Three nights later, the caravan successfully arrived at the Yiyuan Empire.
As they were entering the Imperial City, they were stopped by the troops at the city gate.
Shen Tang was startled awake by the noise outside, rubbed her eyes while mumbling, and got dressed, "Whatâs going on outside?"
Xue Yinzhou pulled her back into his arms, his voice low and lazy, "Donât go out yet."
Soon, the boss came over and knocked on the door, reassuring her, "Donât worry, Majesty... ahem, I heard that the Imperial City is a bit chaotic, and the checks at the city gate are stricter. Itâs nothing major; just let them finish checking the goods."
Shen Tang nodded.
The boss got off the spaceship to negotiate with the officers, "We are merchants coming from another place. The spaceship is carrying goods! This batch of goods needs urgent delivery, and we canât afford any delays, so please be lenient and let us pass."
He took out a large bag of Star Coins and secretly slipped it to the head guard.
The Beastman smiled with satisfaction and casually instructed two subordinates to check the spaceshipâs cargo hold. Upon confirming it was all goods, he waved them through.
After the spaceship departed, Qiu Yang approached the head guard to inquire, "Who just passed by?"
The guard hurriedly hid the money bag, respectfully replying, "Nothing! Just merchants entering the city for business. The ship is packed with goods, and my subordinates have thoroughly checked it; thereâs no problem!"
"A caravan?" Qiu Yang furrowed his thick, dark brows. As he passed by, he clearly sensed an unusual, dangerous aura.
That was the instinct of a powerful individual, absolutely unmistakable!
This spaceship definitely harbors strong individuals, probably not just transporting goods.
Qiu Yang coldly questioned, "Where did this spaceship come from?!"
The Beastman was startled, fearing he had done something foolish, and stammered, "Itâs from the Night Glow Empire. Though the two countries arenât on great terms, itâs common for caravans to travel back and forth. This... there shouldnât be a problem, right?"
"Utter nonsense!" Qiu Yang seemed to realize something, cursed in anger, kicked the Beastman to the ground, and quickly summoned a troop, "Men, intercept that spaceship for me!"
On the other side, just as the spaceship landed, it was immediately surrounded by troops!
"All Beastmen on the spaceship, disembark for a routine inspection!" shouted the leading Beastman of the troops.
The caravan boss and Beastmen were terrified, unable to understand what was happening. It was checked just now, wasnât it? Why another check? And on such a large scale? This had never happened before!
The boss hurriedly ran out of the spaceship, trembling with fear, "Whatâs this about, officers? Wasnât it inspected when we entered the city?"
Someone impatiently shoved him aside, "Less talk! Get everyone off the ship! If you donât, donât blame us for forcing our way in."
Shen Tang heard the commotion outside and became tense.
Could someone have discovered them?
She had only disguised herself as a commoner with hastily applied makeup, but it wasnât hard to recognize her true identity.
Xue Yinzhou sensed the stiffness in the femaleâs body, pulled her closer in comfort, and kissed her forehead, a silent reassurance.
Their ominous purple vertical pupils flashed with killing intent. If those people were reckless enough to attack her, he guaranteed they wouldnât see the next sunrise!
Shen Tang noticed the chilling murderous aura emanating from the man and quickly snapped back to calm him, shaking her head seriously, "Donât forget the purpose of our visit, Yin Zhou. Donât act rashly on someone elseâs turf."
"But you..." Xue Yinzhou was eager to find a place to hide her away.
The next moment, they heard the sound of the spaceshipâs cabin door being opened and a flurry of footsteps.
The officers had burst in!
Judging by the situation, a thorough search was inevitable.
The spaceship was already cramped, and wherever she hid, she would inevitably be discovered.
Just as Shen Tang was nervously contemplating her next move, a voice from the system suddenly echoed in her mind, "Host, donât forget the Thousand Faces mask reward from before. It can temporarily alter your appearance. Try using it now!"
Her eyes lit up with joy; she almost forgot about this handy item!
As Xue Yinzhou got up to head for the door, she quickly retrieved the Thousand Faces mask from her space, and with a thought, her extremely beautiful and enchanting face transformed into a completely different appearance.
Her features became simply delicate, blending in even amidst a crowd, making it hard to leave a lasting impression.
Xue Yinzhou turned around to see the woman sitting on the bed looking completely different. His purple eyes widened in shock, drawing a sharp breath, momentarily thinking he was mistaken.
Seldom did he get surprised like this.
Shen Tang couldnât help but chuckle, her voice sweet and saccharine, "Whatâs wrong, Yin Zhou? Havenât seen me for a few seconds, and you canât recognize me?"
Xue Yinzhou quickly approached, gazing deeply at her, watching her playful expression and listening to her familiar voice.
He wasnât dreaming!
He exclaimed in disbelief, "Tangtang? How did you... your face change?"
"I used a Disguise Mask." Shen Tang took off the mask, reverting to her original appearance, and re-donned it, again appearing plain and ordinary.
Xue Yinzhouâs narrow phoenix eyes were filled with shock.
Was there such a good disguise mask on the market?
The skin-like adhesion looked incredibly natural, without any sign of being fake!
Soon, the door was rudely kicked open, and over a dozen armed Beastmen surrounded them.
Shen Tang pretended to be frightened, curling up in Xue Yinzhouâs arms. Observers could easily tell they were a pair of companions.
The two were forced off the spaceship by the officers.
Underneath the spaceship stood a line of Beastmen, all of whom were ship staff members, numbering thirty to forty, including five or six females.
All had expressions of anxiety and confusion, having no clue what had transpired.
The officers hadnât provided any reason, beginning to search each individual, using photos for comparison, and frisking their bodies.
When the officers approached Xue Yinzhou, they shivered violently!
The man had long, silver-white hair, a tall and imposing figure, with an icy, handsome, and mysterious presence.
Just standing there, doing nothing, he exuded an immense sense of oppression, intimidating the officers from approaching!
Yet, recalling the orders from above, failing this task would be a capital offense!
The officers were utterly terrified but forced themselves to confront their fears, stepping forward to casually pat his sleeves, pretending to check his body.
Shen Tang sighed in relief when these Beastmen failed to recognize Xue Yinzhouâs identity. Fortunately, this Snake Beast had a reclusive personality, usually keeping a low profile and rarely appearing in public media.
Even most citizens in their own country didnât recognize him, let alone the military officers of an enemy nation.
Among the ten people who knew him, nine and half were long gone.
Xue Yinzhouâs face was ice-cold, suppressing the urge to kill, exercising patience without action, concealing his intimidation.
After a prolonged few seconds, the officers finally concluded the pat-down, feeling as though they had received a pardon, and moved on to Shen Tang.