Chapter 640: Getting into Character

Chapter 640: Chapter 640: Getting into Character

"This is—"

King Yan Nan’s faint suspicion was finally confirmed.

"You plan to leave the city just like this?"

"That’s right!"

Ye Yunfeng quickly tied the strip of mourning cloth around his head. Combined with the hemp garment he wore, he certainly looked the part.

He lifted the curtain, peeked outside, and then sat back down properly.

"Have you forgotten? There was a fire in the city the day before yesterday, and several people died. The city was sealed, so no one could even hold proper funerals. Now that the gates are open, the dead should be laid to rest. Wouldn’t you say?"

King Yan Nan understood. His face was a mask of utter disbelief.

"You... you mean..."

THUMP THUMP THUMP!

The sudden sound of unified, hurried footsteps echoed through the streets, piercing the quiet morning air!

The corner of Ye Yunfeng’s mouth curled into a smirk.

"It seems they can’t hold back any longer. They’ve started to step up the patrols."

The whole night had passed without incident. He knew the Southern Hu people were more afraid of King Yan Nan’s disappearance being exposed than he was.

But they weren’t willing to just sit around and wait for the worst, so they’d finally sent men out to search first thing in the morning.

These men hadn’t been nearly this "diligent" in the past few days.

King Yan Nan’s brow furrowed.

He, too, guessed that those men were coming for him!

As the footsteps drew closer, it felt as if a tight fist was squeezing his heart!

Ye Yunfeng patted his companion on the shoulder, signaling for him to come in and change his clothes.

The movement quickly caught the attention of the patrol.

"Hey! You over there! What are you doing!"

The rebuke was sharp and discourteous.

King Yan Nan held his breath, his entire body tense to the breaking point.

When they received no reply, the men headed straight for them.

"Hey! I’m talking to you! Get out here, now!"

The voice grew closer and closer. They were just one turn away from being seen—

"Go!"

Ye Yunfeng hissed, leaping from the carriage first!

Right behind him, his companion, who had just finished putting on his hemp mourning clothes and headband, followed suit.

"You—"

King Yan Nan opened his mouth, but swallowed his words and decisively followed behind them.

At the same time, he bent his knees slightly, assuming a combat stance.

’If something goes wrong, I can’t drag Ye Yunfeng and the others down—’

Suddenly!

The loud, mournful cry of a suona horn echoed from behind them!

King Yan Nan’s heart leaped. He instinctively turned his head and froze in astonishment.

In the blink of an eye, figures emerged from all corners of the street!

Like him and Ye Yunfeng, they were all dressed in hemp mourning clothes, and they were even carrying a coffin!

The moment the suona sounded, the horse, which had been standing quietly, twitched its ears, cleverly turned into an inconspicuous side alley, and vanished from sight.

At a glance, the street now held nothing more than a funeral procession.

King Yan Nan was dumbfounded.

’This... this—’

He instinctively looked toward Ye Yunfeng, wanting to ask what was going on, but just as he turned, he saw Ye Yunfeng, with swift reflexes, grab the white funeral banner!

FLUTTER—!

White paper money filled the air, and accompanied by the sorrowful suona, it was enough to make anyone’s heart ache with grief.

The patrolmen rushed over only to be met with this scene.

The group of men stood stunned, not expecting to run into something like this so early in the morning.

"Tch! What bad luck!"

One of them couldn’t help but complain.

The leader frowned, but the tension in his heart eased. He waved his hand impatiently, signaling for them to hurry up and leave.

The low sounds of whimpering and sobbing only made them more agitated.

King Yan Nan lowered his eyes the moment he saw them. Fortunately, he had already changed his clothes and disguised his appearance. As long as it wasn’t an acquaintance scrutinizing him up close, he wouldn’t be easily recognized.

He smoothly blended into the "funeral" procession, walking forward with his head down among the others.

It was only then that he finally understood what Ye Yunfeng had meant by being "well-prepared"!

These people were clearly the soldiers who had infiltrated Long City with him, waiting here all along. They were just waiting for the signal to rush out and provide cover!

He had to admit, the method was brilliant. Not only could they leave the city in plain sight, but it also minimized the chances of being inspected by these men!

After all, no one would want to take a closer look when faced with a situation like this.

’It’s really...’

King Yan Nan couldn’t help but look up at Ye Yunfeng, who was leading the procession, completely immersed in his performance of carrying the funeral banner. He could even faintly hear a sob in the young man’s voice.

"Big Brother! May you have a safe journey—!"

King Yan Nan: "..."

He was now filled with genuine curiosity. What kind of environment could possibly produce a young man like this?

Not only was he a master of martial arts and quick-witted, but he was also brimming with clever schemes!

If he ever got the chance, he really wanted to meet this "elder sister" that Ye Yunfeng praised so highly.

However, just as this thought flashed through his mind, right as the two groups were about to pass each other, a cold shout suddenly rang out.

"Halt!"

King Yan Nan’s heart pounded, but he stopped in his tracks along with the rest of the procession.

Ye Yunfeng turned to look, a hint of confusion and bewilderment on his "haggard" face.

"Is there a problem, Officer?"

The leader narrowed his eyes and asked in a low, stern voice, "You’re heading out of the city!?"

Ye Yunfeng nodded blankly. "Y-yes..."

He gestured toward the North City Gate, which was already wide open.

"My big brother had a terrible fate. He was burned alive in the fire the other day! W-we just wanted to give him a proper funeral, see him out of the city, and bury him with our parents..."

"Is that so?"

The man’s eyes were filled with suspicion.

The gates had been closed for a long time, and many people in the city were indeed eager to leave on business, but this seemed too rushed.

Especially...

His gaze swept over the crowd, finally landing on the coffin.

"You, go open the coffin!"

King Yan Nan, who was suddenly singled out, felt his brow twitch.

He quickly sized up the man before lowering his eyes again. "...Yes."

Everyone turned to look, the atmosphere thick with tension.

King Yan Nan was very close to the coffin. He only had to turn and take two steps to reach it.

But those two steps felt incredibly heavy.

As he walked, all sorts of scenarios raced through his mind.

’Once the coffin is opened and they discover something is amiss, they’ll never let us go!’

’At that point, a direct confrontation will be unavoidable.’

’The number of people on both sides is about the same, but they have weapons!’

’And this is their territory, not far from the city gate. If a fight breaks out, it’s bound to attract a lot of reinforcements quickly.’

’That’s when we’ll really be in trouble...’

’If I hadn’t been afflicted by that poisonous insect, I might have been able to fight to the death to ensure Ye Yunfeng and the others escaped. But now, I’m no different from a cripple. I’m afraid...’

"What are you dawdling for! Hurry up!" a guard couldn’t help but yell, urging him on.

King Yan Nan’s throat was dry.

Everyone’s gaze was fixed on him. He had no choice but to open the coffin!

He took a deep breath and slowly pushed with both hands—

Suddenly, Ye Yunfeng pushed through the crowd and threw himself forward, choking back sobs!

"Big Brother—!"