Chapter 342 Together Forever

After crossing Mount Paektu, the vast Luojiang snowfield appears before your eyes.

Huo Gannian, Yun Chen, Ye Yan and Buyan, the four of them walked very fast, bypassing the route of the Lion Army and taking a small road to advance towards Luojiang.

The war is imminent, and what is more important than starting the war is to find Nanlijun.

Now, the news that the 400,000-strong Northern Expedition Army was completely annihilated has spread throughout the world.

All eyes are waiting to see Nan Lijun show up, take charge of the situation and calm the people's hearts.

If we can't find Nan Lijun, I'm afraid that the Nan Kingdom will be in chaos from within before the external enemies are eliminated.

The four speculated that Nan Lijun was most likely trapped in the royal court.

Then finding the location of the royal court is the top priority.

It is said that the royal court of Luojiang suffered a massacre several decades ago and was almost destroyed. Since then, the capital has been moved and hidden. Even most people in Luojiang do not know its address.

If you want to know the address of the royal court, you must first sneak into the Luojiang tribe.

However, now that the two countries are at war, all trade between Nan and Luojiang has stopped, and the Huo Gang branches in Luojiang have also been withdrawn.

It is rare to see people from the Nan Kingdom in Luojiang.

In addition, most of the people of Nan are white-skinned and thin, while most of the people of Luojiang are tall and strong like bears. They can be distinguished at a glance, making it difficult to enter in disguise.

The four of them covered their eyes with scarves to prevent snow blindness and walked quickly while thinking about how to sneak in.

After several discussions, the four of them felt that there was a most appropriate method.

Ye Yan said, "The Northern Expedition Army was completely annihilated after the battle with Luojiang. That doesn't mean all 400,000 men were killed. Some were certainly captured, and many were lost in the battle, forced to disperse. According to the customs of the Luojiang people, they will definitely offer a large reward to our soldiers."

Bu Yan nodded and said, "When Nanguo soldiers are captured, they are usually forced to do the most tiring and dirty hard labor. The ugly ones are made slaves to lead cattle and horses, while the good-looking ones are sent to wealthy families as servants.

We only need one person to pretend to be a slave trader, and the other three to pretend to be fugitives from the Northern Expedition. With our handsome appearance, we'll probably be sent to a wealthy family, where we'll have a better chance of getting news from the royal court."

"Then who will play the slave trader?" Yun Chen asked at the right time.

Ye Yan and Buyan looked at Huo Gannian together, subconsciously thinking that he would be most suitable to play the role of a cold-blooded slave trader.

But Huo Gannian did not respond, as if he was in a trance, and was rarely focused. No one knew what he was thinking.

He quickly adjusted his thoughts, considering that if the people of Luojiang captured the prisoners from the Nan Kingdom, the first thing they would do would be to strip them and conduct a body inspection, which would be too unsafe for Yun Chen.

"Chen'er's daughter should dress up as men and pretend to be slave traders."

Since the division of labor was clear and it was getting late, the four decided to rest in the wild for another night to replenish their spirit and physical strength before starting the action the next day.

The snowy plains were barren, but thankfully, they had some experience along the way. Ye Yan and Buyan found a sheltered slope and quickly dug a large snow cave large enough for four people. While a bit cramped, it was more than enough for the night.

Buyan spread out the straw couch he had brought from the Lantern Temple on Mount Paektu, and they all ate some dry food around the small stove. Then Ye Yan slept on one side leaning against Buyan, while Huo Gannian slept on the other side hugging Yun Chen.

Outside the snow cave, the cold wind was blowing. The cave was airtight on all sides and the entrance was very small, but it was quite warm.

The small stove had a weak flame, which did not affect the solidity of the snow cave, but it still made the ceiling drip with snow water. The atmosphere was perfect for sleeping.

Ye Yan and Buyan soon began to snore.

After so many years of sleeping in the open air, Yun Chen has long been accustomed to spending the night together with his brothers and soldiers, and fell asleep quickly.

Only Huo Gannian stared at the cave ceiling with his eyes open, tossing and turning, unable to fall asleep.

"Chen'er, are you asleep?" he called softly.

Seeing Yun Chen didn't respond, he gently pushed her, "Chen'er, are you asleep?"

After pushing two or three times, Yun Chen was finally woken up.

She answered dazedly:

"Awake now. What happened?"

He buried his head in her shoulder and said in a muffled voice, "I can't sleep, Chen'er."

"Why? Did you eat too much? Go out for a walk and digest the food before coming back." She made the suggestion entirely from a physiological perspective.

He shook his head. "I can't sleep. As soon as I close my eyes, I have nightmares. I dare not sleep."

No one knew what evil spirit there was in the Lantern Temple on Mount Paektu. When they spent the night there, everyone slept normally except Huo Gannian, who had a nightmare all night.

In the dream, he was the one guarding the lamp on this desolate mountain.

From somewhere, a voice said to him:

"Hurry up and turn on the lights, Yun Chen is already coming here."

He looked around at the cold, dark main hall and stone chamber, and hurriedly looked for flint to start a fire, but no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't produce any sparks.

The lantern temple was cold. He stood on the mountainside and saw Yun Chen floating towards him from a distance.

She looked sad and disappointed, and looked at him with empty eyes:

"Ah Nian, why is there no light? I'm so scared to walk."

He pounded the stove like a madman, smashed the torches, and clanged the flint, but it was still of no use.

Yun Chen slowly drifted away, and he was left alone on Mount Baitou, screaming in despair:

"Chen'er! Chen'er—don't leave me!!"

He woke up from such a terrifying nightmare. When he looked up, he saw Yun Chen crying, as if echoing the ending of the dream.

Yun Chen was clearly just talking to the old man and listening to the story of the Queen, but why did his eyes turn red unconsciously and he felt empty and anxious in his heart?

He didn't dare to think about it anymore and hugged Yun Chen tightly in his arms. The faint flame illuminated his sharp and handsome eyebrows.

He begged softly, "Chen'er, let's be together forever, okay? Never separate, regardless of life or death, prosperity or decline, let's be together for all eternity, okay?"