Chapter 107

  The siege of the White Deer Fortress ended in a rather ridiculous way. Faced with the unprecedented joint military operation of the four nations, the people of the White Deer Fortress made a very rational decision to surrender and defect. As a result, the elite troops of the four nations, who had been charging forward ready to slaughter, quickly put the siege on the negotiating table for the redivision of the White Deer Plain area controlled by the White Deer Fortress.

  After returning from the White Deer Plain, Qing Xia had been hiding in her large tent. Those inexplicable emotions churned and surged in her chest like a pot of boiling water. She shouldn't be this kind of person. What others thought, when did she care? Even if everyone in the world pointed at her nose and cursed her as a treacherous witch who brought calamity to the nation, what could they do? In the past, when the National Security Department framed her as an enemy spy, when there was no way out, hadn't she persevered through it all? So now, what was wrong with her?

  The whole afternoon, she kept thinking about the reaction of each person on Baizhuyuan. She even couldn't help but think that if Qin Zhiyan also chose to suspect her, would Chu Li join Qi An to kill her for Zhuang Qingxia's revenge?

  Qing Xia sat on the bed, slowly using tongs to stir the charcoal in the brazier. She shouldn't be doing this; she could forget Chu Li, forget the bond between them, and cast aside their memories and past. But she would never permit it to end like this!

  At first, she was framed by terrorists and became a national red A-level target. However, with her strong will, she managed to escape from the terrorist-controlled area, break out of the country's underground prison, and finally destroyed the local bomber in Chicago, successfully rescuing the country's high-ranking leaders and clearing her own name.

  In the face of such difficulties at first, she could still rely on her strong will and means to clear herself, but now would she rather live a life of ignominy bearing the evil name of killing Zhuang Qingxia?

  Can't let go in the nine springs below?

  Who killed Zhuang Qingxia? Was it the timid Eastern Qi prince, who was too cautious and didn't dare to keep her by his side, leading to her later tragic fate? Or was it the cunning and ruthless Zhuang father, whose selfishness and pursuit of power disregarded his daughter's happiness, repeatedly using her as a pawn in his schemes? Or was it the deep and calculating prince, who initially used Zhuang Qingxia for his own protection by giving her to Qi An, but later, driven by possessiveness, forcibly took back the young woman who had been with Qi An for ten years? In the end, it was his suspicion and testing that abandoned the defenseless woman in the treacherous harem, where she was bullied, beaten, and framed, ultimately leading to her silent death in a desperate situation.

  It was these people who joined forces to kill that girl, why today they still have the face to stand in front of themselves and loudly question themselves?

  What a ridiculous world it is. Just because he has been hurt and wronged, must he be like a turtle and reject the whole world?

  Doubts are everywhere, but the evidence is overwhelming! However, Chuli, I've been by your side for so long, have I ever done anything to harm you? How could someone like me become your enemy?

  Qing Xia slowly stood up, her eyes firmly fixed on the red embers of the charcoal fire. She absolutely would not allow herself to be so weak, she had endured for too long and could no longer continue to bear it. These people who claimed to be avenging the dead had easily forgotten who had left Qing Xia in that desperate situation alone and helpless.

  The one who killed that weak girl was not Dan Fei, nor the cannibalistic harem of Nan Chou, nor some nonsense called fate. It was those righteous, indignant, and seemingly suffering relatives.

  With a rustling sound, the curtain of the large tent was lifted by someone. Qing Xia turned her head to look, and saw Mu Lian standing at the door in black clothes, with a pale face and cold eyes, asking in a low voice: "Are you a Xiongnu person?"

  Qing Xia's face turned cold as soon as he saw the unexpected guest, his eyes scanning her with a hint of hostility. "If you don't have anything else to do," he said in a chilly tone, "I advise you to leave now."

  Mu Lian's face was as calm as still water, with a hint of frostiness, devoid of any expression. In a low voice, she said: "I don't care who you are, but now the prince is at odds with three countries because of you, and war may break out at any time. If you truly care about the prince, you shouldn't continue to take refuge in the Yanzi camp."

  Qing Xia slowly turned her head, saying coldly: "What is your identity? Does Qin Zhiyan have the ability to protect me, and is he willing to protect me? It's not for you to interfere. You can't be so naive as to think that just a few idle words can scare me away."

  Mu Lian didn't get angry, still with a cold face, slowly said: "Your Highness is different from Yan Hui and others. The Grand Emperor of Southern Chu now holds all the power, has sole control over all rights in Chu State, and acts without restraint. Qi An is the Eastern Qi Crown Prince, most of his brothers are not worthy of attention, and have no enemies to speak of. Yan Hui may not be a member of the Western Chu imperial family, but she is indeed the younger sister of the Western Chu Empress, enjoying great honor and prestige. If these three were to unite and petition the Grand Emperor, Your Highness would also be unable to protect you. Do you think the Grand Emperor would agree to let Your Highness bring back a person with unclear relationships with many people, and whose identity is suspicious, back to the palace?"

  Qing Xia smiled coldly and glanced at Mu Lian with a hint of indifference, saying in a low voice: "You don't have to waste your breath, I won't leave alone before seeing Qin Zhiyan. Even if what you said is true, I need him to tell me himself before I'll believe it. When the enemy comes, we'll fight back; when water comes, we'll build dams - troubles are meant to be solved, and in this regard, I have more confidence than anyone else."

  Mu Lian hesitated for a moment, looking at Qing Xia who suddenly nodded and was about to leave. After thinking for a moment, she stopped in her tracks, turned around and said coldly: "Don't you think it's been a long time since you've seen your brother with the good medical skills?"

  The curtain was gently swept aside and slowly closed, Qing Xia stood still, her chest rising and falling slowly, finally she threw on a large cloak and walked out.

  Just as a big battle was about to be lost, Bambur and others were sulking in their tent. Qing Xia suddenly lifted the curtain, and her heart was immediately tightened.

  "What about Xilin Chen?"

  Everyone was stunned, and Li Xian hastily replied: "Xi Linchen left last night, didn't you know, Qing Xia?"

  "Where did he go?" Qing Xia's face turned red with rage, and she shouted: "Where did he go? Who did he go with? Why didn't anyone tell me?"

  Bamboo Brow furrowed his brow and said in a low voice, "Last night you were in the main tent of the temple, Xilin Chen waited for you outside the tent for three hours, but the soldiers guarding the gate didn't let him in. Later he followed the people from South Chu."

  Southern Chu?

  "Really!" Na Ke Duo was the most brainless and didn't notice Qing Xia's expression, still loudly replied: "It turns out that Xi Lin Chen is the young master of a large family in South Chu, he didn't leave his military registration here at first, so he just left directly, no one stopped him."

  Qing Xia's footsteps suddenly stumbled, almost falling to the ground. What was left of the Xi Lin family? This child recklessly went to assassinate Chu Li, what road to life did he have left?

  "Qing Xia! Where are you going?" Several people saw Qing Xia turn around and rush out of the big tent, and couldn't help but shout loudly.

  Qing Xia ran back to the big tent, barely calming down her chaotic breathing and thoughts. At this moment, she couldn't afford to be rash. She was now taking refuge in Yanzi Camp, and in order not to bring unnecessary trouble to Qin Zhiyan, every move had to be careful. Qing Xia calmed down and walked to a trunk beside the big tent, slowly opening it.

  Black night-traveling clothes, a face veil that covers the head and face, a ink-colored armor similar to a bulletproof vest, soft-soled boots for silent walking, twenty exquisite willow-leaf flying knives in the waist bag, four cold and sinister daggers tied under both armpits and in the boots, a hook lock hanging at the waist for climbing, as well as flint, steel nails, iron wire and other small items.

  With all this equipment, Qing Xia slowly stood up straight, her black scarf wrapped around her flowing long hair, and her black night-traveling clothes adorned her figure with curves. Everything was carried out in silence, Qing Xia lifted the curtain of the large tent, just a flash, and then silently disappeared into the darkness. Running, jumping over the heavy tents, climbing up the mast, lightly leaping, grabbing another mast, sliding down, continuously evading three teams of Qin people's night patrol, easily and stealthily walking out of the Yanzi large camp, heading towards the Nan Chu large camp in the southeast direction of the Yanzi camp.

  The four countries' encirclement was not the start of war, and each person's troops were not numerous. Moreover, except for the previous dispute between Qing Xia and Nan Jiang, although the four countries had been openly or secretly vying with each other, they had not fought a battle in nearly a hundred years. Therefore, the distance between the two countries' main camps was not far, and within half an hour, the rescue team from the Great Camp of South Chu could be seen in the distance.

  Chu Li was a man who lacked a sense of security, so the defenses of Chu Ying had almost reached an impregnable level. Within 100 meters outside the camp, it was a vast expanse of wild grass, with snowflakes scattered about, and the hidden sentries of South Chu were concealed to the utmost secrecy. However, what they encountered this time was the ancestors of concealment. With just a rough scan, Qing Xia had already discovered over 30 hidden sentry posts, with bows and arrows at the ready, iron armor shining brightly, and the distance between each post was less than 20 meters. Every so often, there would be secret signals exchanged between them, and if one post encountered trouble, it would quickly affect the entire South Chu camp. Such defenses made it impossible to infiltrate or force one's way in, whether by stealth or brute force.

  Since it can't be done underground, we can only resort to aerial operations.

  A pair of sharp eyes swept across the air, and noticed a towering ancient cypress tree. The line of sight shifted, and not far from the cypress tree was a high drum tower standing outside the Chu camp. Estimated to be about 12 meters high, it stood between two giant trees about 15 meters apart, with a distance of about 8 meters between them. In the direction of eight o'clock on the drum tower were tall masts, one every five meters, extending all the way into the large camp's flagpole, a total of eight.

  Target locked, it seems like I have no choice but to become a human kite.

  Qing Xia Mao landed on her waist, quickly arrived under the giant tree, and her body suddenly became agile and nimble like a civet cat. With a swish, she climbed up, taking no more than a minute, and was indeed an expert at climbing trees.

  Tore off a piece of clothing, wrapped the front section of the hook lock to prevent it from making a sound when landing, and also to prevent the hook lock from slipping. Qing Xia crouched on the giant tree, waiting quietly, suddenly, only to hear a burst of strong wind blowing up, snowflakes flying everywhere, the grass rustling loudly, if not now, then when? Qing Xia swung the hook lock, the rope seemed to have found its target, accurately hanging on the drum tower. The opportunity was fleeting, Qing Xia seized it decisively, only to see a light and graceful arc suddenly flash across the sky, accurately landing on the drum tower, disappearing instantly.

  The whole movement took no more than two seconds, even if it was really that unlucky, at this time someone happened to look up and would only think it was their own eyes playing tricks on them, they wouldn't investigate further. Moreover, at this time the heavy snow was falling and the strong winds were blowing, people's eyes could hardly be opened, Tian Shi Di Li Ren He Qing Xia had two advantages, everything went very smoothly.

  Then, before Qing Xia could react, a beam of light suddenly shot over in this direction. Qing Xia's eyebrows furrowed, she hadn't expected that there would be hidden guards even on the drum tower. Qing Xia didn't dare to take risks and get rid of the guard, because she couldn't confirm whether there was any communication method between here and outside every few minutes. She had no choice but to duck down and grab onto the railing of the drum tower with one hand, her upper body leaning outwards, her entire person suspended in mid-air, hiding under the drum tower like a gecko, only separated from the guard by a thick wooden board.

  Accurately completed a series of hidden movements, the timing was extremely precise, and the mastery of the visual angle was just right. The guard saw no unusual movement and returned to the backwind direction of the drum tower, sat down.

  Qing Xia's cat-like waist twisted back onto the stage, and that person was just a few steps away. The soft-soled scholar walked on the ground without making any noise, like a ghostly figure quietly moving towards the eight o'clock direction.

  Throwing the lock, pulling steadily, swinging past, after five consecutive leaps, Qing Xia finally landed stably under the flagpole in the center of the Nan Chu Great Camp. The fluttering great banner on her head, she was half-kneeling on the ground, her chest heaving violently, her arms slightly numb.

  Qing Xia quietly crouched in the shadows, waiting for her strength to recover. The outer perimeter was heavily guarded, and it was even more unimaginable inside. Qing Xia decided to hold back for now, observe carefully, and then decide on her next move!

  Inside the railing with its top pointing outward, was a vast expanse of snow. Every five paces within the entire camp, there was a giant torch, and every twenty paces, there was a brightly lit military lamp. All the trees had been cut down clean, leaving nothing to obstruct the view. The sentries were all in place, with strict vigilance, and the lamps shone brightly. One hundred paces directly east of the flagpole, was a large camp of snowy white, looking completely uniform, without any special decorations, nor arranged in a "stars surrounding the moon" pattern. For a moment, it was actually difficult to determine which one was Chu Li's tent.

  Inside the big camp, it was quiet, but Qing Xia knew that hidden beneath this quietness was an extremely strict defense.

  Compared to the defenses of other three countries, Nan Chu's defensive measures are indeed several levels higher. However, it is ironic that all the arrangements here were once personally made by Qing Xia, even the hidden members of the Black Armor Guard were handpicked by her. Now, hiding in the shadows, she looks at this impenetrable defense network and feels a sense of sorrow slowly rising from the bottom of her heart, the bitter fruit of her own doing making her entire chest feel sour.

  Based on his own experience and observation, Qing Xia could roughly estimate the positions of those sentry posts. However, those night patrol mobile sentry posts were basically in groups of two or three people, and Qing Xia had set them up to be unpredictable when organizing, heaven knows where they would suddenly pop out from, this place is not suitable for staying for a long time, once there is any movement, they will definitely be discovered by those vigilant soldiers.

  She wouldn't go to the regular camp, so there's only one place to start: the military prison and the military doctor's whereabouts in South Chu. Because if Xilin Chen is still alive, there are only two places to go, if he hasn't been caught yet, he will definitely hide in the military doctor's place, if unfortunately captured, then it can only be in the military prison.

  The danger was a foregone conclusion, the destination had already been made clear, Qing Xia didn't think twice, and with a resolute half-bow, he sprang into action. He took a quick glance around, then suddenly pushed off the ground with his right leg and began sprinting furiously.

  The wind howled, Qing Xia was as agile as a cat and as swift as a leopard. There were no extraordinary methods to win, only relying on speed and agility to dodge the enemy's eyes with maximum ability. For these super-strong ancient warriors she had trained herself, she showed due respect, everything was carried out according to the special forces' night operation rules. In the blink of an eye, Qing Xia's black clothes had merged with the darkness of the night.

  The military prison's direction was obviously not as heavily guarded as the Chu Li Da Zhang side, Qing Xia carefully sneaked in, relying on her understanding of the Chu camp and her super strong memory, she quickly arrived at the side of the military prison. Without any fancy moves, she cleanly and neatly pulled out the two daggers from under her armpits, and with a fierce thrust, inserted them into the wooden stakes of the military prison. With alternating hands, relying on her strong arm strength and agile body, she slowly climbed up towards the top of the over 4-meter-high military prison.

  At night, the long wind howls and makes a wolf-like sound.

  The skylight was pushed open, and the moonlight shone in. Qing Xia looked around, but all he saw was an eerie silence in the dark prison cell. Qing Xia's eyebrows slightly rose, his hand grasped the windowsill, and with a sudden swing of his arm, he jumped down, landing silently on the dusty ground.

  However, the rapid breathing had not yet subsided when a low voice suddenly rose, and Qing Xia instantly became like a startled leopard, with all her pores standing on end.

  "You're here again."