Dark clouds piled up, indicating low pressure. Two dull thunders rang out. A servant from the Xue residence passed by the empty corridor with a light on. He looked up at the horizon, feeling puzzled.
There's no need for thunder in late autumn. Rain is the real thing.
Just as he thought this, in the blink of an eye, the storm arrived, the wind so strong that it was blinding. Shouting and cursing were heard from within the wing of General Xue's mansion. The door slammed shut. A servant, holding up a lamp, greeted another servant who was guarding outside and asked in a low voice, "What's going on in there?"
The servant whispered mysteriously, "The general is already angry. I don't know what Baili, the male favorite, said to make the general furious. We just need to guard the door and pretend we didn't hear anything no matter what happens." The general had killed several male favorites in the past.
The visitor understood and stood outside the door, pretending to be deaf.
Inside the room, Xue Xiaozhu was being strangled by Baili Zhuo and forced to fall to the cold floor. She struggled to pry away from his iron-clad grip, her eyes rolling up. Baili Zhuo's eyes were now pitch black, their whites bloodshot, and the cold murderous intent within them frightened her.
This person was obviously not the one she had seen before.
There was affection in Baili Zhuo's eyes before, but now there is nothing in his eyes.
Arrogant!
She often walked by the river and was eventually strangled by a ghost. How could she be so stupid as to take such a cold-blooded man as her male lover?
Xue Xiaozhu regretted it very much, but there is no medicine for regret in the world!
Baili Zhuo watched her desperate struggles, a cruel smile on his lips. Just as she was about to pass out, he loosened his grip on her slightly and said in a cold voice, "From now on, you will obey me!"
I?
Xue Xiaozhu's mind was racing with thoughts, and she was a little bit incredulous. She was plucking the hair from a tiger's butt.
The rain poured down in torrents, turning the curtain into a veil.
The Xue Mansion was bustling with people, the clash of weapons, and the rustling of clothing as people ran were endless. In the shadows, Baili Zhuo stood motionless beside Xue Xiaozhu, his face expressionless as he listened to her hushed orders.
The city's garrison received the order and, under the pretext of rescuing the city lord, surrounded the lord's mansion. Generals Liu and Bai heard the commotion in the middle of the night and were about to dispatch soldiers to inform Hu Li when they were apprehended by the other four generals.
The night was cold and shimmering. Xue Xiaozhu stood beside Baili Zhuo, holding an umbrella. Rain trickled down the umbrella, a drop of rain grazing his brow. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, a fierce look had settled over him.
Screams were heard and the corner of the city lord's mansion on the east side collapsed.
Bang!
Liu Yu was startled awake and shouted outside twice, but no one answered. He opened his eyes wide in fear and crawled down to the bed barefoot. Before he could put on his shoes, the door was slammed open by someone from outside.
Hu Li's clothes were soaked, and his armor on his cheek was stained with blood. He grabbed him and ran out, saying anxiously as he ran, "Young Master, I'll take you out through the backyard. If you can't stop them, just run. Run out of the city and into the wilderness. Master Ye will take you in. Once you reach the wilderness, forget about Liuguang City and never come back."
Liu Yu's feet sank into the cold puddle. He looked up and saw shouts and cries of killing outside. Before he could react, he tugged at Hu Li's sleeve and asked, "What's going on out there? Where are my sister and City Lord Qi?"
An arrow feather grazed his cheek. Hu Li pulled him along and continued running without a moment's explanation. A strong wind blew through, causing the corners of his clothes, dripping with rain, to sway.
"City Lord Qi and Field Lord Ye went to Xue's Mansion." They guessed that Xue Xiaozhu would cheat and wanted to go and investigate, but as soon as they left, Xue Xiaozhu led his men to surround the City Lord's Mansion.
Hu Li really couldn't understand why Xue Xiaozhu did this?
The lord of Liuguang City had always been surnamed Liu, and no one had ever usurped the throne in the past hundred years. Even if Xue Xiaozhu was arrogant, she only dared to want her daughter to become the lord's wife and control the City Lord's Mansion. She didn't think she would directly attack the City Lord's Mansion.
If we wanted to rebel, we would have done so long ago. There was no need to wait until now.
At this moment, Hu Li couldn't figure out why, he just hoped that City Lord Qi and Ye Nuan would be fine, and that Liu Yu could be taken away with them.
The dim light of swaying lanterns appeared around the bedroom, and Hu Li and her men were trapped before they could escape. A pitch-black umbrella appeared in her sight, and she tensed up, her sword across her chest.
Baili Zhuo's cold face appeared in the dim light. He looked at Hu Li, pursed his thin lips, and asked softly, "Where are Ye Nuan and Qi Wuze?"
Hu Li turned his gaze to Xue Xiaozhu beside him. It was obvious that Baili Zhuo was leading these two people.
"Where are Ye Nuan and Qi Wuze?" Baili Zhuo was dissatisfied with her hesitation and asked again in a higher voice.
He just wants to kill these two people now!
Hu Li didn't answer, standing in front of Liu Yu with his back straight. Liu Yu finally understood what was going on, rushed out from behind her, and cursed at Xue Xiaozhu: "You traitor, you want to rebel? If you have the guts, kill me today, or I will kill you!"
He snatched the knife from the guard behind him. The noble young man stood barefoot side by side with Hu Li, and suddenly he was two centimeters taller than Hu Li.
Baili Zhuo sneered and waved his hand to signal the people behind him to come forward. Xue Xiaozhu tried to stop him with a stern face, but he froze immediately when someone next to him glanced at him.
Amidst the flash of swords and the shadow of sabers, the rain gradually stopped.
A Overlord Spear flew through the air. Liu Yu tried to block it with his sword, but the force knocked him back repeatedly. He saw the spear about to pierce his chest. Hu Li turned him around and pressed his back against him.
Boom!
Hu Li's shoulder blade was pierced, and she was kicked away, falling into the cold sewage with Liu Yu. Blood mixed with the sewage, and Liu Yu's eyes welled with tears. He touched her back with a trembling hand, "Hu Li..."
Hu Li forced a smile and said apologetically, "Young Master, I'm sorry. Hu Li is useless and can't protect you..."
Blood from the corner of her lips dripped onto his neck. Liu Yu tightened his grip on the knife, holding back tears as he stared intently at the approaching Baili Zhuo, shouting, "I don't need your protection! I'm the Young Master of Liuguang City... I want to protect you!" He pushed Hu Li away and climbed to his feet. His pair of delicate, precious jade feet stepped into the pool of blood, and he shouted at Baili Zhuo, "Come on!"
The garrison troops who had stormed into the City Lord's Mansion shuddered simultaneously, as if witnessing the bravery of the former City Lord in his youth. The young prince they had despised seemed to have grown up in an instant, daring to wield a sword against the enemy.
Hu Li lay on the ground with his head raised, his eyes moving from his feet to his still dripping straight back, feeling both sad and relieved.
Baili Zhuo opened his thin lips slightly, giving an ambiguous, mocking smile. He flipped the Overlord Spear in his hand and thrust it straight at Liu Yu's face. Liu Yu, unskilled in both literature and martial arts, was unable to withstand his powerful blow. He retreated, spitting blood, only for the spear's tip, flashing with a cold light, to strike again in the blink of an eye.
clang!
The knife and the spear collided, and the tip of the Overlord Spear was cut off abruptly. The strong blade rushed towards Baili Zhuo's face. His eyes flashed slightly, and he quickly stepped back and knocked the umbrella in Xue Xiaozhu's hand away.
In the drizzle, Qi Wuze, carrying his black gold broken-veined knife, stood in front of Liu Yu and said to Baili Zhuo, "Why is Baili's male favorite showing off at the City Lord's Mansion? How can he bully a child whose father just died?"
Baili Zhuo's palms felt numb, and he said to him with a twitching lip: "You've come just in time, don't let any of you escape!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Yu suddenly shouted back in surprise, "Sister!"
Everyone looked in the direction he was looking. At the entrance of the courtyard, Ye Nuan was holding a dagger in his hand. He was holding Xue Qing by the back of the neck with one hand and walking towards them. He looked at Xue Xiaozhu with a smile on his face: "General Xue, do you still want your only daughter?"
"Mother!" Xue Qing had his hands tied and screamed when he saw Xue Xiaozhu.
Xue Xiaozhu stepped forward, his eyes cold and icy: "Ye Nuan! Let my son go!"
Just as everyone was about to gather around, they suddenly discovered that a pile of snakes had jumped out from the slippery ground, protecting Ye Nuan all the way forward.
"Snake, it's a snake!" The originally well-trained soldiers were suddenly in chaos.
The people of Liuguang City were most afraid of snakes. They were afraid of even the snakes in the atlas, let alone the living ones. The sight of a snake was like boiling water in oil, causing it to explode. Those who ran slowly were bitten by the snakes, and screamed in agony in the rainy night.
Ye Nuan held a dagger against Xue Qing, pushed him to Qi Wuze's side, and said to Xue Xiaozhu: "Where are Xiaohu and Aya? If you let them go first, I will let your daughter go." They ran to Xue's house and met Ye Yuru who was lying on the road with a high fever. Ye Yuru begged them to save her and cried and said that she had lied before.
Xiaohu and Aya were fed with muscle softening powder, and Duan Li gave them to Xue Xiaozhu.
Ye Nuan was so angry that she stepped on her foot on the spot. Strictly speaking, Xiaohu was her biological brother, so how could she just stand by and watch him die? Now she wanted others to save her.
The two ran all the way to Xue's residence, only then did they learn about Xue Xiaozhu and Baili Zhuo's actions tonight. Xiaohu and Aya couldn't find them, so they grabbed Xue Qing who had just woken up.
Xue Xiaozhu was in his thirties and had only one daughter. He immediately became anxious and waved his hand to ask the servants to bring Xiaohu and Qi Ya.
The two boys were not injured. Qi Ya was awake, but Xiao Hu fell asleep somehow.
Ye Nuan shouted twice and asked, "What happened to my brother?" She was so anxious that her hands were shaking. Xue Qing felt pain in his neck and a bloody wound appeared.
Xue Xiaozhu yelled, "Don't move, the kid was just knocked unconscious, it's no big deal." It was because he had taken the muscle softening powder that made him much stronger than others, so they had no choice but to resort to this last resort.
"Someone, quickly send these two children back and exchange Qing'er for them."
The guards holding down Ye Xiaohu and Qi Ya remained motionless. Xue Xiaozhu was stunned for a moment and looked at Baili Zhuo: "What's going on? What do you want to do?"
Baili Zhuo suddenly pulled out the knife from the person behind him and stabbed it directly into the chest and abdomen of Xue Qing opposite him. Xue Qing screamed and fell to the ground, and he lost his breath instantly.
It all happened so fast that Ye Nuan didn't even have time to react.
Xue Xiaozhu's eyes were bloodshot as she drew her sword and attacked Baili Zhuo. Baili Zhuo grabbed her neck and sneered, "General Xue, please understand. I'm only helping you cut off your retreat. Now that we've taken action, there's no such thing as having it both ways. If you want your daughter, you'll lose everything. Since you can't bear to let her go, let me do it."
Xue Xiaozhu was pinched so hard that he saw stars, but his men just stared at him, unmoved at all.
Baili Zhuo threw the man who had rolled his eyes to the side, took out the city lord's seal, raised it high, and shouted to the thousands of soldiers behind him: "Kill them all! Whoever retreats will be spared. Whoever takes these four heads will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver!"
The firelight illuminated everyone's face. The lure of the huge reward overcame their fear of snakes. Everyone rushed forward. Under the horrified gazes of Liu Yu and Hu Li, Qi Wuze sheathed his knife and made room for Ye Nuan.
"Madam, come here."
Liu Yu: "..." He reacted and yelled at Qi Wuze: "Are you still a man? How can you let your sister come on top of you?" Hu Li, who was supported by him, was speechless.
Ye Nuan stepped forward, blocking the three of them. A tender seedling appeared out of thin air in the palm of her right hand. Before anyone could react, water droplets enveloped the seedling, and the entire plant began to grow rapidly. The snake vine flashed past the oncoming guards like a living thing.
Entangling people from all sides.
Baili Zhuo reacted too quickly. The moment the snake vine wrapped around him, he grabbed Qi Ya with his left hand, and at the same time, he stabbed the Overlord Spear in his right hand at the head of the sleeping Ye Xiaohu.
Ye Nuan was shocked as the snake vines wrapped around the Overlord Spear. Baili Zhuo curled his lips slightly, and his hand was just an inch away from grabbing Qi Ya's neck, when a wolf suddenly rushed out from the side and bit his wrist.
Baili Zhuo stepped back in pain, stirring the Overlord Spear vigorously, causing the snake vines that were close to him to fall off one after another.
The snake vines wrapped around Qi Ya and Xiao Hu. Ye Nuan threw them away with all her strength and shouted, "Aze!"
Qi Wuze flew over and caught them both with one hand each, then placed Ye Xiaohu next to Qi Ya and said, "Watch over my brother."
Qi Ya nodded, Qi Wuze drew his knife and rushed over to fight with Baili Zhuo.
The remaining guards who hadn't been entangled by the vines began to rush forward again. The scene was too chaotic. Xue Xiaozhu glanced at his lifeless daughter, his eyes filled with sorrow. While no one was paying attention, he turned and ran out the door.
Ye Nuan let go of the snake vine, and fluorescent seeds appeared in her palm. Fluorescent algae grew rapidly, illuminating the entire dark courtyard. Everyone was dazzled, and before they could stop, they were entangled. This time, the vine was even more terrifying than before. The first person to be entangled was reduced to bones in the blink of an eye.
The people who came later retreated in fear, but it was too late. The people trapped by the snake vines watched the fluorescent algae crawling up their legs and were scared to death.
Shaking and screaming.
Baili Zhuo, who was originally fighting with Qi Ya, caught a glimpse of this scene and was shocked.
This woman is a demon! This is a mistake. It seems I can't kill them today.
The situation reversed. Baili Zhuo fired a phantom shot and turned to run. The entire City Lord's Mansion's courtyard suddenly caught fire. Thick smoke filled the night sky, and the raging fire rushed inside. The smell of kerosene was strong and pungent. Xue Xiaozhu frantically shouted outside the courtyard: "Since my daughter is dead, you will all be buried with her!"
The fire grew more intense, even the bedroom behind them was on fire. Ye Nuan withdrew her hand and looked around. There were only puddles on the ground, but no wells. She was secretly anxious and asked Liu Yu, "Is there a tunnel here?"
Liu Yu shook his head: "No!"
Baili Zhuo fought and retreated, retreating to the wall and sneered at Qi Wuze, "Do you want to die together?"
Ye Nuan turned her eyes slightly towards Qi Wuze and said, "Husband, come here quickly!"
Qi Wuze swung his sword again: "Let me chop this grandson down again."
The fire was getting bigger and bigger. Ye Nuan was anxious. She used the snake vine to wrap Qi Ya Xiaohu in a rattan ball. She also followed the same pattern and wrapped Liu Yu and Hu Li in rattan balls. She pulled out the elastic rope that Ye Xiaohu used for his slingshot and said to Qi Wuze, "Stop chopping! Come and shoot them out!"
She was too weak to pull the elastic cord until it bent. Qi Wuze quickly retreated, the handle of his knife hitting the rattan ball. He leaned back, dragging Ye Nuan with him.
Bang!
The first sepak takraw was launched, heading straight for the fire. A hole was knocked out of the burning wall. Baili Zhuo's eyes flickered slightly, and as the second sepak takraw flew out, he quickly jumped towards it. Just as it was about to fly out, a woman suddenly rushed out from the knocked-down wall.
Baili Zhuo was caught off guard and fell to the ground, his waist being held. The person even squeezed into his arms, hugging him and crying loudly. It was Ye Yuru. Baili Zhuo was extremely disgusted and grabbed her arm and threw her towards Ye Nuan.
Ye Yuru fell parabola-like, and the moment she landed, her eyes were filled with Baili Zhuo's cold face. She felt terrified, helpless, and incredulous.
How could Brother Zhuo, who loved her the most, be like this?
Seeing someone coming towards them, Qi Wuze and Ye Nuan dodged, and the two of them pressed their backs against the elastic rope and pulled back hard, and the elastic force bounced them away.
The moment he landed, he knocked Xue Xiaozhu outside unconscious.
"Go!"
The surface of the sepak takraw was burnt. She broke the sepak takraw, took the four people out, and started running out with all her might.
Hu Li said as he ran, "Let's go to the Hu Mansion first. There are soldiers inside."
Xue Xiaozhu had just woken up when another person rushed out of the fire. It was Baili Zhuo, the murderer of her daughter. She drew her sword and stabbed him. Baili Zhuo didn't stop and directly hit the sword's eye, piercing her abdomen. He endured the pain and the burning on his back and shot her through with a single shot.
Then he covered his abdomen and rushed out of the City Lord's Mansion.
Ye Nuan and his group were halfway through their run when they ran into the Hu Mansion guards who came to rescue them. The other two generals who were under house arrest also rushed to their rescue. Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the four generals who supported Xue Xiaozhu defected one after another and rushed to the City Lord's Mansion to put out the fire.
When the sky brightened, the fire in the City Lord's Mansion was put out, and everyone found Xue Xiaozhu who had been pierced.
Ye Nuan, Qi Wuze, A'ya, and Xiaohu finally recovered after a night of rest at the Hu Mansion. Hu Li bandaged her wounds and stayed awake all night, busy tidying up the City Lord's Mansion and issuing a manhunt for the escaped Baili Zhuo. Liu Yu was worried about her wounds, and his eyes were red.
After breakfast, Hu Li returned and said to Qi Wuze, "This Baili Zhuo is quite formidable. I heard he was injured and took advantage of the chaos to escape from Liuguang City last night. I think he went to the wasteland."
Ye Nuan said, "Please prepare some camels and food for us, and we will set off immediately."
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