He had been waiting for Mo Yi to speak.
Once Mo Yi finished, Yang Qing bowed. "His Majesty has commanded it. I would not dare disobey."
Only after the four of them had boarded their original carriage did Bu Er turn to Yang Qing with a smile. "How did you come up with this plan, Young Master?"
How had he never heard of mirages appearing in this wilderness?
Yang Qing smiled faintly. Seeing that the carriage had already left the Western Regions' Imperial Capital, while the palace guards assigned to accompany them in search of the reinforcements rode ahead, he leaned toward Bu Er.
"That talk of mirages was nothing but make-believe."
Make-believe? Bu Er froze for a moment, then quickly understood.
True enough, they had seen mirages before. Those were merely illusions that lasted only a short while. How could so many people enter one and vanish without a trace?
There had to be another reason.
But that reason...
Yang Qing merely smiled and said nothing more.
Every so often, the guards edged closer to their carriage. Their intentions were plain to any passerby.
This was not a good time to talk.
Yang Qing and his companions traveled across the desert for a day. The vast expanse stretched endlessly before them, without the slightest sign of the army.
One of the guards charged with watching them immediately drew his sword and stopped the carriage, pointing the blade at Yang Qing. "You dare make a fool of His Majesty?"
"Not at all," Yang Qing replied. "The time simply has not come. Besides, what would we gain from deceiving His Majesty? The siege of Urn City has yet to be lifted, and our lives are all in your hands."
At that, the man slowly lowered his sword. "Then why is there