"What have you calculated?"
"Auspicious within ominous, ominous with a touch of auspiciousness, the situation is incredibly chaotic, Great Success or great defeat will depend on three days from now."
The progress had already been altered by Qiann Yan, so what would happen next, she didn't know—it was nothing more than those intrigues and deceptions on the battlefield. She had experienced such battlefields countless times. Of course, she hadn't stopped training her troops; every effort added a bit more chance of survival on the battlefield. No one wanted to watch their soldiers sacrifice in vain because of carelessness.
Three days later, Qiann Yan led her army to the city gates.
The surroundings were eerily quiet, the city walls equally so, the city gates wide open, with no soldiers guarding the gates or the walls. Such a bizarre scene forced people to pause and observe from outside.
"General, something's not right." The young officer beside her voiced his suspicion, "Why is there no one? Could it be that upon hearing of the general's formidable reputation, they've abandoned the city and fled in fear?"
Qiann Yan didn't speak, her eyes examining the positions of the city walls and gates.
The city was empty.
Today, Xun Zihuai had come along too, the previous divination had been quite unclear, and he was a bit worried. Seeing everything before him, he felt it was a wise choice to have come today.
Unable to discern anything at the gates, Qiann Yan dispatched two young soldiers inside to investigate the situation.
The two soldiers who received the order rode their horses swiftly inside. From being cautious at first, they became bolder after passing through the gates because the entire city was empty.
They spent an entire hour scouring through the entire city, and indeed, not a single person was encountered before they returned with their report.
"Not a single person?" Qiann Yan raised her eyebrows slightly, somewhat surprised.
Xun Zihuai, worried, suggested, "I don't think it's that simple, how about we camp here for a few days and observe the situation first?"
Qiann Yan glanced at the army behind her and said, "Camping for two or three days is fine, but any longer would decrease the soldiers' morale."
However, outwardly, she did not oppose Xun Zihuai's decision and set up camp.
The eerie situation inside the city also made the soldiers feel uneasy, and they had no intention of entering.
Late at night, Qiann Yan, dressed in black, quietly slipped out of her tent.
With a giant sword in hand, her steps landed lightly on the ground, and she quickly headed towards the city gates. Her agile form went unnoticed by anyone as being out of place.
Once inside the city, her figure melted into the darkness.
Indeed, it was perfectly silent here, there wasn't even a chicken left behind.
Just as she was about to push open a house door, she noticed bundles of firewood stacked all around outside. Her eyes showed a hint of understanding. She pushed open the door and, sure enough, there was firewood inside too. She touched it; it was all dry.
She walked through several streets in succession, finding almost every household the same, with bundles of firewood leaning against the walls.
She didn't look further and instead hurried back to her tent.
Just as she entered the tent, something felt amiss. She dropped her sword onto the neck of an intruder inside the tent.
"General sister, it's me." Xun Zihuai hastily gripped the sword with both hands, genuinely afraid that Qiann Yan would decapitate him with one stroke. Qiann Yan lifted the curtain behind him, and in the moonlight, she finally saw Xun Zihuai's handsome face, retracting the giant sword. His expression was calm as he smiled at her.
"What are you doing here in the middle of the night?"
"Waiting for you."
Qiann Yan turned back, her gaze scrutinizing, only to hear Xun Zihuai ask, "Did the general discover anything in the city?"
Oh, it was a misunderstanding, he didn't come to seduce her.
She thought he was in such a hurry.