Chapter 335

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Not long after, cries of alarm came from afar: "Fire! Put out the fire!"

At first there were only a few lonely shouts, but as the flames spread, the cries grew more numerous and more urgent.

Yan Wang was secretly pleased; he naturally knew this place was no longer safe, so without hesitation he flashed away again, leaving the camp as swiftly as a bird in flight.

His figure flickered in and out of sight in the night, as if merging with the darkness itself.

Yan Wang employed his lightness skill, darting between rooftops and walls like a ghost at such speed it was breathtaking. In the blink of an eye, he was like a bird returning to its nest, flying back to the inn.

Yan Wang returned to his room on tiptoe, afraid of waking the other guests. He was already very tired, but at this moment he forced himself to stay alert, not daring the slightest slackness.

Time passed second by second, until, before dawn, Yan Wang felt the time was ripe.

He walked softly to Ai Jiao's bedside, softly calling his name.

However, Ai Jiao was then lost in sweet dreams, giving no response to Yan Wang's calls. Helpless, Yan Wang reached out and pinched Ai Jiao's nose.

Ai Jiao was left breathless by this sudden action and finally woke from his sleep. Rubbing his eyes, he asked drowsily, "Wang, what's wrong?" Yan Wang replied in a low voice, "Let's go."

Ai Jiao was clearly not fully awake yet, and he asked curiously, "So early? Going where?"

Yan Wang said anxiously to Ai Jiao, "Hurry and put on your clothes. Last night I set fire to the Nan Liang Army's camp; judging by the time, they should send people to search before long. Before any news reaches us, we must leave here quickly."

Hearing this, Ai Jiao immediately perked up. While quickly dressing, he complained unhappily, "Wang, you're really not being fair! Something so interesting, and you didn't even take me along!"

Yan Wang ignored Ai Jiao's complaint, merely urging him to act quickly. Ai Jiao moved fast enough, and had his clothes on in no time.

This time, they did not wear Nan Liang Army uniforms as before, but changed into ordinary casual clothes. They didn't even take horses, running directly toward the city gate.

When they reached the city gate, it had just opened. To avoid arousing the suspicion of the guards, they deliberately acted unhurried, slowly walking out through the city gate.

The soldiers noticed nothing unusual, and so let them pass smoothly through the city gate.

Once outside the city gate, the two dashed off like arrows from a bow toward their own camp. Along the way, they dared not delay for a moment, fearing pursuit by Nan Liang's troops.

Finally, after running like that, they finally returned to their camp. By now Yan Wang was utterly exhausted; he dove into his tent and fell asleep the moment his head hit the pillow.

Ai Jiao was different; he had slept very soundly last night and felt not the least bit sleepy now. Since idling was idling anyway, he simply went to help with cooking.

Speaking of when Ai Jiao first entered the camp, he was in the bloom of youth and growing, so his appetite was naturally larger than most. But the camp's rations were limited after all, and how could he go hungry at every meal? So the clever Ai Jiao came up with a plan—to mooch food from the kitchen.

To successfully mooch food, Ai Jiao not only helped with chores but also built good relations with the kitchen staff.

Over time, he became a regular at the kitchen. Sure enough, when breakfast time came, Ai Jiao, as usual, arrived early at the kitchen, helping prepare breakfast while waiting for the meal to begin.

Not long after, steaming hot dishes came out of the pot. Ai Jiao was not polite; in the gaps of helping, he had already eaten quite a bit, and the hunger in his belly was relieved by seven or eight tenths.

Still, he felt he needed another bowl of rice porridge to settle his stomach. So Ai Jiao ladled a bowl of steaming hot rice porridge, sat down contentedly to one side, and prepared to enjoy it slowly.

Just then, Tang Qi, who had just gotten up, walked in. He saw Ai Jiao drinking porridge at a glance, and a strange feeling welled up in his heart.

Tang Qi composed himself, also ladled a bowl of porridge, took a steamed bun, walked over and sat beside Ai Jiao, and asked, "Ai Jiao, you and Wang went out yesterday, didn't you? When did you get back?"

Hearing Tang Qi's question, Ai Jiao hurriedly swallowed the porridge in his mouth and replied, "Oh, we just got back a while ago." Tang Qi then asked, "Then where's Wang? Why isn't he here for the meal?"

Ai Jiao said mysteriously to Tang Qi, "Wang did something big last night, and now he's gone back to catch up on sleep." Hearing this, Tang Qi's curiosity was instantly piqued, and he hurriedly leaned in close to Ai Jiao, asking eagerly, "What big thing did Wang go do?"

The corners of Ai Jiao's mouth curled slightly, revealing a smug smile, and he lowered his voice to say, "He set fire to the Nan Liang Army camp!"

"Damn!" Tang Qi exclaimed loudly, his voice so great that even the people nearby were drawn over, all casting him surprised glances.

Seeing this, Ai Jiao quickly shot Tang Qi a "making a fuss over nothing" look, gesturing for him to keep his voice down.

Tang Qi realized his lapse, scratched his head somewhat embarrassedly, then lowered his voice and asked quietly, "Did Wang go by himself?" Ai Jiao nodded, seeming rather dissatisfied with Wang's behavior, and muttered, "Wang really, going by himself and not taking me along to play."

Tang Qi didn't respond, but changed the subject, saying, "By the way, the Prefect of Tongling Commandery has arrived at Yu Zhou and is currently resting at the inn." Hearing this, Ai Jiao nodded and replied, "Mm, we'll ask him after Wang wakes up."

Time passed second by second, and Yan Wang slept until nearly lunchtime before groggily waking. He stretched, then slowly walked out of the tent and asked the guard, "Where's Ai Jiao?" The guard immediately bowed and said, "Subordinate will go call him right away." After speaking, he turned to leave.

Yan Wang hurriedly stopped him, adding, "Have Tang Qi come over too."

After the guard hurriedly left, not long after, Ai Jiao and Tang Qi arrived at Yan Wang's tent one after another as if by appointment.

As soon as the two entered the tent, Tang Qi couldn't wait to say, "Wang, the Prefect of Tongling Commandery has come!" Hearing this, Yan Wang's mouth curled slightly, revealing a faint smile, and he replied, "Good timing; I'll go meet him later."

At this moment, Ai Jiao interjected, "Wang, you don't know this, but ever since we left, Yifeng City has been locked down! It's so strict—no one can get in or out. I even sent someone to scout the city gate of Yifeng City, only to hear that the army camp was burned yesterday, and now they're searching house to house for suspicious people!"