By the time the carriage left the city, night had completely descended.
The wheels rumbled over the stone road, rapid and heavy. The firelight at the city gate quickly fell behind them as gusts of wind poured through the cracks in the carriage windows, carrying the chill peculiar to the dead of night.
Xu Tinglan sat on the front bench, holding the reins with a steady hand.
She knew every road outside Suotuo City.
That was precisely why her expression grew grimmer by the moment.
"Something's wrong."
She spoke quietly.
"This isn't the main road to Desolate Ditch."
Inside the carriage, Xiao Wu had been rubbing her sore calves. At those words, she sat bolt upright.
"What do you mean?"
Su Chen looked toward the swaying curtain, his voice calm.
"Explain."
Xu Tinglan didn't turn around, only lowered her voice. She spoke noticeably faster than before.
"If that covered wagon really took the children toward Desolate Ditch, they wouldn't have taken this gravel fork. The road's narrow and full of rocks, so they can't pick up speed. No driver with any experience would choose it."
"Unless..."
Xiao Wu frowned.
"Unless what?"
"Unless they aren't trying to escape."
Xu Tinglan tightened her grip on the reins until her knuckles turned white.
"They're trying to lure whoever's chasing them to Desolate Ditch."
Silence fell over the carriage.
A moment later, Xiao Wu's expression changed.
"A feint to draw the tiger from the mountain?"
"More than that."
Su Chen's gaze darkened.
"They're cutting off the tail."
"We turned the branch hall upside down tonight, and Han Su's operation is already in disarray. In this situation, an ordinary person would only think about getting the children away. But if there's something bigger behind this, their first priority wouldn't be saving the wagon. It'd be