Li Yue Shu walked out calmly, appearing as relaxed and natural as if she were in her own home.
However, as she passed by, people kept staring at her, making her wonder if her makeup had smudged.
Li Yue Shu felt a pang of apprehension, but her face showed no trace of it.
Yet, as she walked, she eventually stopped.
In the vast training grounds, all eyes turned towards her. The air was so quiet that only the sound of breathing seemed to remain.
Li Yue Shu was not foolish and naturally sensed something was wrong.
Gradually, a large space cleared around her. The guards standing at attention, weapons in hand, approached with vigilance.
Li Yue Shu: "..."
Which part of the plan had gone wrong?
Li Yue Shu subtly turned her body, ready to act at any moment.
But a sudden idea struck her, and she abandoned the thought of resistance.
Perhaps she could use this opportunity to find Qin Mo Yuan and A Yu.
Before long, Li Yue Shu was apprehended.
"How on earth did this brat get up the mountain? With so many guards, not a single one noticed him!"
"And he just brazenly ran into the training grounds! If it weren't for the rules set by the Great Leader, we might not have discovered him at all!"
"This kid is truly capable. Once the Great Leader returns, we must report this to him immediately."
...
Li Yue Shu listened quietly to the chaotic discussions around her, gleaning one important piece of information: she was discovered because of a rule set by the Great Leader.
But what rule could possibly expose her?
As Li Yue Shu was contemplating, she was escorted and locked into a wooden cage in a corner of the training grounds.
The large iron chains clanged loudly, securing the only entrance and exit.
Li Yue Shu shook her wrist, which had been squeezed painfully, and her gaze quickly swept over the people inside the wooden cage.
There were about ten people, all men. Each of them looked disheveled, and several were even injured.
Li Yue Shu did not meddle in their affairs and simply sat down by the entrance of the cage.
This wooden cage was located in a corner, allowing a clear view of the entire training ground.
Li Yue Shu did not know much about the bandits of this world, but she knew that most bandits were probably undisciplined.
Yet, looking at these bandits, although their demeanor appeared rough and rude, their actions were orderly.
"Little brother, how did you sneak up the mountain?" a voice suddenly interrupted Li Yue Shu's thoughts.
She turned her head and saw a cheerful man looking at her with curiosity.
Li Yue Shu glanced at him, then at the equally curious crowd behind him.
She had noticed earlier that these dozen or so people were gathered together, seemingly traveling as a group.
Li Yue Shu did not conceal her answer. "I used a trick and hid inside a supply cart to get in."
The man patted her shoulder with a hearty laugh. "Little brother, if you don't want to say, just refuse directly. Why use such words to deceive me?"
He mimicked Li Yue Shu's sitting posture, leaning against the wooden bars. "Entering and exiting Qing Yong Mountain involves strict inspections. Even for supplies, everything must be unpacked and checked one by one. It's impossible to hide anything."
Li Yue Shu tilted her head, looking at him in confusion. "How do you know?"
The inspections at Qing Yong Mountain were indeed strict, but she had her spatial abilities and could evade the checks.
The man, with a blade of grass in his mouth, pouted. "I used this method when I tried to sneak into Qing Yong Mountain."
Judging by his demeanor, his attempt had clearly failed.
Li Yue Shu surveyed the others, then turned to face him. "How were you all captured and brought here?"
The man shrugged. "We are bandits from the neighboring mountain. We provoked Qing Yong Mountain and failed, so we were captured."
He said it with such candor, as if he felt no shame.
But the others clearly didn't have such thick skin. Some awkwardly averted their gaze from Li Yue Shu, while others even turned their backs.
Li Yue Shu was somewhat curious. "Why did you provoke Qing Yong Mountain?"
Qin Mo Yuan had mentioned that the imperial court had repeatedly sent troops to suppress Qing Yong Mountain and failed. These bandits' reputation must have spread far and wide. Why would anyone seek them out to provoke them?
The man scratched the back of his head and grinned. "Qing Yong Mountain is so famous. If we won, we would become renowned throughout Chen Nan Kingdom!"
This reason seemed quite plausible.
Li Yue Shu asked curiously, "How many bandits... brothers are there on your mountain?"
The man suddenly sat up straight and gestured broadly, pointing to the others in the wooden cage. "Just these twelve of us."
Li Yue Shu: "???"
With just twelve people, they dared to provoke the Qing Yong Mountain bandits, whom even the imperial court couldn't handle?
The number of people in this training ground alone was several times their number!
Li Yue Shu's lips twitched. "Whose idea was this?"
The man's smile was brilliant as he patted his chest. "Mine, of course!"
Li Yue Shu's expression was somewhat odd. She forced a smile and gave him a thumbs-up. "You are truly the bravest person I've ever met."
The man blinked at her, then tilted his head and smiled. "Thank you for the compliment. You think I'm very smart too, right!"
He seemed quite pleased. "I've already thought it through. If we succeed in provoking them, our mountain's reputation will spread instantly. If we fail, we'll join Qing Yong Mountain. We won't lose either way!"
Li Yue Shu moved her lips, unsure how to respond.
The calculation was indeed clever, but what if Qing Yong Mountain refused to accept them? Wouldn't they lose their lives!
Li Yue Shu did not pursue the topic further and instead inquired about the situation at Qing Yong Mountain. "I heard earlier that the Great Leader of Qing Yong Mountain has set some rules. Do you know what they are?"
"I know!" the man readily admitted. "There are hundreds of people in Qing Yong Mountain, so it's impossible for everyone to know each other. Therefore, the Great Leader made a rule that everyone in the stronghold must travel in groups of two or more."
"I heard that you can't even bathe or go to the latrine alone!"
Li Yue Shu had never expected such a peculiar rule, and yet it worked. It felt inexplicably absurd.
Seeing her speechless expression, the man clearly recalled her embarrassing situation of appearing alone in the training grounds earlier.
He wanted to laugh but quickly replaced his expression with sympathy upon looking at Li Yue Shu.
Li Yue Shu was not blind and could see his suppressed laughter.
She resisted the urge to roll her eyes and continued to inquire, "Qing Yong Mountain is so large. Besides this wooden cage, are there any other places where people are held?"
The man sized her up and raised an eyebrow. "If you're looking for someone, you probably won't find them."
Li Yue Shu's heart tightened. "Why?"
The man sighed and looked at her sympathetically. "Qing Yong Mountain never wastes food on prisoners. So, outsiders who enter Qing Yong Mountain generally end up either at the cliff behind the mountain or as meals for the wild beasts."
"The person you're looking for is probably already dead."