There were many things on her mind, and she couldn't sleep well at night. The next day, He Yan woke up before dawn. After the morning training, she went to talk to Hong Shan.

Hong Shan said, "Shitou and I took turns guarding for half the night yesterday, and we didn't find anything wrong."

He Yan looked at Shitou, who nodded at her.

"No movement all night?"

"No, he slept more soundly than any of us." Hong Shan looked at He Yan suspiciously, "You're thinking too much. Hu Yuanzhong is just an ordinary hunter. I don't think there's anything wrong with what he said. It's quite pitiful that his family is so poor."

"Brother He, what's wrong with him that makes you suspect him so?" Little Macchi asked.

What's wrong? In fact, it was just a rash on the base of her wrist, which was not a big problem. It just happened to happen when Xiao Jue was out, which made her feel that something was wrong.

Having been on the brink of life and death too many times on the battlefield, sometimes the body can make more direct judgments than the brain. An old veteran she once followed often said: The intuition of ordinary people may be wrong, but for people like us, the intuition of danger is true nine times out of ten.

She hesitated for a moment and said, "Let me take another look."

Hongshan shrugged and stopped asking questions.

By the evening, all the daily training was over. He Yan first went to Shen Muxue's room to get some medicine, and then went to find Hu Yuanzhong. Hu Yuanzhong was alone in the room, looking down at a piece of paper.

When He Yan pushed the door open and walked in, he immediately hid the paper in his hand in his arms.

"Brother Hu, what are you doing alone in the room?" He Yan asked with a smile, pretending not to see his actions.

"I didn't do anything," Hu Yuanzhong sighed, "My legs haven't healed yet, so I can't get out of bed. I can only stay in the house. I'm sorry to bother you."

"No trouble, no trouble," He Yan said with a smile, "You are injured so badly, of course you should take good care of yourself."

She rolled up Hu Yuanzhong's trouser legs and squatted down to apply medicine. She didn't look closely yesterday, but today, since she came with suspicion, she looked extra carefully.

Both legs of this hunter were covered with scars. The largest one was probably caused by a cut from a rock. It was deep enough to show the bone and was also the most serious.

"I heard from Miss Shen that Brother Hu encountered a bear when he went up the mountain," He Yan asked casually, "Are there still bears at this time of year?"

The bears in Baiyue Mountain were probably hibernating during the day, so it was not easy for Hu Yuanzhong to run into one.

"Yes," Hu Yuanzhong shook his head, "I was just unlucky. I didn't find the fox, but met the bear first."

"How can you say you have bad luck?" He Yan shook his head. "Not everyone can escape unscathed from a bear. I heard that bears have poor eyesight but are extremely sensitive to smells. Brother Hu was injured and covered in blood, but the bear didn't catch up with him. Brother Hu is already very powerful."

"Moreover," He Yan continued without stopping his movements without looking at Hu Yuanzhong's expression, "Brother Hu was buried in the snow, and it was a coincidence that he was rescued by Miss Shen. Our new recruits of Liangzhou Guard only go up the mountain every three to five days. If Brother Hu had gone up the mountain at night, or if he had fallen in the wrong place, I'm afraid he wouldn't be in Liangzhou Guard now."

Hu Yuanzhong was stunned for a moment, then nodded and said, "Indeed, it's all thanks to Miss Shen."

He Yan smiled slightly, applied the medicine, pulled down his trouser legs for him, and handed the medicine bowl to him. When Hu Yuanzhong took the medicine bowl, He Yan's eyes fell on his wrist again. He pulled the sleeves of his clothes longer, but a faint red color could still be seen at the base of his palm.

"How many years have you been a hunter, Brother Hu?"

Hu Yuanzhong drank the medicine and said, "Seven or eight years."

"Have you been hunting on Baiyue Mountain all this time?"

She asked quickly, and Hu Yuanzhong hesitated for a moment before saying, "Yes."

"Have you ever been to Baiyue Mountain on a snowy day like this in the past few years?"

"No, not yet."

“Why is it happening again this year?”

"It's because I'm hungry." Hu Yuanzhong finished the last sip of the medicine and looked at He Yan strangely: "Brother He, why are you asking this?"

He Yan lowered his head and smiled: "I'm just a little curious."

She reached out to take the empty bowl from Hu Yuanzhong's hand.

Hu Yuanzhong stretched out his hand.

When He Yan’s hand was reaching out to Hu Yuanzhong, it suddenly changed direction and struck Hu Yuanzhong in the face. Hu Yuanzhong was unable to dodge and could only step aside in panic. He Yan’s hand struck his chest, and he screamed and spat out a mouthful of blood.

The young man did not hesitate for a moment, he reached into Hu Yuanzhong's collar and pulled out a piece of paper.

"Give it back to me—" Hu Yuanzhong shouted, but because of He Yan's palm just now, he was like a deflated ball, and his voice was hoarse and unpleasant. Half of his body was lying on the bed, and he stretched out his hand to He Yan in vain.

The noise was so loud that it startled the people around. The new recruits heard the noise and rushed in. As soon as they came in, they saw Hu Yuanzhong holding his chest and spitting blood. He Yan was standing beside the bed with a piece of paper in his hand.

"What's going on? What happened?!"

Hu Yuanzhong said with difficulty: "He stole my things..."

"What did you steal from him?" asked the recruit.

He Yan looked down at the yellow paper in his hand.

There was a poem written on the yellow paper, "My heart of love is like the water of the West River, flowing eastward day and night without stopping."

The handwriting is beautiful and it is obvious that it was written by a woman.

"What is this?" He Yan asked him with a frown.

Hu Yuanzhong stared at him, furious, and said nothing.

"What's wrong?" Shen Muxue's voice sounded from behind. She happened to be nearby. She heard the commotion and followed over. What she saw was such a tense scene.

"He Yan?" She looked at He Yan suspiciously, then looked at Hu Yuanzhong who was holding his chest, walked to Hu Yuanzhong's side, and asked in surprise, "How come the injury is worse?" She also saw the blood on Hu Yuanzhong's lips, "Who did it?"

Hu Yuanzhong glared at He Yan.

Shen Muxue frowned: "He Yan, what did you do?"

"I just slapped him lightly." He Yan laughed and said, "Maybe I didn't control the strength well."

"Nonsense! He is still injured, how can he withstand your blow?"

Hu Yuanzhong struggled to get up, stretched out a hand to He Yan, and said angrily: "Give it back to me!"

He Yan shrugged and returned the paper with the love poem to him.

"What is this?" a new soldier asked, "What did you steal from him?"

Shen Muxue also looked over, and Hu Yuanzhong said sadly: "This was written by my late wife..."

It turned out to be the legacy of his deceased wife.

"He Yan, what are you doing with other people's relics?" A new soldier couldn't stand it, "No wonder he is so angry."

"I didn't know it was a relic, I was just joking with Brother Hu," He Yan said shamelessly, "Brother Hu won't be angry with me, right?"

Hu Yuanzhong looked at He Yan, as if he was unable to vent his anger. Finally, he had to hold back and said, "It's okay. Don't do this again in the future." After saying that, he started coughing violently again, looking extremely weak.

Shen Muxue looked unhappy when she saw this. She just said to He Yan, "Forget it, He Yan, you have nothing to do here. Go out first. I will be responsible for Hu Yuanzhong's medicine from now on. You don't have to come here every day in the future."

It was as if He Yan was the troublesome plague god.

"Okay." He Yan was not angry. He answered with a smile, glanced at Hu Yuanzhong, and turned to walk out the door.

As soon as he stepped out of the door, the smile on his face disappeared.

She did it on purpose. People react instinctively in critical situations. Just like when Ding Yi tested her to see if she was really blind in Liangzhou City. If Hu Yuanzhong was not as badly injured as he appeared to be, he would naturally fight back.

But he didn't do that, and took He Yan's palm strike. If that was all, it would be fine, but He Yan was also careful when launching that palm strike.

The palm she gave Hu Yuanzhong seemed powerful on the surface, but in fact she didn't use much strength. Hu Yuanzhong was at most hurt by the blow, but he definitely wouldn't bleed. After all, He Yan didn't want to hurt anyone's life. If everything was just her imagination, wouldn't Hu Yuanzhong have suffered in vain?

This is where the problem lies. He Yan was extremely confident in her control of her strength. How could such a palm strike without any killing power actually make Hu Yuanzhong spit blood? Either she misjudged her own strength, or this person was lying.

He Yan thought that Hu Yuanzhong was lying.

As for the piece of paper with the love poem in his arms, it was even more strange. A man who carries his deceased wife's relics with him is naturally a passionate person. A passionate person should not have any other thoughts when facing a beautiful female doctor.

He Yan watched all this as if she were watching a lame play. Unfortunately, even though she was full of suspicion, she couldn't tell anyone else about it. She was afraid that if she told others that the palm strike just now was just a false move, they would think that she was evading responsibility and deliberately speaking lightly.

This is a bit tricky.

As she walked, Xiao Mai and his friends came over. When they saw her, they were relieved and whispered, "Brother He, they said you beat up Hu Yuanzhong? Is that true?"

It's only been an incense stick of time, how come the whole Liangzhou knows about it?

"real."

"Are you still suspicious of him?" Hong Shan frowned and said, "If you suspect that he has a problem, we are here to keep an eye on him for you. Why bother hitting people? Do you know that now everyone in Liangzhouwei is saying that you... saying that you..." He hesitated to speak.

He Yan asked: "What did you say about me?"

"Brother Ahe, you are bullying the weak and are arrogant and domineering." Xiao Mai said.

He Yan was silent.

Things are getting even stranger.

"Brother He, what should we do now?" Xiao Mai looked at him worriedly, "Should we explain this to others?"

"No need." He Yan closed her eyes and said. Since this person spread the rumor so quickly, it was aimed at her. It was futile to explain. Compared with explaining these meaningless rumors, she was more suspicious of Hu Yuanzhong's purpose and how to expose this person's flaws.

"You guys continue to watch him at night." He Yan said, "I'll wait and see."

Xiao Mai and Hong Shan looked at each other and stopped talking.

…

A few days passed, and everything was calm.

Nothing happened in Liangzhou Guard. Xiaomai helped He Yan to watch Hu Yuanzhong every day, and he didn't find any flaws. However, Hongshan and his men didn't sleep well at night. During the training the next day, they were absent-minded with dark circles under their eyes, and were scolded several times by Liang Ping.

As for He Yan, she wanted to go and see what Hu Yuanzhong was like every day, to see if she could get more information. However, Shen Muxue was wary of her like a thief, and strictly prohibited He Yan from getting close to Hu Yuanzhong, fearing that He Yan would "play around" and accidentally hurt Hu Yuanzhong again. Therefore, in the past few days, He Yan didn't even touch Hu Yuanzhong, let alone catch his flaws.

That night, He Yan walked to the martial arts arena alone. Because of his injury, He Yan changed his night training to once every three days.

Xiao Jue has been gone for more than half a month, and there has been no response. He Yan secretly asked Cheng Lisu if there was any news from Zhangtai, but Cheng Lisu didn't know. When Xiao Jue was here, she didn't think anything was wrong, but after he left, she felt that Liangzhou Guards couldn't do without him. Otherwise, if she had told Xiao Jue a little bit about this matter, he would definitely be able to see the clues. Now she doesn't even have anyone to discuss with, it's really difficult.

She walked to the crossbow and was about to practice using it when she heard some noise from the other side of the horse path. She looked up and saw a dark figure riding a horse galloping towards the top of Baiyue Mountain.

It was the dead of night, how could anyone go up the mountain? However, the weather had been sunny for the past few days, and the snow on the mountain had melted a little, making it easier to walk than in the past few days. He Yan wanted to call for help, but the martial arts arena was too far from the dormitory where the recruits lived. If he called for help, he would not be able to catch up with this person.

Seeing that man running farther and farther away, about to disappear in the darkness of the forest, He Yan didn't care about anything else, pulled a horse out of the stable, jumped on it, and chased after him.

The soil of Baiyue Mountain in winter was freezing cold, especially when the snow melted. The horses would easily slip on it. The man in front of him didn't light a fire, but just walked forward under the starlight in the forest. He Yan couldn't see clearly, so he followed him, but for a while he couldn't overtake him.

He also knew the terrain of Baiyue Mountain very well, and he specifically looked for small paths to take, and tried several times to lead He Yan into the ditch. However, He Yan had remembered the route much better than others over the years, having walked there once during the flag-fighting competition and twice while chopping wood. He had memorized the dangerous places by heart and was not fooled. After several attempts, the man realized that He Yan had not fallen for it, so he turned his horse around and left in a different direction.

He Yan chased very closely.

She suspected that this person was Hu Yuanzhong, but why did Hu Yuanzhong go up the mountain so late at night? He couldn't have climbed over the mountain to go home in the dead of night.

If you can't see enough of something, it's hard to get a full picture. If you can't get a full picture, don't waste time. Just pull out the source and ask clearly.

She must catch this man today.

Instead of taking the small path, the road became much wider. He Yan rode his horse to catch up with the man, and the distance between them was getting closer and closer. When there was still a few feet between them, he flew up directly, with half of his body leaning towards the other man's horse. The man couldn't dodge in time and was forced by He Yan to rein in his horse and stop. He wanted to escape, but He Yan rushed up and fought with him.

She left in a hurry, and there was only an iron-tipped stick left on the weapon rack. He Yan took it casually, thinking it was better than being unarmed. At this moment, in the night, the man turned over and jumped up. He Yan could see clearly that the man had a mask on his face and was wrapped up tightly, with only a pair of eyes exposed. His figure was similar to Hu Yuanzhong, but the light was dim and it was difficult to identify his identity with a pair of eyes. He stood still, holding a big knife in his hand. The blade was like a crescent moon, flashing a cold light in the night.

"Curved knife?" He Yan's heart was beating wildly.

Qiang soldiers love to use curved knives because they are convenient for cutting meat. Not only can they kill people, but they can also eat meat. He Yan has also experienced the power of this curved knife. She has seen a comrade who was hit by this curved knife. Before the blood flowed, his head fell to the ground. During the years when the Western Qiang invaded the Central Plains, the commander Ridamuji loved to use the curved knife to cut off the heads of the captives, string them together, and tie them to the tail of his favorite horse. Wherever he went, he made people tremble.

When he saw the curved knife, He Yan knew that this person used the Qiang technique.

She frowned: "Are you really a Qiang?"

Hearing this, the man laughed strangely, his voice hoarse and chaotic, "How do you know?"

"Stop talking nonsense," He Yan placed the iron stick on the ground, stared at him and said coldly, "Tell me, what is your purpose in sneaking into Liangzhou Guard?"

"Hmph..." The man put his index finger to his lips and said, "Keep your voice down, or else people will find out." Seeing that He Yan didn't say anything, he seemed to find it interesting, and said, "If you beat me, I'll tell you."

"Arrogant!" He Yan scolded, and as soon as the words fell, he rushed towards the man.

Although the iron-headed stick is not as sharp as the curved knife, it is simple and hard, making it difficult for people to get close to it when swinging it. He Yan was injured before, and the wound has not yet fully healed, so his movements are somewhat restrained, but even so, he is still evenly matched with this man.

The masked man used the machete very well, with such skill that it was shocking. He Yan was also very ruthless, with each move aimed at He Yan's heart. He Yan was forced to retreat step by step, and suddenly, her steps stopped. Because she stopped so quickly, the snow around her feet was stirred up. She looked back and saw that there was an abyss behind her.

"Were you discovered?" The man laughed and said, "Why not be fooled?"

"Because your method is really too lame." He Yan said coldly, and then she slammed the iron stick to the ground, and used the stick to jump forward and landed behind the masked man. Her hands did not stop moving, and she fiercely chopped down at the other person's head -

But the stick missed, the man dodged to the side, and the iron stick hit the man's shoulder. Even so, it was enough. He Yan practiced stone locks every day, and his strength was no longer as weak as when he first entered Liangzhou Guard. Even a Manchu with Huang Xiong's physique would suffer, let alone this man.

The masked man groaned in pain after being hit by He Yan, and he almost lost his grip on the curved knife in his hand. Even so, his right hand had lost strength, and he could no longer swing his curved knife for the time being.

"How?" He Yan sneered.

The other party said nothing, turned around and ran forward, trying to escape. He Yan frowned and followed closely. She had amazing endurance and strength, and she ran fast enough. For a while, the masked man could not get rid of He Yan.

As long as they catch up with this person and take off his mask, they will know his identity. With all the evidence, if it is really Hu Yuanzhong who went up the mountain in such a way in the middle of the night, Shen Han should be able to find out what they are planning after torturing him.

Just as he was thinking, he suddenly saw the person in front of him stopped. He shouted at He Yan, "I'll give you a gift!" The curved knife was thrown towards He Yan's heart. He Yan caught it subconsciously and held the handle. But then he saw another person rolling out from the jungle.

Under the cover of night, the man who rolled out was actually wearing the red uniform of the Liangzhou Guards' new recruits.

The mountain road was a long, sloping slope, and the recruit rolled all the way down. Further down, there was a bottomless abyss. He Yan watched the masked man chuckle and flee into the depths of the jungle. He gritted his teeth and turned around to chase the recruit who was rolling down.

The recruit in tight uniform rolled faster and faster without even a groan. He Yan's heart sank, and he flew up, crossing the middle of the long slope and hugged the recruit. The two of them rolled to the side together, and after a moment, they finally stopped in front of a tree.

The body in his arms was still warm, but silent. He Yan looked down and saw a young face in the starlight.

She was stunned for a moment.

There were tens of thousands of new recruits in Liangzhou Guards, and she couldn't remember every single one's name, except for those who looked familiar. She remembered this man's face, the cowardly ghost Wang Xiaohan whom she met on the way down the mountain during the battle for the flag on Baiyue Mountain.

The boy who had thanked her with a red face a few days ago, now had no color on his face. His eyes were wide open, as if he was filled with fear before his death. His clothes were red, and nothing could be seen, but they were wet and stuck to his body. He Yan looked down at her hands, which were covered in blood. She trembled as she untied the boy's clothes. There was a huge bloody hole on his chest, and some flesh had been taken away, making it look a little empty.

He died by the knife.

Even though she had seen so many lives and deaths, every time she faced the death of someone around her, He Yan could not remain calm. She closed her eyes, anger welling up in her heart, and she murmured in a low voice: "Beast!"

He was still so young, and had not even been on the battlefield, yet he died in the desolate night of Baiyue Mountain. If He Yan had not followed the masked man tonight, he would have died quietly, and the brothers in the guardhouse would only discover that such a person was missing on the second day.

Missing...this person?

Why was the boy dragged to the mountain and killed? Was he killed because he had seen something, or was there another reason?

No, no!

He Yan held the boy's hand tightly, he had fallen into the trap!

Just as she thought of this, she heard the rustling sound of people coming from the front, and someone shouted: "Have you seen anyone? Where is he?"

Suddenly, the bushes in front of him were brushed aside, revealing the face of a new recruit with a torch in his hand, who happened to look He Yan in the eye.

You don't have to think about how terrible the scene is at this moment.

In her hand was a curved knife, which was still stained with blood, and her hands were also bloody. In her hands, a Liangzhou recruit was lying on his back, his eyes open, and there was a bloody hole on his chest, which was horrifying to the sight.

“Found it!” the new soldier screamed in panic, rolling and crawling back, “He killed someone! He Yan killed someone!”

People quickly arrived. He Yan looked up and saw dozens of people, including Shen Hanliang Ping and his coaches. They stared at He Yan with doubtful eyes. Du Mao shouted, "He Yan, you actually killed someone?"

The weapon was in her hand, the corpse was at her feet, and she went up the mountain late at night with suspicious behavior. No matter how you look at her, she looked like a spy with ulterior motives who wanted to kill to silence people.

This is the real gift the masked man gave her.