Tang Ming led them outside the city at the agreed-upon time.
Tang Ming's good friend, Captain Qi Dazhu, was already waiting for them.
Qi Dazhu, appearing to be a rough man, greeted Tang Ming and then walked over.
Others were one thing, but upon seeing Song Chaoyu, he froze and blurted out, "How come there's a woman here? Tang Ming, I didn't agree to let just anyone into the city!"
His words made Tang Ming both embarrassed and afraid, unsure whether to reveal the identities of Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu to Qi Dazhu.
Song Chaoyu stepped forward and spoke directly to Qi Dazhu, "Don't worry, you only need to bring us into the city. As for whether I live or die after entering the city, or how I survive my severe injuries, you don't need to concern yourself with it. We will pay you what we owe, not a single coin less."
At any other time, Qi Dazhu probably wouldn't have given Song Chaoyu a second glance.
A man like him never put women in his eyes.
But the aura emanating from Song Chaoyu made him unable to ignore her.
Ultimately, under such pressure, Qi Dazhu relented, "You said it yourself. After entering the city, it's your business, and it has nothing to do with me!"
He then glanced at Tang Ming, "If it weren't for the people you brought, I would never have let them into the city. Alright, you can go back. Their lives and deaths have nothing to do with you and me!"
It could be considered that he was looking out for Tang Ming, but Tang Ming couldn't help but feel a great deal of worry in his eyes.
Mu Changxi nodded to Tang Ming, "Don't worry, we'll take care of ourselves. As for Cong Fei and the others, I'll trouble you with them."
Tang Ming cupped his fists towards Mu Changxi, such a respectful attitude making Qi Dazhu dare not underestimate Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu.
Qi Dazhu said no more, and led Song Chaoyu and Mu Changxi towards the city walls—
Qinzhou City was different from ordinary cities of the Great Yue Dynasty.
Qinzhou City was the former capital of the Small Qin Kingdom. After being taken over by the Great Yue Dynasty's army, all the facilities on the city walls remained unchanged.
Because Qinzhou City was a hub of trade and was surrounded by mountains on three sides during the Small Qin Kingdom era, its city walls were built with special drainage outlets. These were for facilitating the transport of small goods and for releasing accumulated water from the city during the rainy season.
Clearly, Qi Dazhu was very familiar with these outlets.
He skillfully led Song Chaoyu and the others to an outlet that had been abandoned for many years, "This used to be a drainage outlet, but after we garrisoned Qinzhou City, this outlet was no longer used. Not many people know about this place now, and most of the other drainage outlets have been blocked. So, if we go through here, no one should find us."
Mu Changxi and Song Chaoyu followed Qi Dazhu, heading towards the disused drainage outlet.
A whistling wind emanated from within the outlet, making the place appear particularly eerie.
The further they went, the more it felt like they were entering a cave, and all light disappeared.
But to avoid being discovered, they did not light torches, and could only follow Qi Dazhu, fumbling their way through this "cave."
Fortunately, the "cave" was not complicated, with few forks, and Qi Dazhu was very familiar with it.
As they fumbled forward, Song Chaoyu finally felt the wind blowing again. Qi Dazhu whispered, "Don't speak. I'll go out and check first. If there's no one outside, you can come out."
It was late at night. Not long after Qi Dazhu went out, he returned and nodded to them, "If you go out from here, you'll reach the southern part of Qinzhou City. There are still patrol teams in the city, but this place is very secluded. After you enter the city, you're on your own. If you're caught, whatever you do, don't betray me. If it weren't for Tang Ming, I would never have brought people in at a time like this. Do you understand?"
They naturally understood this, and besides, there was no possibility of such a situation.
At Mu Changxi's signal, Xiao Ruizhi handed the brocade pouch, filled to the brim with silver ingots, to Qi Dazhu, "Thank you, and we hope you'll keep this a secret for us!"
This silver was far more than Tang Ming had told Qi Dazhu about!
Qi Dazhu's face lit up with joy, "Of course. I wouldn't betray myself, would I?"
He took the silver and left happily.
Xiao Ruizhi pouted and asked Mu Changxi after he left, "Master, can this man be trusted? Your servant feels he's a bit too greedy for money."
Mu Changxi shook his head, "The situation in the city is unusual now. If he wasn't desperate for money, he probably wouldn't have risked bringing us here. Since he's Tang Ming's friend, he should be alright. It doesn't matter, we're not going into the city to cause trouble, and he only seeks wealth, not other things, so he won't easily betray us."
Xiao Ruizhi was then relieved. After confirming that no one was around, he helped Mu Changxi out of the wheelchair.
Mu Changxi pointed to the loose soil nearby, "Don't bring the wheelchair into the city. Find a hidden place to hide the wheelchair, mark it, and come back to get it before we leave the city!"
Xiao Ruizhi busied himself with the task.
When Song Chaoyu saw Mu Changxi stand up again, she felt a sense of daze.
How long had it been since she had seen Mu Changxi stand?
She had even grown accustomed to Mu Changxi in the wheelchair. Seeing Mu Changxi standing before her again gave Song Chaoyu a feeling of both familiarity and strangeness.
She reached out her hand to Mu Changxi, who naturally took her hand, "A'yu, why are you looking at me like that?"
In the darkness, Song Chaoyu couldn't quite make out Mu Changxi's expression.
But she couldn't help but throw herself into Mu Changxi's embrace and whisper, "Hanxi, Hanxi... I finally see you again, Hanxi, my Hanxi..."
My Hanxi!
The current Song Chaoyu could finally say these words openly.
He was her Hanxi!
The familiar scent enveloped Song Chaoyu. For a moment, she felt as if she wasn't the Chang Wangfei, who had sneaked into a cave in a foreign land.
It was as if they were still on the estate in the outskirts of the capital, breathing the air of freedom carefree.
Though their lives weren't particularly affluent, they lived happily.
If she could choose, she would prefer to be an ordinary person with the one she loved, living a peaceful life on that estate with her Hanxi!
"A'yu!"
Mu Changxi lowered his head and gently placed a tender kiss on the top of Song Chaoyu's head, "A'yu, we will return to that kind of life. When everything settles down, I will take you and our child and escape far away! We'll live the life we want, alright?"