The sound of flowing water murmured under the moonlight.

Dan Shuang had already finished washing and gone up. She had wanted to guard Tie Ci by the stream, but Tie Ci felt this wasn’t good and asked her to take advantage of everyone eating and their guard being down to briefly scout the terrain and layout here.

So Dan Shuang left.

Tie Ci also didn’t dare wash too comfortably, wearing a thin robe that reached her calves while bathing.

The local clothing, whether for coolness or some other reason, had no undergarments. The robes were loose and flowing, layered one upon another, using the interwoven fabric to cover vital areas. When walking, sturdy thighs would appear and disappear beneath the garments.

Naturally Tie Ci couldn’t dress like this—she wore pants underneath.

Suddenly footsteps sounded by the stream.

Tie Ci didn’t turn around, thinking Dan Shuang had returned. Just as she was about to ask how things were in Western Rong, she suddenly saw a reflection spread across the water surface.

Long and broad robes, a fierce mask, something at the waist swaying slightly.

Tie Ci didn’t move. The hand with the tattoo continued splashing water, but her other hand had already quietly reached underwater to her waist.

That figure stood motionless at the water’s edge, seemingly staring at her back.

Tie Ci felt her hair stand on end.

She was impersonating that Leopard Chief, and while her height was similar, her build and skin would be impossible to hide under close inspection, especially in such thin clothing in the water.

Had she been discovered?

With a splash, the person at the water’s edge entered the water.

Water sounds flowed as that person waded behind her.

Tie Ci still appeared completely oblivious as she continued bathing.

But in that person’s eyes behind her, the stream was like a lake, moonlight creating silhouettes. That person had level shoulders and a long neck, a smooth waist line, the slightly upturned curve of the nape making one think of a proud swan.

His heart stirred.

The hand on his waist blade slowly relaxed, his fingers slowly caressing that slender nape.

Every hair on Tie Ci’s body instantly stood up.

She suddenly stepped forward, water splashing with a crash. Her hand pierced back through the water curtain, already grasping the other person’s hand. Bending and shifting her shoulder, she threw hard.

With a splash, that person’s large body was actually thrown up by her, robes flying in mid-air as he sailed over her head.

In that instant cool wind hit her face, cold light flashed—that person reacted extremely quickly, actually drawing his blade while in mid-air.

Tie Ci instinctively tilted her head. The cold light swept past the corner of her chin with a hint of coolness, catching one corner of her mask.

She turned her body, twisted her head, and the mask fell back into place.

With a bang and splash, he was smashed into the water by her.

Tie Ci’s fingers followed, reaching for his throat.

This was something she’d unconsciously learned from Feiyu—he quite enjoyed strangling people’s necks, with vicious and efficient technique.

But at that moment, with a clang, something spun up into the air. Water droplets scattered in mid-air as it flew toward her temple.

Tie Ci looked up to see a blue eagle with spread wings soaring on that curved blade.

This familiar scabbard made her freeze, and her hand immediately slowed a beat. She dodged the scabbard and reached out to catch it for a closer look.

But the person smashed into the water thrust his waist up, bouncing straight out of the water and reaching out to embrace her shoulders, dragging her down to the bottom with a splash.

Tie Ci had already caught the scabbard and naturally used it to strike his head.

But he wouldn’t let go, holding Tie Ci as they rolled around underwater.

During their struggle water churned and the small stream was like a boiling pot.

The loose robes couldn’t withstand such treatment. Whether his or hers, gray and yellow thin hemp robes floated to the surface one by one, swaying with the fierce battle conditions.

That guy held onto Tie Ci and tried to remove her mask.

Tie Ci’s mask had been specially secured against wind and sand, so pulling only exposed her chin.

Tie Ci elbowed away that guy’s restless hand and also tried to remove his mask.

This time the guy turned his head away.

Water itself provided buoyancy, and during combat the masks were already unstable. For a moment Tie Ci pressed down on him, about to strike his ribs, when she suddenly saw his mask fall off.

Tie Ci was delighted and viciously turned his face around, only to see a big white face turn toward her—smiling eyes and cheerful expression, exactly like the lucky baby dolls popular in Da Qian.

Tie Ci was exasperated.

Feiyu had already grown tired of this trick!

She ruthlessly punched the guy in the ribs.

That guy curled up from her punch but still didn’t forget to fiercely kick toward her back.

Tie Ci was rather puzzled. She knew the force of her own punch—even holding back, a normal person should be writhing in pain. This guy could still counterattack; his resistance to blows was really strong.

She lunged forward to dodge that kick, but forgot she was still gripping the other person’s clothing. With this kick, there was a ripping sound and she had a piece of cloth in her hand.

The person behind her snorted angrily and swept with his leg. In the splashing water half a zhang high, Tie Ci saw a glimpse of sturdy thighs.

That guy’s outer robe seemed to have scattered in the water too…

Thinking again about the local ethnic clothing.

This was serious.

If they kept fighting it would truly become hand-to-hand combat.

Tie Ci immediately wanted to flee, but that person pounced again.

Without turning around, Tie Ci could imagine what that person looked like now.

With doubts in her heart, she was unwilling to kill, so she pushed away that thigh and scrambled toward shore.

When Feiyu arrived, this was the scene he witnessed.

Tie Ci was disheveled, with a man behind her even more disheveled—the two were frolicking in the water (?).

The seductive consort: “…”

I’m gone for just a moment and a demon takes advantage!

He broke off a bowl-thick tree beside him and hurled it like a javelin.

Wind whistled. That person had to dodge as the tree plowed a deep furrow across the water surface before crashing into the grove.

Very fierce indeed.

Water sounds splashed as that person came ashore. When Feiyu looked, it was even more offensive to the eyes.

His upper body had only cloth strips left, revealing a very attractive set of abs—seemed like two more than his own?

His lower body robes had scattered, and the person casually tucked the robe at his waist as he walked, exposing two long legs.

Turning to see Tie Ci seriously examining that guy up and down, Feiyu’s eyebrows shot up.

“How about it, very good-looking?”

Tie Ci unconsciously nodded, then shook her head.

She was comparing physiques—seemed a bit thin… Suddenly smelling the sour scent and killing intent in the air, she realized what was happening and grabbed Feiyu’s sleeve, saying quietly: “Don’t make trouble.”

Feiyu’s cold gaze turned toward that person.

That person stood on the shore, shook water off his body, and without looking at Tie Ci and the others, said: “Leopard Chief has returned?”

Tie Ci stared at him and made an ambiguous sound of agreement.

That person pointed southwest and said: “Come back to the tent with me.”

Tie Ci’s doubts deepened.

He hadn’t recognized her? She really resembled that Leopard Chief that much?

Impossible.

But if he had discovered the truth, how could things be so calm?

“What, after being out these days, you don’t even recognize your own tent?” that person laughed. “Go eat something, then come back and tell me about things over there. Let’s see what our next step should be. Our tents are next to each other, convenient.”

He finished speaking and turned to walk away, his curved blade swaying on his bottom.

Tie Ci stared at that blade.

It was very similar to Dan Ye’s, but subtly different, and older with many damaged areas.

She wasn’t sure if Western Rong royal curved blades all had similar styles.

Di Yiwei’s military intelligence had never mentioned Dan Ye, and she was concerned about his whereabouts.

Looking at that direction, approaching that person wasn’t a good idea, but without doing so, she couldn’t inquire about Dan Ye’s news.

So she followed that person.

Feiyu also followed.

Suddenly someone jumped down from a tree and blocked Feiyu: “Hey hey, that’s where the leaders live. Go back to your own place!”

Tie Ci turned back and made a gesture to Feiyu.

Feiyu had to stop.

He couldn’t disobey Ye Eighteen. He couldn’t ruin Ye Eighteen’s affairs.

Because rival lovers lurked nearby—he absolutely couldn’t let the little demon take advantage.

That person walked casually ahead, barefoot, leaving a trail of wet footprints.

Tie Ci walked around those small puddles, watching that person’s back.

No tattoos visible. About the same height as Dan Ye, but much thinner than Dan Ye.

The little Wolf Chief was wild, sweet, and sassy, walking with such big steps he almost split his… ahem.

This person walked leisurely and languidly, decadent and scattered, his curved blade clanging chaotically on his bottom, which was quite perky.

Realizing her focus had shifted, Tie Ci coughed.

The person ahead stopped, as if waiting for her.

When Tie Ci continued forward, he also moved forward, never turning back.

On a high slope stood two shabby cowhide tents in isolation. Tie Ci looked at the slightly smaller one—the mud where it was staked was still moist, as if it had just been pitched.

That person had already crawled into the larger tent nearby, so naturally this one belonged to the Leopard Chief.

Tie Ci crawled into the tent. Inside wasn’t luxurious, but everything was complete. She had just passed through the soldiers’ gathering area and hadn’t seen any tents at all. The soldiers she’d encountered were all dressed in tatters, obviously supplies were tight.

So this tent here was clearly a luxury configuration.

Was this Leopard Chief’s status really that high?

When they first entered the oasis, judging by those soldiers’ behavior, they hadn’t shown much respect.

She had just sat down when someone came to deliver food—on a wooden tray was a roll-shaped item with what looked like meat inside, a hard-as-rock bun, and a bowl of soup of indeterminate color.

Tie Ci didn’t mind rough food, but she feared things that didn’t look clean. The food on this tray made her somewhat unable to accept it. However, the young soldier holding the tray stared straight at the food, constantly swallowing.

Seeing his expression, Tie Ci casually took the meat roll—martial artists couldn’t go without meat—and had the soldier take the rest back.

That young soldier ran off delightedly.

Tie Ci bit into the roll. In her mouth she felt the meat was soft and fishy with a strong gamey smell. The texture made all her hair stand on end and she was about to vomit.

Having grown accustomed to Feiyu’s cooking, her resistance had decreased.

Suddenly the tent flap lifted and the neighbor walked in.

In that instant, Tie Ci forced herself to swallow what she was about to spit out.

Fortunately the mask hid her green complexion.

That guy wearing the lucky baby mask, holding a bun in one hand and a bowl of soup in the other, sat across from her. He broke the bun into pieces and soaked them in the soup, then added some dried black leaf-like things and pushed the bowl toward her.

He pointed at the meat roll in her hand, indicating she should continue.

Tie Ci had to take a big bite, not daring to chew, and swallowed forcefully. To avoid choking to death, she grabbed the bowl and drank deeply.

Prepared to suppress her urge to vomit, she unexpectedly found the soup was sour and spicy, effectively masking the fishy taste of the meat roll.

She ate normally, neither wolfing it down dramatically nor eating with difficulty in a way that would reveal her nature.

Lucky Baby stared at her intently throughout. Tie Ci felt his gaze was very strange.

A bit excited, a bit sad, a bit grimly determined.

After eating, he nodded: “How was it? Delicious?”

Tie Ci had already prepared her response. She didn’t need to imitate that Leopard Chief’s behavioral style since she didn’t know what it was. Since the other party believed she was the Leopard Chief, she might as well be herself.

She smiled, put her hands behind her head and lay back: “What do you think?”

Lucky Baby didn’t smile. He stared at her deeply, then also lay down beside her, asking casually: “It’s good that you’re used to it.”

Tie Ci found these words strange and turned to look at him. Lucky Baby was also turning his head—through the curved smile holes of the doll face, his gaze seemed deep and unfathomable.

Here Tie Ci had a tent, food, everything peaceful and harmonious.

Things were different for Feiyu and the others.

They followed the guiding soldier deep into the forest, where many thin shacks were set up in the open. People went in and out of the shacks constantly. Someone came and led them into different shacks.

Soon everyone was separated and housed in different shacks.

Before they separated, Rong Pu at the front suddenly made a gesture.

It was a secret signal from Di’s army: everyone be careful.

The guide arranged Rong Pu into a shack. In the foul-smelling shack, someone pointed to the innermost bed for him to sleep in.

Rong Pu said nothing and casually went out to stroll.

Row upon row of shacks hidden under trees extended in circles all the way to the oasis edge, with a completely unobstructed open space in the middle. Leaders’ tents were scattered on higher ground, while they were housed separately in the central shacks.

Separated, trapped, monitored.

Before he could see clearly, someone inside was already roughly calling for Rong Pu to enter.

Rong Pu walked into the dark interior. Several big men sat silently on their beds, all staring coldly at him, while some eyes showed interest and amusement.

Even wearing a mask and local clothing, the handsome man’s whole bearing was distinctly different from others.

These rough, lonely men who had no outlet besides combat didn’t know how to appreciate beauty, but with beast-like instinct, they sensed this person’s uniqueness.

Some gazes gradually became burning.

Some began chuckling lewdly, licking their lower lips.

One man slowly said in Western Rong: “Time to sleep.”

Rong Pu nodded and returned to his bed.

As he passed a big man, that person grabbed his sleeve. Rong Pu’s body swayed and he fell against the man, quickly steadying himself and apologizing.

That big man chuckled quietly: “No need for such fussing. As long as you sleep with me…”

Before he could finish, someone sharply shouted him down.

That big man twisted his lips and lay down sullenly. Rong Pu acted as if he hadn’t heard and lay down on his own bed.

Wind swept across the vast desert, playing long notes like whistles, like falling stars.

Rustling sounds continued—sand migrating alone in the air, gradually turning to sharper, harder sounds, pattering against those leaves.

Cold air attacked. The winter desert had a deathly coldness.

Rong Pu lay motionless on his bed, sleeping.

Several dark figures silently sat up, got off their beds, and approached his bed.

Several people stood before Rong Pu’s bed. The leader raised his palm, signaling to act.

But one person suddenly grabbed his hand and made a rather obscene gesture.

The leader hesitated, then nodded.

Several hands were about to reach out.

Suddenly a moan pierced the night’s silence and darkness.

Everyone turned to see the person sleeping on the bed by the door struggling and twisting, moaning continuously.

The soldiers went to look and saw that person’s forehead was burning hot—obviously feverish and unconscious, unresponsive to calls or pressure point stimulation.

The leader was puzzled. A perfectly healthy young man—how had he suddenly fallen ill?

Suddenly he thought of something and looked toward the still-sleeping Rong Pu.

Earlier, hadn’t Suli pulled this person’s sleeve?

Not knowing what he was looking at, the others unconsciously followed his gaze toward Rong Pu.

Under everyone’s stares, Rong Pu calmly opened his eyes, got up, parted the crowd, and walked to the burning person.

He said calmly: “I can save his life.”

The surrounding people tensed as they watched him.

“I can also kill him.”

“I can also make it so that you people can die at any time without anyone noticing.”

The breathing around him gradually became heavy, and the oppressive gazes gradually turned away.

“If you want to live, withdraw your hands and shut your mouths.” Rong Pu smiled as he inserted a needle into the feverish person’s acupoint. “Just listen to me.”

……

The Da Wu and Xiao Wu brothers sat on their beds, one with eyes closed, one sniffing.

One said: “There’s killing intent.”

One said: “Not afraid.”

By midnight, those who had received orders to act quietly got up only to find that pair of brothers had disappeared.

……

Tian Wu and Yang Yixiu were housed in a shack together.

As soon as Yang Yixiu entered, he pulled out a bundle containing dried meat, fruits and other items, saying he’d found them in the village and wanted to treat everyone to snacks.

Tian Wu was very surprised he still had food and instinctively reached for it, but Yang Yixiu stepped on his foot without changing expression.

With food scarce here, seeing these decent provisions, how could anyone resist? They devoured everything like wolves, almost fighting over it.

Before long, people were lying sprawled all over the floor.

Yang Yixiu found rope and tied them up one by one, working up a sweat.

Tian Wu helped while curiously asking: “What’s going on? Why knock out perfectly good people? Are we escaping?”

Yang Yixiu’s hands didn’t stop: “These bastards separated us and placed us among them—their plan is to isolate and defeat us. Should I let them succeed? As for the next step, we’ll see what the Crown Princess decides.”

“By the way, where did you get those snacks?”

“Borrowed from Feiyu.”

“How did that miser agree to lend them?”

“I told him that Ye Eighteen and I are both from the capital, familiar with capital customs. Ye Eighteen’s family is difficult to deal with, so if he wants to marry Ye Eighteen and runs into trouble in the future, I can help.”

“…Sounds like you’re selling out your master?”

“What are you saying? Better to tear down ten temples than ruin one marriage, understand?”

“But didn’t you help Rong Pu sabotage them before…”

“That’s called drawing your sword to help when you see injustice, understand?”

“Don’t understand.”

……

The room was a mess with several broken bed boards and wood splinters everywhere.

Qi Yuansi sat on his bed panting.

He hadn’t dared close his eyes.

Nor had he let these Western Rong bastards get near him.

There was also a pile of people on the floor. One Western Rong soldier tried to crawl up and go out, but Qi Yuansi hurled a piece of wood he’d been using as a pillow—bang—and the door slammed shut.

Staring at his defeated opponents still trying to get up, he spat out bloody saliva.

Still want to divide and conquer?

Perfect—sending some sandbags for me to punch!

……

As soon as Dan Shuang entered, she closed the door, dragged over a tree stump stool, and sat against the door.

One person blocking a whole room of men.

She laid her blade across her knees and surveyed the confused big men around her.

“Who’s first?”

……

Lieutenant Yu held a blade, took a soldier hostage, and faced off against a room full of soldiers.

He knew something was wrong and they had ill intentions. He hadn’t dared sleep after entering, and when someone moved against him, he leaped up and got to the door with a hostage.

But he hadn’t killed.

First, the situation was unclear. Second, even killing this room full of people wouldn’t help—there were thousands of troops outside and no escape.

All he could do now was preserve his own life and wait for everyone to decide together.

He had also given signals to his subordinates earlier, so everyone should be prepared.

But what the next step should be would depend on Ye Ci’s side.

The people across from him suddenly made a gesture and said in a relaxed voice: “Brother, we actually have no ill will toward you. We just want to make a deal with you.”

……

In the night, similar events were happening in every shack housing squad members.

Some captors became captives, some attackers were attacked, and mostly there were standoffs between both sides.

When the Western Rong side discovered that these Da Qian soldiers were far more elite than imagined, making their plan to capture and force defections impossible, the Western Rong began a round of negotiations.

Only Tie Ci’s side remained calm.

Two people lay side by side on beds, both motionless, as if deeply asleep.

That guy wearing the lucky baby mask was even making soft snoring sounds.

Tie Ci turned her head in surprise—she could tell this was genuine snoring.

This guy had actually fallen asleep beside her?

Did he truly believe she was the Leopard Chief, or was he just naturally bold?

Since he was asleep, she wouldn’t be polite.

She reached out to remove his mask.