At this time, Maner pulled back the curtain and walked in with a tray in her hand. Leng Wu subconsciously walked to her to protect her because he knew Qiu Shuihan, who looked weak in fact, was a skilled martial artist.
Two ordinary objects were placed on the tray Maner held. On the left was a piece of delicate embroidery, while on the right was the array map the scout took back that day.
“All generals and soldiers who have been to the rock gates know that the array is not fixed. It will only be activated when someone walks in. However, to draw this detailed map, one has to stand in a high position, which therefore makes the person unable to activate the rock gates. If so, how could one draw such a detailed map?” Qin Yunuan explained slowly.
Leng Changxi echoed, “So this map is forged. You have bought over that scout and asked him to bring back the map. I truly doubted him then. He indeed had been out for a long time, but how could a little-educated scout be so good at painting?”
“Even so, you can’t prove that I have bought him over. General, I’m innocent.”
“Qiu Shuihan, you don’t remember this?” Qin Yunuan asked while pointing at the embroidery. “Changxi told me that the handwriting on the map looked strange, so I deliberately asked you to make this for me. You poured many efforts to it, but you don’t know why I asked you to do so. I don’t intend to examine your embroidery skills, but your techniques and stitch style. The handwriting looks strange because it goes leftwards. But in general, one’s handwriting will be rightwards because they write with their right hand. So to conclude, the map was drawn by a left-handed person.”
Hearing this, Shuihan hid her left hand in an unnatural way. At this time, Leng Wu said, “True. Just now when I fought with Miss Qiu, she apparently used her left hand more.”
“So what? It may just be a coincidence.”
“Shuihan, stop quibbling,” Leng Changxi shook his head and said. “The first requirement for soldiers in black armor is to be right-handed, which can ensure uniformity for the array deployment and training. Moreover, there is no left-handed soldier in the Leng Army, either. Miss Qiu, it’s not fun to quibble over this, although it can prove your loyalty to Sima Ray. But he won’t know this or care about this.”
Shuihan sat on the floor weakly. She seemed to have run out of her energy and couldn’t stand up anymore. She looked blank and murmured something, but people couldn’t hear her clearly.
“She murmurs ‘father’,” Qin Yunuan said after reading Qiu Shuihan’s lip language. It seemed that Sima Ray threatened Qiu Shuihan to spy on them with Qiu Murong’s life. Qin Yunuan crouched and looked directly into Shuihan’s eyes. She lifted Shuihan’s small and round chin with her long finger, and by just doing so, an arched mark was left on her chin.
How did Qiu Murong bring up such a pretty daughter who had fair and tender skin?
“Qiu Shuihan, get to know what situation you are in,” Qin Yunuan declaimed. “You’re just a pawn. If Sima Ray knows you are exposed, he will surely torture your father and send assassins to kill you. We don’t kill you because we want you to tell us everything you know. In this way, you may be able to save your father’s life.”
Shuihan had thought about Qin Yunuan’s words for a long time but still kept silent. She looked down. Tears that were stained with the powder on her face fell down. Tuoba Wuyu showed no pity for her now. He cupped his hands and said to Leng Changxi, “General, please allow me to take this spy into custody.”
Leng Changxi nodded.
Tuoba Wuyu escorted Shuihan out of the tent in person. Suddenly, thunder grumbled in the distance, which made soldiers on guard in the cold wind shake. Soon, a heavy downpour followed, showing no mercy. Falling down on the tent and flags, the bean-size raindrops seemed to soothe people despite this impending war.
Shuihan was tied up and escorted by two soldiers with one leading in front and another following behind. She suddenly became all wet because of the rain. Heiying and Leng Shuang stood under the tent. It seemed that Heiying was going to send Leng Shuang who was apparently tired back.
“Why don’t you give a hand to an all-wet beauty?” Leng Shuang pouted and asked Heiying in a low voice when seeing Shuihan walked away lonely.
Heiying was confused and didn’t get her. He walked around Leng Shuang and checked her carefully. “You’re not wet.”
Leng Shuang lovingly looked at Heiying who behaved innocently and couldn’t help laughing.
Heiying was more confused and asked, “What’s wrong? Why do you ask me to offer a hand for no reason, and now laugh for no reason?”
Leng Shuang looked away but didn’t stop smiling. “You really think you are the hero who saves the beauty out of danger?”
Heiying answered honestly, “I think you are the beauty.”
“Eh?”
Leng Shuang blushed and was a little overwhelmed by this, so she moved over a bit. It was so strange because her heartbeat hadn’t been this fast even in the most urgent and dangerous situation.
“Why do you move over?” Heiying took over the paper umbrella Leng Wu took out from the tent. He dragged Leng Shuang to stand close to him in a natural way and said in a commanding tone, “I’ll walk you back. You must have been exhausted today, so remember to take a bath and have a good sleep later.”
Leng Shuang and Heiying stood so close to each other under the umbrella that she could feel his strong heartbeat. She looked down and behaved like a shy girl for the first time.
In the tent, Qin Yunuan asked Leng Changxi with a smile, “Look at you. Why did you deliberately ask Leng Wu to send them an umbrella? They can stay here for longer.”
Leng Changxi exchanged glances with generals, and they all left. Then, Leng Changxi held Qin Yunuan into his arms and kissed her neck. She could feel his breath, around her ear and down, making her get goose bumps. Qin Yunuan had lost her energy and completely leaned herself to Leng Changxi, so the latter lifted her up and walked to the soft bed next to them. He stroked her face with his hot hand. What a hot night.
At the same time, a man and a girl were doing the same thing in the woods near the military camp near the Luguan. The man was topless. One end of his waistband was still tied while another already fell down on the girl’s calf. On his sweaty bare back, sweat dripped along his well-shaped muscles down to the green grass.
“Your Royal Highness, I can’t take more.” The girl kept moaning and sounded so seductive.
“Aren’t you saying that you come all along just for me? Don’t you want this?” Sima Ray leveraged his genuine energy to detect danger while also enjoying himself to the full at this moment.
The girl was still young, merely at 15 years old. Apparently, this was her first time. She was not used to this and even felt painful.
“Your Royal Highness, I’m here to beg you to spare my father and sister.”
“Shut up now, and I’ll spare them.” Sima Ray directly covered her mouth and nose. Then he moved faster. After a while, that girl stopped struggling. Sima Ray put his finger under her nose. She was alive but weak.
Sima Ray quickly dressed himself up and stood up, not caring about the girl who still lay on the ground.
“Shangguan Yuen, you did well just now and showed your sincerity. I’m practicing internal skills now and need this to enhance myself. If you really want your father and sister to be acquitted, you should come to the military camp tomorrow and show up whenever I need you. If you do anything wrong, I’ll ask people in the capital to kill your father.”
The girl was Shangguan Yuen, the youngest daughter of Shangguan Yuan, the Prime Minister. It was said that she was timid and always stayed at home, not going out. She should come alone to the Luguan to beg for Sima Ray’s leniency. She was really filial. Sima Ray practiced a kind of strange martial arts that required him to have sex for 7 consecutive days after the fifteenth day of each lunar month. So he wanted to take advantage of Shangguan Yuen. After all, he was tired of prostitutes and preferred young girls like Shangguan Yuen now.
Dressed up, Sima Ray directly left, and Shangguan Yuen who was exhausted still lay on the grassland. At the same time, a figure in the woods disappeared. Soon, a scout in black knelt down before Leng Changxi’s tent and reported everything he saw in the woods in a low voice.
Qin Yunuan put on a piece of plain and clean gown. Then she wiped away the sweat on Leng Changxi and helped him get dressed. Hearing what the scout said, she said, “Shangguan Yuen is silly. How can she get anything from a demon?”
“Her family asks for this.” Leng Changxi looked cold. “When Sima Ray just revolted, Shangguan Yuan took his side for securing his position and life. Now Sima Ray holds power. He, of course, will assign his henchmen to important positions. And, Sima Ray will definitely not keep Shangguan Yuan at his side. Because this man has chosen to betray the emperor for securing his position, and he will surely betray Sima Ray if anyone stronger shows up. Sima Ray knows well about this.”
“But I’m curious what kind of internal skills he practices. If we know this, we can easily defeat him.”
