Lingwei had lost all desire to sleep.
He sat there until the sky began to lighten with the dawn.
"Attendants."
The eunuch at the door heard the call and hurried inside.
"Crown Prince, what are your orders?"
From behind the bed curtains came Mo Lingwei's voice, lazy yet imperious.
"Send my personal guards to the villages around Wolf Mountain to search for someone. Her name is Shen Ningning, she looks to be four or five years old. Report to me immediately if you find anything."
"Wolf Mountain?" the eunuch hesitated. "But... there are hundreds of villages around Wolf Mountain..."
Mo Lingwei cut him off with cold fury, "Just search!"
"Yes, yes!" the eunuch hastily agreed.
'Who would dare provoke the Crown Prince?'
'This was the Emperor's legitimate son, a man the Emperor both loved and loathed!'
'And besides, he was burdened by that legend...'
The eunuch practically scrambled out of the room.
At that very moment, Shen Ningning was busy placating Wolf Three and Lang Si.
"Alright, alright! Stop fighting, you two!" The little girl used her hands to pull the two snarling wolves apart.
"Both of you can come with me to the village today, so don't be angry!"
Yesterday, Shen Ningning had taken the Black Wolf King to the village to check on the progress of the house renovations.
Today, she was heading out again.
Wolf Three ran up to her first, only to be immediately bumped aside by Lang Si's rear.
They both wanted to go out with Shen Ningning and stick close to the little girl.
They had nearly started a real fight over it!
The Black Wolf King stood to the side, calmly watching his sons.
'He knew that Shen Ningning relied on him the most.'
'So, he wasn't about to compete with his sons for her affection!'
At this thought, the Black Wolf King quietly licked Shen Ningning's little hand, as if to show he was always right behind her.
The other wolves watched Shen Ningning with pleading eyes.
Grandma Qin, who was picking vegetables, chuckled and said, "Ningning, you might as well take three or four of them with you."
With no other choice, the little girl had to agree.
In the end, the Black Wolf King, Wolf Three, Lang Si, and two other she-wolves followed her to Xiangyun Village to supervise the work.
Before they set off, the little girl instructed them, "You're not allowed to scare the villagers for no reason, okay? You have to listen to me."
Wolf Three let out a cheerful AWOO in agreement.
However, just as they reached the village entrance, Shen Ningning saw Lai Zi walking toward her with a fawning smile on his face.
"Well, well, if it isn't little Ningning."