If Feng Miaojun had already left Jin’s capital, the chances of tracking her down were extremely slim—she could have gone anywhere. Although she might have mixed into the Princess’s wedding escort to leave the city, seventy to eighty merchant caravans were entering and leaving Jin’s capital on the same day. How could Yun Ya be certain she hadn’t chosen another option?

Out of caution, she maintained her disguise for two days before returning to her original appearance. By now, she could be reasonably certain she was safe.

On the fifth day, the wedding escort arrived at Wolf Fang Fortress.

This place was a medium-sized town, developed from a private rural stronghold, hence it retained its original name. Wolf Fang Fortress was also the last human city before entering the White Elephant Mountain Range from Jin territory. It could be called a border fortress, and any group planning to travel west would choose to fully resupply here.

The wedding escort lingered here the longest, a full day and night. After making inquiries, the guards took Princess Hanyue and Feng Miaojun to a local restaurant for a meal. This establishment wasn’t the largest in town and was even somewhat off the beaten path, but it was packed with customers. All eleven or twelve tables in the main hall were full, forcing new arrivals to sit in the side courtyard.

Even so, people were still queuing outside.

The Princess’s entourage naturally had ways to secure seats. The local food was certainly not as refined or exquisite as that in the capital, but the buckwheat noodles were exceptionally chewy, topped with tender, fragrant chunks of mutton and crisp bamboo shoots. With one slurp, the chill brought in from the late autumn countryside was completely dispelled.

Most distinctive was their nang bread with roasted meat, served fresh from the oven. The bread was baked against a scorching iron barrel. When a customer ordered, the shopkeeper would grab one, cut it open, and stuff it with golden, aromatic roasted lamb. The local sheep grazed on riverbanks, feeding on bitter moss, which made their meat exceptionally tender and sweet. One bite would fill your mouth with savory juices.

But what truly made the experience unforgettable was another ingredient stuffed into the bread:

Frozen wine-soaked pears.

The pears produced in Wolf Fang Fortress were almost as large as pomelos, juicy but coarse in texture, which few people enjoyed eating plain. Someone clever had invented a method of pickling the pears—slicing them and soaking them in wild berry wine overnight. Now in late autumn, the nights at the foot of the mountains were particularly cold, making the wine-soaked pears stuffed into the nang bread ice-cold. When eaten together with the steaming hot roasted lamb, one immediately experiences a sensation of ice and fire. The fruity aroma naturally cut through the gameness, leaving a lingering aftertaste.

Finding this nang meat so uniquely flavored, Feng Miaojun couldn’t help eating two more before rising to visit the latrine.

Those with profound cultivation skills could abstain from grains, but she, for now, couldn’t escape the cycle of the five grains.

The restaurant did good business, even converting the back courtyard for table space, so the latrine was more than ten zhang away, beyond two rows of bamboo.

Going to such a place, others wouldn’t follow.

The night wind was piercingly cold. The bamboo had already shed all its leaves, leaving only bare branches swaying in the wind, looking like demons waving claws and fangs in the darkness.

Feng Miaojun strode through the bamboo grove on her way back. Casually glancing down, she noticed two shadows on the ground.

One was her own, while the other was very close, just half a step behind her!

This shock was truly extraordinary, causing her heart to skip a beat.

Feng Miaojun immediately sprang forward, spinning around with her awl-point extended, while shouting loudly: “Who’s there!”

She only managed half the question before her voice caught. Because beside the cluster of bamboo behind her stood a tattered scarecrow.

It was the size of a real person, with cloth wrapped around its head and arms naturally spread. Swaying back and forth in the night breeze, at first glance its shadow did indeed resemble a walking person.

Her nerves were too tense, resulting in this false alarm. Feng Miaojun instinctively sighed with relief, but then felt something was wrong:

The purpose of such an object was to scare away birds, but this wasn’t a threshing floor—who would place a scarecrow in a bamboo grove?

Before this thought was complete, she suddenly felt a chill down her back, as if a great danger approached. Feng Miaojun didn’t hesitate, crying out for help while quickly fleeing forward.

But before she could take even one step, a hand materialized behind her and pressed against her throat!

This hand was beautiful, with distinct knuckles, long and jade-like, seemingly more suited to playing a zither than strangling someone. Yet Feng Miaojun felt an icy coldness penetrating her marrow, instantly freezing her throat muscles. Her cry for help was silenced.

The strength in this hand was astonishingly great, lifting her off the ground and turning her around.

Then, she looked into a pair of smiling peach blossom eyes, their gaze more gentle and enchanting than moonlight.

Feng Miaojun immediately froze, unable to move a single muscle in her body.

Only now, at such proximity, did she realize how tall he was—a full head taller than her. Dressed entirely in black, he slightly lowered his head and whispered in her ear: “Feng Miaojun?”

These three words from his mouth were like the deepest nightmare. Her eyes revealed terror as she frantically shook her head despite her throat being gripped. Unfortunately, the range of movement was too small.

“Pleased to meet you,” he continued, seemingly oblivious. “My name is Yun Ya. Do you remember me?”

His voice was as soft as intimate whispers between lovers.

She was about to shake her head again when footsteps came from outside the bamboo grove.

Someone was coming.

Yun Ya smiled: “Let’s talk somewhere else.” With a tug at her neck, he pulled off her necklace and threw it onto the scarecrow. Then, gripping her, he soared into the air, making two leaps along the treetops before disappearing into the distance.

His movements were ghostlike; no one here would be alarmed.

The wind whistled in Feng Miaojun’s ears as scenery flashed past her eyes, making it impossible to judge his speed.

Shortly after, Yun Ya stopped and brought her into a house.

The walls were simple but the room was clean. A half-burned candle even sat on the table, though the owner was nowhere to be seen.

Yun Ya threw her onto a wooden chair by the table and repeated his question: “Do you remember me?”

After suppressing her cultivation, he released his grip. Whatever evil technique he had used still left her unable to move, though her throat felt less constricted.

Unable to turn her head, she could only say softly: “I remember. We met at Juping Village.” Since he could directly call her by name and ask such a question, he must have recognized her. Further denial would only bring more suffering.

Yun Ya nodded, reaching out to feel her face and gently pinching around it.

This wasn’t inappropriate touching but checking for disguise materials on her face.

The results satisfied him.

It seemed this was indeed the real Feng Miaojun, not another body double.

“I hear you killed my subordinate Huang Qiuwei?” he asked.

With little loyalty, she confessed: “Miao Fengxian killed him. I… I only assisted.” The axe that split Gungung’s skull belonged to Miao Fengxian; the water-splitting awl she used at the time couldn’t have achieved such an effect.