He said softly, "Lin Qiaole is in the forest."

"She is still alive? What about Gong Zheng?" The empress was pleasantly surprised.

"I didn't see him!" Ren Baqian shook his head.

"How's Lin Qiaole?" the empress continued.

Ren Baqian hesitated before saying, "I'm not sure!"

The empress was beside him in a flash and took the binoculars from him, "Where is she?"

She didn't need help from Ren Baqian to find Lin Qiaole.

Ren Baqian only felt a wind blowing past him and saw a red figure flas.h.i.+ng by from the corner of his eye before the empress disappeared without a trace.

"Elder brother-in-law! Her Majesty has rushed forward!" Ren Baqian directed his shout at the ground below and followed suit.

These woods were weird and eerie, and demons seemed to be dancing here.

Swarms of jade-waisted slaves were all over the forest, sprawling on tree trunks or on the ground. Cyan lights could be seen everywhere.

Occasionally, the demonic b.u.t.terflies would fly up and create an astoundingly beautiful scene.

It was beautiful, but weird.

A pretty girl wearing a dirty strapless top and shorts was among them. Occasionally, she would pounce on a bunch of jade-waisted slaves and send them flying in panic. When she caught one, she would put it in her mouth and close her eyes momentarily as if she was savoring something delicious.

Before long, whether from eating her fill or becoming tired, the teenaged girl huddled down on the floor.

Both her arms were wrapped around her knees, and her body was pulled in tightly like a baby inside a mother's womb.

At this time, a red figure dropped in front of the forest and stared at her.

"Lin Qiaole!" Her voice was cold and intimidating.

The relations.h.i.+p between them was good with Lin Qiaole having stayed in the palace longer than the empress. Her image was that of a young girl while her mind didn't develop much.

When the empress was small, she treated Lin Qiaole like an elder sister.

However, after she had grown up, Lin Qiaole became more like a younger sister.

Although they didn't interact much, they were still rather close to each other.

Therefore, when Ren Baqian gave her those White Rabbit Creamy Candies for the first time, she immediately ran to offer the empress a share.

Because of their relations.h.i.+p, the disappearance of Gong Zheng, and the appearance of Lin Qiaole here, the degree of anger the empress felt could be imagined.

The appearance of the empress caused the startled jade-waisted slaves to fly up and hover in the air like bands of lights.

Lin Qiaole's curled up body straightened on the ground, but her four limbs were still bent as if she was preparing to jump out.

Her small face stared at the empress expressionlessly.

"Do you want to fight with me?" The empress laughed when she saw this expression.

However, Ren Baqian, who had caught up, felt that Lin Qiaole's intent to kill was apparent.

"Your Majesty!" Ren Baqian landed behind the empress and said, "Your Majesty, do not rush it. Lin Qiaole looks rather strange!"

"Did Lin Qiaole ever dare to crouch like an attacking animal in front of the empress? This behavior isn't normal!" Ren Baqian said in a hurry.

The empress calmed down after hearing this.

"You are correct!"

Ren Baqian looked at Lin Qiaole thoroughly and said, "Look at her eyes—the pupils are vertical."

The empress seriously looked at her. Like Ren Baqian said, Lin Qiaole's pupils were vertical and oval in shape. There was even a green light inside.

"Your Majesty, do you remember when Bor asked for our names? The second herdsman did as well. I was curious about what would happen if they knew our names.

Seeing Lin Qiaole's condition, I have some conjectures. If those herdsmen can control a person through their name, then it makes sense. It explains why those aboriginals quietly came here and died silently. It also explains why Lin Qiaole become like this," Ren Baqian said thoughtfully.

The empress stayed silent after hearing this. His conjectures were most likely correct.

A hope suddenly arose in the empress that things were as Ren Baqian said.

If possible, she didn't want to kill this 20-plus year old girl who hadn't changed much.

Qi Ziting, Ba Man, and the others landed beside the empress in succession. After that, the aboriginal soldiers, one by one, appeared in the darkness. They looked at the fluttering jade-waisted slaves in the forest and, most importantly, at the girl lying p.r.o.ne on the ground.

Qi Ziting frowned as he asked, "Who is this?"

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"Lin Qiaole!" Ren Baqian suddenly shouted.

The sprawling Lin Qiaole was suddenly aroused. Her pupils became narrower as if she was shocked by the voice of Ren Baqian.

At that moment, a mournful melody was heard.

The jade-waisted slaves flew in the direction where the music came from.

Lin Qiaole retreated a dozen steps, saw that no one had the intention of attacking her, and turned to run into the forest.

"Move!" The empress only said one word before walking slowly into the depths of the forest.

Right now, it was no longer important to hide.

The important thing was to take down Lin Qiaole and this herdsman.

After traveling a short distance into the woods, Ren Baqian suddenly halted and said emotionally, "Your Majesty! I just saw Gong Zheng!"

The empress turned her head sharply to look and saw Ren Baqian staring at a tree. On the bark of the tree was the image of a human face.

This facial image jolted the empress.

It was Gong Zheng!

The face on the tree was twisted, full of pain, and its mouth was wide open.

Although the image that emerged from the tree bark wasn't identical to a real image, it was enough to identify it as Gong Zheng!

"Commander of the winged cavalry?" Qi Ziting asked. Seeing the face on the tree, he swung his crutches at it and yelled, "It's better to die than to live like this!"

Bang!

The empress stretched her hand to push away the crutches.

"Why did you block me?" Qi Ziting looked at the empress and said, "This tree is him! It's better to die outright than to live like this!"

"Catch Lin Qiaole and the herdsman first, then come back and settle this later. We may be able to learn something after capturing the herdsman," Ren Baqian said.

He finally knew why he found this place weird.

This strange place was formed by individuals.

A fact like this was simply horrible to know.

He was still clinging to hope. Since these herdsmen could transform humans this way, they might know of a way to reverse it.

However, he knew that the chance of this was extremely slim.

"Get someone to guard here—Move!" the empress ordered before turning her head away and walking solemnly into the forest.

Her red dress floated without any wind blowing.

Her hair trailed behind her.

Her ice-cold demeanor spread around, making everyone feel cold.

The footsteps of more than 1,000 people walking in the forest sounded like a drum dully beating against their hearts.

Following a clear sound, five colorful birds soared into the air.

Along the way, Ren Baqian whispered, "Lin Qiaole should be under their control. Keep her alive. Do not kill her even if you have to break her arm or her leg!"

These words were meant for the empress. In particular, Qi Ziting and the others. (TLC. Not sure about this part)