Fengyu never expected that Dugu Jing would truly accompany them back to Ningzhou City, and not only that, but he returned after properly handing over duties in the military tent. For three months, he was held captive at the battlefield encampment in Ningzhou. "Second Brother, when you came to negotiate, did you never plan to let Dugu Jing return?" "Exactly!" Xie Jue had never intended to let Dugu Jing leave. After Ningzhou’s ceasefire, at least half of the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry would need to head to Jiangnan for combat. How could he possibly allow Dugu Jing to go back? If Dugu Jing reneged, Ningzhou would once again be in jeopardy, forcing them to race against time. Whether concerning the Jiangnan warfront or Ningzhou itself, the situation would become overwhelmingly disadvantageous. Only by keeping Dugu Jing imprisoned in Ningzhou could he confidently dispatch the 200,000-strong army to Jiangnan. "What if Dugu Jing refuses to stay imprisoned in Ningzhou?" "Then he was never sincere about negotiating peace and we’ll have no choice but to continue fighting." Fang Chuning remarked, "Why are you so dull today? Even though he doesn’t say it outright, you should be able to understand this yourself." Fengyu closed her mouth. She wasn’t Xie Xun. How was she supposed to know the true conditions on the battlefield? Besides, as soon as she arrived, she had been lying down to rest, completely uninvolved in military operations. It was perfectly reasonable for her to lack understanding. Furthermore, if Dugu Jing were imprisoned in Ningzhou, would Second Brother really release him three months later? Dugu Jing must know the immense danger he was in. Did he truly not fear death? Putting herself in his shoes, if she were Dugu Jing, she would certainly refuse to come to Ningzhou as a hostage. From this perspective, Dugu Jing was indeed negotiating in good faith. There was no need for this battle to continue. But in her mind, Fengyu still believed that the one to eventually tear up the ceasefire agreement would certainly be Xie Xun! Google seaʀᴄh 𝔫𝔬𝔳𝔢𝔩⚫𝔣𝔦𝔯𝔢⚫𝔫𝔢𝔱 After Dugu Jing was imprisoned on the battlefield, he was escorted back to Ningzhou City by Xie Jue and Fang Chuning and confined to the dungeon within the Prince Manor, guarded by designated personnel. Fengyu was also escorted back to the Prince Manor by Xie Jue to recuperate while the battlefield was handed over to several veteran generals. Before leaving, Xie Jue gave these generals instructions regarding the military affairs between Beiman and Ningzhou. Among the 50,000 troops Fang Chuning brought from Zhongzhou, 4,000 had been lost to deaths and severe injuries, leaving 46,000. The wounded remained within Ningzhou City to recover, while the rest accompanied Fang Chuning toward the Jiangnan battlefield. The Jiangnan battlefield was ever-changing. Neither Xie Jue nor Fang Chuning fully understood the situation. With speed being crucial in warfare, Fang Chuning rested for only one night in Ningzhou City before leading the remaining troops from Zhongzhou to Jiangnan. Xie Jue remained in Ningzhou to sort out the post-negotiation details. Only after settling everything would the 200,000 Ningzhou Iron Cavalry depart for Jiangnan. Fengyu felt uneasy, fearing she wouldn’t be able to handle unforeseen incidents in Ningzhou after Xie Jue left. Now inhabiting Xie Xun’s body, her words carried significant weight, and she found herself relying on Xie Jue to some extent. Xie Jue said, "After I lead the troops out, Feiying and the personal guards will escort you to the Capital City to meet Zhixu." "I’m going to the Capital City?" Xie Jue nodded, folding a letter and sending it via homing pigeon to Ying Si in the Capital City. He said, "The battle in Ningzhou has reached a pause, but we still don’t know how long the conflict in Jiangnan will stretch on. Bring the solid evidence of Yuwen Jing’s collusion with external enemies to the Capital City and hand it over to Zhixu. He’ll know how to handle it. Moreover, since you and Xie Xun have not yet returned to your original bodies, I fear complications might arise from a prolonged delay. It’s best to meet as soon as possible to avoid unnecessary trouble." Xie Jue worried that something unpredictable might happen to Xie Xun in the Capital City or that their prolonged soul exchange could lead to unforeseen consequences. Resolving this matter sooner rather than later seemed wise. Six days later, Xie Jue led the 200,000-strong Ningzhou Iron Cavalry to the Jiangnan battlefield. Simultaneously, Feiying and fifty personal guards escorted Xie Xun, now in disguise, out of Ningzhou and toward the Capital City. While passing through Salt City, they disguised themselves as a merchant caravan for concealment. To avoid drawing attention, Fengyu applied a thick, dense beard to her face, transforming into a middle-aged man. Feiying posed as the caravan leader, and the group gradually journeyed toward the Capital City. They traveled at a deliberate pace since Fengyu still needed time to recover from her injuries. By the time they reached the Capital City, it was late spring, beckoning summer. Fengyu craned her neck to gaze up at the towering, majestic city gates, her heart filled with complex emotions. This path, she had walked twice before—once fleeing, and once in disguise. Now, just on the verge of entering the city, she wondered how Zhixu had been faring in the Capital City. The merchant caravan fragmented into smaller groups to covertly enter the Capital City. Protected by official travel documents and a token, they faced minimal scrutiny at the gates. Blending into the crowd, Fengyu noticed many clans from Jiangnan relocating to the Capital City to seek refuge. The Jiangnan warfront had become so dire that numerous families feared Sannan would breach Lanzhou, prompting them to pack their belongings and flee to the Capital City. The Capital City was the safest place in all Yanyang. Fengyu overheard more reports of the brutal war in Jiangnan. Both the Jiangnan garrison and the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry struggled to counter Sannan’s poison formations, leading to countless casualties. With the reinforcements from Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, the situation barely improved—not because they had a brilliant countermeasure, but because Sannan, aware of Beiman’s surrender and Dugu Jing’s imprisonment in Ningzhou, saw its northern forces unravel and morale crumble. After months of deploying poisonous formations, they began to show signs of weariness. Meanwhile, practitioners skilled in combating poison from across Yanyang had flocked to Jiangnan to help dismantle Sannan’s formations, gradually turning the tide. Yet the prominent families remained apprehensive about the post-war desolation that would engulf Jiangnan, driving scores to seek refuge in the Capital City to escape the impending chaos. The influx of refugees led to looser inspections at the city gates. Fengyu knew Xie Xun was now hiding in the Mudan Building. After the caravan settled into an inn, she planned to wait until nightfall to seek him out. Their inn was located directly across from Wangjiang Restaurant. When Fengyu opened the window of her room, the bustling Wangjiang Restaurant came into view. The Capital City remained the same familiar place—lively, prosperous, bustling with trade, and frequented by the elite and aristocracy partaking in revelry. The distant blare of war horns and the bloodshed at the borders had never reached their ears.