A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 177 Survive

The two of them went together, making a group of four.

Xiang He and his companion traveled quickly, but they had a pregnant woman with them, so they had to take care of her.

Xiang He walked at the back, occasionally letting Black Crow go up to check and then whispering reports in his ear.

They are currently maintaining a distance of over twenty miles, and they must quicken their pace, as the night is still long.

"Sister-in-law, can we go any faster? I'm worried the enemy is too close behind us."

Sister Qiu, supporting her belly, took small steps, saying, "It should be able to be faster."

Walking was already difficult with her big belly, but escaping was the priority. For the sake of her unborn child, she had to keep walking no matter what.

The four walked for a while longer. The black crow flew in the sky for more than half a circle when suddenly an arrow flew by. It cawed a few times and flew down.

The four immediately became alert, and Xiang He caught Black Crow with both hands. "What's wrong?"

A crow flapped its wings and whispered in her ear, "Someone! Someone!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it sounded like a strange cry; thankfully, it didn't scare anyone.

"Are you sure it's a person? Just one?"

Black Crow nodded a few times and was about to step forward when Zhu Nan stopped him, saying, "Since she's human, things are easier. Miss, hurry back; I'll catch up with you in a bit."

The sudden appearance of the arrows suggests that the enemy's consciousness was being probed by the black crows, as it's not unusual for someone with extraordinary abilities to understand the language of beasts.

He nodded without the slightest hesitation. "Be careful."

"Yes."

Zhu Nan had an injury on his calf, but it wasn't noticeable when he walked; he truly lived up to his title as a guard.

Xiang He twirled the umbrella handle in his hand, "Four ghosts, go and help. Let me know immediately if anything happens."

This time, the four ghosts made no sound; a gentle breeze followed the bamboo nanmu away.

Mr. and Mrs. Qiu were both nervous and puzzled. This girl was talking to Chu Wu and saying strange things; it was really odd...

Xiang He took one last look at the mountain, "Let's go."

The biggest danger right now is the one on the mountain. Hopefully, Zhu Nan can resolve this immediately, otherwise traveling at night with two villagers by our side and having to stay vigilant all the time is really exhausting.

The three walked for a while longer, and then Brother Qiu stopped at a crossroads. “There are houses in there. I remember one of them had a handcart.”

Xiang He nodded, "Yes, it will be faster to push my sister-in-law along."

The three walked along the path for a while before finally seeing a few houses, but everyone there had already left.

Xiang He knocked on the door politely and spoke even though there was no response.

After pushing open the door, she rummaged through the cabinet and found two rather worn-out quilts inside, which she took out and placed on the cart.

"This way, my sister-in-law will be more comfortable sitting here, and it won't be too uncomfortable."

Sister Qiu nodded her thanks, "I'll have to trouble you, young lady..."

"It's nothing, come on up, Brother Qiu and I will help you, we need to hurry."

"Row."

With the handcart, the three of them traveled much faster.

Xiang He exerted all his strength, pushing as steadily and quickly as possible.

Brother Qiu occasionally looked back up the mountain, "Is that guy alright? It's been so long..."

"Don't worry," Xiang He glanced back, "he's very capable."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a shout came from the mountain.

In the darkness of the night, the cry sounded particularly desolate.

"It's done..."

Upon hearing those two words, the couple's hearts skipped a beat, and they looked at He with a hint of panic in their eyes.

Seeing the fear in their eyes, Xiang He smiled and said, "Don't worry, those are enemy soldiers. We're not some heartless killers."

That's not funny at all...

Sister Qiu sneered, "Girl, aren't you scared at night? The enemy is only twenty miles behind us. We've already made plans for tonight... If we're really captured, we'll just run ourselves over."

People are afraid of death, but when faced with humiliation, they would rather die.

"Now there's finally a glimmer of hope. Let's hurry on our way."

"I'll get off when you're tired."

The three of them talked, and the conversation helped them relax and become less tense.

The ribs of the large umbrella shimmered in the night, indicating that the four ghosts had returned. Black Crow flew over, followed by Bamboo Nan.

The couple's hearts, which had been clenched with worry, finally relaxed when they saw the bamboo shoots.

"They were the enemy's scouts. I didn't expect them to get so close."

Xiang He nodded slightly, "When we went to investigate, we may have taken a different route from him. We didn't expect him to want to kill Black Crow."

"I suspect that the other party thought Black Crow was the girl's 'sentinel,' and someone who wasn't controlled by the Yin energy."

"He'd rather expose his position than let us know the enemy's location..."

Given the current situation, we can also deduce the enemy's location. He has no need to expose his position and invite disaster.

Thinking about it this way, when Xiangyang was a scout before, he got quite close, but he wasn't discovered.

But the scouts, who were so close, didn't do anything to Xiangyang.

Scouts on the battlefield not only have to gather intelligence about the enemy, but also avoid encountering enemy scouts. In order to safely bring back the news, they must ensure their own survival.

For example, just now, the scout tried to disrupt our intelligence, but he also exposed himself, so we will not let him go.

The group continued on their way, and the cart made their journey much faster.

The night was chilling, and the faint, orderly footsteps echoing from behind were truly unsettling.

No one dared to stop; even when their legs were numb, they continued moving forward like machines.

It took several hours to walk from night to dawn before we could finally see the outer walls of Shuiyun City.

"We're almost there!" Sister Qiu shifted her body. "Let me get down; you must be tired too."

Xiang He loosened his grip, his shoulders slumping. "We're almost there..."

Riding a horse is less tiring than walking...

Xiang He looked up at the sky. Daylight had arrived, and the enemy troops should have already stopped marching.

However, Xiang He's abilities were discovered by the other party last night, and they may come up with another plan. Xiang He needs to think of a way to deal with it quickly.

"Sister!"

A shout interrupted Xiang He's thoughts. Looking up, she saw Xiang Yang standing on the city wall, waving at her.

Xiang He raised his hand in response, and the city gate was opened a little. Pang Long walked out and looked solemnly at Brother Qiu and his wife.

"Who are they? Why did you bring people back from outside?"

His stern expression terrified the couple. Brother Qiu immediately helped Sister-in-law Qiu kneel down, saying, "Greetings, General..."

Xiang He stepped forward a few steps. "They are villagers. They were not allowed to enter the city during the lockdown, so they could only wait to die at home. The woman did not want to see innocent people die, so she brought them back."

Pang Long's furrowed brows revealed deep lines. This was a heavily pregnant woman. He coldly looked at the adjutant beside him and asked, "Why not allow women and children into the city?"

Deputy General Yang immediately clasped his hands in a fist and said, "It is this humble general's dereliction of duty."

Xiang He raised an eyebrow slightly. It was pointless to say anything more now; it would be better to confess honestly.

Pang Long knew that they were not allowed to enter the city, but he had given the order himself, and his subordinates had obeyed it. Questioning them now was just to make them take responsibility.

We can't expect a dignified general to admit his mistake.

Pang Long glanced at He and said, "Come in."

"Yes."