After looking around the Imperial Garden again, Shen Qianmo feigned a listless expression, pursed her lips, and said, "The Imperial Garden is so boring, let's go back."
A hint of a smile flashed in Mo Yi's eyes. He then averted his gaze and said calmly, "Then please leave."
Shen Qianmo didn't say much and just walked on by herself.
Mo Yi followed silently behind Shen Qianmo, a faint smile playing on his lips. He knew, of course, that Shen Qianmo was doing all this for him, and he felt a deep warmth in his heart.
He knew Shen Qianmo wanted to conquer the Li Kingdom for him, so she was willing to risk her own life. But how could he allow his woman to risk her life for him while he enjoyed a life of ease?! He couldn't do it.
So, from the moment Shen Qianmo decided to go to Li Kingdom, he began to entrust matters to Shengge. Shengge was someone Shen Qianmo trusted, so he naturally trusted her as well. Moreover, Shengge's military talent was indeed very strong, and he was very at ease entrusting troop deployment to Shengge.
He himself traveled day and night to reach the Kingdom of Li. He infiltrated the royal palace and, without anyone noticing, killed Mo Yi, Nalan Rong's chief bodyguard, and took his place.
His purpose was to protect Shen Qianmo as close as possible to her. He knew she was strong-willed. He allowed her to rely on her strength to help him. However, he couldn't let her get hurt in the slightest; he had to be by her side to protect her.
He didn't tell her. But he was always there.
Shen Qianmo returned to her residence and pretended to be tired, collapsing down. Mo Yi, understanding the situation, did not disturb her and stood at the door to close it for her.
Upon hearing the door close, Shen Qianmo silently took out the note from her sleeve.
Qiankun Palace contains Qiankun.
The note contained only this one ambiguous sentence, but Shen Qianmo understood it immediately. A slow smile crept onto her lips. She had gone to great lengths to devise this scheme within a scheme, firstly to lower Nalan Rong's guard, secondly to find an opportunity to catch Nalan Rong off guard, and most importantly, to steal the military deployment map from the Li Kingdom's palace.
Military deployment map. This is very important to a country. If Tianmo could obtain this map, it would save them a lot of effort in attacking Li Kingdom.
If you have a complete grasp of your opponent's military deployment, how could you possibly lose?! Moreover, Tianmo's military strength far exceeds that of Liguo. If Tianmo knew Liguo's military deployment, then all of Liguo's troops would be practically transparent to Tianmo, and Liguo would surely be destroyed.
"Qiankun Palace." Shen Qianmo silently murmured in her heart, her dark eyes filled with arrogant confidence, like the bright moonlight in the dark night, so dazzling that people dared not look directly at her, and the corners of her mouth slowly curled into an arrogant arc.
Qiankun Palace is the library of the Li Kingdom. Who would have thought that this military deployment map would be hidden in Qiankun Palace? Qiankun Palace contains its own secrets; it seems this library is no ordinary place. She really needs to take a look tonight.
Although there were many sentries lying in ambush around the residence, they were no match for Shen Qianmo. She could leave whenever she wanted.
She picked out a dark blue outfit, tied her hair up, glanced at the situation outside, and then slipped out of the room.
White was too bright. And there were no night clothes available at this place. So I had to choose this dark blue outfit, which was quite convenient.
The moonlight shone on Shen Qianmo's face, making her dark eyes even clearer and brighter, as if they possessed an invisible charm. A cold smile played on her lips, her eyes were icy cold, and she listened carefully to the surrounding atmosphere. With extremely fast lightness skills, she dodged the detection of both hidden and visible sentries and successfully left the area of her residence.
She let out a soft breath, her eyes turning cold. Nalan Rong really didn't trust her. She had already "crippled" her martial arts, yet she still sent such tight guards! If she hadn't learned how to avoid these overt and covert threats since childhood, she really wouldn't have been able to get out so smoothly.
Once outside her residence, the guards of the Li Kingdom's palace proved just as vulnerable as those of the Qi Yue palace. Shen Qianmo easily evaded the patrolling guards and quickly arrived at the Qiankun Palace.
The sky grew even darker. Shen Qianmo's deep blue clothes had blended seamlessly into the surrounding darkness. Although not night-clothes, they concealed her well. Most importantly, the clothes fit her perfectly, as if they had been tailor-made for her.
Moreover, the fabric of this garment is quite unique. Due to the time constraints, Shen Qianmo didn't examine the fabric closely; she simply found it comfortable to wear and felt a familiar touch.
The closer Shen Qianmo got to the Qiankun Palace, the deeper her brows furrowed. The Qiankun Palace exerted an invisible pressure on her.
There were no guards around Qiankun Palace. Only two eunuchs stood at the door, nodding in a perfunctory manner, a hint of doubt flashing in their deep, dark eyes.
Logically, if something so important were hidden in Qiankun Palace, Nalan Rong wouldn't have only sent two eunuchs to guard it. Therefore, there are only two possibilities: first, there's nothing in Qiankun Palace at all. Of course, Shen Qianmo absolutely trusted her subordinates' abilities. That seemingly unremarkable palace maid from the afternoon was actually the second most skilled fighter in the Demon Palace, second only to Shengge; her information was definitely accurate.
Therefore, there is only the second possibility. That is, Nalan Rong is so confident that no one can take the military deployment map from Qiankun Palace.
A disdainful smile curled at the corner of Shen Qianmo's lips. No one can take it away?! Then she'd see just how much confidence Nalan Rong had. She didn't believe that this Qiankun Palace could possibly turn the world upside down! She was determined to go in and see for herself!
Her movements were swift and decisive. She quickly knocked out the two already drowsy eunuchs. Without even glancing at the eunuchs, Shen Qianmo vanished into the Qiankun Palace in a flash.
A black figure that had been following Shen Qianmo from a distance flashed inside.
Shen Qianmo walked all the way to the innermost part of the Qiankun Palace, her eyes scrutinizing its layout. The innermost part seemed somewhat different from the outside. It appeared to contain some kind of formation.
Feeling puzzled, Shen Qianmo walked along, looking around. Suddenly, she seemed to have stepped on something, and countless cold arrows flew out from all around her. A cold light flashed in Shen Qianmo's eyes. She twisted her body, dodged the cold arrows, and leaped into the air to escape from the innermost area.
Shen Qianmo looked at the scene before her. Dozens of arrows lay scattered on the ground. If she had been even a fraction slower, she might have been riddled with arrows. There were mechanisms and formations deep inside the Qiankun Palace, yet even she hadn't figured out what kind of formation it was and had almost fallen into a trap. It seemed that Nalan Rong's confidence wasn't without reason.
Shen Qianmo slowly smiled, but her eyes held a deeper seriousness. It seemed she had to be careful, or all her previous efforts would be in vain, and she might even implicate Situ Jingyan.
The black-clad figure who followed Shen Qianmo in witnessed the terrifying scene just now, and his heart nearly jumped out of his throat. His eyes immediately darkened.
"Can't you be a little more careful?!" His tone was cold but filled with deep affection.
Shen Qianmo could hardly believe it; it was Situ Jingyan's voice. How could Situ Jingyan be here? Shen Qianmo turned around in surprise, only to see a familiar face—not Situ Jingyan's, but Mo Yi's.
It was definitely Situ Jingyan's voice just now; she couldn't possibly be mistaken. And the person in front of her, although he looked like Mo Yi, those eyes filled with deep affection and domineering power, that charming yet indulgent smile—it was clearly Situ Jingyan, clearly her Jingyan!
"Jingyan," she called out emotionally. Shen Qianmo's heart was instantly filled with joy. The feeling of being cautious and fearful in Li Kingdom was suddenly released.
Her Jingyan had always been by her side. No wonder Mo Yi felt so familiar. She sensed a familiar warmth beneath that cold exterior. It was a warmth only her Jingyan could give her.
She couldn't help but be moved. Situ Jingyan never interfered with her decisions, but he would silently protect her like this. He wouldn't stop her from doing what she wanted. But that didn't mean he would let her take risks; he still chose to protect her forcefully.
With a smile, Shen Qianmo reached out and took Situ Jingyan's hand, saying with a smile, "Jingyan, don't worry. I'll be fine."
"Hmm."
Shen Qianmo gasped in surprise as Situ Jingyan pulled her into his arms and kissed her fiercely. The kiss carried with it a deep longing, a reproach for her earlier fright, a tender heartache, and boundless doting affection. A powerful and domineering kiss, yet also a tender and lingering one.
Shen Qianmo and Situ Jingyan embraced and kissed in the Qiankun Palace, completely oblivious to the hidden dangers around them.
Situ Jingyan knew that the Qiankun Palace was fraught with danger. But he was truly afraid, afraid that Shen Qianmo would be harmed. Even someone as calm and composed as him had almost cried out after witnessing such a perilous scene.
There were military deployment maps inside the Qiankun Palace. He had known this for a long time. However, he hadn't taken action until he was absolutely certain of success.
He had seen Shen Qianmo's subtle movements in the Imperial Garden today and guessed that she was about to make a move. So he secretly followed her and witnessed such a thrilling scene, which startled him so much that he no longer wanted to hide his identity.