All aircraft in the northwest are grounded?
Hearing this, Ye Qiu’s expression also turned grim. He asked Tang Fei, “How does Marshal know I’m still alive?”
Tang Fei replied, “I called Marshal earlier and told him you were alive.”
Long Ye was furious. “Old Tang, you’re usually so smart. Why do you always mess things up at critical moments?”
Tang Fei was also frustrated. “Marshal was very concerned about Ye Qiu’s safety. He repeatedly told me to report any news about Ye Qiu immediately. How was I supposed to know he’d ground all aircraft in the northwest?”
“What do we do now?” Long Ye glared at Tang Fei. “You caused this mess. You figure it out.”
Tang Fei said, “Here’s what we’ll do. Let’s go to Qin Province.”
“Qin Province?” Ye Qiu was puzzled.
Tang Fei explained, “It’s only a two-hour drive from here to Qin Province. Once we get there, we can take a flight to the capital. How does that sound?”
“What if Marshal has also grounded flights in Qin Province?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Then we’ll take the high-speed train,” Tang Fei said. “It only takes nine hours from Qin Province to the capital.”
“Alright, let’s do that.”
With that, Tang Fei drove a military jeep, taking Ye Qiu and Long Ye straight to Qin Province.
On the way.
Long Ye asked curiously, “Ye Qiu, where did you get that sword? It looks pretty good.”
He had wanted to ask this question earlier.
When Ye Qiu appeared in the assembly hall, Long Ye noticed he was holding a sword. At the time, there were too many people around, so Long Ye had held back.
Not just “pretty good”—this was one of the Ten Divine Weapons, the Emperor’s Sword, Chi Xiao.
Ye Qiu smiled. “I found it.”
“Found it?” Long Ye muttered. “I’ve been in the northwest for so long. How come I never found anything like that?”
“That just means Ye Qiu’s luck is better than yours,” Tang Fei interjected.
Ye Qiu added, “It’s not just about luck. It also depends on character and looks.”
Long Ye’s eyes widened. “What are you trying to say?”
“You still don’t get it?” Tang Fei laughed. “Ye Qiu is saying you have bad character and you’re ugly.”
“Shut up! No one thinks you’re mute!” Long Ye glared at Tang Fei.
Tang Fei and Ye Qiu exchanged a glance and burst into laughter.
“Ye Qiu, Long Ye, you two should rest. We’re going to the capital to do something big. We need to be well-rested,” Tang Fei reminded them.
“Alright.”
Ye Qiu and Long Ye leaned back in their seats and closed their eyes to rest.
The car had been driving for forty minutes when suddenly, Tang Fei’s phone rang, waking Ye Qiu and Long Ye.
Tang Fei answered the phone, listened for a moment, then slammed on the brakes.
“What’s wrong?”
“What happened now?”
Ye Qiu and Long Ye asked one after the other.
Tang Fei said with a grim expression, “We don’t need to go to Qin Province anymore. Reliable sources say Marshal has also grounded flights in Qin Province, and the high-speed trains to the capital have been stopped.”
Long Ye was furious. “Is Marshal senile? Why is he targeting us?”
“He’s not targeting you. He’s targeting me.”
Ye Qiu said, “Marshal is trying to stop me from going to the capital. He doesn’t want me to die.”
“But Marshal underestimates me. No matter how he tries to stop me, I’m going to the capital.”
Long Ye asked, “What do we do now?”
“I’ll ask for help.” Ye Qiu took out his phone and directly called Cao Yuan, explaining the situation to him.
“Nine Thousand Years, you know the situation now. I urgently need your help,” Ye Qiu said.
Cao Yuan asked, “Ye Qiu, you should know that going to the capital now isn’t a wise choice. Have you really thought this through?”
“I’ve made up my mind,” Ye Qiu said firmly.
Cao Yuan said, “I can help you get to the capital as quickly as possible, but I have a suggestion. Would you like to hear it?”
“Please go ahead.”
Cao Yuan said, “You’ll face many enemies this time. Instead of dealing with them all at once in the capital, why not take them out one by one?”
Ye Qiu didn’t quite understand. “Nine Thousand Years, could you explain more clearly?”
Cao Yuan laughed. “Without a doubt, as soon as you arrive in the capital, your enemies will attack you. At that point, not only will you be on the defensive, but you’ll also face a large number of enemies.”
“So, I suggest you drive to the capital.”
“Then, I’ll spread the news that you’re coming. If the Bai and Pei families don’t want you in the capital, they’ll send people to intercept you on the way.”
“This way, you’ll face enemies in batches, not all at once. You can take them out one by one on the road.”
“The more enemies you eliminate on the way, the fewer you’ll have to face once you reach the capital.”
“Bai Bing’s wedding is the day after tomorrow. If you leave now, even with delays, you can definitely reach the capital by the morning of the day after tomorrow.”
“What do you think?”
Ye Qiu understood. Cao Yuan’s plan was to lure the snakes out of their holes, using himself as bait to draw out the enemies and eliminate them in smaller groups.
Otherwise, as soon as Ye Qiu arrived in the capital, he would be surrounded by a large group of enemies, which would be far more dangerous.
“Truly the leader of the Dragon Gate. What a cunning old fox!”
Ye Qiu thought to himself, then said, “Nine Thousand Years, thank you for your advice. I’ll do as you say.”
Cao Yuan said solemnly, “Ye Qiu, the journey to the capital will be treacherous. I wish you a safe journey! Take care!”
“You take care too!”
Ye Qiu hung up the phone and explained Cao Yuan’s plan to Tang Fei and Long Ye. After hearing it, both of them were impressed.
Tang Fei said, “This plan is excellent. Dealing with enemies in smaller groups is much better than facing a large crowd all at once. No wonder Nine Thousand Years was able to lead the Dragon Gate disciples to sweep through the underground forces of the fourteen northern provinces in such a short time. He’s truly a remarkable man.”
Long Ye added, “Yeah, Nine Thousand Years is really something! I remember my grandfather once said, never make an enemy of Cao Yuan. Nine Thousand Years is a master strategist. He’s terrifying!”
“Ye Qiu, what do you think?” Tang Fei asked.
Ye Qiu said, “Flights are grounded, trains are stopped. Our only option now is to drive to the capital.”
“Nine Thousand Years’ plan is great. The more enemies I take out on the way, the fewer I’ll have to face once I reach the capital.”
“So, I have no reason to refuse.”
Tang Fei reminded him, “Once the Bai family finds out you’re heading to the capital, they’ll definitely send people to kill you. This journey will be filled with danger. We need to be extremely careful.”
“That’s what makes it interesting. Otherwise, such a long journey would be boring,” Long Ye said with a grin.
Ye Qiu said, “I must reach the capital before Bai Bing’s wedding. Let’s hurry and get going.”
With a roar, Tang Fei released the brake, and the car sped onto the highway, racing toward the capital…
