Who says the prince is weak and can't take care of himself?

"They come, the security."

"Our disguise can only last three to five days at most. Even if Chi Yue can find us in time, how to get out will be a problem."

With Qi Xiao's skills, it would be no problem for him to escape by himself, but it would be much more difficult to take Tang Ling with him.

"The difficulty originally was how to get in, but now we don't have to worry about that. We just need to arrange for our evacuation. Ziyi, don't worry."

Qi Xiao smiled calmly, as if he had everything planned out, and Tang Ling almost believed him.

When Qi Xiao told Tang Ling that he had decided to come to Ji Yu, Tang Ling guessed that Qi Xiao wanted to launch a surprise attack on Fu Shouguang's camp, burn the Qi army's baggage and food supplies, and give Fu Shouguang a heavy blow. Even if he couldn't take his life, he would at least seriously injure him.

Qi was in chaos at the moment, and supplies were already scarce. Once Fu Shouguang's baggage and food supplies ran into problems, his 100,000-strong army would be in a dilemma, as if both its legs were broken. It would be a dilemma whether to fight against the Zhou army or retreat to Shuoliang.

Without Fu Shouguang's reinforcements, it was only a matter of time before Shuoliang City was captured.

"No matter how foolish Fu Shouguang is, he wouldn't leave his baggage and food supplies in the barracks for new recruits. Although this place is close to Fu Shouguang's main camp, it's not easy to go there and investigate. You must not act rashly."

"know."

Qi Xiao couldn't help but sigh softly as he looked at Tang Ling. He'd relied on his martial arts prowess to disregard Fu Shouguang's barracks and the heavy guards. But why did Tang Ling remain calm? Did she trust him? Did she believe Chi Yue Zongsheng would bring the Xingluo Guards to rescue her? Or was it her fearless bravery? Just like when Qi Xiao first met Tang Ling, she was calm, composed, and resilient.

It seemed that Tang Ling only lost control, felt fear and anxiety because of him.

Qi Xiao couldn't help but raise his hand and gently stroke Tang Ling's forehead, which startled Tang Ling and she glared at him.

That night, Qi Xiao wanted to explore the military camp at night, but unexpectedly, a child in the tent cried all night, keeping most of the people awake, and he couldn't leave at all.

The next day, they were taken straight to drill. The old, the young, the frail, the sick, they were all exhausted in less than half a day. They could barely endure the entire day, and once they lay down, they couldn't get up again. Before midnight, Qi Xiao had already taken advantage of the meal time to sneak around the new recruit camp. Whenever he ran into someone and was questioned, he'd just say he was new and didn't know the way around.

When the moon rose above the branches, Chi Yue quietly sneaked into the new recruits' camp and quickly found the mark left by Qi Xiao. He breathed a sigh of relief. These past two days and one night were so frustrating! Fortunately, he found it!

***

It was the dead of night, the moon was dark and the wind was strong. The guards at the new recruits' camp were not tight, so it was not difficult for Chi Yue to enter and exit.

Chi Yue saw Qi Xiao and Tang Ling. Before anyone else could say anything, Qi Xiao asked Chi Yue to replace Tang Ling and secretly swapped Tang Ling out.

Zong Sheng waited for Tang Ling outside the barracks for an hour before someone showed up, finally settling his nerves. Zong Sheng didn't ask any more questions, picked her up, and left quickly.

Ji Wei was recruiting soldiers from all over the city, and all the young men were taken to the recruit camp. Now only the elderly, the weak, women and children were left in the city. If they went back to Ji Wei, they would be too conspicuous and would inevitably be recruited again.

Zong Sheng took Tang Ling to a thatched hut in the mountains, not too far from Fu Shouguang's military camp. It was originally a hunter's house, but it had been deserted for a long time, so they just happened to occupy it.

"This place is simple, please make do with it for now."

"I'm fine."

"I'll go get some water for you, young master, to wash up."

While Tang Ling was using potion to wash off the disguise on her face, she said to Zong Sheng, "Thank you and Chi Yue for your hard work these past two days."

Zong Sheng was never talkative, so he simply replied, "It's not hard."

"Have you got any clues about Xingluowei in the past two days?" If Xingluowei had been found, Zong Sheng would definitely tell him.

"We did find the Xingluo Guard's secret code in the city, but when we found their whereabouts, they were already gone."

"I'm afraid it's because the city is recruiting soldiers on a large scale and they can no longer hide, so they have to move." Tang Ling frowned and said, "Or is there something else going on?"

Tang Ling wiped his face clean. His own face was vaguely reflected in the turbid water, and seemed particularly unfamiliar.

Tang Ling sighed. She didn't know how long Qi Xiao and Chi Yue could survive. They had to find the Xingluo Guards as soon as possible. Otherwise, even if they could burn Fu Shouguang's food and supplies, they would not be able to escape unscathed.

"... I shouldn't have let Chi Yue replace me." Chi Yue's disguise skills are unparalleled. It shouldn't be difficult for him to pretend to be a woman. It would be much more convenient for him to move around in Jiwei City or outside the city. But he is just the opposite and is completely useless.

"We've left our mark outside Jiwei City and outside Fu Shouguang's military camp. If the Xingluo Guards are still nearby, they'll definitely find us."

"I hope so."

"I can also do a simple disguise, so don't worry, sir."

Tang Ling looked at Zong Sheng and suddenly smiled: "Zong Sheng, I don't think I've ever heard you talk so much at once."

Zong Sheng was slightly startled and lowered his head.

Zong Sheng and Ye Huai were somewhat similar. They did whatever their master told them to do, never asking why, and certainly not disobeying. But was he truly without resentment? Ye Huai occasionally revealed a look of confusion and disapproval, but Tang Ling had never seen it on Zong Sheng's face. He seemed always quiet, with a reassuring gentleness.

Zong Sheng was silent for a while, then said, "Young Master, you must be hungry. I'll go get you something to eat."

Tang Ling smiled slightly and asked, "How much dry food is left?"

"Enough for ten days."

"Ten days... What about the Xuanji Camp? How is the battle between Shuoliang and Bashan going?"

"While in Huangting Town, they did establish contact with the Xuanji Camp. Chen Heng led the Dingyuan Army, joined forces with Baixiqiao and Lu Xiulin, and captured Bashan, forcing Xu Zheng to retreat and defend Zhengye Pass. The Yaoshan Army surrounded Shuoliang, but the situation remained stalemate. However, they didn't want to reveal their whereabouts to the Xuanji Camp, so they left them alone after leaving Huangting Town."

Tang Ling sighed lightly. He was not even surprised. Qi Xiao was just that kind of person. If the Xuanji Camp dared to collude with the Zhanshi Office, let alone trust them, in Qi Xiao's eyes they all deserved to die.

"Find a way to contact Xuanjiying. At least they will do everything they can to protect Qi Xiao."

Zong Sheng looked at Tang Ling, hesitated for only a moment, and said, "Sir, I'm sorry I can't obey your order. My master has ordered us not to reveal our whereabouts."

"He's currently in Fu Shouguang's new recruit camp. You know, if anyone discovers he and Chi Yue have disguised themselves and are in the camp, they'll surely die. Aren't you worried about this situation? I can't stop him from doing anything, but I should at least do my best to protect him, right?"

"...Master and Chi Yue will be fine." Zong Sheng was certainly worried, but he believed Qi Xiao and Chi Yue. Besides, he couldn't possibly disobey Qi Xiao's instructions, not even thinking about it.

Tang Ling sighed softly. He couldn't convince Zong Sheng. Now he could do nothing but wait...

This wait lasted for three days. During this period, Zong Sheng disguised himself as a lame old man and went to the official road leading to Jiwei City every day to check if there were any new contact codes or any movements in Jiwei City. Unfortunately, he found nothing.

Tang Ling hid in a small mountain hut, as if he had returned to Fenglin Mountain, where it was also a simple house. During the days when Qi Xiao encountered a heavy snowstorm, he had been waiting there all the time. The wind and snow covered the sky, but he didn't know whether Qi Xiao was safe and sound, and he was so worried.

"Knock knock..." The knock on the door made Tang Ling immediately alert. He did not answer, but lay down on the bed, holding his breath and listening to the movement outside.

"Is anyone there?" It was a woman's voice.

"Ah-ah." The door of the hut was pushed open and someone walked in slowly.

"anyone there?"

A ragged woman walked in, looked around the room, and immediately set her sights on Tang Ling lying on the bed.

Before leaving, Zong Sheng smeared powder on Tang Ling's face, neck, and hands. While it couldn't change his appearance, it did give him the appearance of being ill. If anyone came, he would simply lie down and pretend to be terminally ill. No matter how eager Fu Shouguang was to recruit soldiers, he wouldn't draft a dying man to fill the bill.

"Hey...are you still alive?" The woman came closer and looked at Tang Ling carefully.

Tang Ling has lost a lot of weight in recent days, and with her sallow face, she looks like she is beyond saving.

Tang Ling slowly opened her eyes and looked at the woman in front of the bed with some difficulty. She opened her lips slightly, but no sound came out.

The woman looked at him breathing more than breathing, frowned, and said, "I... have been hungry for many days, so I just want to ask for something to eat."

Tang Ling looked at her. The woman was young, with a very ordinary appearance. She was wearing tattered clothes and had a hunched body. The pair of straw sandals on her feet were tattered and covered in mud. She looked a mess.

After being stared at by Tang Ling for a while, the woman saw Tang Ling gently close her eyes.

"Hello? Hello!"

Tang Ling didn't respond, so the woman ignored him, looked around the room, and finally left.

Tang Ling lay in bed, not getting up immediately. He wanted to wait. There was something strange about that woman. A woman going to the mountains to find food? If she had been starving for days, why didn't she just search the house and grab some food before leaving? Could it be that she had a good conscience and wanted to pity him, a dying man?

Tang Ling was waiting anyway, so there was no difference between waiting while sitting or lying down.

About an incense stick of time later, there was some noise outside Tang Ling's hut again.

"…This is it." The woman's voice came from the door, very softly.

Tang Ling had no martial arts skills and his hearing wasn't great, so he couldn't tell how many people were outside. If they were coming to steal food, Tang Ling wouldn't be able to defeat them, so he could only let them take it. He figured they wouldn't bother killing a sickly person.

“Ah—ah.”

The hut, as big as dried tofu, can be seen at a glance.

Tang Ling was looking at the door with her head tilted. The person coming was tall and wearing a conical hat, so her face could not be seen clearly.

The people at the door also saw him.

“…Young Master?!”

As soon as that person spoke, Tang Ling sat up in shock: "Shen Lu?!"

Shen Lu took off his bamboo hat and quickly arrived in front of Tang Ling's bed. He knelt on one knee in front of her and said, "Master, are you okay?"

Tang Ling laughed: "It's okay."

"your face?"

"It's just medicine powder." Tang Ling got out of bed and pulled Shen Lu up. "You are my father's deputy general. You are not in front of the two armies. Why are you here?"

"My Lord is worried about you, so I came here."

"It would be great if the Xingluo Guards were here. Thank you for your hard work, General Shen."

"Young Master, please come back with me." Shen Lu took Tang Ling's hand and was about to take her out.

"Wait, I can't leave yet."

"What do you mean, Master?"

"How many people did you bring with you?"

"Including the Xingluo Guards, fifty."

"That should be enough."

"Sir, this place is very close to Fu Shouguang's camp. No matter what you want to do, please follow me to a safe place first and then make plans."

Tang Ling stopped and held Shen Lu down: "I can't leave yet. It's still safe here."

"Sir, I can find this place, and so can the people from the Occupation Office."

"I can go with you, but I have to wait for someone to come back."

"..." Shen Lu frowned and asked in a cold voice, "The killing god of Chen State?"

Tang Ling frowned: "What did you say?" His father would never tell anyone else about his relationship with Qi Xiao. What did Shen Lu know?

Shen Lu looked at Tang Ling with a worried look on his face, and after a while he said, "Qing Lan said he met the King of Chu in Huangting Town, and said... he was going to save you."

Tang Ling sighed. Qinglan would definitely not tell Shen Lu anything, but he couldn't hide anything in his heart, and everything was written on his face. Shen Lu must have guessed something.

"The man who saved me has gone out to find something to eat. Let's go together when he comes back."

Shen Lu asked, "Isn't it the King of Chu?"

"They are the King of Chu's men, but the King of Chu is not here."

Tang Ling wanted to use the people brought by Shen Lu, so there was no point in hiding it. However, he didn't want to explain it too clearly for the time being, for fear that Shen Lu would forcibly take him away.

Shen Lu's father was a close follower of Xun'an Marquis Tang He, who died on the battlefield saving him. Therefore, Shen Lu was raised by Tang He from childhood, no different from Tang Ling, his own son. In terms of loyalty, Tang Ling couldn't even match Shen Lu.

Ye Huai and Qing Lan, even Xingluo Wei and Tang Ling could make decisions, but he couldn't make decisions for Shen Lu. His father probably sent Shen Lu here just to capture him.

"Since we have to wait, why don't you tell me what happened?" As Shen Lu was speaking, he suddenly stretched out his hand and rubbed Tang Ling's face. Tang Ling was startled but could not dodge in time. The back of Shen Lu's finger gently brushed his cheek.

Shen Lu looked at Tang Ling, then looked down at the little bit of medicine powder that had rubbed off his fingers. Only then did he believe what Tang Ling said was fine.

Tang Ling touched her face, turned her head to avoid Shen Lu's gaze, dragged a chair out and sat down, saying, "Send your people back. They're guarding outside, Zong Sheng won't show up."

Shen Lu hesitated for a moment and passed a message to the outside: "Leave two people behind, and everyone else retreat."

"Yes."

Shen Lu came back and sat opposite Tang Ling, waiting for her to speak.

"The people from the Office of Occupation only arrested me to force my father to withdraw his troops; they didn't do anything to me. The King of Chu arrived just in time, and I was quickly out of danger. However, it took me some time to get to Jiwei because I had to avoid the people from the Office of Occupation."

"You said the King of Chu wasn't here, so where was he? And why did you bring you to Ji Wei?"