Lu You became interested. "Aren't we already cooperating now?"
Dong Si smiled. "Right now, it's just a transaction. What my lord means is a deeper level of cooperation."
Lu You sat up straight. "Oh? How exactly?"
Dong Si's expression turned inscrutable. "I wonder, General of the Left, if you have any interest in Fengzhou?"
No one besides the three people present that day knew what was said, but afterward, Lu You treated Dong Si with great hospitality and arranged guest rooms for him.
This time, Dong Si didn't refuse and settled in at the inn without reservation.
Two days passed in a flash. Wutou Mountain received a letter from Jiang Jin.
The letter quickly reached Dong Si's hands. Looking at the note, a relaxed smile spread across his face.
Dong Si promptly requested to take his leave.
Lu You didn't stop him. True to their agreement, he straightforwardly let Dong Si sail away with a massive military vessel and several other types of ships.
The night was deep and still. The dock at Xianglu County lay peaceful and tranquil, not even the chirping of insects could be heard. Most people had already drifted into their dreams.
Suddenly, several strange cat cries rang out. The drowsy guard on duty jolted awake with a start.
He looked around. In the pitch-black night, only a row of lanterns on the dock emitted a faint, dim red glow. There was no other movement.
"How strange. Where did that stray cat come from? In heat?" The guard rubbed his eyes in confusion.
His companion shook his head. "It's not spring, so how could a cat be in heat?"
The guard yawned. "True."
"Hey, Ah-Lu, everything okay over there?" he called out into the distance.
"Yeah," came a quick reply from afar.
The guard finally relaxed and yawned again. "So sleepy."
Not far from the dock, the camp gates were tightly shut. Rows of low, dilapidated houses lined the area inside, where the naval prisoners were held.
The night had grown deep. Though exhausted from the day's labor, Xin San had no desire to sleep. By his reckoning, Wang Liang and the others should have reached their destination by now. Was it going smoothly?
He sighed quietly. When would days like this ever end?
Just then, a vague but strangely familiar cat cry reached his ears.
His eyes flew wide open. Impossible!
That was their old naval code. Why would it sound now...?
Xi Hou, lying beside him, sat up with a start. "What's going on? I... I think I heard a cat cry?"
Xin San sat up as well.
Others in the room followed suit. For a moment, no one dared to move. They simply pricked up their ears, listening to the sounds outside.
Jiang Jin and Yun Chengxuan, equipped with night-vision binoculars, had already sneaked into the camp.
Since Xianglu County's dock still had shipwrights and crew, a talent like that, she naturally wouldn't let slip away.
So, once the construction on Xunfeng Island entered a stable phase, she had laid out her plan to Wang Liang.
Wang Liang had been thrilled and gave his full cooperation, describing every detail of the conditions at Xianglu County's dock clearly and thoroughly.
This afternoon, they had set sail in a large cargo ship and a small military vessel.
They didn't reach their destination until after dark. They waited until the dead of night, when people were at their sleepiest, before making their move.
She had led her people off the boat at a wasteland about three miles from the dock, then crept into the dock under the cover of night and slipped into the camp.
Jiang Jin nodded to Yun Chengxuan and headed off in one direction.
Yun Chengxuan and the Dragon Shadow Guards moved toward the houses where the prisoners were held. With his keen senses, he could easily spot the guards.
They avoided them when they could, and when they couldn't, they silenced them without a sound.
One of the Dragon Shadow Guards following him, Luo Ah-di, was on the verge of a breakdown. This lord's hand signals were utterly baffling.
For example, he'd clearly make a 'two' sign toward one spot, but when Luo Ah-di and another comrade snuck over, they'd find three enemies instead.
In a straight fight, two against three was no problem, but this was a sneak attack!
They had to take them out soundlessly.
Luckily, both were elite among elites, so they managed to finish the task without mishap.
Now, Yun Chengxuan made another 'two' gesture toward him.
Luo Ah-di nodded to show he understood. Got it, leave it to him.
He immediately led two men over, planning for one-on-one. But this time, only one guard was there.
Luo Ah-di: "..."
Honestly, what on earth did that 'two' even mean?
In the end, he decided that no matter what number Yun Chengxuan indicated, he would bring extra men along.
Yun Chengxuan almost dozed off waiting. It wasn't that he didn't want to act; it was that when he did, he tended to make too big a scene.
Their goal this time was to rescue people, not to kill.
This camp wasn't enormous, but it held around a thousand Corvee soldiers.
In Xianglu County town, not far from the dock, there were still a few hundred soldiers.
No matter how fierce Jiang Jin was, she wouldn't recklessly pit a few dozen people against over a thousand Corvee soldiers.
Besides, this time she had no intention of using signature weapons of the Jinyang Army, like the Dragon Feather Crossbows.
The main thing was, if they alarmed the guarding troops too early, it would be much harder to lead the prisoners out.
On Jiang Jin's side, things went smoothly. She first silently took out two guards and switched into their clothes.
Then, she crept over to where the grain storehouse was. First, she stashed all the grain into her spatial storage, then set it on fire.
Her movements were smooth and fluid. In a hoarse voice, Jiang Jin shouted, "Fire! Everyone get up! Put out the fire!"
She felt a strange sense of familiarity. She was sure she'd done something like this before!
In truth, the guards had already spotted the blaze at the grain storehouse. They were shouting and banging on bronze gongs, summoning help.
Nearby guards came running from all directions, carrying wooden buckets and lifting vats, ready to fight the fire.
The soldiers in the camp, shaken from their deep sleep, had thought it was an enemy attack. They scrambled out, clutching their blades, some not even dressed yet.
"Enemy attack? Where?"
"No enemy attack! It's a fire! Hurry, get over there and help put it out!" a passing guard rushed to explain.
Soldiers saw the distant glow, too, at this point. "No way! Isn't that the grain storehouse? Come on, everyone, put it out!"
Some tossed their blades aside and ran toward the fire; others dashed back into their rooms to grab buckets.
Jiang Jin kept fueling the chaos: "Move it, move it! Why so slow? Haven't you eaten? The grain's going to burn up! Faster!"
The camp was thrown into complete disarray.
Back at their post, Xin San and his people were crouched behind the door, listening to the distant commotion. His face lit up with excitement. "Let's go! Call the others! Head to the dock!"
With that, he yanked the door open and strode out.
He had no idea what was going on, but remembering the earlier cat cry and seeing the chaos among the Corvee guards, he couldn't help but think.
Someone must have created an opening for them to escape. And that someone was likely Wang Liang and the crew who had gone to sea a few days ago.
Regardless, he was ready to take the gamble.
Once they reached the dock and got onto a boat, these Corvee seasick losers could forget about catching them. No chance!
Xi Hou followed without a word. The others streamed out of the room as well.
Doors from nearby rooms opened almost simultaneously. There was no need to call anyone; everyone was already out.
The guards in charge of the prisoners drew their bows, arrows pointed at them. "You worthless slaves, what do you think you're doing? Get back inside!"
Though the grain storehouse was on fire, these guards, responsible for watching the prisoners, had stayed put, worried about trouble on their end.
I didn't expect these lowly servants to actually dare pull some tricks. They must be tired of living.
