The empty city was destroyed (12)
Shaoling did not try to hide his whereabouts. He walked openly among the crowds, occasionally stopping to look at the trinkets on the street stalls.
He looked like a child wandering the streets out of sheer curiosity, and some tricks that seemed ordinary to others became dazzling in his eyes.
"He ran out all by himself just to go shopping?"
"How would I know? I know him less than you do." Wu Yue stared at Shao Ling standing by the stall, her eyes wary. "Are you sure he was the one who brought Ye Yingying back during curfew yesterday?"
"It's him."
Hearing Zhao Yuxiao's certainty, Wu Yue couldn't help but ask curiously, "How does he know the way? The fog was so thick, Yun Yanqiu almost led us astray, yet he managed to find his way back."
"Could it be that his spiritual sense is stronger than Senior Yun's?" Zhao Yuxiao suggested, but quickly dismissed the idea, "No, he doesn't have that kind of aura."
"But I always feel like this aura is somewhat familiar?"
"Why do you look familiar with everyone?" Wu Yue couldn't help but roll her eyes. First the shopkeeper, then this young lady, it seems like everyone in the illusion has become an acquaintance of Zhao Yuxiao.
"I can't really explain it, but that's what my intuition tells me." Zhao Yuxiao rubbed his chin, unable to put it into words for a moment.
As they were talking, Shao Ling, who was in the distance, suddenly moved and disappeared into a small alley next to them.
Seeing this, the two immediately followed him, and just then they discovered that he had turned into the corner behind the alley.
Was he about to take action? Without a word, Wu Yue and Zhao Yuxiao continued to follow, but as they turned a corner, they saw a line of wagons pulled by camels. These wagons were square and covered with an opaque cloth, making it impossible to see what was inside.
The two looked around but couldn't find Shaoling. Their gazes fell on the truck. He couldn't have gone far in the time it took to turn a corner; he could only have disappeared inside.
Wu Yue stepped forward, about to lift the thick cloth to find out what was going on, but was caught red-handed.
"What are you doing here!" A man with a turban and a small mustache yelled at them from behind. "Who gave you permission to touch this?"
Seeing that Wu Yue and Zhao Yuxiao were both dressed as outsiders, the man with the mustache tempered his temper slightly, but still waved them away, saying, "Go away, outsiders shouldn't come here to join in the fun!"
"Brother, there are so many camels here! Are you a caravan?" Zhao Yuxiao asked shamelessly as he approached. "What do you sell?"
"Don't ask so many questions!"
The man with the mustache was very impatient and called over several masked guards who threw the two men out of the alley.
Wu Yue patted her clothes, curled her lip, and felt that something was fishy: "What's all the mystery about this?"
"Should we follow them again and see?"
Without further ado, they decided to act. The alleys in the city were interconnected; if they couldn't get in from one place, they could find another way to circle back. The two hurriedly slipped into another alley and happened to run into a caravan of camels.
The guard beside the procession, with his back to them, yawned listlessly and started chatting with the person next to him: "What is the palace thinking? They've been ordering so much stuff lately, making me have to work here during the celebration."
"What are you saying!" His companion slapped his arm hard. "These are all for the Imperial Advisor. Keep a close eye on them, don't let them get away."
"I know, I know."
Since these are goods presented to the Imperial Advisor, they will inevitably enter the palace. Wu Yue listened carefully and exchanged a glance with Zhao Yuxiao.
Zhao Yuxiao didn't understand, so Wu Yue gestured to him again, signaling him to go and capture the guard.
"Me?!" Zhao Yuxiao's voice was extremely low, almost as if he were speaking with his breath.
He pointed at himself, his face full of surprise. He'd never done anything like this—attacking someone from the shadows! This violated the code of the Lingyun Alliance! Zhao Yuxiao was conflicted, but Wu Yue couldn't wait any longer; seeing he wasn't making a move, she prepared to act herself.
Seeing that this wouldn't do, Zhao Shaoxia hurriedly stopped her. He gritted his teeth and, taking advantage of the moment when the guard's companion walked away, went forward, knocked out the lone guard, and dragged him back.
"Change into his clothes and blend in."
At Wu Yue's command, Zhao Yuxiao swallowed hard, silently apologizing to the unconscious guard in his heart, and then hurriedly changed into his clothes.
Fortunately, the guards were all masked, so it wasn't easy to distinguish them by their eyes alone. Zhao Yuxiao successfully blended into the camel caravan and followed the convoy to the side gate of the palace.
The man leading the group was the same man with the mustache who had just chased them away. He told the group to stop, then rubbed his hands together and went over to talk to the guards at the entrance.
It's unclear what the man said to the guard, but the guard walked into the convoy and, coincidentally, stopped next to Zhao Yuxiao.
Zhao Yuxiao was extremely nervous; his heart was practically leaping out of his throat.
Fortunately, the man with the mustache didn't notice him. The guard simply lifted a corner of the veil, glanced down inside, and seemed to be checking the goods.
After confirming the situation, the guard straightened up and walked back to the head of the caravan. He gestured to his companions, signaling them to let the caravan pass.
The man with the mustache beamed with joy, bowing repeatedly to the guards in thanks, and then urging those behind him to hurry up.
Seeing this, Zhao Yuxiao felt helpless. What would happen to Wu Yue if he managed to sneak in? He couldn't help but quietly turn back to look for Wu Yue, only to find that she had disappeared.
Zhao Yuxiao panicked. He turned around and looked around, but still couldn't find Wu Yue.
"Hey, hurry up and catch up!" His teammates noticed his unusual behavior and urged him repeatedly, "If you're slow, you'll get yelled at again."
Zhao Yuxiao was in a dilemma. He wanted to find Wu Yue, but he was afraid that this person would see through his disguise. In the end, he had no choice but to follow her into the palace.
The camel caravan slowly arrived at a courtyard. The man with the mustache spoke with the person in charge there for a while, then turned around and shouted to the caravan, "Unload the cargo!"
Everyone started to get to work, and Zhao Yuxiao followed suit and tore down the cloth. Unexpectedly, what came into view was cage after cage of lionesses.
The lions were piled up like chunks of meat in crowded cages. Their claws dangled, and they slept soundly with their eyes closed, remaining motionless even amidst the noise around them.
The guards were not afraid of the beasts in the cages. They opened the cages and, in pairs, carried the lions out one by one and threw them into the cells next door.
Zhao Yuxiao was a little confused, and his partner pushed him to get moving.
He had no choice but to obey their orders, lifting the lions with his two front paws. Strangely, the lions were very light, so light that Zhao Yu felt he could lift them by himself.
Zhao Yuxiao's heart was pounding. His intuition told him that something was wrong, but he suppressed his confusion for the time being and used his limbs to complete the task of moving things.
He numbly moved one lion after another until all the lions in the cages were moved into the prepared cells.
The person in charge counted the quantity and was very satisfied. He ordered four boxes to be brought up, and when they were opened, they were full of silver.
"Let's have a little."
The man with the mustache grinned from ear to ear, his squinted eyes filled with gleaming silver coins, eagerly reaching out to count them.
Zhao Yuxiao glanced around and saw that everyone was waiting for the man with the mustache to count the money. He immediately realized that this was a good opportunity to slip away.
Just as he was figuring out how to slip away, a guard brazenly left the crowd. Zhao Yuxiao couldn't help but wonder where he was going, and without thinking, he followed him.
But as soon as he turned the corner, the person disappeared.
The strikingly similar scene made him unconsciously connect the guard with Shaoling. He looked around, looking for a secret passage or some other opening, but to no avail.
Are you looking for me?
A familiar voice sounded from behind. Zhao Yuxiao turned around abruptly and found Shaoling wearing the same guard uniform as him, waving at him with a smile.
"Brother Shaoling," Zhao Yuxiao replied with an awkward smile. He hadn't expected to be caught like this, and he felt a little flustered.
"Don't panic, I'm not here to cause trouble," Shaoling comforted her. "I just didn't expect you to follow me in."
"He knows we're following him?" Zhao Yuxiao's heart sank. He decided to drop the pretense and asked directly, "Since you know, can you tell me what you're doing?"
Seeing that Shaoling did not answer, Zhao Yuxiao asked again, "Are you here to see your companion?"
It seemed that she had guessed correctly. Shao Ling's eyes flickered slightly, and the smile on her lips was no longer as bright as before.
"Who exactly is your companion? Why do we need to come into the palace to find him?" Zhao Yuxiao looked at Shaoling with confusion, expecting him to give a reasonable explanation.
But Shaoling remained silent, as if weighing his options. After a long while, he said in a deep voice, "I'm sorry, I can't tell you right now. I'm still trying to persuade her..."
Before they could finish speaking, a loud bell rang out in the distance, and mist began to rise around them, making both of them alert.
"We have to go back." Without hesitation, Shaoling grabbed Zhao Yuxiao's hand and started to run with him.
"Wait, Wu Yue, Wu Yue is gone!" Zhao Yuxiao struggled to break free from his grasp. "I have to find her."
Shaoling wanted to use the same words she had used on Ye Yingying yesterday to persuade Zhao Yuxiao again, but the person in front of her was even more stubborn than she had imagined, and did not waver at all.
"You should go back first. I can't leave her behind." Zhao Yuxiao's gaze was firm as he turned to go find her.
"No, it's too dangerous! You might both get hurt!" Shaoling grabbed him without saying another word. Seeing that Zhao Yuxiao still wouldn't give in, he had no choice but to back down. "I know a safe place nearby. I'll take you there, and then I'll go find her."
Hearing this, Zhao Yuxiao's attitude softened. He nodded and followed Shaoling around the palace, and soon they arrived at a secluded courtyard.
The courtyard was closed, and the wall blocked the view inside, but a faint orange light could be seen from above. Shaoling pushed open the door and entered, only to see a woman standing in the middle of the courtyard.
The woman's black hair was half-tied up, her eyebrows and eyes sharp, and she showed no sign of a smile. She seemed quite surprised by the arrival of the two men, her gaze sweeping over Zhao Yuxiao before turning to Shaoling, who had brought him there.
"What do you mean?" The woman frowned, her voice displeased. "You brought this person directly to me?"
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