Years turn into wind

After the previous banquet incident, Ling Xiaotian became more cautious about the security of the mansion, while Cheng Yuwei was busy tracking down the spies in the dark, striving to prevent Lu Sheng from taking advantage of the situation. However, the situation remained dangerous, and Lu Sheng's shadow always loomed over them.

A few days later, the Marshal's residence welcomed an unexpected visitor. A young and beautiful woman, she claimed to be an old acquaintance of Ling Xiaotian. Bringing a token of Ling Xiaotian's past, she earnestly explained her desire to seek refuge with an "old friend." The woman's name was Lin Rurui. She had bright eyes and white teeth, and her every move exuded a touch of tenderness, yet a hint of complexity lingered in her eyes.

Lin Rurui's appearance quickly caught Cheng Yuwei's attention. She knew a lot about Ling Xiaotian, but she had never heard him mention this old friend's daughter. Furthermore, Lin Rurui's sudden arrival made Cheng Yuwei suspicious.

"Xiaotian, the arrival of this Miss Lin is strange. Is she really the daughter of your old friend?" Cheng Yuwei asked in a low voice with a hint of inquiry in her eyes.

Ling Xiaotian smiled faintly, seemingly not taking the matter to heart: "Yuwei, I do have such an old friend. However, we still need to be careful to see if Lin Rurui's presence here is truly harmless."

Cheng Yuwei nodded slightly, but she still couldn't let it go. She noticed Lin Rurui's attention to Ling Xiaotian, and even occasionally showed a bit of intimacy in her eyes. Such a look made her feel a little uneasy, but she couldn't blame her.

One evening, Ling Xiaotian and several of his trusted men were on their way to deploy defenses. Lin Rurui took the opportunity to visit Cheng Yuwei's courtyard. She presented a friendly greeting, holding a cup of tea and smiling broadly. "Miss Cheng, I've heard you're incredibly talented and a capable assistant to Marshal Ling. Rurui deeply admires you, and has come to learn a few things from you."

Cheng Yuwei smiled slightly and nodded politely: "Miss Lin, you are too kind. I am grateful for your trust, Marshal. I am just doing my best."

Lin Rurui smiled softly and said, "Miss Cheng not only has the Marshal's trust, but it seems that the two of them have a very close relationship. It's really enviable." There was a hint of temptation in her words.

Cheng Yuwei sensed Lin Rurui's intentions, and her eyes grew colder, but she remained polite. "Ms. Lin, since you are the daughter of Xiaotian's old friend, I should treat you with courtesy. But I hope you also understand that there are many important matters in the mansion, and you must not let rumors disturb people's hearts."

Lin Rurui's face changed slightly, then she concealed a hint of embarrassment and said softly, "Miss Cheng is right. Rurui understands her status and dares not offend."

After a brief conversation, Lin Rurui tactfully left. Cheng Yuwei watched her leave, her suspicions growing. Lin Rurui's behavior seemed genuinely congenial, but she had a hunch that this woman wasn't just there for the simple things.

A few days later, Cheng Yuwei finally couldn't help but raise her suspicions to Ling Xiaotian: "Xiaotian, Lin Rurui has been here for some time, but she hasn't really contributed to the affairs of the mansion. Instead, she has repeatedly tested our relationship. Her appearance is too coincidental. There's no guarantee she's not a spy sent by Lu Sheng."

Ling Xiaotian nodded and said in a deep voice, "I've noticed something too. It seems like it's time to test her to confirm her authenticity."

So, the two secretly arranged a scene, taking advantage of Ling Xiaotian's "outside" to let Lin Rurui enter a hypothetical "secret room" and planted several false intelligence reports inside. As expected, when Lin Rurui "accidentally" entered the secret room, she quickly memorized the contents and was unaware of the secret surveillance.

A few days later, Lin Rurui hurried to Ling Xiaotian, trying to find out his whereabouts, and took the opportunity to ask if she could accompany him on his inspection tour. Ling Xiaotian agreed indifferently, but sneered in his heart.

That night, Cheng Yuwei sneaked into Lin Rurui's room and found a small note hidden inside her clothes. The note contained a secret letter to Lu Sheng. The letter detailed the defenses of the mansion, even the false information about the "secret room" was not left out.

Cheng Yuwei looked at the secret letter, a cold glint in her eyes. She finally confirmed that Lin Rurui was indeed Lu Sheng's spy. She immediately found Ling Xiaotian with the letter, and the two decided to use this opportunity to turn the tables.

A few days later, Lin Rurui "ran into" Cheng Yuwei again. While they were dining together, Cheng Yuwei deliberately said, "I heard that the Marshal has been out frequently inspecting various places recently, and it seems that he is planning to go on another expedition. Miss Lin, you have a deep acquaintance with him, so you should understand the Marshal's intentions better than I do."

When Lin Rurui heard about the expedition, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes. She feigned composure and tentatively asked, "Miss Cheng, do you know the Marshal's specific destination?"

Cheng Yuwei replied calmly, "It's inconvenient to reveal too much about the Marshal's whereabouts, but he's probably heading towards the important cities in the north, preparing to reclaim lost territory and completely defeat Lu Sheng."

Lin Rurui pretended to be calm on the surface, but her heart was already stirring. She knew this was important intelligence, and if she could tell Lu Sheng, it might be able to disrupt Ling Xiaotian's plan.

That night, Lin Rurui left the mansion on the pretext of an urgent matter and secretly sent a message to Lu Sheng. After receiving the message, Lu Sheng immediately mobilized his troops and arranged an ambush, attempting to set up an ambush on Ling Xiaotian's route.

However, he hadn't anticipated that this was all just a plot by Cheng Yuwei and Ling Xiaotian. Ling Xiaotian's real goal wasn't the north, but a surprise attack on Lu Sheng's rear from another route.

Three days later, Ling Xiaotian personally led his troops to attack Huanglong, easily capturing a key pass held by Lu Sheng. Upon hearing the news, Lu Sheng was stunned and quickly ordered his troops to withdraw, but it was too late. Ling Xiaotian's troops had already successfully captured several strategic locations, catching Lu Sheng's army off guard and causing heavy losses.

Lin Rurui's face turned pale after the news broke, as she knew her identity had been exposed and could not be undone. When she tried to escape overnight, she was stopped by Cheng Yuwei who had been waiting at the door.

Cheng Yuwei stared at her coldly, a hint of disdain in her tone: "Ms. Lin, you think you are smart, but in fact you are just a chess piece in Lu Sheng's hands. Now that the game is decided, what else do you have to say?"

Lin Rurui's face turned pale, and she trembled as she said, "Miss Cheng, please spare my life! I was only following orders. I had no intention of becoming an enemy of the Marshal!"

Cheng Yuwei sneered and said, "Since you have chosen to betray me, you should bear the consequences. If I let you go today, you might bring even greater disaster tomorrow."

At Cheng Yuwei's order, Lin Rurui was escorted away. At this moment, Ling Xiaotian slowly approached, patted Cheng Yuwei on the shoulder, and said with emotion, "It was thanks to you that you saw through her plot and avoided even greater losses this time."

Cheng Yuwei smiled calmly, with a firm look in her eyes: "Xiaotian, since I have chosen to stand shoulder to shoulder with you, I will not let anyone threaten your safety. This is my duty."

Ling Xiaotian looked at her with an increasingly affectionate gaze, and whispered, "Yuwei, only by walking side by side with you can I be fearless of wind and rain. I only hope that you will always be by my side on the road ahead."

Cheng Yuwei was slightly startled, then she smiled gently and said softly, "I am willing too. No matter what lies ahead, you and I will face it together."