Chapter 4900: Escaped again

The two exchanged a glance before asking, “Second Young Master? What’s wrong?”

Xiao Junheng snapped back to his senses, waved them off, and walked over to sit by the spot where they were roasting the game. “Leave me alone. Just let me be.”

Seeing this, the two didn’t press further. They continued roasting the meat while keeping watch on their surroundings.

As dusk fell, the forest temperature dropped. The group gathered around the fire, eating meat.

After eating her fill, Yue’er helped tend the fire, poking at the embers or adding branches to keep it burning. Worried the little girl couldn’t withstand the night breeze in the woods, Xiao Junyan held her in his arms, covering her with his cloak as she fell asleep.

The next morning.

As the morning sun filtered through the dense foliage, its rays landing on Xiao Junyan’s face, he instinctively tightened one hand while the other reached to pull the cloak higher over the plump little bundle in his arms.

But his hand met only emptiness. His eyes snapped open. He looked down—where was the chubby little figure?

A sharp, cold gaze swept the surroundings. His divine sense spread out. Beyond the occasional chirping of insects in the woods, only the rustling of wind through the trees could be heard.

Escaped again?

His expression darkened. His hand reached for the dagger hidden in his sleeve, only to find it gone. Clearly, the little brat hadn’t just knocked them out and run away, but had also retrieved the dagger he’d confiscated.

Over all these years, this was the first time he’d been bested by such a chubby little baby. And to have her slip away right under his nose twice? The frustration was palpable.

He thought of this perilous forest and how tiny that little doll was. If she encountered a fierce beast, she wouldn’t even be enough to fill its teeth.

He frowned, glancing at the three still-sleeping figures. He didn’t wake them. Instead, he picked up several pebbles, gathered his breath, and flicked them toward the sleeping trio before darting into the woods. He was off to find that little doll, who had likely vanished into the forest again.

Xiao Junheng was jolted awake by the stinging pain of the stones. His eyes snapped open, and he froze in shock. They had taken turns keeping watch during the night—how could they all have fallen into such a deep, unbroken sleep?

Glancing around, he saw that Xiao Junyan and the little girl were gone. He called out, “Junyan? Junyan?”

“Second Young Master?” Two other youths stirred awake, rubbing their temples as their heads felt thick and groggy.

After calling out repeatedly with no response, Xiao Junheng turned to them and demanded, “Why did you all sleep so soundly last night?”

“I was on the second half of the night watch last night, but somehow I just passed out.” One of the youths scratched his head sheepishly, surprised he’d fallen asleep.

“Where are the young master and that child?” The other youth asked in surprise, noticing their absence.

Xiao Junheng felt a twinge of unease. He glanced at the two youths and said, “You two go back first. I need to return and find out which branch of the family that child belongs to.”

“Second Young Master suspects she’s not from our Xiao family?” the two youths asked in astonishment.

“I’d already had my doubts. But after meeting Junyan, he said he brought her, so I didn’t ask further. Now, however, we clearly all fainted from being drugged. Junyan couldn’t have drugged us—it must have been that child. That’s why I must return and get to the bottom of this.”” Xiao Junheng said, his brow furrowed tightly.

Hearing this, the two boys’ eyes widened in disbelief. “Th-that can’t be possible! She’s so young, how could she possibly…”

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