At the Great Zhou military camp.

Bai Jinxiu, who had just returned after searching for Bai Qingyu and Bai Jinse for an entire day, was in low spirits.

Bai Jinxiu knelt across from Bai Qingqi, her expression downcast: “Qing Zhu hasn’t returned until now. I don’t know if she found A’Yu and Xiao Qi!”

Xiao Ruohai appeared outside Bai Qingqi’s tent, completely soaked and shivering all over from the cold, his entire body pale.

Seeing Xiao Ruohai, Bai Jinxiu was startled and immediately stood up. When Bai Qingyu went to lure the Xi Liang army, Xiao Ruohai followed him!

“Xiao Ruohai!” Bai Jinxiu’s eyes filled with surprise and joy as she hurried forward. “Where’s A’Yu? Where’s Xiao Qi? Did you all come back together? Or did A’Yu send you back first to report? Where have you been all this time?”

Bai Jinxiu’s questions came like rapid fire – she had been anxious during this period.

Bai Qingqi picked up a cloak from the side and stepped forward to drape it over the trembling Xiao Ruohai. Guessing that Xiao Ruohai had come from the city to deliver a message for Bai Qingyu, he said calmly, “Change your clothes first and have some hot tea, then we’ll talk slowly!”

Xiao Ruohai quickly changed clothes and came out from behind the screen. Before he had fully recovered, Bai Qingjue, Bai Jinhua, and Bai Jinzhao all arrived.

After paying his respects, Xiao Ruohai sat by the brazier and told the two young masters and three young ladies of the Bai family everything in detail – from when Xiao Rongyan initially sent Yue Shi to intercept Bai Qingyu, to the events within Yun Jing City. He also mentioned that the time for opening the city gates tomorrow was set for the hour of chou.

Specifically, fireworks would be used as the signal, and at that time, Yan would join the Great Zhou in attacking the city.

“When I was returning just now, I encountered a secret guard of Great Yan’s Ninth Prince. That guard recognized my identity and showed me his token. I told that guard about the Fifth Young Master’s arrangements and asked him to inform Great Yan’s Ninth Prince. The guard told me… their people have already entered the palace, and he had returned to request orders on when to rescue Fifth Young Master!” Xiao Ruohai said.

“Great Yan’s Ninth Prince… sent people to rescue him?”

This was beyond Bai Jinxiu’s expectations.

Xiao Ruohai nodded: “That guard said it was because a traitor appeared in their Yan country that Fifth Young Master had no choice but to go along with the plan and put himself in danger. Their Yan country has a duty-bound responsibility!”

“At least Yan still has some conscience!” Bai Jinzhao’s anger subsided somewhat, but she still felt stifled.

“What about Xiao Qi?” Bai Jinxiu looked at Xiao Ruohai expectantly. “You’ve been talking for so long, but I haven’t heard you mention Xiao Qi. Where is Xiao Qi?”

Xiao Ruohai was stunned: “Seventh Miss… hasn’t returned? Didn’t Seventh Miss come back to the Great Zhou military camp with that guard called Yue Shi who served beside the deceased eldest young master?”

Bai Qingqi, who had been staring at the brazier, raised his eyes and spoke slowly: “When that guard called Yue Shi left with Xiao Qi, they were surrounded by Xi Liang troops. When he fought his way out and looked back, he discovered Xiao Qi was no longer on the horse. I had been thinking all along that Xiao Qi was captured by Xi Liang!”

“Had been thinking?!” Bai Qingjue looked at his third brother, unable to suppress the anger in his words. “Third Brother, you knew early on that A’Yu was going along with the plan and entered Yun Jing? Then why did you still send the military report back to your eldest sister? Weren’t you afraid of startling your eldest sister? Eldest sister is pregnant right now!”

“I only learned of this later from the Ninth Prince.” Bai Qingqi said in a low voice. “However, Great Yan’s Ninth Prince immediately sent someone to deliver a message to the eldest sister, so you needn’t worry too much. What’s important now is where Xiao Qi is!”

Bai Jinhua poured a cup of hot tea for Xiao Ruohai. Xiao Ruohai tremblingly extended his hands and drank the hot tea in one gulp before saying, “Seventh Miss isn’t in Yun Jing. Whether alive or dead, if Seventh Miss had entered Yun Jing, this subordinate would have known!”

“Then she must be outside. Third Brother and I led people to the place where A’Yu was captured, but we didn’t see any trace of Xiao Qi! I think… Xiao Qi must have cleverly escaped!” Bai Jinxiu couldn’t help but anxiously stand up. “But this is Xiao Qi’s first time traveling far from home. If Xiao Qi is lost in such a place… she definitely won’t be able to find her way back to our military camp!”

“I’ll go find Xiao Qi!” Bai Jinzhao urgently stood up and rushed out of the tent.

Bai Qingqi didn’t stop her, as he too was extremely worried.

Although Tianfeng needed large quantities of fur, under Bai Jintong’s operations, the Xi Liang people had hunted wild beasts nearly to extinction. It was now March, and hibernating snakes, insects, and rodents were gradually awakening. If Xiao Qi were bitten by a poisonous snake with no one around to help, that would be truly frightening!

“Xiao Qi has always been clever. Even if she can’t return, she might have already found a farming household to stay with, waiting for us to find her…” Bai Jinxiu said this with great uncertainty.

At this moment, Bai Jinse had already left Yun Jing and traveled south into Xi Liang territory for an unknown distance and duration. Surrounded by fleeing refugees, she was tightly bound and huddled in a corner of a ruined temple.

The ruined temple was full of refugees who had fled from Yun Jing. Everyone crowded together around the nearly extinguished fire in the center of the temple, making do with sleeping there.

Bai Jinse had fallen from horseback. After falling, she had fled through the forest while avoiding pursuit by Xi Liang troops, and soon lost consciousness. When she woke up, she had been tightly bound by a Xi Liang family and was being carried forward on a wooden board.

Having been in Xi Liang for so long, Bai Jinse had learned quite a bit of the Xi Liang language, though she still couldn’t speak it very well, so she simply pretended to be unable to hear or speak.

From the conversations of this Xi Liang family, she had gathered through listening and guessing that they were refugees who had fled from Su Ning to Yun Jing during a famine. Common people were like this – when encountering famine or plague, they always wanted to flee to the capital, always feeling that the capital would surely be able to save their lives!

Who would have known that when they reached Yun Jing, it would be surrounded by Great Zhou and Yan armies, so they had detoured and planned to continue south.

These refugees had eaten most of their food supplies, gnawed on tree bark… and had even picked all the grass clean!

During this period, they had brought Bai Jinse along, giving her only a mouthful of grass or tree bark to eat each day, and even water was given sparingly – both because they themselves were running out of food and because they feared Bai Jinse would escape.

The reason they brought Bai Jinse along was that they planned to eat her when they truly had nothing left to eat and were starving.

Thinking of the Great Zhou and then looking at Xi Liang, Bai Jinse knew that when Xi Liang had reached the point of cannibalism, its fate was sealed.

Bai Jinse was the youngest daughter of the Bai family, having grown up in the capital city. Although she had heard stories of starving people resorting to cannibalism, she never imagined such a thing would happen to her.

She knew that even if she weren’t currently tied up, she was now so dizzy from hunger that she couldn’t escape anyway.

She would need to eat her fill and regain her strength before she could escape, and the other end of the rope binding her was tied to the man who served as the family’s head. She would also need a sharp tool to cut the rope.