449. The Old Man

The four of them headed for the valley.

When Long Xiaoyuan got there and saw the environment, he raised his eyebrows.

Not only the valley but also the surrounding area was quite complicated.

The troops of Tianlong Dynasty surrounded the valley from this side, but the battle line was very long.

From the looks of it, there were tens of thousands of soldiers here.

Long Xiaoyuan looked around and then turned to s.h.i.+ Qingzhou, who was looking around as well. Long Xiaoyuan smiled.

“Qingzhou, what are you looking at?”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou glanced at Long Xiaoyuan.

“I’m looking at the terrain here.”

“You have been here for a few days. Do you have any ideas?”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou shook his head slightly. “No. What’s up?”

Long Xiaoyuan shrugged. “I’m just asking.”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou paused and said. “There is a path leading into the valley.”

Long Xiaoyuan was taken aback. “A path?”

“Yes. We can only launch a surprise attack, and the team should not exceed thirty people, or we will be discovered immediately.”

“But there are five thousand people in the valley. How can we defeat them with only thirty people? Besides, King of Three is good at formation and evil methods. It would be a suicidal attack.”

Long Xiaoyuan said immediately.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou pursed his lips, saying nothing.

Long Xiaoyuan paused and gazed at s.h.i.+ Qingzhou.

“Qingzhou, do you want to go in yourself?”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou didn’t lie and nodded directly. “Yes.”

Long Xiaoyuan took a deep breath. “Why?”

“I told you that I want to capture King of Three personally.”

“But not in this way. If you go and get caught, our hands will be tied.”

Long Xiaoyuan tried to put the crazy idea out of s.h.i.+ Qingzhou’s head.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou fell silent.

Long Xiaoyuan continued, “Qingzhou, you have to know that if this operation of thirty people fails, it will be more…”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou interrupted Long Xiaoyuan. “I know, but I have to go!”

Long Xiaoyuan was lost for words.

Liu Suifeng cut in, “We can take fewer people. We’ll go together.”

Long Xiaoyuan looked at Liu Suifeng in frustration. “Can you stop messing up?”

Liu Suifeng said with a faint smile, “How can you say that? You are ungrateful. I’m helping your empress.”

Long Xiaoyuan said impatiently, “Why don’t you help me?” Liu Suifeng said, “Because you always listen to your empress.”

Long Xiaoyuan was lost for words.

Was Liu Suifeng saying he was a slave of his wife?

To his surprise, Ouyang Chuan also chimed in. “I’ll go too.”

Long Xiaoyuan didn’t want to say anything.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou glanced at Liu Suifeng and Ouyang Chuan indifferently. “Please prepare a large amount of poison and knockout drugs.”

It turned out someone attempted to sneak out of the valley, but the valley was well sieged, and s.h.i.+ Qingshan had issued a killing order that whoever came out of the valley should be killed in any cases.

Therefore, the several people who came out of the valley were shot with arrows.

Long Xiaoyuan could see their bodies.

After s.h.i.+ Qingzhou spoke, Liu Suifeng nodded directly. “I got it.”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou didn’t say anything else.

Long Xiaoyuan sighed. “Alright. Since you guys have decided, I won’t say anything.”

He touched his chin as he thought of something. “But I think we should find someone who is proficient with the formation.”

The other people paused.

“Let’s go ask General s.h.i.+. Maybe there is such an expert at the border.”

They fell silent.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou had tried to find experts in the military.

But it never occurred to him that such a person might be available outside the army.

This was a good suggestion, so everyone did not delay and rushed to s.h.i.+ Qingshan.

s.h.i.+ Qingshan was studying the terrain when they arrived.

s.h.i.+ Qingshan was about to bow at Long Xiaoyuan, who pulled him up.

“Come on, General s.h.i.+. Don’t be so courteous at such a critical time. There are no outsiders here. We come to ask if you can find any experts in formation at the border or near the border. Please can ask about the information in the army.”

s.h.i.+ Qingshan instantly understood their intentions and quickly said, “I’ll have it done.”

s.h.i.+ Qingshan deserved to be the top-notch general, who had awed Northern Barbarians at the border for many years.

His efficiency was very high.

After half an hour, he brought in three people.

Of the three people, one was a deputy general, one was an adjutant, and the other was a soldier.

The three of them knew people who were proficient in formation.

After they told what they knew, Long Xiaoyuan compared the location.

The one that the soldier mentioned was the furthest. It took one whole day for a round trip from the border even with a fast horse.

The expert mentioned by the adjutant was the nearest one, and it took six hours for a round trip.

It took fourteen hours to bring the one suggested by the a.s.sistant general.

Long Xiaoyuan said, “Bring in all three of them at all costs. Tell them they are recruited by the imperial court. However, every man is responsible for the survival of his country. They can’t refuse.”

He meant they could resort to the carrot and stick approach with these experts, who had to come.

Twelve Shadow Guardians divided into three groups and set off immediately.

After the Shadow Guardians left, Long Xiaoyuan and s.h.i.+ Qingzhou returned to the tent.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou said, “Wait another day?”

“We’ll see when all three of them arrive.”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou frowned slightly. “Time is most important in the battle. It might be a waste of time.”

“It’s only one day.” Long Xiaoyuan smiled. “Qingzhou, I agree to let you take risks, and you can’t say no to this.”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou pursed his lips without saying anything else.

Long Xiaoyuan smiled and kissed the tip of his nose.

“Qingzhou, don’t worry too much. King of Three is there in the valley.”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou sighed. “I got it. I am being impatient.”

Long Xiaoyuan kissed him with a smile. “Take it easy.”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou smiled and didn’t say anything else.

At noon the next day, two experts arrived.

In the beginning, they put on airs of proficient experts.

But Shadow Guardian threatened them that if they pretended to be proficient in formation and cause deaths of the people entering the valley, they would be killed.

Furthermore, they had to follow them into the valley. If they were not powerful enough to protect themselves, no one would rescue them.

Both experts were scared out of their wits.

Long Xiaoyuan was disappointed. How could they claim to be proficient?

In his opinion, they were proficient in bragging.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou said slowly, “We’ll go tonight. Liu Suifeng’s medicine is almost ready.”

“No.” Long Xiaoyuan pursed his lower lip tightly. “Wait a little longer. Isn’t there another one?”

“Look at these two and you know how the third one would be like.” s.h.i.+ Qingzhou said lightly.

Long Xiaoyuan gritted his teeth. “No, I don’t agree.”

They looked at each other in silence.

A moment later, s.h.i.+ Qingzhou compromised. “Alright. I’ll wait a little longer.”

Long Xiaoyuan smiled slightly.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou frowned slightly. “Normally, that one should be here.”

“Yes.” Long Xiaoyuan nodded.

However, that person hadn’t arrived late at night.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou once again said they should set off without waiting, Long Xiaoyuan again rejected.

He insisted, “No!”

Liu Suifeng and Ouyang Chuan came over once, saying they did not have to wait. They had made enough preparations. Even if they couldn’t make it, it was not difficult to retreat safely.

However, Long Xiaoyuan did not believe that they could handle this at all.

He felt sick at the thought that s.h.i.+ Qingzhou might fall into the hands of that pervert.

Therefore, Long Xiaoyuan insisted on waiting for the only possible hope.

After midnight, Liu Suifeng and Ouyang Chuan left when they saw that Long Xiaoyuan insisted.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou said slowly, “Actually…”

“I don’t want to hear anything,” Long Xiaoyuan said directly.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou was amused. “Alright, then I won’t say anything.”

Long Xiaoyuan glared at him. “You…”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou shrugged. “You said you don’t want to hear anything.”

Long Xiaoyuan got angry and threw himself at s.h.i.+ Qingzhou. He held his waist and dragged him onto the bed.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou was cooperative and went to bed with Long Xiaoyuan.

Long Xiaoyuan pressed him onto the bed, tickling him…

“Tell me. Are you talking to me now?”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou did not ask for mercy. In fact, it was not ticklish enough.

However, when he saw Long Xiaoyuan trying to torment him, he said, “Okay, okay, I said the wrong thing.”

It was rare for Qingzhou to beg for mercy. Although Long Xiaoyuan was surprised, he didn’t dare to go too far.

After a while, Long Xiaoyuan kissed s.h.i.+ Qingzhou’s mouth.

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou blinked and said softly, “Do you want to do it?”

Long Xiaoyuan kissed his eyes. “Don’t you want to?”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou paused and said honestly, “I’m afraid it will affect the operation.”

Long Xiaoyuan was angry and fiercely bit s.h.i.+ Qingzhou’s neck.

“Operation. You only care about the operation. What else do you care?”

s.h.i.+ Qingzhou was lost for words.

Long Xiaoyuan bit the corner of s.h.i.+ Qingzhou’s mouth again and rubbed against his mouth.

After that… he was all over him.

Their clothes were stripped off, and s.h.i.+ Qingzhou in the end did not refuse.

He could not and would not refuse Long Xiaoyuan most of the time.

However, although he said it fiercely, Long Xiaoyuan was restrained when he did it.

Therefore, Long Xiaoyuan did not exhaust s.h.i.+ Qingzhou.

The good news was that the third person finally arrived the next morning.

It was a very strange old man with high martial arts, who also had knowledge of medicine and poison.

Shadow Guardian tied him up and brought him over.

Because the old man was unwilling to come.

He even said he was ignorant and knew nothing.

In the end, in order to accomplish the mission, the Shadow Guardians directly tied him up.

However, this old man was very nimble. The four Shadow Guardians moved together to capture him.

If there had been one less Shadow Guardian, it would have probably taken longer.

Ever since the Shadow Guardians met the old man, he had been uncooperative.

When he heard that Shadow Guardian wanted him to see the Emperor and help with something, the old man shook his head vigorously.

The Shadow Guardians tried to persuade him, but he refused to go.

The Shadow Guardians tried every possible way, but the old man did not compromise.

In the end, the Shadow Guardians resorted to forces, and the old guy struggled with his life.

To their surprise, his martial arts were not bad. The Shadow Guardians fought together and even used some hidden weapons to capture the man.

After taking him down, they tied him up.

Even so, the old guy almost escaped on the way.

If the Shadow Guardian had not been highly alert and kept him under close surveillance, it would have taken them longer to accomplish the mission.

After hearing the Shadow Guardians’ detailed report, Long Xiaoyuan touched his chin.

“He doesn’t sound like those two losers.”

The Shadow Guardians who came to report did not know who the losers that Long Xiaoyuan mentioned were, but they would not ask.

They were just shadows, who took orders from their master. They would not care about anything else.

Long Xiaoyuan clapped his hands. “Go with me. Let me meet this old man personally.” Long Xiaoyuan said as he walked forward.

The Shadow Guardians followed immediately.

The nameless old man was put in a tent, guarded by soldiers and Shadow Guardians…

He was under close surveillance, and the tent was like a steel bucket.

According to the Shadow Guardians, this old man had weird tricks. The people guarding him had better not get close to him or listen to him.

In this way, no matter how many tricks the old man had, he could not use them.

Therefore, when Long Xiaoyuan went over, he saw the tent was heavily guarded.

Coincidentally, s.h.i.+ Qingshan came too.

“Your Majesty.” s.h.i.+ Qingshan greeted Long Xiaoyuan in a low voice.

Long Xiaoyuan nodded. “General, are you here to see this old man?”

“Yes.”

Long Xiaoyuan touched his chin. “You go in first and see if you can convince him to help us.”

“Yes.”

s.h.i.+ Qingshan answered and entered the tent.

Long Xiaoyuan waited patiently outside the tent.

After around half an hour, s.h.i.+ Qingshan came out with a dark face.