Ruo Wen’s gaze turned icy as he waved his hand. The yellow banners of the Huang Tian Berserk Army began to flutter wildly atop the walls, and the soldiers' thunderous roars shook the earth. Qing Yun, watching from atop Feita, mused to himself: This man may be a bandit, but in terms of raw military power, even Zhan couldn’t match him.
Though he secretly admired Ruo Wen’s strength, Qing Yun maintained his calm, amused expression. He shouted up at him, “No need to get so worked up. I had no choice! I was down south dealing with Zhan, and for some reason, he suddenly called a ceasefire. He offered twelve border cities in exchange for me bringing my army to Fentian. You’d have accepted such an offer too, wouldn’t you? Why don’t you cooperate? We don’t really have to fight.” With that, he waved at Ruo Wen in mock jest.
Ruo Wen sensed something strange. He glanced at Luo Ying, who immediately nodded. “According to our scouts, Yunpei and Tiandu are indeed in negotiations, but the details are unclear. It seems to have something to do with that woman.”
Ruo Wen turned back, his eyes cold as he demanded, “What do you mean? Speak clearly!”
Qing Yun smiled. “It’s simple. Just keep me company for a while. The one with a real motive here is Zhan.”
Ruo Wen stepped onto the wall’s battlements, shouting, “Stop with the riddles and speak clearly!”
Qing Yun laughed, motioning for his generals to lower their bows before speaking again. “You kidnapped someone’s wife. Of course, they’re not going to sit back and let it happen. Isn’t that obvious?”
At those words, a cold feeling crept into Ruo Wen’s heart. Something foreboding loomed in his thoughts. At that moment, Cheng Xiang rushed over, shouting urgently, “Leader! There’s a large army pressing in from the east, and spies have already infiltrated and set fires in several places.”
“Whose army?” Ruo Wen asked.
“It looks like Zhan’s Red Cavalry. They aren’t flying their banner, but it’s unmistakable,” Cheng Xiang replied.
Ruo Wen finally understood—it was Zhan’s forces, coming to rescue someone. The twelve cities were the price he’d paid to get Tiandu to hold Ruo Wen back while Zhan himself attacked from behind. Once they found who they were looking for, they’d make a quick escape.
Realizing this, Ruo Wen immediately ordered, “Luo Ying, go to the inner courtyard and bring Huang Bei Shuang here. Don’t let her escape!”
Luo Ying nodded and rushed off.
Ruo Wen then looked back down at Qing Yun, who showed no intention of launching an attack. He asked coldly, “Don’t you want to fight me?”
Qing Yun chuckled quietly. “You really do hold grudges, don’t you?”
Ruo Wen glared silently at him, on the verge of exploding. But just then, Luo Ying returned. “Leader... she’s gone! The room is empty!” he reported with clear frustration.
“What did you say?” Ruo Wen roared. “Damn it! How did they get away so quickly? Where are Zhan's men?”
“They’ve already retreated,” Luo Ying said, hanging his head.
“Chase them!” Ruo Wen barked without hesitation, giving Qing Yun one last glance before storming off. The flags of the Berserk Army, which had been proudly waving, now disappeared from the city walls. Down below, Qing Yun remained calm, silently observing, calculating his own retreat. With a faint, mocking smile, he called out, “Weren’t we just getting started, Ruo Wen?”
What Ruo Wen didn’t know was that Qing Yun had secretly hidden Huang Bei Shuang inside a room while half of Tiandu’s troops disguised themselves as Yunpei’s Red Cavalry. It was all just a ruse to make it appear as if Zhan’s men had rescued her.
At this moment, Huang Bei Shuang was indeed hiding in that room, waiting for Qing Yun’s operatives to retrieve her. Though she heard the frantic sounds of a search outside, her expression remained calm, though marked with a hint of...surprise. Soon, a figure clad in black slipped quietly into the room. “Your Highness?” he whispered. Huang Bei Shuang crawled out from behind the bed, and the man nodded, “Let’s go! Ruo Wen has chased after them. His Majesty is waiting just outside the city gates. Once we get you out of here, even if that bandit comes back, it won’t matter!”
They quickly began running toward the outer gates, moving smoothly thanks to the chaos caused by Mang Liu's men setting fires. But just as they reached the main gate of the inner compound, an orange silhouette blocked their path. The man in black froze at the sight of the figure, momentarily stunned. Instinctively, he glanced back at Huang Bei Shuang to make sure he hadn’t made a mistake.
“Ge Xin Wei!” Huang Bei Shuang removed her veil and stared at her.
Ge Xin Wei sneered. “His Majesty is too naive. He thinks every man is like him—incapable of letting go of a woman he wants. Zhan was only using you to distract him. How could he possibly come to save you?”
Huang Bei Shuang remained silent, though the man in black grew tense, knowing that if she screamed, they would be doomed. He instinctively reached for his sword, ready to kill Ge Xin Wei to keep her quiet, but Huang Bei Shuang stopped him, stepping forward calmly. “And you? If you’ve figured everything out, why didn’t you say anything?”
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