The footsteps faded into the distance.
The cellar fell silent again.
Lalong opened his eyes and stared at the loosely fastened iron lock.
He dared not move.
I fear this is another instance of Prince Yi's witchcraft.
But he was even more afraid of staying here any longer.
If those Ghost Shadow Witch Soldiers were truly forged, wouldn't the Tubo army be surrounded by a group of invulnerable monsters once they entered Jiannan Circuit?
Lalong gritted his teeth and used his shoulder to slowly pry open the rotten wooden shackles.
The wood, having been damp for many years, finally cracked.
He dragged his weak legs to the cell door, his fingertips trembling violently when they touched the iron lock.
The lock really opened.
Lalong held his breath and pushed open the cell door.
There's no one outside.
He rushed out of the cellar, crossed the backyard of the Prince's mansion, and climbed over the low wall of the back alley.
The moonlight reflected off the snow.
He had just put one leg up on the wall when he suddenly felt a chill on the back of his neck.
That feeling was so strange.
Even though there was no wind in the back alley, he felt something cold and damp pressing against his skin.
Lalong turned around abruptly.
Several dark figures stood at the end of the alley.
The man in black carried no lantern; his footsteps trod through the thin snow without making a sound.
Pu Yunshan stood at the very front, dressed in a blue robe, his expression unusually calm.
He had intended to find a convenient hiding place near the Prince Yi's Residence, but unexpectedly, as soon as he arrived at the back alley of the mansion, he saw a man covered in blood climbing over the wall.
Pu Yunshan raised his hand.
Three men in black emerged from the left and right.
Lalong acted instinctively.
The first thin blade grazed his shoulder, tearing his robe and instantly staining half of his sleeve red with blood.
The second man circled behind him and aimed his short hook straight at his waist.
Lalong dodged, but his foot slipped on the snow and he almost fell off the wall.
He gritted his teeth and held on, then swung his hand back at the man in black's face.
The opponent swayed, brushing past the edge of the blade, and the thin blade swiftly sliced open Lalong's calf.
The wound was burning with pain.
Lalong finally saw through these people's moves.
They don't engage in direct confrontations.
Only tendons are cut, veins are locked, and bones are broken.
Every move was aimed at crippling the opponent.
The Tubo army also had assassins skilled in killing, but the group before him was far more ruthless than any killer he had ever seen.
Lalong suddenly recalled Gu Moran's words in the cellar.
Ghost Shadow Witch Soldiers.
Invulnerable to swords and spears.
Feeling no pain.
Lalong's mind was in complete turmoil.
" Prince Yi!"
He uttered a sentence without uttering a sound.
"You actually forged a witch weapon!"
Pu Yunshan frowned slightly.
I couldn't understand what Lalong was shouting; I just thought he was incredibly crazy.
Who goes there!
The men in black surrounded them again.
But at that moment, Lalong suddenly unleashed a fierce attack.
He knew that falling into the hands of these "shaman soldiers" would not end well.
He would rather die on the mountain road than stay in Yi Prefecture City, a place filled with cesspools, blast furnaces, and ghostly monsters.
Lalong crossed his arms across his chest, ignoring the injuries on his shoulders and legs, and forcefully shoved one person aside.
The man in black's short hook pierced his side abdomen.
Lalong was in so much pain that his vision went black, but taking advantage of the moment when his opponent got close, he rolled down the wall and landed in the snow piled up by the alley.
He didn't even have time to catch his breath before he scrambled to his feet and rushed toward the outskirts of the city.
Pu Yunshan stood under the wall, watching the staggering figure flee into the distance, and raised his hand to stop the man in black who was about to give chase.
Don't push too hard.
"This man is highly skilled. He just came out of Prince Yi's Residence, and he's injured. It seems his assassination attempt on Prince Yi failed."
"It seems there are experts in Prince Yi's Residence. Everyone be careful."
The man in black asked in a low voice, "Young Master, should we notify our spies in the city?"
Pu Yunshan looked towards the high walls of Prince Yi's Residence.
Inside the walls, the lights were bright, and in the distance, one could hear the laughter and chatter of the lantern market closing.
"Two of you go and keep an eye on the one who tries to escape."
"Send two more people to the old troops' rendezvous point, and then find Zhao Wuxu to see what's going on in Yi Prefecture City."
"The water in Yi Prefecture is probably much deeper than what we see on the mountain."
Lalong charged all the way to the vicinity of the city gate.
He was covered in blood, and the wound on his leg caused him to fall into the snow several times, only to struggle to get up again.
The soldiers guarding the city saw him from afar and, thinking he was a drunkard causing trouble, were about to order him to stop when Lin Qingdai on the city wall spoke up, "Let him go!"
The guards on the city gate nodded and did as instructed.
On the high wall, Yun Shuyue looked down at the fleeing figure.
"Is what the prince said reliable? He ran away so fast, are they really not going to catch him?"
Lin Qingdai stood beside her, her voice very calm.
"I'll listen to Your Highness."
"Let him take the story of Yi Prefecture back to Tubo."
Inside the study.
Gu Moran pressed his finger on the southwest corner of the map, pushing it along the Jiannan Circuit towards the mountain passes of the various Tubo tribes. The charcoal-black trail crossed several passes before stopping on a large, unmarked stretch of high ground.
He was still planning on supply wagons, warhorses, and winter medicine, but when he saw the rising mountains, a problem that was even more difficult to deal with than the enemy army popped into his mind.
Soldiers from Jiannan Circuit, who had long lived in mountainous areas, might experience headaches and chest tightness even when venturing into the heart of Tubo. If soldiers conscripted from the plains were to accompany the army deeper into the region...
I'm afraid that before they even see the enemy, a whole bunch of them will fall down. Lack of oxygen, extreme cold, and diarrhea—any two of these could turn the so-called pursuit of victory into a death sentence.
Gu Moran moved several wooden plaques representing military camps to the back.
We can fight this battle outside the pass, or we can pursue them along the river valley, but we must not let our victory go to our heads, and we must not let our soldiers die in confusion on unfamiliar high ground.
The door hinges made a soft click when the door was pushed open.
Murong Xue, draped in a snow-white fox fur coat, stepped into the study, closed the door behind her, and placed the soft whip on the corner of the desk. Her usual interest in watching the excitement was gone.
" Lalong has already escaped the city as arranged by the prince, without alerting him along the way."
But I saw that when that guy climbed over the back wall of the Prince's mansion, he encountered another group of people. The way those people blocked his way was a bit strange. The eight of them were divided into two layers, one in front and one behind. They used thin blades to cut tendons and short hooks to hook collarbones. They clearly had the ability to take his life, but they kept leaving an opening for him to escape.
As Murong Xue spoke, she took out a small piece of torn black cloth from her sleeve; the edge of the cloth was still stained with darkened blood.
She placed the item next to the map and then pointed to the narrow knife marks on it with her finger.
" Lalong mistook them for Ghost Shadow Witch Soldiers created by the royal palace, and managed to escape after taking several blows. The group didn't pursue him to the end, only sending two men to follow him."
The remaining men circled the back alley of the Prince's mansion for a long time. I had my sentries follow them for a while, but two of them almost got exposed, so we had to retreat.
Gu Moran picked up the black cloth and examined it. The cloth was ordinary, but the blade was narrow and neat. The other party clearly used thin blades that were easy to conceal and acted in a methodical manner. They were definitely not a wandering swordsman who had temporarily infiltrated the city.
Just then, a rapid alarm sounded in my mind, and a scarlet light screen unfolded.
[ The Son of Destiny Pu Yunshan, has entered Yi Prefecture.]
[Identity: Young Master of a Daoist temple on Mount Qingcheng, descendant of the Pu family, an old branch of the Liu Clan.]
[Public background: He lived with his father in Jiannan Circuit during his childhood, and later went to Mount Qingcheng for spiritual cultivation.]
[Hidden Background: His father, Pu Qinghe, was once a confidant of the Liu Clan, posing as the owner of a bookstore for many years, secretly keeping a list of his former subordinates and some of the grain transport ledgers. After Pu Yunshan came of age, he gradually took over the covert operations.]
[Special Connection: During the time Pu Qinghe ran his bookstore, he lived next to the Madam Xie family, who were then the Provincial Education Commissioner of Jiannan. Pu Yunshan, in his childhood, used the Xiaoshanzi and knew Xie Wanqing for more than two years.]
[Original plotline: Pu Yunshan, as an old acquaintance of the Madam Xie, repeatedly gains power in the court and amidst border troubles, taking over the Chuan-Shu literati and the remnants of the Liu Clan.]
[Current attitude: Hostility uncertain, dismissive, scrutinizing.]
[Current objective: Investigate the source of the Fireworks Summoning Edict, contact Zhao Wuxu, and probe the Prince Yi's Residence.]
After reading the last line, Gu Moran's hand, which was holding the black cloth, stopped in mid-air, and then he lowered his head and laughed.
Murong Xue was waiting for his order, but when she saw him laughing at a blood-stained rag, she waved her hand in front of his eyes.
"It's not a woman who came, what are you so happy about?"
These people were able to sneak into the back alley of the Prince's Mansion and evade two layers of sentries; their intentions were most likely malicious.
Sister Lin has already redeployed her forces. I've come here to ask if you want to capture her alive or just drive her away.