Chapter Thirteen: Seeing Through the Disguise

As the art of war says: Warfare is based on deception. Lure the enemy with profit, seize them when they are in disarray, prepare against their strength, avoid them when they are powerful, provoke them when they are angry, humble them when they are arrogant, exhaust them when they are at ease, and sow discord among their allies. Attack where they are unprepared, and strike when they least expect it.

A rapid flashback of everything that had happened since entering Henan Province swept through Mu Lian's mind, and she suddenly realized that she seemed to have overlooked something. The scouts she had sent out to investigate had all disappeared without a trace, and the approach to the Yellow River was marked by torrential rains and breached dikes—it all seemed too coincidental. But if all of this was deliberate, then the Henan Province military governor was far too capable; could he even plan the exact timing of the torrential rains?

"My lord, it's time to retreat..." The sound of the crashing waves seemed even louder in his ears. A Zhe rushed back to Mu Lian's side again, his face filled with undisguised anxiety.

"Have you confirmed that all soldiers have been evacuated?" As the head of the academy, Mu Lian was always the one who led from the front.

"yes……"

"good."

Mu Lian gathered her strength and moved swiftly with A Zhe, the heavy rain seemingly unable to hinder her steps. Her slender figure, soaring forward, was hazy and ethereal, like a fairy goddess in the rain. Behind her, A Zhe looked up, a fire igniting in his heart, and he unconsciously quickened his pace.

The rain intensified, as if a rift had been torn open in the sky, and then all the gods in heaven were pouring down their magical weapons. The water surged and roared, mingling with the violently churning waves below the riverbanks and the deafening crashing of the embankments—a chilling sight. How insignificant human power is in the face of natural disasters!

"Young master, young master..." Suddenly, Ye Xun, the attendant, cried out in alarm with a slight tremor.

Mu Lian had excellent hearing and immediately looked up. Ahead, a man dressed in sky blue seemed to be stuck in a swamp and was falling. In an instant, he was buried up to half of his body in the mud.

Ye Xun's face turned pale instantly. His young master didn't know martial arts, so he had been extremely careful when escorting him to safety, but who knew that he would still accidentally let his young master fall into the mud. The mud was full of soft, mushy mud, offering no support and seemingly bottomless; if one sank in, there would be no way out but death.

Clinging tightly to Ye Yiqing, Ye Xun could only watch helplessly as his young master slowly succumbed. His eyes reddened with pain: "Young master, no, young master..."

How could this possibly save anyone? They'd probably both get trapped. Mu Lian shook her head, then rushed over with A Zhe, calmly instructing, "A Zhe, protect Guard Ye, I'm going to rescue them..."

"My lord, you..." In his haste, A Zhe forgot to hide his true feelings, but Ye Xun, who was busy saving people, had no time to pay attention. Only Ye Yuqing, who remained calm, heard the commotion.

Looking up and seeing that Ye Yuqing's expression remained unchanged, Mu Lian thought to herself that this Ye Tanhua was quite composed. With a flick of her wrist, her longsword plunged into the mud. Using the soft, sticky mud clinging to the tip of the sword, Mu Lian leaped over Ye Yuqing's head, grabbing him by the back of the collar and lifting him up. Meanwhile, her attendant Ye Xun, quick-witted and agile, seized the opportunity to pull his young master ashore.

Behind Ye Xun, A Zhe planted his broadsword deep into the hard ground, creating a powerful downward pull that tightly gripped Ye Xun's legs.

"One, two, three, lift..." The three of them exerted their strength at the same time and finally managed to pull the dignified Lord Ye out of the swamp like pulling a radish.

Before they could even catch their breath, the sound of the dam collapsing behind them grew closer and closer. Mu Lian didn't say anything more. She tightened her grip on Ye Yiqing's collar and leaped forward again, dragging the man along as they stumbled and fell several more times in the mud.

"Young Master, sob sob..." Ye Xun, who was chasing after him, was heartbroken. But he was no match for Mu Lian and could only watch helplessly as his young master was dragged away like a piece of merchandise.

Ah Zhe, standing nearby, was equally anxious to catch up, but he couldn't either. He could only watch helplessly as the goddess in his heart, clinging tightly to another man, walked faster and faster, disappearing into the distance.

Ahead, Ye Tanhua, being tightly gripped by the woman's slender hand, was both surprised and saddened. He hadn't expected that at the crucial moment, Headmaster Mu would save him without reservation. However, the way he was rescued was rather rough. Before long, Ye Tanhua was being pulled so hard that he couldn't breathe, and even his originally fair and handsome face turned a deep purplish-red.

How delicate! Mu Lian thought to herself as she listened to the man in her arms coughing and panting. However, she loosened her grip slightly, though she still managed to sway him from side to side, at least allowing him to catch his breath.

They walked in silence until Mu Lian had just pulled Ye Yiqing to the top of the hill, when the sound of the water grew increasingly turbulent. Looking back, they saw that many sections of the riverbank dikes they had come from had collapsed, and the raging floodwaters had swept away all traces of people. Everyone broke out in a cold sweat; it had been a close call.

Inside the tent, Deputy Commander Sun, whose face was still pale and not fully recovered, stared blankly at the mud-covered figure that Mu Lian had dragged in. It took him a long time to recognize him: "Lord Ye?"

"Ptooey, ptooey..." Spitting out the muddy water that had splashed into his mouth in a rather unladylike manner, Ye Yiqing casually wiped his face, which was becoming increasingly muddy, and smiled, revealing his white teeth: "Thank you for remembering me, Lord Sun. It is indeed I..."

My God! Sun Bin blinked his small eyes hard, unable to believe that the once handsome and dashing Ye Tanhua had turned into such a mess after only an hour or two? And the worst part was that he had been dragged back by Meng Suishi?

Seeing Ye Yiqing's dignified appearance, Meng Yuan, who was pretending to be the head of the academy, almost couldn't help but burst out laughing, but Mu Lian suppressed it with a cold glare. You must know that in everyone's mind, the dignified head of the academy, Mu Lian, is the first ruthless and cold-blooded character in the capital. How could she act like a woman?

Clearing her throat, Meng Yuan said seriously, "Please, Lord Ye, change your clothes as soon as possible to avoid catching a chill that could harm your health..."

Ye Yuqing glanced at Meng Yuan, then suddenly looked up at Mu Lian, her smile sincere: "What Headmaster Mu said makes a lot of sense. Please wait a moment for me..."

What does this mean? Meng Yuan was bewildered by Lord Ye's glance and could only secretly look at the real head of the academy, only to see Mu Lian simply nod indifferently.

Ha, so Lord Ye saw through my disguise? Meng Yuan was indignant. Where did I go wrong in my acting? How did he even recognize me?

In fact, Mu Lian was not sure when this seemingly harmless Lord Ye had seen through Meng Yuan's disguise. However, just now, when A Zhe called out the wrong address in his haste, Lord Ye did not react. It seemed that he already knew, and he was quite calm.

Thinking of this, Mu Lian couldn't help but wonder if she had underestimated Ye Tanhua before. After all, he was the third-ranked scholar appointed by the Emperor. Although he looked a bit weak, he must have some skills.

This is interesting. Through her bamboo hat, Mu Lian's lips subtly curved into a smile again.