The capital was swarming with soldiers on every street, yet beyond its walls, all remained utterly still!

Deep within a dense forest, Yanzi leaned lazily against a tree trunk, her bright eyes darting playfully, her smile utterly captivating. “That little wretch really is doted on by Jun Beiyue, isn’t she—offending the entire city’s population for her sake, right during the New Year no less!”

The man in black stood with his arms crossed, likewise leaning against a tree trunk, but with his eyes closed, resting quietly, paying Yanzi no mind at all.

Xuanyuan Lige nearby made even less effort to acknowledge her—the words “little wretch” grated on his ears like thorns, deeply unpleasant to hear!

Ever since their escape, they’d been traveling steadily north without pause for ten days and nights straight, and were now nearly at the Three Realms Territory!

Along the way, he had of course tried asking, but neither Yanzi nor the man in black would say a single word about where they were actually headed!

What troubled him even more was that throughout this entire journey, he hadn’t caught even a single glimpse of Ziqing—it seemed she wasn’t traveling with them at all!

Eventually, Xuanyuan Lige stopped asking altogether—he understood well enough that these two would never reveal anything until after they’d left Da Zhou’s territory.

Yet they continued heading steadily north.

To the north—west lay Xichu, east lay Dongqin. Through Xichu, one could reach Xijing and Mingsha Mountain; through Dongqin, one could reach a port and sail out to Yaoshun Island!

Once this festival passed, it wouldn’t be long before the Sand Worship Ceremony at Mingsha Mountain arrived. Could they possibly be planning to head there instead?

But if it were toward Dongqin, that region’s ports remained frozen solid even now—it seemed unlikely!

Or perhaps they intended to go to neither Mingsha Mountain nor Yaoshun Island, but had some other plan entirely?

Xuanyuan Lige had already asked everything he reasonably could. To keep pressing further would only arouse suspicion. What he needed to do now was wait—wait for them to come to him on their own.

Sure enough, two days later, Yanzi finally spoke. “Hey, we’re heading to Dongqin. Make the arrangements.”

Xuanyuan Lige raised an eyebrow at her but said nothing.

“What’s that look for?” Yanzi asked with a cold laugh. Though nominally partners, it was clear Xuanyuan Lige was being kept firmly under her control at every turn.

“How many people are going, and what for?” Xuanyuan Lige finally asked.

Yanzi glanced back at the man in black, then said, “Four people, heading to the Dongqin port. We’re going to Yaoshun Island.”

Hearing this, Xuanyuan Lige quietly let out a breath of relief—four people meant the three of them plus Ziqing, surely.

“The southernmost port in Dongqin won’t thaw until early February at the earliest—only then could ships put out to sea.” Xuanyuan Lige stated honestly.

These two were genuinely clever, he had to admit—choosing neither a Da Zhou port nor Nanzhao, but instead Dongqin, the very last place anyone would expect!

“Could the ice be broken?” Yanzi asked.

“It could, provided you’re willing to have the entire Longyuan continent know that Dongqin broke its ice to sail out.” Xuanyuan Lige snorted coldly.

“You—!”

“If you want to leave through Dongqin, I can guide you through the Three Realms Territory, but you’ll have to wait until early February.” Xuanyuan Lige said flatly, though a flicker of hope passed briefly through his otherwise indifferent eyes!

Perhaps, without even needing to reach Yaoshun Island, he might yet find a chance to save Ziqing!

Once within Dongqin’s territory, that would be his home ground. It was only mid-January now—if he could manage to remain in Dongqin for even half a month, he’d have a real chance!

And crossing the border itself would present another opportunity!

Yanzi didn’t answer immediately, instead turning back to look at the man in black, seeking his opinion.

Seeing the man in black nod, Yanzi finally agreed. “No problem. Half a month it is. Tell me, how do we cross the border?”

Jun Beiyue wasn’t foolish, and neither were Yanzi and her companions—crossing Da Zhou’s border was no small matter, especially at the Three Realms Territory, personally guarded by Jun Beiyue’s three great tiger generals!

Openly walking straight out through the border gates was absolutely out of the question!

And the border stretching between Dongqin and Da Zhou was a vast, sweeping grassland—if even a single person appeared there, whoever stood atop the tall watchtowers would spot them instantly, making escape nearly impossible.

Jun Beiyue knew—their opportunity had arrived.

“The general guarding this border line is Da Zhou’s Black Tiger General. This border stretches three hundred and seventy-three li, from Wuxie Ravine in the west to the East Sea in the east. Da Zhou’s border wall has no gaps whatsoever, with three hundred beacon towers in total—nearly one every li. Attempting to cross at any point along these three hundred and seventy-three li would be an enormous gamble.” Xuanyuan Lige said flatly.

“Don’t tell me we’re going through Wuxie Ravine!” Yanzi said with a cold laugh. If it were Wuxie Ravine, why would they even need to ask Xuanyuan Lige?

Yet Xuanyuan Lige only smiled. “We’re going through East Sea Cliff.”

“East Sea Cliff?” The man in black glanced over.

“Yes. It’s located right at the very end of this border line, a cliff overlooking the East Sea coast—a natural barrier. Every deep winter, heavy snow blankets its peak, making it unclimbable, and therefore, unguarded.”

Xuanyuan Lige explained further, and he wasn’t lying—East Sea Cliff was extraordinarily high and bitterly cold, which was indeed one reason no one guarded it. But there was another reason as well: buried there lay one of Jun Beiyue’s own secrets. Jun Beiyue’s mother had once been laid to rest atop that very cliff, her gravestone bearing the inscription “Wife of the Gu Clan.”

Yanzi immediately teased, “Unclimbable—are you saying we’re not human?”

“On one side lies the risk of being discovered, on the other the risk of falling from the cliff. There’s no other path—unless we change course and head to Xijing first instead.”

Xuanyuan Lige couldn’t be entirely certain, but this woman in purple was quite possibly the guardian of Mingsha Mountain.

Otherwise, they wouldn’t be taking such an enormous risk to put out to sea at all!

The ocean, after all, was nothing like land, especially in the depths of winter.

If this woman truly was Mingsha Mountain’s guardian, and she didn’t possess the Lishang score, then what exactly was hidden at Mingsha Mountain?

Merely the secret of raising poison gu?

Come to think of it, among all the sites discovered thus far, Mingsha Mountain alone had yielded no musical score. Was this mere coincidence, or was there another reason behind it?

Of course, all of this remained mere speculation on Xuanyuan Lige’s part—so far, he could only be certain that Yanzi wasn’t from Yaoshun Island. Whether she was from Mingsha Mountain remained to be confirmed!

Having come this far, there was no possibility of changing course now!

Yanzi pursed her lips and glanced again toward the man in black, waiting for his decision.

The man in black nodded readily enough. Yanzi, essentially acting as his spokesperson, declared, “Settled, then—East Sea Cliff it is!”

A flash of malice passed through Xuanyuan Lige’s eyes as he said, “And Han Ziqing? You’ve brought her along, haven’t you?”

Yet Yanzi, feigning innocence, bit her finger, appearing conflicted for a long moment before asking, “Master Xuanyuan, how about this—we’ll be waiting either way, whether in Da Zhou or in Dongqin, so why not just wait until early February to set out? Once we’re past East Sea Cliff, we won’t be far from the southernmost port in Dongqin anyway, right?”

Her innocent expression, her tone of genuine consultation—she seemed truly to be discussing the matter with Xuanyuan Lige. His lips stiffened slightly, fury welling up inside him, but he ultimately forced a smile anyway. “Of course, that works.”

This woman’s caution and thoroughness rivaled even the man in black’s!

“What do you think?” Yanzi turned to ask the man in black.

The man in black gave a soft grunt of agreement. Yanzi beamed with delight. “Let’s go find somewhere to spend the night!”

“So, Han Ziqing isn’t with us?” Xuanyuan Lige still couldn’t help but ask.

“Don’t worry, she’s the only person on this entire earth suitable for raising poison gu—how could I possibly lose track of her? Once we board the ship, you’ll see her.” Yanzi said, her mood clearly excellent, and she couldn’t help bursting into loud laughter…