Ping Xinian watched for a long time before sneering.
She knew that Yi Qing was aware they couldn't leave southern Fujian quickly, so she simply stayed in southern Fujian waiting for reinforcements.
It was indeed a way out, but it was also within Ping Xinian's plan.
"Miss." Liu'er came in and bowed.
"What's up?" Ping Xinian asked calmly.
"Madam Xiao has requested Lingchuan to dispatch troops for protection. She's also contacted the escort agency and hired strongmen with her own money."
This time, Ping Xinian was surprised. She thought Yi Qing had no intention of leaving. Now it seemed that she was trying a feint attack.
Ping Xinian sneered. They were evenly matched in terms of wits. But what if they went all out?
"Give the order to set fire." Ping Xinian commanded. In Lingchuan City, she wouldn't take direct action, but she could force Yi Qing out of the city.
Yi Qing never expected this. After all, both the Ping and Qiao families had concerns and wouldn't allow Ping Xinian to act recklessly.
Gu worms were afraid of fire. When the fire started, they quickly fled.
Wu Min watched with great interest, completely unaware that the bell on her wrist was ringing.
Fortunately, the garden was large. Yi Qing took Xiao Jinghan and fled to an open area to watch the houses burning.
The magistrate of Lingchuan City came to apologize and quickly found them another courtyard. It was much smaller than the garden, but comfortable. By the time they were settled, Lu Tianxun and the others had just returned from outside.
"Is the general all right?" Lu Tianxun was relieved to see that Yi Qing was okay.
Yi Qing ignored Lu Tianxun and looked directly at Wu Min. "You said it would be okay."
Wu Min felt guilty and took a step closer to Lu Tianxun.
"I failed to protect you well," Lu Tianxun apologized.
Yi Qing rolled her eyes at Lu Tianxun. His woman could turn the world upside down. She didn't need such protection.
Lu Tianxun smiled bitterly. "We were wrong before. It seems they don't care about being discovered. They've already started to act in Lingchuan."
"So it's your fault," Wu Min immediately jumped out and looked at Yi Qing.
Actually, Yi Qing didn't mean to hold them accountable. She thought it was impossible. Even if Ping Xinian was desperate, would the Qiao and Ping families really want to die?
"She can't be a desperado," Yi Qing said doubtfully.
"Anyway, we have to be more cautious," Lu Tianxun said seriously.
After dinner and a short rest, Yi Qing changed Xiao Jinghan's clothes. She felt uneasy and was ready to flee with Xiao Jinghan at any time. Sure enough, in the middle of the night, the dense sound of gongs rang out. The courtyard they were staying in caught fire again.
Huge fireballs rained down from the sky. Not only the courtyard they were in but also the surrounding ones were instantly engulfed in flames. For a moment, cries for help and screams filled the air.
Several secret guards immediately escorted Xiao Jinghan and Yi Qing to an open area. Lu Tianxun and Wu Min also came over. Wu Min set up some Gu worms on one side to keep people away.
"I'll go and check," Lu Tianxun said, looking at the fireballs still falling.
Wu Min grabbed Lu Tianxun worriedly.
"No need to go," Yi Qing said. Since things had come to this, they couldn't do much.
The fire burned all night. The magistrate of Lingchuan City was busy all night. More than a dozen people died, and most of the houses around the courtyard were burned down.
Yi Qing's face turned as cold as frost when she heard the magistrate's report. Ping Xinian had gone so far just to kill her.
"And there's something else..." The magistrate of Lingchuan City looked hesitant.
"Speak," Yi Qing knew the most important part was coming.
"Since General Xiao and Madam Xiao arrived in Lingchuan City, there have been two fires in a row. Last night, fireballs even rained from the sky. People outside are saying that Lingchuan City is not blessed enough to host such a great hero as the God of War. For the sake of the people in Lingchuan City, please..." The magistrate of Lingchuan City looked embarrassed.
Yi Qing suddenly understood. Ping Xinian had been causing such a stir but still dared not take action in Lingchuan City. "I understand. We'll leave Lingchuan City this afternoon."
"Yes," the magistrate of Lingchuan City was overjoyed.
He knew exactly what had caused these two fires, but in any case, he didn't want to get involved. Otherwise, he would be caught in the middle and crushed.
"However, I must have all the people I need. After that, it has nothing to do with you," Yi Qing said, looking at the magistrate of Lingchuan City.
"Yes," the magistrate of Lingchuan City bowed.
After the magistrate of Lingchuan City left, Lu Tianxun walked over. "Are we just going to let this go?"
It turned out that Yi Qing's guess was right. Ping Xinian wouldn't take action against them in Lingchuan City, but she could force them out.
"What else can we do?" Yi Qing shrugged. "The magistrate sounds nice, but the rumors outside are not so kind. As long as we stay here, Ping Xinian will keep doing this. More people will die, and Xiao Jinghan will be criticized by the world."
Lu Tianxun took a deep breath. Ping Xinian was using a blatant plot. "There are still two cities, Tanyang and Shuofeng, ahead. What's your plan?"
Now all the news from the capital must have been intercepted. They didn't know when the people sent by the capital would arrive, so they had to prepare for the worst.
"Charge forward. What else can we do?" Yi Qing said impatiently.
They had come this far and couldn't turn back. They had to force their way through.
In the afternoon, Xiao Jinghan and his entourage left Lingchuan City in a grand manner.
They were escorted by the southern border troops. Originally, there were only three carriages and six flatbed carts for loading things. But this time when they left the city, there were sixteen carriages, all looking exactly the same.
"Creating confusion to prevent assassinations," Ping Xinian stood on the city tower and sneered. "Even if there are sixty carriages instead of sixteen, I'll destroy them all. We'll act tonight."
While she was planning to act at night, Xiao Jinghan and the others were already galloping on the official road. They had left Lingchuan City in the morning, leaving Lu Tianxun and Wu Min there to create confusion.
Previously, she didn't plan to do this because the enemy was in the dark while they were in the open. Now she was just taking advantage of a time difference. Since Ping Xinian wouldn't miss any chance to assassinate them, they could only try to disrupt the enemy's rhythm.
At night, Lu Tianxun and the others set up camp. Soon, they were attacked. This time, they didn't fight back at all. They just abandoned their things and ran.
The people recruited in Lingchuan City ran towards Lingchuan City, while Lu Tianxun and the others ran towards Tanyang. Calculating the time, Yi Qing and the others should be almost in Tanyang.
This time, Ping Xinian showed up in person. She found that the carriages and flatbed carts were all empty. As soon as they opened the carriage doors, a large number of wasps flew out. The same was true for the boxes on the flatbed carts.
She was escorted to one side in a very embarrassing state and still got stung by a wasp. Liu'er quickly applied medicine to her.
"Chase," Ping Xinian said angrily.
She immediately understood what was going on. Yi Qing must have left Lingchuan City long ago. She hadn't been forced into a corner at all. She had just taken advantage of a time difference.
Liu'er was a little worried. "Miss, maybe we should report this to Lord Qiao first."
Ping Xinian stared at Liu'er, and Liu'er lowered her head timidly.
"Those who follow me will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver, regardless of whether this mission is successful or not," Ping Xinian ordered.