Tang Xiaohua gazed out at the distant figure as well, the corner of her mouth curving slightly.

“Chen Hong, are you really planning to spend the rest of your life in this backwater place, with your thousands of emotionless puppets?”

Her words were, in truth, a probe.

“Heh…” Chen Hong’s smile turned dark. “Don’t think I don’t know why you’re all in such a hurry to break through.”

“Lei Shenbao is in your hands, and you’ve taken over the remainder of his guard forces too — fifty thousand men? Sixty thousand?”

“What a pity! All of them practically dead men already.”

Chen Hong swept her gaze around and let it settle on Yang Sheng.

She didn’t recognize Yang Sheng personally, but she’d heard that this man’s betrayal had ultimately caused Lei Shenbao several defeats. Lei Shenbao had shown her Yang Sheng’s portrait once.

Lei Shenbao had told her then that if she ever saw Yang Sheng, she was to take his head without fail.

“Yang Sheng, do you really think this woman can save you all?” Chen Hong raised her voice deliberately.

“She doesn’t have the ability, and she certainly doesn’t have the intention.”

“You’re nothing but pawns in her hand, heh heh…”

“Tang Xiaohua, you say my people are my puppets — but I can guarantee they’ll live to a ripe old age. Can you say the same for yours?”

“Flying the banner of saving people, just to get others to work themselves to death for you — how ruthless! I’m nowhere near as bad as the three of you — disgusting!”

“You guards of Li City — did the Long girl you all trust so much tell you I have the herbs you need?”

“Heh… the antidote — only Master Lei and I know where it’s kept. No one else knows.”

“She says she can develop an antidote, and you all just believed her? You’re already so devoted to her?”

“Ha! How laughable!”

Chen Hong wasn’t lying when she said she coveted those nearly sixty thousand guards.

Lei Shenbao had spent years training them — they weren’t weak by any measure.

Their defeat had come down to unstable morale.

Now that trouble had struck Yongshan City, a portion of Long Jiu’er’s people had been pulled away, leaving fewer of her own troops than the guard forces.

If Yang Sheng were to switch sides now, Chen Hong would still have very good odds.

Hiding in this godforsaken place wasn’t what she wanted at all.

“Yang Sheng, I do have the antidote. If you all defeat these people, I’ll give it to you.” Chen Hong looked at Yang Sheng again.

“I promise that once I give you the antidote, I won’t force you to do anything for me. Stay if you want to stay, leave if you want to leave.”

“From then on, none of you would ever need to be controlled by poison again — you’d be able to determine your own lives.”

“I, Chen Hong, am not like Lei Shenbao. I only want people who submit to me willingly — I will never force anyone.”

“My apologies! I am now a member of Longying — for the rest of my life, I’ll only follow the words of the Sect Master and Deputy Sect Master!” Yang Sheng’s clear voice rang out.

“Heh…” Chen Hong wore a look of disdain. “You’re a member of Longying — but I doubt the remaining fifty or sixty thousand of your brothers can say the same.”

“Given Long Jiu’er and Tang Xiaohua’s temperaments, would they really place such trust in you surrendered soldiers?”

“Long Jiu’er and Lei Shenbao are cut from the same cloth — you’ve all taken Long Jiu’er’s poison too, haven’t you? Hahaha…”

“Fools! Facing death and still working for someone else’s benefit, how foolish!”

“Listen to me — I only want Tang Xiaohua and Yue Jianfei. If you can deliver them to me, I’ll give you the antidote!”

“Feng Jiu’er, don’t you care so much about these guards? Weren’t you trying to find a way to cure them?”

“Deliver Yue Jianfei and Tang Xiaohua to me, and I’ll give you the antidote.”

“Chen Hong, we will never fall for your tricks — you might as well give up!” Yang Sheng shouted loudly.

Just as Yang Sheng was about to say more, Feng Jiu’er’s voice rang out again.

“That’s one matter you needn’t trouble yourself with, old woman.”

“Lei Shenbao’s nearly sixty thousand guards are now, for the most part, right behind me. If they genuinely wish to submit to you, I won’t stop them.”

“Jiu’er.” Yang Sheng turned to look at Feng Jiu’er.

Feng Jiu’er turned to face the boats and people behind her, channeling even stronger internal energy.

Chen Hong’s words could be heard by everyone on the other side of the river bank, and now Feng Jiu’er’s words carried just as far.

“The medicine Yang Sheng gave you was never poison at all — it was simply a tonic, good for your body.”

“I, Deputy Sect Master of Longying, now speak on behalf of the entire sect and ask you this one question — will you stay, or will you leave?”

“Everyone’s life is their own to command, no exceptions!”

“Regardless of what happens, you have all helped Longying these past days. If I manage to develop an antidote, I will not leave a single one of you out.”

“That said, I have my own principles too. Whoever dares harm Elder Brother Yue and his wife, whoever wishes to become Chen Hong’s puppet — I will not let a single one of you off!”

Feng Jiu’er reined in her internal energy and turned to face Chen Hong.

“Chen Hong, don’t you dare set your schemes on me — you’re not worthy!”

No one is without fear of death, and the guards were no exception.

They had seen Long Jiu’er working hard on their behalf to find an antidote, but who could say this wasn’t simply another trick of hers?

Life is like a play — no one can truly see through anyone else.

When Chen Hong offered to trade Yue Jianfei and Tang Xiaohua for the antidote, the guards weren’t entirely unmoved.

But they hadn’t expected that what they’d been eating all along was only a tonic, not poison.

They were merely surrendered soldiers — did this woman really not fear they might feign submission?

Even Yang Sheng hadn’t anticipated this.

He stood there, staring unblinking at Feng Jiu’er, unable to find words.

Suddenly, from one of the boats — no one could tell which — a guard’s voice rang out.

“We want to join Longying, we’re not leaving. Miss Long, please take us in.”

“Miss Long, we want to join Longying, we’re not leaving.” Another voice shouted from a different boat.

The shouting rose wave after wave, and at last, everyone seemed to hear the sound carrying back from the far riverbank as well.

Yang Sheng turned to look at the brothers he could see — and those he couldn’t — weeping with joy.

He pressed his lips together and turned back to look at Feng Jiu’er.

“Jiu’er.”

“If you want to join Longying, then show me your strength!” Feng Jiu’er said, not looking at Yang Sheng, her low voice carrying across the entire riverbank.

“Yes!” The guards’ clear voices rang out.

After the resounding cries, calm returned to the river’s surface.

Feng Jiu’er looked at Chen Hong within that square formation, the corner of her mouth curving slightly.

“Old witch of Black Mountain, do you have any more tricks up your sleeve? If not, it’s our turn now.”

“Black Mountain witch — who are you calling that?” Chen Hong’s plan had failed, and she was already in a foul mood.

She couldn’t understand it — aside from being somewhat good-looking, what charm could Long Jiu’er possibly have to win over so many guards?

What good was looks? To “win over” so many people one by one — there was no way she could have managed that!

Having been called an “old witch” by Feng Jiu’er, and now recalling the “old woman” remark from before, Chen Hong grew even angrier.

“Black Mountain deaf old witch, that’s you I’m talking about!” Qiao Mu glared at Chen Hong.

“What, don’t like it? You say you’re already ugly enough, and then you go and wear all black, showing off that bloodless face — trying to scare who, exactly?”

“Give up on that dream! What scenes haven’t we seen before?”

Qiao Mu wrinkled her brow in open disdain.

“Still, this is the first time I’ve ever seen someone quite this ugly!”