Unscrewing the spout, the uniquely refreshing aroma of Yunyexian wine wafted out. A cool breeze blew the fragrance downstream.
Sure enough, after a while, the anxious shadow seemed to be led by an invisible hand and walked involuntarily towards the upstream, stopping and starting until it saw the wine bag standing next to the tree roots.
Luo He's eyes lit up, he walked forward and rubbed his hands, picked up the wine bag, thinking that some high-ranking official was stealing the wine and letting him take advantage of it. But just as he was about to put it to his mouth, his collar suddenly tightened at the back of his neck, and he was lifted up and dragged behind a tree. A low voice sounded behind his ear.
"Tell me, what do you know?"
The man who failed to steal the wine and was caught struggled desperately. Just as he was about to shout, someone grabbed his jaw.
"If you scream or shout, I'll break your jaw."
The voice seemed familiar. He twisted his neck and looked back, and saw a familiar face.
"W-w-why are you here?"
The other party did not answer but asked instead.
“When will they act?”
He struggled hard, trying to make his posture look less awkward, but he didn't move at all.
How come this woman is so strong?
"You said you wanted me to wait outside tonight, but by now it should be..."
She asked urgently.
"How long have you been gone?"
Luo He answered hesitantly.
"About... half an hour."
Then maybe there is still a chance to catch up, she asked again.
"Where did you leave from and where did you go?"
The other person slowly raised his hand and pointed to the end of the stream.
"Upstream, the Stone Gate. I don't know what's going on beyond that." After a pause, he whispered, "I think we shouldn't join in on this fun, shall we?"
This drunkard looked to be at least forty or fifty years old, but his eyes, which were slightly timid and aggrieved, somehow reminded her of Wu Xiaoliu.
I don’t know how that fat guy is doing now.
In the military, missions are accomplished without fail, and some tactics are inevitable. In the past, for the sake of safety and to avoid exposing herself, forcing Luo He into the valley would have been the best decision. But after what happened in Bijiang, she now thinks more carefully before doing anything.
This is not being soft-hearted, it's just learning to understand.
They are just ordinary people, not as willing to risk their lives as she is, and they really shouldn't be involved in all this blood and gore.
"If you have a chance, find a boat and leave here. What happens here has nothing to do with you."
Xiao Nanhui loosened his hand, and Luo He fell to the ground. When he looked up again, the woman had already taken the wine bag and left alone.
After a long time, a sigh was heard from the quietly flowing stream.
"Not really...it doesn't matter."
******************
Outside the valley, there are wild grasses and jagged rocks.
Xiao Nanhui lay in the grass downwind, quietly watching the Tiancheng army resting at the valley entrance not far ahead.
It was a small cavalry unit of no more than a hundred men, but even a cursory glance revealed something unusual. Ding Weixiang led the team, followed closely by a dozen or so secret guards, whose skills were significantly superior to those she had seen in the Black Feather Battalion. In addition, three other soldiers with feathers and military caps each led a dozen or so skilled soldiers, all elite soldiers from their respective battalions, many of them young and accomplished warriors.
Thinking of the fate of this island after tonight, her eyes could not help but slide across those young faces one by one. Their expressions were very calm, but she wondered if somewhere far away, there were also loved ones waiting for them to return home under a few old tiles?
"Lieutenant Ding, there's something on the stone tablet."
The voice of the secret guard brought her back to her senses.
She gazed intently toward the valley's entrance in the night, and then she noticed a bare, square stone tablet beneath the stone archway. It had no carvings or mythical beasts on its back. It was mottled with wind and rain, and covered in thick moss. Ding Weixiang lit a torch and approached. She could only vaguely make out two broken, ancient characters on the tablet.
Inferior.
Is this the boundary marker of Buxu Valley? What does "lower level" mean?
Several commanders guarding the stone tablet were whispering to each other, clearly engaged in an argument. She strained to listen, but couldn't make out what was going on, so she looked away.
There was a carriage parked under the stone archway.
Buxu Valley was a deserted place, especially at the entrance. But besides the strangeness, the carriage looked strangely familiar, remarkably similar to the ones they had ridden in before. Ding Weixiang paused, then turned and whispered a few words to the secret guards behind him. Someone then stepped forward to inspect the carriage and took it away.
Seeing the carriage coming towards him, Xiao Nanhui hurriedly and carefully avoided it and returned to the huge rock behind which he had tied Jixiang.
Jixiang was a little anxious, so she hurriedly whispered to comfort him. While stroking the horse's butt, she suddenly thought of something. She looked back at the empty carriage and then became more certain of what she was thinking.
A hundred steps away, Ding Weixiang and others had dismounted one after another and handed their horses to the two men, while the rest walked deep into the wild grass.
Xiao Nanhui knew that he had no time to delay any longer, so he turned around and took off everything on Jixiang one by one. After hesitating for a while, he raised his hand and removed the saddle and reins, leaving only the badge he wore when he was in Guangyao Camp.
The mixed-haired horse, which had gained three times the weight, felt lighter. It first turned around happily on the spot, and then suddenly became quiet, staring at its owner motionlessly.
She didn't dare look into those eyes, and reached out her hand to pat the butt that she had touched countless times.
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