Empress, please lay down your armor, for I will save the world with a single sword!

The night was deep, around midnight.

Wu Liang changed into a set of night clothes inside the house, pulled up his mask, and opened the window.

Then, with a light touch of his toes on the ground, without much effort, his body, like a leaf blown by the wind, "whoosh," lightly swept over the courtyard wall.

That feeling was absolutely amazing!

With thirty years of internal strength as his foundation, he can now use this lightness skill at a speed many times faster than before.

The darkness became his best cover.

He almost became a blurry phantom, moving swiftly among the overlapping courtyards, rooftops, and corridors of the Prince's Mansion.

Occasionally, his toes would lightly touch the roof tile, using it as leverage to slide far away before landing silently.

In the dark, even if someone stares intently, they would probably only catch a fleeting glimpse of a shadow and think it's just their eyes playing tricks on them, or that a night owl has darted past.

Wu Liang was like a fish in water, navigating the complex terrain of the Prince's Palace with ease.

He always manages to sense movement ahead a little bit in advance, or cleverly avoid it by using shadows, corners, or artificial hills.

Sometimes, when the two teams of guards were patrolling in a crossroads and they were about to be cornered, he would duck down, hug the wall, or simply leap up onto the roof of the building next to him, and then float down after the people below had passed.

The whole process was smooth and seamless.

He moved from the front courtyard guest area to the more heavily guarded middle courtyard in just a short time.

He himself was somewhat surprised by the speed.

The smooth infiltration experience was all thanks to the map of the Northern Yong Prince's Mansion that I obtained from Yan Hai during the day.

This thing is so useful!

The drawing was incredibly detailed, showing exactly where the greenhouse was, where the waterside pavilion was, which corner had a hidden sentry, and even the intersections of special patrol routes were clearly marked.

Returning from the teahouse,

Wu Liang stayed in the room studying the map, and had already thoroughly understood it.

He reasoned that Jiang Qingluan was, after all, a princess, and even if she was under house arrest, the Northern Yong Prince's Mansion would never dare to openly neglect her. Therefore, those remote and dilapidated servants' courtyards were ruled out, and it had to be those quiet, high-class independent courtyards.

He repeatedly circled four locations on the map that were most likely to be hiding people: Qingwu Courtyard, Yunshui Pavilion, Jinghua Pavilion, and Qiyun Courtyard.

There are four places; we have to explore them one by one.

Wu Liang flashed again, heading towards the "Qingwu Courtyard".

In the darkness of night, he was like a ghost without a physical form.

We've arrived at Qingwu Courtyard.

The courtyard wasn't very big, but it was exquisite, and you could tell the owner had put a lot of thought into it.

Several clumps of bamboo swayed gently in the night breeze, making a soft rustling sound.

It was midnight, and all was quiet. The courtyard was pitch black except for the main house, where a dim, flickering candlelight shone through the paper windows.

Some people are still awake.

Wu Liang tiptoed down the wall and, in a few leaps, reached the base of the window of the main room.

He crouched in the corner, held his breath, and strained his ears to listen intently inside.

Inside, it was quiet. After a while, a woman's somewhat languid and charming voice, tinged with sleepiness, drifted out: "Young master, it's so late, shouldn't you rest?"

"Okay, finish reading these two pages and then go to sleep. If you're sleepy, go to sleep first." A clear male voice rang out.

The woman yawned: "Ah~~ It's alright, I'll stay here with you, young master..."

Wu Liang, standing outside the window, frowned slightly.

Wait a minute, it's a man and a woman.

The woman's voice sounded unfamiliar; it definitely wasn't that little vixen Jiang Qingluan.

But this man's voice...

Why does this sound so familiar?

I've definitely heard that somewhere before.

He quickly went through it in his mind twice, and then it suddenly dawned on him.

Pei Chang'an!

Wu Liang instantly realized that Qingwu Courtyard was Pei Chang'an's residence, so Jiang Qingluan could not possibly be placed here.

"What bad luck, such an inauspicious start."

Wu Liang slipped away nimbly, sliding along the wall and out of Qingwu Courtyard.

With a swift movement, it disappeared into the deep night once more, silently disappearing in the next direction.

……

After leaving Qingwu Courtyard

Without delay, Wu Liang moved swiftly through the night, quickly finding his way to the second location – Yunshui Pavilion.

The courtyard had an elegant name and was located further in, next to a small pond. At night, the dark pond water reflected a pale moonlight, creating an eerie stillness.

Wu Liang lay on the branch of an old tree outside the courtyard wall, first observing from a distance.

Upon seeing this, his eyebrows rose.

Even in the main room of Yunshui Pavilion, a dim, flickering candlelight shone through the paper windows!

Hey?

Are all the people in the Northern Yong Prince's Mansion reincarnated as night owls?

It's already past midnight, and none of them are asleep?

It's one thing for Pei Chang'an to be reading, but who are these immortals living in Yunshui Pavilion who are also staying up late?

He muttered to himself, but didn't stop moving.

I carefully sensed the atmosphere in the courtyard; it was very quiet, with no sound of patrolling guards. There was no one guarding this place.

That's a bit strange.

Logically speaking, if Jiang Qingluan were truly imprisoned here, there would be no way there wouldn't be any guards.

Would that old fox Pei Xiao be so careless?

But since we're already here, we have to see it for ourselves.

Wu Liang glided lightly down from the tree, landing silently. He clung to the wall like a cat, quietly slipping into the courtyard of Yunshui Pavilion.

The courtyard was planted with some flowers and plants, which swayed in the night breeze. The candlelight in the main room became the only source of light and the most obvious target.

Wu Liang held his breath, tiptoed, and slowly moved to the window with the light on.

I had just hidden myself in the shadows at the base of the window, before I could even put my ear close.

He froze completely, as if he had been struck by a pressure point.

The expression on his face, hidden beneath the mask, instantly became extremely... fascinating.

He recognized the voice coming from inside all too well!

It wasn't the sound of talking, crying, or turning pages or walking around.

It was that kind of... suppressed, intermittent, trembling chanting. There were also subtle sounds of bodies colliding and the bed gently swaying. Intertwined together, they formed an ancient and primal melody that made one's blood boil.

This is the joy of love!

Wu Liang's mind went blank for a moment, but he quickly calmed down and even felt a little amused.

Well, what a wasted trip.

Jiang Qingluan could not possibly be here.

The reason is simple: what is that little vixen's current situation?

Living in constant fear, like a stray dog, harboring deep hatred for his country and family, and being relentlessly pursued by his own uncle, he fled to Beiyong for help, only to be placed under house arrest.

How frustrated she must have been.

In this state, how could she possibly be in the mood for this?

How could they make such a commotion, so engrossed and enjoying themselves so much?

It's impossible even with your toes.

Therefore, the two people inside are definitely not Jiang Qingluan.

Wu Liang shook his head and prepared to leave.

Staying here is a complete waste of time, and... a bit awkward.

He had just moved his body, his foot was lifted, but it hadn't yet touched the ground—

They forcibly took it back.

……