Upon hearing this, Huo Xian subconsciously raised his eyebrows, seemingly recalling the image of Marquis Xuanping blowing his beard and glaring at him while arguing in court. He suddenly became modest: “No, I can’t compare to him. After all, ginger gets spicier as it gets older.”
At this moment, it was unclear whether he was proud of this or subtly mocking Marquis Xuanping. In any case, Xiao Cheng was speechless.
He had always despised verbal disputes and disliked dealing with people like Huo Xian, who enjoyed making sarcastic remarks. With a sullen face, he walked away.
Huo Xian did not leave immediately. He stood at the edge of the cliff for a while longer, the smile on his lips gradually flattening. He looked at the strong soldiers training.
This place was surrounded by mountains on all sides, heavily guarded, with sentinels every ten steps, resembling a wartime military camp. Observing Xiao Cheng’s cautious attitude, Huo Xian suspected this might be his last retreat and his only remaining accumulation, the foundation of their strength.
There were not only soldiers here but also a few people who obviously had some authority. They seemed to be minor leaders among the remnants of the previous dynasty, including some elderly ones who were highly respected and stern. Even Xiao Cheng treated them with a slightly different attitude, somewhat akin to the status of Master Xu in the court. It was probably these people who had approached him back then.
Now, these people were hiding in various places, observing him.
Some were leaning by the windows, some standing with arms crossed under trees, and the sentry towers outside the tents were filled with watchful eyes. Huo Xian scanned the surroundings with his peripheral vision and finally spotted Xiao Yuanjing beside the tent opposite.
He stood by the torch, exchanging a brief, emotionless glance with him.
Under countless watchful eyes, they could not communicate, but Huo Xian saw coldness and frustrated agitation in his eyes. He seemed like a beast being restrained and imprisoned by them, and now the shackle named Chang’an was subtly loosening.
Emotional restraints are the most unreliable.
He was wavering and struggling.
Huo Xian indifferently retracted his gaze, his hand behind his back quietly clenching.
Another seven or eight days passed, and the camp remained calm.
Xiao Cheng was not like Mu Lei. He did not rashly attack Prince Ning’s mansion just because of Huo Xian’s statement that the new emperor was about to die. He was observing, waiting for information from his scouts, and calculating carefully. Compared to Zhao Yong, Huo Xian found Xiao Cheng’s thoughts even harder to fathom. He had no certainty.
During these days, the soldiers continued their regular training. Every day, new soldiers entered the training ground, increasing at an alarming rate. Soon, a fledgling army of ten thousand began to take shape. These men were obviously not voluntary recruits; almost daily, Huo Xian could hear the wailing and screaming from the torture room next door.
For every ten living men entering the camp, two corpses would be carried out.
Seeing the disfigured corpses, the others would all obediently comply.
This was the true nature of forced conscription, the very charge once laid upon the Shen family!
They underwent the harshest training, rarely spoke a word to anyone. Even newcomers were terrified when Huo Xian tried to talk to them, running away immediately. They did not communicate with each other, only following orders from the officers, with strict discipline.
Almost flawless.
Not only that, on the other side of the mountain lived hundreds of women and children. They were the families of these remnants of the previous dynasty, living like ordinary civilians engaged in farming. They transported basic food supplies through a dedicated mountain path to feed the soldiers here.
But even these women had unusually tight lips. They were very guarded against outsiders, even the young girls.
Huo Xian’s face, usually so effective, was useless here. He couldn’t extract even the slightest bit of information from these people about this place. With his movement restricted to the vicinity of these tents, he had no chance to map out the routes here.
No way…
At that moment, a soldier brought lunch. Huo Xian didn’t bother to close the tent, allowing the people in the distant watchtower to observe.
He glanced at the dishes, picked up the chopsticks, and tapped the bowl twice, making a “clang clang” sound. “Why is it the same food again?”
The soldier replied irritably, “Be glad you have something to eat. Still picky?”
Huo Xian said, “I am your master’s honored guest. Tsk, barbarians really have no hospitality.”
Hearing this, the soldier, who was about to leave, stopped in his tracks, slammed the table, and said, “What did you say? It’s already generous to give a traitor like you a chance to reform. If you were our soldier, you’d be dead ten thousand times over!”
Huo Xian threw the chopsticks. “Say that again?”
—
The Shu region didn’t have the heavy snow of the capital, but it was unusually damp and cold. The icy wind cut like knives on the face, peeling off a layer of skin.
Nanyue interrogated Zhong Min’er’s husband. The man was reduced to skin and bones in the imperial prison, answering every question asked. Unfortunately, the real person in charge of the martial arts school’s affairs was Zhong Min’er, and he was just a freeloader, unaware of many inside details. He only mentioned that there were a few fixed transactions each year, heading to Dongxiang County in Shu, where the convoy would hand over to a local blacksmith shop.
But the trail ended there.
Nanyue returned to the inn in the rain. As he opened the door, he was enveloped by the warm air. Ignoring his shivering, he heard Shen Qingli leap up and ask, “How did it go?”
Nanyue frowned and shook his head, his breath forming white mist as he spoke, “Dongxiang County is a small town, primarily focused on commerce. Although small, it’s wealthy, hence there are many merchants. Business turnover is normal. That blacksmith shop closed down months ago, and no one knows where the owner and the workers went.”
Shen Qingli was greatly disappointed upon hearing this. He slumped down, “It’s been so many days. If it were just Huo Xian, he might still be safe. But Xiao Yuanjing—he could turn on us at any time and refuse to help us.”
Ji Yuluo, however, remained exceptionally quiet. She stared at a dirty piece of cloth, her brows furrowing into a small mountain.
This cloth was clearly torn from clothing, bearing not only the bloodstains Huo Xian used to mark but also some mottled mud. She initially thought it indicated the harsh environment Huo Xian was in, but this was fabric from an inner garment…
“In the mountains,” Ji Yuluo suddenly looked up. “Dongxiang County is surrounded by mountains. If Xiao Cheng wants to dig a nest in such a place, it has to be in the mountains.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Ji Yuluo almost disappeared from sight.
Nanyue also moved to follow but was hurriedly grabbed by Shen Qingli. He nervously glanced at the door and said, “I heard Lanxin talk about the Chengyuan Temple incident. Have you told her?”
Nanyue was momentarily stunned and then said softly, “The master forbade it.”
Shen Qingli closed his eyes and sighed, feeling pain in both his chest and head. “Let’s go. Zhao Yong must be captured alive!”
Being surrounded by mountains meant that Dongxiang County had countless small hills, and a large-scale search would only alert the enemy. They hadn’t brought a large force this time; the real soldiers were still waiting for orders in the capital. Therefore, they could only send small groups into the mountains. Adding to their troubles, the bad weather made the paths slippery, making the search extremely difficult.
As it gradually got darker, Ji Yuluo had to split up with Chaolu, using whistle signals to regroup. She followed the stream forward, stepping on a dry branch that snapped with a “creak.” The rain-soaked ground gave way, and Ji Yuluo tumbled down a slope into a barren patch of grass.
She pulled out a thin branch that had pierced her forearm and was about to stand up when she heard voices not far away.
It was a group of young women bringing a large cart.
They were chattering and teasing each other. “It’s all your fault, looking at men. Now my new shoes are all wet, and we’ve been delayed so long that it’s already dark.”
Another woman replied, “Aren’t men worth looking at? And who was the one staring so hard earlier?”
The first girl, embarrassed and angry, raised her voice, “He was just too handsome! I’ve never seen such a man before. The men here are all tall and strong, but their faces are as rough as their bodies. There’s no one as good-looking as him. He smiled at me, and his eyes looked like gems, like peach blossom gems.”
Someone laughed, “Then why didn’t you talk to him?”
The girl replied regretfully, “You think I didn’t want to? He even praised my hands, saying they looked like white jade…”
Ji Yuluo’s eyebrows arched instinctively. That must be Huo Xian, without a doubt.
—
The rain gradually lessened.
Huo Xian returned from the medical tent with scratches on his face. The soldier he had fought with also walked back, glaring at Huo Xian but keeping a considerable distance.
This man was crazy. A simple argument had escalated into a near-fatal fight. Huo Xian had no weapons but landed every punch with precision. Although they were of similar height, the soldier couldn’t land a hit, ultimately only managing to scratch Huo Xian’s face in frustration.
The soldier spat on the ground in Huo Xian’s direction.
Huo Xian ignored him and went straight to his tent.
His casual demeanor suddenly changed as he tore a piece of cloth from his robe and bit his finger to draw a map of the area he had just explored.
At that moment, there was a sudden noise from the chest at his feet.
Startled, Huo Xian quickly put away the cloth.
Narrowing his eyes, he walked cautiously towards the chest. Just as he reached it, there was a loud “bang,” and the chest was pushed open.
Huo Xian’s wary expression froze abruptly. He didn’t ask where she had come from because she was dressed like the girls who had delivered the grain today. She wore their colorful clothes, had her hair in double braids, and even had their headband on her forehead.
For a moment, he was stunned, finding it hard to believe that Ji Yuluo would appear in this place.
In such a manner.
This place was difficult to find. Ji Yuluo had been sneaking around the camp, lightly panting, and now, instead of standing up, she simply sat in the chest and looked at him, saying, “Come over here.”
Huo Xian snapped out of his daze, masking his reckless joy with steady steps. He walked over, braced his knees, bent down, and after a moment of gazing at her face, he lowered his voice and said, “You’ve lost weight.”
No one knew the emotions of meeting an old acquaintance in enemy territory after many days, especially when that acquaintance was his beloved.
The immense joy even made him forget to be afraid. He had thought the prison of the Ministry of Justice might have been their last meeting.
Ji Yuluo also slightly curled her lips, like a triumphant fox, showing off her cleverness to Huo Xian.
She reached out and grabbed his collar, and he leaned down accordingly.
The fierce kiss couldn’t hide his joy; he had missed her so much.
