A Dilemma! (Seeking Follow-up Reads)

Before the gates of the Southern Pacification Mansion.

Qin Muye looked at Bai Yuji in the carriage with a hint of resentment: "Are you really going to leave me home alone?"

"There's no help for it; who told you to be a patient?"

Bai Yuji smiled at him: "Rest well at home. Once your health is recovered, I will accompany you wherever you want to go!"

Qin Muye waved his hand speechlessly: "Forget it, you're just feeding me empty promises. I'm going back to sleep; you two come back early."

"Rest well!"

Bai Yuji gave a few more instructions before lowering the curtain.

The moment the curtain fell, the smile on her face faded like fireworks after they bloom, slowly dimming until it vanished, leaving only the desolation of the night sky.

She felt a moment of melancholy.

She sighed softly: "Let's set off!"

Following this, the carriage headed toward the camp managed by Qin Yanying.

At the entrance of the Southern Pacification Mansion.

Qin Muye watched the carriage gradually move away, his expression turning grave.

For the past few days, he had felt that Bai Yuji's mood was off.

But he couldn't put his finger on what was wrong.

The only thing he was certain of was that when Bai Yuji met the Nanzhao Remnants that night, they must have discussed some kind of plan, and it was this plan that had raised the grade of Qin Yanying's destiny.

Yet, strangely, while the destiny grade had increased, the annotations had barely changed.

This was quite baffling.

Furthermore, this plan might not just target Qin Yanying; he himself might be involved, but since he could not view his own destiny, it was all the more infuriating.

However.

His intuition told him that this trip to Anjin County might involve significant unforeseen changes.

To be honest.

He was somewhat angry.

To this world, he was an outsider, but that did not mean he lacked any sense of identity with his status.

Setting aside the other members of the Qin Family, he at least acknowledged Qin Yanying as his aunt.

He knew Qin Yanying had participated in the war that destroyed Nanzhao, so he could understand why Bai Yuji might harbor ill intent toward her.

It was just that over these past few days, Qin Yanying had doted on Bai Yuji like a daughter.

On a personal level, he still found it hard to accept.

Qin Muye shook his head and returned to his room.

He lay down.

He closed his eyes.

Soon, he sensed another body.

The next moment.

Inside a certain inn.

A figure sat up from the bed.

This was a man with a tall, upright build, wrapped tightly from head to toe, with only his cold, stern face exposed.

He rose and stood before a mirror for a moment, looking at the eyes in his sockets—a mixture of gemstone and metallic luster—and nodded with satisfaction.

He then put on a bamboo hat and stepped out.

This was Qin Muye's proudest creation of late.

Although his own flesh was weak, it did not affect the strength of his puppet in the slightest.

The materials were all above the passing grade, the puppet craftsmanship was near perfect, and he had added a spirit core imbued with combat techniques obtained through the connections of the Gongshu Clan, alongside his own fifth-grade spiritual cultivation.

This puppet could easily unleash power above the fourth grade.

After leaving the inn, he exited the city and followed the Imperial Guard led by Qin Yanying from a distance.

Taking advantage of the pre-dawn light, they headed toward Anjin County.

His gaze pierced through the dense crowd.

He could see the backs of Qin Yanying and Bai Yuji in the distance.

Qin Yanying rode the Spirit Rhinoceros Dragon Steed that had accompanied her for many years, while Bai Yuji rode a white horse bought from the official market. The two were chatting and laughing, their relationship appearing incredibly intimate.

It was just that they were too far apart, and there was too much noise in between.

Qin Muye could not hear what they were saying.

Anjin County is very lively today.

As the closest of the three counties directly under the jurisdiction of the Capital City, Anjin accommodates a large portion of the Capital's non-core officials and wealthy families.

With more disposable income, commercial development naturally thrives, making Anjin County no less prosperous than the Capital City, while its atmosphere remains more relaxed.

Every year on the tenth day of the tenth lunar month, a temple fair lasting seven days is held here to commemorate the ancestors who founded the dynasty alongside the founding emperor.

Since the timing of the temple fair coincides with the triennial Ten Thousand Races Imperial Examination, this year's fair is exceptionally bustling.

Qin Yanying pointed toward the city gate: "Yuji, go ahead and wander inside by yourself. We are mainly patrolling the south city wall, so we won't be going in."

Bai Yuji gazed into the city gate, pondered for a moment, and smiled: "It looks even more crowded in there than in the Capital City. If I go in, I'll just be looking at people. Why don't I just stroll around outside the city? It seems quite lively out here as well."

Qin Yanying thought that made sense; although Anjin City was bustling, it was not fundamentally different from the Capital City.

In fact, many itinerant merchants who could not find stalls inside the city had gathered outside the walls, which had a unique charm of its own.

However.

She glanced at the purse at Bai Yuji's waist: "If you only browse the stalls outside the city, I'm afraid you won't be able to spend your money!"

Bai Yuji smiled: "There isn't anything worth buying in the city anyway."

Qin Yanying puffed out her chest tactically and swept a glance at her subordinates behind her: "Did you see that? This is what a good girl who lives a peaceful life looks like. Look at the state of you lot, bickering every day over women who only have money on their minds. Wouldn't it be better to save that energy and focus on cultivating to break through to the Sixth Rank?"

The group shrank their necks, scolded into silence.

One of them said with a flattering smile: "We don't have the Young General's luck, do we? If we could meet a sensible woman like the Young Mistress, even if she weren't very pretty, we brothers would risk our lives to pursue her!"

"Exactly, exactly!"

"Who's to say otherwise!"

"The Young Mistress is something the Young General earned through his own virtuous deeds; we don't have that kind of luck."

Qin Yanying crossed her arms and leaned back tactically, clearly quite pleased with these remarks.

Who doesn't like it when others praise their own family?

Bai Yuji didn't quite know what to say, so she just smiled awkwardly before dismounting with Qin Yanying to begin patrolling the road along the city wall.

The city gate had dedicated personnel for inspections.

They were responsible for checking for suspicious individuals in the vicinity.

Especially along the banks of the Anjin River.

This river runs through the entire Anjin County and serves as its commercial artery. There are water checkpoints where the river enters the city to inspect passing vessels, but they cannot stop those with ill intent from diving underwater, so during critical periods, additional Imperial Guard troops are deployed to patrol the upper and lower reaches of the Anjin River.

The embankments on both sides of the Anjin River are key patrol areas.

While patrolling, many of the Imperial Guard troops gazed toward the distant manor, their eyes filled with envy.

Qin Yanying glanced at them and cursed: "Stop staring! Cultivate properly, break through to the Fifth Rank, and become a commander of a thousand; you'll be able to buy one when you're old too."

Afterward, she pulled on Bai Yuji's sleeve and whispered: "Yuji! That old thing Chen Sui is planning to buy one here. When the time comes, if you and Qin Muye want to live by the river for a change of pace, you can come over anytime."

"Uncle is living here?"

"With his meager salary, he couldn't afford a residence in the Capital City, so he could only buy one here. He often brings me here during his leave..."

Qin Yanying realized she had spoken out of turn and quickly changed the subject: "That's the one those boys were eyeing just now. Let's walk faster; don't let him spot us, or he'll definitely pester us later. It's so annoying."

"Mm!"

Bai Yuji nodded, her mood growing tense.

The place from the plan was almost here.

It was right by the embankment.

The Yayu, with the head of a dragon and the body of a tiger, is a fierce beast that has existed since the primordial era. Its strength is at the peak of a Great Demon, a half-step Demon Emperor, roughly between a human Third Rank Grandmaster and a Second Rank Martial God.

Because of its complex bloodline, the Yayu has never been very fertile; it is currently known to have only three sons.

The youngest son goes by the human name Hu Huan and was born to a Viper Demon; his true form is a Silver-Ringed Tiger Python.

Although his mother's bloodline was lowly, which limited Hu Huan's cultivation potential—he only managed to break through to the Fourth Rank upon reaching adulthood—he was deeply doted upon by the Yayu from a young age.

After Hu Huan reached adulthood, he fell in love with a snake demon. Although the snake demon's bloodline was even lower, the Yayu did not stop him.

Three nights ago, the snake demon shed her skin. Because the Silver-Ringed Tiger Python bloodline carries excessive Yang energy, she needed to choose a place by the He Yin to shed her skin.

After shedding it, they took the snake skin away and performed some cleanup.

But for experts who are sensitive to scents or possess exceptional spiritual perception, this cleanup method was not foolproof.

Clearly, Bai Yuji, a genius among Gu cultivators, was very sensitive to scents.

She only felt a chill running down her back. Li Runyue was nominally under house arrest, yet she was able to gather such detailed information—not only arranging a residence for Hu Huan and his wife but even calculating that they would shed their skin by the river.

So...

Should she really lead Qin Yanying there?

If she did this, Qin Yanying would surely face imprisonment. Once Qin Muye discovered it, would he ever forgive her?

Yet if she did nothing, the young boys, young girls, and pregnant women were already held within the residence of Hu Huan.

If Qin Yanying did not go, these poor souls would surely die.

The best way to save both Qin Yanying and those poor souls would be to turn back immediately and notify Chen Sui; with his status as Commander of the Brocade Guard, as long as he could intercept Qin Yanying, there would be no issue.

But if she did that, the entire plan would fall apart at the final hurdle.

How could she ever face the Nanzhao Remnants?

A faint, sickly-sweet scent of blood drifted into her nostrils.

Bai Yuji's mind was in turmoil.

"Yuji?"

"Ah?"

"Why are you standing there? Why do you look so distracted?"

"Aunt, I..."

Bai Yuji choked on her words, suddenly at a loss for what to say.

Unexpectedly, at that moment.

Qin Yanying's expression shifted abruptly; she leaped off the river embankment and sprinted toward the riverbed.

Seeing this, the Imperial Guard followed swiftly behind.

They saw Qin Yanying pinch a bit of soil and sniff it, her voice turning shrill and sharp: "Bloodline of a Great Demon, a descendant of the Yayu!"

Bai Yuji: "???"

The centurion's face drained of color: "Instructor, didn't Hu Huan report that it wouldn't arrive for another ten days? Why is it here early?"

Qin Yanying cursed: "That beast's wife is pregnant, and pregnant snake demons love to eat young boys and girls! Men, start searching!"

With that said.

She immediately signaled for the hundred-man squad to disperse, splitting into ten teams to cross the river.

Bai Yuji was startled: "Aunt, you can smell that? Could you be mistaken?"

Qin Yanying's face was grim: "I have seen a Yayu and I have beaten Hu Huan; my intuition cannot be wrong! Yuji, this is outside our jurisdiction, but lives are at stake. We will go save them first; you go find Chen Sui immediately!"

"Aunt, don't..."

"Go!"

Qin Yanying leaped onto her Spirit Rhinoceros Dragon Steed and galloped away, treading through the air.

Bai Yuji: "!!!"