Only when Nanyi revealed the ring of bruises around her neck and the wounds on her wrists did everyone show expressions of regret and sympathy.

“How did I know? Of course I traded my life for it! Look, I nearly died at the hands of the Qi people—” Nanyi cursed with fierce confidence, “I came here out of kindness to tell you! If you keep dawdling, there won’t be time to leave.”

Ying Huai remained silent. This matter came too suddenly, and he couldn’t decide whether to trust this woman. The look he gave Nanyi was still suspicious as he said slowly, “This matter… we can’t just take Madam’s word for it. We need to investigate further.”

“Still investigate? By the time you figure it out, the Qi people will have already come to overturn your entire camp,” Nanyi became anxious. “Do you think because I’m a woman, my words aren’t trustworthy? The grain and supplies that Madam Gantang prepared for you during New Year—I was the one who arranged all of that! That day, someone almost followed us all the way here, and it was I who shot an arrow to warn you!”

Ying Huai was stunned. Everything she said was correct. Madam Gantang had also mentioned that she used the excuse of the Xie family hosting a spring banquet to have the Xie family’s eldest daughter-in-law procure the supplies. And indeed, on the day of the grain delivery, an arrow had been shot into the military camp. They went out to investigate and caught a group of suspicious scouts lurking about.

But a soldier’s vigilance made Ying Huai tense up once more.

“Qi spies might also know these things—how can you prove you come from the Xie family?”

Nanyi looked at Ying Huai with amusement: “If you don’t believe me, then kill me. Either way, you’ll all be joining me in death.”

She stood straight before Ying Huai, neither servile nor arrogant.

Her mindset had undergone a tremendous change during that long night of torment. She had already died once, so any extra time she lived was pure profit she had wrested from fate. Since she had already protected her principal, the profit could be thick or thin—either way, she had gained. Suddenly she became unafraid of death. Her attitude toward everything in the world could now be described as brazen, fearless, and devil-may-care.

After a long silence, with the mountain wind making the military banners flutter noisily, more and more soldiers gathered around.

Ying Huai was intimidated by the eyes of the woman before him. She was too certain, actually overwhelming him with her presence. Such eyes reminded him of that evening when they left Yucheng—Madam Gantang had stood before the troops just like this.

Women too possessed the power to move mountains.

Ying Huai understood he couldn’t afford to gamble. Between the risk of moving camp and the risk of exposure, it was obvious which was lighter and which heavier.

“Break camp.”

No regrets once the move was made—Ying Huai gave the decisive order.

Nanyi sighed with relief, her body relaxing.

“Do you have anything to eat?” She touched her stomach.

Ying Huai looked down at her, and some vivid, authentic expressions quietly leaped onto her face. She had a somewhat cunning yet very sincere face. This was clearly a contradictory temperament.

“Give her some dry rations,” Ying Huai instructed a nearby soldier.

“I also want hot soup,” Nanyi added.

Ying Huai was somewhat speechless. She really wasn’t being polite at all.

While waiting for the Yucheng Army to break camp, Nanyi squatted in a small corner, earnestly gnawing on flatbread.

She was truly too hungry.

The Yucheng Army was well-trained. Breaking camp took no more than two incense sticks’ worth of time, and everything was ready. The spies watching from around were also silently eliminated.

Nanyi was still holding that bowl of hot soup, gulping it down into her stomach. She set down the bowl with satisfaction, and when she looked up, she saw a mass of men standing before her.

Seeing her eat so single-mindedly, Ying Huai inevitably let down some of his guard.

“Madam, will you come with us?” After hesitating a moment, Ying Huai asked.

“Naturally,” Nanyi wiped the corners of her mouth. “I fell into being hunted by the Qi people because I came to deliver information to you. You must protect me.”

Nanyi had already made up her mind. For this period, she would follow the Yucheng Army to avoid the storm. Once things quieted down in Li Du Mansion and Xie Queshan believed she was thoroughly dead, she would make her next plans.

“We’re preparing to head north into the mountains, where the terrain is complex and suitable for hiding.”

“Then let’s hurry. Once the sun sets, the roads will be even harder to travel,” Nanyi stood up boldly and caught up with the troops.

Ying Huai was momentarily at a loss for words. He had originally intended to say that mountain roads were difficult to traverse and they could send someone to escort this madam back to Li Du Mansion, but she showed no delicate reluctance about the difficult journey. Instead, she seemed eager to try. Where was this like a young madam from a distinguished family? Had they been deceived?

In this soldier’s moment of hesitation, Nanyi realized she might have been too inattentive to her image. She hurriedly cleared her throat and said in a pinched voice, “Sir, please lead the way.”

At this moment, Nanyi had nowhere else to go. Following the Yucheng Army was actually the safest option. With a group of men around, even if there was danger, she wouldn’t bear the brunt of it. However, she harbored some unease in her heart. What if Xie Queshan hadn’t betrayed the Yucheng Army? Wouldn’t she have delivered false intelligence? Would she be torn to pieces by the Yucheng Army?

Just as they had walked a stretch of mountain road, scouts came to report that four columns of Qi troops were attacking in a pincer formation.

Nanyi didn’t know whether to be happy or cry. She was happy that her intelligence was correct, but dismayed that… they had come so quickly. Xie Queshan truly didn’t disappoint her expectations.

They wouldn’t engage in direct combat, would they?

“Prepare for battle.”

Ying Huai frowned. His words were always few, but short and resounding.

“Wait!” Nanyi suddenly thought of something and urgently pushed through the crowd to get in front of Ying Huai.

“I just remembered a place where we can temporarily hide. Don’t rush into battle. Let’s hide for a bit—what if we can escape?”

Ying Huai instinctively frowned—ridiculous! Soldiers fundamentally don’t hide; they always meet the enemy head-on. Just fight and be done with it.

Nanyi couldn’t be bothered to explain and walked straight ahead: “If you want to die for nothing, I won’t stop you. I don’t want to die yet. I’m leaving.”

Ying Huai: “…”

How could this woman be so audacious? Acting as if she were the army commander!

But thinking more calmly, a hard battle would inevitably result in heavy casualties. They had traveled thousands of miles from Yucheng to get here. To let the brothers die in vain, buried in the wilderness, would be foolish. Currently, they had no better choice—either directly face the four attacking columns of Qi troops, or trust this woman.

“Follow her.”

Ying Huai was somewhat gritting his teeth. If this woman dared deceive them, he would tear her to pieces.

Nanyi led the Yucheng Army through twists and turns in the mountains, bringing them to that hidden cave leading to the underground river channel.

It was where she had first met Pang Yu.

At this moment, Nanyi felt somewhat dazed. The scene of Pang Yu’s death was vivid before her eyes. Time had only moved forward by a month or so, yet Nanyi felt it was like a lifetime ago.

Fate was like an exquisitely crafted circle, with beginning and end echoing each other. She had no doubt that she was within fate’s game, but at this moment she was quite composed.

What damned fate—at worst, it can just kill me.

Nanyi strode into the cave. Through a narrow passage, they reached the suddenly spacious underground river channel, more than sufficient to accommodate a hundred people.

Ying Huai sent several men to set up traps and obstacles outside, ordering everyone to rest in place. Then he looked worriedly at Nanyi, who was sitting on the ground. How could she be so familiar with the mountain terrain?

Was this reasonable?

If there was an ambush here, they would truly be walking into a trap. But it was too late for regrets now. He could only choose to trust this woman.

Nanyi sat in a corner, chin propped on her hand, pondering. Hiding here wasn’t a long-term solution either… She remembered that when General Gusha was searching the mountains day and night for Prince Ling’an, he must have become familiar with the terrain. Finding this place was only a matter of time.

She wondered… whether Song Muchuan had received the token she sent.

Wanyan Jun thought this surprise attack was seamlessly executed and was in quite a good mood, waiting in the Bureau of Waterways for news of great victory. Unexpectedly, his men came back empty-handed.

The night before, the Yucheng Army had still been in their original position. He had only decided on the afternoon attack time, telling no one except his trusted generals, and had sealed off the waterways. He had kept the news tightly sealed—this should have been a matter of catching turtles in a jar. How could the Yucheng Army have such divine foresight, escaping before they struck?

Unless someone was interfering, passing information to help them.

Who exactly had such vast abilities?!

Wanyan Jun felt this was becoming troublesome. Not only was there the leak of information, but once a surprise strategy failed, it would alert the enemy and lead to deadlock.

He couldn’t deploy all soldiers to pursue the Yucheng Army in Hukui Mountain, as that would leave Li Du Mansion’s defenses hollow. So he could only grit his teeth and send people to search, sparing no cost to annihilate the Yucheng Army.

Though he didn’t show thunderous rage, Xu Kouyue had already sensed the sudden drop in atmospheric pressure around him.

She didn’t know what had happened, but anything that could make Wanyan Jun angry should be good news for her. It seemed Xie Queshan hadn’t deceived her—had Song Muchuan’s side taken some action?

At this time, Song Muchuan was calculating with a man dressed as a hunter before a terrain model of Hukui Mountain. The hunter was also a hidden agent of Bingzhu Division, extremely familiar with Hukui Mountain’s terrain. Previously, he had helped Prince Ling’an hide in the mountains.

Song Muchuan was planning to see if he could dispatch some personnel to use the terrain to help the Yucheng Army break through.

At this moment, the scouting agent returned, bringing news that the Yucheng Army had already fled. Song Muchuan was somewhat astonished.

Recent events all had good outcomes, but the processes far exceeded his control. He had no idea who was operating behind the scenes, or whether this person was friend or foe.

The agent added: “By the way, sir, we’ve discovered that the man who delivered the clothing to you is a boatman who travels between Hukui Mountain and Li Du Mansion. The clothes were brought from the mountains by him.”

Song Muchuan’s gaze fell on the clothing set aside. He shook out the cloak again and examined it carefully. This time, a strange feeling arose.

This garment… seemed to be conveying some message.

It was dirty all over, with burn marks on the hem. Judging by the length, it should be a woman’s robe. After looking at it repeatedly, he always felt the patterns and colors looked somewhat familiar.

—Finally he remembered. This seemed to be the outfit Nanyi wore before leaving. At the spring banquet and Lantern Festival, she had worn this same outfit. It was very beautiful, making her radiant. Even he, someone who never paid attention to women’s clothing, had unconsciously looked at it several times.

That’s right, it was this cloak.

His heart jumped in alarm. Was she hinting to him that she hadn’t left but was in Hukui Mountain? But why didn’t she return to the city to find him, instead sending back a robe?