As Zhao Cheng had predicted, Qi Bainian ultimately chose to leave the city through the East Gate.

Qi Bainian had anticipated the ambush. After using his identity to get the guards to open the city gates, he slowed down, gathered his troops, and prepared for battle, forming ranks to deal with the ambushes from all sides.

Then there was no ambush.

Zhao Yan and Zhao Wu were waiting for them on the other side.

Behind the two men was a force of about 1,500.

With Zhao Yan around, Zhao Wu naturally became a deputy general, especially since Zhao Wu himself didn't like to talk much.

Zhao Yan shouted, "Qi Bainian, my sister-in-law is still investigating you. Why did you sneak away from Jiangcheng? Are you feeling guilty?"

Qi Bainian glanced to his left and saw that the prepared herd of horses was there, but Zhao Yan's cavalry numbered several hundred, making it impossible for them to arrive first due to the distance.

He roared, "Where did this brat come from, daring to stop me?!"

Zhao Yan also shouted, "I am Zhao Yan, the third son of the Right Chancellor of the Great Jing Dynasty! If you do not surrender, I will kill you!"

Qi Bainian said, "You're revealing your identity because you're afraid I'll kill you?"

Zhao Yan's face still showed signs of immaturity, but his voice was already quite deep. He said, "You are, after all, the Prefect of Dajing. I am revealing my identity so that you can die knowing why!"

"Gan Lang, charge!"

Qi Bainian shouted, and after Gan Lang led five top-tier experts to charge forward, he himself led one top-tier expert to charge towards the horse herd.

Seeing the others swarming over, Zhao Yan said unhurriedly, "Fifth Brother, you can handle the rest of them, and I'll take care of Gan Lang."

"Yes, Third Young Master!" Zhao Wu accepted the order, spurred his horse, and led his men to meet them.

Zhao Yan watched Gan Lang's movements, and when the opportunity arose, he leaped off his horse, raised his spear, and thrust it at Gan Lang.

Clang!

As Zhao Yan landed, Gan Lang's hair stood on end, and he drew his double whips to block the attack.

The spear tip and the double whips collided, producing a deafening vibration.

Gan Lang's arms were sore and numb, and he felt extremely frustrated.

As Qi Bainian's top fighter, he was forced into such a desperate situation by Heng Wenhao that he had to go into the water to barely suppress his opponent. But now, the opponent is just a young punk, yet he still brings him immense pressure.

Who are the people surrounding Zhao Cheng?

Zhao Yan landed on both feet, his inch-force striking the spear shaft, sending Gan Lang flying dozens of meters away. He pursued relentlessly, thrusting several more spear attacks at Gan Lang.

Da da da da—

Gan Lang was forced to retreat step by step, and with each step he retreated, his heels seemed to sink deeper into the ground, leaving him with no chance to fight back.

The saying "an inch longer, an inch stronger" is perfectly exemplified by Zhao Yan's long spear.

Zhao Yan was too young, like a newborn calf unafraid of a tiger. He was like a beast with inexhaustible energy, and his attacks never stopped. Gan Lang was forced to sweat profusely by him.

"We can't afford to mess with them!!"

Gan Lang cursed under his breath, turned and ran, not wanting to get entangled with Zhao Yan any longer.

Zhao Yan ignored everything else and only focused on chasing after him.

Gan Lang didn't run in the direction Qi Bainian fled, but ran in the other direction, probably worried about leading Zhao Yan, that little wild beast, there.

On the other side, Zhao Wu led his army to attack Qi Bainian's men. Four top-notch experts formed a sword formation to intercept him, while the army behind him pressed down on the fanatical civilians.

Upon encountering the sword formation, Zhao Wu's progress was not as smooth as Zhao Yan's against Gan Lang; he was blocked three times. A smirk appeared on his lips, and the scar on his face gleamed with blood as he began to find the situation interesting.

Draw the sword, raise it, and chop down.

Cut it in two!

Four swords were stacked in two layers to trap him. The two swords on top broke instantly, while the two swords on the bottom, though not broken, caused the swordsman's arms and internal organs to tremble, and he was forced back in an instant.

"Two broken blades!" One of them looked at Zhao Wu in astonishment.

Zhao Wu said, "Since you recognize your grandfather, why don't you obediently surrender?"

The man immediately turned around and shouted to the crowd, "Run!! Run as many as you can!!!"

Zhao Wu snorted coldly, swept his blade horizontally, and the blade flashed across the man's neck, sending his head flying.

The other three were taken aback for a moment, but they were not intimidated and continued to form a sword formation to deal with Zhao Wu.

While the battle raged on, Qi Bainian and the top-tier fighters following closely behind had already mounted their horses and galloped towards the sea.

Qi Bainian glanced back and saw that the two sides were locked in a stalemate, but no one was chasing after him, which made him feel puzzled.

Do I seem that unimportant?

Of course, Qi Bainian was just complaining. It was better for him that no one was chasing him; he had already made an appointment with a close pirate leader, and a ship would be waiting at the seaside. He owed this pirate leader a favor, and once he went to Southern Zhou, he would surely repay the pirate leader with even greater benefits.

Qi Bainian was confident that he would be highly regarded in Southern Weekly.

Although it is impossible for him to become the head of the Southern Zhou prefecture as he is now, the Southern Zhou and Da Jing are outwardly friendly but inwardly at odds. With a high-ranking official like the prefecture governor joining him, the Southern Zhou will certainly not let this opportunity pass.

Given time, Qi Bainian believed that with his abilities, he could still thrive in Southern Weekly and rise from the ashes.

"drive!"

Qi Bainian felt more and more hopeful as he thought about it, and he vigorously cracked his whip.

Jiangcheng is a coastal city, and you are very close to the sea from the East Gate. However, due to the geographical structure, the East Gate is recessed inward, so you still need to walk a bit overland.

If his only goal was to be closer to the sea, Qi Bainian could have simply had the pirates meet him at the dock, which would have been faster. However, he knew that Zhao Cheng and Yuan Yun had sealed off the city, making it impossible for unidentified ships to approach the dock, so he chose to launch a surprise attack outside the city.

The night was dark, but Qi Bainian could already see the outline of the pirate ships.

Hope lies ahead.

The sword formation of three top-tier masters was naturally no match for Zhao Wu. When Zhao Wu went berserk, even ten top-tier masters might not be able to stop him.

Originally, Zhao Wu had intended to recruit people for Zhao Cheng, and he still left himself some room for maneuver, but he hated this kind of entanglement.

The essence of the Two-Cut Blade technique is to cut in two with a single, clean stroke, without any hesitation.

He was filled with murderous intent. With just three strikes, these three top-tier experts, like his previous companions, were decapitated.

Looking at the enthusiastic crowd, half of them had already run towards Qi Bainian's direction.

As for Zhao Yan and Gan Lang, although Gan Lang did not run towards Qi Bainian's location, he also ran towards the seaside. He believed that as long as he got into the water, Zhao Yan would be powerless against him, just like Heng Wenhao.

He did indeed run to the sea and step his right foot into the water.

A feeling of happiness instantly washed over me.

ah……

It feels so good to have water.

It's very moisturizing.

Just as he leaned forward, about to plunge his entire body into the seawater, a deep, powerful sound of wind breaking suddenly rang in his ears.

Zhao Yan's spear flew past his ear and embedded itself in a crevice in the rocks of Jinghai in front of him.

Looking at the constantly trembling gun barrel, Gan Lang gasped.

He understood that Zhao Yan had spared his life.

If Zhao Yan were willing, the spear would fly from behind him and pierce him through the heart.

Zhao Yan slowly walked over and said, "Since I've spared your life, you should be more aware of the consequences. I'm tired of chasing you."