Zhao Jingyuan opened his eyes. “Is it good or bad?”
“Neither good nor bad.”
Tong Shuxue sat down on a stone beside him and converted the text on her tablet into traditional characters before handing it over.
“Your maternal family has been pressured by the Emperor. Three estates were confiscated on charges of embezzlement.”
Zhao Jingyuan’s gaze turned instantly cold.
“How are the people?”
Tong Shuxue analyzed: “The people are fine. Your grandfather is claiming illness and is not showing himself for now, so he is safe. But the Emperor is likely testing and also warning them. If your maternal family dares to secretly assist you, next time it will not just be the confiscation of estates.”
Zhao Jingyuan’s fingers still could not bend, but the muscles in his arm tightened.
“I have implicated them.”
Tong Shuxue shook her head. “That is not how it should be said. The Emperor is targeting your brothers. Your maternal family would not be able to escape either way. This is only the beginning. If things continue to worsen, they may be in danger of losing their lives.”
The words were blunt, but Zhao Jingyuan knew they were true.
He remained silent for a long time—so long that Tong Shuxue almost thought he would not speak—before he finally spoke slowly.
“Ling San Zero Xi is in the Imperial Capital. Can you find a way to send a message to my maternal family?”
“What message?”
“Tell them I am still alive and recovering from my injuries. Tell them to make no moves for now and protect themselves. Wait until I recover.”
Tong Shuxue looked at him. “Aren’t you afraid the message will be exposed and bring pursuers?”
“My maternal family can be trusted. If they know I am alive and recovering, at least they will have hope. People, when desperate, tend to make irrational decisions.”
It was reasonable. After thinking for a moment, Tong Shuxue nodded.
“Alright. I will have Ling San find a way, but the method of transmission must be arranged by me. I cannot let Ling San Zero Xi be exposed.”
Zhao Jingyuan nodded. “Thank you.”
Tong Shuxue waved it off, about to say something when her expression suddenly changed. A bone-conduction earpiece transmitted an urgent communication from Ling Yi.
“Major General, situation detected. Large-scale human activity seven kilometers east. Preliminary scan shows over three hundred individuals carrying standard weapons, moving toward our direction.”
Tong Shuxue abruptly stood up. The movement was too fast and pulled at her rib injury, causing her to suck in a sharp breath of pain.
“Can their identities be confirmed?”
“Thermal imaging shows at least fifty people in light armor moving in an organized formation—regular troops. The rest are in mixed clothing but all carry standardized blades. Based on route and speed, they are specifically heading toward this area.”
More than three hundred people, led by regular troops, with a clear target.
This was not an accidental mountain search. It was a planned encirclement.
She clapped her hands. “All units on alert. Notify everyone—prepare for combat. Ling Er, go scout and confirm their exact numbers, equipment, and route. I need to know how long until they reach the valley.”
“Understood.”
Tong Shuxue turned to look at Zhao Jingyuan.
His expression was not good. “They are coming?”
She nodded. “Yes. More than three hundred people, led by regular troops. They will reach this area in at most two hours.”
Mo Shen tightened his grip on the hilt of his sword. “Miss Tong, what should we do? Fight or retreat?”
Tong Shuxue did not answer immediately. The mechanical arm she wore was equipped with a laser weapon and did not require ammunition—three hundred people would not be difficult to eliminate.
But what about next time? If a thousand came, even the most defensible terrain would be hard to hold.
She raised her head and looked at Zhao Jingyuan. “Your opinion?”
Zhao Jingyuan closed his eyes, took a deep breath, then opened them again.
At that moment, Tong Shuxue seemed to see the War King he once was—his body broken, but his eyes still sharp and decisive.
He spoke calmly. “Fight. But we must change the approach.”
“What do you mean?”
“They must not be allowed to approach the cave.“ Zhao Jingyuan said. “We must either lure them away before they discover the valley, or eliminate them at a distance.”
Tong Shuxue raised an eyebrow. “Do you have a plan?”
Zhao Jingyuan looked at her. “You are most familiar with this mountain. Which places are suitable for ambush? Which areas are natural traps? Which locations would allow three hundred men to have no way out?”
The question was thrown back to Tong Shuxue, but she was not angered. Instead, she smiled.
“You are asking the right person.”
She took out her tablet and pulled up the terrain map scanned and drawn by Ling Yi over the past days. A three-dimensional projection floated in the air—mountains, rivers, dense forests, cliffs—clearly visible at a glance.
She pointed to a location. “Here, five kilometers from the cave, there is a stone forest. The terrain is complex, easy to defend and difficult to attack. There are natural caverns deep inside for hiding people.”
She pointed elsewhere. “Here is the edge of the Miasma Forest. If we can lure them in, the miasma alone will take out more than half without us acting. And here—this narrow mountain gorge. Steep cliffs on both sides. Block both ends, and it becomes a death trap.”
Zhao Jingyuan studied the map, shaken by its strangeness, but the immediate crisis mattered more.
“The stone forest is too close. If any escape, they could easily trace it back to the valley. The Miasma Forest is too far—three hundred men are not fools; they will not enter easily. The narrow gorge, however, this one is usable.”
He pointed at it. “If we lure them in here, then block both ends, the high ground becomes a slaughter.”
Tong Shuxue nodded. “That is exactly what I think. But the problem is how to lure them there.”
They looked at each other and simultaneously thought of a method.
Tong Shuxue suggested: “Have Ling Er disguise themselves as hunters, or fake traces of your people to mislead them into the gorge. Then set an ambush there and eliminate them in one strike.”
The plan took shape within minutes. Rough, but there was no time for refinement.
Zhao Jingyuan turned and gave instructions. “Mo Shen, select thirty of the best fighters, equip them with bows, and follow Miss Tong’s command. Remember, this battle is not to kill the enemy, but to protect the valley. Not a single one can be allowed to escape.”
“Yes!” Mo Shen cupped his fists and ran off.
Tong Shuxue also assigned the machines.
“Ling Wu and Ling Liu, you are responsible for placing falling rocks and rolling logs on both cliff sides of the gorge. Ling Qi and Ling Ba, you will lead Mo Shen’s men into ambush positions. Ling Jiu and Ling Shi, you will follow Ling Er to lure the enemy.”
Zhao Jingyuan was sent back to the medical bay. Though unwilling, Tong Shuxue was firm.
“If you go up now, you are just throwing your life away. Stay here and wait for news.”
Before the medical bay door closed, Zhao Jingyuan looked at her and said softly: “Be careful.”
Tong Shuxue chuckled. “Don’t worry. My life is valuable.”
The door slid shut, separating inside from outside.
Tong Shuxue stood in the cavern hall, watching everyone preparing in haste. She took a deep breath.
After arriving in this world, this was her first true battle.
She would let these ancient people see what dimensional suppression meant.