A family of loyal martyrs, starting with nine wives to continue the family line.

Wei Zhao placed Huo Qingluan's urgent report on the imperial desk without immediately ordering a beating.

He stared at the bronze plaque on the table and tapped his fingers twice on the surface.

"Send the decree to Huo Qingluan."

Flowers seem to understand, looking up.

Wei Zhao said, "We must not start a war at Yangguan. If the Black Flag Army attacks the pass, we fight. If they are just pressing in, we hold them off."

Fang Fuyao's finger twitched, but she didn't speak.

She understood what Wei Zhao meant.

The delay is to wait for information.

This was also to give the capital a competitive edge.

Wei Zhao turned to look at Nie Yinniang.

"Take twenty skilled men from the Embroidered Uniform Guard and go around south of Yangguan Pass."

Nie Yinniang raised her eyes: "Looking for Fang Zhaoru?"

"right."

Wei Zhao pushed the urgent report in front of her.

"Search westward along the trade routes of the Western Regions. There is only one target: find him before the Black Flag Army and bring him back."

Nie Yinniang did not ask why.

Murder, find people, bring people back.

She was familiar with all three of these things.

All she needs to know is who the target is, where the path is, and whether she can kill them.

What if we encounter the Black Flag Army?

"Avoid it if you can."

Wei Zhao looked at her, his voice turning colder.

"If you can't avoid it, then kill them all."

Hua Jieyu's lips twitched.

This is the true Your Majesty.

Not starting a war doesn't mean we're afraid.

However, where to make the first cut is up to Xinwu himself.

Nie Yinniang nodded: "When are you leaving?"

"Tonight."

After Wei Zhao finished speaking, he added, "You go yourself, and don't be reckless. Once you find the person, return to Yangguan immediately, and don't chase after them westward."

Nie Yinniang remained silent for a moment.

She lowered her head and replied, "Yes."

Hua Jieyu glanced at her but didn't say anything more.

She knew that Nie Yinniang didn't like listening to nonsense.

But this time is different.

The Western Regions are not the martial arts world, nor the dark alleys of the capital, nor an assassination attempt in any mansion.

That was three thousand miles of yellow sand, thirty thousand Black Flag Army soldiers, a place that even the Embroidered Uniform Guard hadn't figured out.

The sharpest knife in her hand was about to be plunged into an unseen mass of darkness.

This doesn't feel good.

very bad.

Fang Fuyao remained silent.

Just as Nie Yinniang was about to leave, she suddenly said, "Wait a moment."

Nie Yinniang stopped.

Wei Zhao also looked at her.

Fang Fuyao took out a copper coin from her sleeve.

The copper coin was old, its edges worn smooth, and the square hole in the middle was slightly crooked. It didn't look like any treasure; it looked more like a worthless coin that a street vendor would throw away as change.

But when Fang Fuyao held it, her fingers pressed very tightly.

"This was given to me by my grandfather before he passed away."

She handed the copper coin to Nie Yinniang.

He told me to keep it safe and to show it to anyone who came looking for him.

Nie Yinniang took the copper coin and glanced down at it.

One side of the coin is engraved with a common year, while the other side has a very fine knife mark, as if someone deliberately made it.

She tucked it into her bosom.

"For the Black Flag Army to see?"

"I have no idea."

Fang Fuyao's voice was lower than usual.

"I never knew who it was for. Now I think it was probably for those people."

Nie Yinniang suddenly asked, "If we find Mr. Fang, how can I determine whether he is willing to come back with me?"

That's a very accurate question.

Finding people is easy, but managing them is difficult.

If Fang Zhaoru was merely trying to escape being hunted down, of course he would return.

But if he himself is unwilling to return, or even wants to return the so-called "Map of Mountains and Rivers" to certain people in the Western Regions, then what Nie Yinniang brings back will not just be an old man, but an even bigger trouble.

Fang Fuyao remained silent for a long time.

It wasn't until the candle wick popped that Wei Zhao saw her raise her head.

"He won't refuse."

She spoke very slowly.

He said something to me before he left.

Nie Yinniang looked at her.

Fang Fuyao said, "He said that the thing I regret most in my life is bringing back things I shouldn't have taken."

No one answered in the imperial study.

That's a very strong statement.

Things that shouldn't have been taken.

That means Fang Zhaoru wasn't passively dragged into it.

He took the item, and he knew perfectly well that it shouldn't have left its original place.

Fang Fuyao continued, "He had wanted to return it for a long time, but he didn't know who to return it to."

Nie Yinniang nodded.

"I see."

She turned and left.

Hua Jieyu followed them out.

Outside the palace gate, Hua Jieyu lowered her voice:

"Twenty people, I'll pick the ones best suited for sandy terrain. Bring double the water pouches and three portions of poison. If anyone slows you down, you can deal with them yourself."

Nie Yinniang looked at her.

"Aren't you going to say you'll come back alive?"

Hua Jieyu paused for a moment, then smiled.

"Talking about it too much is pointless."

She handed a small porcelain bottle to Nie Yinniang.

"Take one when you really can't take it anymore. Don't eat it randomly. Xie Daoning made this. She said that eating too much is bad for your health."

Nie Yinniang carefully put the porcelain bottle away.

"Um."

Looking at her expressionless face, Hua Jieyu felt a lump in her throat.

The two of them worked together to rebuild the Brocade Robe Pavilion, one managing the pipe network and the other managing the blades.

Nie Yinniang rarely spoke, but she was always the one who went into the most dangerous situations.

This person seems unafraid.

No, she knew.

They just never say it.

Hua Jieyu reached out and straightened the black cloth on her shoulder.

"If Mr. Fang is to be brought back, you must come back too."

Nie Yinniang did not leave immediately this time.

She looked at Hua Jieyu for a while before saying, "I know."

That night, south of Yangguan.

Twenty elite soldiers from the Embroidered Uniform Guard changed into old clothes from the Western Regions caravan, with horseshoe-shaped cloths and water bags wrapped in leather sacks.

No one lit a fire, and no one spoke loudly.

Nie Yinniang stood at the front of the group, looking down to check the short knife, hidden arrow, fire tinder, and copper coin at her waist.

The copper coin pressed against her chest, making her feel somewhat uncomfortable through her clothes.

She doesn't like carrying things for unknown purposes.

A knife can kill, medicine can save lives, and a letter can transmit messages.

What can copper coins be used for?

she does not know.

But Fang Fuyao's expression when she handed it over made it impossible for her to treat it as an ordinary copper coin.

Perhaps at some point, this worthless coin will be more useful than twenty knives.

It might kill her.

It doesn't matter.

The person she was looking for was Fang Zhaoru.

What she had to do was bring the people back.

Once you understand this, the path becomes simple.

"Walk."

Nie Yinniang mounted her horse, her voice so low that only those behind her could hear her.

The group circled around from the wasteland south of Yangguan, instead of going through the main gate.

In the distance, the Black Flag Army's campfires resembled a string of low flames, pressing down on the horizon.

The patrol riders were still patrolling the outer perimeter; the camels' shadows were taller than the horses', and they moved slowly but steadily.

Nie Yinniang didn't look for long.

She led her people westward along the barren hills, avoiding the Black Flag Army's sentry lines, and hurried along the stone markers remaining from the ancient trade route.

The night was long.

The horse was panting, and so were the riders.

When the sand is sandy, the horse's hoof always lands a beat too late.

The twenty people could not speak and could only communicate through hand gestures.

Someone's water bag bumped against the scabbard, making a slight sound. Nie Yinniang glanced back, and the person immediately tightened the water bag again.

She knew very well that the real difficulty was not getting out of the pass.

It was after we passed through customs.

The trade routes to the Western Regions have been cut off for three years, and no one knows if there are any survivors left on the roads.

The Black Flag Army had been pursuing Fang Zhaoru for two years, and they must have left spies along the way.

These twenty women were like a fine needle piercing the sand; if they struck the right spot, they could draw blood, but if they struck the wrong spot, they would be lost forever.

But she can't be wrong.

Fang Fuyao was waiting.

Wei Zhao was waiting.

Yangguan is also waiting.

As dawn broke, Nie Yinniang looked back.

Yangguan has been reduced to a thin gray line.

On the city wall, Huo Qingluan stood at the highest point, with ballistae and guards behind her.

She couldn't see Nie Yinniang's face clearly; she could only see the small team gradually disappearing at the end of the sandy road to the west.

The lieutenant stood beside her, his voice hoarse: "General, are you really going to send those twenty women to search?"

"Otherwise what?"

Huo Qingluan put down the binoculars.

"With 50,000 of us stationed here, the Black Flag Army will keep their eyes on Yangguang. Only they can squeeze through the gaps."

The lieutenant gritted his teeth: "If there's no news within three days..."

Huo Qingluan looked towards the area beyond the pass.

The Black Flag Army's main camp has already moved, and several groups of camel cavalry are probing forward.

They weren't in a hurry, but every time they pressed forward, it felt like scraping a city wall with a knife tip.

She was calculating the time in her mind.

He was released from quarantine in one day.

A day of searching.

A one-day report.

Three days is the limit.

If it takes more than three days, the Black Flag Army will realize that Xinwu is stalling.

By then, if the enemy advances further, she won't be able to just stand on the city wall and curse them anymore.

Huo Qingluan turned around, her voice echoing throughout the city walls.

"Three days."

The lieutenant looked up.

Huo Qingluan said, "Hold the line for three days and wait for news from Nie Yinniang."

She paused, her gaze falling on the black wolf flag outside the city.

"Three days later, whether she returns or not—prepare for war."