People in the Qin Dynasty, entertained during the Warring States period

She could trust the Six-Fingered Black Knight, the leader of the Mohist school, but she found it hard to trust the royal family, which was now facing war.

As the saying goes, it's better to avoid trouble. She only wanted to take Xue Nu back to her country. As for Li Ji, she didn't care. Whether she wanted to return to Handan or not was up to her.

A middle-aged man dressed in a black robe approached rapidly on a black horse.

"Young friend Cao Ze? It really is you."

Cao Ze smiled and said, "It's me. I apologize for disturbing you, Master."

Six-Fingered Black Knight returned the ink tablet to Cao Ze, glanced at Jing Ni and the masked woman behind Cao Ze, and asked in surprise, "What are you doing here?"

"According to the scouts, Meng Ao's army has passed through Yewang County and will arrive in Puyang in two or three days."

"War will break out here soon, young friend. You should not stay here any longer."

Cao Ze's heart sank.

Given Li Ji's and Xue Nu's identities, it's impossible for Six-Fingered Black Knight not to know about them once they enter the city.

Furthermore, given his relationship with the Snow Woman, it's not hard to understand why he came.

Ya Fei also sensed something was wrong and couldn't help but ask, "Master, hasn't Xue'er entered the city?"

"Xue'er?"

Upon hearing this, the Six-Fingered Black Knight looked at Consort Ya, whose face was covered by a robe, and hesitated before asking, "Your Highness Consort Ya?"

Why is the King of Zhao's sister, who is enjoying peace and tranquility in Handan, coming to this dangerous place?

Ya Fei said anxiously, "It's the Snow Maiden! According to the time, they should have already entered the city!"

Six-Fingered Black Knight's tone changed slightly, "What's going on?"

Cao Ze understood Ya Fei's panic. To Ya Fei, Xue Nu was not only a teacher and sister, but also practically a daughter.

He calmly explained the situation to Six-Fingered Black Knight.

The Six-Fingered Black Knight said in a deep voice, "No two women on horseback entered the city today."

"Come with me, I will take you to see the Great General!"

The four men rode into the city, which was desolate.

Well-informed wealthy merchants and nobles had already packed their valuables and fled to the neighboring states of Wei and Zhao for refuge.

The city was mostly inhabited by civilians and refugees who had nowhere else to go.

Six-Fingered Black Knight led Cao Ze and the other two straight into the General's Mansion.

Upon receiving the report from the guard, Gongsun Yu, wearing faded black armor, strode quickly to the front hall.

Upon seeing Cao Ze waiting there, he laughed and said, "Mr. Cao Ze, it's been a long time. How is Li Ji doing in Handan?"

Cao Ze's expression was serious and somewhat heavy as he said, "General, something has happened."

As Cao Ze gave his brief explanation and presented the letter written by Xue Nu herself, the smile on Gongsun Yu's old face gradually froze, and his expression became extremely gloomy.

"Go and find out who entered the city today!"

Gongsun Yu roared.

Ya Fei took a deep breath to calm herself down.

In the tense atmosphere of the hall, before a cup of tea could be brewed, a city guard strode in.

"Reporting to the General, a total of thirteen people entered the city today!"

As the Qin army approached the city, most of them left the city and very few entered.

Gongsun Yu's tiger-like eyes sharpened. "Who are these thirteen people? Are there two young women among them?"

The city guard thought for a moment and said, "There are indeed two young women."

Ya Fei reached into her sleeve and took out a portrait of the Snow Maiden, asking, "Do you have her?"

The city guard looked closely and shook his head. "Those two women are not as beautiful as her, and they are as ugly as their three elders."

Cao Ze said in a deep voice, "Perhaps they are disguised. Take a closer look."

As a top dancer, the Snow Woman is skilled in makeup and could very well use her disguise to prevent chaos in the martial arts world.

Ya Fei looked worried. Cao Ze didn't know that Xue Nu didn't like wearing makeup and preferred to go out without it.

Gongsun Yu was so worried about his granddaughter that he didn't notice that the woman wearing a hooded portrait was Consort Ya.

The city guard looked at it again and again, and finally shook his head. "Apart from the hair being somewhat similar, everything else is different."

Jingni had a sudden inspiration and asked in a clear voice, "Is that woman's hair silver-white?"

Cao Ze nodded slightly. The portrait was a traditional Chinese ink painting and could not show the Snow Woman's hair color.

Consort Ya became somewhat agitated, nervously watching the city guards, fearing another "no."

The city guard nodded repeatedly: "It is indeed silver-white hair. Such hair color is very rare. I took a few extra glances at it at the time."

Ya Fei clapped her hands. "That's it! The Snow Woman must have put on makeup!"

Gongsun Yu breathed a slight sigh of relief; as long as they were in the city, things would be easier.

Cao Ze did not relax; instead, he asked seriously, "You just said that these two young women were accompanied by three elders. What's going on? Who are they?"

The city guard honestly replied, "Their husband was killed by bandits outside, and when they heard that there was going to be a war, they came to the city to take refuge."

He only found out by asking a question, since it's rare to see a woman traveling alone without any men.

Under normal circumstances, once the money is paid and the examination is completed, no one is responsible for the other's affairs.

Ya Fei, Jing Ni, Gongsun Yu, and Six-Fingered Black Knight all noticed the anomaly and realized that Xue Nu and Li Ji were likely being held hostage.

Cao Ze continued, "Do you know where they live?"

The city guard replied, "I don't know about that."

"However, if they don't have relatives in the city, they should stay at an inn. And right now, there's only one inn still open, run by one of the city's oldest..."

Gongsun Yu could no longer contain himself and said, "Men, surround Old Sun's Inn!"

……

Lao Sun Inn.

Yan Fei, Yue Shen, and their group of five only requested one superior room.

Inside the house, they changed out of their unsightly coarse cloth clothes and into clean, everyday clothes.

Li Ji and Xue Nu were tied up with their backs against the wall.

They felt a chill as they recalled how they had been manipulated like puppets upon entering the city that day; it was all so bizarre.

The Moon Goddess glanced at Li Ji and Xue Nu, who were struggling and acting somewhat unruly, and sneered, "Once you're in our hands, don't even think about escaping."

If those two little girls managed to escape right under her nose, she might as well jump into the river and commit suicide with Yan Fei.

Li Ji gritted her teeth, "Let the Snow Woman go, and I'll let you do whatever you want with me!"

The snow woman asked coldly, "Who exactly are you?"

The Moon Goddess chuckled and flicked out a thread formed from her inner energy, which wrapped around the Snow Maiden's restless, fair wrist, binding her tightly.

This is a unique illusion technique of their Yin-Yang School—the Yin-Yang Puppet Technique. Although she is not proficient in it, she can easily manipulate a person whose meridians are sealed and who cannot resist.

"Want to know who we are? ...I'm not telling you, hahaha..."

The Moon Goddess enjoys the feeling of having control over the lives and deaths of others.

Li Ji was filled with self-reproach, and murmured softly, "Snow Maiden, I'm sorry, it's my fault..."

The snow woman remained calm. "It's alright, it's not your fault."

The Moon Goddess chuckled, "You sisters have a good relationship, don't you?"

She never believed that there could be feelings between sisters, just like she and Yan Fei, who were only superficially sisterly.

She rolled her eyes and said casually, "Let's play a game now."

"I'll give you a chance. Whoever can kill the other will be let go."

After saying that, the Moon Goddess threw a short sword, which stuck into the floor between the two of them.

The sharp, gleaming blade stood out starkly in the dimly lit room.

The Snow Woman spat, her azure eyes filled with utter contempt for the Moon Goddess's despicable behavior. "Don't even think about it!"

Li Ji paused for a moment, then suddenly picked up the short sword.

The Moon Goddess immediately broke into a triumphant smile. What sisters are there? They are insignificant in the face of life.

The Snow Woman stared blankly at Li Ji, who was holding the short sword, her mind blank for a moment.

How could this be, how could this be...

"Kill her, kill her and you'll be free, you can go find your grandfather..."

"Don't you want to see your grandfather anymore...?"

The moon goddess whispered seductively in Li Ji's ear.

She really likes the little game she created; isn't it fun?

Looking at the unrestrained Moon Goddess, Yan Fei inexplicably recalled Cao Ze's description of villains and the pattern that villains die from talking too much.

She felt that the moon goddess was a good fit.

"Junior Sister!"

She gave a soft shout.

The Moon Goddess turned to look at Yan Fei and chuckled, "Don't worry, Senior Sister, I know my limits..."

As the sword flashed, the Moon Goddess's expression turned grim.

Li Ji placed the sword hilt into the Snow Maiden's delicate hand, gripped the Snow Maiden's wrists tightly with both hands, and thrust the sword towards...

A hint of relief and regret flashed in her clear eyes.

These people know her identity, and they are acting suspiciously in Puyang City. It is very likely that they intend to use her to threaten her grandfather and achieve some unspeakable secret.

This is something she absolutely cannot allow to happen.