It was just a sudden thought, but the more she considered it, the more reasonable it seemed: “You know, ever since I relieved Fu Lingchuan of his position as State Preceptor, I’ve been working extremely hard handling two roles in New Xia. If we’re going to confront Yan Kingdom in the future, New Xia truly needs a reliable State Preceptor to assist me.”

Talent was rare indeed. Setting aside the Ao Yu mark, Yu Haizhen herself was worth making this journey.

Yun Ya’s gaze upon her grew increasingly strange.

“What?” She couldn’t let her uneasiness show on her face. “Is it not possible?”

“It’s one thing for you to snatch Yao territory from Xiao Yan,” Yun Ya stared at her without blinking, as if trying to see straight into her heart. “But now you’re even trying to steal the woman he wants?”

Feng Miaojun’s face reddened slightly as she spat, “What kind of talk is that? Talented individuals are sought after by everyone.” She looked at Yun Ya, suddenly understanding. “You came to save her too?” Otherwise, why would the State Preceptor appear in Ying Gong City when the Wei troops had already withdrawn?

Yun Ya replied languidly, “That kid Xiao Yan begged me to save Yu Haizhen’s life, so I came to try my luck.” Xiao Yan had given him tremendous authority, far exceeding other State Preceptors. Occasionally, he should reciprocate such favors.

Feng Miaojun, however, detected another meaning in his words: save her if possible, otherwise let it be. Indeed, for Yun Ya to save Yu Haizhen amidst thousands of troops was no simple matter; he had to act within his capabilities. “But I hadn’t yet taken action when I saw you.”

Why was he emphasizing this point to her? She showed sympathy: “Xiao Yan truly misplaced his trust.”

Yun Ya was exasperated and lowered his head to bite her shoulder hard: “Fool!”

Was he part wolf? Feng Miaojun nearly shed tears from the pain, but trapped beneath him, she dared not express her anger openly. She could only say pitifully, “Yu Haizhen may not be dead, but with Wei Kingdom withdrawing its troops and leaving Xi Kingdom to fight alone until destruction, I fear Yu Haizhen won’t harbor positive feelings toward Xiao Yan.”

Her gaze returned to Yun Ya. “Besides, Wei Kingdom already has a State Preceptor. What could she do if she went there?”

A woman like Yu Haizhen, while perhaps not aloof in temperament, certainly had high standards. Having once been a State Preceptor herself, she probably wouldn’t care for the glory and favor Xiao Yan could offer to ordinary women.

“She never had any interest in Xiao Yan to begin with.” At this point, Yun Ya coughed lightly. “There are rumors that she has no interest in any man.”

What did that imply? Feng Miaojun’s eyes widened at this explosive gossip: “No way, Yu Haizhen likes women?!”

Yun Ya evaded the main point, “It’s a fact that she never shows any courtesy to men. So don’t think about dragging her to be your State Preceptor—beware of inviting a wolf into your house.” He patted her pretty, flower-like face.

Feng Miaojun snorted: “That’s just baseless rumor, probably the sour grapes mentality of some men!”

Yun Ya shrugged, not arguing this topic with her: “How would I know?”

His tone was full of superiority.

Just then, two clear, crisp pings came from outside.

The sound came from outside the house, or more precisely, from outside the small bottle.

Someone was gently tapping on the bottle!

Both she and Yun Ya were inside the bottle, which meant there was a third person outside! Feng Miaojun was startled, but quickly understood: “Did you bring others to Ying Gong City?”

“You didn’t think I came alone, did you?” Yun Ya stood up and walked out of the cottage, seemingly communicating with the person outside the bottle. He soon returned and said to her, “I need to go out; there are matters to attend to. You should get some rest.”

So he had just been intimidating her earlier—he knew someone would soon come looking for him. She understood that Ying Gong City had fallen into the hands of the Yan King, and Yun Ya and his people would need to be extremely cautious in their movements.

He must be very busy, right?

Yun Ya felt Feng Miaojun’s forehead; it was no longer burning hot, though her face still showed signs of fatigue. “Corpse poison consumes the body; even cultivators find it hard to avoid, especially from a corpse demon with such deep cultivation.” A good sleep was the best way to restore one’s energy, both for ordinary people and cultivators.

As Yun Ya moved away, her pressure immediately lessened, and she instinctively yawned: “I wonder where the Yan King found such a formidable monster.”

“The corpse demons of ancient times were even more powerful. When they emerged, they could devastate thousands of miles, rivaling even deities,” Yun Ya said slowly. “There have been precedents of corpse demons killing gods.”

“She’s completely different from zombies. If I hadn’t noticed her unusual pupils, I wouldn’t have realized she wasn’t a living being.” Cultivators no longer raised small ghosts, but there were still many who controlled zombies. She had seen such monsters before, but they moved stiffly like puppets on strings. How could they compare to the female corpse demon she encountered today, whose body was far more flexible than normal humans?

“When a zombie evolves into a corpse demon, it regains intelligence, becoming as wise as humans.” Yun Ya enclosed her small hand in his palm, squeezing it gently, inadvertently revealing a touch of tenderness in his actions. “Sleep now.” The medicine he gave her also had sleep-inducing effects.

Were they still in Ying Gong City? Had they completely evaded the Yan King’s pursuit? These were troublesome concerns, but since he didn’t mention them, Feng Miaojun didn’t ask either. It seemed she could entrust everything to him without worry.

She sighed softly, then suddenly remembered something: “By the way, Chen Dachang came with me to Xi. Could you pass a message to him so he won’t worry about not finding me?” She then explained the prearranged method of contact with Chen Dachang.

Yun Ya gave a displeased grunt, but she was too tired to hear his response before falling asleep.

At this time, Chen Dachang was also very busy.

After the Yan army’s cannons destroyed the Six Ao Formation and the white ape reverted to its original form to support the front line, he should have abandoned the carriage to provide backup as instructed by Feng Miaojun. However, the subsequent developments had been unexpected. Concerned for her safety, Chen Dachang donned the armor of a Xi Kingdom soldier and infiltrated the battlefield to search for her.

But the battle between the powerful figures had passed like a fleeting glimpse of a white colt, lasting no more than half an hour before concluding. By the time Chen Dachang infiltrated the front line, Yu Haizhen had already been knocked off the cliff, and the Yan army was surging towards the lower city of Ying Gong. He had also heard the Yan King’s announcement that echoed throughout the area.

Xi Kingdom’s fate was sealed.

Chen Dachang didn’t care about this; he was only troubled that their plans had been completely disrupted. The entire city was boiling like a pot of porridge—where should he look for Feng Miaojun?

He sent out their prearranged signal but received no response from her.

Two days passed, and Ying Gong City had changed hands. The Yan army had taken full control of this former capital, and all citizens were ordered to remain in their homes for a census by the Yan army. Anyone who violated this prohibition and went out would be killed without mercy.

Chen Dachang believed his queen had not met with disaster, but it was no longer safe to remain in the city. He had to use the last wave of chaos to slip out of Ying Gong City and head towards the northern suburbs.

The two crane spirits were not accustomed to the harsh cold environment here. He needed to quickly go and comfort them; otherwise, if these two flew away on their own, it would be difficult for him and Feng Miaojun to leave once they reconnected.

However, just as he reached the dried ravine where the crane spirits were hiding, he noticed something unusual ahead.