Chapter 12

Hearing this, Mengshan and the other two made no move.

Seeing this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, his displeasure written plainly on his face:

"Heh, do you think Miss Cang and I are villains?"

Mengshan sized up Li Musheng for a moment, unable to gauge his depth, and shook his head, saying:

"Young Master, we appreciate your kindness, but we have urgent matters to attend to and truly cannot travel together."

The woman in green robes and the scholar beside him remained on constant guard, saying not a word.

They seemed deeply wary of both Cang Cang Yin Yue and Li Musheng; especially after Cang Cang Yin Yue exposed Mengshan's identity, their caution clearly intensified.

"Boring."

Li Musheng shook his head, ignored the three of them entirely, slapped the mule beneath him, and rode forward along the mountain path.

As he passed Mengshan, he was no more than a foot from the blade in the man's hand, yet he rode past so casually, as if nothing were wrong.

Mengshan and the woman in green exchanged glances, but in the end, neither struck.

Cang Cang Yin Yue observed it all, nodded slightly, and seemed fairly satisfied with their decision.

She said nothing more and urged her horse to follow Li Musheng ahead.

After they had ridden some distance, Cang Cang Yin Yue looked at Li Musheng's back and suddenly spoke in a cold voice:

"You certainly know how to take matters into your own hands. You let them follow us; are you certain they bear no ill intent?"

"Little do you know, if I had not spoken to intimidate them, they would likely have struck just now, intending to silence us here in these wild mountains!"

Hearing this, Li Musheng turned back, glanced at the three trailing far behind them, and smiled meaningfully:

"I don't care what they think; in any case, they cannot kill me."

"You are quite confident."

Cang Cang Yin Yue responded with a cold sneer.

Yet in her view, although Mengshan and the other woman were both Preternatural experts, if they truly clashed, neither could last ten moves against her, and neither could withstand Li Musheng's acupoint-sealing technique.

"Once we pass through Chuzhou, we will speed up our journey. There is something suspicious about those three; if we wish to avoid trouble, we must keep our distance from them."

Cang Cang Yin Yue remained extremely cautious. Li Musheng nodded, sat atop the mule, and stroked his chin thoughtfully:

"I noticed that scholar's clothes are tattered, and his face is thin and sallow; he is probably not from an official or wealthy family, but rather from a humble background."

"Yet he is protected by two Preternatural experts, which is clearly abnormal."

"Why would they protect a poor scholar? Or does the scholar have some other special identity?"

As Li Musheng spoke, his gaze suddenly shifted as he looked at Cang Cang Yin Yue:

"Miss Cang, have you noticed? That scholar's situation is very similar to mine. We are about the same age, and moreover, their destination is clearly the Imperial Capital, Shangyang City..."

Hearing this, Cang Cang Yin Yue's delicate brows furrowed slightly, her expression thoughtful, as she said:

"I know what you are thinking. Your speculation is not without reason, but could such a coincidence truly exist?"

Li Musheng smiled and said:

"Without coincidence, there is no story. Perhaps it is just that coincidental."

But just then, his expression suddenly sobered. He reached out, reined in the mule beneath him, and lowered his voice:

"How unfortunate indeed. It seems this road we are taking is blocked."

Before Cang Cang Yin Yue could grasp the meaning of his words, she saw Li Musheng suddenly leap onto a nearby large tree, shading his eyes with his hand as he gazed into the distance:

"Miss Cang, come up and take a look. Someone has set up a roadblock ahead, right across our only path forward."

Hearing this, Cang Cang Yin Yue's eyes flickered slightly, and she immediately leaped lightly onto the branch, just as Li Musheng had done.

Following the direction of his gaze, she indeed saw a simple wooden stockade built on a distant hillside, guarded by over a dozen men, completely blocking the mountain paths leading forward from several surrounding forests.

Seeing this, Cang Cang Yin Yue's face showed a hint of confusion. She turned to look at Li Musheng:

"You were just sitting on the mule; could you really see something that far away?"

"My Wu Gong is profound, and my vision is sharp as a hawk. Is there any problem with that?"

Li Musheng shrugged and said:

"However, what I want to know now is whether we should take a detour or simply charge straight through."

Cang Cang Yin Yue frowned, glanced at him, swept her gaze over the distant wooden stockade, thought for a moment, and said:

"These people setting up a checkpoint in such a remote place is clearly unreasonable. For caution's sake, I do not recommend charging through directly."

As she spoke, she turned back to glance at the mountain path behind them, a cold glint flashing in her eyes:

"Let them go first to test the waters."

Hearing this, Li Musheng immediately understood Cang Cang Yin Yue's meaning.

Indeed, this girl is as scheming as ever!

"In that case, those three fellows will have to serve as our guinea pigs."

Li Musheng nodded. Then, he and Cang Cang Yin Yue leaped down from the tree.

After the two rode forward on their mules for some distance, they suddenly vanished into the nearby woods at a blind spot in the terrain.

Meanwhile, the three behind remained completely unaware of this.

"Commandant Zhao, could you discern the origin of those two just now?"

The woman in green robes, Yuan Mei, seeing that Li Musheng and the other were temporarily out of sight, asked in a lowered voice.

Hearing this, Mengshan glanced at the scholar beside him and shook his head:

"That young man never revealed any internal strength or true Qi, so his background remains unclear. However, that woman is well-traveled and knowledgeable; she even knows the situation within the Great Li Army so well. She is likely either from the military or the imperial court."

As he spoke, he paused and said:

"Moreover, she is a Preternatural expert. Although Preternatural experts are nothing special in Shangyang City, encountering one here, I do not have absolute confidence in killing her. Otherwise, I would have signaled you to strike just now."

Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Yuan Mei's eyes:

"The matter of our journey must be kept secret and allow for no failure. If an opportunity arises along the way, I believe we should strike to eliminate them; otherwise, once the truth leaks out, it will likely jeopardize the General's plans."

Mengshan pondered for a moment and nodded:

"Let us speak of it when a suitable opportunity arises. If we decide to strike, we must ensure there is absolutely no room for error."

He recalled that Cang Cang Yin Yue had already revealed his origins; if he allowed the other party to return to the Imperial Capital, the matter of this journey would likely be impossible to conceal.

With this thought, he turned to look at the scholar beside him, squinting as he said:

"Your Highness, the road to the Imperial Capital is long. To prevent any traitor from plotting harm, please endure the hardship for a few more days. Once we reach the Imperial Capital, all will be safe."

Upon hearing this, the scholar immediately clasped his hands in a bow and said:

"This humble one thanks both my lords for protecting us along the way. Once I have met my father the Emperor in the future, I shall certainly repay you with great gratitude."

Mengshan and Yuan Mei exchanged a glance, yet a smile full of meaning appeared on their faces.

(End of this chapter)