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

Bao Yu immediately accepted the order and left.

Urgent military orders were passed down through the camp, and the cooks of each battalion were assembled.

It took about half an incense stick's time for all the cooks to gather.

The army numbered 80,000, with 30 people sharing one cooking pot, and a total of 2,650 cooks accompanying the army.

The firelight illuminated faces that were either bewildered, tense, or silent.

Xie Yige stood next to Cui Yutang, while Sang Miao, dressed in red, moved among the cooks. The silver ornaments made a soft tinkling sound with her steps, which was originally quite pleasant, but at this moment it sounded like a death knell.

Xie Wanzhou also rushed over upon hearing the news, standing not far away, watching Sang Miao's figure with concern.

"Him." Sang Miao looked at the dark-skinned man with icy eyes.

The man's expression changed, and he was about to protest when a soldier beside him grabbed him and held him down. Then Sang Miao continued walking. One, two, three… a total of forty-nine people were counted.

Some of these people were concentrated in the rear hall, while others were distributed among the left and right guards. Cheng Chuliang and Li Zhige's expressions grew increasingly grim.

They all shuddered.

"Kill them all. In the rear hall, we'll divide them into three pots, each for thirty-one people," Cui Yutang said calmly.

"We are innocent!"

"General, spare my life! I was forced into this!"

Some of these people had ferocious expressions, while others were crying and playing the victim, making a last-ditch effort. The scene was quite chaotic.

"If we don't kill him now, we'll never have another chance."

A strange, cold male voice echoed in Xie Yige's mind, and she looked at the forty-nine people in horror.

"Husband, there's danger!" she warned in a panic.

Before she could finish speaking, the cook standing in the middle swiftly drew his knife and flew out, as fast as lightning, aiming straight for Cui Yutang!

But he was fast, and Cui Yutang was even faster.

Having been warned earlier, Cui Yutang quickly took two steps back while holding Xie Yige. The cold light almost grazed his face. The moment the blade missed, Cheng Chuliang and Li Zhige moved at the same time.

Two knives pierced the cook's body simultaneously from the left and right, killing him instantly.

The body fell heavily to the ground, the splattered dirt mixed with blood, turning a dark red in the firelight, and the scene was deathly silent.

The army picked up their spears and surrounded the remaining forty-eight men.

Cui Yutang gently placed Xie Yige down, then flew to a slightly higher position, looking down majestically at the entire army. His voice, imbued with inner strength, resounded throughout the entire area.

"All troops, listen to my command—those who traitor will die."

"Execute immediately."

Forty-eight heads fell to the ground simultaneously, their blood seeping into the damp soil of Sichuan.

The mountain wind swept through the valley, carrying a strong, rusty smell that lingered for a long time.

This is the battlefield; it's either you or me who dies.

Cui Yutang gently held Xie Yige's small hand, "It's alright now."

His voice was very low, and only she could hear it.

Sang Miao stood at the edge of the crowd, her red dress billowing in the mountain wind. She watched as the forty-eight corpses were dragged away one by one, her face expressionless. Xie Wanzhou took off his outer robe and silently draped it over Sang Miao's shoulders.

Sang Miao glanced at him sideways and did not refuse.

By the time the army set up their cooking pots again, it was completely dark. The night breeze in the mountains carried the damp, cool scent of grass and trees, and the campfires lit up one by one.

On the eighteenth day, the army officially entered the misty forests of the southwestern border.

It's called a dense forest, but it's more like a giant maw that swallows light. Towering ancient trees block out the sun, their branches and leaves intertwined so much that almost no sunlight can be seen. A layer of grayish-white mist floats in the forest, flowing slowly, making it impossible to see what lies deep within.

The air was filled with the damp smell of decaying vegetation, mixed with the sweet fragrance of unknown flowers.

As Cui Yutang rode his horse, he looked at the mysterious and lush forest, his brows furrowing slightly.

Cheng Chuliang rode closer, his voice steady yet tinged with barely perceptible worry: "General, this place is dangerous. It's getting dark, I suggest we camp outside for today and cross here at dawn tomorrow."

Cui Yutang nodded: "Pass down the order to set up camp on the spot."

Outside the misty forest, a babbling brook flows, its clear water shimmering with golden light in the twilight, seemingly a world apart from the gloomy and eerie forest behind it.

The army's tents were erected one by one along the stream, and the rising smoke, mixed with the water vapor, created a rare sense of peace.

Xie Yige and the others also got out of the car.

After days of traveling, her bones were almost falling apart. She was stretching and loosening her muscles when she saw Li Zhiwei running over energetically and grabbing her wrist.

"Yige, let's go down to the stream to catch fish! I'll make you some grilled fish!" Li Zhiwei was full of energy, like a hunting dog running wild.

Xie Yige's eyes lit up, and she immediately became hungry, nodding happily.

She pulled Li Zhiwei toward the stream, and they bumped right into Cheng Chuliang, who had just said goodbye to Cui Yutang.

Cheng Chuliang had obviously heard what Li Zhiwei had said earlier. His gaze swept over the clear stream, and he couldn't help but speak.

"Madam Li, there may be many poisonous insects and monsters in the misty forest, and things in the water may not be edible."

Li Zhiwei's face stiffened slightly. She opened her mouth to refute, but then felt that safety was at stake and she couldn't be stubborn. So she turned to look at Sang Miao, who had the most say about this place.

Sang Miao stood by the stream, glanced down at the flowing water, and said calmly, "This stream winds through the dense forest, it's fine. The water is usable, and the fish are edible."

Li Zhiwei immediately crossed her arms, her chin practically pointing to the sky: "Did you hear that! It's edible! Don't worry about it!"

Cheng Chuliang looked at her smug expression, shook his head helplessly, and turned to leave.

Li Zhiwei snorted at his retreating figure, then pulled Xie Yige and walked towards the stream.

The stream was shallow and icy cold, just above my ankles. The stones underwater were smooth and round, and a group of small, fine-scaled fish swam around between my legs, so agile they seemed almost magical.

Li Zhiwei rolled up her sleeves, bent over, held her breath, and stared for a long time before suddenly lunging forward, only to miss and splash water all over Xie Yige's face.

Xie Yige wiped the water off her face, and before she could even laugh at her, she saw Li Zhiwei pounce on the fish again, and this time she actually caught a fish the size of her palm.

"It's done!" She turned around excitedly, holding up the fish.

At this moment, a strange scene unfolded deep within the misty forest.

Two small figures suddenly appeared amidst the layers of trees, looking quite out of place.

The two looked to be about four or five years old. The boy was wearing a dark green brocade robe with subtle patterns, while the girl wore a light green embroidered dress, which seemed out of place in the eerie and mysterious forest.

Their little hands were clasped together as they looked around curiously.

"Brother, where is this vegetarian dish?" The little girl, with her rosy cheeks, looked at the little boy.

The little boy sighed and couldn't help but correct her.

"Chaochao, we're almost five years old now, you need to learn to speak properly. Come on, repeat after me—brother—brother."

"Pot—pot—" The little girl opened her beautiful big eyes, her pupils were black and bright, and her long eyelashes were cute and adorable. She was learning very seriously.

"No, it's brother—brother—" the little boy tried again.

"Pot—pot—" she repeated, her little face unusually earnest.

"Sigh, you really give up."

The little girl blinked and said in a soft, sweet voice, "Brother, my feet hurt."