Jiang Ling'er had a great appearance, a great family background, and she even picked her own husband. He had great looks, knowledge, and character. In short, she was blessed with good fortune.<...
Chapter 108 He was trying to force her to do that.
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Yuan Wenkang, Yuan Zao, Master Ma, Master Lu, True Lord Zongshan, Abbot Jinghai, the Seven Sons of Lingxiao, and others divided their forces into three groups. One group led away the Jin soldiers to clear the way, another group evacuated and guided the people to the secret passage, and the remaining group, led by Wen Cheng'an and the Seven Sons of Lingxiao, spontaneously captured the rebel, True Lord Wenshan.
The Seven Little Lingxiao Disciples are all outstanding members of the younger generation of the Lingxiao Sect. Apart from the Sixth Junior Sister and the Seventh Junior Brother who went to the imperial court to deliver a message, the remaining five disciples are even more outstanding. They used the Mysterious Step to navigate through the chaotic alleys without disturbing the Jin soldiers who were like a tightly woven net. They also quickly found the figure in the ginger-yellow Taoist robe among the fleeing crowd.
Seeing the figure in the ginger-yellow Taoist robe dart into the alley, the five members of the Seven Little Lingxiao disciples, led by Wen Cheng'an and Gan Zishi, with the other three lagging slightly behind, exchanged a knowing glance. Gan Zishi, impulsive by nature, was the first to rush forward.
"Senior brother, leave it to me!"
"You... watch out!"
Even the mild-mannered Wen Cheng'an couldn't help but curse under his breath, but he had no choice but to stay at the alley entrance to prevent Wenshan Zhenjun from escaping.
The alleyway grew darker the further you went in. The walls were covered in damp moss, damp with morning dew and hazy smog, like a sticky, humid dream or a swamp. Gan Zishi's eyes sharpened, and he stepped forward with his sword. Before he could get close, a whisk suddenly appeared before him, its murderous aura overwhelming him!
Gan Zishi's pupils contracted slightly, and the whisk abruptly stopped, hovering just three inches in front of his nose. A familiar voice came from behind the whisk, tinged with obvious surprise:
"You are... Gan Zishi, young friend?"
Only when the whisk fell did Gan Zishi see the person in front of him clearly, muttering, "True Lord Zongshan..." Then he jumped up, "How is it you?! Wen..."
It was only then that he realized that Wenshan Zhenjun and Zongshan Zhenjun were somewhat similar.
But from behind, they are indistinguishable, looking almost like one person.
Gan Zishi was speechless for a long time, then cursed under his breath, "Damn it!"
He turned and ran out of the alley.
At the alley entrance, Wen Cheng'an nodded to Zongshan Zhenjun from afar before using his lightness skill to rush out of the alley. In just a few breaths, his figure disappeared without a trace.
True Lord Zongshan showed no displeasure at being offended by the junior. He stroked his long beard, his kind, baby-faced features seemingly born with a smile. He stood there for a moment before turning around and looking into the depths of the alley:
"Come out."
A middle-aged man in the same ginger-yellow Taoist robe emerged from the depths of the alley; it was none other than the True Lord Wenshan.
When Wenshan Zhenjun saw Zongshan Zhenjun, he first greeted him obsequiously as "Big Brother," then spat and glared at the alleyway where Gan Zishi, Wen Cheng'an, and the others had left, his face cold and sinister.
"Why are you stopping me, brother? The Lingxiao Sect has always been one step ahead of our Danxia Cave. I think these brats are in cahoots with Jiang Ling'er, and they've repeatedly opposed me! Brother, why don't we take this opportunity to kill these brats and dampen the Lingxiao Sect's spirit?!"
"Foolish! You think that by blaming the Jin people, that old fox Wuyazi won't notice? How naive." True Lord Zongshan glanced at True Lord Wenshan indifferently. His usually kind, baby-faced smile vanished completely, leaving only a cold indifference, like the moss crawling on the bluestone and the mold growing on the bricks and tiles behind him—damp and cold, making one feel a chill for no reason.
"Before the old镖头 (head镖师) died, he must have given the 'Longevity Manual' to his only daughter. Otherwise, why would Kong Wu relentlessly pursue her? To the southeast lies the secret passage leading to the city of the Number One镖师 (镖师 is a powerful escort agency). You must capture Jiang Ling'er before Yuan Wenkang and the others find her. Remember, this may be our only chance to capture Jiang Ling'er."
Mentioning the secret passage, True Lord Wenshan paused, immediately recalling that madman Zhao Xiao, and gritted his teeth:
"Don't worry, brother, I will definitely obtain the Longevity Manual this time!"
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Secret passage.
Jiang Ling'er, holding the warrant, rushed to the secret passage.
I initially thought the warrant would contain some kind of secret code, but it turned out to be just four simple words—
A hidden dragon should not be used.
The warrant was indeed in the old镖头's handwriting, but there was nothing else besides those four characters. Before them lay the entrance to a secret passage blocked by a huge boulder.
She dared not recklessly use the Thunderclap Palm to shatter the rocks, for what if the secret passage collapsed?
Jiang Ling'er scrutinized those four characters until she couldn't figure out what they had to do with the boulder in front of the secret passage.
As she was wondering, her ears suddenly twitched, and she turned her head. At the same time, she leaped backward, her toes touching the ground. In an instant, two strands of hair were cut off her cheek, and two narrow marks, each an inch long, were cut off the stone wall beside her!
Then came a chilling, menacing "clang—" sound.
Kong Wu held the guqin in her arms, her delicate hands still plucking the strings. She glanced at her and chuckled softly.
"He's quite clever."
Jiang Ling'er looked terrible; her lips were pressed tightly together, and her whole body was taut like a fully drawn bow.
It wasn't just because I encountered the person I least wanted to meet; I also considered a certain possibility.
Very few people know about the secret passage of the world's number one escort, and it just so happens that they chose to come and ambush her at this time... It can only be that Zhao Xiao revealed her whereabouts to Kong Wu.
She had thought that Zhao Xiao still had a sliver of genuine affection, not for her, but for the people of Jinling. Even if it was just a sliver of genuine affection, he didn't want the country to be torn apart and the people of his homeland to suffer.
Even if it was worthy of his status as the top镖师 (chief镖师) of the world, why would he give her the warrant?
All of this was actually a trap set to capture her...!
Jiang Ling'er gripped the token tightly in her palm, and it instantly turned into dust, falling into the dark, damp mud of the secret passage.
Jiang Ling'er's sudden attack caught Kong Wu off guard, and she launched a preemptive strike!
Kong Wu was slightly taken aback. Very few people had managed to escape with their lives from her hands and still dared to have such courage. She admired her courage and was even somewhat reluctant to kill the girl at the end.
However, such thoughts were fleeting. Kong Wu flicked her fingers repeatedly, and the clear, resonant sound of her zither transformed into a chilling killing intent, like a net that swept towards Jiang Ling'er!
Thanks to her daily weight training, Jiang Ling'er's Mizong Steps are now highly proficient, her movements as fluid as a dragon, and she is no longer injured by the music.
Fortunately, the narrow passage limited Kong Wu's performance, especially since she was carrying a guqin that was half her height. This really hindered her movements in the narrow passage, allowing Jiang Ling'er to gain the upper hand time and again.
However, Jiang Ling'er knew that she had temporarily gained the upper hand due to her familiarity with the secret passage and the advantage of being the first to act. Since Kong Wu already knew their plan, a large number of Jin soldiers must be on their way, so she should not linger in battle!
Jiang Ling'er frowned. The most urgent thing was to inform Xiao Zao and the others about the situation as soon as possible...
She stopped abruptly, facing Kong Wu head-on, and with a loud shout, thrust out a palm strike:
"Thunder!"
Kong Wu dodged to block, but Jiang Ling'er just casually grabbed a handful of mud and sand and threw it over!
Kong Wu fiercely wiped her face, never expecting to be tricked a second time. Her once beautiful face twisted into a grimace.
"……you!"
Jiang Ling'er knew that she was lucky to have managed to hold out until now, so she didn't linger and turned to run!
However, the moment she turned around, the person struck her left shoulder in the chest with a palm strike, and Jiang Ling'er involuntarily took two steps back and retreated back into the secret passage.
Just one step away, only one step away from the cave entrance.
Jiang Ling'er raised her eyes, rubbing her throbbing left shoulder, and sneered:
"She De has appeared?"
Standing before her was Zhao Xiao.
That day, she broke his right arm and then shattered the meridians in his left hand with a single palm strike. Although it crippled his martial arts skills, he still possessed the strength of a man in his prime. A palm strike to his left shoulder, while not fatal, was still painful enough.
Before Zhao Xiao could respond, a gust of wind suddenly came from in front of him, and a whisk came crashing down right in his face!
Wenshan Zhenjun: "Witch, where do you think you're going to run now!"
Jiang Ling'er retreated repeatedly, with Zhao Xiao and Wenshan Zhenjun blocking the cave entrance from the front and back, and Kong Wu sitting behind her, watching her with a leisurely air.
Jiang Ling'er gritted her teeth, focused her energy in her palm, and endured the excruciating pain on her wrist from the yellow dog's bite. She could no longer tolerate it and turned around to strike Kong Wu with a "Thunderous" palm!
The instant the palm struck, Jiang Ling'er exchanged a glance with Zhao Xiao, who was standing silently at the cave entrance.
Zhao Xiao's slightly pale face did not show the joy of revenge, but his dark, sinister eyes concealed a hint of madness.
In that instant, Jiang Ling'er had a sudden flash of inspiration and understood.
He was trying to force her to do that.
His goal was to force her to use the Thunderclap Palm.
But it was too late.
The instant she struck, Zhao Xiao, Wenshan Zhenjun, and Kong Wu retreated outside the secret passage. A smell of gunpowder spread, followed by an explosion and collapse.
In her haste, she seemed to see a pair of phoenix eyes, a pair of familiar phoenix eyes.
Everything happened too fast, so fast that she didn't even have time to think before everything was plunged into chaotic darkness.
The secret passage was blown up right in front of Pei Xuan, Yuan Zao, Gan Zishi, and the others who rushed over.
Pei Xuan's long eyelashes trembled violently. As he sped along, it was as if all his strength had been suddenly drained from his body. He swayed and barely managed to stand firm.
Yuan Zao froze for a moment, her eyes instantly reddening, and she cried out in a trembling voice, "Ling'er... Sister Ling'er!"
Ma Qingmei collapsed onto the overgrown wasteland, gazing at the ruins before her, and murmured:
"……father."