45. Chapter 45: Escape (5)
Just as she was about to make a run for it, she realized that no matter how long she had been walking, she had yet to catch sight of the legendary perimeter wall.
The guard she had been walking with was the lowest-ranking member of his squad, having only secured his position at Nine Gardens through his cousin’s connections. Seeing someone who appeared even more clueless than himself, he naturally opened the floodgates of conversation.
The guard looked Chang Ge Yue up and down and asked with a dim-witted grin, "New here, brother?"
Chang Ge Yue nodded hurriedly, then looked at him with an expression of feigned reverence.
The little guard’s sense of self-importance swelled, and he felt utterly buoyed by her admiration, spilling his heart out to her. "The Prince’s mansion is protected by a formation base."
Chang Ge Yue’s eyes darted about, waiting for him to reveal the location of this mysterious base, but the little guard simply smirked with an air of mystery. "As for where that base is, even I don't know, let alone you."
Chang Ge Yue thought to herself, *I would love to give you a piece of my mind!*
At that moment, the entire search party came to a sudden halt. The captain leading them knelt on one knee before the man in black at the front. "Steward Qin."
Steward Qin, dressed in black and looking to be in his forties, possessed a pair of thick, dark brows that gave him an air of natural authority. "The Master has ordered all personnel to assemble in the inner courtyard."
Chang Ge Yue’s heart skipped a beat. It seemed that the perverted man already knew she was masquerading as a guard.
How was she supposed to escape in broad daylight?
She gritted her teeth slightly and prepared to slip away from the back of the formation, but the dim-witted guard piped up, "Brother, where are you going?"
"To... to the latrine," Chang Ge Yue said, feigning pain, terrified that the little guard would press for details and draw Steward Qin’s attention.
The guard, true to his simple-minded nature, nodded. "Go ahead, then."
Chang Ge Yue retreated step by step, and once she was certain no one was watching, she ducked into a nearby courtyard.
The courtyard was spacious and empty, with not a soul in sight in the middle of the day.
She frowned slightly. Her guard’s disguise was clearly no longer safe. She needed to find a maid’s outfit to change into.
Clever as she was, Chang Ge Yue could never have guessed that there wasn't a single maid in all of Nine Gardens!
Pouting, she crept through the empty courtyard, crouching low.
After entering several main rooms, she felt like cursing; there wasn't a single person to be found.
She gritted her teeth, then suddenly, her ears twitched.
Thanks to her powerful soul, her senses were exceptionally sharp, and her footsteps were far lighter than those of an ordinary person.
A faint smile touched her lips as she followed the subtle sound.
In the main garden, Feng Shang sat in a heavy, solid bronze-wood chair. His gaze was cold and sharp. Though his expression betrayed neither joy nor anger, his presence was so imposing that everyone nearby instinctively held their breath.
The only sound in the garden was the rhythmic tapping of Feng Shang’s fingers against the armrest.
After a long silence, Feng Shang swept his gaze over the assembled ranks. "Are all the men accounted for?" Nine Gardens was merely one of his minor strongholds in the capital. The guards here were ordinary men; his true forces would never be exposed in a place like this.
The guards clearly could not withstand Feng Shang’s oppressive aura. Steward Qin sighed inwardly; these guards were worlds apart from those at the Prince’s main estate—it was no wonder the Prince held them in such low regard.
"Reporting to you, sir, everyone is present," Steward Qin replied respectfully.
Feng Shang did not speak, but his gaze swept over them one by one. Finally, his phoenix-like eyes turned cold. "Is everyone truly here?" This time, his question was directed at a little guard in the ranks who was trembling slightly.