“There are many of them. I’ll follow them, you go back and report.”

“No!” Xi Lin Yuqiao raised her eyebrows slightly, stubbornly saying, “I’ll follow, you go report.”

Qing Xia frowned tightly, thinking that if she went back, this stubborn young lady might get killed the moment she showed her face. Since she’d already sent someone to notify the Imperial Guards, there was no need to go back again. Sighing, she said, “Fine, let’s both follow and see what’s happening first.”

Seeing that Qing Xia was no longer driving her away, Xi Lin Yuqiao was delighted. After running this distance with Qing Xia, though she didn’t say it aloud, she already greatly admired this woman who had repeatedly gotten the better of her. She looked to be less than twenty years old, not much older than herself, yet her experience in the martial world, martial arts skills, and tracking abilities were all far superior to her own. Seeing her stay with her, she felt relieved, and this naturally showed on her face as a hint of a smile.

Seeing this, Qing Xia couldn’t help but be stunned. This girl, when actually interacting with her, wasn’t as annoying as she’d imagined.

“Let’s go! Follow them.” Qing Xia waved her hand. The two abandoned their horses and proceeded on foot, quickly running forward.

For some reason, though this place wasn’t very far from the northern camp, the enemy, having just looted the Southern Chu camp, had relaxed their vigilance and slowed their pace on the wasteland. Qing Xia was puzzled. Did the enemy have some hidden strength that hadn’t yet surfaced?

While pondering this, suddenly a war horse’s long whinny rang out sharply. Qing Xia was startled, alarms screaming in her mind. She grabbed Xi Lin Yuqiao and they dropped flat, rolling sideways. They had just rolled under a dirt slope when enemy hoofbeats sounded overhead. If they’d been a step later, they would have been discovered.

Hearing this, Xi Lin Yuqiao couldn’t help but feel nervous. She had just boasted about killing that witch Zhu Lan, but she was, after all, a girl not yet eighteen. Facing so many bloodthirsty soldiers now, how could she not be nervous? In her shock, she instinctively reached out and tightly grasped Qing Xia’s sleeve. After doing so, she realized it was inappropriate and looked embarrassedly at Qing Xia’s eyes, feeling somewhat awkward.

Seeing the girl’s panicked state, Qing Xia involuntarily remembered her own fear during her first mission. She reached out and firmly gripped Xi Lin Yuqiao’s shoulder, slowly nodding like making a promise, comforting this girl who had always opposed her.

Xi Lin Yuqiao immediately felt reassured. She pressed her lips together, thought for a moment, and finally smiled sincerely at Qing Xia, her white teeth glowing with holy radiance in the moonlight.

Seeing this, Qing Xia also smiled from the heart. These two girls who had always been enemies and rivals had, in such desperate circumstances, let bygones be bygones and become allies fighting side by side.

Thunderous hoofbeats rang out. Qing Xia listened intently, hearing the hoofbeats coming from all directions toward their position. After a while, they stopped above, and a deep voice spoke, asking in a low tone, “Are they all taken care of?”

“Rest assured, sir,” another voice replied, “everything has been handled cleanly. Not one left.”

Hearing this, Qing Xia’s heart sank. Whose forces were these exactly? Were they really Qin Zhiyan’s Qin army? If they were Qin forces, why weren’t they fleeing north after success, but instead returning the way they came? Was it to support soldiers behind them? Or did they have other conspiracies? Did their words about leaving “not one” include Chu Li?

“Where is Lady Zhu Lan?”

“Behind us.”

“Very good,” the deep voice said, “Take three hundred men and escort her on the road. Hand her over to the Li Academy family head and the mission will be complete. Be careful and cautious along the way. After success, His Majesty will reward you handsomely.”

Qing Xia and Xi Lin Yuqiao exchanged glances, both seeing confusion in the other’s eyes. His Majesty—which country’s emperor? Eastern Qi, Xichuan, or Northern Qin? Wasn’t the Li Academy family head that sickly Li Zihou? Had he secretly communicated with a foreign country and conspired with one of the other three nations to come rescue Lady Zhu Lan?

“Yes, sir.” A voice hard as iron responded, calling to the soldiers behind him. Several men mounted war horses and rode away with a whoosh.

The officer pondered for a long while, then said to the others, “Dismount, return to camp!”

There were indeed traitors in Chu camp. Just hearing these people say “return to camp” instead of “flee” made this clear. The troops gradually dispersed. Those escorting Lady Zhu Lan away were mounted on war horses. Since Qing Xia and her companion had abandoned their horses, they couldn’t possibly catch up. The only plan now was to see these people’s true faces clearly so they could report back to camp. Qing Xia turned her head and made a killing gesture to Xi Lin Yuqiao, then carefully stood up.

In the night, all was silent. The cold moon on the horizon cast deathly radiance, illuminating the twenty-odd personal guards below who had no idea that danger was approaching step by step.

Qing Xia and Xi Lin Yuqiao circled around from behind. Both moved agilely like cats, crouching low, catching up in a few bounds.

The people ahead still proceeded unknowingly in the darkness, completely unaware that death was following right behind them.

These people were clearly professionally trained soldiers, their footsteps steady when landing. But how could they match Qing Xia, who had received professional assassination training? Gesturing to Xi Lin Yuqiao, she moved forward first.

Like a ghost, she hung behind the last soldier. Qing Xia suddenly reached out and patted the last soldier’s shoulder.

The man thought someone was behind him and turned around carelessly. But suddenly looking up to see Qing Xia’s pale face, his pupils dilated instantly. Before he could cry out, Qing Xia struck. With a slight sound of bone and flesh crushing, the man’s neck instantly twisted to a strange angle backward, his pupils bloodshot, all life gone.

Gently placing the man’s corpse on the ground, Qing Xia took the dagger from his hand, smiled slightly at Xi Lin Yuqiao behind her while beckoning, then turned and easily moved forward.

Xi Lin Yuqiao stared somewhat dumbfounded at how effortlessly Qing Xia had killed someone. Not to mention how skilled her methods were, just her composed attitude after killing showed enough to make her tremble with fear.

Moving nimbly behind the person now walking last, silent as a shadow, almost pressed against that person’s back, yet the person ahead noticed nothing.

A night owl’s cry suddenly rang out, its piercing shriek echoing through the deep night.

Opportunity doesn’t come twice. Qing Xia slowly extended her dagger to the man’s neck. Without any awareness on his part, the blade flashed cold and a life was ended. The big man’s corpse fell to the ground with a thud, alarming two men walking ahead. Qing Xia quickly pounced forward, her right-hand dagger stabbing out fiercely while her left hand formed claws. Using both hands together, she opened several bloody holes in both men’s throats. Qing Xia nimbly caught both corpses and silently laid them down.

Using the same method, she dispatched six more people. Everything proceeded silently and secretly. Ten men in the rear had lost their lives, yet those walking ahead still had no awareness whatsoever. Qing Xia looked back at the corpses scattered across the wilderness. The weather was extremely cold. Qing Xia breathed on her knife-holding hand, beckoned to Xi Lin Yuqiao, half-closed her eyes as a cold gleam flashed across them, and nodded slightly. Seeing Xi Lin Yuqiao understood, she straightened up and strode forward.

“Hey! What are you people ahead doing?”

Shouting in a rough voice, she immediately crouched down and did a forward roll, tumbling to one person’s side.

The people ahead were indeed shocked by the sound, immediately crouching to hide, their eyes darting around, but seeing no human figures.

“Sir!” one of them called out wastefully, “There’s an ambush!”

The man looked around in panic, not knowing that death was right behind him. Qing Xia suddenly blew hot breath on his neck. This was no small matter—the man immediately cried out loudly. Qing Xia was waiting for exactly this moment. With a swing of her blade, a line of blood spurted out as the man’s body stiffened and he expired instantly.

The officer clearly heard the cry and called out calmly, “Pingcheng, what’s happening?”

The night was thick and pitch black. Cold wind blew all around. The officer’s voice echoed emptily back and forth in the air. But naturally, no one answered him. Sensing something, the officer couldn’t help but grip his dagger tighter, swallowed, and said steadily, “Everyone, form up!”

The remaining forty-odd men formed ranks in unison, cautiously drawing their long blades and aiming toward where the man called Pingcheng had died. But before they could stand steady, a long spear suddenly appeared behind them. Swoosh, swoosh, swoosh—three lines of blood shot skyward and three lives were ended.

Everyone was shocked and hurriedly turned around, but where could they see any trace of Xi Lin Yuqiao’s figure?

The darkness was deathly silent. Everyone’s breathing gradually grew heavy. Qing Xia and Xi Lin Yuqiao hid in the night, holding their breath and carefully lying in wait for an opportunity to deliver a fatal blow to the enemy.

“Who’s there! If you’re a man, come out!” the enemy leader shouted loudly. His voice was still fairly steady, but there was already a trace of panic in his tone.

This was exactly what they were waiting for. Qing Xia gripped five throwing knives. The moment his words fell, with a whoosh she threw them toward where the voice came from. Immediately screams rang out—three men died and two were wounded. Before the enemy corpses even fell, Qing Xia rolled toward nearby grass. As soon as she moved, the spot where she’d been lying was indeed filled with a rain of arrows.

Taking advantage of the enemy’s panic as they ran toward Qing Xia’s direction, Xi Lin Yuqiao suddenly thrust her spear forward, piercing through one guard’s neck from behind. Having succeeded with one strike, she immediately leaped up and hid in the grass that was taller than a person.

The enemy forces were furious. Nearly twenty of their men had been eliminated without even seeing their opponents’ shadows. But at this moment, they felt as if they were surrounded by thousands of troops. Trembling slightly, they stood in place, carefully waiting for an opportunity.