Shao Yao dropped down from the rooftop. The Chaoli fighters spotted her at once and immediately understood. Someone shouted a warning: “This one uses poison — be careful!”

But it was already too late. With no need now to consider wind direction, Shao Yao leaped high into the air and scattered medicinal powder in a wide arc across the sky. Gu Yanxi moved simultaneously — his long whip coiled around her waist and pulled her back behind him.

Shao Yao also took up a whip. Knowing that her combat skill could not match the others, she deliberately targeted those who were already wounded. In her striking at unexpected moments, the greatest number of people who fell actually died at her hand — after all, only her whip was fitted with barbed spines.

The poisoned Chaoli fighters wanted to end the fight quickly. The Seven Lodges Bureau had no intention of trading blows with them at this moment, and immediately shifted to a fluid, evasive style — drawing them out, falling back, drawing them in. By the time the last Chaoli fighter collapsed, the sky had already begun to lighten.

Shao Yao was drained, her hands trembling faintly. She gave no thought to appearances and simply sat down on the spot, not moving.

They had been hit with her poison, and yet facing the Seven Lodges Bureau’s finest, they had still managed to drag the fight out this long. Shao Yao felt a hollow unease settle over her — if Daqing’s regular armies came up against enemies like this, wouldn’t they be cut down like vegetables?

Because even if she supplied every military camp with poison, when the gap in combat strength was this vast, there was only so much it could do.

She looked up at Yanxi beside her. “The troops won’t be able to hold them.”

Gu Yanxi said nothing. He didn’t know what there was to say. In the face of sheer strength, words were useless. When he saw Wang Hai come toward him with reddened eyes, his heart sank further still.

“My lord, nine members of the Seven Lodges Bureau are critically wounded. Dead… twenty-seven. Every remaining member is injured.”

Gu Yanxi himself bore several wounds, and until this moment had not quite felt the pain — now it seemed to ache everywhere all at once. Twenty-seven dead. He had brought seventy-nine people in total. Casualties this severe — how many groups of twenty-seven did the Seven Lodges Bureau even have?

Shao Yao’s lips moved, but in the end she closed her mouth without speaking, pushed herself up off the ground, and went to perform her physician’s duties. Those who were injured she could do nothing about — for the critically wounded, she had to do everything possible to keep them alive. As long as they were breathing, that was enough.

After a long silence, Gu Yanxi finally spoke. “How many on their side?”

“Including the later reinforcements, sixty-eight in total. Forty-one dead; the rest are still alive.”

Seventy-nine men against sixty-eight, and though more of the enemy had died, the numbers had clearly favored his side — and the reinforcements hadn’t even arrived until afterward. This made plain that the enemy’s combat strength was no less than the Seven Lodges Bureau’s. If they had been facing ordinary soldiers instead…

Gu Yanxi closed his eyes. He dared not follow that thought to its conclusion. If he did, Daqing would likely have very few days left. “A commotion this large, and not a single person came to investigate — send someone to ask Songzhu’s county magistrate whether he is deaf or dead.”

“Yes, sir.”

He was about to say more when a rider came galloping in. “My lord, just as you anticipated — the moment dawn broke, ships began to move at the docks. Yu Mu has already taken men to follow them.”

Gu Yanxi had never anticipated that his own side would expose themselves, and having Yu Mu stay to watch the docks was merely a precaution in case anyone fled — so he would at least know where they had gone. Now it was clear the enemy had prepared a contingency from the beginning. “How many ships moved?”

“Six!”

“What was the draft situation?”

“Four of them were riding low in the water.”

Gu Yanxi turned to look at his subordinates who were attending to their wounded comrades. “Those with light injuries, come with me.”

The Seven Lodges Bureau members gathered without hesitation. Gu Yanxi scanned them one by one, then singled out those whose wounds had not yet stopped bleeding. “You — stay behind. Wang Hai, take half the men by ship and catch up with Yu Mu. Stay close to those four heavily laden vessels. The other half come with me overland.”

“Yes, sir.”

The horses had been arranged by Dai Chun, who also brought with him a man with a slight limp. “My lord, this is Liu Ming. He spent several years in the stronghold when he was young and knows this area extremely well. With him as a guide, we can save some time.”

Gu Yanxi knew perfectly well what “the stronghold” referred to. He glanced at the man and asked, “Can you ride?”

Liu Ming gave a nod, and the foot that was shorter than the other instinctively shifted behind him.

“Lead us by the quickest route.”

Liu Ming said nothing, looking instead directly at Dai Chun — it was clear he trusted Dai Chun far more than he trusted Gu Yanxi.

Dai Chun looked somewhat awkward and explained quietly, “This subordinate once did him a small favor…”

“You saved my life. That is not a small favor.”

Gu Yanxi raised a hand to stop both men from continuing, then said, “Move out immediately.”

“Yes, sir.” Dai Chun shot the man a look, silently urging him to get on his horse quickly — irrelevant matters could wait.

Liu Ming did indeed have some real ability. The route he took the group along was clearly one that saw little traffic. Aside from one brief stretch where they had to slow down, the greater part of the road allowed for a quick pace. Against all odds, they arrived at their destination before the ships.

“Give him a generous reward.” Gu Yanxi flung the words behind him as he spurred his horse forward. This was the harbor where the Yuan River met the Eastern Sea, and a dock had been established here. If General Sun was going to deploy his forces, this was the only logical choice.

Sure enough, he had not gone far before he spotted figures ahead. The uniforms worn by the Shouya Pass garrison were distinctive from other military camps — blue trim at the collar and cuffs, and the tassels hanging from their helmets were blue as well, making them very easy to identify.

The others spotted his party as well. Several men immediately moved to surround them. “Military operations are underway in this area. All civilians, please withdraw.”

“I am the head of the Seven Lodges Bureau. Where is General Sun?”

The young officer looked at him in surprise but did not dare refuse. He clasped his hands in a salute. “Please wait here, sir. This soldier will go and fetch the General immediately.”

Gu Yanxi felt not the slightest displeasure at being treated with caution. If the Shouya Pass garrison lacked even this much vigilance, he would have cause to worry.

He saw Sun Qi approaching from a distance and dismounted, stepping forward to bow in greeting. “General Sun.”

Sun Qi returned a cupped-fist salute. This was his first time seeing the head of the Seven Lodges Bureau without his mask. However, from the intelligence he had received, he already knew his identity, and looking closely, this face did bear a certain resemblance to the Shizi when he was a boy.

“Have circumstances changed, that you have come in person, my lord?”

“Six ships left the Songzhu docks together at dawn this morning. I suspect they have a vessel among them attempting to slip away in the confusion.”

Sun Qi immediately understood. “So you are worried the silver will make its escape — and you’ve calculated the timing to be nearly here?”

“It should be.”

“I have been guarding specifically against them making a run through here. Rest easy — none of them will get through.”

“I am entirely confident in General Sun’s assurances.”

“General.” A young officer jogged over. “Ships approaching ahead.”

“How many?”

“Two.”

The two men exchanged a glance. Sun Qi gave the order. “Move.”

“Yes, sir.”

Gu Yanxi stood on the dock, watching as several small boats shot out at speed. The men standing aboard them moved with perfect steadiness — swinging grappling hooks as they went — and then a rapid succession of splashes rang out as many of them entered the water. When they surfaced to breathe, they were already at the hulls of the ships; then another deep dive, and Gu Yanxi knew at once what they intended.

At the same time, the grappling hooks were already flying — aimed at the sails. Some tore entire sails down whole; the least effective still split them cleanly into shredded ruin.