The small opening in the iron carriage snapped shut with a click after the old man finished speaking. In the complete darkness and silence, Qin Chang Ge suddenly lay down flat.

She pressed her ear to the ground, carefully listening to the vibrations of the wheels, sensing that the surface was initially smooth but then gradually became bumpy. The bumpiness had a regular pattern, constantly jolting one bump after another, like the feeling of walking on uneven pebblestone paving.

In Yingdu, only the narrow alleys leading to the southern part of the city had such pebblestone roads.

Ning’an Gate in the south of the city was the most remote and lowest-status gate among the nine gates. All the city’s waste buckets, filth carts, and coffins entered and exited through this gate. Not far beyond the city gate lay the mass burial grounds, so ordinary citizens rarely went to this gate.

In comparison, Ning’an Gate also had the weakest military garrison and guard presence among all the gates.

But from now on, that might not necessarily be the case.

Qin Chang Ge revealed a slight cold smile—Feihuan would quickly discover her disappearance, and Xiao Jue would immediately seal the nine gates. Want to get out? Not a chance. Once they started searching the city, given Xiao Jue’s character, he would probably dig three feet under every inch of ground in the city and flip over every stone to see if anyone was hiding underneath. When that time came, where could they hide?

The carriage’s movement gradually slowed, evidently reaching an area with dense foot traffic.

Then it suddenly stopped.

After listening for about a quarter-hour, it suddenly began turning around.

Presumably the city gate inspection was strict, and the other party discovered there was absolutely no possibility of leaving the city, so they had no choice but to turn back.

Qin Chang Ge immediately took off her shoes, extracted a thin iron dagger from the heel, and began tapping on the iron walls with ting-ting-ting sounds.

The sound was sharp, like the ringing of bells and chimes, carrying far into the distance.

Her true power remained intact. The other party, wary of her methods, had never dared approach closely, so naturally they also didn’t dare search her body. And Qin Chang Ge was the type of person who, even if she wore only a bikini, would definitely find places to conceal those unpredictable weapons of hers.

The tremendous clanging of metal striking metal echoed from the carriage—surely this would attract the gate guards to come investigate?

Qin Chang Ge laughed mockingly—small countries were just small countries, and they had devoted their main energy to clever tricks and strange techniques. With limited capable people, being able to trap her for this long was already exhausting their methods and quite remarkable.

Sure enough, the carriage suddenly began accelerating, bumping and jolting as it tried to escape, while she knocked even more vigorously.

Apparently there were pursuers behind them, so the carriage raced desperately fast. It was truly remarkable that this internally reinforced thick-iron carriage could achieve such astonishing speed—there must be some mechanical propulsion device. As Qin Chang Ge swayed back and forth, she admired: Zhongchuan’s technological level was indeed ahead of the overall level of the Central Plains continent. When she eventually gathered it into her own pocket, she would definitely make good use of it.

She felt the carriage seemed to be heading toward remote and open areas, going faster and faster. Suddenly it struck something unknown with a loud bang, causing the carriage body to shake violently. Qin Chang Ge finally slid around inside the four-walled iron carriage with a whoosh, quickly reaching out to grip an iron bar tightly.

After the shaking, the carriage body swayed for a long time, nearly toppling over several times. Qin Chang Ge half-knelt inside the carriage, circulating her true qi throughout her body, preparing to rush out the moment the carriage door opened.

But after a period of chaotic swaying, the carriage was suddenly pulled down as if by tremendous force, landing steadily in an instant. Then the carriage continued forward, even faster and more stable than before, turning left and right, maneuvering the massive iron carriage as if it were a horse beneath one’s legs—flexible, nimble, and swift as drifting wind.

Qin Chang Ge frowned and slowly sat down cross-legged… It seemed like they had changed drivers?

The carriage traveled farther and faster. The initial panic and confusion had completely disappeared—presumably, they had shaken off their pursuers.

Seeing that the situation had changed and immediate escape was hopeless, Qin Chang Ge simply lay down to sleep—she needed to maintain her energy, since who knew what she would see when the carriage finally opened?

Soon she heard a click as the small window that had been lit earlier was suddenly opened, letting in a ray of bright daylight.

A pair of eyes suddenly appeared in the small window.

These were not the narrow, fox-like slits of Wan Cui’s “father” from before. These eyes had extremely beautiful curves, with pupils that weren’t pure black but faintly tinged with brown tea-colored glass-like luminous hues. Yet they held restrained brilliance with extraordinary divine light. When looking at someone, they shone with golden radiance, as if all the splendor of heaven and earth were concentrated in the depths of his pupils.

The pair of eyebrows were both neat and soaring, like immortal disciples casually wielding brushes above the clouds, painting these hundred thousand li of lush green mountains and rivers in a single stroke.

This pair of outstanding eyes gazed unblinkingly at Qin Chang Ge, carrying a somewhat casual smile.

Qin Chang Ge lay lazily on the ground, arms pillowed behind her head, legs crossed and swinging as she hummed a little tune. Seeing him look over, she smiled and waved, saying, “Could you give me a blanket? It’s too hard.”

The smile in those eyes deepened, then they disappeared from the window. She faintly heard clicking sounds as some mechanism was triggered somewhere, and the iron plate above her head slowly opened.

Above the iron plate, someone laughed and said, “There’s no blanket, but would my clothes work?”

Qin Chang Ge looked up. Above her head lounged a man in a pale aqua-colored robe, with wide sleeves and flowing garments worn with the carefree elegance of a woodland scholar. He casually toyed with a purple flute, from which hung dark jade silk tassels that swayed gently at his elbow. Under the sky full of rosy clouds, his slightly tilted head as he looked down created a pose so stunning it took one’s breath away, like encountering an oncoming wind that seemed gentle but carried infinite fierce force.

Qin Chang Ge felt that if she weren’t already well-versed in the beauty of men throughout the world, with handsome, elegant, graceful, enchanting, and carefree types all around her—having developed some immunity—but were instead a young maiden just beginning to think of romance, she would definitely have fainted from excitement and joy at his casual glance just now.

However, now she had to faint whether she wanted to or not.

After the man’s glance gave her a breathtaking silhouette, and with his casual stance blocked all her escape routes, the purple shadow in his palm shot through the air, striking three of her major acupoints in succession.

Qin Chang Ge smiled bitterly, then resigned herself—well, compared to that Zhongchuan old man, falling into the hands of such an outstanding man was at least pleasing to the eye, so it wasn’t a complete loss.

Looking carefully at the man, she realized his appearance wasn’t particularly exceptional and didn’t match his stunning eyes and incomparable bearing. He must have disguised himself too, but rather carelessly—anyone slightly observant would notice something was wrong. She wondered if this person wasn’t skilled at disguise, or if his personality was simply too wild and unrestrained to bother carefully concealing himself.

The man reached out and pulled her from the carriage in one motion—Qin Chang Ge’s true qi had been locked when his purple flute struck earlier, but her limbs could still move. Apparently this person was also quite lazy, deliberately preserving her ability to walk and move her hands, saving himself the trouble of taking care of her.

Glancing at him sideways, Qin Chang Ge said helplessly, “This gentleman, I really want to know—you saved me, so why won’t you let me go?”

“I didn’t save you,” the man smiled at her. “I was just eating noodles on the street when I noticed this carriage looked a bit special, so I climbed onto the roof with my noodle bowl to continue eating. The carriage was being chased hard by Ning’an Gate guards and crashed into a rock. Not wanting to spill my noodle soup, I kicked those idiots driving the carriage off and took over myself. Whether there’s a person or ghost inside this carriage, I really don’t know.”

“I’m extremely grateful for your noodle soup,” Qin Chang Ge said solemnly. “To tell you the truth, I’m human, and a woman at that.”

The man raised his eyebrows—that momentary gesture like a wild goose in the vast sky elegantly preening its feathers. His gaze casually swept up and down Qin Chang Ge’s entire body, and he smiled faintly, “Oh?”

Qin Chang Ge said seriously, “Yes, a woman. They kidnapped me, saying some country’s ruler particularly likes martial arts women from the jianghu, and selling me over would bring rich rewards, so I’ve had terrible luck.”

“I don’t think you’ve had bad luck,” the man chuckled lightly. “Your martial arts are intact, and you don’t have even a single injury anywhere on your body. If they wanted to kidnap you, how could you have no injuries at all?”

“Because my whole body is poisonous,” Qin Chang Ge’s words were half-true, half-false. “Getting close to me makes it easy to die.”

The man made an “mm” sound and suddenly raised his hand. The black silk in Qin Chang Ge’s hair immediately flew into his hand.

“What is this?” The man played with the black silk with interest.

“For weaving, killing, tying up broken arms, and hanging oneself when all hope is lost.”

The man laughed lightly and looked at her. “You’re very interesting. To think Xiliang’s martial world has such a wonderful woman like you—I truly regret not coming here more often.”

“You’re not from Xiliang?” Qin Chang Ge asked knowingly.

“I came to find someone, and to handle some business on the side.” The man casually pulled again, this time extracting her waist belt. Though it was clearly something very soft, it felt bumpy to the touch. The man ran his fingers along it, and one end of the belt dropped a pile of small parts with crackling sounds. He picked up an iron butterfly with his fingers and smiled at Qin Chang Ge.

“How can you be so improper?” Qin Chang Ge didn’t even look at the iron butterfly, instead pouting with infinite charm and reproach. “That’s my belt!”

The man smiled, tossed the iron butterfly aside, and squinted at her. After a while, he said, “What’s your name?”

“Ruhua, Yan Ruhua.”

“Good name,” the man praised. “I imagine you must have features like a painting and beauty surpassing flowers.”

Qin Chang Ge laughed sweetly and lowered her head, acting overcome with shyness.

But in her palms, thin layers of sweat seeped out, cold as they clenched there, gripping her fingers as if holding a piece of jade that chilled to the very heart.

The moment she saw those eyes—brilliant as waves, clear as moonlight over the sea, startling as flying snow—she knew who he was.

Such a gaze could never be easily forgotten by anyone.

Facing this legendary man, this mysterious figure from a distant land, even with Qin Chang Ge’s towering ambition to look down upon the world, she dared not treat him lightly.

She couldn’t let him know she was Zhao Moyan.

Even more, she couldn’t let him know Zhao Moyan was Ruiyi.

So she preferred to first reveal her female identity, advancing by retreating, first overturning the possibility of the “Grand Tutor Zhao” identity. After all, Zhao Moyan had been calling the wind and summoning the rain among various countries as a man. As for her true appearance, how many foreigners had seen Ming Shuang?

Anyway, her female identity would be impossible to hide from him sooner or later. Better to use a pretense of false sincerity, with an appearance completely different from the rumored Zhao Moyan or Ruiyi, to first confuse this man’s bright mirror-like eyes.

As for how long she could maintain this deception, Qin Chang Ge didn’t dare hold too much hope as she silently sighed inwardly… You two, please, find me quickly. Being with this guy will be very exhausting…

The man took Qin Chang Ge’s hand and strolled leisurely through the busy market.

Yes, the busy market.

Yingdu’s main thoroughfare, the most prosperous street of the most famous capital city among the six nations—Wuqu Avenue.

Wuqu Avenue was especially crowded today, with many people dressed ordinarily but with sharp, gleaming eyes who looked very capable mixed in with the crowd. They walked the street from east to west and then from west to east, their gazes constantly sweeping over people dressed like martial artists, occasionally brushing past each other with glances that touched and immediately withdrew.

Undoubtedly, they were searching—the same scene was playing out throughout Yingdu. But no one knew that in the places they had just turned away from, in the instant they had just brushed shoulders, the person they desperately sought was being casually led by a certain man, walking together in the manner of a loving couple.

Qin Chang Ge had returned to women’s clothing. That gentleman had earlier cupped her face gently, very politely saying he would restore her flower-like beauty. But after removing her mask, he shook his head and clicked his tongue at her appearance, then pulled out a pile of miscellaneous disguise materials from his sleeve and messily smeared them all over her face.

When she went to look at her reflection in the water, she nearly spat blood into it—Ruhua, the legendary Ruhua reborn!

Then the man said that noodle shop was indeed good and took her to try it, then they would return to his country together—he had taken a fancy to her and planned to take her as a concubine.

So facing the soldiers filling the streets, they strolled forward together to a noodle shop on Wuqu Avenue to eat noodles. He tilted his head and discussed with her which embroiderer’s skills she preferred, whether the bridal gown for their wedding night should be adorned with pearls or crystals.

Qin Chang Ge smiled and listened, but inwardly calculated how, after conquering his country, she would use his golden scepter to chase dogs and his beautiful eyeballs to shine shoes.

They sat down unhurriedly in the noodle shop. The man ordered two bowls of noodles and some side dishes, constantly serving her food attentively. Qin Chang Ge ate without changing expression—anyway, if he wanted to kill her, he wouldn’t use such a troublesome method.

Her mute acupoint had been pressed, so she could only use affectionate, admiring gazes to express her worship of him.

He smiled leisurely, quite appreciating Ruhua’s smile that represented an alternative beauty, and very much appreciating his own masterful disguise skills that turned the miraculous into the mundane.

Ruhua’s affectionate gaze inadvertently swept across the street and suddenly froze.

Across the way.

A rider was charging from the direction of the city gate, dressed in black on a black horse, his posture straight as a sword even while mounted.

Though only a distant approaching figure, one could already sense that man’s magnificent bearing and noble temperament. But he frequently raised his whip, urging his horse with great urgency. His black brocade robe with gold thread, though of precious material, was also slightly stained with dust. He charged forward all the way, swift as lightning. The people on the street were startled by his overwhelming momentum and scattered to avoid him.

It was Xiao Jue.

Qin Chang Ge’s heart immediately pounded like drums, and another layer of cold sweat instantly rose in her palms. She stared at Xiao Jue, who looked anxious, wishing she could immediately cry out and call him to race over, yet knowing that even if she could shout now (which she couldn’t), and even if she did shout, the man could kill her or use her to threaten Xiao Jue in an instant.

For a moment her heart burned with anxiety and her thoughts were chaotic, yet she was completely powerless.

The man glanced at her, turned his head passionately, smiled as he watched the flying rider, and said, “Who’s that? So impressive?”

Qin Chang Ge immediately withdrew her gaze and continued eating noodles as if nothing had happened.

But Xiao Jue on horseback seemed to sense something. Suddenly, among the myriad people, just as his flying steed was about to race past Qin Chang Ge, he turned back.