Chapter 426: Striving to Achieve KPIs (Part 6) [Seeking Monthly Tickets]

The east wind at night releases a thousand trees of blossoms.

[Further blown away]

【Stars Like Rain】

Bai Su didn't know how this incantation would work in the hands of other literary scholars, but she was all too familiar with its effect in the hands of her lord. Why was the fireball, meant to be a devastating attack in a chaotic battle, landing in their own camp?

She didn't understand, and her heart was filled with doubt.

But the answer was quickly found.

The fire was indeed started by Shen Tang; it wasn't due to the loss of control over his words or a misdirection of the target. It was purely a deliberate act of burning down his own camp. Before the fire was set, all supplies and personnel inside the camp had been systematically moved out, leaving only empty shells.

The camp appeared to be filled with the sounds of fighting, but it was actually just a facade; while fighting continued, they secretly took advantage of the chaos to move their forces elsewhere.

Then, take the opportunity to send down heavenly fire to burn down the camp, leaving no evidence and justifying the transfer of troops from the open to the covert.

The flames formed from literary energy are different from ordinary flames. If the fire is not extinguished in time, not even a skeleton will remain of the corpse.

This also explains why the number of corpses near the camp doesn't match the actual number of missing people—Shen Tang's plan was brilliant. Given the Ten Crows delegation's current predicament, they probably wouldn't be in the mood to pay attention to such small details.

Bai Su rushed through the fire to Shen Tang's side.

"My lord, I am late."

Shen Tang looked refreshed and in high spirits.

If you ignored her blood-soaked appearance and only looked at her expression, you would really think she had just returned from somewhere relaxed, her brows and eyes radiating a long-lost joy. Seeing it was Bai Su, Shen Tang reversed her grip on her sword, slit the neck of the enemy in her hand, and asked with a smile, "Shao Xuan, did it go smoothly?"

Bai Su clasped her hands in a fist salute and said, "I have not failed in my mission."

Shen Tang then asked, "How is that prince?"

Bai Su answered truthfully: "The person was a little frightened and has been sent to the designated location, where they will be handed over to the guards for further transport."

Upon hearing that Princess Wang had only been "a little frightened," Shen Tang was no longer worried; as long as no one was dead, that was all that mattered.

At this moment, from the direction of the neighboring camp.

A terrifying aura suddenly erupted from the collision.

Four or five streams of martial energy of different colors collided and exploded. Judging from the situation, it was four against one. The latter's color was the most intense and his aura the most powerful; even if the four of them joined forces, they couldn't quickly defeat him. Bai Su glanced at him: "My lord..."

Should we go and get involved?

We're not going to rescue people, we're going to pick up some bargains.

Taking advantage of the stalemate between the two sides, she launched a sneak attack, causing both groups to perish! Her deep eyes gleamed with eager anticipation and undisguised killing intent.

Shen Tang chuckled and waved his hand, saying, "Why should we, mere fish and shrimps, meddle in the battle of immortals?"

We'll sit back and watch the tigers fight.

The more they fight amongst themselves, the more internal friction they cause.

It's not good news for her if one side gets too big.

"My lord!"

"My lord!"

Gu Chi and Jiang Sheng came looking for them one after the other.

Shen Tang asked them, "Have all the people retreated?"

Jiang Sheng replied, "Zigu has led his troops in a fighting retreat, creating the illusion that they are outnumbered and fleeing in haste. The camp is on fire, and Shiwu is also preoccupied with its own affairs. Our operation is going smoothly." With the cover of the fire set by their lord, the retreat went very smoothly.

Gu Chi also said, "Wen Shi led the women's camp to retreat and has already headed to the agreed location. When will our lord retreat?"

Hearing that the people had been safely evacuated, Shen Tang also breathed a sigh of relief—although she also wanted to see what the capital of Shiwu looked like and continue to collect information from the tribes along the way, now that she had the defense map of Shiwu presented by the princess…

Continuing to follow the marriage procession would be a waste of time; she still needs to meet her quota of 30,000 people.

Why not take this excellent opportunity to get away?

Let's make a big scene in Shiwu.

Who told them to repeatedly violate Longwu's rules?

As the saying goes—

It is impolite not to reciprocate!

It's all just a matter of fortunes changing!

Shen Tang wiped the blood from her face, her gaze falling on the center of the explosion. She said ruthlessly, "Xian Deng will cover our retreat, and Shao Xuan will escort Wang Chao away. You all go and rejoin the main force. Xian Deng and I will finish our part."

Why keep Jiang Sheng instead of Gu Chi?

Gu Chi, this sickly fellow, is good at gossiping, but seeing him so weak and constantly clutching his medicine pot, it's a little heartbreaking to see him running around on the battlefield with me. Once he recovers, I'll squeeze him dry as much as I want.

Gu Chi remained expressionless: "..."

My lord, you don't need to feel sorry for me at a time like this, do you?

Jiang Sheng was surprised that Shen Tang entrusted him with such an important task—this was to cover the rear, not anything else. If Jiang Sheng took the opportunity to slack off, he would undoubtedly put Shen Tang in danger.

This action is tantamount to entrusting one's entire life and fortune to others!

He dared not be negligent.

"only!"

Gu Chi wanted to stop him but couldn't.

Time is of the essence, and opportunities are fleeting; we cannot afford to waste them with their back-and-forth banter.

He grabbed Bai Su's hand, ignoring her resolute expression that seemed to wish she could stay and share life and death with her lord: "In that case, I'll leave the lord's safety to Xian Deng!"

"Gu Wangchao, how can we leave our lord to cover our retreat?" Forced into a retreat by Gu Chi, Bai Su was so angry she wanted to kick him. Had the roles of lord and subordinate been reversed? Even if we concede, "What if something happens to our lord..."

Gu Chi said indifferently, "If anything happens to us, Qi Yuanliang will be there to die for our lord! We should consider the bigger picture. Besides, our lord isn't going to fight anyone. He's just putting on a show with Jiang Xiandeng to dispel Shiwu's suspicions and make it easier for us to disguise our identities and operate in Shiwu. Which is more important?"

Bai Su gritted her teeth secretly.

The two men directed the remaining troops to retreat.

The camp was completely burned to the ground.

Shen Tang and Jiang Sheng exchanged a glance.

You can know what the other party is doing without having to talk to them.

Shen Tang knew she was carrying three lives, and if she got injured, Qi Yuanliang would have to apply wound medicine. So she gave up on her plan to stab herself a couple of times to create more injuries. Instead, she tore her clothes, smeared some unfortunate soul's blood on them, and scorched a section of her sleeve and collar. She then went with the equally disheveled and weak Jiang Sheng to support the main battlefield, and incidentally watch the show.

"...This Su Shiyi Lu is still vigorous despite his old age."

Even from a great distance, the fierce winds that rushed towards them carried the sharp blades of martial energy from who-knows-who, and Shen Tang could also smell the sulfurous odor permeating the air. The area within several miles of the camp had been completely devastated by the raging martial energy, creating a crater a hundred meters in diameter. Inside the crater, Su Shiyilu was shirtless, with only his shoulder armor and arm guards remaining intact; everything else was shattered.

Blood was dripping from his chest and back.

But this person didn't even frown.

Even though his own scholars had been besieged and killed, he was isolated and helpless, with nearby reinforcements unable to reach him.

The enemy before him was no better than him.

The tall, broad-faced battle axe in his hand gleamed with a sinister light, exuding a chilling killing intent, seemingly eager to follow its master and behead the enemy. Opposite Su Shiyilu, only three enemies remained standing. In the distance, in a small crater, lay a corpse, cleaved diagonally in two—his trophy!

Jiang Sheng said, "It's a pity that my martial energy is about to be exhausted."

After all, they're getting on in years.

His physical strength and energy were exhausted from such a siege and relentless attack. The enemy was clearly after his life, and the abilities of the several martial arts masters were very targeted. Even though Su Shiyilu was highly skilled and experienced, he was overwhelmed and struggling to breathe.

If we continue fighting, we'll have to resort to desperate measures.

Everything was destroyed!

Su Shiyilu, who was being looked down upon, coughed up blood and asked fiercely, "Which prince are you from?"

(End of this chapter)