After Ye Luan left Moon City, she traveled along the Shajie River towards the direction of Monan.
Qingyi had been following her, but he was too taciturn, making things quite boring.
The two of them stopped on a sandy plain, leaning against the tombstones behind them, drinking water.
Ye Luan had a blade of grass in her mouth. Having nothing to do, she liked to tease him.
"Qingyi, you always keep a straight face. You're going to become paralyzed."
Paralyzed?
Was Miss Ye scolding him?
Qingyi took a deep, rough breath. After a moment, he suddenly grinned.
His expressionless face contorted into a smile more hideous than a ghost's, stiff and awkward.
Ye Luan saw it and burst into laughter.
"What are you laughing at?"
"Brother, to be honest, you look terrifying when you smile. It's better to stay paralyzed."
Qingyi, "----"
He retracted his smile and returned to his expressionless demeanor.
Ye Luan stopped teasing him. She clasped her hands together and lay on the sand, looking up at the sky, and tutted, "The sky in this desert is so blue."
"Oh, right, Qingyi, where is your master now?"
Qingyi replied, "This subordinate does not know."
"I wonder if he's found the medicine. This congenital frost disease is truly life-threatening, hard to cure. And where on earth can the Han Dan Pearl be found?"
Ye Luan mumbled a few words, then covered her face with her veiled hat to shield herself from the sun.
Just then, suddenly, the sound of hooves echoed from behind, mixed with the clanging of armor and swords.
Both of them were startled and immediately stood up.
"Get on your horses, let's go."
Ye Luan's phoenix eyes widened. She leaped onto her horse and galloped away.
But the soldiers behind them seemed to have a target, constantly pursuing them.
Qingyi, with his good hearing and eyesight, said, "It seems to be soldiers from the Mobei tribe chasing us."
"Damn it, why are they tracking us so specifically?"
She had been vigilant day and night, how did her whereabouts get exposed?
She truly wanted to curse the heavens, wouldn't they let her live?
"Xie Beihan, this crazy lunatic, why is he clinging to me?"
Could it be that because Dayan and Bei Qi are at war, he wants to use her to threaten Xiao Chizhan?
Insidious!
Ye Luan gritted her teeth in annoyance. She dared not delay further, traveling day and night, sticking to minor paths, and even almost falling into quicksand.
Mobei and Dayan were fighting at Mohe. Near the passes, the land was desolate and the people were starving. Many martial arts organizations and assassins appeared in the nearby towns.
Qingyi bought some hu bing and handed it to her.
"Now, martial arts organizations, Mobei officials, and some unknown assassins are all looking for you. The most terrifying thing is that people from Blood Corpse have also arrived, Miss Ye. You must disguise yourself."
Ye Luan had already applied makeup to herself, making her look incredibly ugly.
However, she had to ride a horse and couldn't make herself look like an old woman or an old man.
"Later, go buy me some men's clothes, coarse cloth ones. Let's pretend to be sand bandits."
Ye Luan was now most afraid of the Blood Corpse that Qingyi mentioned.
Xiao Chizhan, fighting Mobei, would definitely not come to Mobei himself.
But if the people from Blood Corpse caught her, she wouldn't be able to fight them, nor could she deceive them as easily as she could deceive Li Qiongyu. She definitely wouldn't be able to escape.
If she was captured again and faced that madman, her scalp would tingle.
Recalling the past six months of struggling with him, she had always been at a disadvantage, even—
Ye Luan lowered her gaze to her own belly and took a deep breath.
She really didn't want to go back and be his prisoner again. She had had enough of those days of being confined.
Couldn't he just believe she was truly dead?
Why did he have to pester her?
Stingy, possessive little ghost.
She cursed him to get choked on water every time he drank.
"Miss Ye, hurry up and change. What are you mumbling about?"
Ye Luan took the clothes, bit into the hu bing haphazardly to fill her stomach, and went into the inner room.
Since arriving in the desert, she had finally shed the suffocating past. But now she had to play a game of cat and mouse, hiding and fleeing, with two madmen.
Couldn't two bolts of lightning strike them dead?
They did nothing but torment her.
Her mind couldn't compete with theirs. How could she save herself?
Ye Luan cursed as she changed into her clothes. She re-packed the poisonous herbs she had refined for self-defense into her pouch. Suddenly, her fingers brushed against a smooth, round jade bead at the very bottom of the pouch, and she took it out.
She examined it carefully, her eyes darkening slightly.
"Wuhui Sect!"
But—
Never mind, she shouldn't cause trouble for others.
"Miss Ye, have you finished changing? We need to leave."
Outside, Qingyi urged her.
Ye Luan quickly pasted on a fake mustache in front of the mirror, pressed it firmly, then grabbed her bundle and turned to leave, "Let's go!"
-----
Military Camp.
Xiao Chizhan had just emerged from the training ground, his expression grim, his deep features devoid of any emotion, sending chills down people's backs.
"Your Highness, the people from Blood Corpse have sent a message back."
Xue Ren, seeing him in his white robe, strode in and quickly spoke.
"Where?"
"Miss Ye stayed in Moon City in Mobei for a period. However, when the people from Blood Corpse went there, they found nothing. They discovered that the people of Abaha in Mobei were looking for Miss Ye, and by following the trail, they headed towards Monan."
Hearing this, Xiao Chizhan's chilling face remained impassive. His bone-like fingers tapped rhythmically on the table, his crimson pupils dark.
"It's Xie Beihan looking for her."
"Our informant on that side reported that the commander of Bei Qi is General Yelu, and Xie Beihan has not appeared for several days."
Does this mean Xie Beihan has gone to the desert?!
The more Xiao Chizhan thought about it, the colder his expression became.
Xie Beihan! Lu Feibai!
One by one, they were all tired of living.
An uncontrollable ferocity emanated from him. "Summon Li Qiongyu."
The man arrived quickly.
"Why are you looking for me?"
Xiao Chizhan stood up. "This King is going to Mobei personally. You will stay here and hold the fort."
"Are you crazy!"
Li Qiongyu immediately stopped him, his voice sharp.
"The two countries are at war. If the King of Dingyuan of Dayan goes to Mobei, and is discovered, do you know the consequences?"
Xiao Chizhan let out a sinister laugh and brushed him aside. "I can't wait another moment. This King wants to bring her back personally."
"Once the people from Blood Corpse make a move, finding her is only a matter of time."
"But if you go to Mobei and are captured, Dayan will be put at a disadvantage. If this war is lost, Dayan will be subservient to Bei Qi. Can you stand that?"
Hearing his words, Xiao Chizhan chuckled softly, his indifferent crimson eyes filled with chilling intent.
"The desert will soon be in turmoil. This war, we will definitely win."
Li Qiongyu rolled his eyes. "You absolutely must go?"
Xiao Chizhan turned back, changing the subject. "Proceed according to the plan. Tonight, we must break through Linchi."
Once Linchi fell, they would undoubtedly be able to push straight into Yueguan and capture Jiuchuan.
He had long wanted to bite off the piece of meat that was Bei Qi.
Li Qiongyu, seeing his resolve, a smile flashed in his peach blossom eyes, with a hint of hidden madness.
"With Elder Gu and the others, there won't be any mistakes. I'll accompany you to Mobei."
Xiao Chizhan ignored him and looked at Xue Ren. "Gather all the generals and go to the conference hall to discuss."
"Yes."