Chapter 613: Volunteering

Chapter 613: Chapter 613: Volunteering

’So that’s what this means...’

Ye Yunfeng met the man’s gaze for a moment before slowly nodding. "I understand."

The man released his hand.

Seeing this, a man nearby said, "A Feng, since it’s a letter from your sister, go take a break and read it."

A letter from home was a private matter, and this one seemed particularly unusual.

Ye Yunfeng felt a wave of relief and nodded. "Alright."

With that, he stepped aside and carefully opened the letter.

Several folded sheets of paper were stuffed inside, but when Ye Yunfeng opened them, he found there wasn’t a single word on them!

He frowned. ’This...’

But a second later, he discovered a thin strip of paper stuck to the very bottom of the envelope.

His pupils contracted as he carefully peeled it off.

The moment he saw the handwriting, his heart leaped—it was indeed his sister’s script!

But when he saw what was written, a chill shot up from the soles of his feet, making his blood run cold!

—Long City has fallen. King Yan Nan is trapped. Grave danger!

Ye Yunfeng clutched the note tightly. He appeared calm on the surface, but inwardly, he was shaken to the core!

Too many questions flooded his mind.

’Something happened in Long City?’

’King Yan Nan is trapped in a perilous situation?’

’But how did my sister know all this? And how did she manage to send this letter from so far away?!’

He was over two hundred li from Long City, yet he hadn’t received a single piece of news about it!

’What in the world—’

In a matter of moments, a thousand thoughts raced through Ye Yunfeng’s mind.

He quickly put the letter away and turned back to the messenger.

"This is indeed my sister’s letter. Thank you."

The man let out a silent sigh of relief, his taut nerves finally relaxing.

"Since the letter is in your hands, I’ll be heading back now."

Ye Yunfeng’s gaze swept over the dead horse on the ground. "You have no mount. How will you get back? Why don’t I lend you one?"

The man was a bit surprised but didn’t object.

"I do have urgent matters to attend to at home. If you could help me with this, I would be deeply grateful."

"It’s the least I can do."

Ye Yunfeng carefully tucked the letter into his clothes, then turned to the man who had spoken earlier.

"Captain, I’d like to go back and get my horse for him."

The man’s eyes flicked between the two of them before he agreed with a smile, "Alright!"

Though Ye Yunfeng didn’t show it, any discerning person could tell—he was in a great hurry.

’What on earth was written in that letter to make him react so strongly?’

’And that messenger, there was something odd about him too. He rode a horse to its death... This must be some earth-shattering news, right?’

But it was someone else’s family affair, after all, so it wasn’t their place to ask.

In any case, the messenger was waiting here, and they were on guard. Nothing would go wrong, so letting Ye Yunfeng go back for a moment was no big deal.

"Hurry back."

"Yes, sir!"

...

Ye Yunfeng sprinted all the way back to his quarters.

He currently slept in a communal room, a dozen or so men crammed into one space. The conditions were extremely crude.

But everyone else was out at the moment, leaving him alone.

Ye Yunfeng took out the letter again, then used a flint to light the single oil lamp in the room.

This time, however, he didn’t look at the small note. Instead, he took the three blank sheets of paper and held them near the weak candlelight, slowly warming them.

Gradually, clear writing began to appear on the paper!

Ye Yunfeng’s spirits lifted. ’Just as I thought!’

He’d thought the paper felt strange earlier, and by following a method his sister had taught him long ago, he was now seeing the letter’s true contents!

However, the handwriting wasn’t his sister’s familiar script, but an elegant and free-flowing semi-cursive.

Ye Yunfeng was uncertain at first, but after finishing the first page, he couldn’t help but draw a sharp breath.

—It detailed everything that had recently happened in Long City. It explained that King Yan Nan was trapped, that the city had long been secretly controlled by the Southern Hu people, and that it was truly on the brink of collapse!

Ye Yunfeng didn’t know who wrote the letter, but he was certain of one thing: this person knew the situation in Long City extremely well!

His suspicion was confirmed when he saw the second sheet of paper, because... it was a map of Long City’s military deployments.

The locations of garrisons inside and outside the city, the placement of grain and supplies... everything was marked with perfect clarity!

Ye Yunfeng was inwardly astonished.

’Something this secret... not even all of Long City’s own soldiers would know the full details. Yet now, it had fallen so easily into his hands!’

After calming his shock, he looked at the third sheet.

Unexpectedly, there was nothing else on it, just a single sentence.

—I hear from your sister that you’re quite capable?

Ye Yunfeng froze.

’He had no idea who the writer was. His sister had never mentioned knowing someone like this, had she?’

’But... from the looks of it, this person seems to be on good terms with my sister.’

’Otherwise, the note she wrote wouldn’t have been included.’

Ye Yunfeng had no time to ponder. He pushed his doubts aside for the moment and, after a moment’s thought, rushed out the door in a specific direction!

...

"What did you say?!"

Feng Zhang shot to his feet, his face a mask of shock.

"Long City is besieged and calling for aid, King Yan Nan’s fate is unknown... Where did you get this information?"

Ye Yunfeng handed over the letter, his expression grim.

"It’s all in here. Please, take a look."

Half-believing, half-doubting, Feng Zhang snatched the letter and tore it open.

The more he read, the uglier his expression became, until his brows were deeply furrowed.

"These people are unbelievably audacious!"

Feng Zhang was furious.

"Something this huge happened, and we didn’t hear a single thing!"

Ye Yunfeng had thought it over and over. Right now, the only person he could turn to for help was Feng Zhang.

First, he had military authority and could mobilize troops to reinforce Long City. Second, Ye Yunfeng felt that he was the only one who would believe him.

Anyone else would have certainly doubted the letter’s origin and authenticity.

But Feng Zhang wouldn’t.

From the moment he received his sister’s letter, Ye Yunfeng understood her plan.

This message had passed through many hands, but it was actually intended for Feng Zhang!

He, the messenger outside the city, and the person who wrote the letter... they were all just links in a chain!

Because his sister knew that at this moment, the only one who could act was Feng Zhang!

"Sir, what are your plans?" Ye Yunfeng asked. "Time is of the essence. We must make a decision quickly."

Feng Zhang’s brow was locked in a tight frown as he paced back and forth.

Finally, he gave the order.

"We can’t make a big show of this, or we’ll alert the enemy and ruin everything. The best course of action... is to secretly dispatch a small team to investigate the situation in Long City!"

Ye Yunfeng took a step forward, his eyes resolute and his voice firm.

"I volunteer to lead the vanguard to Long City!"