Feng Jiu’er was silent for a moment before she spoke. “Nothing has been uncovered yet.”

Xing Zizhou thought for a moment, and his expression immediately turned peculiar. “Well then, General Feng — have you ever suspected me?”

“Yes,” Feng Jiu’er answered without the slightest hesitation.

“And the result?”

“No result yet.”

“Then…” Xing Zizhou gave a light cough, looking somewhat awkward. “Since you suspect me too, why did you have me work for you?”

Feng Jiu’er shot him a glance, her expression carrying a trace of helplessness. “If you were in my position, what would you do? Everyone is a suspect, yet things still need to get done.”

Xing Zizhou exhaled and, upon reflection, conceded that she was right.

After a moment, he clasped his hands in a bow. “I won’t say anything more — whatever General Feng has entrusted to me, I will do my utmost to accomplish.”

Jiu’er nodded. “Go rest. The moment there is news, inform me at once.”

“Understood.”

After Xing Zizhou departed, Feng Jiu’er stared at the military manual in her hands yet could not take in a single word.

Truth be told, she felt a creeping anxiety. After all, the identity of the mole was still unknown.

The words Zeng Lanyue had spoken kept circling endlessly through her mind.

Be wary of those around you… Just how much did Zeng Lanyue know? What exactly did she know? And who was the man behind her?

Her unwillingness to speak his name was an unwillingness to sever ties with that man outright — yet she knew full well that what that man had been doing was, perhaps, far from righteous.

Was that truly how women of ancient times clung to their feelings? Knowing that what their man asked of them was wrong, yet doing it regardless — because he was their man.

Just who was Zeng Lanyue’s man? Could it be one of the few people around her — Xing Zizhou? Shan Yidao? Mu Mu?

Or was it that someone by her side was in collusion with the man behind Zeng Lanyue?

Lost in a fog of uncertainty, this tangled web of relationships was an enormous challenge for Feng Jiu’er, who had arrived in this ancient era not long ago.

She had barely picked the military manual back up when the sound of footsteps reached her from outside.

It was then that Feng Jiu’er truly came to understand how occupied an ancient general could be — she had expected things to be quiet, yet here she was, receiving one person after another without pause.

The one who knocked at the door was Shan Yidao. When he entered, the dust of the road still clung to him.

“General Feng, the road ahead has been scouted. When we enter Xuan City tomorrow, we will go directly to the post station — I have already made arrangements with the brothers there.”

Shan Yidao was exceptionally skilled in light-foot techniques, and virtually all advance preparations had been handled by him.

In truth, there were many capable individuals within the company — not merely those from their original group. It was simply that Jiu’er had yet to become familiar with the others.

“However, before we reach Xuan City, there is a stretch of road that cuts through the mountains. The mountain path itself is not difficult to travel, but the terrain on both sides is rather unusual — easy to defend and difficult to attack.”

“Meaning that if someone wanted to set an ambush, that would be the ideal location?” Feng Jiu’er’s brow furrowed slightly.

Shan Yidao nodded. “Yes. That place is genuinely dangerous. If we were to walk into an ambush there, resistance would be extraordinarily difficult.”

Feng Jiu’er lowered her gaze in contemplation for a moment, then said, “In that case, Yidao — take two men with you and conduct reconnaissance tonight. Camp in the mountains and do not return.”

“Tomorrow, when I see your signal, I will lead the brothers forward. If I do not see it, we will reconsider the route.”

Jiu’er handed him two signal arrows. “We will set out before dawn — based on the route, we should arrive near the end of the Yin hour.”

“Remember: it must be at the tail end of the Yin hour. Within no more than the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn, you must fire both signal arrows simultaneously. Otherwise, we will not advance.”