Escape Plan

The carriage came to a steady halt, and its sandalwood doors slid open without a sound.

A female official stepped out slowly. She wore a scarlet palace gown, its cuffs embroidered with a pattern of a mythical Luan bird carrying a branch in its beak.

The moment she raised her hand, the surroundings fell so silent that only the faint rustle of the breeze brushing against armor could be heard.

The silver-armored general standing in attendance by the carriage straightened his posture and dropped to one knee on the bluestone pavement. The muffled thud of the impact made the dust particles on the ground dance:

"Lady Shangguan."

"Please rise, General Chen."

Shangguan Yunying's hand, gesturing for him to rise, paused in midair. Her voice was as cold and clear as if it had been steeped in an icy spring:

"Now that the rebels within North River City have been purged, the soldiers have fought bloody battles for days. Their toil and achievements are great. Ahead lies the finest tavern in North River City."

"Her Highness intends for everyone to rest for the night. There will be plenty of good wine and food, and all expenses will be covered by the Internal Affairs Department..."

Shangguan Yunying paused briefly, her gaze sweeping over the soldiers in the ranks one by one.

"There is only one condition: you must not disturb the commoners."

She emphasized every word heavily: "Violators will be executed!"

General Chen fiercely cupped his fists: "I receive your command! If there is even the slightest mishap, I shall offer up my own head!"

Shangguan Yunying nodded. As she turned around, her scarlet palace skirt swept across the carriage shaft without the slightest hesitation.

Once she had returned inside the carriage, General Chen abruptly stood up. He turned to face the dense mass of soldiers and relayed the order in a deep voice.

After a brief silence, earth-shattering cheers echoed down the long street.

The carriage started moving again, heading toward the distant pavilion with gilded roof tiles.

Meanwhile, General Chen had already led his personal guards to ride on ahead. Wherever they passed, the streets and alleys were cleared, and doors were shut tight.

The tavern, which had held its breath due to the passing carriage, gradually returned to its noisy state after the carriage went far away.

Gu Chengyin did not leave. Instead, he sat back in his original spot, his knuckles silently tapping the tabletop.

He had taken in everything from the scene just now.

Judging by the silver-armored general's oppressive aura, the female official's temperament, and that title of "Her Highness"...

The person inside the carriage was absolutely no ordinary noble. Their status was likely even higher than he had estimated.

Since he had to find someone to hypnotize no matter what, he would naturally look for the one with the highest status.

However, hypnosis was not instantaneous. It required maintaining eye contact with the target for at least five seconds to succeed.

Therefore, before making his move, Gu Chengyin had to make foolproof preparations to ensure that these five seconds would not be interrupted by any accidents.

At the same time, he needed to find the perfect opportunity. Otherwise, with his suspicious attire, let alone maintaining eye contact for five seconds, even getting close would be as difficult as ascending to the heavens.

The discussions in the tavern were now flowing into his ears like a trickling stream:

"Did you hear? It's these people who slaughtered the fifty thousand garrison troops outside the city, leaving no one alive!"

"How is that possible? How many men do they even have?"

"Although they don't have many men, did you see that silver-armored general? That is Chen Busha!"

"The vice general of the Golden Feather Guard, one of the strongest in the Foundation Establishment realm! Let alone fifty thousand, even if it were five hundred thousand, he could still slaughter them clean."

"And that's not all! The one in the carriage gave her golden word: as long as they reach the Divine Capital within ten days, it will be the merit of supporting the true ruler, guaranteeing wealth and glory for generations! If it were you, wouldn't you fight with your life?"

...

The merit of supporting the true ruler?

Gu Chengyin's finger, which had been tapping the table, paused.

Just as he thought.

The only person in the entire Great Luo who could make the strongest Foundation Establishment general bend the knee, command tens of thousands of iron cavalry to follow to the death, and be respectfully addressed as Her Highness was:

The Eldest Princess: Luo Zhao.

Upon learning the identity of the person inside the carriage, Gu Chengyin lowered his eyes and took a sip of tea.

His hearing, enhanced by the system, silently spread out like a spider web, capturing every trace of whispers.

Ever since he acquired the system, although he had yet to push open the door to immortal cultivation, his five senses already far surpassed those of ordinary people.

At this moment, the fragmented rumors, coarse exclamations, and hushed secrets in the tavern... were all captured and pieced together by him one by one.

Pooling all the various pieces of information together, a clear outline gradually emerged in Gu Chengyin's mind.

The Great Luo possessed a vast territory, comprising two capitals and thirteen commanderies. Among them, the most important were the Northern and Southern capitals.

They were Luo Capital located in the south, and the Divine Capital located in the north.

The south had a mild climate, fertile land, and thriving agriculture. With convenient circulation of goods, Luo Capital gradually formed into a commercial hub, gathering the wealth and commodities of the world.

Although the north had a dry climate, its mountains hid treasures and its mineral veins were abundant. Since the previous dynasty, it had been a vital military and political center with a profound accumulation of power, thus becoming the Divine Capital, governing the authority of the world.

The two capitals each held their own advantage: Luo Capital controlled wealth, while the Divine Capital wielded power. The north and south echoed each other, forming the foundation of Great Luo's century of prosperity.

Not long ago, a sudden coup occurred in the Divine Capital. The old Emperor Luo fainted, and the "Second Prince" took the opportunity to force an abdication.

At that time, the Eldest Princess Luo Zhao was in Luo Capital investigating corruption in water transport. Upon receiving the news, she traveled north through the night.

Due to the pressing time, she only took the female officials of the Internal Affairs Department and set off in advance.

Luoshui Commandery was the final stop before the Divine Capital.

But just yesterday, as soon as their horses' hooves stepped into the territory of Luoshui Commandery...

The garrison troops of North River City, as if they had been waiting there all along, lunged out from the darkness.

Fortunately, Chen Busha arrived in time with his men, saving them from the crisis.

In a counterattack, they slaughtered the mutinous garrison troops of North River City until no one was left alive.

Just as Gu Chengyin was sorting through this intelligence, he keenly noticed the tavern owner sneaking back in through the back door with a panicked expression.

He walked briskly behind the counter and spoke to the proprietress in an urgent, hushed voice:

"Quick, pack our bags, we are leaving right now!"

"What's wrong? I haven't even collected the money..."

"Forget the money!" The tavern owner stamped his foot anxiously:

"I don't know who spread the news! Now the entire Luoshui Commandery knows what happened in North River City! They are all rushing over here. If we don't leave now, it will be too late. Once the great army surrounds us, this place will become a death trap!"

"But... didn't Her Highness just enter the city? And General Chen is so powerful..."

"No matter how powerful he is, he will still die! Do you really believe Chen Busha can fight hundreds of thousands of men by himself? Stop collecting the money, let's go, our lives are more important!"

The proprietress's face turned deathly pale. Not daring to say another word, she hurriedly turned and rushed toward the backyard.

The tavern owner looked around nervously, and seeing that no one was paying attention to him, he also flashed out of sight behind the curtain.

The rebel armies of Luoshui Commandery are all rushing toward North River City?

Gu Chengyin's brows suddenly locked tightly together.

They had only just entered the city; how could the news spread so quickly?

One must know that Great Luo did not have technological products like radios or cell phones.

If one wanted to transmit messages quickly, they could only rely on a type of mineral called Luoshan Stone.

By carving a single piece of Luoshan Stone into two tokens, one could write on one token, and the exact same words would appear on the other, no matter how far apart they were.

But the yield of this Luoshan Stone was extremely rare, basically monopolized by the royal family. The Luoshan Tokens were also entirely controlled by the Internal Affairs Department. It was absolutely impossible for ordinary people to...

Wait a minute...

A flash of inspiration struck Gu Chengyin's mind, and a term exploded like a clap of thunder:

Internal Affairs Department?

If the Luoshan Tokens were entirely in the hands of the Internal Affairs Department, then that meant...

This news wasn't spread by anyone else; it was the Internal Affairs Department, which meant Luo Zhao herself.

Only the Internal Affairs Department, which specialized in intelligence gathering and possessed the Luoshan Tokens, could spread the news throughout the entire North River Commandery in such a short amount of time.

The objective was obvious, it was to lure all the rebel forces to North River City.

And then...

Escape like a golden cicada shedding its shell.

Gu Chengyin's gaze sharpened, and he immediately stood up and walked outside.

For no other reason than the fact that time was simply too short.

So short that it left no room for any detours or long-term planning.

He had to seize this sole window of opportunity before Her Highness disappeared.