That evening, after dinner.
Cheng Zongyang had Housekeeper Zhang summon Zhao the Seventh and instructed him to arrange for extra food for Ma Yue's and Xu Dong's families.
As for their living quarters, he also had them moved to a larger, empty room so they wouldn't have to be crowded together.
The next day, Xu Dong mounted his horse, taking the Elf Bird and one of its feathers with him. With a pack on his back and his Long Saber at his side, he headed north.
Ma Yue, on the other hand, shouldered his own pack and led a horse-drawn flatbed cart. A few bundles of firewood were piled on the cart for camouflage, concealing a Stone Stele and a Long Saber underneath. He was dressed plainly, looking just like an ordinary person.
Once outside the city, he climbed onto the cart and drove the horse south at a steady, unhurried pace.
From the city wall, Cheng Zongyang watched Ma Yue disappear into the distance, his expression calm.
