Chapter 211: 211 Strangers, the Female General, and the Bewitching Maid's Secret

At the foot of the mountain.

In Xima Town.

A group of strangers appeared.

Although they tried their best to appear ordinary, pretending to be passing merchants, the aura about them could not be concealed; one look and they were clearly tough men.

Especially the neatness of their marching formation and their calm, serious expressions.

This was definitely not something ordinary mountain bandits or merchants could achieve.

The number was not large, over twenty people, almost everyone with a horse.

Although the horses were not fully armored, they were all sturdy steeds with sharp, spirited eyes, their snorts like the breath of dragons.

Moreover, the equipment on the horses' backs was almost identical, all standard-issue gear.

However.

The two people leading were somewhat surprising; although they wore silk scarves and tight-fitting outfits, their fair and delicate complexions were different from ordinary people.

In such a group, the leaders were two pretty boys.

This strange combination naturally attracted the attention of many.

In front of the original Qingfeng Inn.

Su Yueqiao was rearranging the inside and outside of the inn according to her master's requirements.

After directing a Servant to hang the sign carved with the new shop name, she put her hands on her hips and nodded with satisfaction.

But soon, she turned her head.

She looked at this group of people and horses coming toward her from the intersection.

Su Yueqiao was surprised for a moment, but immediately approached with a face full of smiles, taking the initiative to chat: "Yo, passing travelers, are you looking to grab a bite or stay the night?"

"The shop has reopened with upgraded services, and the wine we serve is the 'Supreme Moutai,' a fine liquor specially delivered and currently popular over in Yonghang!"

As Su Yueqiao spoke, she quietly sized up the group, her heart growing vigilant.

Her current mission was to be the eyes of Ningyang Stronghold.

She needed to keep every merchant or group passing through Xima Town in mind and extract information; it might just be useful to her master.

And the group before her was clearly not mountain bandits from the surrounding strongholds.

As for merchants... that was even more impossible! What merchant group has only a cavalry and no carriages?

Furthermore, everyone was so serious and tense, as if facing a formidable enemy.

If it were a typical merchant caravan, even the hired hands responsible for protecting the goods would mostly be lazy and undisciplined.

But this group of people, every single one of them, moved in unison with solemn expressions; they didn't even raise a hand to wipe away sweat when it reached the corners of their eyes.

One look and they were clearly well-trained, disciplined military personnel.

A flicker of surprise danced in Su Yueqiao's eyes.

It was just unclear whether they were troops from Qi or the Chu Kingdom.

"Presumptuous!"

Seeing Su Yueqiao approach with a frivolous gaze.

Mi Yue'er immediately drew her sword and gave a cold shout, forcing her back.

And at this moment.

Mi Zhao, who stood with hands behind her back, raised a hand and waved it gently; only then did Mi Yue'er sheath her sword, staring at Su Yueqiao with a look of caution.

For some reason.

She had a strange feeling in her heart; the woman before her was bewitchingly charming, and the risks were hard to gauge.

As the personal guard and maid to the Great General, having grown up with Mi Zhao since childhood, she naturally had to be on guard.

And Mi Zhao, having dismissed Mi Yue'er, looked up at the brand-new sign just hung on the upper floor, which still seemed to retain the scent of ink and was clearly written by a master.

"Dragon Gate Inn."

Mi Zhao read it out softly, then looked at Su Yueqiao with a natural expression and said: "Didn't this shop used to be called Qingfeng Inn? Why the name change?"

It seemed like an unintentional inquiry, but it carried scrutiny.

Dragon Gate...

This doesn't fit the local area either.

Though this Yixiantian really does have a bit of the flavor of a dragon gate.

Hearing this, Su Yueqiao smiled indifferently, then turned to the side and made a gesture to invite them in, smiling as she explained: "The guest may not know, but the previous owner's business was dismal and they were homesick, so I took over the shop. Come, come, guests, please come inside."

Fobbing them off with a few words, Su Yueqiao let Mi Zhao and her party into the shop.

She had heard from her master that this shop name was written by the Libationer of the Jixia Academy himself, so it was no surprise that it caught people's attention.

But after this brief conversation, she was already seventy percent certain in her heart.

This group of people was likely light cavalry from the Chu Kingdom military, traveling in disguise and sneaking into this borderland; she didn't know what they were scouting for.

Su Yueqiao's thoughts turned, wondering if she should send word to the mountain.

While pondering, she led Mi Zhao's party into the shop and ordered the waiters to serve wine and food.

The shop's staff were mostly drawn from Ningyang Stronghold in the last two days; most did not have very high Cultivation Points, but everyone was carefully selected and clever enough.

Mi Zhao and Mi Yue'er sat at the table in the very center.

The others were scattered around, seven or eight to a table.

With so many people, it was not noisy at all; on the contrary, it was strangely quiet, and apart from the sound of the waiters' footsteps moving back and forth, almost no other movement could be heard.

"Ahem!"

And following a light cough from Mi Yue'er.

Suddenly.

The unusually quiet hall suddenly became lively; those people seemed to have received some kind of order, suddenly talking to each other, and even starting to drink and play finger-guessing games.

"Hah! This bunch of people..."

The waiter, who was in the middle of serving dishes, was suddenly startled by this commotion, but he immediately frowned, a flash of gravity in his eyes; after finishing serving the dishes, he hurried toward the counter.

Standing behind the counter was the proprietress, Su Yueqiao.

She naturally also noticed this scene.

What she was curious about was not that this group of people had suddenly become lively, but rather she was staring at the table right in the middle.

Clearly.

This sudden liveliness was to provide cover for the conversation between the two people at the middle table.

"Are you sure it's here?"

Mi Zhao picked up her wine cup, pretending to casually look around the interior of the inn.

Then she tilted her head back and poured the wine in the cup down her throat.

The sudden spiciness immediately made her expression change, and she subconsciously twisted her features, baring her teeth and sticking out her tongue.

Mi Yue'er, who was at her side, was about to respond, but seeing Mi Zhao gasping, she hurriedly asked with concern: "What's wrong, Shopkeeper? Is this wine poisoned?"

As a guard, her first concern was whether the wine was safe.

Mi Zhao waved her hand, then looked at the empty wine cup with an aftertaste, praising: "This wine, what a powerful kick!"

Mi Yue'er was stunned, then chuckled.

Her focus was not on this, but she whispered in reply: "According to the report from the spies we planted in the town, that deposed princess was indeed rescued from this shop; the personnel of the Demon Suppression Division were completely wiped out, and the person who took action was this inn's proprietress."

The Zhenwu Army had its own unique intelligence system.

This Xima Town seemed very small, but its geographical environment was special, a mix of fish and dragons, and the people coming and going from the south and north were extremely complex; the Zhenwu Army had planted several intelligence points in this town.

That day, when the Demon Suppression Division was tracking the deposed princess, they had all seen it with their own eyes.

Naturally, they were clear about the whereabouts of the deposed princess.

"Looking at the situation, the battlefield was cleaned up very thoroughly; one can't see any traces of the fight from that day at all, and the people from the Demon Suppression Division must have also had their bodies disposed of," Mi Yue'er said, looking around and speculating.

Mi Zhao nodded in agreement.

But then, Mi Yue'er said with some worry: "Shopkeeper, that deposed princess might know the secret of that place; should we mobilize our men to..." Mi Yue'er lowered her voice and quietly made a gesture of killing to silence someone.

Mi Zhao did not speak.

Because just at this moment, Su Yueqiao arrived quietly, and the two of them hadn't even noticed.

"Two guests, is the Moutai wine newly offered by this shop to your liking?"

Su Yueqiao approached and sat charmingly opposite Mi Zhao, holding a round fan in her hand, her dress fluttering with a rustle—what a display of a beauty's charm.

One could see that many of the hot-blooded men around were secretly peeking, feeling extremely greedy.

Mi Zhao and Mi Yue'er, mistress and servant, couldn't help but be startled; they looked at each other and both saw shock in each other's eyes.

Did this proprietress walk without making any sound at all!

The two of them had actually not noticed at all.

Then the conversation just now...

Mi Yue'er's eyes sharpened.

Mi Zhao, however, nodded calmly, nodded to Su Yueqiao, and said: "This wine is good, very strong. Since the Shopkeeper has a source, why not get me some stock as well?"

Mi Zhao looked at Su Yueqiao with a smile.

Su Yueqiao smiled sweetly and said: "As long as the guests like it, you can drink a few more cups. As for stocking it, to be honest, this small shop has limited sources; it's already a bit of a stretch to supply our own shop, so it's really hard to share any with you."

Mi Zhao nodded nonchalantly and picked up her wine cup to take another sip.

Then, as she put down the wine cup, she suddenly got straight to the point: "Since that's the case, may I ask the Shopkeeper, how does one get to Ningyang Stronghold?"

Su Yueqiao was stunned.

But very quickly, she hid the surprise in her eyes, then smiled and covered up: "To be honest, I have only been in this town for two days, so I really don't know how to get to Ningyang Stronghold. However, I have heard that some time ago, Ningyang Stronghold subdued all the large and small mountain strongholds on this Xima Mountain. Why, are you old acquaintances with Ningyang Stronghold?"

Su Yueqiao was probing for information from the side without changing her expression.

Deliberately releasing the news about subduing the mountain strongholds was also a warning to the people opposite, letting them weigh their own strength.

Anyway, this was not a secret.

If she pretended to know nothing at all, it would be too obvious.

Mi Zhao nodded and said straightforwardly: "I wouldn't say we are old acquaintances. A few days ago, a younger sister of mine was disobedient and ran away from home; I heard from people that she was taken away by people from Ningyang Stronghold. I came here this time to bring my sister home; the elders at home are very worried."

"So that's how it is... Then please enjoy your meal, guests. I will go and help you ask for directions; perhaps the newly hired waiter knows."

Su Yueqiao smiled like a flower and stood up gracefully.

But inside, she was muttering to herself.

Sure enough, the identities of this group of people were unusual; they were here for that deposed princess of the Chu Kingdom from a few days ago.

She had to quickly pass this news back to the mountain stronghold to let her master know.

Having made a decision in her heart, Su Yueqiao immediately headed toward the backyard, and at the same time called out to a waiter, instructing him as she walked: "Go, serve ten jars of good wine... no, twenty jars!"

"Just say that the shop has just opened and it's a free gift; let them drink to their heart's content!"

Su Yueqiao gritted her teeth and decided to go all out.

This Supreme Moutai, there were only thirty jars in total in the inn's storeroom right now.

It was sent down by her master yesterday.

However, to the outside world, she claimed that this wine was sourced from Yonghang.

The waiter took the order and left.

Su Yueqiao went to the backyard, flipped her palm, and took out a small, exquisite object that looked like stone and jade.

This was the 'Demon Listener'.

It is a sound-transmission dharma treasure of the Fox Clan, crafted from a piece of ear bone taken from a young fox demon using secret Fox Clan techniques, capable of transmitting messages from a thousand miles away.

But it also has its limits.

Each use requires the consumption of significant Cultivation Points, and it cannot store much content; if a large amount of communication is needed, this object cannot be used.

Su Zuozuo and Su Youyou also each have a piece of Demon-Listen in their hands.

It is just that their cultivation is too low to activate it, so they can only passively listen to the messages within the Demon-Listen.

To use this Demon-Listen, one must reach at least the Sitting Reflection Grandmaster realm to activate it.

Because only a Sitting Reflection Grandmaster can project their cultivation outward.

Therefore, the Demon-Listen is actually extremely rare.

If not for the fact that Su Yueqiao and the other two previously held high status in the Fox Clan, the clan would not have forged this Demon-Listen for them.

It is just that circumstances have changed, and they were forced to end up here.

Su Yueqiao rapidly activated the Demon-Listen and then explained the situation here in full.

"Tell Master: people from the Chu Kingdom have arrived. The leader is a female general disguised as a man, coming for Ji Qiaozhi. All twenty-seven of them are soldiers. Qiaonu is trying to stall them; please have Master prepare quickly."

"Go!"

Accompanied by the forming of demon seals, a blue light flashed upon the Demon-Listen, then quickly vanished, returning to its original state.

Su Yueqiao wiped the sweat from her forehead, then put away the Demon-Listen, stood in place for a moment of thought, turned to lift the curtain, and exited the backyard, putting on a smile once more, picking up a wine cup, and moving between the tables to toast the guests.

After a long while, she finally toasted the table where Mi Zhao and Mi Yue'er were sitting.

"How is it, did you ask?"

After drinking a cup of strong liquor, Mi Zhao looked at Su Yueqiao with a smile that was not quite a smile.

Su Yueqiao pretended to be stunned, then slapped her forehead, looking full of embarrassment as she said, "Oh my, look at my memory... please wait a moment, honored guests, I will ask right now."

Having said that, she quickly scanned the situation at the tables in the hall.

Thanks to the strength of the wine, most people were already red-faced and ears flushed, clearly all quite tipsy.

"Hey you, come over here for a second."

Su Yueqiao called out to a waiter.

The waiter hurried over and respectfully greeted her.

"This honored guest is asking how to get to Ningyang Stronghold; do you know?"

Su Yueqiao looked at the waiter.

At the same time.

In Ningyang Stronghold.

The Demon-Listen suddenly vibrated, causing Su Zuozuo on the third floor to freeze for a moment.

After hearing the message sent by her aunt, her expression changed immediately; she transformed into her human form, said a word to her younger sister Youyou, and went downstairs to find Ning Mu.

At this moment, Ning Mu was sitting in the main hall, thinking about the candidates for the No. 4 Sub-system.

At the same time, he was also waiting for Wei Youqing and Pi Yalu to finish getting ready so they could depart immediately.

"Master, Aunt sent a message saying there is a Chu Kingdom general at the foot of the mountain, coming for Ji Qiaozhi!"

Su Zuozuo's eyes were bright and alert; after going downstairs, she immediately told the news to Ning Mu.

Upon hearing this, Ning Mu could not help but be stunned, then immediately followed Su Zuozuo upstairs to see Ji Qiaozhi.

From Ji Qiaozhi, he learned the identity of the people who had arrived at the foot of the mountain.

"It might be the Zhenwu Army general Mi Zhao, who is also my aunt. She was specifically dispatched to take command of the Zhenwu Army for the sake of the Martial Crystal mine. Based on your description, it must be her."

Ji Qiaozhi's expression was flustered, her eyes filled with tension.

If her aunt found out she was hiding here, she would likely dispatch a great army immediately to surround this mountain.

Under the might of a great army, not a blade of grass would grow.

Could this small Mountain Stronghold withstand it?

Ji Qiaozhi was filled with all sorts of panic.

(End of this chapter)