But with my own strength alone, it was clearly not enough. I observed the surroundings and suddenly realized this was the southwest corner of Sanyin Hall City. Earlier, Dongfang Jibai had mentioned that her fifty thousand Sanyin Hall troops were stationed here by the rebels. I found it difficult to create icebergs by myself and lacked tools, while for those who had long lived in the north, it should be easy.
With this thought, I immediately activated my Xiangqi Technique, searching for Dongfang Jibai's presence—I had marked it before in the small forest outside the city. Coincidentally, her aura was also heading this way from the south gate, likely coming from the small forest after dealing with Han Li's poem.
I casually stole a coat and a felt hat that locals had hung out to dry. Dressed and equipped, I squatted by the roadside to wait. Before long, Dongfang Jibai appeared, followed by several new cavalrymen. I waved to stop her, but surprisingly, she didn't recognize me and thought I was a local. She whipped her horse towards me, but I could tell she was just trying to scare me, as the whip’s tip was aimed half a meter above my head. I didn't move.
Crack! The whip exploded above my head, and several warhorses were about to gallop past me. I shouted, "Your Highness Princess, it's me, Old Wu!"
I dared not say my real name, fearing outsiders might hear.
Dongfang Jibai rode past, finally reacted, reined in her horse, and stopped about ten meters away. She looked back at me. I lifted my felt hat a bit, revealing my face. Dongfang Jibai didn't say anything, only whispered a couple of words to a female knight beside her, then continued forward.
The female knight stayed behind. She rode up to me, dismounted, and took out a bag of money from her pocket. "Old Wu, your fish is excellent. The Princess has bought it all. This is your payment. But the Princess also wants to order fish from you long-term. Are you willing to sign a contract with us to avoid breach of agreement?"
"Certainly, where do we sign?" I asked.
"Naturally, at the Princess's residence. You'll have to accompany me. I'll take you to see the Princess's steward."
"Thank you, beautiful lady!" I said, cupping my hands.
I had to play along. The city was densely populated, and many people in the nearby alleys were watching. Among them, there might be rebel spies.
I followed the female knight for a few hundred meters into a large mansion. Of course, there was no steward; Dongfang Jibai herself received me in a room. I didn't stand on ceremony and directly requested her help in clearing the blocked drainage outlet on the southern city wall.
"Why do you want to clear that?" Dongfang Jibai asked, confused.
This girl was intelligent and sharp. Seeing her expression, it seemed she had guessed part of it. I decided not to hide anything and revealed my entire plan to her.
Dongfang Jibai's eyes lit up after listening. "As expected of a living Underworld Emissary, truly extraordinary! To have conceived such a method!"
"It's also a life-or-death gamble. I hope the Princess will grant my request!" I said seriously.
"I have no problem on my end. The issue is, can you guarantee that the section from the slope down to the city wall won't be ambushed by the rebels?"
"No, I can't," I said directly. "We can only try our best. We are on the cliff, with only over a thousand people left. I estimate it would be a miracle if half of us can break through."
A surprise attack—the longer it takes, the less effective it becomes.
Dongfang Jibai looked at the map of the Sanyin Hall City surroundings hanging on the wall and nodded. "Alright. But I have another question. What will you do after you break out of the city? You have no horses—don't expect me to provide you with warhorses, it's impossible. This is my defense zone. Letting you pass through my zone without intercepting you is already doing my utmost."
"Of course. I won't put the Princess in a position of suspicion," I said, moving to the map and pointing to the mountainous area about ten li south of the city. "As long as we reach the mountains, the rebels will be helpless against us."
"That's right. That's Dragon Jade Snow Mountain. Rebels wouldn't dare chase in there easily. There are Snow Spirits inside."
"...Snow Spirits, what are those?" I asked.
"You don't need to worry about that," Dongfang Jibai said. "I have always been on good terms with the Dragon Jade Snow Spirit clan. Before your action, I will send someone to speak with them to ensure they won't harm you. But the problem is, how will you outrun the rebel cavalry for these ten li between the city and the snow mountain?"