I am invincible, that's why I lie down. You're using your entire clan to rebel?

Su Shuang's eyes flickered a few times.

After a moment, the corner of her mouth twitched slightly: "You seem to understand me quite well."

Yin Sutang stood at the edge of the tent curtain, and when she heard these words, her shoulders relaxed slightly.

Her voice softened slightly as she spoke: "The Sect Master is the person I admire most. Of course I understand you. Fourteen years ago, when you took over the Xuan Yin Sect from the previous Sect Master, I knew you were different from others. You took over the most complex and dangerous position in the entire Northern Wilderness, but you didn't hesitate. You just took it, and then you never let go. At that time, I thought—I want to become that kind of person in the future."

Su Shuang looked at her: "So, do you think you are now?"

Yin Sutang paused for a moment, then said, "I feel like I'm still on my way."

Su Shuang leaned back on the low couch: "Did Qin Mu send you here to spy on me?"

Yin Sutang did not hesitate: "Sect Master, you flatter me. His Majesty only sent me to act as a messenger to facilitate communication between you and His Majesty. His Majesty knows better than anyone else the Sect Master's strength and the Xuan Yin Sect's position in Northern Mang, so he doesn't need to send anyone to monitor the Sect Master, because that's not the point. What His Majesty wants to do is simply let the Sect Master know that he is willing to give the Sect Master a path to take, and I am here only to make that path smoother."

Su Shuang did not respond immediately.

After a moment, she spoke: "Messenger. This role is better than that of an elder; at least I don't have to make decisions for others."

Yin Sutang didn't reply; she just stood there.

Huyan Lie remained seated on the low couch, not uttering a single word since.

He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on his hands.

When he heard Yin Sutang say "His Majesty is omnipresent," his gaze shifted slightly.

He looked up at Yin Sutang: "Where did he go?"

Yin Sutang did not look away: "His Majesty is omnipresent."

Huyan Lie sat there, as if he were re-examining that sentence.

Su Shuang did not ask any further questions.

She picked up the bowl of tea, which had gone completely cold, and took a sip.

She did not comment on whether the statement was true or false.

By the time Qin Mu stepped out of the camp, night had completely fallen.

The night in the Northern Wilderness is deeper than the wilderness; the distant mountain ridges have been swallowed by darkness, leaving only the candlelight shining from the edges of a few nearby tents.

The old poplar tree at the edge of the camp still stands in the same place, moonlight filtering through the gaps in its branches and leaves, spreading out a patch of dappled light on the ground.

Jiang Zhaoyue was standing under that tree, holding the cup of tea that had already been refilled twice. She didn't drink it, she just held it.

Not far from her, Xu Fenghua sat on a flat rock, holding nothing in her hands, just sitting quietly, her gaze fixed on the direction of the camp entrance.

Yunluan stood beside the carriage, her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Han Xin'er squatted by the fire, holding a dry twig in her hand, unconsciously drawing circles in the ashes.

Chen Ruoyao leaned against the carriage shaft, her gaze fixed on the direction of the camp entrance.

Yun Suxin sat in the shadows on the other side of the carriage, her slightly curly long hair falling over her shoulders, obscuring most of her face.

When Qin Mu walked back, their eyes moved almost simultaneously.

Jiang Zhaoyue spoke first: "Has an agreement been reached?"

Qin Mu walked to the campfire and sat down among the group: "It's settled. Hu Yanlie has agreed to cooperate, and the Xuan Yin Sect Master is also willing to make way. Next, all she needs to do is stabilize the situation in this camp."

Jiang Zhaoyue nodded. She didn't ask for details, but simply picked up the cup of tea and took a sip.

Yunluan loosened her hand from the sword hilt, then put it back on.

Xu Fenghua's voice rang out: "Then the eldest prince... will he really be willing to cooperate? After all, he is the eldest prince of Northern Mang, and the blood flowing in his veins is connected to the land of Northern Mang."

Qin Mu did not answer immediately.

He glanced down at the fire: "Whether he's willing to cooperate or not isn't important. What's important is that he knows how many paths he still has to take; he knows that if he doesn't cooperate, he'll have nowhere left to go."

Han Xin'er sat on the edge of the fire, the dry twig in her hand having drawn a complete circle.

She didn't look up: "Young master, does that mean we've officially started a war with Northern Mang?"

Qin Mu's gaze fell on the circle in her hand: "It's not about starting a war, but about exploring all possible paths before the war begins. If we've explored all the paths and still have to fight, then we'll fight. But if we can settle things without fighting, then we won't fight. War is a last resort, not the first choice."

He paused for a moment: "Su Shuang of the Xuan Yin Sect agreed to hand over the intelligence channels, but she also set conditions. She demanded that the Xuan Yin Sect not be forcibly disbanded; what she wanted to do was to make internal adjustments and prune away any branches that might cause trouble. Her choice has been made; she will accompany us on this trip to Northern Mang, and then she will adjust the direction of the Xuan Yin Sect from her own position."

Jiang Zhaoyue held the cup of tea, the surface of which was no longer steaming: "Then... will anyone in Northern Mang really be willing to accept the rule of Great Qin?"

Qin Mu did not evade the question: "It won't all be accepted. There will always be those who resist, those who escape, and those who try to overthrow it. But as long as some are willing to accept it, others will follow suit and change. The remaining ones will gradually realize that they are becoming fewer and fewer. In the end, they will either leave, change, or disappear."

The firewood in the bonfire snapped, sending up a cluster of tiny sparks.

Xu Fenghua's voice rang out again: "Young Master, what if Huyan Lie goes back on his word? He gave us the intelligence, but if he later realizes that this path is not viable and turns back to the royal court, then our intelligence will be useless."

Qin Mu did not answer immediately.

He reached into the fire and picked up a half-burnt branch, poking at the embers in the center. "He won't go back on his word. Going back on his word would mean everything he handed over is worthless, and he'd have no way out. He won't do that."

Chen Ruoyao leaned against the carriage shaft: "What about Su Shuang? After all, she is the sect leader of the Xuan Yin Sect. She has her own roots and foundation. What if she takes back what she gave at a crucial moment?"

Qin Mu placed the withered branch back on the edge of the fire: "She won't either. She's been standing on that crack for too long. What she needs isn't more leverage, but a path that will allow her to cross it."

Yin Sutang walked in from the camp entrance.

Her gaze swept over the figures around the fire before settling on Qin Mu: "The sect leader asked me to tell you that she has informed the people at the royal court that she will be going into seclusion for a while. This way, she has a reason not to get involved in the power struggle at the royal court for the time being, and also a reason not to reveal our whereabouts."

Qin Mu nodded: "Okay."

Yin Sutang found a spot to sit down by the fire: "By the way, she asked me to pass on a message to you. She said that if things go smoothly with the Crown Prince, she will proactively submit a written explanation of the current situation on the Northern Mang border to the Qin court at an appropriate time."

Upon hearing this, everyone's gazes shifted slightly in unison.

As if noticing their silence, Yin Sutang added, "She spoke very calmly when she said that, as if she were talking about something she had known for a long time."

Qin Mu did not answer.

He simply sat there quietly, his gaze fixed on the fire.

The fire burned quietly in the night wind.

Qin Mu sat on a slightly flat tree root next to the campfire, his back against the rough trunk of the poplar tree.

He didn't say anything more, but just sat there quietly, his gaze fixed on the fire.

By the time the morning light spilled in from the east, the campfires had already gone out.

The last wisp of white smoke rose from the charcoal ash, drifted crookedly in the air for a while, and was dispersed by the morning breeze.

The ashes still retain some warmth, but they can no longer be used to light new firewood.

Qin Mu stood in the center of the camp for a while.

His gaze swept from the camp entrance to the distant mountain range silhouette that was gradually becoming clearer in the morning light.

The black wolf had led its cubs to the edge of the camp and lay down under the roots of a poplar tree.

One of the wolf cubs was chewing on a dry twig, tilting its head back and shaking it.

Another wolf cub crouched beside it, watching it, its tail tip lightly brushing the ground.

Jiang Zhaoyue was tying the last roll of felt mat to the rope net on the top of the carriage. She had finished tying everything that needed to be tied and was wrapping the rope end around the wooden frame and pressing it down.

Xu Fenghua stood on the other side of the carriage, holding a cup of tea in her hands.

She didn't rush to drink it; instead, she held it in her hands and gently warmed it by pressing her palm against the side of the cup.

She had already put on her coat and restyled her hair.

Han Xin'er squatted beside the poplar tree at the edge of the camp, her hands already weaving the basic shape of a grasshopper from the grass stems in her hands, the curvature of the wings being repeatedly adjusted.

She glanced up at the black wolf that was breathing slowly in the morning light, then looked down and continued circling.

Lin Xiaolu squatted down at the edge of the campsite, caught a little morning dew in her palm, patted it on her face, rubbed it vigorously a couple of times, and then wiped it dry with her sleeve.

Yunluan remained beside the carriage.

Her gaze swept across the camp.

Yin Sutang walked back from the direction of the camp entrance: "Sect Leader Su has already left. She said she's waiting up ahead."

Qin Mu nodded, hung the water bag back on his waist, and walked towards the carriage.

The carriage curtain closed behind Qin Mu.

Yunluan mounted her horse, pulled on the reins, and the chestnut horse began to stride northward along the dirt road.

Mo Lang stood up from under the poplar tree roots and followed with his cubs, maintaining a fixed distance behind the carriage.

After walking for about an hour, the road ahead gradually narrowed, and the withered grass on both sides became sparser.

From afar, the crowd saw a figure standing on a gentle slope by the roadside, a thin veil fluttering slightly in the morning breeze, the corner of the garment lifted by the wind before falling back down.

Qin Mu gestured for Yun Luan to stop, then lifted the carriage curtain, got off the carriage, and walked towards the figure.

Su Shuang remained standing there.

She saw Qin Mu approaching and didn't look away.

"I have some matters to attend to back at my clan. I also need someone to keep an eye on the royal court. You continue north, and I will have someone send messages along your route."

After saying this, she paused for a moment: "I will have a copy made of the things you asked the Crown Prince to hand over and send it to you. The people of Northern Mang cannot directly contact Great Qin yet, but they can do so through me."

"The Xuan Yin Sect's intelligence network will open a channel for this new route. You don't need to contact me proactively. When you need information, someone will naturally bring it to you."

After Su Shuang finished speaking, she turned her head slightly to the side.

Then she turned around and walked back the way she came.

She walked slowly.

Qin Mu stood on the gentle slope, watching the direction she had left in.

He didn't rush back to the carriage, but stood there for a while longer.

Yunluan's voice came from behind: "Young Master, how much of what she says can be believed?"

Qin Mu turned and walked towards the carriage: "She doesn't need to persuade us with words. If she says she'll give us a line, then it won't be a broken one. The Xuan Yin Sect's foundation is in Northern Mang, and she knows better than anyone which side has bigger waves and is more worthy of her landing."

He walked back to the carriage, stepped onto the shaft, and before the curtain fell, his gaze lingered for a moment on the black wolf lying under the roots of a poplar tree at the edge of the camp.

It still lies there.

The wind blew from the open field, causing the fur on its back to sway slightly, but it did not move.

The group continued north for a day and a night.

After leaving Fenglingdu, the road became increasingly narrow and difficult to traverse. The vegetation on both sides thinned out, replaced by vast expanses of exposed gray-brown rocks, eroded by the wind into various peculiar shapes, like a group of long-forgotten relics slowly merging into the ground. Some rocks were covered with a very thin layer of dark green moss, almost blending into the rock's own color, making them virtually indistinguishable without close inspection.

The black wolf continued walking behind the carriage, its pups following in a loose line. Occasionally, if one lagged behind, the wolf would stop and wait for it to catch up before continuing. Their steps were more steady than when they first set out, like a group of travelers slowly adapting to a new path.

The carriage was quieter than yesterday.

Yin Sutang sat near the door, her hands empty. Her gaze was fixed on the slowly receding horizon outside the window, like someone trying to determine their location in their own way. After a moment, she spoke: "If we go another day, we'll see the outer perimeter of the Northern Mang royal court. There's a river there called the Wule River, which the Northern Mang people call their 'Mother River.' Once we cross the Wule River, we'll truly be in the heart of Northern Mang."

Jiang Zhaoyue sat beside her, holding the small celadon bottle in her hand, applying ointment to the back of her hand: "So, what do we need to prepare after crossing the river?"

Yin Sutang turned her head slightly: "After crossing the river, we will see Northern Mang outposts along the way. They may not stop us at every one, but the chances of being checked will increase."

Qin Mu leaned against the carriage wall, looking up from the scroll of "Travels in the North": "Where is the nearest outpost?"

Yin Sutang turned her head, her gaze falling on the riverbank that was beginning to become clearer: "It's not far ahead. It's the first outpost after crossing the Ule River, guarded by the Second Prince Tuoba Jun's men."

Qin Mu did not respond immediately, as if waiting for the river to appear in his field of vision first.