The next three days passed uneventfully, as the three families were each scheming in their own way.
During this time, Kawashima Yosuke actually sent for Kawashima Miki, who had been waiting for news back at the family estate.
The moment Xu Fei saw Miki appear, he understood Yosuke’s intentions even more clearly.
He deliberately asked, “Wouldn’t it be safer for Kawashima Miki to stay at the family estate?”
Yosuke, thinking his plan hadn’t been fully seen through, only suspected, quickly explained, “Well… I thought so at first, but since most of our main forces are already here, bringing her along is safer!”
Yosuke was cunning, and his excuse left Xu Fei momentarily unable to counter, so he nodded and let it go.
Nothing significant happened in the following days, and the three-day deadline was nearly up.
That day, Hengjiang Chuan, the Hengjiang family patriarch, personally led a team and arrived at the outskirts of the ancestral land half a day early, moving discreetly.
He cautiously sent his men to scout the situation.
But Xu Fei had already noticed them. To avoid exposing himself prematurely, he used an array to release dense fog.
The ancestral land, situated in a basin, became nearly invisible under the thick mist.
“What? You can’t see anything? Useless!” Hengjiang Chuan fumed at the scout’s report, his beard practically twitching with anger. An elder beside him quickly advised, “No need to rush, Patriarch. There’s likely a trap inside. We still have half a day.”
“Let’s camp here and wait until the deadline tomorrow to assess the situation.”
Hengjiang Chuan stroked his beard, finding the suggestion reasonable, and ordered, “Everyone, set up camp here. No fires! Await further orders!”
After his command, the Hengjiang forces began setting up camp, silently waiting as time passed.
In another direction, where the fog obscured everything, Xu Fei vaguely sensed someone approaching.
Oddly, it was just one person, which puzzled him.
“What’s wrong, Xu Fei?” Yosuke asked, noticing his furrowed brow.
“Nothing major. I’m just curious why only one person came from the west. Who could they be?” Xu Fei replied.
The Kawashima family was ambushing from the east, while Hengjiang Chuan’s camp was in the north.
Both families had brought large forces, and though Hengjiang Chuan hadn’t shown himself, Xu Fei had everything under control.
Only this lone figure from the west stumped him.
“Could it be a scout from the Qiushan family?” Yosuke suggested.
Xu Fei shook his head. “Unlikely. My control extends to its limit, and that person is lingering just at the edge, moving with unusual caution. An ordinary scout wouldn’t be that careful.”
Xu Fei dismissed Yosuke’s idea outright.
