"No."
She was able to put her father at risk, and more importantly, she couldn't possibly abandon these people.
Since they had traversed the Qingyun Mountain Range together and faced life and death side-by-side, there was no reason to leave them behind.
She knew her father doted on her, and if he knew she was pregnant, he would certainly not allow her to stay. Even Shangguan Lin and Xiao Yao would stop her from remaining, so she kept it to herself.
The father and daughter were in conversation.
Shangguan Lin and Xiao Yao hurried over, without Zhi Qiu by their side. The group sat down together.
Yun Xiao spoke calmly, "The letters sent a few days ago should have reached those people. We will eliminate the Blood Bandits tonight. Of the two thousand elite soldiers we brought, over eighteen hundred remain. We will leave eight hundred here, and the other thousand will accompany Prince Yun back to the capital."
"Let's leave them all."
Yun Mo voiced his concern. Leaving only over eight hundred soldiers would hardly be enough to deal with those Blood Bandits. Those fellows were insidious.
"No, too many people will cause chaos. Eight hundred elite soldiers are sufficient. We will rest during the day and act tonight."
"Alright, I agree with her approach."
Shangguan Lin was the first to nod, and Xiao Yao also agreed. Yun Mo had no other option. He glanced at Yun Xiao and the striking blood-red robe she wore. At this moment, Mo Qing and Mo Bai walked over and respectfully said, "Your Highness, everything has been loaded onto the large ship."
"Go find some clothes."
Yun Mo waved his hand. Mo Qing and Mo Bai acknowledged the order and quickly moved away. The group here had already stood up. Yun Xiao held Yun Mo's hand.
"Father, you must be careful. Your mission is more important than ours. So, no matter what happens along the way, do not stop the large ship. Have the helmsman do their best and ensure the ship reaches the capital in the shortest possible time. Deliver that item to the national treasury immediately, and there must be no mistakes."
"Don't worry, Father understands."
How could he not understand? This was something his daughter and these people had risked their lives to steal. No matter what, he would not lose it.
Mo Qing and Mo Bai brought several sets of clothes. After embracing her father, Yun Xiao waved for them to leave quickly. Xiao Yao followed, marshaling the troops and leaving only a portion of the soldiers behind.
On the shore, everyone watched as the large ship weighed anchor and set sail. At the bow, Yun Mo, with a face full of worry, continuously waved his hand. Yun Xiao knew he felt uneasy, so she smiled and waved back.
Only when the large ship became a small black dot did the remaining people form ranks. Orders were given to rest in the woods, eat something, and then continue the second round of battle that night.
Yun Xiao and Zhi Qiu chose two sets of clothes and went to the side to wash up and change.
"Zhi Qiu, thank you for your help. Here is a thousand taels of silver notes."
Yun Xiao sat on the green grass by the riverbank and handed over the thousand taels of silver notes.
She was very grateful for Zhi Qiu's help this time. Without her assistance, they might not have obtained these treasures. In this regard, Zhi Qiu was a benefactor to Dong Qin.
Zhi Qiu did not take the silver notes from Yun Xiao's hand. She gazed at her intently, thought for a moment, and then said earnestly, "Sister, I don't know who you are, but you must be a very capable person. If I don't take this money, can you do me a favor?"
Yun Xiao smiled and nodded, "Okay, tell me. As long as it's feasible, I will help you."
"Help me find my family. I want to find them and ask them why they abandoned me."
After Zhi Qiu finished speaking, she lowered her head, tears like pearls dripping onto the ground. Her delicate face was tinged with a pale glow.
Yun Xiao did not expect Zhi Qiu to have such a pitiable past. Feeling a pang of sympathy, she reached out and held her.
"Alright, I will help you. However, this thousand taels of silver is what you deserve. After this battle, you can come with us. I will help you find them. But for now, you should go back, because tonight's battle is very dangerous, and I don't want to implicate innocent people."
"Sister, I know who you are trying to deal with. I will help you. This time, the reward is helping me find my family."
"What, you know?"
Yun Xiao was surprised, not understanding how Zhi Qiu knew. She saw Zhi Qiu purse her lips and smile mysteriously.
"I know there is a group of people hidden in this mountain. I've been wandering in these mountains for over ten years and have seen them. Those things belong to them, don't they?"
Yun Xiao tapped Zhi Qiu's hand. She was inwardly pleased, not expecting the little girl to have actually helped her.
"Come, Zhi Qiu, let's go get some sleep. We'll go together tonight."
Zhi Qiu's martial arts were quite good; having her with them would be beneficial, not harmful.
Several hundred people ate something and then hid in the woods by the canal to rest. This place was rarely frequented, so there was little to worry about.
During the day, they rested hidden in the woods. Yun Xiao and Zhi Qiu rested in the carriage.
When night fell, and the moon hung high above the willows, everyone was ready. All of them abandoned their carriages and rode horses, heading straight for Dong Jing Mountain. Unlike the previous day, they moved along the periphery. Everyone had changed their original attire, wearing black clothes and pants, with black scarves covering their faces, revealing only their chilling eyes.
During the day, Yun Xiao had already taken the time to distribute orders. Each person would disguise themselves as a Blood Bandit and ascend the mountain. Their lair was reportedly on a slope halfway up the mountain, a hastily erected stockade. There were sentries halfway up the mountain, their whistle signal being "Blood-drenched Mad Flower, We Are Astonishingly Brilliant."
A portion would ascend the mountain, while another group would hide at the foot of the mountain. They would wait for everyone to ascend before taking the guards by surprise, killing them, and staging an inside-and-out assault.
The mountain path was winding and sinuous, like a slender snake, coiling upwards. To call it a path, it was merely a gravel track hidden within the forest, with piles of strangely shaped stones in some places.
Yet, even so, it was the best path on the entire Dong Jing Mountain. Other areas were steep and precipitous; a moment's carelessness could lead to a fall into the gorge on the side.
Yun Xiao and Zhi Qiu, both wearing black night-assault suits, walked and talked. Shangguan Lin followed a little behind. As they ascended the mountain, they saw others successively. They spoke little to each other, focusing on rushing up the mountain.
Upon reaching the mountainside, they exchanged secret passwords.
Yun Xiao and Zhi Qiu passed the checkpoint smoothly. A person behind them was a little slower, then watched them pass and caught up, grumbling with dissatisfaction.
"What is this all about? Why are they repeatedly targeting Dong Qin?"
Yun Xiao immediately became alert, realizing this person was not from Dong Qin. She appeared annoyed, seemingly not wanting to target Dong Qin. She didn't know which country he was from, but she dared not speak or inquire easily, lest she reveal her cover. She simply chuckled twice and continued up the mountain.
The Skull Blood Bandits of Xishan had suffered two losses in Dong Qin, reducing their numbers from over a hundred to less than a hundred. Everyone was somewhat apprehensive.
Yun Xiao could see the people walking had somewhat sinister pupils, appearing deeply affected, and some were even muttering complaints.
Halfway up the mountain, all the houses were built of wood, surrounded by stone walls one person high.
Walking through the main gate, one could see a row of wooden houses in the distance. In front of the doors were stone tables, where people were gradually taking their seats, forming a dense crowd. Someone served tea.
Yun Xiao observed that in a short while, most of the people had arrived, numbering seventy to eighty.
After drinking a bowl of tea and seeing that the leader had not yet arrived, they became surprised.
In fact, this bandit-eradication operation had not alerted the so-called leader. Their objective was to first kill these Blood Bandits, and then have the survivors reveal who the leader was and where Ye Jing Yi was currently located.
Since the loss at the Imperial Tomb raid in Dong Qin, the leader had handed over Dong Qin's subsequent missions to Shen Siyuan. Shen Siyuan took this opportunity to send a secret letter, summoning these bandits to the mountain.
After finishing their tea, no one stood up to speak, and these people became somewhat alarmed, quickly getting up. At this moment, someone burst through the stone gate from outside, it was an injured Blood Bandit member, spitting blood and collapsing to the ground, struggling.
"It's bad! Someone has surrounded this place!"