There are far more officials, both big and small, in the provincial government office than in the county government office. After being in the officialdom for a long time, all of them have become experienced foxes. Some officials recognized Ding Youtian and saw that he had brought his child to watch the trial, and saw that the prefect personally escorted him out. They all started to have their own plans in their hearts.

Danyang County had been plagued by disasters every year for the past decade, and all the memorials submitted by successive prefects and governors had been suppressed by Prince Yong without exception. Only the memorial from Prince Rui, the assistant prefect, was submitted, offering only a few bland, understated details about the disaster in Danyang, a tip that reached the emperor to avoid the possibility of him being accused of withholding information should the news leak out.

If the prince of a fiefdom is strong enough, he can override the prefectural governor. In the past, the prefectural governors who were unwilling to stand with Prince Rui ended up being deaf ears and became mere decorations, unable to interfere in the major affairs of Yanzhou County.

At this moment, several officials who recognized Ding Youtian knew that he was not only the new number one scholar but also the son-in-law of Prince Pingnan. Prince Pingnan was a minister who was deeply trusted by the emperor. Now that Princess An Ning and the new number one scholar were sent to Danyang, and seeing that the prefect was very close to Ding Youtian, they all sensed that things were about to change in Yanzhou County!

A mere newly crowned champion might seem unremarkable, but who was behind him? That was the war god of the Great Yan Dynasty, the Prince of Pingnan! No wonder the newly crowned champion's arrival had opened up the situation for the prefectural governor. These veteran officials speculated that the Prince of Pingnan intended to use Danyang as a springboard to help his son-in-law soar to fame, and they all believed that Ding Youtian would rise to prominence in Danyang and return to the capital.

Who among those who hang around in the officialdom wouldn't want to be a Beijing official? One by one, they made up their minds and decided to actively approach the prefectural governor, Lord Yang, both openly and covertly, to show their goodwill. They believed that Lord Yang and Ding Youtian were on the same side, and thus, these people stood in the prince's ranks.

Because it was His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, not Prince Yong, who sent Ding Youtian to Danyang for training. The Crown Prince was just following Prince Yong's wishes.

Ding Youtian came out of the yamen and got on a carriage. The group traveled during the day and slept at night. They had a peaceful and smooth journey for several days. However, the further north they went, the more desolate it became, and even the sky seemed to have a cool and bleak air.

"Why does it seem like it's getting dark before the hour of You today?" One day, after the carriage passed Ji Town and moved forward for a while, the fool sitting next to Tong Bajin suddenly looked up at the sky and said.

"This is so fucking weird. It's getting dark before I even start fighting." He muttered a few more words.

Upon hearing this, Jian Ning and Ding Youtian lifted the curtains and poked their heads out from the left and right. Tong Bajin said, "It's okay. This kind of scene is common in the north, so it's nothing to be surprised about. I think it's going to rain. If it doesn't rain, maybe it will clear up soon."

He was from the north, and Erlangzi felt relieved when he said that. However, Jian Ning did not dare to let her guard down. She looked around and saw that they were about to enter the forest. Her heart sank. "Brother Tong, I'll drive the horses. You come in and rest for a while."

Tong Bajin said, "I'm not tired. How can I trouble you to drive while I rest? I'll drive. If I get tired, I can always take over. Don't worry, madam."

"Then you better be alert and don't be careless." Jian Ning said, winking at Ding Youtian, "Go back to the carriage and sit down. Brother Shi, you can come in and sit down too. I'm really bored. Let's switch seats."

With the sensitivity of a professional soldier, Jian Ning felt that the forest was an excellent ambush site. If she were Judge Jiang, she would also choose to ambush here in advance.

Without further ado, she replaced Erlangzi and sat down next to Tong Bajin. Tong Bajin noticed something was wrong with her after just one glance and asked in a low voice, "Madam, have you noticed anything wrong?"

Jian Ning stared at the forest ahead and whispered, "Not yet. It's always better to be cautious. Don't rush in. Stop and take a look first."

As they were talking, the carriage had already arrived outside the woods. The sky suddenly cleared up and became brighter. Baimei flew out of the carriage and rushed into the woods, followed by Guoguo.

The two guys played in the woods for a while, and then returned one after another. Baimei landed on Jian Ning's shoulder.

"Let's go in, speed up and try to get out of the forest before dark." Guoguo and Baimei explored the way, and Jian Ning felt a little relieved. Then he let Tong Bajin drive the carriage into the forest.

"This forest is not very big. We will be out of it in half an hour. If my Jifeng is still there, we can be out in less than half an hour." Tong Bajin flicked the whip in his hand while speaking, and the horse raised its four hooves and dragged the cart into the forest with a "clattering sound".

"Is Jifeng a thousand-mile horse?" Jian Ning asked casually, and thought of her own Lieyan. If it weren't for Master Ding San who took care of him like his own son, she really wouldn't be willing to keep Lieyan at home.

"Yes, I raised him since he was little. He can travel a thousand miles a day."

"What a pity."

He sighed, and Jian Ning assumed his wind had died, so he didn't ask any more questions. After walking a little further, the trees ahead suddenly moved without any wind, and the leaves swayed strangely. As Baimei stood up, the forest, which had been brightly lit, instantly became pitch black. The horse stopped, pacing restlessly in place, refusing to move forward.

Before Tong Bajin could react, Jian Ning had already put on infrared night vision goggles and handed him another one, "Put it on."

Baimei flapped his wings and was about to take off when Jian Ning threw him into the grass room and locked him up.

"You put them on too." Jane Ning heard the noise behind her. Ding Youtian and Erlangzi came out. She gave each of them another pair of glasses and then scolded Ding Youtian, "Sit back and don't distract me."

As she spoke, her eyes scanned the surrounding woods like a radar, but she didn't find anything unusual.

"Hey, what is this thing? I can see clearly when I wear it." As Erlangzi finished speaking, a ray of white light suddenly shot down from the top of the forest, spinning around and around. Countless leaves were sucked into it, and as they spun, their speed gradually slowed down, and it seemed to have become a thick cylinder.

"Damn it! What a weird thing! You're trying to play tricks on me. Be careful or I'll kill you with one stick!" The fool had already grabbed his usual iron stick and stared intently at the glowing cylinder. Although he cursed, he didn't dare to slack off at all.

Tong Bajin also held the axe in both hands, ready for battle.

Jian Ning didn't dare to be careless, and didn't care whether Tong Bajin and Erlangzi were surprised. He had already taken out his glasses, so why was he afraid of using a laser sniper? She threw an XL into the car for Ding Youtian to protect himself, and threw a few grenades into the car, and told him, "Keep an eye on Jiajia and Yaoyao, don't let them out."

Guoguo also rushed out, baring his teeth and roaring at the strange circle. If Ding Youtian hadn't scolded it repeatedly, it would have rushed up like an arrow.

"Don't move, let's see what the hell this thing is first." Jian Ning jumped off the carriage and moved towards the light and shadow step by step with a laser sniper.