A master of metaphysics is farming.

Chapter 176, Couple 2

The moon closes and the clouds disperse; the dark clouds in the sky can't stay sparse forever. She can't keep using her fingertip blood to artificially disperse the clouds...

We need to find a way to satisfy both sides.

Xiang He folded up the large umbrella and retreated several steps. As the clouds above began to gather, the soldiers below started to move again. Zhu Nan and the four ghosts immediately surrounded Xiang He to prevent the Yin energy from launching a sudden attack.

As expected, the Yin energy that had just disappeared reappeared. Having learned from their previous experience, they found it much easier to resist.

Xiang He stood in the circle, watching to see where this yin energy came from.

Before she could think any further, the blades suddenly became even sharper and more numerous, and rings of yin energy surrounded them, leaving them with no way to advance or retreat!

"girl!"

Xiang He turned to face the way she came, and swept her large umbrella across the room. The airflow, accompanied by a strong wind, dispersed some of the yin energy.

Before she could make a move, the yin energy instantly coalesced, and sharp blades pierced towards her. She quickly raised her large umbrella to defend herself.

The Yin energy was like a huge black curtain, enveloping the two people, the four ghosts, and the demon. Sharp blades shot out indiscriminately from all sides, and they gradually became unable to resist.

Helpless, Xiang He could only bite his middle finger again, pull out the yellow paper, draw a talisman, and chant, "Heaven and earth have laws, myriad forms... Five thunderbolts, break!"

A cry of surprise escaped his lips, and the talisman was thrown back the way it came. The tip of the umbrella pierced the talisman and instantly unleashed lightning, with crackling sounds alternating within the lightning.

However, the talisman exploded in an instant, shattering the yin energy that had been obscuring their path. Xiang He turned to pull Zhu Nan along, but was pushed away—

"Be careful girl!"

With a slight tilt of his body, a sharp blade stabbed towards He's ear, piercing straight into Zhu Nan's right shoulder. He went limp and looked down at He, only to see that He's left leg had also been stabbed.

"Zhu Nan!" Xiang He chopped the large umbrella in half with a backhand, then pulled Zhu Nan's left hand onto his shoulder. "The Four Ghosts are back, retreat first!"

The four ghosts, pierced in several places, immediately vanished. Black Crow, ignoring everything, clutched Zhu Nan tightly, shouting, "Go! Go!"

Xiang He grabbed Zhu Nan by the back of his waistband and half-lifted him as he rushed out of the only breakthrough.

A tightness gripped his waist, and Zhu Nan looked embarrassed. "Miss...actually, I can still run..."

"Don't speak! It's dangerous for this yin energy to enter a mortal body. We need to find a safe place as soon as possible so I can help you get rid of the yin energy."

Zhu Nan was so embarrassed that she didn't want to speak and simply closed her eyes, unable to face him.

Fortunately, Xiang He was strong and fast-paced, rushing downhill, which was much faster than going uphill.

They didn't know how long they had been running. The chilling aura around them gradually dissipated. Xiang He slowed down and stopped. After putting the bamboo nanmu against the big tree and regaining his senses, he realized that the yin energy behind them was only five meters away. It shimmered with a faint, eerie light, like a pair of eyes staring at them, but they could not get close.

She dared not delay any longer, took out the talisman and silently chanted in front of her lips, then slapped the wound on the bamboo shoot.

The slap was very loud, and it stung the bleeding wound.

Zhu Nan remained expressionless, staring intently at the black, sinister aura. "Miss, you've gotten a little too close."

“Hmm,” she glanced back briefly, “it seems the range was set based on the enemy’s marching route.”

Looking up again, he saw that the waning moon was shrouded in dark clouds. There were indeed dark clouds, but more importantly, it was the yin energy that was blocking the moonlight, forcing the army to travel at night.

"The bleeding has stopped. Let's find a safe place to treat the wound. Can you walk now?"

“Hmm,” Zhu Nan said, leaning against a large tree as she stood up. “Miss, why is the enemy not advancing during the day? Is it simply because of the scorching sun?”

The two walked down the mountain, and Xiang He would look back from time to time. "Not necessarily. Ghosts can come out during the day. We were discovered tonight. I have a feeling that something else will happen."

Following the sound, they got closer and closer to the main road, and the two walked back along the mountain path beside the road.

Xiang He glanced down at Zhu Nan's chest. "Black Crow, stop hiding. Come out and see how far away the enemy is."

Zhu Nan's clothes stirred, and a muffled voice came from Black Crow, "I dare not..."

"..." Xiang He reached out and patted him, "You can fly up and take a look."

"Oh……"

The black crow reluctantly poked its head out, and only after confirming that there was no danger around did it fly out and soar above the two people's heads. "The distance is... five miles."

As he spoke, he immediately flew down and stood on Xiang He's shoulder, refusing to move any further.

"It seems the area is a five-mile radius extending from the enemy's position," Xiang He said, looking around. "I remember there are houses nearby..."

"It's just a mile ahead."

The two immediately quickened their pace; even though Zhu Nan was injured, she moved very fast.

There were two houses on the hillside, far away.

"There should be water there. Let me clean your wound first; infection could be a real problem."

"Yes."

Black Crow had already flown over. After the two of them arrived, Xiang He knocked on the door, not expecting a response. But then a soft scream suddenly came from inside.

The two exchanged a glance, and Xiang He immediately spoke up, "Is someone here? Someone here is injured and would like to borrow some water to clean their wounds. Is that alright?"

There was a very slight rustling sound inside. Xiang He continued, "We are General Pang's soldiers. We gathered information tonight and were on our way back, but we were injured. Could you please help us?"

Zhu Nan raised her hand and knocked lightly, "Could you please open the door?"

After a moment of silence, footsteps gradually appeared inside. Zhu Nan said calmly, "All those who join the army are men."

"Forgot about that..."

A short while later, a man came out and opened the door a crack, saying, "What kind of woman serves in the army..."

Xiang He nodded slightly and smiled, "The situation is rather special. In short, we are not enemy soldiers." She pulled Zhu Nan closer, "Look, he is really injured. This is troublesome. We can stay outside; we only need half a bucket of water."

The man looked Zhu Nan up and down, noticing his pale face, and said with some doubt, "You can wait here."

"Thank you."

The two sat on the bench outside, and when the man came out carrying a half-bucket of water, Xiang He reached out and took it.

Zhu Nan unbuttoned her clothes, revealing a bloody hole in her shoulder. The man hiding in the doorway grinned, "Have you been discovered by the enemy?"

“Sort of,” Xiang He said, taking out a handkerchief from her cloth bag and wetting it. “The enemy is closing in, why haven’t you left yet?”

The man behind the door frowned, a hint of anger in his eyes. "They won't let us into the city."

Upon hearing this, I suddenly remembered that they had said that Shuiyun City was now only allowing people to leave and not enter, for fear that enemies might impersonate people of Dayu and enter.

Without stopping, he poured on some wound powder and wrapped it with gauze. "We can go into the city. Do you want to come with us?"

The man was slightly taken aback, his eyes flashing with joy, but quickly turning wary. "How can I be sure you're really soldiers? What if you're leading us to the enemy's side..."

The fact that neither of them was wearing military uniforms or any identification was indeed hard to believe.

Zhu Nan put on her clothes, pulled up her trousers, took the handkerchief from Xiang He, and treated her wound herself.

Xiang He shook the water off his hands. "It's more dangerous for you to stay here. The enemy is only twenty miles away from us now. It's not too late to leave."

The man frowned and hesitated. He heard footsteps behind him and immediately went to help her. It was a heavily pregnant woman who looked like she was about to give birth.

"The past two days we clearly reached the city gate, but the guards just wouldn't let us in. Everyone else took the same route back, but my wife has difficulty walking..."

Xiang He crossed her arms and said, "Okay, come with us tonight, and General Pang will let us through."

The man clearly still didn't believe it, but his wife nodded, "Staying here is a dead end anyway, let's go with this girl."