Infiltration

"I know this request might be excessive, but in return, we are willing to..."

"No problem, I agree." Si Ming readily agreed.

"Huh? You agreed?"

"Of course, you've already analyzed it all. Since Marshal Mu is responsible for restraining both Spirit Transformation experts, I have nothing to worry about. It's just a small favor, and I'm naturally willing to make a good impression." Si Ming thought for a moment and then added, "However, to prevent them from poisoning me, please prepare some antidote pills for me."

Liu Yongzhan snapped out of his daze and said happily, "Of course, we will definitely prepare everything. In addition, we hope that after you rescue the people, you don't have to go back the way you came, but head directly north to White Dragon Port. There will be someone to meet you there, and then you can take a ship back to China."

Si Ming expressed his understanding. "With this arrangement, your troops won't waste time on the road, which is a win-win situation."

Then he turned to his companions and asked, "What are you planning to do? Are you coming with me to Haojing City, or are you going to White Dragon Port first?"

He Qichang said impatiently, "Of course we'll go together. My knife is practically rusting."

Murong Qing said, "I am quite interested in this Li State. Although my childhood memories are not very clear, I vaguely remember that I had an aunt who married Emperor Shenzong of Li State. Perhaps this Crown Prince is her son, in which case he would be my cousin."

She concluded her remarks with a joking tone.

What was said in jest was taken seriously by Liu Yongzhan. Remembering Murong Qing's surname, his heart skipped a beat, and he asked, "Who is Murong Zhe to you?"

He is my father.

Chapter 190 Infiltration

"Impossible! My father is not a treacherous or cowardly person; he would never do such a thing!"

After hearing Liu Yongzhan's assessment of her father, Murong Qing resolutely refused to believe it was true.

She did have some grievances against her father and disagreed with some of his views, but she never doubted his character.

After learning Murong Qing's identity, Liu Yongzhan also showed a "Holy crap" expression.

"Well... that's what everyone says, and there are many witnesses to this story. It's not that I'm just believing rumors."

What he really wanted to say was that you can know a person's face but not their heart. For example, a hypocrite may appear respectable in public, but be worse than a beast in private. This kind of situation is not uncommon. After all, when it comes to the life of one's own child, it's quite reasonable for someone to be forced to betray their monarch out of maternal love.

But one shouldn't hit someone in the face, especially with the victim's daughter right in front of him. Liu Yongzhan wasn't a heartless, uncultured man like Ji Da, and ultimately he didn't say those words aloud.

Si Ming spoke up in support, "I know Murong Qing's father. He is the dean of students and teachers at our school. The teachers and students may have opinions about his style of doing things, but no one doubts his character and integrity. There may be other hidden reasons behind this. Have you personally witnessed the whole process?"

Liu Yongzhan said, "No, that's not true. But there's no smoke without fire. Among those witnesses are highly respected individuals who are unlikely to lie."

Murong Qing angrily and said, "Why is it that what my father said is a lie, but what others said is the truth? Since they are witnesses, they must have lived in Hao Capital with my father and been threatened by the Barbarian Hu. Why is it that only my father was cowardly and committed a treacherous act, instead of them being cowardly and fabricating lies to slander my father?"

Si Ming chimed in, "Uncle Murong is highly respected in the Su State; there's no way he would lie."

Liu Yongzhan asked, "If he wasn't guilty, why did he flee to the Su State back then?"

Murong Qing retorted, "I believe this precisely proves my father's innocence. Otherwise, since he betrayed the Crown Prince, rendered meritorious service, and gained the Barbarian King's trust, why would he still flee? Wouldn't it have been better for him to stay and become a high-ranking official among the Barbarian Hu? Only when he had nowhere to go among the Barbarian Hu and offended the Barbarian King did he have no choice but to risk fleeing to the Su State."

"This..."

After reversing his perspective, Liu Yongzhan discovered that this seemingly settled matter actually had many doubts. However, it was not an easy task for him to suddenly reverse the impression of someone who had long been regarded as a traitor by the world.

He thought about it and realized that whether Murong Zhe betrayed the Crown Prince back then was not important at all. Even if he found out the truth, it would have nothing to do with the current actions. People who needed to be saved still needed to be saved. Why create trouble for no reason and ruin the relationship between them?

If pushed too far and the other side refuses to help, then he'll have no choice but to face military law.

"You're right. Perhaps there's more to this story. I hope that after you return to China, you can ask your father about the truth of what happened back then."

Murong Qing paused for a moment, then said, "It's too late. My father has already passed away."

Liu Yongzhan really wanted to slap himself. How did he step on another landmine? He felt that their relationship was deteriorating rapidly.

He carefully chose his words and asked cautiously, "With Murong Zhe's cultivation level, he shouldn't have passed away at such a young age. I wonder what happened?"

Murong Qing silent, so Si Ming had to speak on her behalf, briefly recounting how Murong Zhe had sacrificed himself to save two students. Then he said, "Uncle Murong risked his life to save two students he had only a casual relationship with. How could such a person be afraid of death?"

"What you say makes sense, but there's a lack of sufficient evidence. Perhaps the crown prince could provide testimony—if he is truly still alive."

Liu Yongzhan really wanted to praise himself, but he managed to steer the conversation back on track. Now, the other party would definitely agree to help in order to find out the truth.

As expected, Murong Qing said, "You're right. Even if the Crown Prince is young and doesn't remember what happened back then, as long as we confirm that he is the real Crown Prince, that's enough to prove that there was something fishy about what happened back then."

Driven by her father's desire to clear his name, she urged, "When do we set off?"

Liu Yongzhan breathed a sigh of relief and quickly said, "We can set off now. Time is precious. Even if it's a trap, we must catch them off guard. So, Marshal Mu will personally lead you to Haojing City. Two hours should be enough."

All Spirit Transformation cultivators possess True Qi Domain. While it may not be very useful against powerful opponents, it can have surprisingly effective support functions.

For example, right now, Mu Wu used his True Qi Domain to envelop Si Ming and his group, and they quickly arrived at the foot of Haojing City. If he didn't have True Qi Domain, he would have to grab one in each hand and hang one around his neck and chest, traveling in a strange posture.

"You infiltrate the city first. I'll cause a disturbance to lure the Vulture King and the Silver Wolf King away, then we'll act amidst the chaos."

After giving his instructions, Mu Wu left the group behind and went around to the other side of the city gate.

He Qichang asked, "What do we do?"

"Of course, it's stealth. We'll make our move once we find the target." Si Ming thought for a moment, then added, "It's real stealth. We won't make any noise. We'll quietly enter the village, and no firing a shot, not stealth where we take down everyone who spots us."

He Qichang responded with an expression that said "Is that even a question?", clearly not understanding the humor, and Si Ming was too lazy to explain.

In general, large cities have various obstacles on their walls to prevent martial artists from using their lightness skills to scale them. For example, the dense barbs embedded in the walls of Qianjin City are a common method.

The city walls of Haojing City originally had various obstacles, including some traps and mechanisms, but Mu Wu used the "make a move and run" method to plow through them all, leaving broken walls and ruins everywhere, riddled with holes. It was very difficult to find an intact wall. Therefore, Si Ming and his group easily sneaked into the city without attracting anyone's attention.