"Hey, why aren't you answering me?"

Tang Nian pouted, somewhat dissatisfied with Lou Mu's mysterious manner.

She herself didn't realize that her attitude towards Lou Mu had changed too much.

However, Lou Mu remained unmoved and even beckoned Jing Yao to follow.

Tang Nian pouted, looking at the stinky fox who ignored her with dissatisfaction, then patted her head as if suddenly realizing something.

"Oh—I understand!"

Tang Nian was absolutely certain, and immediately reached out and grabbed Lou Mu's sleeve, preventing him from leaving.

"Are you...?"

Tang Nian leaned closer to Lou Mu's shoulder, and Lou Mu blinked his bright, lively eyes.

She had promised Meng Po that she couldn't take the initiative.

But it didn't say we couldn't hint at it!

Tang Nian secretly praised her own intelligence.

Unexpectedly, Lou Mu remained expressionless and calm, seemingly oblivious to Tang Nian's hint, and nonchalantly turned his head to the side, refusing to look at her.

Tang Nian was unhappy about this. She pouted and stood up straight.

"I'm going to Yingzhou City to find Ming Huan. You don't need to come with me. Don't worry about my safety; I'm more than capable of protecting myself."

"besides……"

Suddenly, Jing Yao tugged at Tang Nian's sleeve.

"Jingyao, what's wrong?"

Tang Nian was a little annoyed by Jing Yao's sudden interruption.

Before Jing Yao could speak, a voice came from outside.

"What are you all standing here for? Aren't you going to Yingzhou City?"

It is Chu Roujia.

She stood alone at the city gate, a bag slung over her shoulder, and a carriage behind her.

"So you are..." Tang Nian stared wide-eyed at Lou Mu, who still had a serious expression.

"Miss, I was just about to say..."

Jing Yao took a step closer to Tang Nian without making a sound and explained softly.

quiet.

Even a fly flying by in the air is considered noisy.

You, Lou Mu, are making fun of me and playing with my feelings.

Tang Nian was in an awkward situation at that moment; the thing she had dug out with her toes was something that even the world's best masters couldn't match.

Therefore, Tang Nian secretly made a mental note of Lou Mu's mistake; he would always have to pay for the loss.

With Chu Roujia, a mere mortal, in tow, they naturally had to travel by carriage.

...

"Let's take the main road; it'll be safer along the way."

Lou Mu looked at the fork in the road and offered his suggestion.

"No, the shortcut is faster."

Tang Nian retorted without hesitation. Along the way, Lou Mu pointed east while she wanted to go west, and Lou Mu chased the dog while she wanted to chase the chicken.

In short, she would do whatever it took to go against Lou Mu.

Tang Nian gave Lou Mu a provocative look, as if to say that Lou Mu was too cowardly.

"What, Your Excellency the Grand Secretary, are you afraid to even take a back path?"

"In that case, I'll head to Yingzhou City to await Lord Lou's arrival."

Tang Nian glanced at Chu Roujia, who was still not resting, and crossed her arms, clearly dissatisfied.

She hasn't rested yet, otherwise she could use magic.

In the past two days, out of Chu Roujia's sight, the two silently used magic to speed up the carriage, and they were already not far from Yingzhou.

But in order not to arouse Chu Roujia's suspicion, they made her feel that the carriage was speeding away when she was awake.

In reality, aside from the time spent using magic to travel, the carriage was moving forward at a leisurely pace.

Lou Mu shrugged and smiled helplessly.

Although he had teased Tang Nian after leaving the city, which led to her antagonizing him all the way, Lou Mu actually enjoyed it and found it quite amusing.

Let's just go with Tang Nian!

Yingzhou was a border prefecture where Da Gan and Da Chu met. Yingzhou City was the location of the Yingzhou Governor's Office and was considered a large city. People from both countries often set up stalls and traded there.

That was their destination.

The afterglow of the setting sun spilled onto the forest path, and the carriage slowly came to a stop.

A babbling brook flows beside the road, and wisps of smoke rise from a lonely village on the horizon.

Jingyao's body couldn't withstand the long, bumpy ride, so the group decided to get out of the car and walk around.

Tang Nian walked at the front, turned her head, and met Lou Mu's eyes, which were fixed on her.

It's getting dark.

Lou Mu spoke slowly, but then fell silent.

Tang Nian raised an eyebrow slightly and gave a soft hum: "You tell me."

"Okay, I'll tell you."

Let's find a place to rest.

Jing Yao looked at the two people in front of her, who had just spoken in unison and said the same thing.

After they finished speaking, they looked at each other in surprise, then quickly looked away, feeling a surge of heat in their necks, and dared not look at each other for a moment.

"Um, Miss, Senior, there seems to be a village ahead."

It was Jingyao who broke the deadlock. Following Jingyao's direction, the two saw many rural mud houses not far away.

Why is there no smoke rising from the chimneys as sunset approaches?

Lou Mu was somewhat puzzled. He looked at Jing Yao, who was still recovering from her injuries, and gestured for her to stop.

"I'll go ahead and scout things out first. These villages ahead are a bit strange; there's no smoke coming from their chimneys. You all wait for me here."

Without lingering, Lou Mu told the three to rest and wait for him, then turned and headed towards the distant village.

Tang Nian wanted to argue, but when she looked back at Jing Yao, who was still injured, and Chu Roujia, who didn't understand magic, she had no choice but to give up.

Chu Roujia lifted the carriage curtain and glanced at the blazing sky: "Actually, you don't need to care about me."

"What are you saying? I don't understand." Tang Nian could only pretend to be dumb.

"We're almost at Yingzhou now, but we've only been here for a little over a day. How could the carriages be moving so fast?"

Chu Roujia said softly.

"You don't need to make things so difficult for me, and you don't need to hide it from me. The earlier you arrive, the sooner you can finish."

Tang Nian sighed. Sure enough, hiding something from Chu Roujia was not an easy task.

She didn't actually want to bring Chu Roujia along, and she didn't know what Lou Mu was thinking.

Is it simply because the person she's dealing with is her royal uncle?

Seeing that Tang Nian had agreed, Chu Roujia returned to the carriage.

After learning that the clues were in Yingzhou City, she immediately found her spies on the border and sent all the intelligence over by express courier.

What she needs to do now is to find out all the movements before she arrives.

Knowing yourself and your enemy is the key to victory in every battle.

Tang Nian turned to look at Jing Yao: "Are you feeling better?"

Jing Yao had just changed her wound dressing and was pacing back and forth by the path, her face still a little pale.

Hearing Tang Nian's question, she forced a smile and nodded.

For some reason, with Lou Mu's agility, he only went to the village ahead to scout out the way and find a place to stay, but he hasn't returned for so long.

Tang Nian, feeling utterly helpless, sat down against a large tree and gazed at the lifeless village not far away.

Just as she was pondering this, a rustling sound came from the woods.

Tang Nian looked up and saw Lou Mu standing right in front of her.

"How about it?"

Tang Nian quickly got up and asked Lou Mu if he had discovered anything.