Chang Long and Thankhun found themselves pressed together once again after the danger subsided. The two were invited into the secret military camp, where the soldiers stared at them in astonishnt. General Qiao, as they later learned his na, had to explain to his troops that Chang Long and Thankhun were under a curse that bound their bodies together, only allowing them to separate in life-threatening situations. Although Chang Long was still far from comfortable walking in such close proximity to Thankhun, she clung tightly to him, wary of the leering gazes of the soldiers, most of whom had not gone ho to see their wives in years. At the mont, Thankhun was the only person Chang Long felt safe with, and she refused to leave his side while they stayed in the camp.
General Qiao ordered a new tent to be set up near his own for Chang Long and Thankhun to rest. The general spent his day inspecting the camp and giving orders, remaining busy until evening. When it was ti for dinner, Chang Long and Thankhun joined him to eat and to hear more about Zhi Yuan.
" Zhi Yuan was a young, courageous man full of energy. He ca here as a ssenger but arrived at a bad ti. Zhi Yuan rode his horse at full speed, fleeing from an army pursuing him. He barely made it into the camp in ti. The battle intensified, and he couldn't deliver the ssage I wrote in reply. Eventually, our front line collapsed, as you've seen for yourselves. Zhi Yuan was captured along with several prisoners, and we haven't heard of him since."
General Qiao's account left Chang Long despondent. The hope that the couple's quest would soon be over vanished completely. Was she really going to have to start all over again? And worse, General Qiao had less information about Zhi Yuan than what Ling Lan, Zhi Yuan's fiancée, had provided. Thankhun glanced at Chang Long, who was seated beside him, and offered a faint smile. He reached out and gently patted her head in a courageous attempt to comfort her.
"Don't give up just yet. We'll find Zhi Yuan and finish this quest together."
Chang Long looked up at him and nodded slightly. He was right—she could not give up so easily. She needed to press General Qiao for more leads, just as she had done with Ling Lan.
"Where did these mysterious forces co from? And how can we track them down, General?"
Thankhun asked, as if reading Chang Long's mind.
"As I said, they're a mysterious force, and their exact origin is unclear. After the battle, they retreated toward the heart of the desert or perhaps northward, where many nomadic tribes live. I really don't know. We have a prisoner who refuses to speak and has attempted suicide several tis. If you can get them to talk you might get so clues about Zhi Yuan,"
General Qiao responded while glancing toward the prisoner's holding area, situated a fair distance from the soldiers' tents.
"You're allowing us to speak with the prisoner?"
Chang Long asked incredulously. General Qiao gave her a small smile, amused by her almost childlike deanor. He nodded and said:
"Yes, but everything must be done under the watchful eyes of the guards. Agreed?"
Chang Long eagerly nodded and even shot a playful eyebrow raise at Thankhun, who responded with a quiet chuckle that she did not catch.
"However, it's already late today. The interrogation can wait until tomorrow."
General Qiao's statent deflated Chang Long's enthusiasm instantly, and Thankhun could not help but let out a laugh. General Qiao, too, struggled to suppress his own amusent.
Chang Long tugged at Thankhun's arm, said goodnight to General Qiao, and headed back to their tent. Along the way, she began discussing plans for extracting information from the prisoner. Thankhun listened intently, though he occasionally chuckled at her ideas. anwhile, Little Jade, who was disguised as a bracelet around Chang Long's wrist, retreated into ditation, clearly fed up with the constant chatter.
The following morning, Chang Long and Thankhun were granted permission to et the key prisoner under the condition that they remain under guard supervision. Walking into the prison with an air of confidence, the two imdiately caused a stir among other prisoners. The prisoner they sought was held in the deepest section of the compound, isolated from the others. As the couple, still bound together, approached, the man stared at them in astonishnt but said nothing, unlike the other prisoners who shouted jests and remarks.
"Hello,"
Chang Long greeted him, but there was no response. The prisoner remained still and silent, ignoring their presence entirely.
"We want to ask you about soone your group took as a prisoner."
Again, silence.
"Hey, old man. Do you know sothing or not? If you do, just tell us already. Don't sit there like a rock!"
Chang Long crouched down in front of the man, who was a burly middle-aged warrior with wild, unkempt hair and a thick beard that obscured most of these eyes. His gaze shifted to Chang Long, studying her with curiosity. He seed to be trying to determine if the person before him was a handso woman or a pretty-faced man. Based on her appearance and attire, he had no doubt she was a woman, but her bold deanor left him uncertain.
"Are you… a woman or a man?"
The question left Chang Long, Thankhun, and the guards stunned. They had been thrilled that the tight-lipped prisoner had finally spoken, only to hear sothing unreasonable. The guards exchanged uncertain glances, while Thankhun suppressed a laugh. Chang Long's brow twitched, and she glared at the prisoner.
"Let's just say I'm whatever you think I am,"
she replied, barely keeping her frustration in check.
"Now, about what I asked—do you know Zhi Yuan?"
The man seed thoroughly amused by Chang Long. He chuckled and beckoned her closer with a wiggle of his index finger.
"If you co back without those guards, I'll tell you what I know,"
he whispered into Chang Long's ear.
"You there! What are you whispering to her? If you've got sothing to say, speak up loud and clear!"
The guard barked at the prisoner with a commanding tone. Thankhun pulled Chang Long closer, sensing her surprise from whatever the prisoner had whispered to her.
"Tch! I just wanted to sniff the sweet scent from her cheek. I have nothing more to say to you lot. Leave alone!"
The prisoner spat, reverting to his uncooperative deanor. Without argunt, Chang Long led Thankhun away, much to his surprise. Her quiet and subdued behavior made him wonder—had the man actually kissed her cheek?
"Chang Long, did that guy really kiss your cheek?"
Thankhun whispered with a hint of irritation in his voice. Chang Long did not answer, silently pulling him along until they were back in their tent. Once she confird no guards were nearby, she turned to Thankhun, who was looking at her expectantly.
"What's with that stern face of yours?"
Chang Long asked, confused by his expression.
"So, did he actually kiss your cheek or not?"
Thankhun pressed, his face still clouded with annoyance.
"Almost, but why do you care? Focus on what he whispered to instead,"
Chang Long replied with a shrug, glancing outside the tent to ensure no one was passing by.
"You expect not to care when that guy almost kissed you!"
Thankhun snapped with a controlled rough tone. Chang Long gave him a puzzled look, unable to understand why he was so upset. After all, she had not actually been kissed. Even if she had, it did not seem like a reason for him to be this agitated. Seeing her gaze, Thankhun quickly composed himself and apologized. He behaved as if he was experiencing jealousy towards her. Chang Long studied him curiously for a mont before moving on to the matter at hand in a hushed tone.
"The prisoner told that if we can et him without the guards present, he'll tell us everything he knows."
"And how are we supposed to do that without the guards following us? General Qiao would never allow it."
Thankhun grumbled, clearly deep in thought.
"We'll have to sneak in. But with the guards watching so closely, it won't be easy. At our current levels, if we try sothing reckless, we're practically begging for a humiliating death."
"What if we use a beast as a distraction?"
Chang Long suggested after a long pause. They had been brainstorming
"And where are we going to get a beast for that? Don't forget—our pets are still sealed because of this mission."
Thankhun reminded her.
"Not entirely. Ling Lan ntioned that we could unseal our pets under certain circumstances. If that doesn't work here, we still have Little Jade."
Chang Long reasoned.
"What? Why does it have to be !" Little Jade's voice piped up loudly from her position as a bracelet on Chang Long's wrist.
"Do you want to reclaim your Dragon Cultivation, or not?"
Chang Long asked in a steady tone. Little Jade fell silent, as if weighing her options. Of course, she desperately wanted her cultivation back, but following the orders of soone she disliked felt like an unbearable task.
"What do I have to do?"
Little Jade finally surrendered. The three of them worked together to devise a plan to divert the attention of the soldiers in the secret camp so that Chang Long and Thankhun could et the prisoner alone, without any guards watching.
"Do you think they won't recognize ? I did expand to help you the last ti they attacked,"
Little Jade asked anxiously after the plan was finalized. She worried that her previous appearance before the soldiers might cause suspicion in case the soldier rembered her. The thought of Chang Long being caught sneaking into the prisoner's area without guards and incurring General Qiao's wrath—possibly to the extent of being executed—brought a sly smile to Little Jade's face. After all, it would not violate Wu Ming's rules, as she was rely following Chang Long's orders. If Chang Long overlooked this potential problem, that was her own fault.
"Good point. If the soldiers and General Qiao recognize her, it could cause trouble for us. Thanks for the heads-up, Little Jade,"
Chang Long said, nodding in agreent. Little Jade, now in her compact form, gaped in disbelief. Her mischievous plan had backfired. Instead of creating a trap for Chang Long, she had inadvertently helped her avoid it.
"B... but they might not recognize . There are other dragons like around, you know,"
Little Jade quickly tried to backtrack.
"Still, we can't take any chances. If we're caught, things could escalate quickly. At the very least, we'd lose General Qiao's trust. At worst, we could be accused of collaborating with the prisoner and executed,"
Thankhun analyzed calmly, his detailed breakdown leaving Little Jade speechless. She had not expected him to be this sharp.
"Let's stick with this plan for now. It's the best we can manage given the circumstances. Our pets are still sealed. That leaves you, Little Jade. If you behave yourself, I might forgive you sooner than you think,"
Chang Long concluded, steering the conversation back on track and cutting off any thoughts of worst-case scenarios.
"Are you absolutely sure about this?"
Thankhun turned to Chang Long, holding her securely as if it were second nature now. Her earlier protests and tantrums seed to have faded.
"Absolutely. Little Jade can communicate with telepathically, so she'll keep an eye on General Qiao. When the ti is right, we'll act according to the plan."
Chang Long shrugged, turning to the diminutive dragon.
"Fine, fine. I'll do my best,"
Little Jade grumbled reluctantly before sleeping out of the tent in her small bracelet-sized dragon form.
"Dragon attack!"
The commotion outside signaled the start of their plan. They snuck out of their tent, concealing themselves in the darkness of the night. Soldiers were shouting and runnning, chaos erupting throughout the camp.
"General Qiao has been carried off by a green dragon. Dispatch the tracking unit imdiately!"
Chang Long and Thankhun exchanged nods. They had no idea how far Little Jade planned to carry General Qiao or how long she could keep him occupied. Moreover, it was uncertain how much ti they would need to reach the prisoner, given the heavily guarded area and the fact that the prisoner was held deep within the detention compound.
In the urgency of the mont, Thankhun was stunned by Chang Long's speed. She moved faster than Q, a Ninja Master, leaving him struggling to keep up. If not for the mission's requirent that kept them physically stuck together, she would have left him far behind, unable to match her incredible pace.
"What do we do?"
Chang Long asked, stopping at a shadowed corner where they could observe the guards diligently stationed at the prison. The soldiers showed no sign of panic despite the chaos caused by General Qiao being carried off by a dragon.
"Create a distraction,"
Thankhun suggested.
"How? That guy's blocking the entrance completely,"
Chang Long asked, glancing at Thankhun's serious expression.
"That plan won't work anymore. The guards here aren't reacting to the commotion outside. We're going to have to kidnap the prisoner."
Thankhun's voice was but decisive.
"Huh!"
Chang Long exclaid.
"Keep it down. If we don't do this, won't have another chance. Little Jade won't be able to co back to the camp again. If the soldiers see her again, they'll definitely suspect us."
Chang Long's eyes eting Thankhun's as she considered the plan. After a mont, she nodded in agreent. The two of them then boldly walked out of hiding and approached the guard with confidence.
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