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

The curtains were drawn back down.

Silence returned to the tent.

Lu Qingshuang remained standing there.

She looked at Qin Mu.

Qin Mu, however, had already lowered his head again and was looking at the map on the table.

It was as if everything that had just happened meant nothing to him.

Lu Qingshuang's fingers slowly clenched.

The guard's words were still echoing in her mind.

Zhao San is perfectly normal.

The plan proceeds as scheduled.

No need to worry.

Each of those words felt like a needle piercing her heart.

Because she knew that it wasn't a message Zhao San had sent back at all.

It was written by Qin Mu to Xu Longxiang.

But Xu Longxiang didn't know that.

He believed it.

This letter even made them lower their guard again.

Lu Qingshuang closed her eyes.

The oppressive feeling in my chest grew stronger and stronger.

She suddenly felt like someone trapped in deep water, knowing full well that the exit was just above, but unable to swim up no matter what she did.

She came to Northern Mang to investigate Zhao San, and to keep an eye on this biggest hidden hand for Xu Longxiang.

But now that she has found it, she realizes that she has no ability to bring the truth back.

Not only that, she even became a pawn in Qin Mu's hands.

Thinking of this, Lu Qingshuang slowly opened her eyes.

She looked at Qin Mu.

"His Majesty."

Qin Mu did not look up.

"Um?"

I want to give it a try.

Qin Mu paused for a moment as he turned the pages of the book.

"Try what?"

"Let's see if I can walk."

Qin Mu looked up at her.

Their eyes met.

Lu Qingshuang did not explain.

She simply slowly unfastened the short knife from her waist.

The scabbard fell to the ground with a soft thud.

Clang!

The blade is drawn.

A flash of cold light passed through the tent.

Huyan Lie's expression changed slightly: "General Lu."

Lu Qingshuang ignored it.

Her gaze remained fixed on Qin Mu.

"I'm sorry."

As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly lurched forward.

There was no probing, no holding back.

This is her real move.

Those who come from the Northern Army don't use many fancy moves; they're all about speed, ruthlessness, and accuracy.

The short knife flashed coldly across Qin Mu's arm, heading straight for his chest.

If this blade were to fall on an ordinary martial artist, it would be enough to pierce through their chest instantly.

Until the tip of the knife was less than half a foot away from him.

He then raised his hand.

Extend two fingers.

With a gentle pinch.

Ding!

The blade stopped.

Lu Qingshuang's pupils suddenly contracted.

She felt as if her wrist had hit a mountain; no matter how hard she tried, the blade wouldn't move forward even an inch.

Qin Mu didn't even get up.

He simply sat there, the blade between two fingers, his expression calm.

Lu Qingshuang gritted her teeth.

True energy instantly flowed into his arm.

With a sudden twist of his wrist, the short knife slashed horizontally.

Qin Mu loosened his grip.

The blade grazed his sleeve.

A glimmer of hope finally appeared in Lu Qingshuang's eyes.

But the next moment, her hope was completely shattered.

Qin Mu simply raised one hand and placed his palm on her shoulder.

There was no earth-shattering power, not even a sound.

Lu Qingshuang felt an irresistible force coming from her shoulder.

She instantly lost her balance, stumbled back seven or eight steps, and finally crashed into the tent wall.

boom!

The tent walls suddenly shook.

The knife in her hand fell to the ground.

Lu Qingshuang did not pick it up.

She just stared blankly at Qin Mu, her face gradually turning pale.

too fast.

It was so fast that she didn't even see how Qin Mu made his move.

What's even more terrifying is that Qin Mu didn't actually use his full strength in that attack.

Otherwise, she would already be dead.

Lu Qingshuang stood there, her breathing becoming rapid.

She looked down at her palm, where the marks left from gripping the knife were still visible.

She suddenly found it somewhat ridiculous.

Before she came, she had considered many possibilities.

He had considered that Zhao San might be very strong, that the Northern Barbarians might have set up an ambush, and even that he might die in the Northern Barbarians.

She never imagined that the person standing in front of her would be someone she couldn't understand at all.

Emperor of the Great Qin Dynasty.

Qin Mu.

The young emperor described in the Northern intelligence as being obsessed with the harem and neglecting state affairs.

That enemy that Xu Longxiang always thought he could deal with slowly.

It's incredibly powerful.

She didn't even have the right to make him stand up.

Qin Mu looked at her.

"Shall we try it?"

Lu Qingshuang did not answer.

Her chest heaved violently.

After a while, she bent down to pick up the dagger and put it back in its sheath.

"No."

Qin Mu asked, "Have you figured it out?"

Lu Qingshuang lowered her head: "I've figured it out."

"What?"

"I can't leave."

Qin Mu remained silent.

Lu Qingshuang slowly raised her head.

She looked at Qin Mu, and for the first time, a genuine sense of powerlessness appeared in her eyes.

It wasn't fear, it was despair.

"I used to think that even if I wasn't your match, at least I could fight to the death. Now I realize that even fighting to the death is meaningless."

Qin Mu calmly said, "If you really wanted to kill me just now, you would be dead now."

Lu Qingshuang nodded: "I know."

"So you never intended to kill me."

"no."

Why?

Lu Qingshuang remained silent for a moment, then said, "Because I want to go back alive."

Qin Mu looked at her: "And now?"

Lu Qingshuang did not answer.

She no longer knew how to answer this question.

She wanted to go back.

Of course I do.

She wanted to tell Xu Longxiang everything that had happened here.

Tell him that Zhao San is a fake, tell him that Qin Mu is in Bei Mang, tell him that Bei Mang has already submitted, and tell him that the so-called Zhao San was just a pawn planted by Qin Mu from beginning to end.

But she can't go back.

She couldn't even get out of the tent.

Lu Qingshuang slowly sat down against the tent wall.

For the first time, she couldn't maintain her composure; she simply lowered her head and slumped her shoulders slightly.

"Your Highness will wait for me."

She said softly.

Qin Mu did not interrupt.

"He'll definitely wait. He'll wait for me to bring the news back; he'll think I've already found out. But..."

Lu Qingshuang's voice began to sound hoarse.

"I can't take anything back with me."

She raised her hand and covered her face forcefully.

My breathing gradually became heavier.

"I even convinced him of a false rumor. He must now believe Zhao San is still in Northern Mang, he must believe the plan is still ongoing. He doesn't know..."

She stopped.

I couldn't say anything more.

Qin Mu looked at her: "Do you feel you've let Xu Longxiang down?"

Lu Qingshuang's body stiffened slightly.

no answer.

But this reaction is already the answer.

Qin Mu said, "You don't."

Lu Qingshuang suddenly raised her head: "I have it."

This was the first time she had so clearly refuted Qin Mu.

"I promised His Highness I would bring the message back. But now? I can't even tell him what happened here. He's still waiting, he trusts me, but I..."

Her voice grew softer and softer.

"I can't do anything."

Qin Mu looked at her: "You've done what you could."

"No," Lu Qingshuang shook her head, "It's not enough."

"What if that's not enough?"

"That was my fault."

Qin Mu was silent for a moment: "What do you think is the greatest responsibility of a general?"

Lu Qingshuang was taken aback; she hadn't expected Qin Mu to ask that.

"Obey orders."

"no."

"Hold the line?"

"No, not exactly."

Lu Qingshuang frowned.

Qin Mu looked at her: "Alive."

Lu Qingshuang was stunned.

Qin Mu said, "How can a general lead troops if he can't even protect himself? Your greatest responsibility now is not to go back and deliver a letter, but to stay alive. Only by staying alive will you have a chance to go back."

Lu Qingshuang looked at him.

Qin Mu continued, "As for Xu Longxiang, since he dared to send you, he should have known what you might encounter. You didn't let him down; you just met an opponent far stronger than yourself."

Lu Qingshuang lowered her head: "But..."

"No buts," Qin Mu interrupted her. "In war, losing isn't always a mistake. Sometimes, simply surviving is the outcome."

Lu Qingshuang remained silent for a long time.

She suddenly asked, "Why doesn't His Majesty kill me?"

Qin Mu leaned back in his chair: "Why kill?"

"I know who you are."

"So what if I know?"

"I will become a hidden danger."

"That's for later."

Lu Qingshuang looked at him: "What if I continue to resist?"

"Then keep it locked up."

"What if I want to escape?"

"You can't escape."

"What if I leak the message?"

Qin Mu looked at her: "Can you get this out?"

Lu Qingshuang remained silent.

The fight just now had already given her the answer.

It can't be sent out.

It simply can't get out.

Qin Mu was too strong, so strong that she couldn't even see any possibility.

She suddenly remembered what Xu Longxiang had told her before he left.

"If you discover that Zhao San is suspicious, don't alert him. Bring the information back, but don't take any risks."

At the time, she felt that His Highness was being overly cautious.

Now it seems that the real danger was never the Northern Barbarians, but this person.

Lu Qingshuang said in a low voice, "If Your Highness knew my current situation..."

She did not continue.

Qin Mu understood what she was trying to say: "What will he think?"

Lu Qingshuang nodded: "Won't he think I'm already...?"

Her voice trailed off.

Qin Mu said, "He won't."

Lu Qingshuang raised her eyes: "What makes you so sure?"

"Because Xu Longxiang is smarter than you think. And he trusts you."

These words completely silenced Lu Qingshuang.

She lowered her head, her eyes slightly red.

She always thought that what she feared most was death.

Only now has she realized that what she fears most is not death, but that Xu Longxiang believes she has betrayed him.

She couldn't accept even the slightest suspicion.

"I did not betray him."

Lu Qingshuang said softly.

Qin Mu did not answer.

She repeated herself, her voice even softer: "I really didn't."

"I know."

"I did not agree to lie to him for you."

"I know."

"I did not pledge allegiance to you."

"I know."

Lu Qingshuang bit her lip, her eyes finally reddening: "Then why are you making me stay here?"

Qin Mu looked at her and said, "Because if you go back now, more people will die."

Lu Qingshuang was stunned: "What do you mean?"

Qin Mu said, "Now you know I'm in Northern Mang. If you go back, what will Xu Longxiang do when he finds out?"

Lu Qingshuang did not speak.

Qin Mu answered for her, "He will launch the attack ahead of schedule. Three hundred thousand iron cavalry from the Northern Border are marching south, the Northern Barbarian territory has just stabilized, and Huyan Lie's position is not yet completely secure. When both the Northern Border and the Northern Barbarian territory fall into chaos at the same time, how many people do you think will die?"

Lu Qingshuang's face gradually darkened.

Qin Mu continued, "You are a general; you should know this better than anyone else."

Lu Qingshuang closed her eyes.

Of course she knew.

She had even pictured that scene.

The northern cavalry marched south, causing the various tribes of the Northern Wilderness to split again, and war broke out once more. Countless soldiers died on the snowy plains, civilians fled, and cities burned.

Once Xu Longxiang believes that Qin Mu has taken control of Northern Mang, he will not wait and will definitely send troops.

"So..." Lu Qingshuang opened her eyes, "you're not going to kill me?"

Qin Mu did not answer directly: "If you are alive, Xu Longxiang will have one more reason to believe that Zhao San is alright."

Lu Qingshuang's face paled slightly: "You've included me in your calculations."

"certainly."

"From the moment I entered the teahouse?"

"almost."

Lu Qingshuang looked at him and suddenly felt that this man was terrifyingly over the top.

She thought she was there to investigate Zhao San.

In reality, from the moment she entered Northern Mang, it seemed that her every move had been observed by this person.

Even her current reaction was within his expectations.

"His Majesty."

"Um?"

"Did you know from the beginning that I would discover your identity?"

Qin Mu thought for a moment: "No."

Lu Qingshuang was slightly taken aback.

Qin Mu said, "I just felt that you would find out sooner or later."

Why?

"Because you're not an ordinary spy, you're a general in the Northern Frontier. Xu Longxiang dared to send you, which means he trusts you. A general he can trust wouldn't be unable to see such an obvious flaw."

Lu Qingshuang remained silent.

She suddenly didn't know what to say.

After a while, she stood up: "I can stay here."

Qin Mu looked at her: "Have you figured it out?"

Lu Qingshuang shook her head: "It's not that I've figured it out, it's just... I can't leave."

Qin Mu remained silent.

Lu Qingshuang continued, "I won't do anything for you either."

"Know."

"I won't spread false information for you."

"Know."

"And I would never betray Your Highness."

Qin Mu nodded: "I know that too."

Lu Qingshuang looked at him: "Then why are you keeping me here?"

"Keep."

Why?

Qin Mu stood up and walked up to her.

The two were very close.

Lu Qingshuang instinctively wanted to back away, but she forced herself to.

Qin Mu looked at her: "Because I'm very curious."

"What are you curious about?"

"How long can someone who knows they've lost but still clings to their loyalty hold on?"

Lu Qingshuang frowned.

Qin Mu asked, "How long can you hold out?"

Lu Qingshuang looked at him: "Does Your Majesty wish to see?"

"Um."

"Then you might be disappointed."

Qin Mu smiled: "Not necessarily."

Lu Qingshuang did not speak again.

She turned and walked to the side of the tent, where a low couch was placed.

She sat down and took off her cloak, but did not lie down.

He just sat there, looking down at his dagger.

There was a shallow scratch on the scabbard, left many years ago when she first went to the battlefield.

She never changed it.

Because Xu Longxiang stood beside her at that time and said to her personally, "A knife may become old, but a person must not fall."

Lu Qingshuang gently traced the scratch with her fingers, her eyes reddening again.

She quickly lowered her head so that no one could see.

But Qin Mu, who was standing next to him, suddenly spoke up: "If you want to cry, then cry."

Lu Qingshuang stiffened: "I didn't."

"Um."

"Really, no."

"I didn't say you had it."

Lu Qingshuang pursed her lips.

After a long while, she whispered, "Your Majesty."

"Um?"

"If one day... if one day His Highness really goes to war with you."

Qin Mu did not answer.

Lu Qingshuang raised her head: "Would you kill him?"

The tent fell silent.

Qin Mu stood in front of the map, his finger pointing to the northern border.

After a moment, he said, "Let's see what he chooses."

Lu Qingshuang stared at him blankly.

Qin Mu withdrew his hand: "If he's willing to stop, I won't kill him. If he insists on fighting..."

He didn't continue.

He simply raised his eyes and looked at her.

Lu Qingshuang already understood the answer.

She slowly lowered her head and gripped the knife handle again.

This time, he didn't draw his sword.

They simply held on tightly, as if grasping something that hadn't been completely lost yet.