Ye Mansion.

"Husband, you’re back." As soon as he entered the mansion, He Linghan came up to him, full of anticipation.

"Ling’er..."

"Are you hungry? I’ll have the servants prepare some food." Before Ye Shikai could finish speaking, He Linghan interrupted him.

"I’m fine, I’m not hungry." Ye Shikai shook his head, as he internally "organized" his thoughts on how to explain to He Linghan. He hadn’t planned to leave, but now the crisis at the front was dire, with his twenty or thirty thousand brothers there. If he stayed in Linxiang City indifferent, it seemed wrong, so he had to go.

On the other hand, he was quite confident. After all, his Inner Strength had recovered, and ordinary soldiers were no match for him. In fact, his Clone Skills alone could help him escape from thousands of troops, not to mention the many treasures in his Storage Ring; just one could get him out of danger.

Yet, even if he was an immortal with heavenly Mana, in He Linghan’s eyes, he was just an ordinary husband, a normal person, certain to encounter dangers.

"Husband, your complexion doesn’t look good. Did you not rest well?" He Linghan keenly sensed something was amiss, seeing Ye Shikai burdened with worry, almost as if the word "gloomy" was etched on his face.

"Don’t worry, I’m fine."

"Ling’er." Suddenly, Ye Shikai spoke, stopping her.

"What’s the matter?"

"Ahem, recently I’ve had some matters, and might need to go out for a while, so..."

"Husband, are you leaving?" He Linghan immediately asked, causing Ye Shikai great distress. He did need to leave, but he didn’t want to admit it so "candidly," at least... at least find an excuse.

"There’s an urgent matter I need to attend to; just discussed it with the Family Head..."

"You’re still leaving, so tell me, how long will you be gone?" He Linghan’s voice turned cold, as inside, she was certainly very disappointed.

"About... a month or so." Ye Shikai quickly explained, "Ling’er, this is truly urgent, I hope you can understand. True, I promised to spend three months with you, but... plans can’t keep up with changes." Ye Shikai, afraid of He Linghan’s anger, knowing he’s in the wrong, hurriedly consoled her.

"I promise you, when I return this time, I’ll stay by your side, won’t leave for a moment..."

"Alright, if you’re going to leave, just go. Why say so much?" He Linghan threw the bamboo scroll in her hand at him and turned to leave.

"Ling’er, Ling’er." Ye Shikai called twice, but He Linghan ignored him, directly entering the room and locking the door, not letting anyone in. Clearly, she was angry, and rightly so—he promised "three months," but now he was "going back on his word," so it’s understandable she was upset. Additionally, part of her anger was also to prevent him from seeing the tears she shed...

.................................

"How about now, do I look like a traveling doctor?" Ye Shikai spun around, displaying his "new outfit" in front of the servants: a set of white robes, cloth shoes, cloth hat, with a square wooden medicine box hanging at his waist. Inside, a set of silver needles, some golden sore medicine, some cold remedies, as well as some miscellaneous pills and ointments. These were prepared by the doctors he consulted at the clinic, along with some daily necessities he carried.

"Looks just like one."

"Sure does."

The servants all agreed, partially to flatter their master, though they were also truthful; Ye Shikai did resemble a traveling doctor with this outfit.

"Master, I have some suggestions."

"Just say it directly, it’s fine." Ye Shikai said calmly.

"But... I’m worried it might offend you, Master."

"It’s fine, I won’t blame you." Ye Shikai waved his hand, signaling him not to mind.

"Alright, I apologize in advance." The servant grabbed a handful of soil from a nearby flowerpot and approached to smear it on Ye Shikai.

"What’s this for?" Although the soil made his robes dirty, Ye Shikai wasn’t angry, just curious about the servant’s intentions.

"Reporting to Master, traveling doctors in the countryside often have dirt on them; if caught in the rain and unable to dry off, wearing dirty clothes for days is common." The servant explained.

"I see, you’re thoughtful; I wasn’t considering the realistic side. A busy traveling doctor wouldn’t have clean clothes." Ye Shikai nodded, acknowledging the servant’s insight. The clothes were custom-made by city tailors for a General, naturally crafted with fine, clean, and soft materials, not typical for a countryside traveling doctor.

"Spotting this, you’ve done well; go to the steward and claim twenty taels of Silver as a reward." Ye Shikai said calmly.

"Thank you, Master, thank you, Master."

"Now that I think about it, just having these clothes dirty is still not enough." Ye Shikai walked to the flowerpot, grabbed another handful of soil, and spread it on his face, making it dirty and full of dust.

"Master, what are you doing..."

"Alright, all of you disperse, get back to your tasks; no more discussing my matters."

"Understood."

"Understood."

He Linghan stayed behind closed doors, and Ye Shikai felt it inappropriate to force his way in. Departure was urgent, and he had to leave immediately, so before leaving... he had something to leave behind.

"Hehua."

"Master, are you waiting for Madam outside?"

Ye Shikai found He Linghan’s close maid and handed her a letter.

"Give this to Madam." Ye Shikai said calmly, having written what he wanted to say in the letter before he left; shouting it outside the door just wouldn’t suffice...

"Alright... understood."

Ye Shikai donned his traveling doctor attire and requested a swift horse. He possessed a special token allowing him to freely pass through the city gates, and soldiers on the route would not stop him.

In just three days, Ye Shikai arrived in Ba Shu; along the way, he saw many fleeing civilians. In Ba Shu, there was no large-scale insurgency, suggesting their fear of being "caught in the flames of war," so they hurried day and night, far away from the Qin and Chu armies’ front.

Ye Shikai avoided the main roads, which were blocked by the Qin Army. They had conscripted many robust men, digging trenches, and building camps to halt the Chu Army’s advances.