Up ahead, the enemy grew more and more numerous.

Tuoba Keyan dared not be careless — nor could he remain and become a burden to Xue Gu.

In the end, he had no choice but to follow Long Eleven, taking a squad of men and departing in a different direction.

Xue Gu, alone, led the Ninth Prince’s force of over a hundred Longwu Army soldiers and held firm on the road, buying the others more time to escape.

No one had expected that this small force of barely over a hundred could actually pin down an army of thousands.

“My lord, if this continues, I fear we will not be able to catch up with Feng Jiu’er.”

The deputy general retreated from the front line, urgency in his voice. “They have been gone for an incense stick’s worth of time, yet our people are still being held here — we cannot catch up at all.”

“Aside from the advance squad of about a hundred that broke through, all the remaining troops have been blocked.”

The general frowned. He was not at the front line and did not know the situation there firsthand, but with so many of their people having advanced, hadn’t the enemy side been reduced to barely a hundred or so?

“Who is commanding them?” To hold over a thousand of his soldiers at bay with barely two hundred men — incredible!

This mountain gorge was admittedly easier to defend than to attack, but surely not this difficult to break through!

“It is a woman — this subordinate does not recognize her.”

“A woman?” Utterly outrageous! How could a woman command troops — and how could she lead such a small number of soldiers to stand against nearly ten times their number?

“She…”

Suddenly, a soldier came rushing from the rear with urgent news. “General! Up ahead, there is a force advancing rapidly toward us — estimated… at least one thousand strong!”

“What?”

“My lord, that must be the Longwu Army from Phoenix City.”

“Then… what do we do?” The general’s complexion changed, a look of fright overtaking him.

And indeed — they had truly brought the great army from Phoenix City down upon themselves.

He had long since warned the city lord: Phoenix City was not far from here, and the force protecting Feng Jiu’er this time was the Longwu Army the Ninth Prince had left stationed in the imperial capital.

Any disturbance would inevitably alert the great army at Phoenix City.

It was the city lord who had been stubbornly determined to act against the Ninth Prince’s people.

Now panic spread not only through the general, but through everyone.

No one had imagined Phoenix City’s forces would arrive this quickly!

“My lord, we are not wearing standard military uniforms. Why don’t we… why don’t we retreat now? So long as we don’t fall into the Longwu Army of Phoenix City’s hands, they’ll have no evidence to prove this was our doing.”

The deputy general was equally anxious. If they were captured, the city lord would certainly deny any connection to them.

At that point, they would be labeled traitors and rebels and cut down to the last man.

“Very well — retreat!”

Xue Gu watched coldly as the force up ahead turned and fled in disorder. She also pulled her horse back several paces, then turned to the Heavenly Mechanism Hall members behind her. “When Mu Mu’s people arrive, tell them everyone has split up and gone their separate ways. We will regroup at Phoenix City.”

“Senior Xue…”

“I noticed that Keyan seemed to have been injured just now. I need to go find them first. Once I reach Phoenix City, I will meet up with all of you again.”

Without waiting for a reply, she suddenly pressed her foot to the ground, wheeled her horse around, and swept off into the dense forest.

But the direction she rode toward was not the road by which Tuoba Keyan had left — it was the one Jiu Qing and Feng Jiu’er had taken.

In the chaos, however, no one noticed…

Qiao Mu rode steadily toward the southwest.

The path ahead was uncertain. Deep in this mountain wilderness, once night fell, even the sense of direction was hard to keep.

What she feared most was that continuing onward, she had no idea what fierce beasts might be waiting for them.

She slowed the horse to a gradual stop and turned to listen carefully for a while, detecting no signs of anyone pursuing them.

“In a little while, let’s find a place to rest for a bit and set out again tomorrow,” she said.

Behind her, Yanu made no sound at all — not a single word in reply.

Qiao Mu furrowed her brow slightly, thinking that perhaps his throat still had not fully healed and speaking was uncomfortable, so she paid it no further mind.

She rode on for a stretch longer, and at last spotted a secluded mountain cave up ahead.

She said, “Yanu, let’s shelter in that cave tonight and then go find Jiu’er and the others tomorrow morning. How does that sound?”

She knew Yanu’s heart was deeply concerned for his lord, and asking him to rest through the night was difficult in itself.

But right now, even if they gave chase, there was no way to guarantee they could catch up with Jiu’er’s group.

And there were so many soldiers pursuing them.

“Jiu’er’s group is riding Zhui Feng — we can’t catch up with them. Yanu, don’t be anxious just yet. First thing tomorrow morning, let’s check whether they’ve left any trail markers. If they have, we’ll be able to follow them.”

Yanu had remained completely silent, and Qiao Mu, assuming he was sulking, had tried to explain. But he still said nothing.

However, he leaned forward — and slumped against her back.

Fortunately, Qiao Mu was tall enough and powerfully built; had she been otherwise, the sheer mass of Yanu’s large frame pressing down would have toppled her right off the horse.

“Yanu?” Qiao Mu was puzzled and glanced back — and unexpectedly found that Yanu’s sleeve was soaked entirely through with blood.

“Yanu!” She was startled, and steadied Yanu as they leaped down from the horse together.

The moment they landed, she saw that there was a cold arrow lodged in Yanu’s shoulder!

Both his eyes were shut tight — he had clearly already lost consciousness.

Damn it. The entire journey here, she had not noticed Yanu was injured.

Now, the old bloodstains had already dried, while new blood was still seeping out ceaselessly.

Qiao Mu pressed her brows together. Seeing him like this, she felt an inexplicable pang of aching concern.

This fellow had been injured from the very beginning, yet throughout the entire journey he had not let out a single sound. He had most likely been holding on — until the moment she said they could stop and rest — before finally losing consciousness.

Such remarkable endurance. No wonder Jiu’er was so fond of him. If she had such a loyal and obedient attendant, she would certainly treat him very well too.

Qiao Mu gathered her composure, supported Yanu, and walked toward the cave ahead.

The horse followed behind her. She gently patted its mane and said, “We’ll be resting here tonight. I’m worried those people might come, so go wander around nearby and find yourself somewhere to rest. First thing tomorrow morning, I’ll call for you to return.”

This horse had followed her for so many years; it understood her words well.

True enough, after nuzzling against her, the horse turned and trotted away.

Qiao Mu pushed aside the undergrowth blocking the cave entrance and supported the unconscious Yanu inside.

After clearing out a clean space, Qiao Mu had Yanu lie face down on it.

Yanu had already regained consciousness by then. He opened his eyes slightly and looked at her, his drained white lips barely moving.

It took great effort on her part before she could finally make out what Yanu was saying: “Is… Jiu’er… alright?”

A wave of tenderness struck her heart. This man — every single thought in his heart was of his lord, and his lord alone.

Where else would one find such a devoted attendant?

Jiu’er had no idea what incredible luck she had, to have such a wonderful companion in Yanu.

“She is with Jiu Qing — she won’t be in any danger. But as for you…”

Qiao Mu looked at the cold arrow in his shoulder, then suddenly drew a short knife from her waist and said steadily, “I need to cut your wound open and take the arrowhead out. Can you bear it?”