Luring the Tiger Away From the Mountain
Feng Yu Heng brought Wang Chuan and Huang Quan and quickly left the manor. Yao Xian was left behind to take care of Zi Rui. A bad feeling quickly filled her heart. In order to increase their pace, Feng Yu Heng’s group of three did not sit in the imperial carriage, as they chose to ride horses instead.
Huang Quan said with a bit of concern: “I only saw it from far away. I only felt that the person sitting in the carriage looked a bit like the third prince. In addition to this, it was Duan Mu Qing’s carriage procession leaving only after the sky had turned dark. No matter how you look at it, it’s a bit odd.”
Wang Chuan also furrowed her brow. Using her horsewhip, she then said: “After eldest young miss Feng’s matter, the Xiang Palace never made any moves. This servant was wondering why that side would become so quiet. Who knew that this sort of thing would happen today.” But she was still curious: “With his Highness the third prince leaving with Duan Mu Qing, could it be that he plans to return to the North?”
Feng Yu Heng was also worried about this. Although she did not reply, she held on to the horse tightly with her legs and hurried the horse with her horsewhip.
The North was where Xuan Tian Ye’s maternal family had power. Xuan Tian Ye chose to not live obediently in the capital. Instead, he decided to follow Duan Mu Qing back to the North. That could only mean one thing: The North intended to cause unrest. Xuan Tian Ye had to be taken from the middle of this encirclement. Please, let us outflank them.
She thought to herself that based on the North’s troops, it was impossible for the North to cause unrest. If Duan Mu Qing’s family wanted to rebel, their only option was to implicate Qian Zhou. This was also a scenario that she did not wish to see. She was waiting for the completion of the steel weapons and for them to be distributed to the army. Old third’s side was not stupid. They also knew that they had to act before the steel weapons were completed, thus the two sides were in a race to see who could rush ahead of the other.
The three did not speak along the way. Only after they successfully left the city did Ban Zou, who had been hiding in the shadows, suddenly appear. He landed directly behind Feng Yu Heng on her horse. Feng Yu Heng was not surprised. After all, they would increase their speed after leaving the city, and Ban Zou could not possibly continue to chase after a horse using his qinggong. But the words that he said after sitting down caused her to begin thinking. Ban Zou said: “With the third prince already being injured to such a degree, could it be that he plans to succeed the throne with his crippled body?”
She furrowed her brow tightly and felt that something was not quite right. Huang Quan also began to worry: “Young miss, how about we return!”
Feng Yu Heng shook her head, “We’ve already come out. Let’s chase a little longer to take a look.”
After saying this, Ban Zou hit the horse, and their speed went up once more. But at this time, the sound of hooves suddenly came from behind them. She listened carefully and noted that it was just one horse.
Ban Zou was the first to turn around, and Feng Yu Heng could clearly feel his body tremble. She could not help but ask: “Who is it?”
Ban Zou said: “His Highness the seventh prince.”
While he spoke, the horse behind them had already caught up and was moving alongside them. Feng Yu Heng turned her head and looked over. Sure enough, it was definitely Xuan Tian Hua. She felt her heart drop, and that bad feeling filled her heart once more.
“Seventh brother, why have you come here?” She asked anxiously.
“Why are you here?” Xuan Tian Hua was a little anxious. It was rare to see his expression change; however, his face currently revealed a bit of cloudiness.
“You also noticed that something was off, right?” Feng Yu Heng spoke a little quickly, “I am not asking why you have come outside the city. Instead, I am asking why have we all come outside the city. My servant saw Duan Mu Qing’s procession and noticed the third prince was inside the carriage. Only then did we quickly come outside the city to take a look at the situation. Is it the same for you?”
Sure enough, Xuan Tian Hua nodded and said: “I went outside the palace to buy some things. I saw him mixed in with the group.”
She closed her eyes slightly, and her heart began thumping: “Seventh brother.” Their horses had continued running forward for a while before she spoke: “Come up with an idea. Should we continue chasing or return to the city?”
Before Xuan Tian Hua could speak, Ban Zou spoke up: “We can no longer return to the city.” Looking forward, he guided their gaze forward: “We’ve already caught up.”
Everyone looked forward. Sure enough, they saw a large group not too far ahead.
Huang Quan and Xuan Tian Hua both said: “This is the one!”
Feng Yu Heng gritted her teeth, “Then let’s chase over and take a look!” After saying this, they spurred their horses forward. Xuan Tian Hua rode behind them but did not forget to remind her: “Be careful!”
Regardless of how careful she was, she still had to charge forward. Feng Yu Heng felt that the procession ahead seemed to have slowed down, as though it was deliberately waiting for them to catch up. The people and their horses also gradually slowed down to maintain a certain safe distance from the procession. Feng Yu Heng asked Huang Quan: “Which carriage was it? Can you still recognize it?”
Huang Quan looked for a while and pointed forward, saying: “It’s that one. The one with the yellow curtain. At that time, I only remembered the color of the curtain but did not notice much else. Now, it seems that there is only one carriage with yellow curtains.”
Wang Chuan became nervous, “Young miss, something is not quite right.”
Feng Yu Heng also knew that something was off. Why would there only be one carriage with a different colored curtain? Why would it be recognized immediately by Huang Quan? This was clearly to attract the attention of others and focus that attention on that one carriage. With things in their current situation, they had already chased this far. Could they still give up?
“Regardless of whether it’s right or wrong, we need to take a clear look.” She asked Ban Zou: “Is it possible to probe the situation?”
Ban Zou frowned and looked for a while. He did not dare speak too confidently, only saying: “I will try.” He then soared into the air and quickly disappeared into the darkness.
Xuan Tian Hua advised Feng Yu Heng: “In a moment, no matter what happens, fight if you can fight, and run if you can run. Don’t worry about anything else. Just make sure that you preserve your own life. Do you understand?”
She stubbornly refused to speak.
Xuan Tian Hua helplessly sighed, “Listen, if you suffer an unexpected misfortune, what sort of explanation should I offer Ming’er?”
Feng Yu Heng glared at him, “Seventh brother, even if Xuan Tian Ming himself was here today, I would still say the same thing. If we are to win, we will win together. If we die, we will die together. It does not matter if it’s him or you, I cannot possibly only worry about myself and leave you behind.”
“Heng Heng!” Xuan Tian Hua’s voice carried a pleading tone, but it was clear that the girl on the horse was being stubborn. It was clear that his pleas would be unable to sway her. He could only give up and secretly decided that even if he had to use his own life, he would protect her.
Ban Zou returned very quickly, but he had a depressed look. Landing back on Feng Yu Heng’s horse, he said: “It’s impossible to get close. The defense all around the procession is very sturdy, and there are counter hidden guards.”
Feng Yu Heng’s expression sank, “Counter hidden guards?”
Xuan Tian Hua explained to her: “There are a few types of hidden guards. There are some that are proficient in hidden weapons, some proficient in fighting, some proficient in qinggong, and there are some that are proficient in assassination. Of course, as a hidden guard, the most basic ability is to remain hidden. But no matter how skilled they become in hiding, they cannot compare to any hidden guard specialized in hiding. In their lives, they don’t learn anything else. They only learn how to stay hidden and find those that are hiding. Not only could they integrate themselves into their surroundings, but they could also instantly sense any danger that appears in their surroundings.”
Feng Yu Heng had already guessed as much. Countering hiding, countering attacks and countering reconnaissance, these were all things that the special forces from her previous life had trained in; however, it was not something everyone was able to learn. There would only be a small portion of the group that could truly become elites, while the vast majority focused on their own strength.
Very clearly, she did not belong to that small group. In regard to the counter hidden guards in the procession ahead, she felt her head ache. It was not that she had not thought of using her space to move forward, but with everyone watching, it would not be easy for her to explain. Second, the procession ahead was continuing to advance. Although it had already lowered its speed, it was still moving very quickly. She could not rely on her own walking pace to catch up. But if nothing else worked, what should she do?
She began to ponder, while Xuan Tian Hua said from her side: “I will go and take a look.” He then soared into the air even faster than Ban Zou and disappeared in the blink of an eye.
Feng Yu Heng was a little worried. The person behind her gently patted her shoulder and quietly said: “Prince Chun’s martial abilities are no lower than Prince Yu’s. Don’t worry.”
How could she truly not worry; however, she could only crane her neck to look forward. At the same time, she spurred her horse with her legs, increasing their speed once more.
Fortunately, Xuan Tian Hua returned very quickly, but when he returned, the words that he said were: “Heng Heng, listen to me. You go back first. Right now, the capital is definitely in a mess. Ming’er is still in the palace. I fear that something has happened.”
Feng Yu Heng was stunned then shook her head, “If the capital is currently a mess, wouldn’t having me go back be like pushing me into a pit of fire? Seventh brother, I trust Xuan Tian Ming. He also has his pride. He would not hope that his woman would return to the capital right now just to save him. Since both are dangerous, I really must see what sort of plan Duan Mu Qing has drawn up!”
After she said this, she did not give anyone else any time to react. She suddenly spurred her horse and charged forward. Xuan Tian Hua was given a fright and quickly chased after her.
Ban Zou held her waist, and his teeth squeaked from being gnashed. Leaning against her ear, he angrily said: “Have you gone insane?”
Feng Yu Heng shrugged, “I have not.”
“If you haven’t then where are you charging?”
“Toward the carriages ahead of us.” Feng Yu Heng reached out and pointed to the side, “We will pass by the side. I will take a close look at that carriage then think of something.”
Ban Zou was so angry that he wanted to spank her: “We’ve already told you that there are counter hidden guards to the side. Why do you not listen to any advice?”
Feng Yu Heng let out an exaggerated sigh. She spoke with a disappointed tone: “You’ve all said that there are counter hidden guards. With us doing all of this, do you believe that they really have not noticed? Ban Zou, oh Ban Zou, there is clearly a trap up ahead. Everything that we have done has been seen by them.”
“Yet you would still go!” Ban Zou wanted to go and grab her; however, Feng Yu Heng managed to break free.
“Don’t cause trouble! Since we’ve already come this far, how terrified would we look if we returned now? There is no need to fear a trap. We just need to rush past it. I really must see just how big a splash Duan Mu Qing from the North is able to cause outside the capital!”
As she spoke, her horse was now running alongside the carriage, but there was a bit of distance to the side, thus it was not too obvious. But even if this was the case, everyone understood that the other side would be making preparations. Otherwise, not to mention counter hidden guards, even someone like Ban Zou would have noticed their movements.
But the procession continued to advance. It did not have any intentions of stopping.
Feng Yu Heng pointed at the carriage with the yellow curtain and said: “That’s the right one, right? Since we cannot go forward to investigate, let’s just flip over that carriage and have the person inside crawl out on their own for us to see clearly!”
While saying this, she reached into her sleeve while someone to her side watched attentively. She pulled out a tranquilizer gun and held it in her hand. Everyone saw her stretch out her arm straight and curl her finger toward the carriage. In the blink of an eye, something unknown flew out as fast as lightning. Following this, there were a couple “thunk” sounds caused by the two horses pulling the carriage with the yellow curtain to fall and not get up…
TN: The title is an idiom meaning to draw an enemy from their base.