"Array."
Song Meiyu nearly fell off her chair. "There's an array for that?!"
"Probably," Linyue replied without hesitation. "But Brother Zhenyu will be busy."
"Good," Shen Zhenyu said in his usual flat tone. "It will be safer than letting any of you touch it."
He Yuying gave a small, thoughtful nod. "That's fair."
Linyue continued, "I'll call Shanjun and ask him for moon dumplings."
He Yuying's eyes lit up instantly. "Moon dumplings? Finally, a plan worth supporting."
"Yes!" Song Meiyu clapped her ink-stained hands together. "We can wrap them in a heating array and take them with us. Fresh and warm the whole way!"
Linyue's lips curved slightly. "That's not what I meant. But… whatever."
Shen Zhenyu chuckled softly. He knew what she actually meant. It was less of a snack request and more of a code phrase for dangerous favors. Last time, Linyue asked Shanjun's help to fake the death of Princess Fu Yuxin.
He had a hunch. Linyue and Shanjun didn't just meet recently. They understood each other with barely a glance, spoke in vague, suspicious phrases, and had this quiet "we've survived worse" energy. It wouldn't surprise him if they knew each other from long ago, probably during one of those chapters of her life she never talked about.
So, with moon dumplings possibly on the way (explosive or otherwise), and arrays soon to be scribbled all over surfaces (papers, talismans and probably someone's sleeve), they began their preparations.
*****
Two days later, four figures dressed in black from head to toe stood silently in the middle of Linyue's chamber. It was the perfect uniform for sneaking out at night: dramatic, suspicious, and guaranteed to make them look guilty even if they were only out for tea.
The mission was simple on paper. Slip outside the wall. Find cursed plants. Try not to die. And above all else, absolutely do not let Shu Mingye find out.
He was already buried under enough trouble—managing the spreading disease, wrestling political chaos and trying to keep an entire state from collapsing. He hadn't checked on them in days, which was probably the only reason this ridiculous plan was still alive. If he found out, he would either lock them all in their rooms or assign fifty soldiers to follow them loudly, and ruin the whole point of being sneaky. Besides, this wasn't their first questionable decision. They always worked better on their own. Small team. Less noise. Less chaos. (Okay, some chaos. But manageable chaos.)
Linyue wasn't worried for herself. She had lived outside the wall for ten years. She knew how to hide, how to survive, and most importantly, how to run without tripping. If something went wrong, she was confident she could get Song Meiyu, Shen Zhenyu, and He Yuying back in one piece. Though, judging by the excitement in Song Meiyu's eyes and the way He Yuying was casually snacking in full stealth gear, "one piece" might be a little too optimistic.
If they had brought more people—soldiers, guards, or worse, curious "helpful" extras with swords and loud boots—Linyue couldn't promise she'd be able to protect them all. This plan was already balancing on the edge of risky. Their theory about the spring and the Crimson Bloodroot might be wrong. The spring might do nothing. The plant might just be an aggressive weed. But if they were right, maybe they could save lives. If they were wrong… well, at least they'd come back with another wild story and possibly some moon dumplings to cry into.
Linyue left a note on the table, just in case Shu Mingye came to check. The note was straightforward, "Going out for sightseeing. Will be back in few days."
At least, he would know she didn't run away or anything.
Shen Zhenyu quietly slid open the back window and peeked out. The night sky stretched above them. He gave a small nod. "The sky's dark. Good time to sneak out and do something probably illegal."
One by one, they slipped out through the window. They moved onto the roof, hopping across tiles like seasoned thieves. Or, in Song Meiyu's case, like an enthusiastic but slightly clumsy thief.
"I'm fine!" she whispered loudly, after her foot slipped for the third time. "Just testing gravity!"
He Yuying sighed and offered her his hand. "Congratulations. Gravity still works."
Luckily, Linyue had already asked Shanjun for the patrol schedule and the safest escape route. He didn't ask why. He didn't even bother sending back questions, he just gave a very long sigh that seemed to stretch across realms. Thanks to his help, they avoided all the guards and slipped out of the palace grounds "almost" undetected. (There was that one sleepy guard who squinted suspiciously at a shadow, only to decide it was probably a stray cat and go back to yawning.)
Waiting for them near the outer palace wall were two quiet horses, already saddled and looking mildly concerned about being recruited for a midnight mission. Shanjun had left them there too. On each of their back, they also carried crossbows and quivers filled with a lot of iron bolts. All labeled under the mysterious umbrella of "moon dumplings."
Linyue paused, just for a moment. Shanjun had now committed enough silent crimes on their behalf to qualify for his own wanted poster. She made a mental note to bring him something nice when they returned. Actual moon dumplings this time. Ones that didn't come with potential arson charges.
For the ride, Shen Zhenyu paired with He Yuying, while Linyue took Song Meiyu. This wasn't random arrangement. It was a decision made with quiet, tactical logic. If trouble came, which with this group it probably would, Shen Zhenyu and He Yuying could probably hold on their own. Linyue with Song Meiyu was safer.
Song Meiyu was still in late stage. Brave? Yes. Loud? Absolutely. Good at balance on moving horses? Questionable. So Linyue kept her close. They never knew. They might need to fight, run, or, in the worst case, dive off a cliff. Best not to test Song Meiyu's solo survival skills yet.
As they rode quietly into the night, the sound of iron bolts rattling softly in their quivers. It had taken them two whole days to prepare for this new adventure, which was much more serious (and deadly) than all their previous "accidental chaos" combined. There would be no swamp or haunted cave picnics this time. This was real business. Very risky business.
Each of them had a small jade pendant tied to their belt, glowing faintly in the dark. These weren't for decoration, though Song Meiyu did try to match hers with her outfit. These pendants were array tools Shen Zhenyu made. Simple but effective. They concealed spiritual energy so demons wouldn't sense them from miles away. They weren't super advanced, but they worked. As long as no one blasted spiritual energy into the sky like a firework, the pendant would hold. If someone did do that, the jade would shatter, the demons would come running, and their little mission would officially turn into a full-scale disaster.
Just to be safe, they also brought a lot of iron bolts. Linyue had asked Shanjun for a whole crate of them, which he delivered with a note that just said, "What are you planning now?"
These weren't ordinary bolts either. Each was infused with a special array that released a small burst of spiritual energy on impact. Perfect for handling low-level demons without wasting their own energy. They needed to preserve their spiritual energy just in case high-level demons showed up (which was highly likely).
They also carried extra jade pendants (just in case someone tripped and dropped one in a puddle), as well as a whole stack of ready-to-use array papers. Smoke, explosion, flash, temporary shielding, basically everything a team of slightly chaotic cultivators needed for an illegal field trip outside the wall.
Of course, these were all just part of The Plan. And like most plans made by this particular group, it came with an invisible warning label: "Subject to immediate change the moment something explodes."
Linyue had already accepted this as universal law. Nothing ever went perfectly. But she was prepared to turn back if needed. She wasn't alone this time. That meant no throwing herself into danger without thinking.
She glanced at her companions.
Song Meiyu was busy adjusting her belt and whispering to her jade pendant like it was a lucky charm. He Yuying was munching on dried plum with a bored expression. Meanwhile, Shen Zhenyu was scanning their route again, perfectly calm and serious as always.
Linyue exhaled quietly.
After sneaking, climbing, almost falling off rooftops (mostly just Song Meiyu), and riding the horses in near silence, the four of them finally arrived at the inner wall. The giant, towering wall that separated the safety of the realm from the chaos of the wild.
There was just one tiny, teensy little problem: How were they going to get past it without being noticed?