Chapter 12: Scouting the Path

Upon hearing this, Meng Shan and his two companions remained motionless.

Seeing this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, his dissatisfaction written plainly across his face.

"Heh, do you perhaps think Miss Cang and I are villains?"

Meng Shan studied Li Musheng for a moment. Unable to gauge the depth of his cultivation, he shook his head and said, "We appreciate your kindness, young master, but we are on an important mission and it is truly inconvenient for us to travel together."

The woman in green and the scholar beside him remained vigilant, not uttering a single word.

They seemed to harbor a deep suspicion toward Cang Yinyue and Li Musheng, becoming visibly more wary after Cang Yinyue had exposed Meng Shan's identity.

"Boring."

Li Musheng shook his head and immediately stopped paying them any attention. He patted the mule beneath him and continued along the mountain path ahead.

As he passed Meng Shan, he was barely a foot away from the blade in the man's hand, yet he rode past with casual indifference, as if nothing were wrong.

Meng Shan and the woman in green exchanged uncertain glances, but in the end, neither made a move.

Cang Yinyue took everything in. She nodded slightly, seemingly satisfied with their decision.

Without saying a word, she urged her horse to follow Li Musheng.

After they had traveled a certain distance, Cang Yinyue looked at Li Musheng's back and suddenly spoke in a cold tone, "You certainly are quite decisive, letting them follow us. Are you certain they harbor no ill intentions?"

"Who knows? If I hadn't spoken up to intimidate them, they might have struck just now, intending to silence us in these desolate mountains!"

Hearing this, Li Musheng turned around, glanced at the three people trailing far behind them, and smiled meaningfully. "I don't care what they think. Regardless, they can't kill me."

"You are quite confident," Cang Yinyue replied with a cold sneer.

In her view, although Meng Shan and the other woman were both Xiantian-level experts, if they truly fought, neither would last ten moves against her. Similarly, they certainly wouldn't be able to withstand Li Musheng's acupoint-striking techniques.

"Once we pass through this area of Changzhou, we will pick up the pace. There is something wrong with those three. If we want to avoid trouble, we must stay far away from them."

Cang Yinyue remained extremely cautious. Li Musheng nodded, sitting atop the mule while stroking his chin in thought.

"I noticed that scholar's clothes were tattered and his face was thin and sallow. He likely isn't from a wealthy or official family; rather, he seems to come from a poor background."

"Yet, he is being protected by two Xiantian experts. That is clearly abnormal."

"Why would they protect a poor scholar? Or does the scholar possess some other special identity?"

As Li Musheng spoke, his gaze shifted toward Cang Yinyue. "Miss Cang, have you noticed that the scholar's situation is very similar to mine? We are of a similar age, and furthermore, their destination is clearly the Imperial Capital, Shangyang City..."

At this, Cang Yinyue's elegant brows furrowed slightly as she fell into thought. "I know what you are implying. Your speculation isn't without reason, but could such a coincidence truly exist?"

Li Musheng smiled. "They say coincidence makes for a good story. Perhaps it is just that kind of coincidence."

But just then, his expression suddenly sharpened. He pulled on the reins of the mule and lowered his voice. "It seems it is indeed an unfortunate coincidence. This path we are taking appears to be blocked."

Before Cang Yinyue could understand what he meant, Li Musheng suddenly leaped onto a large nearby tree. He shaded his eyes with his hand and looked into the distance.

"Miss Cang, come up and look. There is a roadblock ahead, positioned right across our path."

Cang Yinyue was momentarily stunned, but she immediately leaped lightly onto the branches just as Li Musheng had done.

Following his gaze, she indeed saw a simple wooden fortification built on a distant hillside. About a dozen men were guarding it, effectively cutting off the mountain paths leading to the road ahead.

Seeing this, a look of confusion crossed Cang Yinyue's face. She turned to Li Musheng. "You were sitting on the mule just now; were you able to see that far away?"

"My martial arts are profound and my vision is piercing. Is there a problem with that?" Li Musheng shrugged. "However, what I want to know now is: do we change our route, or do we charge straight through?"

Cang Yinyue frowned at him, her eyes sweeping over the distant wooden fort. After a moment of deliberation, she said, "Setting up a checkpoint in such a remote place is clearly against common sense. To be safe, I do not recommend charging through directly."

As she spoke, she glanced back at the mountain path behind them, a cold glint flashing in her eyes. "Let them go ahead and scout the way first."

Upon hearing this, Li Musheng instantly understood her meaning.

As expected, this girl was as devious as ever!

"In that case, those three fellows will have to serve as guinea pigs."

Li Musheng nodded, and then he and Cang Yinyue leaped down from the tree.

After riding the mule forward for a short distance, they suddenly slipped into the nearby woods at a blind spot and vanished.

Meanwhile, the three people behind them remained completely unaware.

"Commander Zhao, were you able to discern the origins of those two just now?" the woman in green, Yuan Mei, asked in a low voice, having lost sight of Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue.

Hearing this, Meng Shan glanced at the scholar beside him and shook his head.

"That young man never revealed any internal energy; his depth is impossible to gauge. However, that woman is well-informed—she even knows the internal affairs of the Dali Army. I suspect she is either from the military or the imperial court."

He paused before continuing, "Furthermore, she is a Xiantian expert. While Xiantian experts are not much in Shangyang City, encountering one here, I am not entirely confident I could kill her. Otherwise, I would have signaled you to strike just now."

A cold light flashed in Yuan Mei's eyes. "Our mission must remain secret and cannot afford any mistakes. If the opportunity arises on the road, I believe we should deal with them. Otherwise, if word leaks out, it could jeopardize the General's plans."

Meng Shan thought for a moment and nodded. "We will wait for a suitable opportunity. If we decide to act, we must ensure there is no room for error."

He remembered that Cang Yinyue had already deduced his identity. If she were allowed to return to the capital, their mission might not remain hidden.

With this in mind, he turned to the scholar and said with narrowed eyes, "Your Highness, the journey to the capital is long. To prevent any treacherous individuals from attempting harm, please endure a little longer. Once we reach the capital, everything will be safe."

The scholar hurriedly cupped his hands in a bow. "This humble scholar thanks you both for your protection along the way. Once I have met my Imperial Father, I shall surely repay you handsomely."

Meng Shan and Yuan Mei exchanged a glance, both wearing enigmatic smiles.