Outside the county town, by the time Bai Hua arrived with his men, the place was already a sea of flames. The townspeople were pouring out of the city, desperate not to be swallowed by the fire.

Fortunately, the fire had started where no residences stood — it was an area specifically cleared out for storing provisions.

But such a vast supply yard, once ablaze, sent columns of fire soaring into the sky.

“Just as I thought!”

Bai Hua’s expression was dark as he cursed under his breath. “That old scoundrel Zhuge Jingzhan!”

He had rushed from Lingshan County to stop Zhuge Jingzhan from burning the provisions, but he had arrived a step too late.

Of course he was a step too late — because the exact moment he was informed and the moment he could arrive had both been calculated into Cao Lie’s plan from the very beginning.

In ordinary times, Young Lord Cao was not one for scheming against others. Back when he was Yuzhou City’s foremost wastrel, there was no need for scheming — when you could simply crush anyone who stood in your path, why bother with schemes?

And in Yuzhou City, who was there that he could not simply crush?

But this time was different. This time, he had needed to plan everything precisely in order to bring Yu Jiuling and the others back alive.

Why did it have to be at Xinghua Tower that Yu Jiuling got drunk?

Because Xinghua Tower mattered. Xinghua Tower had a role to play.

Bai Hua turned to survey the scene around him. Several men had been seized and were being held nearby — members of Zhuge Jingzhan’s force who hadn’t managed to escape before Bai Hua’s men arrived. They stared at him with expressions of sheer terror, faces drained of all color.

Bai Hua had come in haste, and he had gone first to Lingshan County with Gao Qingsheng, which meant he hadn’t brought many men with him.

So he had come to this side with Sun Chong’s men, while also sending someone back to inform Xun Youjiu and requesting that Xun Youjiu immediately dispatch reinforcements.

Sun Chong was a garrison commander — he had only a few hundred men under him, and Bai Hua had taken most of them away from Lingshan County town…

The emergency had come suddenly, and for Tianming Army reinforcements from the main camp to reach Lingshan County required a march of thirty to forty li — and then another thirty to forty li back, since the messenger alone had to run that distance.

So why would Yu Jiuling be afraid of anything?

Cao Lie had told Yu Jiuling: you will not come to any harm, because they must keep you alive as a witness to bring before Tianming King Yang Xuanji — you are a genuine, living piece of evidence.

So Yu Jiuling had nothing whatsoever to fear.

He feigned drunken unconsciousness. After being securely bound and placed under guard, the captors — worried he might be intercepted and snatched away in transit — kept him at the very place he had been seized: Xinghua Tower.

Sun Chong had redirected all his remaining men here, driven every patron out of the establishment, and herded the young women off to the back courtyard under lock and key.

Inside and out, Sun Chong’s men held every position. He was acutely aware of just how valuable these two captives were.

If he lost them, Bai Hua would not forgive him. Xun Youjiu would not forgive him. And the Tianming King himself would certainly not forgive him.

Inside the room, Yu Jiuling had been trussed up so tightly he was lying flat on the floor — and yet he had somehow fallen asleep and was snoring. Poor Gao Qingsheng was bound just as firmly and left sprawled on the floor as well, but unlike Yu Jiuling, he was not without a conscience. How could he possibly sleep?

Gao Qingsheng’s mind was in complete chaos, turning over every possibility of escape — none of which were remotely feasible.

Then he felt someone nudge him. Bound up like a caterpillar as he was, he could barely wriggle, but he managed to twist himself around just enough, and found Yu Jiuling bumping him with his shoulder. Those eyes were gleaming with an excitement that bore absolutely no resemblance to someone who had drunk himself senseless.

“Want one?”

Yu Jiuling whispered to Gao Qingsheng.

Gao Qingsheng was taken aback. “Want what?”

Yu Jiuling pulled his hand free from the ropes, reached into his chest, and produced a small hard candy on a stick — a personal treasure, this, made by Prince Ning and his elder brother with their own hands. Yu Jiuling never went anywhere without a few in his pocket.

He popped the candy into his own mouth, his cheek immediately puffing out on one side.

Then he slipped his hand back into the ropes.

Gao Qingsheng: “You were faking?!”

Yu Jiuling said, sucking on his candy, “Obviously I was faking — you didn’t actually think I got drunk and started babbling, did you? Wait — don’t shout yet. Do you know who I really work for?”

Gao Qingsheng froze.

Yu Jiuling sighed. “You’re still completely in the dark even now. What a pitiful state to be in. I’ll tell you the truth — I work for Xun Youjiu. I was deliberately framing your precious Master Zhuge.”

Gao Qingsheng’s fury erupted. “You scoundrel!”

“Shh — I told you not to shout. If you bring people running in here, do you think they’re going to beat me or beat you?”

He slipped his hand free of the ropes again, reached over, and straightened Gao Qingsheng’s collar. Gao Qingsheng glared at him with eyes practically bulging from his head.

Then he realized that the scoundrel was not actually fixing his collar at all.

Yu Jiuling’s hand slipped inside his clothing and rummaged around thoroughly, eventually fishing out his coin pouch, which he tucked into his own chest — then dutifully inserted his hand back into the ropes.

Any binding that could actually restrain Yu Jiuling would make Yu Jiuling consider himself an unforgivable failure.

He had a small blade hidden up his sleeve. He had already cut through the ropes some time ago — they were just draped over him, still looking the part.

“I’m leaving in a moment, just so you know.”

Yu Jiuling said to Gao Qingsheng, “Let me walk you through how this will go. In a moment, a figure in black will come in — masked — and take me out. But not you, because I work for Xun Youjiu and you don’t. After I’m taken, they’ll say it was Prince Ning Li Chi’s people who rescued me.”

Gao Qingsheng’s eyes were as wide as lanterns.

As wide as glutinous rice balls — the kind stuffed whole with a shelled egg.

Yu Jiuling had barely finished speaking when, light as a feather, a black-clad figure dropped down from the ceiling. He glanced at Yu Jiuling. “Do you need me to carry you out?”

Yu Jiuling rose to his feet, shaking off the ropes that fell away. He thought about it — it seemed wasteful to leave them — so he cut off a length of rope, folded it over several times, and stuffed it into Gao Qingsheng’s mouth. The remainder he bound around Gao Qingsheng himself.

Yu Jiuling crouched by Gao Qingsheng’s ear with a grin. “Once we’re gone, we’re heading straight back to camp. If your luck holds, you might spot me in the crowd watching your execution.”

With that, he and the figure in black slipped out through the back window one after the other.

Gao Qingsheng had a gag in his mouth and twice as much rope on his body. He had never in his life encountered someone as shameless as Yu Jiuling.

Not long after, the sounds of fighting and shouting erupted outside. Gao Qingsheng thought: these people are still putting on a show.

Before long the noise died away — clearly those two had already escaped. And if both of them worked for Xun Youjiu, escaping would naturally be easy enough.

Shortly thereafter, men came rushing in to check, found Gao Qingsheng still present, and immediately called out to those outside.

Soon enough, Sun Chong came striding in with a blade in hand, his expression fierce with anger.

“Keep a close watch on him — there can be no more mishaps!”

Sun Chong berated his men for a moment, then turned and went back out. His elaborate performance only enraged Gao Qingsheng further. This man was still putting on such a convincing act.

He had by now firmly concluded that all of this was Xun Youjiu’s scheme — a scheme designed purely to destroy Master Zhuge.

Lying there, he had no choice but to sink into despair. There would be no miracle.

There are not so many coincidences in this world. Many things that appear coincidental to the point of incredibility are, in truth, arrangements made by exceptionally sharp minds.

For instance — Bai Hua had taken three hundred or so men to intercept Zhuge Jingzhan at the neighboring county, while Zhuge Jingzhan was at that very moment returning along the road from Lingshan County.

The two had taken different roads and missed each other entirely. This was because someone had deliberately steered them onto routes that would never cross: the men who went ahead to set the fire had been dispatched by Cao Lie, and the escape route back to Lingshan County had also been deliberately designed.

The men luring Zhuge Jingzhan had been chased by his force — but the route they used was not the most direct or fastest path. Amid the pursuit, Zhuge Jingzhan’s men had not noticed anything unusual about the route at all.

And Bai Hua, leading his men at speed, had naturally taken the most direct, fastest route. The two groups traveled completely different roads — the distance between them was not actually that great, yet neither could see the other.

Bai Hua’s men interrogated the captives from Zhuge Jingzhan’s group and learned that Zhuge Jingzhan had led his men in an urgent march back toward the main camp.

So Bai Hua immediately led his men back toward the main camp as well — and then, in what appeared to be yet another remarkable coincidence, ran directly into Zhuge Jingzhan’s column coming the other way.

The two forces met face-to-face on the main road. Bai Hua, already seething with frustration, the moment he laid eyes on Zhuge Jingzhan, his fury ignited instantly.

“Zhuge Jingzhan! You traitorous wretch — you dare to conspire with the spy sent by Prince Ning?! I am taking you back right now. Let’s see what you have to say for yourself before the lord commander!”

Zhuge Jingzhan was just about to respond when he heard someone calling out urgently behind him. His men turned to look, and another rider came galloping toward them at breakneck speed, looking extraordinarily frantic.

When the rider drew close enough, they could see clearly — his clothing was torn and battered, his face streaked with black and white grime, his body smeared with blood. He had clearly just come through a fierce fight.

And this person was none other than Gao Qingsheng.

Gao Qingsheng spurred his horse into the column, and when he saw Zhuge Jingzhan, he called out in a hoarse voice: “Sir! Something terrible has happened!”

Zhuge Jingzhan looked at him, then glanced back at Bai Hua blocking the road ahead.

“What are you doing here?”

Zhuge Jingzhan studied Gao Qingsheng with wariness.

The moment Gao Qingsheng saw Bai Hua, his eyes went rigid — as though an inexhaustible fury had ignited in an instant.

He raised his hand and pointed at Bai Hua. “It was this man — he lured this subordinate out of the main camp under false pretenses, drew him into Lingshan County with claims that one of your fellow townspeople was there, sir — but it was all Xun Youjiu’s scheme! He sent men disguised as Prince Ning Li Chi’s spies, claiming you had already conspired with them long ago. Xun Youjiu wants to frame you, sir!”

He was speaking somewhat frantically, but Zhuge Jingzhan understood.

Bai Hua shouted furiously, “Gao Qingsheng! You dare tell lies?! There is a living witness to Zhuge Jingzhan’s collusion with Prince Ning — that spy has already been captured and is being held right here in Lingshan County. You still dare to deny it?!”

Gao Qingsheng immediately shot back, “That’s right — that fake spy is being held at Xinghua Tower. But that man is one of Xun Youjiu’s people, put there to impersonate a spy. They conspired together to first have you arrested, sir, and use this as a pretext to have you imprisoned!”

Zhuge Jingzhan’s eyes narrowed slightly. “How do you know that the man impersonating a Prince Ning spy is one of Xun Youjiu’s people?”

Gao Qingsheng said, “The man said so himself. When I had been captured, he thought their scheme had succeeded, and let his guard down — not knowing I had a short blade hidden on me. I cut through my ropes while they weren’t paying attention and escaped. I rode as fast as I could to warn you, sir — they mean to destroy you!”

Zhuge Jingzhan had the advantage in numbers — his force was six or seven hundred strong, while Bai Hua’s side had fewer than three hundred.

So Zhuge Jingzhan considered for a moment, then suddenly wheeled his horse. “Yin Yong — take your men and cut them down. Remember, capture Bai Hua alive!”

With that, Zhuge Jingzhan led his force charging in the direction of Lingshan County. Since the man impersonating a Prince Ning soldier was reportedly still in Xinghua Tower, and the enemy had not yet had time to react, he would strike while they were unprepared.

Once that man was seized and questioned about Xun Youjiu’s full plan, with such a witness in hand, he would like to see how Yang Xuanji — standing before the hundreds of thousands of soldiers in the main camp — could shield Xun Youjiu!

He had intended to flee, but now it was clear that Xun Youjiu’s plan had been thorough. Fleeing would likely prove impossible in any case.

To be hunted down all the way, these few hundred men of his had no hope of escaping, and who knew where along the road Xun Youjiu might have ambushes waiting. If caught like that, he’d be dragged back with no chance of defense.

Better to seize the evidence and return on his own terms — to face the assembled soldiers at the main camp and let Yang Xuanji see for himself who the one deserving death truly was!

If he won, Xun Youjiu would be dealt with, and Yang Xuanji would at least not dare to move against him openly for the time being — otherwise, the generals and advisors under Yang Xuanji’s banner would all feel a chill in their hearts.

He looked at Gao Qingsheng. “Come back with me.”

Gao Qingsheng immediately replied, “Your subordinate obeys!”

—