Parting

Chujiu asked, "Uncle Shen, have you taken medicine?"

He replied, "Yes Little Jiu. By the way, we still have Elite guards from south camp stationed near by. So, don't worry about Song family. We can handle them."

Chujiu nodded and asked, "You still think there are more experts from emperor team right?"

Shen Zhijin chuckled, "You are too smart! I can still handle them but I just need a day time to heal myself. They have many powerful weapons, so these people seems to have come from large sect or group." 

"Another problem is that, the emperor must have expected that you were given something that could send a distress signal to get help from outside. So he manipulated the array and such signals cannot be sent. We have underestimated him, I am an array master too but could not detect this weird mechanism."

"We need to wait for 3 days and get out of here once the array is opened."

Chujiu thought for a while and said, "I don't think the array will be opened after 3 days. Emperor had done so much now, he must have other trump cards too. As long as I am not captured, everyone will be trapped here."

Shen Zhijin also agreed with her point, "then I will forcefully break the array."

Chujiu immediately rejected the idea, "Uncle Shen, you are already injured and you cannot take such risks. We shall think of a way, come with me first and take rest in our camp. We will discuss again in the morning."

With that she pulled Shen Zhijin and entered the camp. 

As they walked back towards the camp, the moon cast long shadows around them, creating a sense of foreboding. Shen Zhijin described the earlier battle in more detail.

Shen Zhijin quickly arranged his own tent beside Chujiu's tent and decided to take rest for the night.

With a reassuring smile, Chujiu watched him settle down before heading towards her tent to rest. Next morning, Chujiu went to the central area of the camp where the all the people are cooking breakfast over a crackling fire."Little Jiu!" Bai Xue exclaimed, her eyes widening in surprise. "And… who is this?"Chujiu stepped forward, a smile gracing her lips. "This is Uncle Shen from my family, he was sent to protect me, he came last night."Introductions were made, and Shen Zhijin, despite his cold nature, greeted everyone with a curt nod. Chujiu recounted the events of the previous night, leaving out the details of Emperor's involvement. She explained that the remaining assassin groups are handled by her family's Elite team of guards."The shadow guards are taking care of them," Chujiu replied confidently. "With them gone and those five… dealt with, the threat has been minimised."Shen Zhijin, who had been listening intently, interjected. "Minimised, yes, but not entirely eliminated. We need to take further precautions."He spent the rest of the morning setting up a new array within the existing one surrounding the camp. This additional layer would provide more protection and make it harder for anyone to detect their presence.While he worked, Chujiu made a difficult decision. She knew Emperor wouldn't stop searching for her. Staying at the camp would put the Ye and Bai families in danger. They had already been dragged into this mess through their association with her."I can't stay here," Chujiu announced, her voice heavy with worry. "The Emperor has sent people to capture me. If he wants me, he'll stop at nothing to find me. I can't risk putting all of you in danger."A chorus of protests erupted. Ye Simming, his jaw set in a stubborn line, stated, "We won't let you go alone, Chujiu. We're a team, remember?"Xianyu echoed his sentiment, her eyes blazing with determination. "Exactly. We'll face this together, whatever it is."Chujiu was touched by their loyalty, but she couldn't let their noble intentions cloud her judgment. "This isn't a hunting competition anymore," she argued. "I cannot let you take risks. You can stay here safely with this additional array safety setup"Just then, Shen Zhijin straightened his back, having finished setting up the additional array. He held out his hand, revealing two sleek black stones. "These are stealth stones," he explained. "They can cloak your flying machine in invisibility, allowing for undetected travel for a limited time."He handed two of the stones to Chujiu. "If you insist on leaving, we can use these to mask our movements."He turned to the Ye siblings and said, "She will be safe and has me, don't worry and protect yourself here."Chujiu's eyes widened. With these stones, she could travel with a minimal chance of detection. Seeing the glimmer of hope in her eyes, Ye Simming and Xianyu held a silent conversation with their gazes. Finally, Xianyu spoke, a hint of defiance in her voice. "We're coming with you, Chujiu. Whether you like it or not."A wry smile spread across Chujiu's face. It seemed she wasn't going to be able to shake their unwavering friendship. "Fine," she conceded. "But you both better be prepared for whatever lies ahead."With a determined glint in their eyes, they both nodded, their loyalty and trust solidifying their bond in the face of danger.After convincing Ye Yuan and other Chujiu left with Ye Simming, Bai Xinyu and Shen Zhijin. She came out of the array, brought her flying machine and all of them got on it. Seeing the four of them leaving, others could only sigh. They are grateful for Shen Zhijin and Chujiu for adding additional protection. Since they can only be a burden, they decided to stay within the camp site until the hunting grounds array is opened after 3 days and leave.They are not worried about participating in the hunting festival, its important to save their lives first and get out of the place.Bai Xue could only watch her sister go, she is guilty and is unable to face Xinyu. Since Xinyu has chosen to stay with Chujiu, she could not oppose it.