Chapter 639: Already Prepared

Chapter 639: Chapter 639: Already Prepared

As he finished speaking, another man lifted his head, trembling. "Master, that man... he probably wasn’t one of King Yan Nan’s personal guards."

Tuoba Yu’s brow furrowed. "What?"

The man took a deep breath and stammered out an explanation. "Your subordinate made a special investigation. Of his five hundred personal guards, some are dead, some are wounded. Except for the one who escaped earlier, all the rest are accounted for. And... and even that man, after we caught him a few days ago, was executed on the spot! So, the people who snuck into the manor this time to rescue King Yan Nan couldn’t have been the men he brought with him!"

By the time he’d spoken the last word, Tuoba Yu’s expression had become extremely grim.

"If that’s true, then where in the world did that man come from!?"

A bold guess surfaced in his mind, leaving him deeply unsettled.

The kneeling men looked at each other in dismay, their faces pale.

’If it wasn’t King Yan Nan’s personal guard, that means news of his capture has already leaked!’

"Master, what do we do now?"

Tuoba Yu was furious.

’Of all the times for something to go wrong, it had to be now!’

The men sent by the court were still waiting in the side hall. Any unusual movement here would immediately arouse their suspicion!

He couldn’t just kill them either—to do so would be a direct declaration of war!

Tuoba Yu wasn’t insane.

His original plan was to start with Long City, secretly seize control of the nearby border cities, and build up his own strength.

Who knew an accident would happen so soon!

"This must not be a big, public affair. Send men immediately to search the city. Remember, you must act with extreme discretion! I refuse to believe he could have sprouted wings and flown away!"

"Yes!"

The men answered in unison, but there was another urgent matter to attend to.

"Master, the men from the court are insisting on seeing King Yan Nan. We used the excuse of a welcoming feast to get them to rest for today, but tomorrow they will definitely—"

"Didn’t we already find a body double!?"

The mere mention of this made Tuoba Yu’s blood boil.

If it wasn’t for dealing with these people, he would never have thought of finding a fake King Yan Nan as a substitute! And the real one would never have escaped during the switch!

His head throbbed. He closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and forcibly suppressed the rage in his heart.

"Just say... King Yan Nan has caught a chill and is not fit to see anyone. If they insist, they can see him from behind a curtain."

’The most important thing right now is to get past this immediate problem!’

One of the subordinates couldn’t help but look up and ask, "Master, then... should we still proceed with the original plan and fake his death from falling off a mountain?"

Tuoba Yu’s headache intensified.

His original plan had been perfect: use the body double to deceive the court officials, then find a suitable time to announce King Yan Nan’s accidental death. He had even planned to kill a few more of the King’s personal guards and place their bodies at the scene, making the world believe it was truly an accident.

But who would have thought that the real King Yan Nan would escape!

It was like a time bomb, set to go off at any moment, filling his heart with unease.

The previous plan was definitely impossible now. Who knew where the man was hiding?

If he suddenly appeared and dealt them a fatal blow, all their previous efforts would be for nothing!

"The plan has changed. For now, lie low and make no move. Secretly dispatch more men and find him for me as quickly as possible! I refuse to believe that in such a short time, he could have sprouted wings and flown away!"

"Yes!"

...

「A night passed quietly.」

At the crack of dawn, King Yan Nan, who had been sitting in the carriage all night, opened his eyes.

Ye Yunfeng had woken up earlier. Seeing the king’s eyes open, he smiled. "You’re awake?"

King Yan Nan kneaded his shoulder.

Ye Yunfeng looked a little apologetic. "The situation is special. I’m sorry you’ve had to put up with being in this carriage for so long."

"It’s nothing." King Yan Nan was unconcerned. "We’re old soldiers who have been on the battlefield. What kind of hardship is this?"

He had endured conditions a hundred times harsher than this. What was so difficult about waiting one night in a carriage?

"I’m just a little surprised..." King Yan Nan shifted slightly, pressing his ear to the curtain to listen for a moment.

It was probably because the hour was still early; there weren’t many people on the streets, so it was especially quiet.

He looked at Ye Yunfeng. "I thought you would leave the city last night."

Last night, Ye Yunfeng had spirited him away from the manor in a great hurry, then driven the carriage straight for the North City Gate. It was natural for him to think so.

But when they were still a street away from the gate, Ye Yunfeng had stopped the carriage, and they had simply waited there all night.

He had barely closed his eyes all night.

But fortunately, he was young and full of energy. Despite staying up all night, his face showed no trace of fatigue.

"For the past few days, Long City has kept its gates closed under the pretext of searching for Nanhu spies, allowing people in but not out. If we had gone there rashly, we would have certainly drawn attention."

As Ye Yunfeng spoke, he bent a finger and pressed a spot on the small table. A hidden compartment popped open silently.

King Yan Nan glanced over. It seemed to be a few sets of clothes, along with some things like beards and hairpieces.

"This is..."

Ye Yunfeng took everything out. "The city gate will be opening soon. We’ll disguise ourselves and walk right out in the open!"

The sky was still a deep indigo, and there was no one around—the perfect time for them to change their appearance.

King Yan Nan was taken aback for a moment, then found a set of old linen clothes had been placed in his arms.

It took him a second to react before he asked, "How did you know the city gate would open today?"

Ye Yunfeng raised a sharp eyebrow.

"The people from the court are still in the city. Since they’re putting on a show, they have to go all the way."

King Yan Nan understood instantly.

’That’s right!’

Previously, the Southern Hu people had quietly taken over all of Long City. To block any news from getting out, they had deliberately found an excuse to close the city gates.

But—the court officials had arrived.

To anyone not in the know, Long City was currently safe and sound, with King Yan Nan personally overseeing it. Everything was normal.

If the city gates remained shut, the anomaly would definitely be discovered!

Therefore, whether they liked it or not, Long City today—had to appear exactly as it always did!

’And counting the hours, it is indeed time!’

"That’s excellent. But once the gates are open, they will surely inspect everyone entering and leaving more carefully. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to fool them."

Even if they changed their clothes and wore different faces, they might not be able to deceive the guards at the city gate.

"You don’t need to worry about that. We’ve already made preparations."

As he spoke, Ye Yunfeng did something to his face, and in the blink of an eye, his appearance was completely different!

He now looked like a gaunt, frail young man of about twenty.

"Preparations?" King Yan Nan asked, confused.

A playful smile touched the corner of Ye Yunfeng’s mouth as he opened his hand.

A strip of white mourning cloth lay quietly in his palm.