So what if she's my sister-in-law? You seduced me first.

At night, the sounds of soldiers patrolling outside came in again, waking Ning Yu in the middle of the night. She didn't dare to light a lamp.

She put on her clothes and walked to the courtyard gate to look at the commotion outside. Seeing the brightly lit guards searching house to house, her heart sank.

She bolted the door, went back inside to get her bundle, and was on tenterhooks, ready to run at any moment.

This private residence belonged to the Xiao family, and the soldiers would not break in casually. After knocking on the door and receiving no response, they left with torches.

Ning Yu breathed a sigh of relief only after hearing the footsteps leaving, but she was still worried and couldn't sleep all night.

If things continue like this, she'll be found sooner or later, and we need to find a way to leave Xianyang.

"Miss, I've prepared the meal. Come and eat!"

Inside the room, Ning Yu was studying a map of Xianyang City when he heard Qing He's voice in the dining room. He put the map away, went out, and sat down.

Qinghe's cooking skills were good, and Ningyu shared her thoughts while eating.

"Ah---I heard the city gates are heavily guarded, how are we going to get out?"

"I'm going out for a bit. Don't answer the door if anyone knocks. Pack all our things and I'll come back to meet you."

Qinghe nodded heavily. "Don't worry, Miss."

After giving herself a makeover so that even her own mother wouldn't recognize her, Ning Yu went out through the back door. Before leaving, she instructed Qing He to also disguise herself and put on men's clothing.

Qinghe dared not slack off. As soon as she left, she changed into men's clothing and slowly put on shoulder and waist pads, just like how the young lady had disguised her before. She also put a beard on her face.

"Why does it look so weird?" Qinghe thought to herself, but she didn't dare to delay and packed everything up.

She waited until the night before her mistress returned. A carriage was parked in the alley outside the courtyard gate, and the driver looked menacing, with a scar on his face.

She locked the door and hurriedly followed her mistress into the carriage.

It was hard to see clearly in the darkness, but as they got closer, the coachman glanced at Qinghe.

Anyone who travels the martial world can easily spot this trick; she's clearly a woman in disguise, but she looks so familiar.

He shook his head, deciding not to think about it anymore.

This trip could earn him a hundred taels of silver, just by escorting people out of the city. It's much faster than risking his life to kill someone for money.

After getting into the carriage, Ning Yu immediately pulled Qing He over, thinking of redoing her makeup, but then she thought better of it and decided to wait until they were out of the city before doing it in front of the coachman.

"Young master, who is that person?"

"A black market assassin," Ning Yu explained to her in a low voice.

The carriage bypassed the East Market, making several turns before arriving at a dock. After crossing the dock and reaching the dense forest on the opposite side, it took about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn before they came across an extremely turbulent underground river.

Ning Yu glanced at the old helmsman on the ship and then glared at the assassin.

The assassin said in a rough voice, "Get on the ship. We'll get you out of the city before dawn."

This is an underground river leading out of the city. The river is turbulent, and only old boatmen who have been steering for decades dare to cross it. Ning Yu went to the black market and inquired for a long time before he learned that there was such a place to leave the city. It was said to be a special place to send runaway slaves out of the city.

A chilling, eerie aura enveloped the sailing ship. Suddenly, the assassin remembered something, pulled a portrait from his pocket, examined it carefully for a few moments, and then looked back towards Qinghe.

Ning Yu quickly noticed this and a sense of vigilance flashed through her mind.

But the assassin said nothing and instructed the boatman to row quickly.

As dawn broke, the group finally left the city, having crossed a mountain and emerged from a dense forest. Before they even reached the main road, the assassin, having taken the money, suddenly attacked them.

Ning Yu, who had been on guard, drew her knife to block the attack. The sharp, piercing sound of the blade cutting through the air echoed through the dense forest, and a burst of intense sparks flashed between the swords.

"Are hitmen who only do their jobs for money really this untrustworthy?"

The assassin laughed loudly, "Young master, I took the money and sent you out of the city, but I want to spare the life of the girl beside you."

Ning Yu said coldly, "What's the point of taking her life?"

"It seems you still don't know her identity. The news has spread throughout all the black markets in every prefecture and county of the martial arts world. Someone has offered a huge reward for her head, which has been speculated to be worth 200,000 taels of silver. I'll kill her and take the money, and I'll never have to do this deadly job again."

Ning Yu casually took the portrait and instantly thought of Xie Xun. The imperial court was hunting her down, and people in the martial arts world also wanted them dead.

This bastard never intended for her to live a good life; he wanted the whole world to be their enemy.

"This is a bounty job I took on the black market. She's number one on the bounty list. I'd rather kill the innocent than let her go."

"You'd better get out of the way and surrender obediently. Otherwise, there are plenty of people who want to kill you once you leave the city. Other fellow martial artists have also received the news. Do you think you can escape once you leave the city? You might as well let me have you."

Ning Yu glanced at Qing He, whose face had turned deathly pale with fright, and felt a pang of heartache. If she hadn't been with her, she wouldn't have been targeted by so many people.

With a soft "whoosh," a surge of murderous intent erupted forth. Ning Yu leaped into the air, spinning, and the blade in her hand slashed down with an eerie, chilling arc.

The two bodies passed each other rapidly in the air. The assassin seemed not to have expected him to know martial arts and was momentarily careless. Ning Yu took advantage of the situation to sprinkle the medicine in the air and then kicked him in the chest with his right foot.

Suddenly unable to use his internal energy, the assassin was caught off guard by the kick. Just as he was about to retaliate, he saw the man dressed in men's clothing suddenly turn around as if he had become a different person. His hair was flying in the wind, and his profile was stunningly beautiful.

Something suddenly occurred to him. Seeing the two people running down the mountain, he turned around and headed towards Xianyang City.

Qingfeng received the tip early in the morning. A burly man with a scar on his face came with a reward notice from the government, saying that he had seen a woman leaving the city in the underground river last night, and that she looked quite similar to the portrait on the notice.

After questioning her, he learned that the lady had escaped through the waterway with the help of people in the black market. He immediately led the informant and his troops out of the city on horseback to pursue her.

Less than two hours later, Ning Yu, having changed her appearance again, swaggered into the city and returned to the courtyard where she had stayed before.

Qinghe looked at the young lady gnawing on a leg of lamb with concern, "Isn't this a bit too daring?"

What's the big deal? Nothing ventured, nothing gained. Outside the city, there are people everywhere looking for them. We might as well stay here and play in the shadows while Qingfeng chases after them.

Ning Yu immediately relaxed the guards at the city gate, grinning from ear to ear, finally managing to send those plagues away.

To Ning Yu's surprise, not long after they entered the city gate, all four gates of Xianyang City were guarded by the Imperial Guards, and a magnificent and luxurious palanquin slowly drove in from the west gate.

The sound of horses' hooves pounded the ground. A slender, clean hand lifted the window curtain to look outside, and one could vaguely see the golden dragon pattern embroidered on the robe, displaying royal majesty.