In the pitch-black night, soldiers holding torches were patrolling not far away. The light of the fire shone faintly over, and the sound of footsteps was very clear amid the rise and fall of snoring. There were also patrols outside the camp, but their residual eyes were always locked on the watchers in this area.

This guy is so brave, he actually dares to sneak into the enemy camp alone? !

Su Ci didn't dare to move. She held her breath for a moment, then moved her hands and feet very slightly. "Let me go, brother!"

Yang Yanzong clamped her hands and feet, and silently clamped her back from behind. She was clamped tightly, unable to move at all. The man behind her had a clear body temperature and strong breathing. Their chests were pressed against each other's backs. The posture and distance were too close. The pressure from this man was stronger than any other time. She was not very comfortable and was not used to it.

Yang Yanzong relaxed slightly, but did not let go.

In fact, Su Ci's reaction surprised him a little.

In order to prevent Su Ci from panicking and attracting the attention of the enemy camp, Yang Yanzong held her hands, feet and body tightly while making contact with her, suppressing any possible screams and struggles from her.

But to his surprise, except for the moment she tensed up when he touched her, she immediately calmed down, relaxed her body and held her breath to avoid attracting the attention of patrolmen and observers.

The two of them kept this posture tacitly, without saying a word. After a while of silence, the patrol passed by. Su Ci slowly turned around and whispered, "What's wrong? How did you get here?"

Under the faint starlight, at a close distance, her face was dirty, but her eyes were surprisingly bright. She turned flexibly to look at him, with a sense of holding her breath, but no panic could be seen.

Clear black and white, extremely flexible.

Yang Yanzong stared at her with his eyes downcast. After a long while, he didn't hear any answer. Su Ci felt a little guilty. She looked around and whispered, "A lot of people are watching me."

She pointed in the direction of Ji Chengtan: "My sister's suitor." Forgive her, this black pot can only be put on her sister, but fortunately, her parents are there, and Yang Yanzong can't control her sister's marriage even if he is the head of the family. "It's this person. It may be because of him that the news was leaked."

Su Ci felt guilty and explained in a low voice: "But luckily I have him. These four guards are his. He protects me because of my sister. I am fine for now. I will find a way to get away later."

"Yes, I understand."

The two sisters have an extremely good understanding of each other. Su Yan has already put the blame on herself and put the blame on herself tightly. Yang Yanzong has no time to pay attention to her. Su Yan is scolded by her parents. She appears to be repentant but is extremely anxious inside.

Yang Yanzong sneaked in at night not for this matter. Of course he was extremely unhappy, but things had already happened and the situation had changed. The original plan was forced to be suspended and adjustments were made immediately.

He came in person to inform Su Ci of a key step and asked her to cooperate.

"Are my parents, sister and the others okay? Are they hurt?"

"fine."

Yang Yanzong answered her concisely. As for the fact that Su Rong was injured, he thought that was not her focus.

Under the faint starlight, the bushes were dark, with the occasional hoarse chirping of insects. The two of them clung to each other tightly, Yang Yanzong's hands still motionless in the embrace. He asked him in a deep voice that only the two of them could hear: "Can you lead Liang Shen to the ambush point?"

His voice still had that natural indifference. Shadows covered his eye sockets, and there was a deep darkness between his high brow arch and the bridge of his nose. His eyes could not be seen, but her gaze could be felt clearly. His presence was as strong and compelling as ever, and his brows were fixed on her without moving.

Su Ci understood it almost immediately, and she said, "It should be possible."

She didn't say anything nonsense like "try your best" or anything like that. She gave the answer very directly and neatly.

"very good."

Yang Yanzong said.

Very good, this was another answer that was beyond his expectations.

He couldn't help but lower his eyes and look at the dirty young girl in his arms, who had a pair of extremely beautiful eyes.

She was soft and young, but not flustered or frightened. She had a pair of big, lively eyes that rolled around. She was unexpectedly calm and smart.

This trip was incredibly smooth.

"But I don't know where the Tiankeng Stone Forest is?"

Su Ci stood up, leaned close to Yang Yanzong's ear, and spoke in a very small voice. The key words were so light that they were almost just breath sounds.

Su Ci often changed Yang Yanzong's bandages and had heard about this place sporadically once. She guessed that was the ambush site.

She was not wrong at all.

The hot breath hit Su Ci's ear, the unique smell of youth. Yang Yanzong listened attentively, then he tilted his head slightly and whispered into Su Ci's ear: "No problem, northeast direction."

"Just keep going, I'll have someone correct your direction."

I see. That’s good.

Her ears felt hot and itchy, and Su Ci resisted the urge to grab a handful and quickly stepped back. The situation just now required that their faces be pressed together, a position that was almost like rubbing ears against ears, making the senses become unusually clear, the strange yet familiar body temperature and breath entangled, she was so guilty, she didn't mean to take advantage of the male protagonist.

He retracted his head, but their messy hair was still tangled together. Su Ci stretched out two fingers and quickly pulled them back.

She stole a glance at him. Yang Yanzong was looking down at her. His pair of indifferent pupils were like the deep and cold night without stars. The bridge of his nose looked particularly straight in the shadow. This man was very handsome, but his indifference usually made people ignore his handsomeness.

Su Ci thought of her guilty conscience and gave him a flattering smile.

Her big eyes were curved, as clear as black mercury beads rolling into a cool stream at midnight, well-behaved and bright.

Yang Yanzong snorted, not sure if it was a laugh or an expression of displeasure. He looked around and patted her waist.

Su Ci understood, and the two of them looked at each other and slowly separated. There was a very slight sound of dry grass rubbing against each other. The two of them quietly and silently let go and tacitly returned to their original positions and postures.

In the quiet night, the snoring and the patrolling footsteps are both near and far.

Su Ci lay there for a while, turned over carefully, and quickly rubbed her itchy ears and wrists. Only after doing this did the strange tingling sensation subside.

She opened her eyes and stared at the shade of the tree for a while. She was not worried about Yang Yanzong beside her, because he could come in and go out as well.

But how should she lead it?

…

After sleeping on the yellow mud for a night and riding on horseback for a long time, Su Ci felt sore in her waist, back and thighs. Before she could rub her waist, Liang Shen's personal soldiers came over and said expressionlessly, "Miss Su, please."

This attitude made Ji Chengtan unhappy, and Su Ci gently stopped him: "Tanlang, it's okay."

When she called out this name that gave people goosebumps, she felt uneasy and quickly glanced around.

——Ever since Yang Yanzong found her, she has been more careful and attentive when interacting with Ji Chengtan, and she is absolutely not allowed to lean on his shoulders anymore! I was afraid that this one would be exposed accidentally again.

Su Ci was invited to the front by the personal soldiers. She nodded nervously and timidly to Liang Shen, and then, followed by the guards and personal soldiers, began to observe the terrain and look for a water point.

Su Ci has always had a good sense of proportion. She never simply looks for places with fluffy grass like she did before, but looks for places with mixed vegetation, or places where there are some plants not far away and where the terrain shows that water veins will extend to this side.

Make sure that in the short term, the trick of finding water will not be figured out by the other party.

She searched three times and succeeded about once, which was the expected result for a "beginner".

In fact, it was quite successful.

Liang Shen looked down on women, especially ignorant girls like her who came from a humble family, had no background, and could only read the Four Books for Girls and learn embroidery and playing the piano.

Occasionally he would look at Su Ci with a disgusting look. This man who had seen countless women had a very sharp eye and could see that Su Ci was a very beautiful girl with a good figure. She was also the daughter of the rival who was secretly having an affair with a man. It was impossible for him to respect her much.

Of course, this look was still very obscure. After all, no matter how beautiful a woman was, she was just a woman. He would never offend Ji Chengtan to death for a woman.

This kind of scumbag should die at the hands of a woman sooner or later, he aimed it!

Su Ci pretended not to notice, but secretly cursed this scumbag eight hundred times in her heart. There was no need for her to stay in front of Liang Shen any longer. There was no other way, it was too disgusting.

“The water is coming out! The water is coming out!!”

Cheers were heard from behind. Today was relatively smooth. Water was quickly dug out from three of the four promising spots. The soldiers rushed forward carrying large pots and buckets of water. When they met Su Ci, they nodded and greeted her.

Su Ci smiled shyly and glanced at a young sergeant with a tanned face. When she glanced at him, the other party bent the index finger of the hand carrying the bucket and silently pointed in a certain direction.

Su Ci understood what he meant.

She thought about it and estimated that it would take three or four days at most to reach the destination.

…

Su Ci's guidance was very successful at the beginning.

But in the middle and late stages, things started to go wrong.

"Have you found any trace of Yang Yanzong?!"

Early in the morning, the scorching sun shines down on our heads. It is late August, but the sun is still like a fire. The weather is dry and hot, and it is getting worse.

After rolling around in the mountains for more than half a month, everyone was covered in sweat and dust. Liang Shen rolled up his sleeves to his elbows, stood on the hillside, squinted his eyes and looked up, his face gloomy.

After successfully abducting Su Ci, Yang Yanzong and his men seemed to have disappeared overnight. The tail scout was killed. In the following days, he sent out more than a dozen teams, but all gained nothing.

Everything was quiet, but Liang Shen could keenly smell the danger.

Zhang Mou and his trusted men guessed that Yang Yanzong might have escaped first, and advised him to order his troops to speed up. After all, the environment is becoming increasingly dry, and they can't keep staying here forever. If they really can't kill Yang Yanzong, they should consider leaving first, as it's becoming increasingly difficult to find water recently.

Among these similar voices, among these voices that basically believed that Yang Yanzong chose to escape after weighing the pros and cons, only Liang Shen had a completely different idea - he knew Yang Yanzong too well! They are all the same kind of people who seek wealth and honor through risk. You can't get a tiger cub without accessing the tiger's den. Yang Yanzong will never leave unless it is absolutely necessary!

——If this is the case, then this unusual situation may very well indicate that a huge crisis is quietly brewing.

Liang Shen immediately made a decision: "Go east to Pingzhou, slow down, send twice as many scouts, and make sure to find Yang Yanzong and his group!"

He narrowed his eyes. In this competition, let's see who is the hunter and who is the prey!

A fierce flash of light flashed across Liang Shen's narrow, eagle-like eyes.

…

And on the other side.

Under the night sky, dozens of miles away, a group of seven or eight people stopped silently on the mountain ridge. They were dressed in black, with their faces covered by bamboo hats, almost blending into the night.

The mountain wind was howling and dust was flying. Yang Yanzong stood on the rocks, looking in the direction where the large military garrison was camping.

Yang Yanxin said: "Brother, there are still three days."

A look of joy appeared on his face. In three days, Liang Shen would step into the ambush circle they had set up! "I'll go back and inform Uncle Su right away!"

"What's the hurry?"

Yang Yanzong said calmly: "I'll go tomorrow."

"Tell Akang and Uncle Su that Liang Shen won't arrive for at least five or six days, so tell them to just rest assured and make the arrangements carefully."

Yang Yanxin was surprised: "Five or six days?"

Yang Yanzong glanced at him indifferently. Yang Yanxin didn't dare to ask any more questions and said hurriedly: "Oh, I'll go tomorrow."

Yang Yanzong lowered his eyes, then raised them again, squinting and looking into the distance.

This is still the case if things go smoothly.

Liang Shen is cunning and vigilant, and he is not so easily fooled.

However, thinking back to Su Ci on that day, Yang Yanzong pondered over it and finally judged that five or six days should be enough.

…

In fact, Yang Yanzong's judgment was very sharp and accurate, and he was absolutely right.

Not only were the days delayed, but the process was also extremely tortuous and thrilling.

The next day, Su Ci found that the guidance was not going smoothly. When she pointed out the direction where water was more likely to be, which was northeast, Liang Shen behind her suddenly said, "Go that way!"

He flicked the whip and with a whoosh, it pointed to the southeast!

Ji Chengtan was furious and was about to speak, but Su Ci grabbed his sleeve and shook his head. He endured it and barely suppressed his anger.

The situation has changed. At this critical moment, Liang Shen will no longer care about Ji Chengtan. If he angers him, he will suffer the consequences.

If it really doesn't work, it's very easy for someone to get lost or die in this kind of environment.

Su Ci lowered her head and raised her eyebrows.

No, it seems she has to change her strategy.

She began to choose the forking points skillfully, and whenever she pointed the way, she basically no longer pointed to her real destination, but instead guessed the possible choices Liang Shen might make and pointed to the other side.

This crooked and twisted way of thinking was generally in the direction she wanted, but it was not very accurate.

But it’s not a big problem. The drought is getting worse and worse. No matter how far we go, we can’t get away from the areas near the mountains. After all, the vegetation has completely dried up if we go further out.

On the third day, Su Ci fell ill.

A young girl from the inner chamber who has little knowledge and only has occasional adventures would fall ill under such harsh environment and psychological pressure.

"Is it sick?"

Liang Shen's initial suspicion was directed first at Su Ci, no matter how well she pretended, which led to him going in the opposite direction.

I have to say, this guy is really sharp.

People who have survived the battlefield and piles of dead bodies have a natural and keen intuition about life, death and crisis.

Su Ci was secretly fighting against him and was really tired.

Not long after she lay down, she heard the footsteps of seven or eight heavy military boots landing on the ground, and Liang Shen's voice: "Go, check her pulse!"

The military doctor took the order and immediately stepped forward to take the patient's pulse. He first measured the temperature on the forehead with his hand, then observed the complexion, and finally took the patient's pulse.

The two military doctors took turns examining her and reported, "General, Miss Su's pulse is floating and slow. She has been invaded by evil heat. She needs to take medicine as soon as possible and drink plenty of water, otherwise her life may be in danger."

In this kind of weather, if you fall ill, you may not be able to get up.

Su Ci felt two sharp gazes looking her up and down. She closed her eyes slightly, looking uncomfortable, and breathing heavily.

The girl lying on the ground had a flushed dirty face, sweat pouring down her face, her lips were dry and chapped, and she was already in a semi-fainted state.

Liang Shen ignored Ji Chengtan's shouting, he shifted his gaze away from Su Ci and gave the other person a cold look. Ji Chengtan's heart sank and he closed his mouth.

Su Ci: What a useless guy, he is frightened by just one look.

Then she heard Liang Shen say, "Use medicine, go now! We must cure her!"

The military doctor said in a stern voice, leaving no room for doubt. “Yes!”

There was the sound of military boots leaving, and the military doctor quickly turned around to get medicine. Su Ci was sent into the small tent, and then she soon smelled the scent of boiled medicine.

A thin blanket covered her, blocking the hot air. With half of her face covered, Su Ci raised the corners of her lips.

Liang Shen's suspicion and vigilance are growing. Time is running out, so she has to reduce his suspicion and vigilance towards herself in a timely manner.

In this kind of weather and environment, it is too easy to create the feeling of heat invading the body, and she happened to know some tricks to adjust her appearance in the short term.

hey-hey.

…

Due to Liang Shen’s arbitrary behavior, the team has not been able to get enough water for three days, especially yesterday, when no water was found at all.

In weather like this, people will die immediately if there is no water.

I'm afraid there's not much horse blood left.

Liang Shen was also forced into a hurry. He had to find enough water today no matter what.

The sick girl had been lying down all night and still looked listless, but she had been helped onto the horse's back.

She leaned on the horse's back, trying to determine the direction.

But it was not smooth. After walking for more than an hour twice, the environment did not improve much. Liang Shen became annoyed and shouted loudly, and the girl was frightened and fell off the horse.

The girl was helped back onto the horse and collapsed on the saddle. Liang Shen spoke in a threatening tone.

Maybe it was the threatened girl's extraordinary performance, or maybe there is always a way out, after two setbacks in luck, her luck finally improved! This time, there was finally more green at the roots of large trees, sparse woods and scattered grass than before.

The whole team breathed a sigh of relief.

Su Ci also showed a little joy and said in a hoarse voice: "This area is close to the mountains, there may be water ahead!"

I didn't drink any water the whole day yesterday, so of course my voice was hoarse. However, under Su Ci's messy bangs, her eyes didn't look as sickly as she looked.

She hugged the horse's neck, her eyes rolled around, and she thought to herself that they should be there soon.

Sure enough, the further forward we went, the greener it became. Even the drooping green trees and yellow grass that seemed covered with a layer of gray finally began to perk up. We even saw a towering ancient tree with most of its leaves green.

The footsteps behind them were getting faster and faster. Everyone started running. Su Ci was delighted: "There must be water ahead! Maybe there is even surface water!!!"

The last bit of afterglow of the setting sun slowly sank into the top of the mountain. Dusk was all around and the sky was already dark. However, Su Ci, who was familiar with the characteristics of various plants and the laws of the environment, could still see traces of watering not long ago.

Su Ci gave a thumbs up, it was just right.

A large team was running behind them, Su Ci could even hear the sound of licking lips, and even Liang Shen's dusty face showed a smile.

Running all the way, the green became more and more obvious, and after running seven or eight miles, the view in front of me suddenly opened up!

A huge sinkhole, not deep, only about seventy or eighty meters, you can see the bottom, but it is very large and there is no end in sight. As far as the eye can see, densely packed small stone hills stand at the bottom, forming a natural stone forest.

Although it is also covered with withered yellow color and yellow dust, this tiankeng stone forest is obviously more favored by the water flow. Except for the weathered cliffs on the edge, most of the green is retained underneath. The closer you look to the center, the greener it is, and it even feels lush and verdant from a distance.

Su Ci's eyes moved. This was indeed a natural ambush place! If I'm not mistaken, we have entered the ambush circle now, right?

She lowered her eyes and glanced at the weathered cliff below. In the twilight, she was aware of something vaguely.

She glanced at Liang Shen not far away without making any expression.

Hurry up!

She had completed her mission beautifully and it was time to get out.

Liang Shen's eyes were very sharp. She was afraid that the other party would soon discover some flaws, so she had to get away quickly!

"There must be water down there!"

Su Ci's mind raced, and she cheered with joy. She let go of the reins, pretended to be so happy that she forgot herself and ran out in one step!

But before she could take a few steps, there was a sudden loud shout from behind!

"wrong!!"

"Fuck you bitches!!!"

Su Ci: “!!!”

There was a whistling sound of a sharp weapon cutting through the air behind me, oh my god!

"grass!"

Su Ci reacted very quickly. He immediately hugged his head and threw himself forward, rolling down the weathered cliff and running away quickly!

At this moment, there was a loud "boom", the ground below shook, and the entire weathered cliff collapsed! !

A large row of people above their heads lost their balance and were pushed down.