Outside Changming Mountain, soldiers of the Eagle Division were stationed.
The tents of the Liao Jiang, from a distance, looked like clusters of round-capped mushrooms.
The sound of wheels rolled over the ground as Tu Jue Xiong Ying, pulling a cart of wine, strode towards the great camp nestled and embraced within the tents.
"Burugude, Burugude, look what I brought you!!!"
He pulled the cart, laughing heartily, and barged into the great camp. Soldiers guarding outside the tents quickly tried to stop him, "General, General, you..."
"Get lost!"
With a wave of his large hand, he sent the obstructing soldier sprawling onto the ground. Then, he lifted the tent flap. Inside the large tent, a man seated behind a low table slowly raised his gaze, a sharp, cold glint pouring out.
"No manners!"
He snorted coldly, his expression fierce, but Tu Jue Xiong Ying paid no mind. He swaggered over and sat opposite him, reaching into the cart and lifting a jar of wine. With a "clang," he placed it before him.
"The people from Hengyuan Merchant House brought wine this time, and I bought the whole cart. Today, I will have my revenge! I won't stop until I've drunk you to the point of spitting blood!"
"You bought it all? Hengyuan Merchant House didn't keep any?" Burugude frowned slightly.
The people of Liao Jiang were fond of wine. Liao Jiang wine was mostly strong and mellow, while Lin Yuan wine was different, with some as potent as Liao Jiang's strong spirits and others sweet on the palate, like fruit wines. In recent years, the most beloved by the Liao Jiang people was this Rouge Drunk, possessing the potency of strong spirits and the fragrance of fruit wine. Generally, such wines would be sent by Hengyuan Merchant House to auction houses in the capital, a hundred miles away. Even by favor, they wouldn't sell so much to the same person.
Tu Jue Xiong Ying removed the stopper of the wine jar, and the rich aroma of wine spread. A dazed expression appeared on his face. Hearing Burugude's question, he couldn't help but chuckle. Had Burugude's brain gone soft to ask such a foolish question?
"The people of Lin Yuan are a bunch of cunning foxes. The head of Hengyuan Merchant House, though he looks honest, is full of schemes. Although he didn't lift the tarps from the other carts, my nose told me he kept at least two carts of wine!"
So, he hadn't sold it all to Xiong Ying?
Tu Jue Xiong Ying picked up the wine jar with one hand and filled two wine bowls. He pushed one bowl towards Burugude, picked up the other, and, tilting his head back, drained the entire bowl, roaring with satisfaction, "Good wine!"
Burugude rubbed the wine bowl, looking at the clear liquid within.
"What are you looking at? Drink up!"
Burugude ignored him and instead asked, "Were there any new faces in the Hengyuan Merchant House caravan?"
"How peculiar!"
Tu Jue Xiong Ying muttered, reaching for the wine jar again. Burugude placed his hand on the wine jar, his gaze fixed on Tu Jue Xiong Ying.
"Alright, alright, let me think!"
Tu Jue Xiong Ying was only focused on buying wine at the time and didn't pay attention to other matters. However, some people, just by standing there, made them unforgettable.
He slapped his thigh and said, "Yes, there was one, a rather handsome young fellow!"
"What, is there a problem?"
Burugude shook his head, "I'm not sure!"
His fingers, rubbing the rim of the bowl, brushed over the Rouge Drunk within. He raised his hand and placed his fingers on the tabletop, sketching out a mountain, as if answering Tu Jue Xiong Ying's question or perhaps murmuring to himself, "I received some information earlier, and I thought it would be on the mountain."
"Hmm?"
Tu Jue Xiong Ying's mind went blank. He recognized each word individually, but when put together, he couldn't understand.
"Take the Eagle Division to the entrance of Changming Mountain and guard it for me. Today, not even a fly shall fly in." Burugude suddenly looked up, his gaze stern and sharp. Tu Jue Xiong Ying glanced at the wine jar on the table, then at the solemn Burugude. At this moment, he really only had one choice: "Okay, I'll go now!"
After Tu Jue Xiong Ying left, Burugude called out, "Have Gurij come to see me!"
"Yes!"
...
"Dismount!"
Birds flew in flocks from east to west, their falling feathers drifting before Nan Shiying's eyes. She suddenly pulled back on the reins, dismounted, and prostrated herself on the ground, listening intently.
Xiaoman and Situ Kong stopped simultaneously. Shen Xing had galloped more than ten meters ahead before he reined in his horse and turned back.
"A large contingent of soldiers is rushing towards us at great speed." Nan Shiying pushed herself up, her expression serious, exuding an icy aura.
"Huh?"
Shen Xing pricked up his ears, hearing only the whistling wind.
He was, after all, a second-rate master. His hearing wasn't exceptionally good, but he could still detect movements a hundred meters away.
Upon hearing this, Situ Kong prostrated himself on the ground and listened, hearing nothing.
He looked up and opened his mouth.
"Quick, hide!"
Nan Shiying grabbed Xiaoman's arm without explanation, dragging her and their horses into the dense forest. Shen Xing and Situ Kong exchanged a glance. Shen Xing, with resignation, dismounted and led his horse into the woods.
From within the forest came Nan Shiying's low, cold command: "Hurry!"
No sooner had Situ Kong and Shen Xing led their horses into the dense forest than a troop of heavy cavalry came thundering from the direction of Changming Mountain. Their hooves kicked up dust, and their shouts, along with the sound of hooves pounding the ground, shattered the previous tranquility.
After the heavy cavalry disappeared at the end of the road, Nan Shiying and the others finally emerged from the forest.
"Is that the heavy cavalry of the Liao Jiang Eagle Division?"
Shen Xing gazed at the road ahead, where the figures were no longer visible, his brow furrowed.
Why had the Eagle Division dispatched heavy cavalry? Where were they going? For what purpose?
Nan Shiying's expression grew colder. She looked at Shen Xing and asked, "Are there Liao Jiang soldiers below Changming Mountain?"
For some reason, Shen Xing felt uneasy. Hearing Nan Shiying's question, he replied, "There have always been. But before, it was only soldiers of the Bear Division. But for some reason, half a month ago, the fiercest and most skilled Eagle Division under the command of the Liao Jiang Khan suddenly appeared at the border, taking over from the Bear Division to guard below Changming Mountain."
Nan Shiying's face became even more stern. Half a month ago, it was around the time the fog on Changming Mountain suddenly appeared. Even if the events on Changming Mountain were not the work of Liao Jiang, they were definitely related.
"Did the heavy cavalry of the Eagle Division just pass?"
"Yes!"
The more Shen Xing thought about it, the more uneasy he became, his voice tinged with gloom, "But why? Why would the Eagle Division mobilize heavy cavalry? The Bear Division had been stationed at Changming Mountain for so long and had never deployed heavy cavalry!"
Nan Shiying lowered her eyelids slightly and suddenly asked, "How much further is it to Changming Mountain from here?"
Shen Xing froze for a second. He was still in a state of agitation, his voice rapid and urgent, "By horse, it's about the time it takes for a third of an incense stick to burn."
"On foot?"
Shen Xing looked at her, trying to discern her thoughts from her expression, but after looking for a long time, he still saw no trace of anything on her face.
He couldn't understand why they would walk when they had horses!
"One incense stick!"
"How many entrances does Changming Mountain have?"
"One!"
After Shen Xing answered, he added, "The west side of Changming Mountain is the great camp of the Eagle Division. The north and east sides are sheer cliffs. The remaining south side is guarded by the Eagle Division sentries. Although the Liao Jiang are nomads, with Changming Mountain at their back, the nearby villages occasionally enter the mountain to forage. Therefore, below the southern sentry tower, an entrance has been established for the Liao Jiang people entering the mountain."