The sea wind howled across the ship, the waves rocking it up and down. The lamps attached to the cabin walls swayed but didn't fall, their flames flickering, casting shifting shadows on the faces of the two men inside.

Faint transmission sounds echoed from outside. A guard knocked on the door and reported something to Xu MaoCai before hurrying away. Tonight, everyone within twenty *li* of Da Dong Mountain was gripped by tension and fear, whether they knew the truth or not.

"They're expanding the search area," Xu MaoCai said in a low voice, his expression complex. Fan Xian's earlier words had overturned all his assumptions. If the Emperor wasn't dead… But Xu MaoCai didn't believe Fan Xian's theory. Although he didn't know the Princess's full plan, the current situation suggested the Emperor had no way to survive on the summit of Da Dong Mountain.

While he pondered, Fan Xian watched him silently. Xu MaoCai clearly played a vital role in the Jiaozhou Navy's rebellion; otherwise, the Princess's faction wouldn't have entrusted him with leading the ships. Fan Xian knew that Xu MaoCai had never been loyal to the Qing court; he only harbored hatred and a desire for revenge. Rebellion was a natural consequence… but the target he wanted to help rebel was himself.

Therefore, Xu MaoCai hadn't followed Fan Xian's original instructions to contact Wu GeFei, the Governor of Jiaozhou, or Hou JiChang at the first opportunity, failing to relay the information about the Jiaozhou Navy's movements to the Supervisory Council, which had created the desperate situation of Da Dong Mountain being besieged.

This was a deeply buried pawn that Fan Xian had placed in the Jiaozhou Navy, but because the pawn had his own ideas, its original purpose was lost.

But Fan Xian couldn't be angry, even his annoyance was muted, because he understood the man's heart.

Seeing that he couldn't convince Fan Xian, Xu MaoCai's expression darkened. After a long silence, he said, "My original plan was to turn against them at the last moment, using my subordinates to disrupt the navy's encirclement, force a landing, and escort you down the mountain to Kyoto."

Fan Xian's heart trembled. With only a few ships and a thousand soldiers under his command, Xu MaoCai intended to land and rescue him down the mountain, surely with a death wish and courage.

"I didn't expect that you could actually…" Xu MaoCai shook his head and sighed, a hint of awe creeping into his eyes. In their eyes, someone who could descend the smooth, jade-like cliffs of Da Dong Mountain had transcended the realm of mortals.

Xu MaoCai continued, "You guessed correctly. The Jiaozhou Navy's participation in the Princess's plan is partly due to the Qin family, but more importantly, it's due to my involvement… If anything were to happen to you on the mountain, I would deserve ten thousand deaths. Fortunately, the Great Commander Yan trusts me because of this, and he probably won't search this ship, so you can stay here safely."

Fan Xian coughed twice and shook his head, saying, "I must return to Kyoto." After boarding the ship, he immediately inquired about the naval and land blockade, realizing that countless strongmen were gathered in this encirclement tonight. Adding to that the terrifying ninth-rank assassins from Dongyi City, breaking through by land would be extremely difficult.

"Can you move the ship three *li* north?" He frowned and said, "Beyond three *li*, they can't control the area as effectively. There should be a chance."

"Too many eyes are watching. We have to wait," Xu MaoCai said with concern, looking at him and sighing. In his opinion, returning to Kyoto wasn't the most urgent matter now. Contacting the Black Knights, then getting in touch with people in Kyoto, and waiting to see how things develop would be the wisest choice.

Fan Xian knew that if he wanted to maximize his gains, fleeing back to Jiangnan, informing Xue Qing, and then returning to Kyoto via Wuzhou, waiting for the opportune moment, would be the best move. But such a decision was impossible for a normal person to make. Kyoto held too many people he cared about. The survival of Qing, the possibility of a great war, were burdens he had to carry.

"I can't wait too long," Fan Xian said in a low voice. The flame in the lamp flickered with the waves outside, adding a rare anxiety to his face.

Yes, he could abandon Da Dong Mountain, because he was most worried about Fifth Bamboo, who, in the absolute environment of Da Dong Mountain, had an absolute advantage over Ye Liuyun, Si GuJian, and even Hong, the old eunuch. No one could stop him. But Kyoto needed him back urgently, needed the jade seal and the Emperor's personal letter to the Empress Dowager.

"Outside Danzhou port, were you on the ship?" Fan Xian, still dressed as a guard, stood behind Xu MaoCai and asked quietly.

"Yes."

Getting an affirmative answer, Fan Xian continued, "When did Yan XiaoYi board the ship?"

"I don't know," Xu MaoCai replied. "It should have been on the way from Danzhou to Da Dong Mountain."

Fan Xian frowned. It seemed that the Princess's alliance had achieved mutual recognition, with no significant gaps to exploit internally. "In Danzhou, you should have seen a white-sailed ship."

Xu MaoCai tilted his head in confusion and said, "That's your ship. Of course, I noticed it."

"I want to get on that ship," Fan Xian said, his eyes narrowing slightly, his tone unquestionable and firm. "Yan XiaoYi's eyes are probably already floating up from the seabed. It's too difficult for me to go ashore. Is there a way to go north along the sea?"

Xu MaoCai frowned and said, "It would be better to sail directly to Danzhou, but… it depends on luck."

Fan Xian thought for a moment, then nodded and said, "My luck has always been excellent."

—————————————————————

On the dark sea, the naval ship closest to Da Dong Mountain shone brightly, trying to maintain contact with the surrounding ships. The warship was massive, yet compared to the towering Da Dong Mountain, it appeared insignificantly small, like a green bean in front of a white sheet of paper.

The soldiers on board nervously watched the sea, as if trying to find a trace of anything in the water. Someone shouted occasionally, and many soldiers held bows and arrows, ready to shoot into the sea at any moment.

A long time had passed since the figure on the stone wall had disappeared into the waves. From the sea to the land on both sides of Da Dong Mountain, countless people were searching for Fan Xian's whereabouts. No one had thought that Fan Xian would hide on the rebels' own ship.

Yan XiaoYi, dressed in light archery attire, stood silently at the bow, his guard carrying his heavy, gold-bound bow on his back. He took a cup of strong liquor from the wooden table beside him, drank it down, and continued to stare coldly at the waves below the cliff. Although a long time had passed, he still believed Fan Xian was not dead.

Although Fan Xian had been hit by his arrow and intimidated by the wave-splitting sword, Yan XiaoYi still believed that Fan Xian was not dead. He issued orders, commanding the navy and the guard camps on the shore to intensify their search.

Yan XiaoYi knew that Fan Xian was injured, but subconsciously he hoped that Fan Xian was still alive, preferably alive enough to appear before him, so that he could plunge his arrow into his throat - he hated Fan Xian, this pretty boy, partly because he knew that his only son's death was inextricably linked to Fan Xian, and partly because that night in the streets of Kyoto, he had held his bow but had been completely outmaneuvered in the confrontation with Fan Xian's fog. This was a humiliation he could not accept.

Fan Xian must die at his hands to wash away this humiliation.

"This time, you shouldn't be so lucky," Yan XiaoYi's eyes flashed with a fierce light, staring unblinkingly at the stone wall of Da Dong Mountain, but thinking about the scene he had seen earlier, the one that had shocked him.

That pretty boy could actually slide down from such a high, steep, and smooth cliff!

If Yan XiaoYi's realm wasn't so high and his eyesight wasn't so sharp, the naval officers on the sea would never have discovered Fan Xian's whereabouts. Fan Xian would have escaped thousands of *li* away by swimming, and all the rebels would have thought that the young Director was still trapped on the mountain.

This was not a matter of luck, but a matter of strength. Yan XiaoYi felt a slight chill, shocked by the strength Fan Xian had shown. And because the ship was too far from the cliff, his Thirteen Consecutive Arrows had not pinned Fan Xian to the cliff, but had only injured him. This fact made Yan XiaoYi unable to suppress his emotions.

How could he allow such a powerful enemy to escape tonight's inevitable death trap?

"How is the search on the other ships?" Yan XiaoYi said coldly. When he didn't find Fan Xian's traces in the sea, the first thing he thought of was that the boy had climbed onto their own ships from the sea. The Jiaozhou Navy had sent only their own people who knew the inside story, so Yan XiaoYi had no doubts.

Qin Yi, the Jiaozhou Naval Commander, glanced at him and said in a low voice, "He's not on the ships."

This man was from the second generation of the Qin family, a cousin of Qin Heng, the Deputy Chief of the Supreme Military Council. Because of Fan Xian's investigation of the Jiaozhou case last year, this man had the opportunity to take over as the Jiaozhou Naval Commander. Now that he was standing side by side with Yan XiaoYi at the bow, the Qin family's attitude… was naturally clear.

"Be careful, this boy is very cunning. Since he came down from the mountain, he must be carrying something very important with him. If he makes it back to Kyoto, it will probably have a great impact on the Princess and Master Qin's plan," Yan XiaoYi said silently.

Qin Yi responded with a yes. Although he was a first-rank Naval Commander, he didn't have the qualifications to be tough in front of Yan XiaoYi, the super-rank Great Commander, especially in this encirclement of Da Dong Mountain. Although all parties were cooperating, Yan XiaoYi was the one who truly had the power to speak.

Yan XiaoYi looked at the sea in front of him and suddenly frowned, saying, "I'm worried… Fan Xian went ashore from the seabed."

"No one can hold their breath underwater for so long," Qin Yi shook his head and said. "There are guard camps of your men on the shore, and the experts from Dongyi City, so he shouldn't have a chance."

A strange smile appeared on the corner of Yan XiaoYi's lips, thinking that if that pretty boy could slide down from a cliff hundreds of *zhang* high, he couldn't be judged by common sense.

Seeing Yan XiaoYi's worry, Qin Yi said calmly, "Tomorrow, at the latest the day after tomorrow, the plans in the surrounding states will begin to be implemented. Although we can't use the Supervisory Council's name, we have to spread the news from our side that Fan Xian is assassinating the Emperor, and is the number one wanted criminal. How can he escape?"

Yan XiaoYi glanced at him mockingly and didn't say anything, thinking how could an ordinary military general understand the strength of a ninth-rank expert. If the other party made it ashore and disappeared into the vast crowd, even if the court was fooled by the Princess and gave Fan Xian a big charge of treason, who could guarantee that Fan Xian wouldn't be able to enter Kyoto.

"If Fan Xian escapes ashore, he will definitely look for the nearest Supervisory Council subordinates to send a message to Kyoto," Yan XiaoYi said coldly. "Although there are secret agents of the Supervisory Council in various states and counties, the one he trusts the most, the one closest to him… is undoubtedly the ones he left in Danzhou."

Qin Yi understood and said, "I'll arrange for someone to go to Danzhou immediately."

If Fan Xian was on this ship and heard this conversation, he would definitely want to kiss Yan XiaoYi twice. He had been racking his brains on Xu MaoCai's ship on how to return to his own ship in Danzhou, but he didn't expect the Great Commander Yan to give him such a wonderful opportunity.

But… why did he want to go to Danzhou?

……

……

Yan XiaoYi arranged everything and slowly looked up, his right index and middle fingers unconsciously curled up. This was a habitual movement brought about by his years as an archer. As his fingers curled, his eyes fell on the distant, dark summit of Da Dong Mountain.

He knew the Emperor was there, and he knew what awaited the Emperor, but even though the rebellion had reached this point, as a soldier, he still held a trace of appreciation, three parts of awe, and five parts of unease for that Emperor.

If it weren't for his son's death, which made him realize that his son was always less valuable than the Emperor's son, perhaps Yan XiaoYi would have chosen another way, and not like tonight.

Fortunately, he didn't need to interfere with the events on the summit, Yan XiaoYi thought to himself, handing over the guard camp in front of the mountain gate to that person, this was part of the agreement, and his mood would be smoother.

Then he bowed extremely respectfully towards the sea, wishing the old man who was about to climb Da Dong Mountain to send the Emperor off well on his behalf.

……

……

(I have diarrhea and rhinitis, and my mental state is very poor, I'm really sorry. ps: The banana who wrote *Yin Sha* finally preserved his delicate body in the terrible neighborhood storm, which is a very worthy thing to celebrate...)