No one slept that night.
Everyone was waiting for news from Qin Moyuan, but as noon approached, there was still no sign of his return.
Li Yueshu felt uneasy and secretly found Chai Yang. "Does your master have a special way to contact you?"
Chai Yang nodded solemnly. "But the master has not contacted this subordinate."
Li Yueshu's heart grew more uneasy.
Qin Moyuan had promised he would return, but since there was no news yet, something must have happened.
Li Yueshu's resolve hardened. "Chai Yang, you stay and take care of everyone. I'll go find him."
"I'll go," Chai Yang immediately said, refusing to let her put herself in danger. "With Madam here, the young master and young lady will feel more at ease."
Li Yueshu pursed her lips but finally shook her head. "I can't just do nothing and wait here."
Resisting the urge to act for a whole night was already her limit!
Chai Yang wanted to say something, but seeing her determined gaze, he ultimately remained silent.
Li Yueshu briefly explained to everyone and then hurried towards Qingyong Mountain.
She didn't barge in recklessly but searched the surroundings for any trace of Qin Moyuan.
However, Qingyong Mountain was vast, and Li Yueshu found no clues.
Just as she was about to head up the mountain, she suddenly heard a clamor.
She quickly hid behind a large tree, and shortly after, saw several men pushing a cart laden with cloth and vegetables approaching.
They appeared to be the bandits responsible for procurement for Qingyong Mountain.
Within moments, Li Yueshu had an idea.
She retreated a few steps, took out a bottle of powder, and sprinkled it on the ground. Then, she forcefully stomped her foot.
"Crack!"
The sound of a branch breaking suddenly rang out. The men instantly became alert, drawing their swords. "Who's there?"
No one answered.
One of the men, holding a large saber, cautiously approached. But upon getting closer, he saw nothing.
He frowned and continued to investigate further ahead.
Just then, a sharp pain shot up his ankle.
"Ah!"
The man screamed and collapsed.
Seeing this, the others rushed over with their weapons, but the sight before them made them gasp and instinctively recoil.
The man who had fallen was on the ground, with two vividly colored snakes coiled around his ankle. Other snakes were also crawling towards them.
"What are you all standing around for? Help me, damn it!"
The man dared not move and could only glare fiercely at the people beside him.
The others snapped out of their daze, quickly using their knives to flick the snakes away, pulled the man up, and helped him to leave quickly.
Fortunately, the snakes did not pursue them. It seemed something else was attracting them, as they were all coiled together.
The men quickly examined the man's wound and breathed a sigh of relief when they found the snake that bit him was not venomous.
Without delay, they placed the man on the cart and prepared to head up the mountain to find a doctor.
The path up the mountain was a long slope. The horse pulled in front, and the others pushed from behind.
"Damn it, what have you been eating lately? You've gotten so heavy!" one of the men cursed, glaring at the man on the cart.
No one knew that a person had silently slipped into the basket full of cloth on the cart.
It was Li Yueshu.
...
The men pushed the cart up the mountain.
Due to obstructed vision, Li Yueshu had no idea of the route, but she could clearly feel that the path was winding and there were many checkpoints.
With such strict and orderly sentries, were these people truly bandits?
A hint of doubt arose in Li Yueshu's mind, but it wasn't the time to ponder these things.
After an unknown amount of time, the shaking cart finally stopped. She heard people talking, seemingly having finally entered the stronghold.
The cart came to a halt, and the next step seemed to be unloading the goods.
Just as Li Yueshu was preparing to hide in her space, she suddenly heard one of them say, "Lunch is ready. Let's eat before we start unloading."
Soon, the surrounding sounds gradually faded.
Li Yueshu waited for a moment before cautiously climbing out of the basket. She realized she was likely in a storeroom.
She warily surveyed her surroundings, then picked up a set of bandit clothes from a corner and changed into them. After applying some makeup to her face, she opened the door and walked out.
The location seemed rather secluded. Li Yueshu didn't see anyone after coming out, nor could she hear any sounds.
She randomly chose a direction, but shortly after turning a corner, she encountered two people walking and talking from a courtyard diagonally opposite.
Li Yueshu kept her head slightly down and didn't stop her steps, heading directly for another turn.
But the gazes of the two men suddenly fell upon her, and their smiles disappeared.
"Wait!" one of them suddenly spoke. "Why are you alone?"
Li Yueshu's heart skipped a beat. She vaguely felt something was off, but there was no time to think further.
She turned around calmly and said in a steady voice, "I just finished putting things away in the storeroom. What's wrong?"
The two men exchanged glances and then directly changed direction, walking towards Li Yueshu.
The man who had spoken earlier scrutinized her, his face showing suspicion. "You look unfamiliar."
Li Yueshu remained unfazed and was about to speak when she caught sight of the other man's hand gripping the knife at his waist, seemingly preparing to attack.
Her heart tightened, and then she suddenly smiled at them. "Actually, I..."
As she spoke, a flash of cold light appeared from her hand, and a silver needle shot towards the throat of the man holding the knife.
Although the man had been vigilant, Li Yueshu's speed was too great. He had no time to dodge and his eyes immediately closed as he fell to the ground.
The other man was startled by the sudden turn of events. As he was about to shout, he felt a sharp pain in his neck, followed by darkness.
Li Yueshu let out a sigh of relief but was filled with confusion.
How did these two discover her?
Li Yueshu couldn't figure it out, nor did she have time to dwell on it. She put the two men into her space and returned to the storeroom to dispose of them.
Emerging again, Li Yueshu became much more cautious. While searching for Qin Moyuan and Shen Zhiyu, she carefully avoided people.
Before long, she spotted a large training ground, with bandits coming and going everywhere, and sentries standing at attention around the perimeter.
The scene before her felt incredibly incongruous, and she vaguely felt that these people were far more than simple bandits.
At this moment, Li Yueshu suddenly noticed a path across the training ground.
She had already searched this side and found no trace of Qin Moyuan or A'yu. Perhaps they were on the other side.
Li Yueshu glanced at the bandits, then adjusted her clothes and walked out with her head lowered.
She was confident in her disguise skills. Even face-to-face, she dared to guarantee that no one would recognize her.
However, the unexpected still happened.