Lava

Kapitel 128

"I promised her that we would get married when I returned from the Iron Cavalry Camp."

Hai Dongqing nodded, and after a while said, "Be careful on the road. Pay close attention to the things I told you. I'm looking forward to drinking your wedding wine."

Zhan Zhao smiled and nodded.

"I also need your help, elder brother."

"explain."

"I haven't told her about this, so if I don't make it back this time, please ask my brother to..."

Before he could finish speaking, Hai Dongqing waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't look for me, don't look for me! I won't do things like announcing a death. What am I supposed to do if my wife starts crying?"

"Big brother..."

"You'd better come back and talk to her yourself."

"..." Zhan Zhao had no choice but to think for a moment and said, "How about this, I'll write a letter first. If I really can't reply, you don't need to say anything, just give the letter to her for me."

Despite his words, Hai Dongqing hesitated for a long time before reluctantly saying, "Alright, alright, but it's still good that you're back."

Zhan Zhao smiled and said, "It's just in case. Brother, you've given me such detailed instructions, so I will take them seriously."

"It's good that you know," Hai Dongqing sighed. "If this mission successfully finds that person, then my leg won't have been wasted."

Chapter Sixty

The next day, Zhan Zhao went to the Iron Cavalry Camp. He didn't say much before leaving. Mo Yan asked him quietly if his robes fit. He just smiled, gently stroked her face, and then turned and rode away.

The horse gallops, the wind rises, and the hem of the robe flutters...

Mo Yan, with her sharp eyes, caught a glimpse of a familiar corner of his robe beneath his outer garment. She smiled broadly, then scratched her ear: "What was Big Brother thinking? He wore it, but why did he have to wear it underneath?"

Not long after Zhan Zhao left, Mo Yan accompanied Zhao Yu to Fuhu Forest.

The northwest side of Fuhu Forest was bustling with activity, the sounds of horses neighing and camels braying as people set up camp and bustled about. Because so many people had come, and all were members of the Liao royal family and nobility, their tents stretched for miles.

Once everything was settled, Mo Yan leaned against the tent wall watching the sunset and couldn't help but shake her head: This Liao emperor really lives a carefree life, staying wherever he wants, and I haven't heard of anyone in the court trying to stop or dissuade him. If Emperor Renzong wanted to do this for half a year, I wonder how many times Bao Zheng would have spit on his face.

"cough!"

Suddenly, someone coughed loudly next to her, startling her from her reverie. Looking up, she saw Yelü Pusa Nu staring coldly at her, with ten burly Liao men standing not far behind him.

With such a large entourage, no matter what the matter was, they couldn't afford to show weakness in terms of momentum. Mo Yan's voice suddenly rose to twice its usual level: "Vice Envoy, what brings you here with so many people?"

"What are you yelling about..." Yelü Pusa Nu impatiently stopped her, and waved his hand slightly behind him. The ten burly men stepped forward in unison. "This is what I promised Zhan Zhao. I picked ten men from the Iron Cavalry Camp. They are proficient in riding and hunting. You can use them as you see fit."

"I see," Mo Yan's eyes lit up. "You mean these people can be used however you want?"

"They are only responsible for guard duties."

“…Oh.” Mo Yan’s voice was tinged with obvious regret as she nodded perfunctorily. “I will report back to the princess.”

"That's good."

Yelü Pusa Nu gave her a cold stare, then glanced at the princess's tent behind her. Without saying anything, he turned and left, leaving ten burly men and Mo Yan standing there, staring at each other.

Mo Yan scratched her ear, unsure of what to ask them to do, and could only say to them, "Wait a moment, I will report this to the princess and see what she has to say."

The ten men remained silent, staring at her indifferently, their expressions mirroring those of Yelü Pusa Nu.

Mo Yan had no choice but to force a smile and slip into Zhao Yu's tent.

"Princess……"

She had barely opened her mouth when Zhao Yu interrupted her: "I heard everything from inside the tent. It must be that person again."

"That person..." Mo Yan paused, then understood, "Yes, but he left again, leaving ten Iron Cavalrymen to protect the princess. I heard they are all skilled hunters. They are outside the tent now. I wonder what arrangements the princess has made?"

Zhao Yu said wearily, "Let them rest first. Although they are here to serve as guards, they are Liao people after all, and we can't really order them around."

"It's too easy for them to just keep supporting them like this." Mo Yan pouted. "Brother Zhan must be working very hard to teach those people right now."

"That was Zhan Zhao's own choice."

Zhao Yu still harbors resentment towards Zhan Zhao for abandoning him to go to the Iron Cavalry Camp.

Mo Yan sighed softly and said in a low voice, "My brother was thinking about the bigger picture, but I don't think he really wanted this."

Zhao Yu glanced at her, intending to say something, but ultimately remained silent.

Little did they know that Zhan Zhao had already left the Iron Cavalry Camp under the pretext of going to Fuhu Forest to meet the princess. He secretly followed Fang Shi of the Embroidery Manor all the way to the border...

All along, going to the Iron Cavalry Camp was just a smokescreen, a way to give Zhan Zhao the opportunity to follow Fang Shi. With Zhan Zhao's lightness skill, a round trip to the border would only take three to five days, and he could return to Fuhu Forest without anyone noticing. Even if he was a little late, it could be excused by his unfamiliarity with the area and the extra time he spent traveling.

"If I don't return in ten days," Zhan Zhao smiled faintly, "I'm afraid I won't be able to help you, brother."

“You can’t not come back. My leg is already like this. If you don’t come back, all the suffering I’ve endured over the years will have been for nothing.” Hai Dongqing patted his shoulder hard: “Remember this: that woman’s poison needles are extremely powerful, especially the black syringe in her hand. The secrets inside are comparable to the famous Rain of Pear Blossoms Needles from back in the day. If you have no other choice, do not fight her.”

—It's comparable to a torrential downpour of pear blossom needles!

Hai Dongqing's words still echoed in his ears; his leg had indeed been struck by a poisoned needle. However, as Zhan Zhao knew, the Rain of Pear Blossoms Needles were not poisoned, because the opponent had no way to dodge when the needles were fired. The fact that the woman had poisoned the needles only meant that the needles still had a flaw.

It's a small town on the frontier, a town in all its name, but it's crowded and its inhabitants are diverse.

Both Liao and Song people could be seen in the town, noisily haggling and exchanging goods. Furs, silks, soybeans, game... were passed back and forth in their dirty hands. Fights were common here, and government officials, carrying broadswords, strolled around but never intervened.

As the sun was setting, another person entered the town. He was a dirty, ashen-looking Liao man with a thick beard, leading a skinny horse laden with furs.