True to their word, once they decided to go, Feng Jiu’er and Jian Yi quickly disguised themselves and left the camp.

The two of them soon left the forest, found the horses Feng Yinan had hidden away, mounted up, and galloped across the open grassland.

Half a shichen later, Feng Jiu’er and Jian Yi walked through the bustling main street like ordinary commoners.

Everyone had grown used to the daily searches, and life had returned to normal.

The street Feng Jiu’er chose was not far from the city wall; as they walked along it, the wall was visible almost the entire way.

After walking for a while, Feng Jiu’er stopped in front of an inn.

Jian Yi glanced up at the city wall behind the inn, then followed the woman ahead of him.

“Greetings, honored guests, are you looking to stay?” the waiter greeted them with a bright smile.

“Do you have any rooms available?” Feng Jiu’er asked.

“We do,” the waiter nodded. “Would you like a private suite, or an ordinary room?”

“What are the prices?” Feng Jiu’er glanced around before returning her gaze to him.

“Please, follow me,” the waiter gestured. “Our inn prices everything clearly—come in and see for yourselves.”

Feng Jiu’er and Jian Yi followed him and stood before the counter.

Behind the counter, the innkeeper was clicking away at an abacus.

Hearing someone approach, he looked up at Feng Jiu’er and Jian Yi, the corner of his mouth lifting as he waved a hand.

“Welcome, honored guests, make yourselves at home!”

Feng Jiu’er studied the wooden placards on the wall for a moment, then pointed at one. “Is the Shenyuan Suite in the back courtyard?”

“Wouldn’t it be quieter there? With the searches every day, all the noise—I really dislike it.”

“Yes, it would be,” the waiter nodded. “However, the city lord has given orders that the daily searches must continue.”

“These past few days, the soldiers have come by once in the morning and once in the evening, just going through the motions—they won’t disturb you for long.”

“Would you like the Shenyuan Suite? One room, or two?”

“No,” Feng Jiu’er shook her head. “Since we’re going to be searched regardless, and the price difference is so large, we’ll just take an ordinary room.”

“Are there any rooms left on the third floor? I’d like to stay on the third floor.”

“There are,” the waiter nodded, turning to stand before the counter.

The innkeeper looked over the ledger on the counter. “There are four rooms left on the third floor.” He looked up at Jian Yi and Feng Jiu’er. “Why don’t I have the waiter take you up to see for yourselves and choose?”

“Alright,” Feng Jiu’er nodded, then turned to Jian Yi. “Let’s go.”

Feng Jiu’er chose a room on the third floor, on the side closest to the city wall, and checked in.

After settling in, the two of them soon left again.

In the blink of an eye, two shadowy figures appeared in the inn’s back courtyard.

Feng Jiu’er had worried that the imperial soldiers conducting inspections would search the rooms facing the back courtyard more strictly, which was why she hadn’t chosen a room there. Going up to the third floor let her see what she wanted just as well.

From the inn’s back courtyard, a small path led out, and beyond it stood the city wall.

Below the wall, it was pitch black, with no trace of anyone. But atop the wall, there were guards everywhere—they had already seen this from the third floor of the inn. The guards above stood one every five paces, in two rows, front and back.

After surveying the terrain, the two of them reappeared on the street.

And so, Feng Jiu’er led the heroic Jian Yi in and out of inns and shops, strolling through the streets, covering quite a distance.

By the time the group in the mountains was ready to leave, the two of them arrived right on schedule.

According to the plan, they would pass through the very street Feng Jiu’er and Jian Yi had just walked, on their way to a household in the town. The location had been chosen by Yue Jianfei, so everyone felt at ease about it. However, being out in the open rather than deep in the mountains meant there were more things to be careful of.

Sure enough, on the afternoon of the second day after everyone left, Peach Blossom Village was thoroughly searched on a large scale. It was only then that the people who had stayed behind in the village learned just how much had happened outside.

The camp had been discovered, but it had already been deliberately destroyed beforehand, made to look as though no one had lived there for a long time. They had aged the place so it appeared long abandoned. Since it had not yet been two full months since Feng Li had been taken, the timing didn’t match up, so the imperial soldiers didn’t suspect too much.

After struggling through two difficult days, with the situation looking increasingly unfavorable, Feng Jiu’er led everyone away from the residence Yue Jianfei had arranged, splitting up to stay at inns of her own choosing. She didn’t want to implicate Brother Yue’s people, so she chose to leave early.

At night, the inn’s waiter knocked on Feng Jiu’er’s door.

Feng Jiu’er opened the door and poked her head out. “Is something wrong?” she asked.

“It’s nothing major,” the waiter said, still smiling. “The proprietor asked me to come tell everyone that tomorrow, the imperial soldiers will be coming to question every guest about their circumstances.”

“The city lord has ordered that no guests are to leave the inn tomorrow. If you need anything, please let us know.”

“We’ll do our best to meet your needs, but no one may leave the inn.”

“Alright, I understand,” Feng Jiu’er nodded and closed the door.

Inside the room, besides Jian Yi, there was also Feng Li.

Feng Jiu’er sat down at the table, resting her hands on its surface, chin propped up. “Why hasn’t Third Brother come back yet? I plan to leave tonight.”

“He’ll return the moment he gets word,” Feng Li said, passing her a cup of tea.

Feng Jiu’er took the tea but didn’t drink it. “We’ve finally made it this far—no one can afford to have anything happen to them now.”

No sooner had she finished speaking than someone knocked on the door outside—three heavy knocks followed by two light ones, a signal. She stood, turned, went to the door, pulled the person inside, glanced left and right, and closed it again.

“How did it go?” Feng Jiu’er looked up at Feng Jiang.

“This place isn’t safe to stay any longer. We leave the city tonight,” Feng Jiang said, glancing at her before stepping toward Feng Li. “Fourth Imperial Uncle, I’ve already made contact with General Shan. He said his boat will dock in the woods slightly west of Mount Yaoliang at the third quarter of the yin hour.”

Feng Jiu’er returned to the table and sat down. Feng Jiang ruffled her hair.

“General Shan said his boat will stay for about one quarter of an hour, leaving at the fourth quarter of the yin hour as the patrol boats pass by,” Feng Jiang continued. “The brothers stationed outside the city already have the horses ready. I’ve calculated the timing—leaving the city at midnight would be best.”

“The guards on the wall change shifts at the third quarter of midnight—will we make it in time?” Feng Jiu’er asked, looking up.

“We should make it,” Feng Jiang said, pouring a cup of tea and topping off Feng Li’s cup as well before sitting down. “Right now the most critical thing is getting out of the city—the route after that has already been arranged.”

Feng Jiang took out a map and spread it on the table, pointing with his long finger. “This is Mount Yaoliang—it’s not very far from here. We’ll ride there on horseback.” He pointed to another spot. “From here, on foot, it should take about two quarters of an hour to reach the riverbank. Right now, the river is crawling with patrol boats. Our plan is to switch boats at this point, and come ashore where Pingyuan City and Yongshan City border each other.”