Scouting the Road

At his words, Meng Shan and the other two did not move.

Seeing this, Li Musheng raised a brow, his displeasure written plainly across his face.

"Heh heh, could it be that you think Miss Cang and I are bad people?"

Meng Shan studied Li Musheng for a while, unable to gauge his depth, then shook his head. "We appreciate this young master's kindness, but we have important matters to attend to on this journey. It truly would not be convenient for us to travel together."

The young woman in green and the scholar beside him remained wary throughout, not saying a single word.

They seemed deeply guarded against Cang Yinyue and Li Musheng. Especially after Cang Yinyue had exposed Meng Shan's identity, they had clearly become even more apprehensive.

"How boring."

Li Musheng shook his head and immediately stopped paying attention to the three of them. He patted the mule beneath him and headed down the mountain road ahead.

As he passed Meng Shan, he came within a foot of the blade in the man's hand. Yet he simply rode past in a carefree manner, as though nothing were amiss.

Meng Shan and the woman in green exchanged flickering looks, but in the end, neither made a move.

Cang Yinyue took everything in and gave a slight nod, seemingly fairly satisfied with their choice.

She said nothing more and urged her horse after Li Musheng ahead.

After the two had traveled some distance, Cang Yinyue stared at Li Musheng's back and suddenly spoke coldly. "You are quite good at acting on your own. You asked them to travel with us—are you certain they bear us no ill will?"

"Who could have known that if I had not spoken up to intimidate them, they might already have made their move, intending to silence us forever in these desolate mountains?"

Li Musheng turned at her words and glanced at the three figures trailing far behind them, a meaningful smile on his lips. "I do not care what they are thinking. In any case, they cannot kill me."

"You are rather confident."

Cang Yinyue answered with a sneer.

Yet in her view, although Meng Shan and the other woman were both Innate Realm experts, neither would last ten moves against her if they truly fought. Likewise, they really could not withstand Li Musheng's acupoint-sealing technique.

"Once we leave Chongzhou, we will pick up the pace. There is something wrong with those three. If we do not wish to invite trouble, we must keep our distance from them."

Cang Yinyue remained exceedingly cautious. Li Musheng nodded, sitting atop his mule and stroking his chin in thought. "That scholar's clothes are old and worn, and his face is thin and sallow. He is probably not the son of some official or wealthy family—his background should be rather poor."

"Yet he is being protected by two Innate Realm experts. That is clearly abnormal."

"Why would they protect a poor scholar? Or does that scholar possess some other special identity?"

As Li Musheng spoke, his eyes suddenly shifted toward Cang Yinyue. "Miss Cang, have you noticed that the scholar's circumstances are very similar to mine? He is about the same age as I am, and their destination is clearly the imperial capital, Shangyang City..."

Cang Yinyue's delicate brows furrowed slightly at this, her face taking on a thoughtful look. "I know what you are trying to say. Your suspicion is not without reason, but could there truly be such a coincidence?"

Li Musheng smiled. "Without coincidence, there would be no story. Perhaps it really is such a coincidence."

But just then, his expression abruptly sharpened. He tugged the reins of his mule and lowered his voice. "This truly is an unfortunate coincidence. It seems the road we are taking is blocked."

Before Cang Yinyue could understand what he meant, Li Musheng suddenly leaped onto a large tree beside the road. Shading his eyes with one hand, he looked into the distance. "Miss Cang, come up and take a look. Someone has set up a roadblock ahead, right across the only path we can take."

Cang Yinyue's eyes froze slightly at his words, and she immediately drifted up onto the branches as lightly as he had.

Following his gaze, she indeed saw a crude wooden stockade built on a distant hillside. More than a dozen people stood guard around it, cutting off the mountain roads leading forward from several nearby woods.

At the sight, a hint of confusion appeared on Cang Yinyue's face. She turned to Li Musheng. "You were sitting on that mule just now. Could you really see that far?"

"My martial arts are profound, and my eyes shine like torches. Is there a problem with that?"

Li Musheng shrugged. "But what I want to know now is whether we should take a detour or force our way through."

Cang Yinyue frowned at him, then swept her gaze over the distant stockade. After considering for a moment, she said, "For these people to set up a checkpoint in such a remote place is clearly against all reason. To be cautious, I do not recommend forcing our way through."

As she spoke, she looked back toward the mountain road behind them, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "Let them scout the road first."

Li Musheng instantly understood what Cang Yinyue meant.

Sure enough, this girl was as black-bellied as ever!

"In that case, we can only let those three fellows be the guinea pigs."

Li Musheng nodded. Then he and Cang Yinyue leaped down from the tree.

After riding onward for some distance, the two suddenly slipped into the forest beside the road at a blind spot and vanished from sight.

Meanwhile, the three behind them remained completely unaware.

"Commander Zhao, did you see where those two came from?"

When Yuan Mei could no longer see Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue for the moment, she lowered her voice and asked.

Meng Shan glanced at the scholar beside him and shook his head. "That young man never revealed any inner force or true qi, so I cannot see through him. But that woman is knowledgeable and even knows the situation within the Great Li army so well. She is likely either from the military or the imperial court."

After a pause, he added, "Furthermore, she is an Innate Realm expert. Although Innate Realm experts are nothing remarkable in Shangyang City, if I encountered one here, I would not be absolutely certain of killing her. Otherwise, I would have signaled for you to strike earlier."

A cold glint flashed through Yuan Mei's eyes. "What we are doing on this journey must remain secret; there can be no mistakes. If an opportunity arises on the road, I think we should eliminate them. Otherwise, if the matter leaks out, it may well affect the general's plans."

Meng Shan pondered for a moment before nodding. "We will discuss it when a suitable opportunity arises. If we decide to act, we must ensure that nothing can go wrong."

He thought of how Cang Yinyue had already identified his origins. If he allowed her to return to the imperial capital, what they were doing on this journey would likely be impossible to conceal.

With that thought, he turned to the scholar beside him and narrowed his eyes. "Your Highness, the road to the imperial capital is long. To guard against treacherous people seeking to harm you, please endure a few more days of hardship. Once we reach the imperial capital, everything will be safe."

The scholar hurriedly clasped his hands and bowed. "This humble student thanks you two for protecting me all the way. Once I have seen Imperial Father, I will surely reward you handsomely."

Meng Shan and Yuan Mei exchanged a look, both revealing a meaningful smile.