Chapter 267 You're asking for death

The mountain road spirals upwards. Gu Jun, leading a group of people, traveled lightly and stopped at the side of the road below to discuss matters. Suddenly, he sensed fluctuations of the five elements energy coming from above.

The men in golden armor looked up and asked, "What's going on over there?"

As soon as he finished speaking, a lot of rocks fell down in front of the cliff. The skeleton sword spirit broke through the green vines that were surrounding it, charged up and swooped down to grab the girl whose hand had been pierced by a blue arrow.

Guard Zhang was blocked on the mountain path by the golden serpent and could not reach the cliff edge, so he tried his best to send his sword spirit to get there.

Zhong Lique had already fainted from the shockwave and was being carried upwards by the sword spirit.

The soldiers in golden armor were all shocked to see the masked, white-robed sorcerer locked in combat with Zhongli's guards: "These are rebels from Canhai Prefecture? How could this be?"

Before the words were even finished, someone watching the fall from the cliff exclaimed, "Oh no!"

As the skeletal sword spirit ascended, it was caught up by the green vines, which wrapped around its hands, feet, and neck. The sword energy leaked out and continuously cut the green vines, but it could not stop more green vines from rushing towards it.

Gu Jun recognized the girl being protected in the arms of the sword spirit, frowned, drew his sword, and used his inner energy to chase after her.

"Captain!"

The golden-armored soldiers beside him were shocked, and after their exclamations, they all used their qi to rush up and help.

On the opposite cliff, a figure in white was drawing a bow and nocking an arrow. The spirit of the famous calligrapher transformed into the bowstring, and the poisoned blue arrow flew out, accurately hitting the sword spirit's head.

The poison rapidly consumed the sword spirit's five elements, causing the energy to dissipate and the form to vanish. Zhongli Que fell from the height once more.

Chu Jin saw the figure chasing after Zhong Li Que, his brow twitched, and expressionlessly drew back the bowstring, aiming the arrow at Gu Jun.

"You're asking for it," she said softly.

The cyan arrow shot out from the bowstring, its sharp whistling sound reaching Gu Jun's ears in an instant.

Gu Jun caught Zhong Lique hanging on the treacherous mountain wall, then turned around and drew his sword to block the long arrow that came from behind with murderous intent.

This arrow was more ferocious than the previous ones. As the sword and arrow clashed, they emitted a trembling hum. The green arrow was superior, shattering the longsword. At the same time, Gu Jun rolled over, and the long arrow pierced through his shoulder, drawing blood, knocking both of them off the mountain wall.

The golden-armored soldiers were shocked to see this: "Captain!"

Li, the guard, was even more anxious than the others. In his rage, he tried to deploy his troops to capture them all, but the golden serpent discovered his intention.

Those dazzling golden vertical pupils stared intently at Guard Li. In his python form, he transformed into a black shadow, from which countless tiny snakes emerged and surged outwards.

The sheer number of them caused the entire cliff face to be instantly shrouded in a thick black fog, enveloping everyone within it.

These black snakes devoured the Qi of the Five Elements, and the Nine Streams Techniques, which were materialized by the Qi of the Five Elements, disappeared the moment they took shape during their devouring.

Li Huwei used his Wind-Riding Technique to leap into the air, looking down at the dense swarm of snakes with a solemn expression.

Forbidden Technique of the Farmers: The Illusory Beast, the Formless Serpent.

A small black snake emerged from the ruins of the carriage, coiled around Zhong Lique's Wind-Listening Ruler, and returned to the shadow of the giant python.

At this moment, no matter who uses the Nine Streams Technique on the mountain road, it will be neutralized by these Formless Serpents. Guard Li had no choice but to retreat and send the message back to the capital to inform Uncle Zhongli and others at Bingjia Chongtai.

Seeing that Guard Li was showing signs of backing down, and having obtained the items and successfully subdued the guard, Chu Jin said, "Let's go."

The golden serpent vanished into the shadows at her command, and in the blink of an eye, the thick black fog covering the ground also dissipated.

After the attack of the Unseen Serpent subsided, the Golden Armor Army and Guard Li appeared at the end of the cliff and met up.

Just as Li was about to attack, Gong Can, one of the golden-armored soldiers, raised his hands and said, "Li! We are the golden-armored soldiers of the Ancient Captain's Team, not the enemy!"

Gong Can recognized the man as Li, a guard from General Zhongli's mansion. He was there either to protect the safety of the young lady of the general's mansion or to protect Madam Sun of the general's mansion.

Either of them, now that this has happened, it will be difficult to explain.

Li, the guard, relaxed when he saw Gong Can produce the waist badge of the Golden Armor Army as proof.

Gong Can stepped forward and said, "Our captain was so eager to save someone that he fell down with the girl. Guard Li, could that person be...?"

Guard Li said with a grim expression, "It's my young lady."

The general's daughter fell off the cliff.

For a moment, Gong Can felt that it wasn't so important that his captain had fallen.

The important thing is that the young lady from General Zhongli's mansion fell down.

That's General Zhongli's precious daughter!

If anything were to happen to this young lady, then the Great General… Gong Can didn’t dare to think about it for a moment, and hurriedly said, “I’ll contact the capital right away!” Li Ge

The first person in the capital to receive the news was Zhongli Wei, the third uncle of Zhongli, who was in the military stronghold.

Qingyang Imperial Capital, the Military Base, is the location of the military headquarters. In addition to the military forces, there are also the Three Prisons of the Military Base, which respectively imprison vicious Rakshasa sorcerers and rebel prisoners.

Zhongli Ci was the highest-ranking general in charge of the military command. When he was away on a campaign, he transferred some of his power to his third brother, Zhongli Wei, who was also in the military command.

The military strategist Chongtai had eight thousand Azure Dragon soldiers. On the surface, they were an organized army, but everyone knew that they were the "private army" belonging to the Zhongli family.

Last time, when Yu Lansi led people to the General's Mansion to investigate the orchid poison, Zhongli Wei only brought three hundred Azure Dragon Army soldiers with him.

Upon learning that Zhongli Que had fallen off a cliff at Shuiyang Temple, he immediately led three thousand Qinglong soldiers to surround Shuiyang Mountain and search for him at the foot of the cliff.

The people of the capital had no idea what was happening, but they saw the Azure Dragon Army, dressed in black armor, marching out of the city in solemn formation.

Zhong Liwei reported that rebel forces from Canhai Prefecture had appeared on the outskirts of the capital, and that they should be captured and suppressed while also searching for people.

Even Qingyang Emperor couldn't stop it for this reason, and even thought that the involvement of the Golden Armor Army meant he had to send more people to help.

The sky was still foggy after the rain, with dark clouds lingering and a cool breeze bringing a slight chill.

When Zhongli Que had an accident, Zhongli Wei strictly forbade anyone from the General's Mansion to tell Madam Sun, as Madam Sun had fallen seriously ill the previous night and could not hear such bad news.

Chu Jin changed her clothes and arrived at the gate of the General's Mansion with a gentle demeanor, informing the people in the mansion that she had come to see Madam Sun.

Nowadays, only a few people in the General's Mansion know that Zhongli Que is in trouble; only the steward and Xianglin, the maid who serves Madam Sun, know.

The others in the mansion didn't know, but Chu Jin had been to the General's Mansion a few times and had become a familiar face. However, the young lady had just angrily reprimanded the person who let Chu Jin in last night, so they dared not let her in easily today and went to report first.

Chu Jin stood outside the door, waiting patiently.

Zhong Lique went out, and Madam Sun was in the mansion. When the news reached Madam Sun, she would definitely see him.

A short while later, the maid who had gone to ask Madam Sun for permission returned and indicated that Chu Jin could go in.

Chu Jin smiled and was about to take a step when she heard a cold shout from behind: "Stop."

Chu Jin turned around to look.

A squad of Azure Dragon soldiers appeared before her eyes. The sound of their armor rubbing together as they moved sounded like the clanging of weapons, a warning of an impending battle that made her feel uneasy.

Chu Jin was not surprised that the Azure Dragon Army had come here. She gently raised her eyes and looked at the man walking at the front.

The second son of the Nangong Prince's Mansion was dressed in brocade robes, the sleeves tightly fastened at the wrists. He was lightly dressed and looked neat and elegant. Because of his handsome appearance, even with his cold and sharp eyes, he was still pleasing to the eye.

"Physician Chu, the General's Mansion is not receiving guests today." Su Feng walked step by step into the gate of the General's Mansion, his eyes fixed on Chu Jin, and threw the black jade token in his hand to the guard of the General's Mansion beside him. "This is General Zhongli's order. Before the General returns, no one is allowed to step into the gate of the General's Mansion and disturb the lady's rest."

Chu Jin looked at the man who walked up to her. Gone was the easygoing elegance she had shown when they first met at the clinic. Her eyes, which seemed to always be smiling, were now filled with a domineering and controlling pressure.

The murderous intent he carried from the battlefield was unleashed without restraint, drawing everyone around him into this oppressive aura.

Why you of all people?

As Chu Jin met Su Feng's cold and sharp gaze, her heart sank deeper and deeper.

As a member of the Nangong Prince's Mansion, why is he so eager to protect the Zhongli family?

How ridiculous!

"Since that's the case, I won't disturb you," Chu Jin said with a slight smile. "But even the military has been mobilized; I wonder what happened?"

Su Feng said calmly, "Doctor Chu, this is not something you should be asking about."

Chu Jin lowered her eyes and apologized: "I'm sorry, it was my fault."

Su Feng then asked, "Does Doctor Chu have anything else to say?"

Chu Jin shook his head slightly, glanced at the gate of the General's Mansion surrounded by the Azure Dragon Army, and turned to leave.

After giving the order, Su Feng ignored Chu Jin, mounted his warhorse, and galloped away.

The sound of Zhongli Que falling off the cliff still echoed in his ears:

"Guard Li has sent a message! Miss Zhongli was attacked and fell off a cliff at Shuiyang Temple. There are suspected traces of rebels from Canhai Prefecture!"

"Captain Gu of the Golden Armor Army also fell off the cliff while trying to save the young lady!"

The sounds were both clear and noisy, all rushing into his ears and weaving together countless images.

How could someone who was chatting and laughing with him just a moment ago suddenly...

Su Feng felt his heart beating faster than ever before, each beat rapid and heavy.

He rushed towards Shuiyang Temple, once again disobeying his father's orders.

Zhongli Que saw boundless darkness amidst the chaos.

She didn't know where she was walking; she just walked forward subconsciously. Even though it was dark, she could feel herself looking around with her eyes open.

There seemed to be some force calling to her from ahead. That force sometimes made her feel comfortable and captivated, and sometimes it made her feel fearful and afraid to get closer.

At this point, Zhongli Que would stop and dare not go any further. Only after her fear was dispelled and she had calmed down would she continue forward.

Zhong Lique asked himself in the darkness, "Where am I going?"

A voice answered her: "Where do you want to go?"

Zhong Lique stopped in her tracks, and then it dawned on her that she seemed to have been walking in deep water the whole time, each step made extremely difficult by the unstoppable current.

Suddenly, her world came to life with sound.

The sound of water.

Zhongli Que looked down and asked softly, "I don't know, where do you want me to go?"

She looked down and saw glittering golden light in her eyes—the golden tips of swords.

Zhong Lique opened her eyes wide in surprise, her gaze drawn to the sword. She stared at the blade and slowly raised her head, seeing a golden longsword standing in front of her.

The sword was long and slender, gleaming with golden light. Zhong Lique saw her father and brother reflected in this golden sword.

They wielded swords and knives, facing off against their enemies.

She saw her mother waiting at the general's mansion, her expression worried.

They saw Yu Sui standing on the boundless sea, wielding a sword with one hand, unleashing a burst of raging flames.

Zhong Lique saw himself.

Her own image was reflected in the bright sword. Zhong Lique and her reflection in the sword looked at each other and blinked at the same time.

Their eyes were equally clear, reflecting a golden light.

In an instant, the darkness dissipated, golden light burst forth, and ten thousand swords stood tall.

Zhong Lique turned around in surprise and saw the black divine wood talisman that had appeared behind him at some unknown time.

She heard the voice say, "How long are you going to keep me locked up?"

Zhong Lique suddenly woke up with a start, a piercing pain shooting through her right hand. Her unconscious cry of pain drew the attention of the person in front of her.