"At midnight tonight, Du Busi will lead a group in a subterranean raid on Rixing City. Their target is Li Hua."
That was Ning Chengye's message. As expected, the Heaven Dou Empire had still chosen a decapitation strike: an old-fashioned but effective tactic.
But the message didn't include a list of the attackers or their strongholds. That was understandable. Ning Chengye had only just defected to their side and hadn't even offered proof of his loyalty. Xu Lanqing was already pleasantly surprised to have received news like this.
And the method of attack reminded him of how Du Busi had burrowed underground to raid Mingde Hall in the original story. So they'd already been digging tunnels for sneak attacks this early. No wonder they were so practiced.
"Could it be a trap?" Ice Empress asked in a muffled voice from Xu Lanqing's arms.
"Given how cautious Ning Chengye is, he wouldn't send me anything unless he was sure of it. There's no benefit to him in setting us up." Xu Lanqing ruffled the little girl's head, messing up her hair. "Besides, his life is still in our hands, and the Heaven Dou Empire doesn't know we're here. It makes sense that they'd make this decision."
Ice Empress said nothing more, letting Xu Lanqing do as he pleased. If anything, she seemed to enjoy it.
"What are you going to do?" Snow Empress asked calmly, as if Xu Lanqing were the one in charge. After spending so much time with him, she'd grown accustomed to listening to his opinions. If he said they should head straight for the enemy capital now, Snow Empress would probably go without hesitation.
"Since they've chosen a decapitation strike, I'll go meet the Heavenly Soul Emperor, too. Let's see what kind of person he is." Xu