"All this hiding and covering things up-you look like spies from the Wen Kingdom to me!"
The squad leader seized the initiative, his brows furrowing.
As long as their identities as deserters remained undiscovered, they were still soldiers of the Ling Kingdom, and that status gave them a measure of authority over its commoners.
"You have a point, General. Why not inspect the cargo we're escorting?"
The richly dressed young man spoke.
The squad leader glanced at the cargo covered in black cloth. If he was going to put on an act, he ought to see it through. After a moment's thought, he signaled his men to lift the cloth and inspect it.
His soldiers immediately caught his meaning. They stepped forward and lifted the black cloth, revealing what lay beneath.
The moment the squad leader saw what it covered, he regretted his decision.
There was no cargo beneath the cloth at all, but a black iron cage. Inside sat a half-dead man, cross-legged with his eyes closed.
His armor was cracked, his entire body drenched in blood and covered in long, hideous wounds.
As soldiers of the Ling Kingdom, they knew the prisoner all too well. He was none other than the kingdom's Principal First Rank Grand General, the commander leading its resistance against the Wen Kingdom's invasion.
He was also the Ling Kingdom's Crown Prince, a man of immense standing within the kingdom.
"Have you had a good look, General?" the richly dressed young man prompted at just the right moment.
The soldier who had lifted the cloth was a shrewd fellow too. His expression froze for an instant before he recovered and said, "Boss, there's nothing inside."
The squad leader quickly caught on. Pretending he had seen nothing, he said, "Since there's nothing there, this was all