Chapter 122 The Monster Doesn't Copy, But It's Pasted

Another traitor coveting the emperor! Zhou Yin felt a tightness in his throat, unable to breathe properly.

But when he had to choose between the two, he could only choose Zhou Chaoyun. If he fell into the hands of Zhou Ao and Zhou Yun, he would surely die.

Zhou Chaoyun wouldn't take his life. As for the throne... young Zhou Chaoyun desperately craved his approval. Given her affection for him, a few more words of praise afterward would surely make her forget about the throne.

After thinking it through, Zhou Yin quickly replied, "As long as you can capture these traitors, Father will grant you anything!"

"Then let Father Emperor sign a written agreement," Zhou Chaoyun said with ease, deflecting the incoming arrow with his sword.

Seeing that she insisted on drawing up a written agreement first, otherwise there would be no further action, Zhou Yin immediately broke out in a cold sweat. She was worried that he would break the contract, and he originally planned to break the contract after the matter was completed. How could he leave her with any evidence? However, he could not be so blunt. He said tactfully, "In such a critical moment, without pen and paper, how can we draw up a written agreement?"

"There is no need for Father to worry."

Zhou Yun laid bare the emperor's thoughts, mocking, "Little Chaoyun, instead of talking to him all this, you might as well help your royal uncle. If Chaoyun lends us a hand, not to mention wealth and glory, you can even sit on the throne and enjoy it!"

"Look at him again. He agrees to everything, but he can't even get a written agreement signed. I think Xiao Chaoyun knows the answer to whether he can't or doesn't want to."

He knew his elder brother best; he valued his reputation highly, was cunning and ruthless, yet he had to pretend to be a hypocrite with an unfathomable heart.

The blatant and obvious attempt to sow discord was not about being simplistic, but about using effective tactics. At least Zhou Yun's words deeply pierced the emperor's heart, peeling away his thoughts and tearing off his mask without any hesitation.

"Chaoyun, don't listen to his nonsense! I keep my word and will never break it!"

"That's a good provocation!" Shang Yuji rummaged in her sleeve and quickly walked to the emperor's side, with Jiang Xi following closely behind.

While the emperor is in a rage, perhaps in order to prove that he has no ulterior motives and to gain the trust of the princess, he might impulsively sign the document?

Zhou Yin was surprised to see a palace maid walk out of the Zhengqing Hall. She looked unfamiliar. Of course, as an emperor, he was busy with many affairs of state. Why would he need to spend time remembering someone as unimportant as a pebble on the roadside?

"Your Majesty, the situation is urgent. Please sign with ink." Although the advisors had anticipated the need for a signature, they were out of options. Shang Yuji had arrived in a hurry and couldn't bring much with her. Who would sneak into the palace with a brush and ink? They would need to grind the ink before writing, and there wasn't enough time.

Remembering how I used rouge to write birthday wishes for Jiang Xi last time, I thought, why not try a different method? Inkpad can also be used for signing.

Shang Yuji unfolded the paper, on which was written: Unconditionally fulfill Princess Zhou Chaoyun's orders.

The signature below is blank; its ownership is about to be determined.

Zhou Yin was speechless for a moment. He was just saying it; he didn't really want to sign!

From afar, Zhou Chaoyun, who was in the open space, saw Shang Yuji approach the emperor. She seemed to be refuting Zhou Yun, but in reality, she was urging the emperor, saying, "How can you, my uncle, sow discord between my father and me? Father, as the Son of Heaven, your word is your bond. How could you go back on your word and not sign a written agreement?"

As for why someone who looked like a member of the princess's faction would disguise themselves as a palace maid to enter the palace, it's not a trivial matter at this critical juncture, since the palace has already been riddled with holes.

Shang Yuji was closer and could see more clearly that the emperor outwardly agreed to sign, but then dipped his index finger in the ink and quickly wrote the two characters "Zhou Yin" in the blank space for the signatory.

But his furrowed brows, his displeasure at being offended, and his reluctant expression did not escape her notice.

She pretended not to see it, thanked him with a smile, and then led Jiang Xi back to hide in the Zhengqing Palace, determined not to give him a chance to back out.

Seeing that the emperor had signed the document, the people below knew there was no room for maneuver, and they all began to fight with deadly force.

The two sides in the battle have become the Eldest Princess and Zhou Yun. The plan was originally in place, but it was first disrupted by Consort Shu's rumor that the Emperor knew his whereabouts. Now, the sudden appearance of Zhou Chaoyun has further ruined the situation. Zhou Yun's face was expressionless as he ordered them to quickly capture Zhou Chaoyun.

Zhou Chaoyun was fearless. Instantly, many armored soldiers surged out from behind her. Whether it was the fine horses they rode, the armor they wore, or the weapons they carried, they were all superior to Zhou Ao's soldiers. The difference between the two was obvious to the naked eye.

Upon hearing Zhou Chaoyun's order, a figure instantly broke through the encirclement and charged forward. Holding a long sword, he rode his horse straight towards Zhou Ao. His comrades, who knew his fighting style very well, quickly formed a square formation to assist him in the assault. Without the worry of unexpected interception from the flanks, Rakar became even more valiant, wielding his sword to cut down the soldiers blocking his way.

Because of his meritorious service in the battle of Yangcheng, and because he and Lin Quan tacitly joined the Princess's camp, he was awarded a long sword made of Xinye Iron, which can be described as a divine weapon.

With a swift and decisive strike, the enemy, clad in the strongest armor of Da'an, was no match for the youth's powerful blow. It was as effortless as slicing through a piece of tender tofu. The long blade sliced ​​across the side of the neck, and a head flew off, rolling several meters away.

Fear gripped the soldiers' hearts at that moment, but Zhou Ao's angry rebuke from behind forced them to continue forward and block his path.

The cavalry that entered the palace this time numbered five hundred, all of whom were elites selected by the Princess and Lin Quan. They were capable of taking on ten or a hundred men each. With Lin Quan in command, Zhou Chaoyun was very reassured. Lin Quan's military talent was earned through his political acumen. With him on the battlefield, they would never lose. The ever-victorious general's record remained undefeated to this day.

What she should be concerned about are those highly skilled and unconventional fighters.

Thanks to Shang Yuji for the intelligence and martial arts experts, Zhou Chaoyun never imagined that one day she would be able to command several top martial arts experts, three of whom were among the four elders of the martial arts world. If nothing unexpected happened, Guan Tong's apprentice from the Southern Region had also defected to her side. In addition, with the experts she had trained herself, Zhou Chaoyun had never fought such a rich battle.

Wonderful.

According to the plan, Yi Sha, Xiang Fengyun, and Huo Wei attempted to kill the monster. The three to seven guards of the manor were responsible for dealing with the guards protecting Zhou Yun. The eight to ten guards were the mobile team, while the one and two guards stayed behind to protect the eldest princess.

After nearly two hours of fierce fighting in the heavy rain, the armor failed to keep out the rain, which seeped in through the gaps and soaked the clothes underneath. The wet and heavy clothes were cold and cumbersome, and coupled with the continuous sword fighting, the exhausted soldiers were no match for the well-equipped and highly motivated cavalry and quickly fell into a disadvantageous position.

The same applies to the battles between experts. Many of them were injured in the previous duels with the experts from the palace. Apart from the monsters who were impervious to pain and seemed to have no feelings, the rest of them were still mortals, and fighting in the rain with injuries was naturally affected.

It hadn't rained yet when Zhou Ao and his party arrived at the palace. They were in a hurry, so they brought the necessary weapons and equipment and rushed to the palace.

Unlike Zhou Chaoyun's faction, which was well-equipped and in high spirits, with cavalrymen wearing helmets and armor, wielding powerful weapons, and their horses equipped with iron hooves and saddles, even the experts wore cloaks and straw hats to minimize the impact of the rain.

Rainy days may hinder the movement of Gu worms, but this should not be ignored. This kind of move is so ineffective that being hit by it can be life-threatening.

Seeing that his faction was at a disadvantage, Zhou Yun raised his jade flute, attempting to intervene in the battle.

Unexpectedly, the sound of flutes also rang out from all around, hindering his ability to send orders to the Gu worms.

Zhou Yun stopped playing the flute, his expression now grave, finally realizing that he had been tricked.

The sharp whistling of flutes coming from three directions temporarily broke his offensive.

He could roughly guess their identities... They were the only Gu practitioners from Wuming in the Southern Frontier who could affect his Gu techniques.

He could handle one or two people, but there were three of them, so fighting three against one was a bit of a stretch.

The problem isn't there, but rather, how did they know in advance that he knew he was capable of witchcraft?

He hid it extremely well, unless...

Unless they found Wu Yue's belongings, or they stumbled upon them by accident?

Before he could ponder the oddities, he heard the rustling of Gu insects' wings amidst the rain. If he could ambush the experts in the palace and use Gu on them, then the Gu practitioners in the Southern Frontier could certainly do the same.

Zhou Yun rose from his horse and dodged backward. The next instant, a dark shadow pierced the spot where he had just been sitting. After he left, he continued flying toward the subordinate who had been holding an umbrella for him.

Not long after, the umbrella held by his subordinate became unsteady and fell to the ground, splashing rainwater everywhere. It was then swept into the battlefield by a gust of wind and finally trampled beyond recognition by horses' hooves.

The Gu worm targeted the wrong target; if he hadn't dodged in time, he would have been the one lying on the ground.

Rain fell directly onto his face, making it wet and sticky. Zhou Yun's anger rose involuntarily. He picked up the bone flute, and a sharp, piercing cry suddenly rang out. Those who heard the sound were momentarily stunned, and their movements slowed down involuntarily, until melodious flute music began to play all around, slowly bringing everyone back to their senses.

The cries had no effect on the monster; it continued to swing its giant axe at Xiang Fengyun.

If it were just now, Xiang Fengyun could have easily dodged it, but he was distracted by the piercing cry of the bone flute, and his reaction was a few beats slower. Just then, he saw the heavy and fast giant axe about to fall on him. A person flew out of Zhengqing Hall, his whip tightly wrapped around the monster's axe-wielding arm, slowing down its attack.

Fortunately, Hui Gu, A Cuo, and A Shuang quickly brought everyone back to their senses. Xiang Fengyun dodged the giant axe and took out the Moon Chasing Blade he had been carrying all the way from under his cloak.

Jiang Xi calmly accepted the Moon Chasing Blade and officially joined the battle.

However, his opponent was not a monster, but the King of Qi, who was also exposed to the rain.

With lightning-fast footwork, the distance of nearly a hundred steps was instantly closed. The Moon Chasing Blade flashed with a faint light, its target clearly set on Zhou Yun.

He was no longer surrounded by guards, but the cry was not meant to confuse the crowd.

Two monsters, one thin and one tall, jumped down from the height and blocked Zhou Yun's way.

How could he only keep one such useful monster?

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Author's Note: [Roses][Roses][Roses]