Hearing this, Mongshan and the other two showed no movement. Seeing this, Li Musheng raised an eyebrow, his displeasure evident on his face: "Heh, could it be that you think Miss Cang and I are bad people?"
Mongshan scrutinized Li Musheng for a while, unable to discern his true depth. He shook his head and said, "I appreciate your kindness, young master, but we have important matters to attend to on this journey and it's truly inconvenient to travel together." The young woman in green and the scholar beside him remained visibly wary, not saying a word. They seemed deeply cautious of Cang Yinyue and Li Musheng, and their wariness noticeably increased after Cang Yinyue revealed Mongshan's identity.
"How uninteresting," Li Musheng said, shaking his head. He immediately ignored the three, patted the mule-horse beneath him, and proceeded along the mountain path. As he passed Mongshan, he was just a foot away from the sword in the other's hand, but he rode by so casually, as if nothing were amiss.
Mongshan and the young woman in green exchanged glances, their expressions shifting, but ultimately neither made a move. Cang Yinyue observed everything, nodding slightly, seemingly satisfied with their decision. She said nothing more and urged her horse to follow Li Musheng ahead.
After they had traveled some distance, Cang Yinyue looked at Li Musheng's back and suddenly spoke in a cold voice: "You're quite presumptuous. Letting them follow along, are you sure they don't harbor ill intentions?"
"You don't realize, if I hadn't spoken up to deter them, they probably would have already attacked, intending to silence us in this desolate wilderness!"
Hearing this, Li Musheng turned back, glancing at the three who were following them at a distance. He smiled meaningfully, "I don't care what they think. They can't kill me anyway."
"You're quite confident," Cang Yinyue retorted with a cold chuckle. However, in her estimation, although Mongshan and the other woman were both Innate masters, in a real fight, they absolutely wouldn't last ten moves against her. And they certainly couldn't withstand Li Musheng's acupoint sealing technique.
"Once we're past this Chongzhou territory, we'll speed up. There's something off about those three; if we want to avoid trouble, we must keep our distance from them." Cang Yinyue remained very cautious. Li Musheng nodded, sitting on his mule-horse, rubbing his chin thoughtfully: "I noticed that scholar's clothes were worn, and his face was thin and sallow. He's probably not a child of an official or a wealthy family; his background should be quite humble."
"But he's being protected by two Innate masters. That's clearly abnormal."
"Why would they protect a poor scholar? Or does the scholar have some other special identity?" As Li Musheng spoke, his eyes suddenly moved, looking at Cang Yinyue: "Miss Cang, have you noticed that the scholar's situation is very similar to mine? Our ages are also similar, and their destination is clearly the imperial capital, Shangyang City..."
Hearing this, Cang Yinyue's delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a thoughtful expression appeared on her face. She said, "I know what you're trying to say. Your conjecture isn't unfounded, but could there truly be such a coincidence?"
Li Musheng smiled and said, "No coincidence, no story. Perhaps it's just that coincidental."
But just then, his expression suddenly sobered. He pulled on the reins of his mule-horse, lowering his voice: "Well, this isn't a coincidence at all. The path we're on seems blocked."
Cang Yinyue hadn't yet understood what he meant when she saw Li Musheng suddenly leap onto a nearby large tree, shading his eyes as he looked into the distance: "Miss Cang, come up and take a look. There are people setting up roadblocks ahead, right in our unavoidable path."
Hearing this, Cang Yinyue's eyes widened slightly in surprise. She immediately leaped lightly onto a branch, just like Li Musheng. Following his gaze, she indeed saw a simple wooden stockade built on a distant hillside. There were over a dozen people guarding it, perfectly blocking several mountain paths in the vicinity.
Seeing this, Cang Yinyue's face showed a hint of confusion. She turned to Li Musheng: "You were sitting on your mule-horse just now. Can you really see that far?"
"My martial arts are profound, and my eyesight is sharp. Is there a problem with that?" Li Musheng shrugged. "However, what I want to know now is whether we should change our route or just force our way through?"
Cang Yinyue frowned, glanced at him, then swept her gaze towards the distant wooden stockade. After a moment of thought, she said, "These people setting up roadblocks in such a remote area is clearly against common sense. To be cautious, I don't recommend forcing our way through."
Then, she looked back at the mountain path behind them, a cold glint in her eyes: "Let them scout the path first."
Hearing this, Li Musheng instantly understood Cang Yinyue's meaning. Sure enough, this girl is as cunning as ever!
"In that case, those three fellows will have to be our guinea pigs." Li Musheng nodded. Then, he and Cang Yinyue leaped down from the large tree. After riding their mule-horses a little further, they suddenly disappeared into the nearby forest at a blind spot.
Meanwhile, the three behind them remained completely unaware.
"Commander Zhao, were you able to discern the background of those two just now?" The young woman in green, Yuan Mei, asked in a lowered voice, seeing that Li Musheng and Cang Yinyue were temporarily out of sight.
Hearing this, Mongshan glanced at the scholar beside him and shook his head: "That young man never revealed any internal energy, so I couldn't discern his depth. However, that woman is very knowledgeable; she knows even the situation of the Great Li army so well. She's likely either a military person or someone from the imperial court."
He paused, then added, "Moreover, she is also an Innate master. Although Innate masters are not uncommon in Shangyang City, encountering one here, I wasn't entirely confident I could kill her. Otherwise, I would have signaled you to attack earlier."
Hearing this, a cold glint flashed in Yuan Mei's eyes: "The matters of our current mission must be kept secret and cannot fail. If there's an opportunity along the way, I think we should eliminate them. Otherwise, once the matter is leaked, it could affect the General's plans."
Mongshan pondered for a moment, then nodded: "We'll discuss it if a suitable opportunity arises. If we decide to act, we must ensure absolute certainty." He thought of how Cang Yinyue had already identified his background. If he allowed her to return to the imperial capital, the details of this journey might not remain hidden.
Thinking of this, he turned to the scholar beside him and narrowed his eyes: "Your Highness, the journey to the imperial capital is long. To prevent any villains from attempting to harm you, please bear with the hardship for a few more days. Once we reach the imperial capital, everything will be safe."
Hearing this, the scholar quickly clasped his hands and bowed, saying, "This humble one thanks both sirs for your protection along the way. In the future, after I've met with Father Emperor, I will certainly repay you generously."
Mongshan and Yuan Mei exchanged glances, a knowing smile appearing on their faces.