Shen Qingwan approached the innkeeper and asked if there was a guest named Ning Huai’an.

Just as the innkeeper was about to check the guest records, someone walked towards her.

“Young master, please follow me to the second floor. My master is there,” the person said.

It was evident that this person was one of Ning Huai’an’s subordinates.

Seeing this, Shen Qingwan followed him upstairs.

The man knocked on a room door, and shortly after, it opened.

Ning Huai’an had already received Murong Wushuang’s message via carrier pigeon, informing him that someone would come to discuss the handover of the grain supply.

So, he had sent someone to wait downstairs in advance.

“Master, the person you were expecting has arrived,” the subordinate said before retreating.

Ning Huai’an studied the visitor and saw a delicate and handsome young man. A smile appeared on his face.

“You must be Young Master Shen? I am Ning Huai’an,” he greeted with a respectful bow.

Shen Qingwan returned the gesture. “I am Shen Qing.”

As she observed Ning Huai’an, she couldn’t help but sigh.

As expected, good-looking people seemed to cluster together.

Murong Wushuang and Beichen Yuan were already extremely handsome, and now even their subordinates were just as striking.

What a refined and elegant young master he was!

His long, fox-like eyes slanted slightly upward, making him look both alluring and cunning.

The curve of his lips carried a mix of cool detachment and mischievous charm. Despite his carefree demeanor, there was an undeniable charisma about him.

“Please, take a seat,” Ning Huai’an invited.

He poured a cup of tea for Shen Qingwan, but she didn’t drink it. Instead, she got straight to the point. “Did you find the grain?”

Ning Huai’an put down the teapot and, looking a little troubled, replied, “We found it, but retrieving it won’t be easy.”

Shen Qingwan waited for him to explain further. Ning Huai’an sighed, sat down, and continued, “On the surface, it appears that a group of bandits stole the grain, but in reality, it was taken by Prince Liang’s men. A total of 200,000 stone of grain was taken. After the grain was stolen, I sent people to track it, and they discovered that it had been transported to Duanhun Ridge, where Prince Liang has a hidden army of 30,000 soldiers. Now that the grain is inside Duanhun Ridge, getting it back won’t be easy.”

If Prince Liang’s secret army was exposed, he would likely act recklessly out of desperation.

But if the matter wasn’t revealed for now, the grain would be lost to him.

Ning Huai’an was at a loss.

Shen Qingwan lightly tapped her fingers on the table, deep in thought.

After a moment, she said, “Leave this matter to me. You don’t need to worry about the grain anymore. Just draw me a map of Duanhun Ridge’s routes, and we’ll consider the grain handover complete.”

She handed Beichen Yuan’s jade pendant to Ning Huai’an, though it hadn’t been needed so far. Seeing the pendant, Ning Huai’an was slightly surprised.

Shen Qingwan simply said, “Take this jade pendant to the Battle King when you return.”

“Are you sure you can retrieve the grain?” Ning Huai’an sized her up, skeptical of her abilities.

Shen Qingwan looked at him with a mysterious smile. “That’s not something you need to worry about.”

Though still doubtful, Ning Huai’an drew the map for her.

He also mentioned that the grain sacks had the Northern Camp’s emblem on them. Shen Qingwan nodded, then left without delay.

After leaving the inn, she found a restaurant and had a meal. Only when the city gates were about to close did she leisurely lead her horse out of the city.

Under the night sky, Shen Qingwan, dressed in black, rode swiftly. Fortunately, the moon was bright, allowing her horse to navigate without difficulty.

As she neared Duanhun Ridge, she tied her horse to a small tree and switched to a motorcycle with minimal noise.

While her spatial storage could hold a motorcycle, it couldn’t hold a horse. Since horse hooves made too much noise at night, using the motorcycle was far more convenient.

This particular model was incredibly quiet—unless one was very close, it was almost inaudible.

Duanhun Ridge earned its name because of the surrounding forests, home to numerous wolf packs. Anyone who entered rarely came out alive. Rumors even claimed the ridge was haunted, warning people to stay away.

To Shen Qingwan, there were no such things as ghosts—only people playing tricks. The forest led to a basin, which was an excellent location for training troops.

By spreading ghost stories and scaring people away, Prince Liang had turned Duanhun Ridge into a perfect base.

Shen Qingwan navigated through the woods and reached a vantage point overlooking the basin.

Looking at the countless tents below, she estimated that there were indeed 30,000 soldiers.

Using her binoculars, she locked onto the location of the grain storage before silently infiltrating the camp.

Since the area was well-hidden, the soldiers were lax in their security.

The night patrol was gathered around a bonfire, chatting and laughing.

Shen Qingwan circled behind the grain depot, took out her tranquilizer darts, and knocked out the dozen guards stationed there.

Inspecting the grain, she confirmed that the sacks bore the Northern Camp’s emblem. However, the amount of grain was more than expected—over 300,000 stone.

It seemed that in addition to what they stole from Ning Huai’an, they had their own supply as well.

Of course, Shen Qingwan wouldn’t leave them any provisions. With a wave of her hand, she stored all the grain in her spatial storage.

She then explored the camp further and discovered their weapons cache. Inside were newly forged sabers, spears, shields, and armor. Without hesitation, she took everything.

After looting everything that could be taken, Shen Qingwan stealthily left the camp.

Outside Duanhun Ridge, she returned to where her horse was tied. Stowing the motorcycle, she mounted the horse and rode away.

Since the city gates were closed, she rode through the night and reached Ji City by dawn. Having ridden so long, the insides of her thighs were sore and reddened.

After applying medicine, she decided to rest in Ji City for half a day before selling the horse and continuing her journey by motorcycle at night.

Traveling this way would shorten the trip significantly while allowing her to rest during the day.

She stayed at the same inn, Yunlai Inn, and thought of Governor Hai of Ji City.

Though the plague had passed, she still held admiration for him—a truly good official.

Ji City still had refugees, but they were well-managed.

After resting for most of the day, she sold her horse just before the city gates closed. She could have ridden the horse out and killed it later to store it, but she wasn’t heartless enough to do so.

After leaving the city on foot, night quickly fell.

Taking a smaller, less-traveled path, she avoided encountering refugees.

However, nothing in life is absolute. Riding her motorcycle swiftly through the night with her night vision goggles on, she spotted two figures sitting by the roadside.

By the time she saw them, it was too late to slow down—so she chose to speed up instead.