After sending off a letter, Feng Jiu’er looked at those assembled before her and waved her hand.

The column turned about and found an open stretch of ground where they began to make camp.

Feng Jiu’er gave Jian Yi a thorough examination, then turned and left the tent.

Not far away, Huo Baixue sat on horseback, spyglass in hand.

Feng Jiu’er leapt onto a horse and in an instant was at her side.

“Baixue, has there been any word from Yuezhou? When can he be expected to arrive?”

Huo Baixue lowered the spyglass and looked back at Feng Jiu’er.

“He should arrive within two hours. Jiu’er, how do we fight this battle?”

Feng Jiu’er glanced at the spyglass in Huo Baixue’s hand. Huo Baixue passed it to her.

Taking the spyglass, Feng Jiu’er sat astride her horse and trained it on the distant city wall.

Two soldiers were posted at each section of the wall, with guards stretching all the way from the left side to the right without a gap.

By rough count, the visible soldiers numbered at least one to two hundred.

At last, Feng Jiu’er’s gaze came to rest on a particular spot.

Where soldiers had been standing just a moment ago, there appeared a figure who looked vaguely familiar.

Lingrong, who had just received a spyglass from a guard beside her, trained it outward — and before long, her gaze found Feng Jiu’er.

The distance between them was too great, and the magnification of the spyglass not high enough, for Feng Jiu’er to make out Lingrong’s expression clearly.

But she was certain: this figure, a full half-head shorter than the people on either side of her, was one of Feng Qingyin’s pawns.

Feng Jiu’er lowered the spyglass and looked at the person beside her, a faint smile pulling at the corners of her lips.

“Baixue, they’ve walked right into the trap.”

Even before Huo Baixue could ask what she meant, Feng Jiu’er turned her horse and pointed it away from the city wall.

“Come — I have something to discuss with you.”

Huo Baixue was somewhat puzzled, but still turned her horse and followed.

“Jiu’er, what did you mean just now?”

“Those words were said deliberately for the enemy to hear. You don’t need to concern yourself with them for the moment.” Feng Jiu’er replied softly.

Huo Baixue furrowed her brow, glanced back once, then turned forward again and followed Feng Jiu’er as they dismounted.

“But they were so far from us — how could they possibly…”

Before she finished, Huo Baixue found herself instinctively looking around in all directions, before she followed Feng Jiu’er into the tent.

“Jiu’er, are you saying there’s a spy among us?”

Huo Baixue’s voice was low — even someone lurking just outside the tent might not have caught her words clearly.

The only ones who could hear, besides Feng Jiu’er, were Jian Yi, who sat reading at the writing table.

Jian Yi was Jiu’er’s man. Jiu’er trusted him — and so she had no reason to suspect him.

Feng Jiu’er turned back to look at Huo Baixue, and raised an eyebrow lightly.

“You have no confidence in your own people?”

Huo Baixue met Feng Jiu’er’s gaze and shook her head.

“Of course I do. These five thousand elite soldiers were each personally selected by me. I trust them.”

She said she trusted them, yet after Feng Jiu’er’s remark, Huo Baixue felt a shade less certain.

There were too many people. No one could make an absolute guarantee.

“Don’t worry — I didn’t mean that.” Feng Jiu’er rummaged through her pack and said, “Those words were said specifically for the ears of the person on the city wall.”

Huo Baixue had thought the same at first, but found it hard to believe.

“They were so far from us — how could they possibly have heard?”

“There is one person who could.” Feng Jiu’er pulled a set of dark night-stalking clothes from her pack.

“Who?” Huo Baixue asked.

“That person is a subordinate of the woman who gravely wounded Jian Yi — the same woman who has been trying to have me killed at every turn. Her name is…”

Feng Jiu’er furrowed her brow and glanced back.

“Lingrong.” Jian Yi looked up and met Feng Jiu’er’s eyes.

“Lingrong.” Feng Jiu’er turned back to face Huo Baixue.

“Baixue, go and change into your night-stalking clothes, and find several brothers with strong lightness skills. I’ll have things to arrange shortly.”

Seeing that Huo Baixue still looked somewhat puzzled, Feng Jiu’er realized she had left out something important.

“Right — Jian Yi mentioned that Lingrong can read lips.”

“Pass the word along and have the brothers be careful about what they say out loud. Who knows when that woman might appear.”

“Ah — so that’s it.” Huo Baixue gave a nod of understanding.

“Have the brothers eat first, and everyone should talk and laugh and carry themselves cheerfully.” Feng Jiu’er continued.

“In two quarter-hours, you and I will go into the city to take a look. Bring eight brothers — ones who can scale the city wall with ease and are quick enough to get away if things go wrong.”

“With them inside and us outside, a direct confrontation would put us at a great disadvantage.”

“Understood. I’ll go and make the arrangements now.” Huo Baixue gave a nod and turned to leave.

Feng Jiu’er set aside the night-stalking clothes she had taken out, picked up a specially crafted box, and came to sit across from Jian Yi.

Watching her open the box and take out a human-skin mask, Jian Yi set down the book he had been holding.

“Jiu’er, you mean to go into the city and take a risk?”

“I have to go in and take care of something. Otherwise, before we can enter the city, we’re going to take very heavy casualties.” Feng Jiu’er did not look at Jian Yi as she spoke, her hands working steadily to sort through the masks.

“They’ll be shooting arrows from the city wall — it would put us at too great a disadvantage.”

“But we don’t know what the situation inside the city is right now. Going in without that information — the danger is unknown.” Jian Yi was not at ease.

Feng Jiu’er looked up at him briefly, then lowered her head again and went back to sorting through the masks.

“Normally, something like this would be entirely your role to play. But since you can’t engage in combat right now, I’ll have to let you rest a little longer.”

“Hurry up and recover — otherwise your muscles will start to soften on you.”

Jian Yi pushed back his sleeve and looked at his own arm, as though something had only just occurred to him.

He actually found himself worrying about whether his muscles were changing — and had forgotten what he truly needed to say.

“Jiu’er, this is no time for jokes. Letting you go into the city alone — I can’t allow it.”

Even without deliberately keeping watch, Feng Jiu’er had noticed Jian Yi’s gesture just now.

A faint smile touched her lips, and she looked up at him once more.

“Just now, when Lingrong had her eyes on me, I made a point of telling her that she had walked into a trap.”

“Right now, she should be racking her mind trying to figure out exactly where she went wrong — just what trap she supposedly fell into.”

“Her attention is going to be entirely fixed on what’s happening outside the city, not what’s happening within.”

“And besides — our full strength isn’t gathered yet. Who would expect us to make a move at a moment like this?”

Taking a finished human-skin mask in hand, Feng Jiu’er placed it carefully into another box and lined it with a sheet of specially treated paper.

“Jian Yi, put your mind at ease. I’ll be back before long — and we will drive the enemy forces out from inside.”

She raised an eyebrow slightly and added, “If we can’t drive them out, we’ll cut them down.”

Jian Yi looked at her, at a loss for what else to say.

“Come now — we’ve come all this way through so much hardship just to get back here. Do you honestly think Feng Jiu’er lacks the ability to push her way in?”

Feng Jiu’er looked up and met Jian Yi’s gaze, her lips curving into a faint smile.

“Inside those walls, there are tens of thousands of civilians waiting for us. We cannot afford to waste any more time.”

“And as for you — rest up and recover properly. Stop letting your mind wander to things it shouldn’t. Just wait here, at ease, and let me come back to you.”