In a moment of impulse, I forcibly kissed my brother's best friend.

The moment the black cloth was lifted, twilight shone obliquely from the west.

Four large, fully enclosed solid wood boxes were neatly arranged on the vehicle, with the words "Handle with care" written on them.

Cui Yutang and Baoyu exchanged a glance. Baoyu stopped the others from moving and jumped into the car himself. He was extremely light-footed and moved with great agility. He carefully ran his dagger around the car before gently opening the box.

The three of them peered inside and saw five dark, round spheres covered with dense patterns. They gleamed with a deep, dark light in the twilight, looking both mysterious and dangerous.

"Master, what is this?"

Cui Yutang and Xie Yige exchanged a glance, both equally bewildered.

He had no choice but to open the densely packed and tiny instruction manual—he had no idea what kind of pen it was written with, how could the words be so small.

But when he saw the keywords, his eyes widened in surprise.

Destructive power: Explodes upon contact with the ground, leaving no vegetation within a radius of three zhang (approximately 10 meters). Use with caution on humans.

1. A single bomb can detonate and burn eighty to one hundred clustered Gu soldiers at once;

Second, the dense overlapping of multiple impact points can quickly form a large-scale fire and smoke blockade zone;

Thirty or forty tiered missiles can destroy or disintegrate a main force of five thousand Gu soldiers.

Below, there is a densely written instruction sheet explaining how to use the device, precautions for transportation, storage methods, and how to assemble the throwing vehicle.

Xie Yige had already moved closer to the instruction manual.

She looked up at Cui Yutang, her large eyes filled with a mixture of excitement and horror.

"Husband, how did Mother manage to get all these things?"

Cui Yutang looked at her with complicated emotions. His Yige really didn't know the secret about her mother.

But why wouldn't he know? Was it to protect her? So he didn't tell her?

With such terrifying destructive power, he was now almost completely convinced that his Yige and her mother were not ordinary people.

He remembered the missing pillow.

Could it be that the pillow didn't just disappear, but that she possessed a space as vast as Mount Sumeru as described in Buddhist scriptures, or a treasure bag of a deity?

Was it given to her by her mysterious mother?

Cui Yutang glanced at Baoyu: "All of you, please go outside for a moment."

Xie Yige's attention was still on the dark sphere, and she didn't notice the probing look in Cui Yutang's eyes when he looked at her.

"Baby, this is very important. It'll be better to transport it separately." He paused, his voice very soft, as if afraid of startling her. "Could you... help me pack half of it and take it with me?"

Xie Yige suddenly turned to look at him, completely stunned, her eyes wide open.

Even Xie Dudu was so frightened that she ran out of her sea of ​​consciousness.

Xie Yige frantically cried out in her mind, "Dudu, it wasn't me! I didn't say anything! Will you be in trouble?"

Xie Dudu frantically touched her little body—it seemed like nothing had changed.

"Master, it seems everything is alright for now..."

Seeing that she had been standing there in a daze for too long, Cui Yutang couldn't help but panic. Could testing her like this be harmful to her body?

He quickly pulled her into his arms.

"Yige, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?" He couldn't help but touch her all over; she was still warm and comfortable.

Xie Yige finally came to her senses: "Husband, I'm alright."

She replied sullenly in his arms, "I should... be able to pretend."

"Are you sure it won't hurt you?"

Xie Yige couldn't help but glance at Xie Dudu, who was floating in the air. After seeing it nod, she nodded in affirmation.

Cui Yutang breathed a huge sigh of relief.

That's great, he's taken another step closer to her.

"Husband, please step aside for a moment."

Cui Yutang nodded and left.

Before he left, he glanced at the empty space she had just been looking at, which startled Xie Dudu again.

"Waaaaah... Oh my god, Master, your husband is so scary!"

Dudu floated in mid-air, her two paws covering her chest. "I have a feeling he might have found me."

"Huh? He can see you?"

"No! He looked in my direction, but his gaze went right through me! But that's even scarier, waaaaah—"

Dudu's reaction was as if she had seen a ghost.

"My husband is already very capable." Xie Yige smiled smugly and proudly, her eyebrows and eyes like the most smug flowers blooming in summer.

It's good that there are no secrets between her and him.

She suddenly felt relieved, as if half of the pressure in her heart had been taken away by him.

Without further hesitation, she took away all the black balls and throwing vehicles from the truck, leaving only one enclosed supply wagon in place. The other one seemed to have never been there at all.

The next day, the gates of Chang'an were opened wide.

Tens of thousands of soldiers marched off to conquer the southwest, and the entire city's residents saw them off.

Banners billowed like giant waves in the morning breeze, and layers of armor gleamed with a heavy, cold light in the sunlight.

Footsteps, horses' hooves, and wheels mingled into a deep, rumbling sound that stretched from the city gates all the way to the horizon.

Empress Wu and Xie Wanqing, dressed in a blue lotus outfit, stood on the city wall, their gazes fixed on the figure in bright silver armor at the very front of the procession.

"Wanqing, apart from Cheng Wuting, not a single military officer in the entire court supports me. Therefore, this time—victory is the only option."

Her gaze was authoritative and resolute. "To ascend to that position, military power must be firmly in one's grasp."

Xie Wanqing didn't reply, staring at the large banner with the character "Cui" on it, her lips pressed into a straight line.

Have you not seen how many who sacrificed themselves for their country in times of crisis have returned from ancient battles?

Prime Minister Cui Zhinuan stood under the city gate for a long time, his gaze following the silver figure until it completely disappeared into the dust at the end of the official road, and the wrinkles on his face deepened.

Cui Zu, who was beside him, whispered, "Sir, it's getting windy. Let's go back."

Xie Yige's carriage followed behind the vanguard.

Bichun was in the same car as her at that moment, with Zhixia and Jingqiu sitting outside. Bichun was leaning against the car window looking out.

"My lady, a fast horse is coming!"

The guards around Xie Yige's carriage immediately became alert, their hands resting on the hilts of their swords.

Xie Yige lifted the carriage curtain and looked out into the distance. The person sitting on the horse was actually Li Zhiwei, dressed in a tight-fitting outfit.

"We're on the same side, no need to be on guard," Xie Yige shouted, and a soldier loudly repeated her order.

Li Zhiwei was light and agile, with excellent riding skills. His chestnut horse nimbly weaved through the gaps in the group.

She spotted Xie Yige's head peeking out from afar, her eyes lit up, and she spurred her horse forward, charging straight toward the carriage.

"Yige! You were here after all!"

Xie Yige was both surprised and delighted, and lifted the carriage curtain even higher: "Zhiwei! What brings you here?"

"I asked my grandmother for permission!" Li Zhiwei tightened the reins, her tone completely matter-of-fact. "My brother, that blockhead, is going to the southwest, and I have to keep an eye on him for my grandmother."

Looking into her bright, determined eyes, Xie Yige couldn't help but smile.

"Then let's go together." Xie Yige waved to her. "Come on up."