Li Qingtong's gaze was deep as he looked into the depths of the Forsaken Land. "The Forsaken Land" was the term used by the Great Zhao, and among the people of the Great Japan, this place was called—Amaterasu.

My godfather must be searching for me everywhere, right? But Guo Ping is hiding in the shadows. If I had been captured by Guo Ping's men before this, my chances of survival would have been slim.

Go back? I can't go back. Should I continue hiding outside?

If Guo Ping spreads rumors about him, things will get complicated when he gets back. With the roles reversed, if it were me, having already decided to kill and broken off all pretense, I wouldn't leave anyone a way out. I should prepare for the worst.

No, I need to make a contribution first. Only after I've made a contribution can I go back openly and legitimately, and then I can deal with him.

“Let’s go, let’s enter the land of the forsaken. I can’t go back like this.”

On the way to exile, his grandmother taught him and his siblings how to make a living in the wild. Because he was going to join the army, his grandmother also hired a tutor over the years to teach him to recognize herbs and find paths.

Now, he will have to rely on these things to get through this.

Not all of the five hundred Japanese were killed; many escaped, and Li Qingtong happened to be on his way and caught up with several of them.

According to these people, they had not only mobilized 500 people, but also had another group waiting in other places. As for their location, that person had some backbone and knew that Li Qingtong and the others would not let him go, so he refused to say even if it meant death.

Even without Li Qingtong, they could find it. Just look for the water source. With so many people out here, getting water is a big deal, so those people must be stationed near the water source.

Find them, launch a surprise attack, and take the bandits' heads.

With that in mind, Li Qingtong took the lead and embarked on the journey to find the Great Sun People, and the others followed closely behind without hesitation.

——————

“General Ouyang, I have failed in my duties. During the operation to capture the bandits, Li Qingtong had a disagreement with me and went his own way, leading his men to break away from the group. I am incompetent.”

Ouyang Cheng stared intently at Guo Ping. This man was like a dog that didn't bark; he had even been fooled by Guo Ping, who had genuinely believed that the matter was long over. Who would have thought that after so many years, he would suddenly be bitten?

Chengyang knew there was something wrong, but Guo Ping had cleaned up the mess very well. Li Qingtong and his subordinates had indeed disappeared. Now, whether it was black or white was entirely up to Guo Ping's word.

"General Guo, what are you saying? What have you done wrong?"

General Ouyang, although Li Qingtong is your adopted son and has performed quite well, I, Old Niu, still have to say something fair!

Young people act impulsively; we can't accept a soldier who doesn't obey orders, let alone one who leads his men away—how is that different from rebellion?

“General Niu is right! That’s what I was thinking too. General, I request that an arrest warrant be issued for Li Qingtong. If he can return to the camp in time and be punished, then this matter will be over.”

"That's right. Such a big mistake can't be forgiven so easily. The person hasn't come back yet."

"They must be severely punished!"

"I second that."

Ouyang Cheng's face was ashen; it seemed that his words had indeed swayed some people.

He didn't believe that Qing Tong would be so foolish as to openly oppose his superiors, let alone be so stupid as to lead his men away from the team midway through a mission.

Although he was unwilling to suspect Guo Ping, these incidents and the direct malice showed that Guo Ping was definitely involved in something wrong.

The most urgent task is to find Qing Tong as soon as possible. I don't know what happened to him that made him run away.

"Qing Tong has been in the camp for so many years, and I'm sure you all have seen what kind of person he is. I believe you generals know him well."

Regardless of whether he is my adopted son or just an ordinary centurion, I cannot accept only one side of the story.

"I can issue a warrant, but please give me some face. If you find him, bring him to me first. I guarantee I will investigate thoroughly and get to the bottom of this. If it is indeed his fault, I will not protect him!"

Ouyang Cheng's words represented a significant concession, and seeing the crowd back down, Guo Ping knew he couldn't push them too hard.

He had already made multiple preparations. If Li Qingtong returned, he might accidentally kill or maim her. Hmph... It would be better if she didn't return. Her defection would be a done deal. Even with Ouyang Cheng's protection, would Ouyang Cheng dare to defy military regulations? There was no room for maneuver; he was doomed.

Thinking this, Guo Ping was the first to speak.

"General's words are reasonable. Indeed, we cannot only listen to my opinion. Perhaps there are other reasons that I have not considered. Furthermore, General is a man of great principle. I am sure that once the truth is found, you will be able to stand up for me."

Since I was also involved, I felt it inappropriate to interfere in the search, so I waited in the camp.

"General Guo's move is truly very thoughtful. Let's all do as the general says. If Li Qingtong is captured, we'll send him to the general."

"yes!"

The others echoed in agreement, though some inadvertently made eye contact with Guo Ping.

After the group left, Ouyang Cheng couldn't help but slam his fist on the table.

"General, Guo Ping's initiative to not search is a brilliant move of retreating to advance."

Now those who had doubts about him will likely have their suspicions dispelled. His words were so plausible that we can't find fault with him anymore. With him so brazen, the young master is probably in grave danger.

Ouyang Cheng's personal guards spoke up.

"We need to act quickly. We must find the person first, alive or dead."

"yes."

The guards were about to leave.

"Wait, go and check who else is close to Guo Ping. Be careful that someone doesn't try to sabotage us."

"Yes, General."

Undercurrents were swirling within the military.

In Lijia Village, far away in Ning'an Prefecture, Qi Wan was awakened from a dream in the middle of the night.

Since her mother-in-law went to the capital and Qingtong went to the frontier, Qi Wan became increasingly strict with her two children, and her most frequent saying was:

"Your eldest brother is so young, yet he has to go to the military camp to learn the ropes. I don't expect you to be very successful in the future, but there is one thing you must remember: never cause trouble for your brother."

Last year, my second brother and sister-in-law went to Beijing and took Qingjun with them. Last month, my eldest brother and sister-in-law also went to Beijing. Once Qingzhang has completely taken over the affairs of Shaoxian County, Li Xuchang and his wife plan to take their daughter back to Nanze. It's hard to leave one's homeland, not to mention that all of Qi Wan's relatives are there.

I don't know what's wrong with me today, but my right eyelid keeps twitching and I feel uneasy, like I'm feeling suffocated.

I drank a bowl of calming soup and went to bed early, but I was awakened by a nightmare in the middle of the night.

"What's wrong, Madam? Are you alright? Have you been bewitched?"

Li Xuchang was also awakened by Qi Wan's scream and quickly comforted her.

"Dreams are the opposite of reality, don't be afraid."

Upon hearing this, Qi Wan reacted even more strongly.

"My husband! Quickly write a letter to Qing Tong, I dreamt of him, it was all blood, all blood, my Qing Tong!"