Chapter Fifty-Four: Reinforcements Arrive Unexpectedly

Creak—

With the groaning of the wooden door, a small head poked in, glancing left and right to inspect the furnishings within.

On the bed, Su Bai held his breath, channeling all the inner force in his body into the center of his right palm.

Judging by the boy’s cautious demeanor and clumsy footwork, he likely hadn’t reached the Bone Tempering stage yet, which greatly increased Su Bai’s chances of victory.

As the intruder drew closer to the bed, Su Bai’s mind raced: “Why is it him?”

The one who had slipped into the room was none other than Zhou Ziheng, the boy who had previously hidden in the grass to observe Su Bai and his companion, and who later rescued Lin Tong.

At the same time, Su Bai sensed this person’s hesitation upon seeing him and couldn’t help but wonder: “He knows me? Up till now, besides Wei Mingyuan, is there anyone else at this level who recognizes me? Wei Mingyuan would never risk so much to save me, so who is this boy, really?”

Though Su Bai’s mind was filled with doubts, the force in his right palm did not waver in the slightest.

Zhou Ziheng, seeing Su Bai lying helpless on the bed, was suddenly struck by a thought: “For this person to remain safe here, she must be closely tied to the rebels. If I can extract some information from her, it would be a great achievement.”

The more he thought along these lines, the more rapidly he breathed. From the start, his mediocre talent made it nearly impossible for him to rise above the Heart Guard stage no matter how hard he tried in this lifetime.

This meant he would likely never enter the true upper echelons of the Six Gates, destined only to be a gatekeeper. But if he could glean some secret about the rebels from Su Bai and deliver it to his superiors, he would surely be handsomely rewarded.

His gaze toward Su Bai burned hotter, as if a mountain of gold was waving him forward.

One step, two steps—

His heartbeat quickened, and his vigilance toward his surroundings began to slacken…

Just as he was less than three steps from Su Bai, ready to tie up the powerless target, Su Bai—who had been lying motionless—suddenly opened his eyes.

The murderous gleam in Su Bai’s gaze made Zhou Ziheng’s heart skip a beat. Realizing things had gone awry, he pushed off with both feet, trying to retreat.

But Su Bai was prepared, and with the difference in their cultivations, even though he had lost much of his strength, there was a world of difference between someone who had once commanded power and someone who had never tasted it.

Zhou Ziheng, having spent years in the Six Gates, had far sharper reflexes than his peers. The instant he realized he was being ambushed, he retreated and drew the short dagger at his waist with a backhanded motion.

Su Bai, though lacking formal training, was no stranger to life and death struggles. Seeing Zhou Ziheng about to draw his dagger, Su Bai shifted the direction of his palm, striking hard at Zhou Ziheng’s right arm.

A surge of pain shot through Zhou Ziheng’s arm, and the dagger, only half drawn, had to be shoved back into its sheath. His retreat was interrupted by the blow, sending him crashing into the wardrobe behind him.

The impact made a loud noise—especially noticeable in the stillness of the night.

“Hey, did you hear that? There seemed to be a sound from inside the room.”

The night patrol outside sensed the commotion and called to his companion.

His comrade nodded in agreement. “Yes, I heard something too. Should we go in and check?”

“But…” The first man hesitated.

“But what?” his squadmate asked, puzzled.

He lowered his voice, “I remember the higher-ups are extremely concerned about the person in this room. If we barge in and something happens, not even a thousand heads would be enough to pay for it.”

He even made a chopping gesture with his hand, sending a chill down everyone’s spine.

“I say we let it go. As long as the person inside doesn’t try to escape, we’re not responsible. If we barge in and something goes wrong, none of us will be able to bear the consequences.”

“Exactly, exactly. We’re all low-ranking. If anything happens, who’s going to speak for us? Let’s just go back, swap shifts, and let the next team handle it.”

Once the first man voiced his refusal, the others quickly agreed, clearly unwilling to shoulder any blame.

Inside the room, the two occupants faced the same predicament.

Su Bai, forced to defend against Zhou Ziheng’s counterattack, had to change the direction of his strike.

Though this made it impossible for him to organize an effective follow-up, Zhou Ziheng had only temporarily lost the use of his right arm, while Su Bai had nearly exhausted all his strength with that single blow.

Seeing Zhou Ziheng still capable of fighting, Su Bai cursed inwardly and feigned composure, pretending to be unscathed and still full of energy.

He quickly regulated his ragged breathing, doing everything to conceal his depleted state.

During his childhood, Zhou Ziheng spent most of his time scavenging alone after leaving Lin Tong, and only recently had he joined the Six Gates for formal training.

Combined with his limited talent, his instructors hadn’t paid much attention to him. Su Bai’s feigned composure thus convinced him that Su Bai could indeed launch another attack like before.

This thought sowed seeds of retreat in Zhou Ziheng’s heart, and his left hand gripped his injured right arm ever tighter.

“The patrol shift should be changing around now. If I get bogged down in a fight here, I’ll definitely attract the rebels. Then escape will be impossible.”

Zhou Ziheng gritted his teeth, his eyes flashing with resolve—he was prepared to settle things quickly, no matter the cost.

He swiftly tapped several acupoints on his right arm with his left hand, and miraculously, his arm regained mobility. He lunged forward with his left foot, fist driving toward Su Bai in a heavy blow.

Yet Su Bai, instead of dodging, maintained his calm, unruffled expression, further undermining Zhou Ziheng’s confidence.

Just as the punch was about to land squarely on Su Bai’s face, the long-silent Su Bai suddenly spoke an unexpected phrase.

“We both came here to eradicate the rebels—why must we fight each other?”

“What?” Zhou Ziheng was baffled. After all that effort to sneak in, this person was already living among the rebels and now claimed to be on his side.

Seeing Zhou Ziheng pause, suspicion on his face, Su Bai knew his words had taken effect.

Though Zhou Ziheng was wary, Su Bai made no move to avoid the blow, and given her supposed strength, she could easily have waited for reinforcements. All this made Su Bai’s story more plausible.

“I think you should put down your fist. We can talk this through. I know you’re here for intelligence on the rebels—I am too. Our goals are the same; you can trust me.”

Su Bai’s gaze was clear, each word steady and unyielding. His voice was soft, yet Zhou Ziheng found himself almost entirely convinced.

“Which division are you from? Under which officer’s command?” Zhou Ziheng slowly lowered his fist, asking casually. Yet behind the casual tone lurked deadly intent—he didn’t know many in the Six Gates, but he was broadly familiar with the organizational structure. If the answer was wrong, he would kill without hesitation.

Of course, Su Bai understood Zhou Ziheng’s wariness. His own knowledge of the Six Gates was limited; if Zhou Ziheng saw through any slip, he’d be in grave danger.

At this distance—less than two steps—Zhou Ziheng could easily kill him.

Su Bai smiled faintly. “Do you really not know who I am, brother?”

Zhou Ziheng narrowed his eyes, and in the next instant, a dagger was at Su Bai’s throat.

His eyes glinted with impatience. “If you keep stalling, my blade won’t wait for you,” he said, pressing the blade closer, as if blood would spatter the room at any second.

Su Bai sneered. “If you have the guts, kill me. As a member of the Embroidered Guard, I have never yielded to threats. But you’d better think carefully—kill me, and the Embroidered Guard will tear you to pieces and grind your bones to dust!”

His voice rose with a fierce, unyielding tone, and his defiant gaze completely suppressed Zhou Ziheng’s momentum.

“Hmph!” Zhou Ziheng snorted, shoved Su Bai away with his left hand, and sheathed his dagger.

Su Bai staggered back two steps from the push before regaining his balance.

“If you’re with the Embroidered Guard, why share the spoils with me?” Zhou Ziheng continued, though now his tone was more relaxed.

“You know as well as I do—they send kids our age out here just as cannon fodder. If we don’t stick together, we’ll either be punished by our own side or…” Su Bai replied fluently, even miming a beheading gesture.

“Hm.” Zhou Ziheng nodded in agreement. “You’re right. They’re just paving the way for the real elites. If we want to survive, we have to rely on ourselves.”

“One last question—and you don’t have to answer. How did you manage to stay here safely in the rebels’ camp? You’re not that strong. Why haven’t they seen through you?”

Su Bai knew he could dodge this question. After all, he was supposed to be with the Embroidered Guard, and their division rarely cooperated with the Six Gates. It wouldn’t be wise to divulge core secrets now, even in a temporary alliance.

But he needed an ally to help him escape, and Zhou Ziheng’s scheming nature ensured he wouldn’t suspect Su Bai just because he withheld some details.

“Well…” Su Bai feigned difficulty, then seeing the curiosity in Zhou Ziheng’s eyes, replied hesitantly, “Do you remember the little young master of the Su family who survived by a stroke of luck?”

“The Su family?” Zhou Ziheng frowned, pondering, then suddenly gasped, “You mean the prince whose clan was wiped out? But what does that have to do with you?”

Seeing Zhou Ziheng now believed him completely, Su Bai pressed a finger to his lips for silence and whispered, “Keep your voice down. If the sentries outside hear, we’re finished.”

“Mm, mm.” Zhou Ziheng covered his mouth and nodded apologetically for his outburst. He asked again, “But what does that have to do with you mixing in with the rebels?”

“I have a reliable friend in the Embroidered Guard, whose elders are influential there. I learned from him that the Su family’s young master, during his escape, apparently disfigured himself.”

At this, Su Bai gave Zhou Ziheng a meaningful look.

“You pretended to be the young master and let them find you on purpose?” Zhou Ziheng stared, astonished—he hadn’t imagined anyone would attempt such a scheme.

“And you never slipped up in front of them? How did you manage that?”

Zhou Ziheng’s gaze was now filled with admiration. After all, Su Bai had disfigured himself for this mission and infiltrated the enemy camp alone, without assistance.

“I did plenty of research on the Su family before coming, and pieced together some details based on internal intelligence. Plus, I was injured when I got here, so they kept bringing in doctors to treat me—no one suspected I was an impostor.”

“Brilliant, truly brilliant! You and the young master are about the same age, and with both faces ruined, it’s impossible to tell by appearance alone.”

Su Bai, seeing Zhou Ziheng so thoroughly convinced, found it amusing—his own story couldn’t compete with Zhou Ziheng’s imagination.

With Zhou Ziheng’s trust now secured, Su Bai finally felt a weight lift from his heart.

“So, what’s your next plan?” Having answered Zhou Ziheng’s questions, Su Bai at last asked his own—marking a subtle shift in who led their conversation.

Facing Su Bai’s question, Zhou Ziheng replied almost without thinking, “To be honest, I barely managed to sneak into the enemy camp this time. I was hoping to capture someone for interrogation, but I ran into a member of the Embroidered Guard instead.”

“Can you get a message out now?”

“That won’t be a problem,” Zhou Ziheng answered without hesitation.

“Excellent. Then take my intelligence to the Embroidered Guard immediately.”

“This…” As expected, Zhou Ziheng hesitated at the mention of the Embroidered Guard. He didn’t work there, so delivering a report would earn him no reward—and might even get him ostracized by the Six Gates. He would never agree to such a thankless task.

No matter how much he tried to hide it, Su Bai saw through his reluctance, which was just as he wanted.

Instead of pressing the issue, Su Bai laid out all the information about the camp.

“Wenshan Yuan, the second-in-command, is deeply at odds with Tang Jiuyuan. If the court can secretly win over Wenshan Yuan, or further aggravate their conflict, the rebellion can be quelled with ease…”

“That’s all I know. Make sure to deliver this intelligence to the Embroidered Guard’s Shengzhou branch. My code name is Red Fox—don’t forget. Do you understand?”

Su Bai rattled off the information, waving a hand in front of Zhou Ziheng’s eyes, startling him. Zhou Ziheng quickly replied, “Yes, yes, I understand!”

“Are you leaving now?” Su Bai asked quietly.

“It should be the second patrol shift by now. In about the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn, I can retrace my steps and slip away.” Zhou Ziheng was indeed well-prepared, timing things precisely.

A stick of incense later—

“Don’t forget to deliver my message to the Embroidered Guard’s Shengzhou branch!” Su Bai called after Zhou Ziheng as he was about to leave.

“I won’t fail you, brother! May our paths cross again,” Zhou Ziheng replied, cupping his hands before donning his gear and disappearing into the night.

Watching Zhou Ziheng melt into the darkness, Su Bai’s lips curled into a satisfied smile. “Did you really think I would trust you to deliver the message to the Embroidered Guard? If you actually do, they’ll just ask you who this ‘Red Fox’ is!”

Su Bai was certain Zhou Ziheng would report to the Six Gates, which meant he could expect their support without anyone suspecting his true identity.

As for the code name Red Fox… Zhou Ziheng could dig himself out of that hole when the time came.