The Sparrow in the Rear

At the border, the common folk dreaded being caught in the crossfire most. Whenever such conflicts arose, eight or nine out of ten would become cannon fodder in the battle.

Watching the two groups' head straight for the inn, Li Wuya's heart sank. She grabbed Li Qilang and swiftly ran into the backyard, making a beeline for the kitchen.

The inn had secret tunnels underground. On the first day her mother started working at the inn, Li Wuya used her psychic abilities to thoroughly explore the entire place and discovered the existence of the secret passages.

The secret tunnels had two entrances: one in the innkeeper's room and the other behind an idle stove in the kitchen.

Given the current situation, hiding in the secret tunnels was the safest option.

As Li Wuya pulled Li Qilang towards the kitchen, about ten men with their faces masked by clothes charged into the inn on horseback.

"Close the door!"

As soon as they entered, they immediately shut the main gate.

"Who are you, people?"

A staff member approached to ask but was promptly cut down by a brawny man's blade.

The newcomers were fierce and ruthless, their actions shocking the other people in the inn.

Seeing the crimson blood on the ground, everyone didn't hesitate and began running.

In an instant, chaos reigned throughout the inn.

"Don't let them escape! Quickly, gather everyone in the main hall."

The leader of the group barked an order, and the other men dismounted and began driving the inn's occupants together. Anyone who resisted was met with a blade.

Meanwhile, Li Wuya had already taken Li Qilang into the kitchen.

Since it wasn't mealtime, the kitchen was vacant. Li Wuya approached an idle stove, pushed aside the stacked firewood, and squatted down to insert her hand into the stove's opening. When she felt a protrusion, she pressed it down.

With a faint click, a dark entrance appeared behind the stove.

"Qilang, hurry, there are intruders in the inn. Let's hide in the secret passage."

Seeing the entrance, Li Qilang didn't appear surprised. He obediently entered and settled down in the passage, his movements quick and nimble.

Indeed, before this, Li Wuya had brought Li Qilang into the secret passage when no one was around. Therefore, Li Qilang was not unfamiliar with it.

As Li Qilang descended, Li Wuya immediately followed suit.

Taking refuge in the secret passage, Li Wuya finally let out a sigh of relief. She hugged Li Qilang tightly as they squatted on the ground. She extended her psychic senses outward to carefully "observe" the situation outside.

The inn had only two entrances: front and back. With her psychic senses extended, she could "see" the entire inn's layout.

"Watching" as Zhuang Yutang and the others were coerced into gathering in the main hall, Li Wuya's heart couldn't help but sink.

The inn had been seized.

What was worse, the cavalrymen who had pursued these people were now surrounding the inn.

Inside the inn, about ten brawny men held long knives, using them to keep the crowd in check.

Outside the inn, dozens of soldiers dressed in large Chu Dynasty military uniforms brandished longbows, encircling the inn and readying their arrows.

Seeing this, Li Wuya couldn't help but mutter her misfortune.

They had been dragged into this mess!

As the two groups seemed poised for a confrontation, tension escalated both inside and outside the inn.

The soldiers outside began to approach the inn. However, before they could make a move, a brawny man in the main hall suddenly shouted, "Zhuang Yutang, order your men to retreat. If I see anyone approaching, I will kill the people in the inn."

With that, one of the brawny men moved to a corner of the main hall and grabbed a person, dragging them towards the entrance.

"Don't kill me, I beg you, don't kill me!"

"I still have a wife, children, and elderly parents to support. I can't die."

The two people being dragged away seemed to understand the fate awaiting them. They struggled desperately and pleaded for mercy.

Unfortunately, their strength was no match for the brawny men, and they were thrown out of the main hall.

As they attempted to get up by the entrance, before they could even react, a gleaming blade descended from behind them.

"Bang!"

Their heads were separated from their bodies, blood spattering all around.

"Ah~"

The gruesome scene frightened everyone inside the inn.

Outside the inn, Zhuang Yutang, the deputy commander of Die Ling Pass, furrowed his brows and fell silent for a moment. He raised his hand, signalling his subordinates to halt their approach towards the inn.

Xu Chengkun, the vice commander, showed disagreement, "General, we need to return to Die Ling Pass. We can't remain in a standoff forever. Why don't we just charge in?"

Zhuang Yutang's gaze turned sharp, "There are still many innocent lives inside. As a border defence commander, I cannot stand by and watch them all be slaughtered."

Xu Chengkun appeared frustrated, "But even if we don't charge in, their chances of survival are slim. Hu Yanhe's group won't spare them."

Zhuang Yutang's brow creased, "Wait a little longer. The night is approaching, and once it's dark, I'll personally lead a team into the inn to save as many as I can."

Xu Chengkun persisted, "General, Hu Yanhe is an Eighth-Rank expert from Bei Yan, and the others are at least Sixth-Rank. You don't need to risk yourself."

Zhuang Yutang glanced at him, "Are you implying I can't defeat Hu Yanhe?"

Xu Chengkun seemed helpless, "General, that's not what I meant. You bear the responsibility of guarding Die Ling Pass. There's no need for you to be involved in every detail."

Zhuang Yutang interrupted him, "Enough, my mind is made up. We'll take action after dark."

Xu Chengkun fell silent, keeping his frustrations to himself.

Zhuang Yutang's gaze remained fixed on the inn, "Since we have them trapped, they won't escape."

Inside the inn's main hall, the brawny men breathed a sigh of relief upon realizing that Zhuang Yutang's group wasn't approaching.

In the secret tunnel, Li Wuya also breathed a sigh of relief. The fact that they hadn't started fighting immediately was a good sign. Without a fight, there was still a chance for others to survive.

Suddenly, Li Wuya's expression turned alert. She "saw" a brawny man force-feeding something into the innkeeper's mouth in a corner.

Soon after, the innkeeper's face turned red, his neck swelled, and he writhed on the floor in agony.

The brawny man looked at the innkeeper's painful state, his eyes becoming distant. He then gave the innkeeper another pill.

The effect of the pill was quick. In just a moment, the innkeeper stopped writhing. Although he was still panting heavily, his expression was no longer as anguished.

Without giving the innkeeper a chance to catch his breath, the brawny man lifted him and brought him in front of their leader.

Hu Yanhe's eagle-like gaze fixed on the innkeeper. He patted the innkeeper's cheek and asked in a low voice, "Where's the entrance to the secret passage?"

The innkeeper weakly shook his head, "There's no secret passage."

Hu Yanhe sneered. He knew that the reason he had come to this inn despite being pursued by Zhuang Yutang was because he knew of the secret passage leading outside the pass.

"Since that's the case, you have no further value."

With those words, the brawny man dragged the innkeeper away and prepared to force another pill into his mouth.

The innkeeper's face turned pale with fear at the sight. Remembering the excruciating pain he had just experienced, he trembled uncontrollably.

Thinking of his elderly wife, children, and newborn grandson, the innkeeper lowered his head. Shaking, he raised his hand and pointed to his room.

"It's in my room."

Upon hearing this, both Hu Yanhe and the brawny man revealed a sense of relief.

The innkeeper, accompanied by the two brawny men, entered his room. He opened the wardrobe and pressed a hidden switch, revealing a secret passage entrance.

Seeing this, Hu Yanhe's expression brightened. He then asked, "Does anyone else know about this secret passage?"

The innkeeper shook his head hastily, "No, I'm the only one in the inn who knows."

The brawny man chuckled, "Zhuang Yutang doesn't know about this secret passage. This is our chance to escape. Boss, let's go."

Hu Yanhe shook his head, "No, Zhuang Yutang is shrewd. Even though he's waiting outside for now, he will soon send someone to test our reaction. Once he realizes we're not inside, he'll immediately storm the inn."

"This secret passage isn't hard to find. If they catch up and find us, we won't escape."

The brawny man furrowed his brows, "Then what should we do?"

Hu Yanhe pondered for a moment, "Go, bring Hu Yanji here."

In the secret tunnel, Li Wuya was fully focused on "watching" everything inside the innkeeper's room.

After the brawny men had taken the innkeeper out, Hu Yanhe retrieved a package from his person and placed it on the table. He opened it and examined its contents.

"Seeing" that the package contained medicinal herbs, Li Wuya's eyes instantly lit up.

At that moment, another brawny man entered the innkeeper's room.

Hu Yanhe looked at him and solemnly handed over a sealed letter, "Aji, this is a military strategy map we stole from Da Chu. The hidden passage here leads outside the pass. Follow it to safety."

"We'll delay Zhuang Yutang's men here to buy you more time. You must deliver this intelligence to the Bei Yan camp."

As he spoke, he handed over the package on the table.

"These are Blood Ginseng and Blood Lingzhi I painstakingly collected while hiding in Da Chu. General Tuoba was injured in our last battle, and his wound hasn't fully healed. You must deliver these medicinal herbs to him."

In the secret tunnel, Li Wuya was ready to take action. She had been trying to enhance her healing abilities over the years but hadn't been able to find the necessary herbs.

Now the herbs had come to her!

Will she take the opportunity?

Of course, she will!