Chapter 143 The Fight Begins
The next day, Chi Li and others left Zhongzhou Prefecture on a cloud boat and headed for the border of Dongzhou.
Liu Xiaozhi watched the Yunzhou disappear into the sky, and the smile on his face quickly disappeared, replaced by undisguised resentment, with a cold light flashing in his narrow eyes.
He flicked his sleeves, turned, and walked into the mansion, cursing softly, "The Immortal Clan is truly depleted of resources, allowing such a short-sighted, greedy woman to take the position of Sect Leader."
A whole box of high-level spirit stones could not satisfy her appetite, and she even wanted to collect double the amount of spirit stones. It was simply an exorbitant demand.
After thinking about it all night, Liu Xiaozhi felt that this matter was extremely tricky, and even had an uneasy premonition that the Jinmen Immortal Palace would sooner or later be destroyed by this woman!
However, he had no power and influence, and if he wanted to continue to be the governor of Zhongzhou, he could only obey Chi Lu.
If we could come up with a good excuse to collect spirit stones, things might not be difficult. But what excuse should we use to collect spirit stones again?
Is it a border war or a demon invasion? Or is it about building a city or roads?
He was just contemplating this when one of his men hurried in, his expression anxious, "Lord of the State, Lord Wang Wu has tracked down the young ladies. After leaving the city, they boarded a fleet of over a dozen cargo ships and headed for Dongzhou."
Liu Xiaozhi's face darkened, "Why don't you catch him back quickly?"
The subordinate said, "Master, the people on board are acting suspiciously. We suspect there are members of Eternal Night among them. The lost spiritual stones are likely hidden on this fleet!"
"What?" Liu Xiaozhi was stunned at first, but then his anger turned into joy and he laughed out loud, "Haha, this is truly a case of searching high and low for something, only to find it without any effort. Quick, have Wang Wu seize that fleet immediately and don't let them escape from Zhongzhou!"
"Yes!" the subordinate replied respectfully, then cautiously reminded, "Lord of the State, we don't know Yongye's strength. If one of them has a high level of cultivation, Lord Wang Wu and those Foundation Establishment cultivators alone may not be their match. Should we... send more cultivators to support them?"
Liu Xiaozhi's expression froze. What he said made sense. If Wang Wu failed and the cargo ship sailed away from Zhongzhou, wouldn't the batch of spirit stones be impossible to recover?
"Notify the Nine Golden Core Sons to follow me to the border of Zhongzhou and capture Yongye in one fell swoop!"
The whistling sound of breaking through the air pierced the sky of Zhongzhou City, and dozens of sword lights flew past like a trend and went to the border of Dongzhou.
————
"Don't worry, Miss Ying has prepared everything. Once we leave Zhongzhou, someone will come to pick us up." Yongye's sister at the bow looked at the frightened people in the cabin and spoke to comfort them.
Mu Chen, who was squeezed in the corner of the cabin with Luo Yuan—to hide her identity, she used the alias Mu Chen—did not feel relieved at all after hearing this, but became even more worried.
It was only after she boarded the ship that she realized they were members of Eternal Night.
Different from the ferocious and hideous demons in the rumors, they are all cultivators with at least the Qi training level. They have a restrained aura and behave in a generous and calm manner.
In Zhongzhou, most of the families that can support their daughters to go to the academy for training are wealthy. If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have imagined that this group of people would be the demons and lunatics that the world talks about.
At first, she was shocked and confused, not understanding why they would abandon their comfortable lives to join the Eternal Night. Then she thought about herself—hadn't she also abandoned her status as the lord's daughter and resolutely fled?
Mu Chen suddenly understood something.
The life full of flowers and prosperity may seem beautiful, but it actually comes at a price.
Just like her mother, who abandoned her self-respect, succumbed to the family's manipulation, married Liu Xiaozhi, and never found her own self again. She placed all her joys, sorrows, and fears on a man, lived for him, died for him, and lived like a mindless puppet.
But Mu Chen was different. She was unwilling to compromise, nor was she willing to sacrifice for some inexplicable cause.
Thinking of this, Mu Chen looked up at the person rowing at the bow again, and a subtle touch arose in his heart.
Suddenly, the boat stopped, and a whisper came from outside, "Hush, everyone. We've reached the border of Zhongzhou. The guards have been arranged, so nothing will happen."
The border guards were all fully armed soldiers, at least at the Qi Training stage. But just as Yongye's sisters had said, they only bluffed and questioned them, without even boarding the ship for inspection, and simply let them go.
The boat swayed on the broad river and continued to move forward. Mu Chen's heart instantly settled down.
She looked at Luo Yuan beside her, who happily grabbed her arm, lowered her voice, and said with a smile: "Great, we escaped!"
Luo Yuan was calmer than her, but he still smiled. Just as he was about to say something, an angry shout suddenly came from outside, followed by a burst of spiritual power, which caused the ship to shake slightly.
"The governor has issued an order! The traitor Eternal Night has abducted the daughter of a wealthy family and escaped. The border crossing is immediately sealed and all ships and cargo are seized for inspection!"
Then, there was a sound of hurried footsteps approaching.
Mu Chen's face immediately lost its color. They had caught up with her and were here to capture her.
What should we do now? Can the people of Eternal Night really handle so many monks?
On the river bank, Wang Wu led dozens of male cultivators and blocked the front of the fleet, scanning them fiercely.
"Listen up, everyone on the boat! Hand over the governor's daughter immediately, or don't blame me for being ruthless!"
He raised his hand, and the male cultivators behind him raised their bows, their spiritual power quickly condensed into arrows, and they tightened the bowstrings. With a flash of cold light, a pressure filled with cold murderous intent spread across the river.
Captain Bai Xiu, who was in charge of this operation, stood at the bow of the ship, feeling this invisible pressure, and his expression became solemn.
The expressions of the others also changed, and they no longer had the relaxed and comfortable look they had just had.
"Captain, what should we do now? Miss Ying's reinforcements haven't arrived yet, and we sisters are no match for them."
"Why don't you just hand her over? Sacrifice her and save all of us."
Bai Xiu glanced coldly at the person who spoke, "What nonsense! Since she's already on board, she's Yongye's sister. Our mission is to bring everyone to Dongzhou, without leaving anyone behind."
As she spoke, she raised her hand and summoned her spirit sword, staring coldly and firmly at the male cultivator in front of her. "Since fighting is inevitable, let's just start!"
Seeing them unsheathing their weapons, Wang Wu sneered, "You're courting death—shoot!"
In an instant, arrows flew like rain, carrying extremely intimidating spiritual power, and shot straight towards the bow of the ship.
In the cabin, Mu Chen heard the sounds of fierce fighting outside. She could no longer sit still and suddenly stood up. Just as she was about to walk outside, a slender but strong hand reached out and grabbed her wrist.
She immediately knew it was Luo Yuan. She tried to break free, but couldn't. She turned to look at her and said angrily, "I'm going to help them. If I harm all of you because of me, then I'd rather not have escaped with you!"
Luo Yuan shook his head, his eyes as dark as stars staring straight at her, "No, I'm not trying to stop you. I'll go with you."
Mu Chen was stunned, his heart instantly filled with warmth. He said hesitantly, "Luo Yuan, why... are you helping me like this?"
Luo Yuan smiled slightly, his eyes sincere and firm, and said softly: "Because you are my friend, and friends don't need reasons."
She still remembered the first time she met Mu Chen. She was lying on the beam of the school eavesdropping on the lecture. Suddenly, he looked up involuntarily and noticed her presence.
Luo Yuan originally thought she would be exposed and expelled from the academy, but Mu Chen didn't say anything. He even handed her his notes after class and said, "Here, don't eavesdrop on lectures anymore. It's dangerous if you get caught."
That was the first time she received kindness from others.
So, how could she let Mu Chen face the upcoming danger alone?
Mu Chen laughed too. The thought of being able to fight alongside Luo Yuan instantly filled his heart with courage.
"Okay, let's go together!" She raised her hand, summoned the magic sword, and walked out of the cabin.
Luo Yuan followed with his sword.
The two men flew onto the top of the awning and looked at the fighting in front of them, their hearts instantly tightened.
Yongye's sisters were surrounded by male cultivators and were injured to varying degrees, but they did not give up the resistance and their eyes were burning with anger.
Wang Wu held the sword to Bai Xiu's heart, a nasty and obscene smile on his face, "Hand over the young lady quickly, otherwise, I will cut your clothes and let everyone see, you lunatics of Yongye, are you human or devil!"
The male cultivators watching nearby suddenly burst into laughter.
Bai Xiu raised her head, her eyes sharp as a knife as she looked at Wang Wu coldly, "Where did you come from, you beast? Wait until I castrate you and serve you with wine, and then you'll know what regret is!"
As she said this, she suddenly spat, a mouthful of saliva directly on Wang Wu's face.
The smiles on the male cultivators' faces froze instantly. Wang Wu's face turned ashen. He raised his hand to wipe the spit off his face and shouted angrily, "You—! I'll kill you!"
Just as he was about to swing his sword, a beam of white light shot out from the side and hit his wrist accurately, causing the sword to fall to the ground with a clang.
Then, a loud voice came from above, "Let them go, I will go back with you."
Wang Wu looked up and saw Mu Chen standing on the roof of the cabin, his plain clothes fluttering in the wind, his face showing an unprecedented confidence and boldness.
He suddenly felt nervous and swallowed, "Really?"
Mu Chen curled his lips and smiled, "Of course I take it seriously, but the prerequisite is that you die first!"
As soon as he finished speaking, several blue sword lights flew from behind the male cultivators and pierced through their bodies. Then, with a few splashes, the people who were stabbed fell directly into the river.
It turned out that while Wang Wu was talking to Mu Chen, Luo Yuan had already circled behind them from underwater and launched a silent sneak attack.
Wang Wu was horrified and was about to recall the sword that fell to the ground to fight back, but Mu Chen was faster. With a flash of cold light, the sharp sword wind came like lightning, instantly knocking him away, and his body slammed heavily into the tree on the river bank.
He covered his chest and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
He looked up and saw a sharp sword pressed against his throat. Mu Chen's cold voice echoed above him, "If you don't want to die, have your men release Yong Ye's sisters."
Wang Wu was so angry that he almost vomited blood. However, at the critical moment of life and death, he had no choice but to bow his head and submit. He gritted his teeth and begged in a trembling voice: "Don't, don't kill me, I will immediately..."
Before he could finish, a roar like thunder came from the sky, "Don't release it!"
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