Changing a person was never the work of a single day. Hu Xiaotian understood that, and he had never expected one meal of meat and wine to bring Wu Jingshan wholly over to his side. Once everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, they returned to their respective tents. Hu Xiaotian carried the remaining half-jar of wine over to Zhou Mo. Zhou Mo smiled without a word, accepted the jar, and set it beside him. Using Secret Voice Transmission, he said, "Go get some sleep, brother. I'll stand watch tonight."
Hu Xiaotian nodded, then went to Princess Anping's tent. Seeing that a light still burned inside, he said quietly, "Your Highness, you should turn in early. We have to set off first thing tomorrow."
Princess Anping said, "Little Hu, you've worked hard all day. You should get some rest too."
Hu Xiaotian answered her. His tent stood right beside Princess Anping's, and when he crawled inside, he found it bitterly cold. With a lingering uneasiness in his heart as well, he could not fall asleep. He simply sat up and practiced the Formless Divine Skill. Although he had learned only the basics of this technique from Li Yuncong, it was exceptionally pure-a supremely powerful foundational art. As his internal energy circulated through his body, his meridians felt as though they were basking in a spring breeze, and the chill vanished in an instant. Before he knew it, he had completed two full circuits. Rather than feeling the slightest fatigue or drowsiness, he felt more alert than ever.
Hu Xiaotian opened his eyes. Everything inside the tent was clearly visible. As his mastery of the Formless Divine Skill deepened, his night vision continued to improve. He lifted the flap and stepped outside. The entire camp had fallen silent. Here and there,