Chapter Eight
The border area between the two cities was dark and desolate, with densely packed tents and the occasional howl of wolves, which only made the silence more palpable.
Some of the Dongliang soldiers on the city wall of Chencheng were sitting in a corner, clutching their swords and squinting, seemingly asleep. Below the wall, on the opposite side, stood hundreds of thousands of Yunxiu soldiers.
They showed absolutely no sign of facing a formidable enemy.
Mo Yinghuo, Shu Rong, the two scouts, and two agile and brave soldiers all changed into the clothes of Dongliang soldiers.
The two scouts were already familiar with the terrain of Chen City. With their guidance, Mo Yinghuo and Shu Rong quickly blended into the city.
"General, this is it," one of the thinner scouts whispered.
Before them stood an old, dilapidated building in Chencheng, Dongliang Kingdom. It had a low rammed earth foundation, and above the main gate was a black plaque covered in dust, the characters illegible. The gate was ajar. The steps in front of the gate were cracked and sunken, showing signs of wear and tear, indicating that no one had lived there for a long time.
This building is located in a remote part of Chencheng in Dongliang Kingdom, where almost no Dongliang people pass by, especially since it is late at night.
Shu Rong frowned, not understanding why the eldest princess had come here in the middle of the night.
Mo Yinghuo remained expressionless, his lips slightly parted, and he turned his head to the two soldiers, saying softly, "You two stay here and guard the place. I will go in with Deputy General Shu to investigate."
"Yes," the two soldiers replied softly, bowing with their hands clasped.
Shu Rong and two scouts followed Mo Yinghuo inside. At the entrance was a large courtyard, overgrown with weeds, with a large well and a tall, lush tree. It was clearly a long-abandoned courtyard, perhaps uninhabited, giving it a desolate feel.
Suddenly, a series of giggling laughs rang out, chilling the air. The four of them immediately leaped onto the roof. The sound clearly came from a house not far away.
The four of them approached the sound quietly from the rooftop. The house from which the sound came was the largest of all the houses in the building. The door was ajar, and through the crack, Mo Yinghuo and Shu Rong saw the back of a tall man dressed in plain clothes, standing with his hands behind his back.
Upon seeing the man's back, Mo Yinghuo's lips curled into a triumphant smile.
A single glance at the bright red color immediately caught their eyes, and they gracefully approached the man step by step.
The alluring and beautiful woman had loose black hair and a beautiful face, but she didn't look pitiful at all. Her red lips were seductive, her eyes were mesmerizing, and her long, jade-like legs and constantly swaying waist seemed to be arousing the desire of the man in front of her with all her might.
Shu Rong glanced at the Princess with a strange look, thinking, "In the middle of the night, sneaking into Dongliang Kingdom, is this what the General brought me to see? It's a good thing I came; if the Princess had brought that Gongliang Zhong..."
Mo Yinghuo ignored Shu Rong, but stared at the man's back with great interest, her gaze icy.
“I’m warning you, don’t mess with the people here,” the man said indifferently. Clearly, he was oblivious to everything the woman in red had done.
The woman in red chuckled again and said, "The people here, do you mean Dongliang Kingdom, Yunxiu Kingdom, or somewhere else?"
The man remained motionless and said sternly, "Everyone."
Mo Yinghuo's gaze held a new depth.
"I've heard that the young marshal from Yelan Star is extremely handsome and elegant. I've met him tonight, and he is indeed as described." The woman in red bit her lip, her voice languid and charming.
The man turned his head slightly, as if he felt that the woman in front of him was too filthy and that he was afraid of offending his eyes.
The man in plain clothes turned his head, and the people on the rooftop, using the moonlight that had just broken through the dark clouds, saw his face.
On the rooftop, Shu Rong stared in astonishment. The man who stood as steady as a mountain in front of the alluring woman in red was none other than Zhao Shu. Shu Rong glanced at Mo Yinghuo subconsciously, but her face remained expressionless.
The woman in red remained unmoved by Zhao Shu's indifference and showed no anger. Her delicate, boneless hand wandered around Zhao Shu's body, seemingly touching him but never daring to touch him.
Her breath was as sweet as orchids, and her voice as delicate as a fox's.
Mo Yinghuo and Shu Rong, a general and his deputy in the prime of their lives, lay on the rooftop, neither daring to look at the other, feeling utterly speechless with unbearable embarrassment.
The two spies beside him, seemingly used to such scenes, remained completely unfazed, as if watching a play. It seems the people of Wutai Commandery are indeed very knowledgeable.
Suddenly, Mo Yinghuo noticed that the woman in red seemed unable to resist, and one of her hands was about to touch Zhao Shu's lower body.
Unconsciously, a smug, wicked smile crept onto her lips.
Before Mo Yinghuo and several others could react, they were lying on the roof and could not see the action clearly. They only knew that Zhao Shu lightly kicked the woman in red and sent her flying outside.
That kick was truly heavy, truly merciless, and truly ruthless!
"Sure enough, this person dislikes being touched by others. Not only dislikes it, but utterly loathes it," Mo Ying thought to herself. She wiped her eyes with her hand and looked at the woman lying face down on the ground, her arms outstretched, her black hair completely covering her head. A strange thought flashed through her mind: "cherishing beauty and showing compassion."
Shu Rong also opened her mouth wide without realizing it.
What deep-seated hatred could there be? She's a woman, after all.
Zhao Shu strolled outside, put his hands behind his back, and coldly gazed at the bright, white full moon in the sky.
Dressed in plain clothes, with his black hair tied up high, and light-colored eyes, his sculpted features were strikingly handsome. He exuded an aura of unapproachability, and the soft moonlight shone on him in a surprisingly harmonious way, making one want to look at him a few more times.
A few wisps of hair fluttered gently, and her eyes seemed to hold the shadow of her hometown.
For a long time, Zhao Shu remained in the position of looking up at the moon, not only without moving his body, but also without blinking, as if frozen in time.
Mo Yinghuo seemed to sense something, chuckled softly, pulled Shu Rong up, and leaped to the ground.
Seeing this, the two spies immediately followed suit, leaping lightly to the ground.
"What did you do..." Shu Rong was terrified, but before she could finish speaking, Zhao Shu interrupted.
He cupped his hands slightly and smiled, "General, you've finally come down." His gesture seemed a little stiff, as if it were the first time he had done it.
Mo Yinghuo rubbed his temples, nodded slightly, and teased, "Sorry to keep you waiting. I didn't know you were looking at us just now."
It turns out that the person was not admiring the moon, but admiring the four of them.
“General,” Zhao Shu said in a low voice, “what you are looking for is inside. Destroy it and we can attack the city. However, I am afraid I cannot do it alone. I need your help.”
Mo Yinghuo's eyes were like knives, piercingly shooting towards Zhao Shu.
Zhao Shu, however, only looked at Mo Yinghuo in a friendly manner.
Mo Yinghuo was initially wary, but this inexplicably friendly look from him reminded him of the dream. The cinnabar mole on the corner of his eyebrow suddenly felt hot, and his fingers twitched as he pressed his clothes together, before silently returning to normal.
Shu Rong was stunned. What was going on with these two? What was the Princess looking for? Was that thing still inside? And she was talking about attacking the city? This Zhao Shu, his appearance in the military camp had already raised a lot of questions, and now, what was the situation? His gaze fell on Mo Yinghuo, while Mo Yinghuo's gaze remained unreadable as it fell on Zhao Shu.
Unlike Shu Rong's reaction, the two spies behind Mo Yinghuo did not show much surprise, but their eyes were sharp as they watched Zhao Shu's every move.
"How can I trust you?" Mo Yinghuo said with a smile, but his tone was firm and his authority unassailable.
Zhao Shu's face was serious, and his voice was low and steady as he said, "Zhao Shu will assist the general in destroying the people of Shiling Kingdom, who have also harmed my country. The people of Shiling Kingdom are inherently evil, and the longer they stay here, the more dangerous it will be."
Shu Rong was full of doubt, glancing at Mo Yinghuo and then at Zhao Shu. Could it be that the Princess had arranged the camp where this person was "imprisoned" near her for some other purpose?
Are these two exchanging secret messages?
Mo Yinghuo pondered for a moment, then asked, "What country are you from?"
Zhao Shu frowned, lowered his head to think for a moment, and replied, "General, let me put it this way. The Kingdom of Yunxiu is very large. The people of the south of Yunxiu may never have been to the north of Yunxiu in their entire lives, so they don't know what it looks like when the north of Yunxiu is covered in snow. The Kingdom of Yunxiu is vast, and the land beyond the Kingdom of Yunxiu is also vast. I come from that even more distant place." He paused, pondered for a moment, and continued, "My country, General, may be called the Kingdom of Yelan. You may not have heard of it, but that's alright."
Mo Yinghuo gently stroked his chin with his fingers and looked up at the increasingly bright full moon in the sky.
The moonlight shines brightly, lingering on you.
"Then why help us?" Mo Ying asked, puzzled.
“I can’t handle them all by myself,” Zhao Shu said.
After a moment of contemplation, Mo Yinghuo smiled slightly, looked at Shu Rong, and said softly, "Deputy General Shu, you stay here and keep watch. I'll go in with the two scouts and take a look."
Shu Rong panicked and hurriedly said, "General, what if..."
“I have my own plans.” After saying that, Mo Yinghuo turned his back to Zhao Shu and said, “Let’s go, Zhao Shu, thank you for your trouble.”
Shu Rong could only stay where she was.
There was no other way; the general had already given the order. Besides, they had carefully examined the room when they came down, and apart from them and the alluring woman in red lying on the ground, there was no one else inside. Although Zhao Shu was quite skilled, if the two of them were to fight, it wouldn't be easy for him to injure the general. Moreover, there were two spies with them. Although Shu Rong hadn't dealt with the two before, she knew that anyone who could become a close spy for the princess was no ordinary person.
Besides, with himself stationed here and on high alert, and knowing they were currently within Dongliang territory, he had to be extra careful. Thinking this way, Shu Rong breathed a sigh of relief. Then, recalling Zhao Shu's conversation with the woman in red and the general, he suddenly realized that Zhao Shu might actually be able to help Yunxiu Kingdom destroy Shiling Kingdom. If Zhao Shu really wanted to frame them, he could simply summon Dongliang soldiers loudly; there was no need to play tricks on them here.
Shu Rong sighed and clicked her tongue. Standing alone in front of the door, she exclaimed inwardly, "Princess, she thought of everything. Did I miss something? She never does anything without being sure of success. This girl, since the late emperor's death, has grown to the point that I can't even compare."
"General, I'll go first." Zhao Shu strode ahead of Mo Yinghuo and the two scouts.
Mo Yinghuo looked at his back and nodded meaningfully.
The four of them continued walking into the house. Mo Yinghuo smelled a faint musty odor emanating from inside. When she caught a glimpse of several partially decomposed corpses in a corner of the wall, she was certain that the smell was coming from those corpses.
Zhao Shu remained indifferent, leading the way into the house with an air of indifference towards the dead.
"We've arrived," Zhao Shu said, stopping and turning around.
Mo Yinghuo frowned. There was only a wall in front of him, with large patches of paint peeling off, and a dusty painting hanging at an angle. He said softly, "There's a secret passage."
Zhao Shu nodded, took a step back, and stopped, his gaze falling sincerely on Mo Yinghuo.
Mo Yinghuo had intended to wait for Zhao Shu to open the secret passage mechanism, but after a while, he only saw Zhao Shu standing behind him, watching him.
"He wouldn't not know where the secret passage is, would he?" Mo Yinghuo glanced at him with surprise, thinking to herself.
Zhao Shu remained motionless, his eyes even showing a hint of encouragement and expectation.
Mo Yinghuo said with a wry smile, "Zhao Shu, don't you know where the mechanism is?"
Zhao Shu nodded slightly.
For some reason, Mo Yinghuo became even more convinced that this person truly had no intention of harming her.
Mo Yinghuo nodded to the two spies beside him. The two then walked along the wall, tapping lightly with their ears to listen carefully. One of the spies noticed a different sound from a certain spot on the wall and immediately stopped there. The other spies noticed this and also came over. The two exchanged glances, and one of them took out an extremely thin knife from his body. He gently pried along the crack in the brick and removed the brick that was hidden there.
Inside the brick was a hollow space, with a strangely shaped stone placed in the middle.
Zhao Shu approached and glanced at them. Since entering the house, he had maintained a certain distance from Mo Yinghuo and the others.
A scout slowly rotated the stone, and a crack suddenly appeared in the dilapidated wall in front of him. Then, the wall slowly moved to both sides.
What came into view was a vast expanse of land, even larger than the house itself. And in the very center of this land sat a massive array of mysterious stones. The white moonlight shimmered throughout the array, adding to its mystique.
Mo Yinghuo unconsciously gripped the Chang Geng sword hidden at her waist. She slightly raised her eyes, her pupils lively, but her gaze was coldly fixed on the Xuan Stone Array behind the wall. Suddenly, a drawing appeared in her mind. The pattern depicted on the drawing was not exactly the same as the one in front of her, but it was exactly the same.
The blueprint was submitted by the Starry Sky Bureau, a secret organization of the Yunxiu Kingdom. Besides the Starry Sky Bureau, only the current Emperor Zhaoming and the Eldest Princess had seen the contents of the blueprint.
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