Chapter 53 The spy was her betrayal of him

After doing all this, her palms were tinged with a slight heat.

The heat surged into her heart and mind, making her feel excited.

She had waited far too long for this moment!

The curse was lifted the moment she returned to his side.

She remembered everything, who was kind to her, and who was her enemy.

She had anticipated that, given Pei Xiaoyun's temperament, he would definitely take her on the ship and keep her by his side at all times.

So she played along with him, dodging his many tests, and instead used others to lull him into a false sense of security.

But she never stopped hating him.

Did he still think she was the loyal maid who would risk her life and death to deliver messages and do errands for him without complaint?

Her eyes held a cold glint, and she kept sneering, laughing at her past foolishness and at her present self for finally outsmarting him.

He exposed his life to her; this time, she would not hesitate to raise her knife and stab him fiercely.

Their feud was irreconcilable.

Not long after the letter was sent, a lone boat slowly approached the ship in the distance. In the darkness of night, no one noticed anything amiss.

Three torches were lit one after another on the small boat, and Mingying's dark pupils lit up, his breathing becoming heavier.

She recognized it as the code she used to communicate with her brother.

Pei Xiaoyun thought that all the pigeons she had been raising these days were his carrier pigeons.

It's just a smokescreen.

Mixed in with her were several pigeons that she used for communication.

He didn't realize that it was his arrogance and sentimentality that made him fail to see.

The ship was unstable at sea and suddenly struck a rock, causing Mingying's body to tremble.

Several oil lamps hanging from the roof beams were extinguished by the shaking, spilling kerosene all over the floor. The pungent and invigorating smell of hemp seeds wafted through the cramped boathouse.

This scent made her even more alert and calm.

At this moment, we need to find a way to get them to stop the boat.

The dry cloth curtain that shielded her from the wind swayed in front of her. Suddenly, she thought of something, reached out and tore the curtain off completely, covered the remaining kerosene on the ground, then took a candle and threw it on top, and poured a few more candles of oil on it.

The flames shot up instantly, casting orange light on her face, baring their fangs and howling.

Before long, thick smoke billowed from the window. With the help of lamp oil, the fire, fueled by the wind, spread rapidly and uncontrollably.

Finally, someone noticed something was wrong and shouted, "Stop the boat immediately! The water's rising! Put out the fire!"

When sailing at sea, the worst thing is for a fire to break out.

"Miss Ming, are you alright? Open the door quickly!" Yu'er was afraid something had happened to her, so she frantically pounded on the door and shouted.

Mingying turned her head and forgot about the tightly locked door. She ignored it, waiting for the boat to stop so she could get away.

The guards who had been positioned around the ship opened the doors to fight the fire; their duty was to protect Mingying, and nothing was more important than that.

A group of people were extremely anxious. Seeing that they couldn't open the door, they started ramming it with the hilts of their knives.

Each sound struck Mingying's heart, and she clenched her cold palms, her wrists trembling slightly.

The anchor was set, the sails that had been billowing were lowered, and the ship finally came to a stop. Behind it, a lone boat that had been following closely approached.

Finding a quiet spot, she stepped onto the windowsill and, without hesitation, plunged headfirst into the rushing water.

The seawater was endlessly cold, but her heart was pounding with heat, and the strength gathered in her limbs propelled her forward with all her might.

Someone threw down a piece of driftwood, which she held tightly, her body slowly moving closer to the small boat as the rope knot was pulled.

"Cough cough..."

A force pulled her up, and she boarded the small boat, where she leaned over the edge and coughed up the water that had entered her lungs.

The people on the boat were all sent by Shen Mingshu to pick her up.

“Miss, the young master sent us to pick you up. We apologize for the inconvenience, as we dared not get too close for fear of being noticed.”

As Mingying's consciousness gradually cleared, she realized that she had escaped the wolf's den. A warmth spread from her heart to her cheeks, and her breathing quickened.

"I'm fine, let's go."

—

On the other side, the sea roared and the warships crashed against the waves, creating a turbulent white rainbow.

The fighting lasted for several days, with all three sides locked in fierce combat and neither side willing to yield.

Pei Xiaoyun led his men to infiltrate the ship of an enemy commander, killed several men, captured the ship, and seized control of the sea area.

This is the strait that Shen Chun values ​​most.

Upon hearing the news from him, Shen Chun immediately abandoned the ship and fled to the ship ahead.

Pei Xiaoyun swung his sword again, and in an instant, blood and flesh flew everywhere as he beheaded the last enemy soldier on the ship.

There were several disheveled prostitutes on the boat, and they were all terrified when they saw him coming with a sword.

"Get ashore and throw them overboard."

Pei Xiaoyun said coldly, wiping the bloodstains off his sword, sheathing it, and instructing his subordinates to inventory the supplies: "This ship is Shen Chun's main base. Take all the grain, fodder, and weapons you find back."

In naval operations, the most pressing need is for supplies.

He also had to thank Shen Chun for sending him a batch of good things.

After a thorough search of the ship, a subordinate presented a heavy sandalwood box a moment later.

"Sir, we have found this item."

Pei Xiaoyun thought it was something else, but when she opened it, she found three lustrous and translucent pearls that shone brightly in the dark night, revealing their preciousness and rarity.

Judging by its quality, it is a rare treasure, a pearl from the South China Sea.

One of these was presented as tribute from the Western Regions decades ago and is still enshrined in the Imperial Ancestral Temple.

That old bastard Shen Chun actually managed to get three of them.

He weighed the item in his hand, then accepted it with satisfaction.

He wanted to use these three beads to make a hair ornament for Mingying.

In the following days, the battle went very smoothly. Shen Chun's troops were routed and scattered by him, and the troops of the aristocratic families were no better, cowering and not daring to come forward.

He wanted to press his advantage, eliminate these two villains, and return to the capital as soon as possible to set the wedding date.

Late that night, the sea was unusually calm, with no wind or waves, as if a storm was brewing.

At midnight, a scout suddenly reported: "Sir, all of Shen Chun's ships have changed direction and are now aligned with the imperial ships, heading towards us. In addition, the imperial troops have captured half of the strait in Qingshui Bay. They may have genuine blueprints, and their route is completely unpredictable and without any loopholes. Our men who were lying in ambush in that area cannot defend against them at all."

Pei Xiaoyun was stroking the pearls with one hand and resting her forehead on her other hand, pretending to doze off. Upon hearing the news, she suddenly opened her eyes.

He was not surprised that Shen Chun, who was on his last legs, had joined forces with the aristocratic families. Joining forces with the aristocratic families to fight him was Shen Chun's last resort.

As early as that night, when he drew out the marching routes and sent them to the commanders of all sides, he had already foreseen the situation of being attacked from both sides today.

He has his own ways of dealing with these things.

He was shocked when the aristocratic family obtained the actual blueprints.

That blueprint could only be drawn by Lin Xian in the whole world. He was indeed not dead, and like Shen Mingshu, he had joined a powerful family to oppose him.

What good is it for those who seize Clearwater Bay first? It all depends on whether they have the life to hold it.

After this battle, he will settle accounts with these overconfident people one by one.

"Sir, what should we do?"

Pei Xiaoyun suddenly let out a cold laugh, the sound of the wind masking his sinister voice.

"Don't panic." His words, though louder than the surging waves, calmed the troops. "Proceed according to the original plan."

His original plan was to wait quietly for the troops from both sides to attack him, and then use himself as bait to lure the enemy deep into his territory.

His troops were lying in wait on various hidden coastlines. That night, he sent route maps to the commanders in various places, instructing them to hold their positions and wait for him to give a signal before encircling them from the outer flanks and coordinating with him from the inside to inflict a major defeat on the enemy.

He deliberately anchored his ship in the middle of the sea, and sure enough, enemy ships surrounded him in a chaotic manner.

By late at night, the enemy had completely surrounded his ship, which was exactly what he wanted.

"Sir, our ship can't move!"

Pei Xiaoyun remained calm and composed, carefully assessing the opportune moment in his mind, and gave the order: "Light the fire."

Hundreds of torches on the ship were lit one after another. After being doused with oil, the sparks connected and spread across the sea like a fire snake. This was the signal he had agreed upon with the commanders of all parties.

The signal was sent out, and the sea surface instantly became as bright as day, with ghostly, mottled light and shadow jumping restlessly on his face.

The enemy also built ladder bridges and began their attack, resulting in fierce fighting.

"kill!"

He donned his armor and led his soldiers to meet the enemy, while waiting for reinforcements to arrive.

The seawater was stained crimson with blood, and countless corpses floated on the surface.

The enemy's fireballs were blocked by the high iron barriers, and the ladder bridges that were built were constantly being cut down.

Pei Xiaoyun had trained elite troops, and the ragtag group on the other side, gathered together for mutual benefit, could not break through his tight defenses for a while.

No matter how rigorous the measures are, the mortal body will eventually tire.

After holding out for a day and a night, the morale of the defending soldiers was somewhat low.

Although the enemy was not an elite force, they had the advantage of a continuous stream of reinforcements. Pei Xiaoyun's side only had one ship full of people, and more than half of them had been killed or wounded.

"Any news of reinforcements?" Pei Xiaoyun asked the scout as he cut down a ladder bridge, his voice tinged with heaviness.

A day and a night have passed since the signal was given; it's impossible that reinforcements haven't arrived yet.

The scout also sensed something was wrong and said tremblingly, "Sir, apart from enemy ships, we haven't found any of our people at sea."

Pei Xiaoyun gripped the sword hilt tightly, his gaze sharpening for a moment, his expression shifting dramatically.

Even though he remained as calm as a mountain, he sensed something was wrong at this moment, and his throat bobbed violently twice.

The lieutenant, wounded in the thigh, dragged his injured leg to report: "Sir, we can't hold on much longer! We've lost contact with reinforcements across the straits!"

Pei Xiaoyun gritted his teeth, his eyes reflecting layers of sparks, his features deep and unfathomable.

He had already sent out the route map, and even if the enemy had anticipated it, it would have been impossible for them to intercept all his ships so cleanly.

He hasn't seen a single person yet!

Could it be that someone betrayed him?

At this moment, the enemy's morale soared, while the morale of their own troops was already wavering.

"Anyone who dares to retreat will be killed without mercy!"

He plunged his sword into the chest of a soldier who was trying to desert, and led his men to kill the enemy.

With a loud bang, the ship shook, and a man was pulled from the sea. The man was seriously injured, wearing armor, and kept kowtowing to Pei Xiaoyun upon seeing him.

Pei Xiaoyun's eyes flashed with a fierce light; this man was the commander-in-chief from whom he had given the roadmap.

He wished he could tear those who betrayed him to pieces.

With a flash of sword light, he severed the man's arm, looking down at the wailing man: "Why did you betray me? I promoted you and treated you well."

The commander, sweating profusely from the pain, begged for mercy: "My lord, spare my life! I had received the route map and was just about to muster my troops when the enemy intercepted me. I fought them and fell into the river, barely escaping with my life. I'm afraid there are spies among them, my lord!"

Pei Xiaoyun was in a state of utter confusion and suddenly became startled.

Spy...

Yes, in this situation, the only possibility is that someone leaked the information beforehand, allowing the enemy to completely cut off their escape route.

Who was the first to reveal his plan to the enemy?

The scout received a carrier pigeon and, thinking it was news of reinforcements, presented it to Pei Xiaoyun with a beaming smile.

Pei Xiaoyun opened the letter and saw a line of text: "The boat is on the water, and Miss Ming has disappeared."

His face was gloomy, and his eyes were glazed over, as if a heavy stone had struck him, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

The scene under the lamplight that night is still vivid in my mind.

"Mian'er, I'll leave this last letter on the boat. If someone comes to collect it within three days, give it to them. If no one comes to collect it after three days, burn the letter and don't give it to anyone."

She was the only one beside him when he drew the route map, and he also left her a letter.

Walk away from the water.

Their whereabouts are unknown.

How could she have disappeared without a trace? How could she have disappeared at this time!

With a "snap," he broke an arrow in two fingers. The sharp iron tip cut his palm, but he felt no pain.

The only thing that seems to throb is my heart.

"Sir, we can't hold out any longer! The enemy is boarding the ships!"

"Sir, our boat is taking on water!"

Pei Xiaoyun's heart was in turmoil. She closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, she understood everything.

He only chuckled softly, his laughter heavy with resentment and pain.

The spy was actually her!

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Author's note: Awesome! [doge emoji][doge emoji]