From this, it was evident that he had genuinely cared for his third disciple; otherwise, he wouldn’t have taught him real skills and trusted him so completely.

“Yet you still escaped, and they are terrified,” Feng Miaojun was most skilled at unraveling complexities and understanding human nature. “If you can return to Jin capital alive, what awaits them is the Great State Master’s furious revenge, with family and clan members all implicated.”

“Exactly.” Mo Ti Zhun pressed on Li Yuanfa’s cheeks, forcing his jaw open for Feng Miaojun to see. “See this broken tooth? It was originally filled with deadly poison that could be released with pressure. This youngster wanted to commit suicide by poison, but I stopped him.”

This treatment was no different from handling mules or horses. Li Yuanfa shook his head repeatedly in humiliation and anger, but of course, couldn’t break free. She stuck out her tongue: “Do Li family members all have such fierce temperaments, always so quick to kill themselves?” If it were her, clinging to life would be better than embracing death! No one could make her die so readily.

Mo Ti Zhun released his hand, and she heard Li Yuanfa grinding his teeth: “My brother died at his hands!”

Feng Miaojun sensed that this seemed to be another grudge, but didn’t want to pursue it. She only asked him: “Whose idea was it to kill the county magistrate?”

Li Yuanfa glared at her for a long time. She stared back indifferently until finally, the young man said: “Mine.”

“Very clever.”

This time it was Mo Ti Zhun who glared at her. She spread her hands: “I’m not wrong. You were severely injured and on the run. At that time, the most effective method would be to use the power of local officials or the military for a carpet search. They were in a foreign land then, searching for you would be like finding a needle in a haystack, and they didn’t have manpower. The best solution was probably to borrow strength.”

Though young, Li Yuanfa had quick wits. He had devised a plan to disguise himself as Mo Ti Zhun and kill the county magistrate in broad daylight, deliberately letting many witnesses see his face.

Murdering an official was a first-degree capital crime. The authorities would immediately dispatch more people to search everywhere. Mo Ti Zhun originally had a large beard, a feature too obvious and easily imitated. Besides, in such rural areas, who would know he was Jin State’s State Master? They would just consider him a vicious criminal.

Once the authorities captured him, Li Yuanfa and his partner would find a way to assassinate him. Thus, they would successfully salvage their mission to eliminate the State Master.

Feng Miaojun consoled Li Yuanfa: “Your trick, though far-fetched, had a high chance of success. Unfortunately, you have bad luck.” She knew how desperate Mo Ti Zhun’s situation had been during the pursuit. If he hadn’t met her…

So these two children were even more unfortunate than she was.

“Furthermore, this is also called being too clever for your good.” She looked at him sincerely, “You’ve trapped yourself.”

Trapping himself? What did that mean? Li Yuanfa had long believed she was in cahoots with Mo Ti Zhun and hadn’t planned to speak much with her, but his eyes couldn’t help revealing his question.

“I’m not very familiar with Jin State’s rules, but I assume assassinating officials from other countries isn’t something that can be discussed in public?” She brushed the dark locks from her forehead, “You killed a Yao State county magistrate, so the Jin King cannot openly address this matter in court.”

A buzzing sound rang in Li Yuanfa’s mind as he finally understood the source of his unease for most of the day.

Everything she said was right!

He had killed a Yao State official. Of course, the Jin King couldn’t bring this to court discussion. Otherwise, through countless ears and mouths, the news would spread to Yao State within days, immediately souring bilateral relations. This meant the matter would be handled secretly, with most of the court officials perhaps never hearing even a whisper about it, and thus having no chance to speak for him or the Li family!

If he died now, he would die in vain!

Seeing Li Yuanfa’s ashen face, Mo Ti Zhun laughed loudly: “Precisely! That’s exactly it! This little dog only thought about keeping the Li family clean from this muddy water, not realizing he sacrificed himself.” His voice was full of mockery, “People praise Li the Third as brilliantly intelligent, a young prodigy, but I see a girl not yet eleven thinking more thoroughly than you!”

Li Yuanfa bit his lip for a while before saying in a deep voice: “If time could flow backward once, I would still do it this way. Only, you wouldn’t have the luck to escape again!” Between protecting the Li family and protecting himself, he would still choose the former.

By now, the two horses had reached halfway up the mountain, and a manor appeared ahead.

Mo Ti Zhun said: “This is my estate.”

Hearing the approaching hoofbeats, several people walked out from the manor and bowed to Mo Ti Zhun. He threw Li Yuanfa down: “Watch him carefully, don’t let him escape, and don’t let him die. This person is very important.” He also handed over two bottles of pills, “Soft Tendon Pills, give him one every two days. He won’t have the strength to lift his hand.”

After saying this, he didn’t linger but turned to leave with Feng Miaojun and Chen Dachang.

￥￥￥￥￥

After riding for another two hours, Feng Miaojun’s mount suddenly stumbled, falling forward with a violent crash!

Amid Feng Miaojun’s cry of alarm, Chen Dachang supported her as she leaped off midway, thus avoiding falling together with the horse.

By now it was late, darkness surrounded them, and the road was slippery—truly unsuitable for continued travel on horseback.

The fallen chestnut horse had broken its front leg, with blood flowing from its mouth and nose. It had been ridden to exhaustion. Mo Ti Zhun returned to take a look and said: “It can’t be ridden anymore, but fortunately we’ve reached the lakeside.” He also abandoned his horse to proceed on foot.

In such a wild, remote area, tigers and wolves often roamed at night. Chen Dachang smashed the chestnut horse’s head with one palm before carrying Feng Miaojun onward at a sprint.

Emerging from a patch of low trees, the view suddenly opened up.

Before their eyes, the water sparkled, with tens of miles of misty waves stretching into the distance. Feng Miaojun sat on a wooden stump and took a deep breath, letting the moisture nourish her smoke-filled lungs: “What a huge lake!”

As she sat down, all the soreness in her body surged up. Her limbs felt as if they weren’t her own, and every bone seemed to creak and groan.

Mo Ti Zhun seemed not to notice her disheveled state, showing not a hint of pity. She had chosen to follow him; if she couldn’t endure the hardship, she could go back on her own: “This is White Elephant Lake, half within Yao State’s borders, half within Jin State’s borders.”

This meant that crossing the lake would bring them to Jin State. She heard Mo Ti Zhun continue: “Taking the land route would require a detour of twelve hundred more miles. The water route is faster.”

On the journey, she had roughly heard Chen Dachang describe the terrain of Yao State and Jin State. She knew that where the two countries met was the towering White Elephant Mountain, perpetually swept by wind and snow, difficult even for birds to cross. To the south lay the vast White Elephant Lake. Most people couldn’t climb the mountain, so taking the land route essentially meant circling the lake for nearly half its perimeter.

The shoreline was very winding.

Under the night sky, the lake’s surface was flat and calm. Several wooden boats were tied to the pier by the lakeside, with no one around. Feng Miaojun frowned: “There are no ferrymen now. Are we rowing ourselves?” Even if Chen Dachang knew how to row, he might not have the arm strength. Was Mo Ti Zhun going to do it himself?