Chapter 438: Journey

The sound of broken boards intertwined with the exclamations of the border troops, successfully distracting their attention.

Fang Yue took the opportunity to wink at Zhu Linlang, and the two quickly slipped out of the back door of the inn and merged into the alley.

The alley was winding and narrow, and the two men, with their strong bodies, shuttled through it. They quickly left behind the chasing border troops and disappeared in a moment.

An hour later.

Fang Yue and Zhu Linlang stopped in a remote corner.

They carefully observed their surroundings and breathed a sigh of relief after confirming that no border troops were chasing them.

Zhu Linlang frowned slightly and said: "Although we have temporarily escaped the border troops, our situation is still dangerous. We must find a way to find the person behind the scenes as soon as possible!"

Fang Yue nodded solemnly: "Yes, we cannot remain passive. But there are few clues now, and it is not easy to find the mastermind behind the scenes."

Zhu Linlang thought for a moment and said: "We can start with the abnormal actions of the border troops. Why did they suddenly appear and claim that we are fake? There must be someone behind this."

Fang Yue agreed: "It is true. The appearance of the border troops is too strange. We must first find out who has the ability to mobilize the border troops and what their purpose is."

Zhu Linlang narrowed her eyes slightly: "Maybe we can start with the generals of the border army to see whose orders they received."

"Yes, but don't go. Just leave this matter to me." Fang Yue said.

Zhu Linlang shook her head slightly: "No, this matter is too dangerous. I can't let you take the risk alone."

Fang Yue held Zhu Linlang's hand with firm eyes: "Linlang, your current identity is too sensitive. Once discovered, the consequences will be disastrous. And it is relatively easier for me to hide my identity. Believe me, I will act carefully and as soon as possible Find out the clues.”

Zhu Linlang looked at Fang Yue's firm eyes. Although she was worried, she also knew that what he said made sense. She bit her lip and said, "Then you must be careful. If you are in any danger, I..."

Fang Yue patted Zhu Linlang's shoulder gently: "Don't worry, I'll be fine. Find a safe place and wait for news from me."

After speaking, Fang Yue turned around and left, heading towards the border camp. He carefully avoided the patrolling soldiers, looking for opportunities to get close to the general.

Fang Yue observed around the camp for a long time and finally found an opportunity to sneak into the camp. A carriage carrying supplies was about to enter the camp. Fang Yue took the opportunity to hide under the carriage and entered the camp with the carriage.

After entering the camp, Fang Yue carefully climbed out from the bottom of the carriage and hid in a corner to observe the surrounding situation. He saw a tent not far away, surrounded by soldiers guarding it, and guessed that it might be the general's tent.

Fang Yue quietly approached the tent, using the surrounding obstacles to hide his figure. As he approached the tent, he heard conversations coming from the tent.

"General, this mission is really strange. Why did you want to arrest those two people? Are they really fake?" came the voice of a soldier.

"We just carry out the orders from above. Don't ask any more questions." A deep voice replied, presumably this was the general.

Fang Yue's heart moved, and he knew that he had to find a way to hear more of the conversation in order to find clues.

He crept around to the back of the tent, looking for a place to eavesdrop.

Fang Yue walked around to the back of the tent and found that the tent cloth was slightly loose in one place. He carefully moved closer and tried to listen to the conversation in the tent.

"General, what if we really arrest the wrong person? After all, they claim to be the Empress and Fang Yue, what if..." There was a hint of worry in the soldier's voice.

The general snorted coldly: "Humph, since the higher-ups gave the order, there can be no mistake. Even if we make a mistake, the higher-ups will support us. We only need to execute the order."

Fang Yue secretly thought that it seemed that the general did not know who was behind the scenes and was just blindly following the orders. He continued to listen, hoping to hear more useful information.

However, the conversation in the tent gradually turned to some daily military arrangements, and there was no more content about this capture operation. Fang Yue was a little disappointed, but he also knew that he couldn't stay long, otherwise he would be in trouble if he was discovered.

He quietly left the tent and began searching the camp for other possible clues. He noticed that some soldiers were whispering to each other in private, and seemed to be full of doubts about this mission. Fang Yue decided to find an opportunity to get close to these soldiers to see if he could get some information from them.

He pretended to be an ordinary handyman and was busy in the camp, looking for opportunities to contact the soldiers. Finally, he saw several soldiers chatting together during their break, so he pretended to be passing by and approached them inadvertently.

"This mission is really inexplicable. I don't know what's going on." A soldier complained.

"Yeah, I find it strange too. Are those two people really fake? I don't think they look fake." Another soldier agreed.

Fang Yue's heart moved, and he deliberately slowed down, wanting to hear them continue talking.

"Who knows, who dares to disobey orders from above. But I heard that this order seems to have come from the capital." A soldier said in a low voice.

Fang Yue's eyes lit up when he heard this.

An order from the capital?

This shows that the mastermind behind the scenes is probably in the capital.

Fang Yue continued to listen to the soldiers' conversation calmly, hoping to get more specific information about the capital. However, the soldiers seemed to have only heard the rumors and did not have any deeper clues.

He knew that he could not stay here for long, so he left quietly. Fang Yue quickly left the border army camp and returned to the place where he had agreed with Zhu Linlang.

Seeing Fang Yue return, Zhu Linlang asked eagerly: "Are there any new discoveries?"

Fang Yue told Zhu Linlang the news he heard in the camp.

Zhu Linlang pondered for a moment and said: "Since the clues point to the capital, we must go back as soon as possible. But the capital must be in danger now, and we must be extra careful."

Fang Yue nodded: "Yes, we have to think of a safe way to sneak into the capital, and then secretly investigate the mastermind behind the scenes. As long as we don't show up and hide in the dark, then I believe the mastermind behind the scenes will definitely surface."

Zhu Linlang and Fang Yue looked at each other, and both of them flashed a firm light in their eyes.

They knew that the road ahead would be more difficult, but they also understood that only by revealing the truth could they get out of the current predicament.

"Let's find a place to rest first and then act at night." Fang Yue suggested.

They all knew that it was too easy to expose their whereabouts if they acted during the day, and the cover at night would bring them more safety.

The two found a hidden place, simply ate some dry food, and began their plan.

It took several months and tens of thousands of miles to travel from the border to the capital of the Wei Dynasty.

There were mountains and countless obstacles along the way. There were too many opportunities to intercept them.

Besides, they had to bring the champion Hou Yangchan with them.

This undoubtedly added more variables.

Fang Yue and Zhu Linlang knew that in order to safely reach the capital of the Wei Dynasty, they had to choose a more concealed and less noticeable way.

Disguised as a merchant, although the travel speed would be much slower, it could greatly reduce the risk of being discovered by the border army or other forces.

They began to prepare the merchant's dress and necessary items.

Fang Yue found some ordinary merchant clothes, while Zhu Linlang prepared some clothes for women to dress up as men, so as to better hide their identities.

As for Yang Chan, he became a servant of the caravan.

This man was sealed by Fang Yue, so he was not afraid of him.

At the same time, they also bought some common trade goods, such as silk, tea and porcelain, so that they could have a reasonable explanation when they were checked on the way.

~~~~~~~~~~

After everything was ready, they embarked on a long journey disguised as merchants. Along the way, they chose prosperous towns and main roads, which seemed adventurous, but in fact they had their own considerations.

In prosperous places, there are many people, which makes it easier to hide their identities.

They mixed in the bustling crowd and moved forward with other merchant teams.

Fang Yue always paid attention to the movements around him to see if there were any suspicious people following them.

During the journey, they encountered several checkpoints set up by garrisons in various places. Every time, Fang Yue relied on his calm mind and keen observation to lead everyone through the difficulties safely.

They arrived at a prosperous town, which was the only way to the capital. The garrison set up many checkpoints and strictly checked the passing merchants.

Fang Yue and Zhu Linlang felt nervous, knowing that the inspection might be stricter this time. Fang Yue whispered to Zhu Linlang: "Linlang, we have to be more careful and can't show any flaws this time."

Zhu Linlang nodded slightly, with determination in her eyes. They moved slowly with the caravan, ready to be checked by the garrison.

When it was their caravan's turn, the garrison soldiers carefully checked the goods and personnel. Fang Yue responded to the soldiers' questions calmly and answered them flawlessly. Zhu Linlang pretended to be a taciturn guy and silently cooperated with Fang Yue.

However, just as the inspection was about to end, a careful soldier suddenly noticed Yang Chan. He felt that Yang Chan's expression was a little abnormal, so he stepped forward to ask.

"Who are you? Why do you look so nervous?" the soldier asked.

Yang Chan's vitality was sealed. Although he was dissatisfied at this time, he did not dare to act rashly. He lowered his head and did not dare to answer the soldier's question.

Seeing this, Fang Yue hurried forward and said, "This is our new guy. It's his first time to go far away, so he is a little nervous."

The soldier looked at Fang Yue and Yang Chan with doubt, and looked at them carefully. Fang Yue was secretly nervous, but he remained calm on the surface.

At this time, Zhu Linlang had an idea and took some precious tea from the cargo and quietly stuffed it into the soldier.

"Sir, this is a little gift from us. You have worked hard." Zhu Linlang whispered.

The soldier hesitated for a while, but finally accepted the tea. He looked at Fang Yue and Zhu Linlang, then at the other people in the caravan, waved his hand, and signaled that they could pass.

Fang Yue and Zhu Linlang breathed a sigh of relief, and they led the caravan through the checkpoint smoothly.

After Fang Yue and Zhu Linlang led the caravan through the checkpoint smoothly, they continued to move forward. However, when they arrived at a forest ahead, they were suddenly surrounded by a group of bandits.

The bandits were all ferocious and armed with weapons. The leader shouted loudly: "Hand over all your property, otherwise you will never leave here alive!"

The caravan was terrified and at a loss. Fang Yue and Zhu Linlang looked at each other and thought to themselves that it was not good. They knew that these bandits were not ordinary robbers, especially after learning that they were surrounded because of the collusion of the garrison, they felt that the situation was serious.

Fang Yue stepped forward and tried to stabilize the situation: "My dear friends, we are just ordinary caravans, earning some hard-earned money. Please spare us."

The bandit leader sneered: "Stop talking nonsense! You just came from the checkpoint, and you must have brought a lot of valuables. Also, those garrisons have already greeted us, don't think about getting away with it."

Seeing this, Zhu Linlang also stepped forward and said: "Aren't you afraid of the government investigating you by doing this?"

The bandit leader laughed: "The government? In this forest, we are the law! Hurry up and hand over your property, otherwise you will be in trouble."

Fang Yue quickly thought about the countermeasures in his heart. He looked around and saw all the bandits around him.

He even saw a familiar face among these bandits.

It turned out to be the soldier who had been extorting money at the checkpoint before.

It turned out that the officials and bandits were one family.

Fang Yue's heart trembled, realizing that this crisis was far more complicated than he had imagined. He quickly calmed down and thought about how to protect the safety of the caravan without exposing his identity.

He turned his head and winked at Zhu Linlang, signaling her to stay calm, and then pretended to be calm and said to the bandit leader: "Good man, we do have some property, but it is all hard-earned. If we give it all to you, we will not be able to explain it when we go back. How about this, we are willing to give out a part of it as a bribe, just hope that you good men can let us go."

The bandit leader narrowed his eyes, as if weighing Fang Yue's proposal. At this time, the familiar-looking soldier approached the leader and whispered something, and the leader's face changed slightly.

"Humph, you are sensible. However, I want to see your property before making a decision." The bandit leader waved his hand and signaled his men to come forward to check.

Fang Yue was secretly on guard, but pretended to cooperate on the surface, asking his men to open several boxes and show the silk, tea and other goods inside. When the bandits saw these goods, greedy lights appeared in their eyes.

"These things are not bad, but not enough." The bandit leader narrowed his eyes and said, "Unless you take out some more valuable things."

Fang Yue's heart tightened, knowing that he couldn't compromise easily this time. He pretended to be embarrassed and said, "Good man, these are really all we have. If we take out more, we really can't explain it when we go back."

The bandit leader sneered, then looked at Zhu Linlang and said, "That's easy to say, just keep the one next to you, and don't take the other property!" (End of this chapter)