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"Young Master, the trip to Yunzhou is far and fraught with unknown risks.

Perhaps... you should consider it a bit more?

" Early at Mao time on the second day, before dawn broke, Weichi Feihu had to set off to assemble with the rescue team, and Wei Gongzhan had risen at an even earlier hour to see him off.

Yesterday, they had talked late into the night, and as the conversation flowed, Wei Gongzhan’s wine was somehow brought out to share.

The fruit wine brewed from the Mountain God Spiritual Spring was so fragrant that once they began drinking, none of them could stop, so they simply stayed the night in the shared sleeping quarters where Shen Yuan was.

"Oh, why didn’t you sleep a bit longer?" Weichi Feihu said with a wide grin when he saw Wei Gongzhan who had gotten up early to see him off.

"How could I sleep knowing that the young master is heading off on such a perilous journey?

" Wei Gongzhan said with a huff, glancing over at Wei Gongyan who was sleeping on the ground nearby like a dead pig, thinking, this guy, you still count on him to watch over the young master, and yet look at him now. ..

"Didn’t he say he was a match for that military leader leading the team? How come he couldn’t even get into the squad?"

"Uh..." Weichi Feihu suddenly choked and coughed, clearly startled by the assertion they were equal partners, realizing only then just how thick the face of the assistant that his second brother had sent was.

Looking at that guy sleeping without a care in the world, Weichi Feihu couldn’t help but chuckle and patted Wei Gongzhan’s shoulder, "I should have kept you by my side; then the journey to Yunzhou wouldn’t be so lonely."

"Young Master, you don’t need to worry, I will enlist at once and be sure to catch up with you," Wei Gongzhan assured him earnestly.

"No need, no need..." Weichi Feihu waved his hand, "Since we have our separate duties, you just focus on gathering intelligence in Daqing Mountain. I’m not a child; I don’t need constant supervision. Besides, I get along quite well with the soldiers in the team, so rest assured."

This feeling of independence, of being unwatched and unrecognized, Weichi Feihu actually quite enjoyed.

Previously, when he went to the barracks, although he claimed it was to experience the life of a low-ranking soldier, everyone knew he was a noble’s son and treated him with kid gloves.

The superiors would never dare assign him dangerous tasks, for fear he would get hurt - it was impossible to even scuff his skin, let alone temper himself. ..

In the camp, comrades either treated him with distant respect or tried to ingratiate themselves, and after a while, he felt as if staying in the barracks was no different from spending time with the foppish sons of nobility within Capital City.

But this time was absolutely different. Eating and sleeping together, training and growing together until so exhausted they could barely stand, they still proudly proclaimed their lofty ambitions in the tents.

No one knew his identity, making their interactions all the more natural. Anyone who showcased their talents would earn a higher regard; here, no one knew he was Weichi Feihu, and here... any respect he gained was earned through his own efforts.

Honestly... he quite liked this, and he even harbored a bit of excitement for heading to the front lines in Yunzhou.

"But Young Master, you really should..."

"Enough, there are no buts," Weichi Feihu interjected sternly, "I’m not a child, no need to follow me so closely. I’ll be careful, and you and Gongyan should watch your backs in your daily affairs..."

As he spoke, he lowered his voice, "I feel like Shen Yuan’s attitude towards gathering intelligence has changed from before. You and Gongyan must be careful around him."

Wei Gongzhan started, taken aback, as he noticed how much the Young Master had changed in such a short period. Not only had his observational skills improved, but he had also learned to show concern for others.

Shen Yuan’s distinctly odd behavior yesterday had not eluded him, yet he had only discreetly been wary, given that the other had been subtle. But who would have thought that the usually unobservant and careless Young Master would spot it too?

With newfound attentiveness, his demeanor had softened considerably. In the past, even if he did worry about his subordinates, he would never have shown it so naturally... He always maintained some level of pride in his status. But now...

Wei Gongyan looked at the endlessly talking Weichi Feihu, temporarily at a loss for words, but inside he couldn’t quite explain why he felt more at ease.

The Young Master had changed, becoming gentler, but also much more mature at heart, even possessing a trace of the imposing aura that once belonged to the old Weichi Family Head.

"Look at you, so stupefied... are you not listening to a word I say?" Weichi Feihu frowned and reprimanded as he saw Wei Gongzhan’s distracted state.

"I’m listening..." Wei Gongzhan grinned, "I’ve caught your drift, Young Master. You need to be careful out there, and I’ll keep an eye on things here."

"Hmph, good!" Weichi Feihu nodded in satisfaction, "By the way, where did you get that wine from yesterday? It was truly exceptional; I’ve never tasted anything like it, even in Capital City."

Upon mentioning the wine, Weichi Feihu’s smile stiffened instantly, as he recalled how, in the flow of conversation, he had offered up the smallest jug of wine, only for everyone to get caught up in the moment and drink the larger jug as well.

Now, what was he going to tell them when he got back?

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After saying goodbye to the Young Master, Wei Gongzhan didn’t wait for Wei Gongyan to wake up; he hurried off towards Daqing Mountain.

Seeing how the few men from his neighborhood treated him well and now having shared his wine with them, he felt it was only right to explain himself at the earliest opportunity, which had him walking even faster.

Unaware, his heart hadn’t even noticed how anxious he had become over such a trivial neighborhood relationship, valuing it so inexplicably even though they had only been together for barely more than ten days.

Yet, as he reached the foot of Daqing Mountain, he encountered an unexpected figure!

"Hey, kid, you’ve come at the right time, give an old man a hand here."

It was a tall, elderly man dressed in a black robe, with a gentle, benevolent face, appearing every bit the part of a well-mannered elder.

But Wei Gongzhan knew he was not what he seemed; on the contrary, he knew that this person was exceptionally callous and cruel!

"I have seen Mr. Heiyun!"

As the voice sounded, the kind and benevolent smile on the old man’s face vanished instantly, turning extraordinarily gloomy, with a chilling and terrifying demeanor that, even in broad daylight, made one feel a hint of dread.

Seeing such an expression from the other party, Wei Gongzhan quickly said, "Junior Wei Gongzhan, who has fallen on hard times with our young master and ended up here, did not expect to meet you, sir!

" Wei Gongzhan revealed an excited look: "To think that elder is here, could it be that the Imperial Army has arrived? "

He had learned this expression and way of speaking from Shen Yuan, but surprisingly, he had mastered it quite well.

All at once, the old man, who initially had a murderous intent, retracted his killing aura.

"A person from the Wei Family?"

"Yes...."

"You recognize this old man?"

"I do...." Wei Gongzhan hurriedly said, "When sir was sitting in the Court as an Imperial Physician, I once took our young master to seek your diagnosis, do you still remember?"

"Oh...." Heiyun nodded at these words. In the Emperor’s service, he was one of the ten grand sorcerers, secretly in charge of the Court’s magical formations, while officially, he was a historian in the Imperial Palace.

The matter of the Weichi Clan’s young master seeking a consultation came back to him at once when the other party mentioned it; the Weichi Clan’s youngest son, Weichi Feihu, had suffered from an acute illness at the age of eight, and it was this youngster who had carried him over for a consultation.

"Oh, it’s you...." Although vigilance remained in Heiyun’s eyes, the murderous intent had subsided. Now that he had just arrived here, he needed intelligence. Having an acquaintance around wasn’t a bad thing after all.

"Why are you here?"

Weichi Feihu quickly recounted the ordeal of the military attack.

"The Golden Dragon Guard?" Heiyun’s eyes widened in shock: "How could this be?"

Weichi Feihu was stunned; Heiyun was a person from the Imperial Court, so if the entire Golden Dragon Guard had been turned into living corpses, he logically should have known if it was the Emperor’s doing.

If Mr. Heiyun doesn’t know, then who is behind the Golden Dragon Guard turning into what they are now?

"Is Mr. Heiyun here on orders from Your Majesty?" Weichi Feihu curiously asked.

"Don’t ask what you shouldn’t," Heiyun gave him a cold glance.

Hearing this, Weichi Feihu hurriedly apologized: "It was impertinent of me."

So his perception was indeed correct!

A chill crept into Heiyun’s heart....

Why was he, who had originally led a hundred thousand troops with the Duke of Lu to aid at the West Sea, now here?

He didn’t know.....

All he knew was that he had been attacked, killed very suddenly, without even knowing who had done it!

Somehow, his Forbidden Technique had activated!

The Straw Man substitute disappeared, and he plunged into chaos.

He had intended to immediately be reborn in the camp of the Duke of Qin, Lumings, to report the matter in person.

But the moment rebirth started, this terrifying premonition shot through his soul, prompting him to instantly abandon that choice.

His Forbidden Technique was extremely accurate in predicting good and bad fortune during rebirth; it had never been wrong. Although he didn’t know what had befallen the Duke of Qin, he dared not rebirth himself in the military camp.

Now it seemed it indeed was the right choice. The Duke of Qin was lured away, and the core troops were being massacred on one side by the undead Golden Dragon Guard. If he had gone there, he would have been done for in an instant.

After much thought, Heiyun decided to rebirth back in the Capital City and gather sufficient intelligence before acting in secrecy.

His rebirth secret technique relied on an ancient artifact. As long as those Straw Man substitutes were placed somewhere, he would have the opportunity to rebirth in one of those Straw Man bodies.

As the saying goes, "a crafty rabbit has three burrows," and Heiyun, who mastered this technique, certainly had more than one backup hideout.

But just as he activated the second Straw Man in the Capital City, something very terrifying happened!!