Chapter 147: The Choice Is Simple

"Well done. Where did you get the money?"

Siyue Yi looked at them, at these people. To remain so composed even upon arriving in ancient times—if she guessed correctly, they were definitely a group of frequent time-traveling mercenaries who traversed eras for profit, engaging in shady business.

"Exchanged for gold. No matter what era, gold remains a universal currency."

Alex explained to dispel her doubts, but Siyue Yi had no intention of wasting time on these cross-temporal mercenaries.

"Has your employer arrived?"

"No."

Alex answered immediately, without the slightest hesitation.

"Mount up."

Siyue Yi went into the house and brought out Yuan Qianlv, then mounted the same horse with him. In truth, Siyue Yi's riding skills were exceptionally good.

Although lacking Sinuo Sang's martial prowess, Siyue Yi was a natural rider and had once been a national equestrian champion.

The fact that she had transitioned into a lawyer left everyone in disbelief. After all, horseback riding was an ancient profession, and fewer and fewer people watched it as everyone became infatuated with speed and technology, causing many handed-down traditions to slowly fade away.

"I didn't expect your riding to be so formidable."

Comparing her to the others riding nearby who were merely mediocre, Siyue Yi was simply in a different league.

"Thank you for the compliment. It would be even better if you stopped talking."

Yuan Qianlv kept turning his head back. The two of them were actually pressed very close together, essentially embracing, and when he turned his head, their faces would occasionally brush against each other along the bumpy road. Siyue Yi almost suspected he was doing it on purpose, stubbornly turning back like that, and not just once or twice.

"Would it be better if I didn't turn my head?"

"Good to know. Hurry up and point the way. Which road ahead?"

They had reached a fork in the road, so Siyue Yi demanded directions.

"The left."

Yuan Qianlv did not deceive her and pointed them down the correct path.

"The left!" Siyue Yi shouted loudly. With that, the group headed left. Although this stretch of road appeared unguarded, she still had to be extremely careful.

"Alex, divide your men into three groups to advance. Change into local attire and blend in. I don't want any accidents."

"Understood, Counselor Si."

Thus, upon reaching the next small town, all of these men purchased oversized garments to wear over their clothes and split into groups, while Yuan Qianlv remained constantly under Siyue Yi's control.

"It will still take five or six days to reach the capital. Are you sure you want to just walk like this?"

At this moment, Yuan Qianlv spoke up.

He smiled as he looked at these people; personally, he didn't mind either way, since he wasn't the one riding the horse.

"Disperse and rest in shifts. Alex, you stay in my group. Help me keep an eye on this man; he is extremely cunning and requires the utmost vigilance."

Siyue Yi was not about to let down her guard against this individual.

"Understood."

Alex nodded, signaling to Siyue Yi that she could rest assured.

Together, they checked into an inn. Outwardly, Yuan Qianlv showed no signs of being restrained because Alex had given her an invisible lock, so no one would notice anything amiss. Naturally, onlookers would merely wonder why Yuan Qianlv kept holding his hands in front of him, but that was hardly an issue.

Because Yuan Qianlv was brought into the room by Siyue Yi with Alex right beside them, Siyue Yi and Yuan Qianlv posed as a married couple and had their meals brought upstairs.

"Eat."

Placing the food on the table, she motioned for Yuan Qianlv to begin.

"How am I supposed to eat?"

Lifting his hands, Yuan Qianlv felt as though he were in a dream. He never imagined such a thing as invisible restraints actually existed; his hands were tightly cuffed, yet completely invisible.

What kind of people were these? What kind of person was Siyue Yi? Along the way, he couldn't understand a single thing they were saying.

Siyue Yi glanced at him and realized he truly had no way to eat by himself, yet releasing his hands was out of the question.

With no other choice, she had to feed him herself. Picking up the chopsticks, she scooped up food and shoved it aggressively into his mouth, doing so with rather savage movements.

Yet Yuan Qianlv didn't seem to mind the discomfort, even wearing a somewhat pampered expression.

"If you weren't of some use, I would seriously kill you."

She continued to shove the food in, barbarically and rudely.

"Then go ahead and kill me. Anyway, there are plenty of them now; you can just pick any one of them to take you to the capital."

"Hmph. Finding the road to the capital isn't actually hard. The difficulty lies in those checkpoints. With you, our passage is unobstructed; without you, it's riddled with difficulties."

Did he take her for a fool? If their group tried to pass through on their own, they would undoubtedly run into trouble. Moreover, her face must have already been sketched on wanted posters during the search for her, and many people would definitely recognize her.

"Ah, well, that's true indeed."

"What do you mean by that?"

"It just means I understand. And there's one more thing I forgot to tell you."

"Spit it out!"

"There's no need to be so crude!"

Never did she expect such words to come out of Siyue Yi's mouth, leaving Yuan Qianlv somewhat stunned.

"Are you going to talk or not?"

"I'll talk, I'll talk. Before I came to find you, I noticed Xiuyan was tailing you, so in a fit of anger, I had him thrown into Liangcheng."

"What did you say?"

Her eyes widened, and her hands practically ached with the urge to strangle him to death.

"He likes to meddle in other people's business a bit too much, what can I do? I had to deal with him."

"You killed him."

"Are your ears broken? I just told you I had him thrown into Liangcheng, how could I possibly kill him? Though, whether someone else might kill him, I'm not entirely sure."

"You are truly despicable."

Siyue Yi wouldn't have cared what happened to anyone else. But Xiuyan had helped her so much, protecting her every step of the way, only to be captured by Yuan Qianlv because of it. At this thought, Siyue Yi was nearly consumed by rage.

"Despicable? As you say, I am indeed despicable. But if you delay any longer, I'm afraid he won't be in this world anymore. Of course, you'll definitely choose your sister, right? Sinuo Sang is so important to you. Come to think of it, Xiuyan was merely a passing acquaintance; it wouldn't matter if he died."

"Shut up, shut up, just shut your mouth!" With a sharp crack, she slapped him across the face.

Siyue Yi grabbed his hair, forcing his eyes to lock directly onto hers.

"Yuan Qianlv, you will get what's coming to you."

"Am I not experiencing it right now?"

He raised his bound hands slightly, completely devoid of agitation. Their positions had reversed: the once calm Siyue Yi was now furious, while Yuan Qianlv had become the calm one.

"I don't think this is enough!"

Applying force with both hands, she gripped his neck tightly, wishing nothing more than to choke the life out of him. Yuan Qianlv offered no defense and no struggle, simply letting her squeeze as if calmly awaiting death. Seeing him like this, Siyue Yi slowly loosened her grip. Why had she become so easily provoked? Just a few words from Yuan Qianlv had reduced her to this state.

She had no idea what she ought to do now.

Should she go find Sinuo Sang or rescue Xiuyan? She found herself agonizingly torn over the dilemma.

In the end, she went to consult Alex. Since Alex was merely a mercenary, his choices were always brutally simple.