Witnessing this scene, who didn’t feel a twinge of bitterness in their heart?

Despair is the most terrifying poison.

But the two had no means to help; these sick civilians were beyond their salvation.

Feng Miaojun and Chen Dachang circled the small town before the latter said gravely, “With Yan forces attacking at our doorstep and epidemic raging, the city must be under strict control. It won’t be easy to sneak in.”

At times like these, the Xi people would certainly implement a scorched earth policy—outsiders couldn’t get in, and those inside couldn’t get out.

But Feng Miaojun’s target was within the city.

She pointed to the rugged mountain path, still hearing the tinkling of bells in her ears, “Isn’t there a ready-made solution right there?”

Between the small town and Yingong City lay a ravine, one hundred and thirty zhang apart, connected by a rope bridge.

Several guards stood watch at the bridge entrance. First, they heard the bell sounds, then saw the black carriage. They lifted the carriage curtain with their spear tips and, finding nothing inside, turned back to the front and made a gesture. The two drivers removed their face coverings, revealing their true faces.

In the desolate countryside’s bitter cold, without face coverings, people’s faces would crack from frostbite.

The black carriage passed through here multiple times daily, so the guards only performed routine checks, their eyes sweeping over the faces before waving them through.

As the carriage passed, they instinctively backed away several zhang, unwilling to catch the misfortune of the plague.

The black carriage crossed the rope bridge unhurriedly, continuing toward Yingong City.

The road was heavily guarded, with a sentry every five paces.

At the city’s west gate, the guards behaved similarly, taking a quick look before waving them through. Only the head guard said, “There’s still one household in Liuding Lane in the south city, hurry there!”

The driver responded with a low “Yes” and urged the carriage into the city.

These two were, of course, Feng Miaojun and Chen Dachang. Disguised as the original drivers, they drove the black carriage that everyone respected yet kept their distance from, entering the city in plain sight. The black carriage in Yingong City was specifically used to collect the sick and plague corpses, with its ringing bell warning everyone:

The corpse collectors had arrived.

Such an inauspicious carriage made everyone keep their distance. The guards were human too, instinctively unwilling to approach, greatly increasing Feng Miaojun and Chen Dachang’s chances of slipping through. In the cold weather, the black carriage drivers all wore thick cotton clothes, making their figures bulky and thick. She was seated, so her height wasn’t apparent, and from behind she looked like a cube.

With a disguised face, who could tell she was a woman?

The Yan forces must have considered this method too, but there were only a dozen or so black carriages in all of Yingong City. Even if they replaced them with Yan people, how many could infiltrate? Besides, the carriages couldn’t reach the upper city.

After entering the city, the carriage moved unhurriedly, but the two were busy observing their surroundings.

With enemies at the gates, Yingong City was naturally under martial law. Civilians were forbidden from the streets and allowed only to stay home unless dispatched for duties. The streets were quite empty, with shops and businesses tightly shut. Looking forward from the middle of the street, there was nothing but scattered debris and busy soldiers and laborers.

Of course, the black carriage moved unhindered, and Feng Miaojun needed this identity to find her target. When the death-like bell sound rang, people huddled in their homes covered their ears and trembled.

Lower Yingong City had a unique geographical position, backed by the stone mountain upper city, thus surrounded by mountains on two sides and cliffs on two sides. Only one natural land bridge connected it to the outside, where the Yan forces could only launch a frontal assault. Correspondingly, Xi Kingdom’s defensive forces were mainly deployed in this area.

There were four camps and six major military units here. Feng Miaojun and Chen Dachang had discussed beforehand that Yu Haizhen was likely supervising the battle from the lower city camp, so they came here first.

As for why they didn’t use diplomatic channels for a formal visit—with Yingong City in imminent danger and military matters taking precedence, waiting for level-by-level reporting would take too long, possibly not until after the Xi Kingdom had fallen.

Feng Miaojun had decided to act according to the circumstances.

However, black carriages usually couldn’t enter military-restricted areas. She would need another plan.

The two drove the carriage southward. Within half an hour, clamor could be heard from a deep alley to the east. They could distinguish screams, cries, and pleading.

A window facing the street opened, and a child peered toward the sound. An adult behind quickly pulled him back, slamming the window shut. With her keen hearing, Feng Miaojun could hear the adult’s rebuke: “Don’t look, it’s none of your business!”

The black carriage moved forward, its bell ringing, alerting those in the alley. A guard ran out and stopped the black carriage, saying, “It’s this household!”

The alley wasn’t deep. From her seat in the carriage, Feng Miaojun could see two soldiers at the end of the alley escorting a young girl out, while her parents followed, restrained by other guards.

Both sides were in tears.

Indeed, they had been instructed at the city gate about an infected patient in Liuding Lane who needed to be taken away for isolation.

The girl, knowing she was being taken to her death, struggled fiercely, even trying to gouge the soldiers’ eyes. The lead guard was furious and turned back to slap her. He raised his hand but suddenly remembered not to touch plague victims casually. Instead, he used his sword hilt to strike her head hard.

After all, she was going to die anyway—whether from the plague or his blow, what difference did it make?

He didn’t hold back, and the young girl was knocked unconscious.

Feng Miaojun adjusted her throat muscles, lowering her voice, “Has it been confirmed?”

The lead guard paused, glancing at her with the whites of his eyes, “What do you mean?”

“Her cheeks are red, but the corners of her eyes are still white. There are no black spots on her neck or hands. It seems like just a common cold.” Most importantly, this girl’s body temperature hadn’t risen. All countries were focused on the Southern continent war and had extensively researched the epidemic used by the Yan forces. Feng Miaojun clearly understood the symptoms.

If this girl wasn’t sick, sending her to the isolated town would truly cause her to contract the disease and die.

“Do you understand? Are you a doctor?”

Feng Miaojun quickly said, “I don’t understand, I’ve just handled many patients.”

The lead guard scoffed, “Stop babbling and drive your carriage!”

She had her mission, so she said no more.

However, at that moment, someone outside suddenly said, “Wait.”

The voice was soft, with a magnetic quality in its low tone, like a quiet spring flowing over blue stones—clearly a woman’s voice.

A very pleasant voice.

Feng Miaojun saw a flash of surprise on the lead guard’s face, quickly replaced by reverence. He and his subordinates bowed to the newcomer: “State Preceptor!”

State Preceptor? Could it be this coincidental?

Feng Miaojun and Chen Dachang both glanced toward the voice, quickly and skillfully.