Report to the Empress and the Eldest Princess: They're using the system to poach your men.

Chapter 215 The Only Bargain That Can Be Exchanged

The group waited from dusk until midnight. After confirming that the time was not a problem, at the beginning of the Chou hour (1 a.m.), the five of them quietly approached the foot of the mountain in a group.

Visibility in the forest was extremely poor, and the moonlight was almost entirely blocked by the leaves, so Shen Sangwan relied entirely on Xiaotong's guidance.

"I will go first and clear the way, Your Highness will bring up the rear."

Shuyun noticed that Shen Sangwan had poor eyesight and immediately suggested that they change seats.

Knowing that the other person meant well, I made a quick adjustment without any hesitation.

The guards were well-trained, but Shen Sangwan, on the other hand, was somewhat comical.

Shuyun led three teams to quickly fly up to the treetops, concealing their presence and carefully listening to the surrounding movements.

After a brief exchange of glances, they coordinated to launch poison needles.

Shen Sangwan, standing under the tree, even suspected that they were carrying night vision goggles.

Their eyesight is amazing!

[Master, stop muttering! Quickly send someone to collect the body before they're discovered.]

Those above fired poison needles, while those below quickly dragged the corpses behind cover.

The two groups worked together very well, and in less than 15 minutes, they had successfully reached the halfway point of the mountain.

"Master, there are many traps set along this road."

Shen Sangwan immediately had someone gesture to make Shuyun and the others stop.

We're currently halfway up the mountain. Can you scout out how many people are up there?

Xiaotong remained silent for a long time.

[Xiao Tong?]

After receiving no response after two calls, Shen Sangwan felt a sense of helplessness, as if she were in a remote mountain forest with no cell phone signal.

"Gou Xiaotong, what's the meaning of your computer crashing at this time?"

【master...】

Suddenly, Xiao Tong, who had seemingly come back to life, softly called out to Shen Sangwan.

What...what happened?

The sound was a bit off, which made Shen Sangwan a little worried. Was there too many people above, and her men couldn't defeat them?

I think I can sense Xiao Yan Yan's presence...

To make sure she hadn't made a mistake, Xiaotong even used points to broaden the scope.

Upon hearing this, Shen Sangwan was momentarily stunned, and only after a long pause did she ask a follow-up question.

What...does that mean? You mean Xiao Yan Yan is also on the mountaintop?

Xiaotong nodded very firmly.

I'm absolutely certain she's up there, along with Lin Wanyi and Shen Yujing.

Logically speaking, Cen Yan shouldn't be in the palace. Why did she suddenly appear in Huzhou? And why didn't Ruoying send her a message?

What exactly happened?

At that moment, her mind was a complete mess.

If she rashly went up the mountain without knowing Cen Yan's condition, something bad might happen. But if she retreated now, she wouldn't be able to explain herself to Mo Ran and the soldiers of Nanjing who were poised to attack from Huzhou.

[Master, Xiao Yan Yan's breathing is very weak. I don't know if she's on the verge of death or in a coma.]

After Xiaotong reminded her again, Shen Sangwan immediately asked Xiaotong to find a shortcut to avoid the trap.

"Stay close, don't make a mistake."

This time, Shen Sangwan took the lead, carefully navigating the traps set by Shen Yujing.

Just when victory was in sight, one of the guards behind them unconsciously waved his hand because of a mosquito bite, accidentally knocking over a branch and flicking the silk thread, triggering the mechanism.

The sound of the horn resounded through the mountains and forests in an instant. When Shen Sangwan saw that they had been exposed, she immediately ordered her men to shoot the person blowing the horn.

The mountaintop was instantly illuminated by lights.

Shen Yujing and Lin Wanyi, who were sleeping soundly together, were awakened by the noise.

"Ah Jing, what happened?"

Shen Yujing reacted quickly, immediately got up and dressed, then picked up the women's clothes from the hanger and helped Lin Wanyi put them on.

"Ah Wan, stay inside and behave yourself. Let me go and take a look first."

Before Lin Wanyi could speak, she hurriedly left the room, along with Ling Yuan and the old woman from the next room.

"Ajing."

"Senior brother."

The three of them looked at each other.

At that moment, a chilling sound rang out from outside the courtyard.

“Grandma, it’s probably the people from Nan Jing. You and A-Wan should take the things and leave first. As long as the formation is preserved, there will still be a chance later.”

Knowing the implications, Ling Yuan quickly turned around and went back to her room to pack up all the items needed for setting up the formation.

Then he led the old woman to the next room and pulled Lin Wanyi to go through the secret passage, but when they went in, they found that Lin Wanyi was not in the room.

"Master, this person..."

"The formation is important, let's go first."

Ling Yuan didn't bother looking for anyone; she opened the hidden door, and the two of them immediately slipped inside.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Lin Wanyi ran to the neighboring courtyard, while all the guards went outside.

This gave her a great opportunity.

Pushing open the door, the room was dimly lit, with faint sobbing sounds.

"Princess Sui'an?"

Lin Wanyi called out tentatively and received a slight knocking sound in response.

After confirming that the person inside was indeed Cen Yan, Lin Wanyi quickened her pace, ran to the bedside, and laboriously untied the ropes for her.

"Princess Ming...?"

Having not eaten for many days, Cen Yan saw stars and saw people in a double vision. She called out uncertainly.

"Given your physical condition, it seems unlikely that you can escape this fate now."

Lin Wanyi, who thought she could save Cen Yan, saw her condition and felt that if she let her go, she might die on the way down the mountain.

"Where is this?"

Lin Wanyi didn't bother to answer Cen Yan's question. Instead, she turned her back to her and found a relatively secluded place for her to hide.

"Stay here and don't run around. I'll see if I can get you some food, and once you've regained some strength, I'll see if I can send you away."

Cen Yan leaned weakly against the wall, finding it difficult to even speak, and could only nod in response.

After settling Cen Yan in, Lin Wanyi went to the kitchen, but on her way back, she ran into a somewhat disheveled Shen Yujing.

"Awan?"

Upon seeing the other person, she was so startled that she dropped the food in her hand.

"Didn't I tell Ling Yuan to take you away first? Why are you still here?"

He stepped forward, pressed down on Lin Wanyi's arm, glanced at the things on the ground, and tried to find the answer.

"me..."

"Does Awan know I captured the princess and want to rescue her?"

A sinister gaze fell upon Shen Yujing once more. Lin Wanyi tried to grab him, but her raised hand grasped nothing.

"Ah Jing—!"

Shen Yujing strode towards Guan Cenyan's room, but after searching around and finding no trace of her, he angrily overturned the tables and chairs inside.

"Where—? Where is he/she?"

Lin Wanyi, who ran right after her, was afraid that Cen Yan would be found. She tried to pull Shen Yujing out, but he pushed her against the door and roared in an almost frantic voice, "Tell me, where did you hide her?"

Lin Wanyi felt a stinging pain in her eardrums and tried to cover her ears, but Shen Yujing held her back. "Shen Sangwan has already reached the door. Cen Yan is the only bargaining chip we can use."