Chapter 762: Baili Mingxiangs surprise (2/2)

“Gu Qishao, you have something to use against Gu Yuntian, right?” Han Yunxi asked anxiously.

Gu Qishao was (publicly known as) the head elder’s foster son in his youth and also extremely familiar with the Poison Sect. Han Yunxi figured that he must know a thing or two to speak so boldly.

Gu Qishao turned towards her with a bewitching smile. “Secret!”

Han Yunxi had no idea of the relationship between Gu Qishao and the academy head, nor the extent of his sufferings at the academy. Seeing his seductive smile, she couldn’t help but grin back. “Gu Qishao, tell me the truth. Are you a member of the Poison Sect?”

“Pah!” Gu Qishao was extremely agitated. “Han Yunxi, this old man will never agree to be your relative!”

“It’s fine if you’re not part of the Poison Sect family. If you marry Mu Linger someday, you’ll end up related to me anyways,” Han Yunxi was serious.

Gu Qishao’s mouth twitched as he pretended not to hear. Of course, Han Yunxi understood his feelings, but what else could she do about them besides returning them with jokes? You always have to be half-jesting when you talk about feelings with him. If you’re too sincere, he’ll always refute them on the spot or turn up his nose. He doesn’t take it to heart.

“There’s an important matter that I think we should discuss indoors,” Gu Beiyue interrupted their joking. Han Yunxi knew that there was another trouble afoot besides “withdrawing the doctors,” and that was: Ning Cheng. General Baili had already arrived via the back door when they entered the rooms.

Thanks to the threat of the red coat cannons, Tianan’s Mu Clan troops had already retreated. Ning Cheng took over three of their cities before immediately withdrawing his troops. The Tianan army suffered heavy casualties, so Ning Cheng only left a third of the red coat cannons and two border defense troops to deal with them. Half of his remaining forces were divided between the western skirmishes with Chu Tianyin and the south--with South Ning’s commander-in-chief’s estate as their target.

General Baili finished laying out Ning Cheng’s recent movements before he said, “Even if Northern Li gets their battle horses today, it’ll still take them a couple of months before they can use them. This soldier intends to head north with soldiers before the start of the Apricot Woods Conference. The infantry forces can fight together with the navy to attack. Combined with the Chu clan troops, we’ll be able to divert Ning Cheng’s attention.”

“The navy?” Han Yunxi grew doubtful.

“Yes. There’s a large river running through Tianning called the Sandy River. It starts from the west in Western Zhou and runs all the way to the Eastern Sea. If Tianning’s troops want to head south, they’ll have no choice but to cross this river. As long as we race against time and take Tianning’s Crane Forest Prefecture, we’ll be able to control this waterway. Once we do, it’ll be harder for Tianning to head south. We can drag things on until Northern Li sends their own troops,” General Baili declared.

Han Yunxi immediately understood. This was called “gaining the initiative by striking the first blow.” If they were doomed to fight with Ning Cheng, then it was better to deal with him now before he finished off Western Zhou’s forces. Moreover, sending an army now would catch Ning Cheng by surprise. Perhaps they could even catch him unprepared on the battlefield. After all, Long Feiye was still on Celestial Mountain and everyone would assume they’d wait for him to come down before making a move.

Gu Beiyue and Gu Qishao would deal with Medical City together, so there was hope there; General Baili would pin down Ning Cheng over here. No matter what, Han Yunxi thought, We can at least control the overall situation to buy Long Feiye some time.

Naturally, she had no idea that Gu Beiyue would head to the Apricot Woods Conference or that General Baili would start attacking first because both men were following Long Feiye. That man could control everything even from the distant peaks of Celestial Mountain. Han Yunxi discussed a few more details with everyone else before realizing late night had set in. None of them had eaten yet.

“Zhao mama, have the kitchens prepare some food,” Han Yunxi instructed.

General Baili didn’t stay to eat, but hurried off on military matters. Gu Qishao would never leave. He couldn’t even remember how long it’d been since he’d last eaten with Poison lass at the same table. He found a good flask of wine and said, “It’s been years since the three of us ate at the same table. Long Feiye’s still got this old man’s restaurant closed up!”

“Doctor Gu’s just recovered, so he can’t drink wine. Neither I nor Mingxiang will drink either, so you can drink by yourself,” Han Yunxi said.

Gu Qishao rolled his eyes at her. “Killjoy!”

Han Yunxi ignored him and told Gu Beiyue, “Prepare for tomorrow and delegate your tasks as needed. How about leaving in secret the night after tomorrow?”

Gu Beiyue nodded. After a pause, he finally said, “Esteemed wangfei, this one has been exchanging letters with His Highness Duke of Qin over the past few days. After learning of his serious wounds, this one has a needle treatment method that is extremely helpful for internal internals.”

“Really?!” Han Yunxi was thrilled. Gu Beiyue’s acupuncture skills were top-notch.

“Mm,” Gu Beiyue was still hesitant. “Esteemed wangfei, this one cannot personally treat His Highness Duke of Qin atop Celestial Mountain. Perhaps you can have a trusted aide do the deed instead?”

Han Yunxi couldn’t wait for Long Feiye to get well faster. Each day earlier was one day won.

“I can!” she immediately agreed. Before Gu Beiyue could recommend Baili Mingxiang, Han Yunxi was already pulling her over. “Let’s make it Mingxiang. She learns fast, so two days should be enough.”

Baili Mingxiang was extremely surprised. She couldn’t believe her ears as her heart pounded in her chest. If esteemed wangfei wasn’t holding her hand so tightly, her fingers would be shaking by now. Heavens! I’m going to Celestial Mountain to treat His Highness Duke of Qin with needles?

She unconsciously looked towards her left. Although Su Xiaoyu wasn’t here anymore, it still felt like the girl was standing right here and staring at her with eyes filled with questioning hostility.