Seeing this situation, Qin Yining’s pupils suddenly contracted.

She had anticipated that this trip would bring some experiences, but she hadn’t expected Li Qitian’s people to pull a “mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind” move!

She had departed for the capital under the pretense of illness, but now instead of being on the road, she was trapped by the Dragon Soar Army in an underground cave containing treasure chests, confronting Blue Sky Alliance members.

Now, how she came to be in the cave would be impossible to explain clearly.

She could say the Blue Sky Alliance lured her here, but would Li Qitian believe it? Even if it were truly the case, Li Qitian would probably only believe what he was willing to believe.

With her trapped in crisis here, Pang Xiao outside would certainly not fare well either!

In the spacious underground cave, now only the sharp collision sounds of clashing weapons and the furious roars of men could be heard.

However, no matter how spacious the cave was, the space was still limited. With so many people, not only was the cave entrance direction completely surrounded by Dragon Soar Army reinforcements, but if they tightened the encirclement, the Blue Sky Alliance members and Silver-Masked Scouts fighting in the middle would also be unable to maneuver freely!

The Blue Sky Alliance members and Silver-Masked Scouts, who had originally been fighting to the death, now had a common enemy and began to unite against the outside threat.

But the Dragon Soar Army that Li Qitian had arranged seemed to be all elites – not only were their martial arts superb, but they also held the advantage in formation coordination.

They formed teams of eight people each. When one team attacked for a while, the second team would take over, and when the second team retreated, the third team could charge in without hesitation.

With such wheel tactics, the Dragon Soar Army maintained vigorous energy throughout, but the Blue Sky Alliance and Silver-Masked Scouts, who had been fighting for a long time, had already lost much stamina. How could they withstand such continuous wheel warfare pressure?

Qin Yining looked toward the cave entrance, where several Dragon Soar Army soldiers stood guard, and the eight-man team that had just retreated was resting on the side while raising their weapons and shouting encouragement.

If this continued, Li Qitian’s group would probably capture them all with overwhelming advantage.

If she were brought before Li Qitian, not to mention that both Pang Xiao and her father would be constrained, Li Qitian could mercilessly pin the charge of plotting for treasure with treasonous intent on Pang Xiao’s head whenever he wished!

Qin Yining tightly grasped Bingtang’s hand while Ji Yun and Cao Yuqing deployed their full martial arts skills to protect her front, doing their utmost to guard a space for her.

With enemies numerous and allies few, and such disparity in strength, soon half the Blue Sky Alliance members had become souls under the Dragon Soar Army’s blades. Even the Silver-Masked Scouts had suffered various injuries in the melee.

Qin Yining and Bingtang crouched together, huddled in the corner between the chests and cave wall.

“Bingtang.” Qin Yining grasped Bingtang’s hand, speaking urgently with anxious instructions. “This won’t do. We might all perish here.”

“Princess, I-I-I’m not afraid!”

The bloody smell filling her nostrils and the sharp shouts of battle made Bingtang tremble uncontrollably, her tongue barely obeying her, yet she still used her petite body to shield Qin Yining, constructing a final line of defense for her.

Qin Yining’s eyes grew hot. In the dim light, she didn’t miss the tears Bingtang couldn’t suppress.

“Silly girl.” Qin Yining sniffled and lowered her voice. “In a moment, during their melee, hide in the crevice behind the chests.”

“I won’t…”

“Listen to me. That group of Blue Sky Alliance rabble may not have noticed your existence. You don’t know martial arts and have no lethal power. Plus, when the Dragon Soar Army entered, the Blue Sky Alliance and scouts were in the midst of battle, so they won’t notice you either. I’m a princess – no matter how I hide, it’s useless. They may not necessarily harm me, at most they’ll capture me, either to threaten the Prince or arrest me for conviction. Either way, staying by my side won’t end well for you.

“Ji Yun has already charged into battle and drawn their attention – she can’t hide. But you can.

“We came out together, we can’t all perish here.

“Bingtang, you hide. When the melee ends, don’t wait for them to come move the chests. Go hide where you hear water sounds in the corner – you might find another exit.”

Bingtang was already crying, shaking her head repeatedly. “I can’t abandon you. Ever since you brought me away from Prince Ning, I’ve been your maidservant. You treat me like a sister, and while I regard you as my master, you’re also my sister! I have no family left – I don’t want to lose you too!”

Qin Yining felt heartbroken hearing this. She bit her teeth and tilted her head back, taking deep breaths to prevent herself from crying as well.

“Bingtang, I can’t escape. So many eyes are watching me. Anyone can flee, but I cannot. If I could, I’d want everyone to escape rather than waste their lives. But I can’t. So now we must cut our losses – whoever can leave should leave. If you escape, at least you can report to the Prince, tell him to prepare in time. He’s wholeheartedly focused on disaster relief, spending all his resources. But someone doesn’t trust him and sent people to monitor him, even to intercept me. He doesn’t know something’s happened here – how can he guard against it?”

Bingtang sobbed. Amid the thunderous battle cries, she saw a Dragon Soar Army soldier’s blade slash across Cao Yuqing’s arm.

She cried out in alarm, tears flowing even more fiercely.

Even Cao Yuqing was beginning to get injured – what about other places she couldn’t see?

With the enemy strong and allies weak, Qin Yining was too obvious a target. If she still couldn’t help deliver the message, wouldn’t Pang Xiao be ambushed while completely unaware?

“Alright. I will definitely deliver the message to the Prince.”

Qin Yining rubbed Bingtang’s head and whispered, “Most importantly, you must survive. Don’t waste your life needlessly.”

“Alright.” Bingtang wiped away her tears and snot, nodding through her sobs.

The fighting between both sides had reached a fever pitch.

With half the Blue Sky Alliance members gone, the pressure on the Silver-Masked Scouts and others suddenly intensified. The encirclement tightened, and Ji Yun and Cao Yuqing in front of Qin Yining also began to suffer injuries.

Suddenly, someone knocked over an oil lamp the Blue Sky Alliance had brought in.

The only light source in the cave was extinguished. The weak light from the cave entrance couldn’t help everyone immediately adjust to the darkness. When everyone was completely blind, Qin Yining immediately pushed Bingtang, signaling her to hide.

Bingtang had already identified her route and immediately crawled past the chests, hiding in the crevice between the boxes and mountain wall.

In the darkness, the melee only paused briefly before continuing.

Qin Yining tried her best to shrink into the corner, but was still cut on her shoulder and back by someone’s blade tip. Under the burning sharp pain, she cried out and fell to the ground.

Cao Yuqing had exceptional hearing and immediately discovered Qin Yining’s situation. She didn’t dare call out, fearing that if Qin Yining answered it would expose her location, so she could only intensify the offensive in her hands.

At this time, the Dragon Soar Army guards at the cave entrance had lit fire starters and illuminated a prepared windproof lamp.

The cave entrance was brightly lit, allowing those in the melee to see each other.

Every Silver-Masked Scout was injured, with knife wounds and sword cuts crisscrossing their bodies, bleeding, but each person’s eyes remained firm and bright, like enraged wolves with killing intent to tear enemies’ throats filling their gaze.