After being demoted, my 300,000-strong army trampled the imperial city!

They searched for a long time but couldn't find anyone. The mission's residence was guarded by the Tiger Guard, so the Northern Martial Army couldn't leave even if they wanted to.

After waiting for about half an hour, Liu Longyue arrived in a hurry. As soon as she entered the hall, she anxiously scanned the entire room. After confirming that the Great Wizard was not present, she panicked completely and asked Yemo, "Where is the Great Wizard!"

"Your Highness, the High Priest said he was in a hurry to return, so he set off ahead of us," Yemo replied with a forced smile.

Liu Longyue gritted her teeth and said, "Even if we're going to leave, what's one more day?"

“I’m sorry, Princess, the Grand Wizard’s decision is not something we can interfere with. We also planned to leave today, but the King asked us to see you one last time to say goodbye. Now that we have seen you, we want to set off immediately, and perhaps we can catch up with the Grand Wizard.”

Yemo didn't want to stay in Longcheng anymore; it was his nightmare. These past few days, whenever he closed his eyes, he could picture the undignified scenes at Baihualou. He wasn't even sure if the scandal had reached Beiwu. If so, his situation back home would probably be dire.

However, he wanted to leave, but Liu Longyue had no time to care about such things. She stepped forward and hurriedly pulled Chen Futu out of the hall.

After the two left, Chen Futu raised an eyebrow and said, "What kind of behavior is this, all so impetuous and rash?"

Liu Longyue said urgently, "Since Your Majesty has guessed that the Great Wizard deliberately tricked me out of the key, why not send someone to chase after him? If we can retrieve the key, I will owe the Prince a favor."

"Are your favors worth a lot?"

"How can Your Majesty help me? The key is extremely important to me; it is no exaggeration to say that it is my means of survival in Beiwu."

Liu Longyue grew increasingly anxious, tears welling up in her eyes.

Seeing her like this, Chen Futu said jokingly, "It's not that I can't help you, but the premise is what price you're willing to pay. Don't try to make empty promises to me; I only want tangible benefits."

"If Your Majesty is willing to help, I am willing to hand over the intelligence organization that I have built up in the Central Plains over the years and make them submit to the Northern Frontier."

Liu Longyue finally demonstrated some practical value.

Chen Futu was still not satisfied. He pressed her shoulder and pointed to Guanxing, who was sitting in the hall pretending to be asleep. "Do you see that woman? She is an intelligence agent of Red Moon Tower. Her strength is at the peak of the Innate Realm. Her intelligence is much better than yours."

Liu Longyue was immediately dumbfounded; how could she have forgotten about stargazing?

Compared to the stargazing, her intelligence network in the Central Plains was utterly worthless.

Chen Futu feigned difficulty: "So, since you have no valuable bargaining chips and have little affection for me, why should I risk offending Empress Dugu to help you?"

"I……"

Liu Longyue opened her mouth, but unfortunately, she couldn't utter a single word.

The premise of any transaction is equality and mutual benefit, and in her current situation, she has no more useful bargaining chips to offer.

"Fine, I'll take pity on you. Draw me a map of all the tribes and passes in Beiwu later. Remember to mark the locations of resource points and warehouses as well. If you agree, this matter is settled." Chen Futu changed his tune with a smile.

Liu Longyue was shocked, "What does Your Majesty want the map of Beiwu for? Does he intend to send troops?"

"What nonsense are you talking about? Our two families are allies now. How could I possibly betray our alliance? If you are in a difficult position, I will not force you."

"I promised..."

Seeing that Chen Futu was about to leave, Liu Longyue quickly grabbed him, her white fox face turning into a bitter gourd.

Chen Futu laughed heartily, then summoned Guan Xing, "Have your men pinpoint the location of the Grand Wizard, then take my warrant and head to Fushui and Kaiyang Pass under cover of night, instructing the garrison commanders not to let anyone leave the pass."

"Okay, I'll go give the order right away."

Guan Xing accepted the order and left, giving Liu Longyue a strange look before he went.

Chen Futu then ordered the Tiger Guards to continue watching the delegation and not let them leave, and to capture the Grand Wizard first.

An hour later, Chen Futu summoned Dian Wei, Qi Wen, and the returning Guan Xing, and led fifty elite guards out of Dragon City to pursue the Great Wizard.

According to the route provided by the stargazer, the Grand Wizard most likely took the Fushui Pass, or he might detour through the Kaiyang Pass.

The group headed towards Northeast China in a grand procession.

Chen Futu had a dragon-scaled divine steed, which made the journey very smooth, but traveling at night inevitably brought some wind and frost.

Two days later, the scout from the stargazing team came up from the front and said, "We poisoned the Great Wizard's horses. She is stranded in Guijianchou, thirty miles away. There is an inn there."

“Well done. As long as she hasn’t left the northern border, she won’t escape my grasp.”

Chen Futu ordered them to continue, and the group finally arrived at Guijianchou at dusk.

This hill is mostly covered with strange rocks. Due to its special geographical location, the wind blowing through the forest sounds like ghosts howling and wolves wailing, hence the name "Ghost's Sorrow". There are several villages nearby, and the inn is located near the path leading to Ghost's Sorrow.

As soon as the group arrived at the inn, Liu Longyue hurriedly tried to go inside, but Chen Futu grabbed her and frowned, saying, "Didn't you notice something was wrong?"

Liu Longyue paused, only then realizing that the inn was too quiet and that there was a strong smell of blood in the air.

Guan Xing exclaimed in alarm, "Oh no! Something's happened to my spy!"

The group entered the inn and found many spies unconscious, wounded by blunt force. Judging from the wounds, they were likely struck by the great wizard's cane. The innkeeper and his family were also unconscious.

Guan Xing gritted her teeth and roared, "Damn woman, how dare you harm my spies!"

Qi Wen surveyed the scene and said to Chen Futu, "Your Majesty, it seems that the Great Wizard noticed something was wrong. She knocked everyone unconscious and left to avoid being discovered. She didn't kill anyone, which means she didn't want to offend Your Majesty."

Chen Futu looked around the inn, then glanced at Guijianchou. “This place is open, and the only place to hide is the craggy rocks inside Guijianchou. She’s probably hiding there. Let’s split up and see how long she can hide.”

Chen Futu gave a brief assignment: Qiwen would act on his own, Dian Wei and Guan Xing would go together, and Chen Futu would go with Liu Longyue.

Dian Wei said in a low voice, "Your Majesty, I'm afraid this is not a good idea. I'm worried that the princess might join forces with that great sorcerer to harm you."

"It's alright, the great wizard won't lay a hand on me."

Chen Futu possesses the Desert Eagle, and with the system's backing, he cannot be easily threatened.

Furthermore, Liu Longyue doesn't look like a writer, so why would she ally with the Great Wizard?

Each of the three teams, accompanied by a dozen or so Tiger Guards, left the inn and ventured into Ghost's Sorrow from three different locations.

It was nearly nighttime, the wind was howling in my ears, and a mournful sound rose from the mountains and forests, like the wailing of ghosts and howling of wolves, making my hair stand on end.

However, with the Tiger Guards around, there was nothing to be afraid of. Besides, everyone was carrying torches, so even if there were ghosts or monsters, they wouldn't dare to approach.

Liu Longyue put on a thick hat and covered her face with a veil.

Chen Futu complained, "Why didn't I stay in the royal court and sleep soundly? It's all your fault that I came to this godforsaken place at night."

"I am deeply grateful to Your Majesty, for this kindness is beyond repayment."

"What's the use of sweet talk? I'll settle the score with you later."

Chen Futu also put on a hood to shield himself from the wind and cold. It has to be said that the weather in the northern frontier during winter is unusually cold. I wonder where the great shaman is hiding.