Chen Xiaobei waved his hand, "Your Highness, as long as you don't go out, we still have a chance. Please allow me to descend the mountain tonight."
Upon hearing this, Liu Rumei blurted out, "I'll go down too."
The maidservant Xiao Qing hurriedly tugged at Liu Rumei's arm.
However, Liu Rumei paid no mind, "I am willing to descend the mountain with Brother Xiaobei and lend him a hand."
Just then, Princess Zhaoning also spoke, "Brother, I'll go down too. I must kill that scoundrel Zhu Meng."
Seeing everyone's righteous indignation, Xiao Jingyun could only turn his gaze to Chen Xiaobei.
Chen Xiaobei understood that this matter had arisen because of him and that he had to resolve it himself.
He cupped his fists in salute to everyone present and said loudly, "Thank you all. However, this is my family matter and does not require your assistance. It will be enough if Huang Ying comes down the mountain with me."
Liu Rumei, however, once again firmly stood beside Chen Xiaobei, "Chen Xiaobei is my brother, and I am his sister. His business is my business, and I am going down."
Ma Biao, Liu Ce, and the others were stunned, unable to comprehend how their young lady had become someone else's sister.
At this moment, the Lotus Cult Leader also stepped forward, "Huang Ying is my junior sister. Wherever she goes, I go."
Princess Zhaoning immediately responded, "Wherever Master goes, I go."
The little maidservant quickly added, "Wherever the Princess goes, I go."
As others were about to speak, Xiao Jingyun raised his hand to interrupt.
"Enough, everyone, stop talking. I know you all want to go down the mountain to rescue her, but have you considered why they captured Chen Qiao'er? It's because we are here. He can do nothing to us."
He then looked at Princess Zhaoning, "The two of us staying here can keep Zhu Meng's 300,000 troops firmly occupied."
The Lotus Cult Leader heard this, his eyes full of concern. He turned and looked at Princess Zhaoning, "Princess, please stay. Your Master will descend the mountain and return soon."
At this point, Chen Dayong and others also offered to return with Chen Xiaobei, but Chen Xiaobei refused.
They did not know martial arts and would not be of much help if they went.
After much deliberation, the list of people descending the mountain was finalized.
Chen Xiaobei, accompanied by Huang Ying, the Lotus Cult Leader, Liu Rumei, Xiao Qing, Liu Ce, Ma Biao, Ma Xiaoyi, Liu Ziming, and Liu Ziliang.
Chen Xiaobei led these few people, using the rope from the previous spot, they descended to the bottom of the valley and then set off in a direction.
As Chen Xiaobei left, Xiao Jingyun was not idle. He had to buy time for Chen Xiaobei.
Xiao Jingyun took up his brush and wrote a letter, scolding Zhu Meng for his lack of benevolence, but not mentioning the matter of exchange at all.
He knew that once his letter reached Zhu Meng, Zhu Meng would surely reply, and they would delay things with their correspondence, perhaps giving Chen Xiaobei enough time to act.
Just as Chen Xiaobei and his group set off, chaos erupted in Lu Dong's camp.
Suddenly, someone set off three firecrackers. Although Lu Dong and Wang Long did not know what these were, they could sense that this was likely a signal to the other side.
It was clear that the Crown Prince's people had infiltrated their camp.
Who could it be? As they were searching one by one, someone rushed in to report, "Reporting to the General, a soldier was killed at the steep slope ahead, and his armor is missing."
Hearing this, Lu Dong and Wang Long exchanged glances, both with bitter smiles.
They had infiltrated so openly, and they had not noticed anything. Fortunately, they weren't here to kill them, or they would have lost their heads without even knowing it.
"Quick, issue an order, search carefully by squad to see if there are any strangers."
By the time they were searching now, it was already three years too late. Shen Ziyan had already slipped out of the army camp without a trace.
Having completed the task of setting off firecrackers, Shen Ziyan continued towards Longyan.
She knew about the iron chain bridge. This was a key point for Zhu Meng's army, so if she continued forward, she would soon be able to escape the army camp.
For her, crossing the Dragon King River was a piece of cake, so as long as she left the camp, she would be safe.
Lu Dong's army searched until dawn, but they found nothing.
Faced with this situation, he could only accept it helplessly.
Just then, someone ran over in a hurry, "General, a letter was shot over from the opposite side."
Lu Dong took the letter, opened it, and his face turned red.
He handed the letter to Wang Long beside him, "General Wang, look at it yourself. The Crown Prince has thoroughly insulted us."
Wang Long heard this and waved his hand, "No need to look, no need to look. I know what it says without reading it. We can't blame the Crown Prince, we really did not act properly in this matter."
Lu Dong sighed and handed the letter to a soldier nearby, "Pass it down to the Grand Marshal."
Zhu Meng, who received the letter at the foot of the mountain, was also silent for a moment. He then handed the letter to Zhang Liao.
Zhang Liao, however, was unconcerned, "Marshal, let him scold us if he wants. He will naturally come down the mountain in two days. We just need to wait patiently."
Zhu Meng could only nod helplessly, "It has come to this, we have no turning back."
As the saying goes, "Eager to return." As the sun began to set, Chen Xiaobei and his group had already reached the end of the canyon. They had covered in one night and one day the distance that had taken them three days previously.
Looking at the steep rock face, Liu Rumei sighed, "If I remember correctly, even if we climb up from here, we still have to pass through a steep slope."
Hearing her say this, Liu Ce, Ma Xiaoyi, and the others could not help but feel disheartened. They had already traversed these paths.
At this moment, Huang Ying smiled slightly, "Don't worry, don't worry. Even if there are thousands of troops, I will charge through them for you."
Chen Xiaobei looked at her and a faint smile appeared on his lips, though it was a little strained, "Who said we have to go up the steep slope?"
He squinted his eyes, searching carefully on the cliff face, and finally pointed to an inconspicuous stone in a corner, "Huang Ying, do you see that protruding boulder?"
Huang Ying looked in the direction he was pointing and nodded slightly.
"I see it. Don't worry, I can climb up without ropes."
Chen Xiaobei smiled slightly, "There's a cave entrance there. Go and push the stone inside, do you understand what I mean?"
Huang Ying nodded, "I understand. After we all go in, we'll block the entrance."
Chen Xiaobei secretly gave her a thumbs-up. This Huang Ying was indeed smart, understanding immediately when he spoke.
Hearing him say this, Liu Rumei looked somewhat bewildered.
When did a cave entrance appear? Why didn't Chen Xiaobei mention it last time?
Thinking of this, she asked with a hint of worry, "Brother Xiaobei, do you know where that cave entrance leads?"
Chen Xiaobei looked at her, "I know. Don't worry, I will definitely lead you out."
Huang Ying slung the rope over her shoulder. She leaped up, her toes lightly touching the cliff face a few times. Just like her name, she moved as quietly as a yellow oriole and landed on the boulder.