You put me in charge of the prison and turned all the female prisoners into female military goddesse

Just as dawn broke, Lu Jing was awakened by a series of chattering sounds outside the door.

He rolled over, trying to pull the blanket over his head, but the door was already being banged on from the outside.

"Lord Lu! Lord Lu, are you up yet?"

It was Ji Tangtang's voice, crisp and urgent, banging on the door like drumming.

Lu Jing sat up and rubbed his face, his voice still hoarse: "I'm up, I'm up. If you knock on the door again, it'll fall off."

He put on his outer robe, walked over, and opened the door. Ji Tangtang almost stumbled and fell in.

"What?" Lu Jing stepped aside.

"Commander Fang sent someone to deliver five bows."

Ji Tangtang's eyes lit up like lamps. "He said he won the archery competition yesterday, and he paid for the extra money out of his own pocket, letting us choose for ourselves."

"Where's the bow?"

"It's displayed in the yard. I've already touched the wood ginger pear, and Ye Qingqing said she wants to test its tensile strength."

Lu Jing sighed and walked past Ji Tangtang to leave.

The courtyard was indeed lively.

Five bows were laid out in a row on the long table.

The bow arms are of varying ages, and one of the horn bows even has fine hemp rope wrapped around its tip, indicating that it has been carefully maintained.

Ye Qingqing bent down to pick up the heaviest one and pulled hard on it.

Then, she bent her arm in a beautiful arc and grinned, "That's powerful!"

"Don't break it," Mu Jiangli squatted down beside her and flicked the string of another bow with her finger. "This is a token of Captain Fang's affection; it would be terrible to break it."

"I know what I'm doing," Ye Qingqing loosened the bowstring and gently put it back. "I'll give it a try."

Wen Lanxiang stood at the other end of the long table, holding a soft cloth in her hand and wiping the dust off a bow arm.

When she saw Lu Jing approaching, she raised her chin and pointed to the table: "Sir, take a look at this one. The bow arm is made of mulberry wood, and the string is wrapped with deer sinew. The workmanship is finer than the others."

Lu Jing walked over and took it, weighed it in his hand, and strummed the string; it was indeed easy to handle.

"I'll keep this one," he said, handing the bow to Wen Lanxiang. "Keep it safe for me."

"Yes." Wen Lanxiang took it and carefully wrapped it up with the cloth.

Ji Tangtang squeezed in from behind, reached out to touch the lightest bow, touched it twice, and then withdrew his hand.

Then she turned to Lu Jing and asked, "My lord, when shall we go to that place where the troops are hidden?"

Her words caused a brief silence in the courtyard.

Mu Jiangli raised her head, Ye Qingqing turned around, and Wen Lanxiang paused her bow-wrapping motion.

Lu Jing glanced around and saw that the people all had similar expressions: curious, but no one said anything.

He thought about it and figured that since the map would be needed sooner or later, it was better to tell them sooner rather than later.

"We'll go after breakfast," Lu Jing said. "Me, Wen Lanxiang, and Mu Jiangli will go ahead and scout ahead. The rest of you will stay in the camp and continue training as usual."

"Why wasn't I included?" Ji Tangtang immediately exploded, "I even cheered them on during the shooting competition yesterday!"

"What does your cheering have to do with scouting the route?"

"Well, I have a loud voice. If I encounter danger, my shout will be heard for miles around."

"That's why I'm not taking you along, so no one can hear us."

Ji Tangtang opened his mouth but couldn't find a rebuttal, while Mu Jiangli laughed so hard she slapped her knees.

Lu Jing ignored them, turned around and went back into the house to take out the brown paper map, and also put the key and the dagger in his pocket.

Wen Lanxiang had already packed everything quickly and efficiently. The water pouch, dry rations, and a small packet of medicine were neatly tied to her belt. Mu Jiangli put on the lightest backpack and stuffed a handful of stone pills into her sleeve pocket, saying that she was just being prepared.

As the three of them went out the front door, Ji Tangtang leaned against the doorframe and shouted at their retreating figures:

"Bring me news when you get back! If there really is treasure there, you can't keep it all to yourselves!"

"I know," Mu Jiangli waved her hand without turning her head, "If I'm going to eat it all myself, I'll eat yours first."

Ji Tangtang cursed from behind, but his voice was carried away by the morning breeze.

After leaving the southwest gate of the city, I walked for about four miles along a dirt road that was mostly covered with weeds, and then the road ended.

Ahead was a low hill covered with waist-high shrubs, with no obvious path.

Lu Jing took out a map, unfolded it, and compared it.

Then, he looked up at the sun and the distant mountain ridge outline: "Go to the left, go around to the back of that ridge, there's a dry gully marked on the map."

Wen Lanxiang walked in front, using her knife to clear away the bushes, while Mu Jiangli brought up the rear, occasionally looking back to see if anyone was following them.

The three of them crawled through the bushes for nearly half an hour before finally finding the dry ditch.

The bottom of the ditch was covered with gravel and dried moss. The marks of water erosion on the walls were still clearly visible, but the bottom of the ditch was so dry that it was cracked, indicating that no water had flowed there for a long time.

After walking along the dry ditch for another half an hour, the terrain began to narrow, and the earthen walls on both sides became higher and higher, eventually turning into a narrow canyon.

Lu Jing stopped and glanced at the map again. The location of the Vermilion Circle was less than a mile ahead.

He put away the map and said in a low voice, "We're almost there. There should be a turn ahead. We'll be there after that."

Mu Jiangli followed him and whispered in his ear, "Why does this place feel so quiet? There aren't even any birds chirping."

Lu Jing then noticed that it was indeed too quiet around him.

I haven't heard any birdsong since I entered Qian Gou, and even the chirping of insects that is usually heard in the grass has disappeared.

He slowed his pace, his right hand reaching for the hilt of the short sword at his waist, his fingertips rubbing against the rope wrapped around the hilt.

Wen Lanxiang noticed it too. She stopped and listened for a while, then turned back and asked Lu Jing with her eyes: Are we still going or not?

Lu Jing nodded.

The three of them continued forward, taking even lighter steps.

As they rounded that bend, Lu Jing was the first to see it.

At the end of the canyon is a steep earthen wall with a narrow crack in it, the opening of which is hidden by several dense clumps of thorns and cannot be seen at all without careful observation.

He walked over and used the back of his knife to clear away the thorns, revealing a gap about three feet wide, just enough for a person to squeeze through sideways.

Lu Jing squeezed in sideways, and found a hidden world inside.

It was a natural cave with a ceiling about two zhang high and a spacious interior that could accommodate hundreds of people.

There was no dust on the ground, nor any animal droppings or claw marks, as if it had been cleaned up by some force over the years.

Mu Jiangli squeezed in after her. She stood at the entrance of the cave, looked around, and whispered, "This place can hide a hundred or so people like it's nothing."

Wen Lanxiang was the last to come in. She squatted down and wiped the floor with her finger.

Then, looking at the dust on her fingertips, she said, "No one has been here. The dust on the ground accumulated naturally; there are no footprints."

Lu Jing walked deep into the cave and saw several traces of human chiseling on the stone walls on both sides, as if wooden beams or planks had been placed there.

He reached out and touched the chisel marks on the stone wall; the sharp edges had been weathered and rounded over many years.

"This place is habitable," Lu Jing turned and walked back. "Is there water?"

Mu Jiangli pointed to the innermost part of the cave: "You can hear water dripping there, it must be seeping from the cracks in the rocks."

Lu Jing walked over and listened carefully, and sure enough, there was a very faint dripping sound.

Pat pat pat!

It seeped out from a crack in the stone wall, gathering into a small pool of clear water.

He squatted down, dipped his finger in the mixture, and tasted it on his tongue. It wasn't salty or astringent; it was drinkable.

"Alright," Lu Jing stood up and patted the water off his hands. "We've seen the place, let's go back."

Mu Jiangli was a little reluctant to leave: "Are we just leaving like this? Won't we look around a bit more?"

"I've seen enough. When I get back, I'll have to draw a more detailed map, marking the location of the water source and the entrance."

Lu Jing turned and walked out of the cave. "Besides, Ji Tangtang is still waiting for news in the camp. Don't you want to see her anxiously pacing around?"

Mu Jiangli immediately perked up: "Then let's go, let's go!"

The three of them returned the way they came, crossing dry ditches, low hills, and dirt roads covered with weeds. By the time they reached the southwest gate of Dangning City, it was past noon.

As expected, Ji Tangtang was squatting under the stone lion at the entrance of the Flying Cavalry Camp. When he saw the three of them appear at the street corner, he jumped up and rushed over to greet them.

"How's it going? Any treasures?"

"There's no treasure," Lu Jing said, "there's a hole."

"A cave?" Ji Tangtang's anticipation instantly vanished by half. "A cave that people can live in?"

"able."

Ji Tangtang was silent for two seconds, then perked up again: "That's fine too. Anyway, if we can't make a living in the future, we can still live in the cave."

Mu Jiangli chimed in, "With a mouth like that, you'd attract mosquitoes even if you lived in a cave."

"You're the one who attracts mosquitoes!"

The two started arguing again. Wen Lanxiang stepped aside and walked to Lu Jing's side, lowering her voice:

"Sir, that place is indeed suitable, but it will take time to move there. Livestock, food, and drinking water must be prepared in advance."

"I know," Lu Jing said, "Let's refine the drawing first, there's no rush."

He looked up and glanced in the direction of the Flying Cavalry Camp. From behind the courtyard wall, he could faintly hear the shouts of soldiers training, one after another, neat and short.

Lu Jing withdrew his gaze and stepped through the gate.

We have the map, we've seen the caves, and we've figured out the way.

The next step was to move the people and things over little by little.