After a long journey of nearly ten days, the carriage finally stopped outside the Prince's Mansion of Northern Qi.
"Princess, we have arrived at the Prince's Mansion." Qiao Ying lowered the curtain and whispered to Yun Qianmeng.
Even though Yun Qianmeng lay in the carriage, she was not feeling well. Furthermore, she had been severely injured before, and the carriage was often bumpy on the road. This made Yun Qianmeng's face extremely pale and she looked very listless. She often leaned against the wall of the carriage and closed her eyes to rest.
Hearing Qiao Ying's reminder, Yun Qianmeng slowly opened her eyes, a trace of fatigue and weakness still lingering between her brows. She nodded lightly and then softly instructed Qiao Ying, "Help me up."
Qiao Ying did not dare to delay and immediately stepped forward to carefully help Yun Qianmeng sit up. He then took out a sable fur coat to keep Yun Qianmeng warm and put it on her. Finally, he added a warm and thin cloak before stopping what he was doing.
"It's just a few steps. Why are you dressing me up like a dumpling?" Yun Qianmeng was already having difficulty moving due to her pregnancy, and now that Qiao Ying was dressing her in so many clothes, she seemed to be moving even slower. She couldn't help but laugh.
Qiao Ying replied seriously, "Your Highness, you haven't left the carriage in a while, so you probably don't know how cold Northern Qi is. Compared to Jincheng, where we stayed, Northern Qi is several times colder. And your body is weak, so you should wear more clothes to avoid the cold."
Seeing Qiao Ying speaking so seriously, Yun Qianmeng thought of the medicine she had been taking all these days, and her brows couldn't help but furrowed before she nodded.
"Quick, carry the sedan chair to the carriage!" At this time, a woman's soft but caring voice sounded outside the carriage.
Hearing this, Yun Qianmeng immediately recognized the owner of the voice. Besides, there was probably no one else in the world who could order the servants of the Prince's Mansion to do things so casually without being blamed by Qi Jingyuan, except Rong Rong who escaped from the Western Chu Palace.
Yun Qianmeng winked at Qiao Ying, ordering her to lift the carriage curtain. She immediately looked outside. Who else could it be but Rong Rong, standing gracefully on the steps in front of the Prince's Mansion directing several maids to do their work?
"Miss Rong!" A soft voice came out of Yun Qianmeng's mouth.
When everyone heard this elegant voice, they all stopped what they were doing and looked in the direction of Yun Qianmeng.
The happiest person at this moment was Rong Rong.
She quickly walked down the steps and reached the carriage in two or three steps. After confirming that the person coming was indeed Yun Qianmeng, a smile from the heart suddenly appeared on Rong Rong's usually cold face. "I received the letter from the prince a few days ago, but I didn't believe it. Seeing you today, I believe it now."
Although they were in front of the Prince's Mansion, there were many servants at that time. The thoughtful Rong Rong did not call Yun Qianmeng "Princess", but just let people think that she was her acquaintance and friend.
Yun Qianmeng knew Rong Rong's intentions, so she smiled and nodded. With Qiao Ying's help, she carefully stepped out of the carriage and said politely, "This happened suddenly. I apologize for being rude."
It was not until Yun Qianmeng stood in front of Rong Rong that Rong Rong realized that Yun Qianmeng looked very bad. His face was pale and thin, but his wise eyes were still shining, which could easily make people fall into their trap.
Seeing Yun Qianmeng's bulging belly, she knew she was pregnant. Looking at the ice formed by the melting snow on the ground, Rong Rong extended her hands with concern. She and Qiao Ying supported Yun Qianmeng on either side as they walked towards the sedan chair. She whispered in Yun Qianmeng's ear with concern, "It's only been half a year since we last met. Why do you look so haggard, Princess?"
Hearing Rong Rong ask this, and seeing Rong Rong's extremely good expression, Yun Qianmeng knew that Qi Jingyuan treated her very well and never let her worry about the outside world. She couldn't help but laugh and said, "Pregnancy is basically like this. This little guy is too lively and it really makes me tired."
A simple sentence changed the topic and made Rongrong understand that this was not the place to chat.
Hearing this, Rong Rong nodded silently, but there was a trace of heartache in her eyes when she looked at Yun Qianmeng. She carefully helped Yun Qianmeng into the sedan chair, and at the same time repeatedly instructed the maids who carried the sedan chair to be careful with their steps and not to let the distinguished guest fall. Then she stood by the side of the sedan chair and prepared to go into the mansion with her.
"Sister!" Just as Rong Rong took two steps, a voice that she was most familiar with sounded from behind.
She turned around hurriedly, and what caught her eye was indeed the silver-haired Rong Yunhe. Her brother, whom she had not seen for a long time, was standing beside the horse, staring at her intently. There was a hint of tears in Rong Yunhe's usually dull eyes.
This made Rong Rong unable to bear the pain in her heart any longer. Tears instantly burst out of her eyes, and strings of tears slid down her face like pearls. She stood there crying and staring at her relatives not far away.
Seeing his sister crying so sadly, Rong Yunhe immediately dropped the reins in his hand, walked quickly to Rong Rong, and shouted again: "Sister!"
"Yunhe..." Only after grabbing Rong Yunhe's hands did Rong Rong call out his name with difficulty.
"Sister, don't cry. You haven't seen me for a long time. Can't you smile a little?" Staring at Rong Rong, who was like a mother and a sister in front of him, Rong Yunhe spoke in a hoarse voice. He wanted to make Rong laugh, but he didn't expect that his voice became even more hoarse and a little uncomfortable.
"Stinky boy..." Hearing Rong Yunhe's rare mischief, Rong Rong burst into laughter and couldn't help but reach out to hit Rong Yunhe's left arm, but found that his brother's left arm was wrapped in gauze and was fixed on his chest. Rong Rong's eyes suddenly showed distress, and she asked nervously: "Are you injured? How did you get hurt? Why don't you take care of yourself..."
"Sister, I have come from afar to visit you. Please at least let me into the mansion first before we talk about these things. You don't know, it has been cold and snowy all the way, and I am almost catching a cold." Rong Yunhe interrupted Rong Rong's endless questioning, looking helplessly at his sister who was holding him outside the Prince's Mansion.
Rong Rong was surprised to realize that this was outside the Prince's Mansion. She nodded quickly and instructed the steward of the Prince's Mansion to take the note to invite the imperial physician Mu Xiu at home. At the same time, she led Rong Yunhe into the Prince's Mansion without leaving his side.
"Doctor Lin, how is his injury?" Standing in front of the bed, Rong Rong anxiously asked the doctor who was taking Rong Yunhe's pulse and changing the medicine, and at the same time asked the maids to prepare clean clothes for Rong Yunhe to change into.
"Miss, don't worry. Although this young man's left arm was shot off, fortunately the doctor who set the bone at the time was very skilled. He will recover after two or three months of rest." The imperial physician put away his medical box and answered Rong Rong's question with a bow.
"Really? That's good!" Rong Rong couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, and a faint smile appeared on her face.
"Imperial physician, there is a pregnant woman and an injured girl. Please go and take a look." At this time, Rong Yunhe, who had changed his clothes, stood up from the bed and spoke to the imperial physician in a clear voice.
At the same time, he looked at Rong Rong and said with a faint smile, "Sister, please take this imperial physician to check Madam Chu's pulse."
Seeing that Rong Yunhe's heart and eyes were filled with Yun Qianmeng, and recalling how Yun Qianmeng looked when she first saw her outside the Prince's Mansion, Rong Rong had thousands of questions in her heart that she wanted to ask Rong Yunhe, but she still nodded in agreement with Rong Yunhe, and told Rong Yunhe to have a good rest, while she led the imperial physician to the guest rooms where the female relatives lived.
When Qiao Ying heard the purpose of Rong Rong's visit, he immediately bowed respectfully to her and said gratefully, "Thank you very much. I was just worried about this matter!"
As they were talking, they came to the inner room together. Yun Qianmeng had already been lying on the bed to rest after entering the inner room.
Yun Qianmeng had already heard the noise outside, so after the imperial physician sat down, she stretched her wrist out from behind the curtain and let the imperial physician take her pulse.
Qiao Ying stood nervously by the window, carefully observing the expression of the imperial physician. Whenever the imperial physician frowned slightly, Qiao Ying's heart would skip a beat, fearing that something was wrong with Yun Qianmeng's body.
After a lengthy pulse-taking, the imperial physician's expression was somewhat solemn. Without waiting for Rong Rong or Qiao Ying to ask, he took the initiative to speak, "Miss, don't worry. Madam's pulse is weak, and it seems she's been injured. Fortunately, the medicine has been used to maintain her health these days, so she can save the baby in her womb. But remember not to worry too much in the future, and especially to rest in bed as much as possible, so as to protect the fetus. I will prescribe another prescription of medicine later. Take it twice a day for half a month. Don't be careless again! I heard that there is another injured girl. Where is she?"
"Yes, I will take good care of the madam. Doctor, please follow me!" Qiao Ying couldn't help but glance at the curtain before leading the doctor out of the inner room.
"You two go and help. Miss Qiao Ying is new in the mansion, so don't neglect her." Upon seeing this, Rong Rong immediately gave orders to the two maids behind her in a deep voice, obviously treating the people around Yun Qianmeng as honored guests.
"Yes, Crown Princess!" The two maids were extremely smart. They immediately bowed to Rong Rong and followed Qiao Ying's figure.
"Thank you for your trouble." Yun Qianmeng expressed her gratitude as a bare hand lifted the curtain beside the bed.
Seeing Yun Qianmeng awake, Rong Rong walked over and hung the curtains on both sides on silver hooks. She then sat down on the edge of the bed and looked at Yun Qianmeng again. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she gently reproached Yun Qianmeng, "What polite words are you saying, Princess? How can I ever repay you for saving my life? But why did you get yourself into this state out of no reason? What happened to Xi Chu?"
Yun Qianmeng thought that the guest house was quiet and was surrounded by secret guards sent by Chu Feiyang, so she felt at ease and briefly recounted what had happened in the past six months.
"I never thought that so many things could happen in just half a year. So, Emperor Yugan is dead? The capital is now in the hands of Prince Chen, and the Rong Mansion..." Rong Rong only then understood why Qi Jingyuan seldom mentioned Xichu in front of her, and even ordered that no one in the Prince's Mansion should talk about Xichu. He probably didn't want to make her worry.
However, Rong Rong felt uncomfortable because her loved ones were suffering while she was living a leisurely life. A trace of sadness appeared on her beautiful face.
A warm hand gently rested on the back of her hand resting on her knee. Rong Rong raised her eyes slightly and saw Yun Qianmeng's eyes sparkling. A resolute expression was engraved on her pupils as dark as the night. Yun Qianmeng's affirmative voice echoed in her ears, "The prince will not let anything happen to anyone. The Rong Mansion is protected by secret guards, so the old lady and others will not be in danger. Moreover, Prince Chen is busy with the war and will not attack the people of the capital for the time being. You can relax."
Listening to Yun Qianmeng's words of comfort, Rong Rong swallowed the tears that were faintly emerging in her eyes and smiled, "I should have been the one chatting with you, but I didn't want you to comfort me in return."
Seeing Rong Rong take her comfort to heart, Yun Qianmeng finally felt relieved. Recalling how the imperial physician and the maidservant at the Crown Prince's residence had addressed Rong Rong differently, Yun Qianmeng couldn't help but ask curiously, "Why did the imperial physician address you as 'Miss', while the maidservant addressed you as 'Crown Princess'? Are you used to living here?"
Seeing Yun Qianmeng's puzzled expression, Rong Rong couldn't help but blush. She spoke in a low, slightly embarrassed voice, "Princess, you know my awkward position. Jingyuan didn't want me to feel wronged, so he delayed our marriage for a while. Therefore, outsiders all call me 'Miss'. However, he requires the maids and servants in the Prince's Mansion to call me 'Crown Princess'!"
Rong Rong's words immediately reminded Yun Qianmeng of Rong Yunhe, who had come with her. She couldn't help but ask curiously, "Could it be that Qi Jingyuan wants Rong Yunhe to acknowledge your identity as the Rong family's daughter?"
Unexpectedly, Yun Qianmeng's speculative question hit the nail on the head.
Rong Rong's eyes flashed with surprise for a moment, and then she smiled knowingly and praised, "The princess is truly intelligent. She can see through everything from the slightest clue."
After a pause, Rong Rong took a deep breath before continuing, "As you know, when I was a noble concubine, many ministers in the Northern Qi envoys had seen my true face. This alone was enough to arouse suspicion. If I were to marry Jingyuan, not only would I be in danger, but Jingyuan would also be implicated. Therefore, he went to Western Chu and brought Yunhe back, having Yunhe testify that I was the second daughter of the Rong family, abducted by a servant when I was young. This way, even if others had doubts, they would not dare to make a big fuss about it without any basis. This is the best solution for both Jingyuan and me."
"Actually, there are so many people who look alike in this world. Why would Qi Jingyuan travel thousands of miles to Western Chu to bring Rong Yunhe here and explain this matter? I'm afraid..." At this point, Yun Qianmeng's eyes flashed with a sly smile, and then she said mischievously, "I'm afraid the Crown Prince felt sorry for your homesickness, so he used this as an excuse to bring Young Master Rong here."
Hearing Yun Qianmeng's words, Rong Rong was slightly stunned, but then it was as if she had been enlightened, and she immediately understood Qi Jingyuan's painstaking efforts for her.
Indeed, there are so many people who resemble each other. Knowing that the Crown Prince's Mansion had publicly announced that the future Crown Princess resembled the former Imperial Concubine Rong of Western Chu, and that Imperial Concubine Rong had now been reduced to a pile of bones, the world naturally wouldn't dwell on this matter. So why bother braving the heavy snow to travel thousands of miles to Western Chu to fetch Rong Yunhe?
For a moment, Rong Rong's face flushed red, and her heart was filled with emotion. She did not speak for a long time...
"I wish to find a devoted person and stay with him till we grow old together. How blessed is the Crown Princess!" Yun Qianmeng was used to Rong Rong's cold expression, but after seeing her shy look several times today, she couldn't help but want to tease her.
Rong Rong blushed even more at Yun Qianmeng's teasing, and she grumbled back, "The princess and the prince are also deeply in love, so why tease me?"
For a moment, the guest house was filled with pleasant laughter. It was not until Qiao Ying came back with the medicine bag that Rong Rong got up and left.
"Why are you here again, sister?" In the men's guest house, Rong Yunhe sat quietly by the window admiring the falling snow in the courtyard. When he saw Rong Rong step into the inner room, he stood up and asked.
"I'm afraid you're worried about the princess's health, so I came to tell you." Seeing her brother looking so handsome after washing up, Rong Rong's eyes showed relief, but her words were teasing Rong Yunhe.
A helpless smile appeared on Rong Yunhe's lips. He poured a cup of hot tea for Rong Rong with one hand and said with a smile, "Sister, please sit down. It seems like we haven't had tea and enjoyed the snow like this for a long time."
Looking at the cup of steaming tea on the coffee table, all the memories of the past in Rong Mansion instantly came to Rong Rong's mind. She nodded slowly, walked lightly to the window and sat down, enjoying the snow scene in the courtyard with Rong Yunhe.
"The princess is weak and must rest for some time. However, as long as she rests properly, she will be fine. Don't worry, your sister will take good care of the princess. Now you also need to have a good rest and don't hit your arm again." Seeing that Rong Yunhe never asked about Yun Qianmeng's condition, Rong Rong spoke directly, and her slender jade hand picked up the teacup in front of her, and took the opportunity to observe Rong Yunhe's expression while drinking tea.
Although Rong Yunhe's attention was always on the falling snow in the courtyard, after hearing what he said, his expression relaxed a little. Although his expression did not fluctuate greatly, it could not escape Rong Rong's eyes.
Rong Rong took a sip of the hot tea in the cup and placed it on the coffee table. Just as she was about to speak, Rong Yunhe's deep yet clear voice rang in her ears, "Sister, on the way here, Qi Jingyuan mocked me."
This sentence made Rong Rong's originally calm eyes flash with surprise, and she knew in her heart why Qi Jingyuan mocked her brother. However, this brother who always kept his private affairs to himself was complaining to her at this time, which made Rong Rong immediately understand Rong Yunhe's thoughts.
Some feelings cannot be abandoned simply by others telling you to; some things need time to settle; some people are already engraved in your heart and you never want to remove them...
Understanding Rong Yunhe's meaning, Rong Rong immediately changed the subject, "Where's Jingyuan? Why haven't you seen him since you came back?"
Seeing Rong Rong change the subject, Rong Yunhe's eyes flashed with gratitude, and he followed her words and replied, "As soon as the convoy entered the territory of the Northern Qi imperial capital, an eunuch invited him to the palace."
Hearing this, Rong Rong nodded with a smile, then called the maids from the outer room and ordered them to prepare dinner. The brother and sister had dinner together before Rong Rong left the guest house.
"I've been waiting for you for half a day!" Unexpectedly, before he even stepped into his room, an angry voice came from inside.
Rong Rong waved her hand to let the people behind her leave, then reached out and pushed open the carved wooden door in front of her. Sure enough, she saw Qi Jingyuan sitting in the middle of the outer room with a look of grievance on his face, and a frosty expression on his face.
"If I had come back earlier, I probably wouldn't have known that such a big thing had happened in Xichu. I wouldn't have known that the Rong family far away in the capital was in extreme danger at this time. I wouldn't have known that my brother had been ridiculed and mocked by others!" Rong Rong pretended to be a slave, and didn't even look at Qi Jingyuan, and walked straight into the inner room.
"Rong Yunhe, he actually complained?" Qi Jingyuan shouted in a tone of disbelief. He originally wanted to argue with Rong Rong about this matter, but he found that the stunning beauty in front of him was so stingy that he didn't even glance at her. This made Qi Jingyuan's heart sink. He quickly extinguished the raging anger in his heart and followed Rong Rong into the inner room.
But Rong Rong lay on the couch with her eyes closed, refusing to communicate with Qi Jingyuan.
Recalling the deep affection between the siblings in the Rong family, Qi Jingyuan suddenly felt that something was wrong. How could he be so unlucky as to offend Rong Yunhe, whose mind was narrower than the eye of a needle?
Qi Jingyuan quietly moved to the front of the couch, squatted carefully, and looked at the woman lying on the couch. Even if there was great anger in his heart, it disappeared without a trace when he saw this stunning face.
The slender big hand involuntarily floated up to the delicate face so close to him. Feeling the incredibly delicate feeling in his palm, the violent aura around Qi Jingyuan instantly disappeared into the air.
The delicate eyebrows on her pretty face slightly frowned, and her long and curled eyelashes trembled slightly like butterfly wings. Rong Rong then slowly opened her eyes, and what caught her eyes was Qi Jingyuan's handsome face that had already been as gentle as water.
"Rong'er, what are you angry about? Are you blaming me for not taking good care of Rong Yunhe, or for not telling you about Xichu? I can explain, but Rong Yunhe complained first, and his behavior is disgusting to me!" She apologized and explained, but she was still trying to drag Rong Yunhe into the water. Qi Jingyuan was indeed the crown prince of a country.
However, when Rong Rong saw that Qi Jingyuan, who was always so domineering and ruthless, could be so humble in front of her, she no longer had any intention of blaming him.
Especially after hearing Qi Jingyuan's last words, I couldn't help laughing.
This subtle expression was immediately noticed by Qi Jingyuan, who had been staring at her. As if he had been forgiven, Qi Jingyuan exerted a little force on his knees. When Rong Rong came to her senses, Qi Jingyuan had already sat down on the couch with her, holding her in his arms. The speed of his movements was astonishing.
Frustrated with her own weakness, Rong Rong pounded Qi Jingyuan's chest with her fists, but she snuggled in his arms and whispered, "You should have told me about Xichu a long time ago. My most important relatives are in Xichu. If you keep it a secret from me, where will I be? If you hadn't deliberately mocked Yunhe, why would he have told me about this with his personality? You're actually trying to shift the blame onto him!"
Seeing Rong Rong's attitude soften, Qi Jingyuan immediately grabbed her fist, pressed it to his lips, and kissed her again and again, until the longing he had felt for her for the past few days eased. Then he spoke angrily, "Yes, yes, it's all my fault! I just couldn't stand that boy always hanging around Yun Qianmeng, so I spoke rudely and offended my respected brother-in-law!"
Rong Rong straightened up immediately after hearing this, but Qi Jingyuan held her tightly in his arms. His gentle voice rang in her ears, "Rong'er, listen to me..."
After carefully analyzing the current situation of Xichu and telling Rongrong about Chu Feiyang's entrustment before leaving, Qi Jingyuan slowly shut up.
"So, the King of Chu is in a very dangerous situation right now. If he's not careful, he'll be counterattacked by those two armies." Rong Rong was terrified. Thinking of Yun Qianmeng's frail appearance when she saw her that day, Rong Rong felt a slight pain in her heart. She asked reluctantly, "What if something happens to the King of Chu? What will the Princess do?"
"Let's take it one step at a time! If you have time, go spend more time with her, so she doesn't keep asking about Chu Feiyang." With a sigh, Qi Jingyuan could only say this. He clearly didn't want to get involved in the affairs of Western Chu, but he was still dragged into it by that fox Chu Feiyang. If Chu Feiyang were to get into trouble, the Sea King and King Chen would definitely send troops to attack Northern Qi. The thought of this possibility made Qi Jingyuan hate Chu Feiyang to the core.
"Don't worry, I'll spend more time with her! She's weak right now, and I don't have anyone to keep her company, so we could be a perfect match." Rong Rong nodded in agreement. Furthermore, Yun Qianmeng was incredibly intelligent, and chatting with her was always a pleasure. Rong Rong could get a lot of tips from her, which was a huge benefit to her. This was one of the reasons why Rong Rong was so happy to be close to her.
"In that case, you can rest! In a few days, I will bring Rong Yunhe to the palace to meet my father!" As he said that, Qi Jingyuan stood up, pressed Rong Rong, who was about to send him out, to sit on the couch, and turned around and left the courtyard.
Outside the city of Western Chu.
In the silent night, a group of guards in tight black night clothes ran out silently from the northwest military camp of the King of Chu.
Hundreds of people quickly approached the city along a path...
At this time, the towers of Chaocheng were brightly lit with candles, and the Sea King's army took turns patrolling and guarding the towers day and night, not giving the Chu King's army outside the city any chance to launch a night attack.
"Everyone, pay attention to yourselves. If I find anyone slacking off or dozing off, I will execute them on the spot!" The news of the defeat of the Jincheng Sea King Army had spread throughout Western Chu. With the defeat of the Sea King Army, the news of the Sea King's disappearance also spread throughout Western Chu like wild weeds.
Yuan Yao, who was left behind by Hai Quan to defend the city, could only defend Chaocheng to the death. At the same time, he sent people out to inquire about Hai Quan's news, hoping that Hai Quan could come back alive, otherwise the Sea King's army would be defeated.
Yuan Yao's loud roar suddenly echoed in the silent night sky. The soldiers, who had just dozed off, dared not let their guard down anymore. They perked up and stared intently at the pitch-black city wall below...
Meanwhile, the hundreds of people had already arrived at the foot of the city wall. After hiding their horses, they immediately split into several teams and quietly sneaked into the city through different paths...
"Master, the dungeon of Chaocheng is built under the city wall, and it must be heavily guarded. Why don't you wait here while I go to rescue people." After the others sneaked into Chaocheng, Han Jing suddenly grabbed Han Che who was about to run forward and spoke to Han Che in a very low voice.
Han Jing didn't say anything about Han Che coming to Chaocheng to rescue the hostages, but he didn't agree with it in his heart. Finally, the two of them were able to talk alone, and Han Jing naturally hoped to do his best to persuade Han Che.
"Since I was the one who proposed this, how could I back down? Forget about that. It's more important to rush into the city and rescue people before it gets dark." Han Che pulled his arm away from Han Jing's grasp and spoke in a low but serious voice. He then waved to the assassins behind him, telling them to follow him into the city.
Han Jing could only watch Han Che's figure disappear around the corner. He felt very sorry in his heart, but he immediately followed and loyally protected Han Che to prevent any danger from approaching him.
A team of hundreds of people silently leaped onto a city wall and slid inside. They then clung to the wall, groping along it as they trotted towards the tower...
There was silence everywhere. Any heavy footsteps would be immediately discovered by the patrolling Sea King's Army. The closer to the city wall, the stricter the patrol of the Sea King's Army became. Almost every ten steps, one would encounter a column of Sea King's Army.
Seeing this, Han Che knew that if they continued to waste time like this, they wouldn't reach the prison by daybreak, and would even be discovered by the Sea King's army due to their sheer numbers. He looked around carefully, his mind rapidly analyzing the situation. He then made a pre-arranged gesture to the assassins behind him, and the hundreds of men were instantly broken up into smaller groups of ten.
As a result, the team's forward speed was much faster than before. In just half an incense stick of time, Han Che and others had arrived at the dungeon along the road on the map.
Compared to the enemies encountered on the road just now, the number of Sea King's soldiers in front of the dungeon is larger and the surveillance is more strict.
Given this, Han Che seemed to have already determined that Qu Feiqing and the others were being held captive here. He hurriedly led the ten people behind him to hide behind a wooden pillar, then pulled out an extremely small signal from his waist, instantly ignited it, and sent it into the sky...
After quickly completing all of this, Han Che led everyone along the wall towards the dungeon entrance...
"Who is it?" Unexpectedly, the Sea King's Army was extremely quiet. Although Han Che and others had made their footsteps as light as possible, they were still discovered by the Sea King's Army with their sharp ears.
At the other party's loud shout, Han Che and others who were hiding in the dark instantly drew out their swords and rushed towards the Sea King's army at lightning speed.
The occurrence of this sudden situation caused more than half of the Sea King's army, which was originally unprepared, to be chopped down in an instant. However, Han Che and others became more and more courageous as they killed more people, and everyone swung their swords faster.
Coupled with the addition of other assassins who had just received the signal and rushed over, the Sea King's army in front of the dungeon was wiped out in the blink of an eye...
While the reinforcements were still waiting to arrive, Han Che quickly led a group of his warriors into the dungeon...
The dungeon was completely silent. Han Che's figure left countless shadows in the candlelight, falling on the dark and damp ground inside the dungeon. However, after Han Che and his companions searched the entire dungeon, they could not find any trace of Qu Feiqing and the others...
"Master!" Han Jing's heart suddenly jumped, and he felt that things would not be so simple?
How could a dungeon holding hostages be so easily breached? They'd already been spotted by the Sea King's army before they even reached the dungeon entrance, and even after a prolonged battle, no reinforcements arrived. It was as if the enemy had set a trap, waiting for them to fall into it...
"Hurry up!" Han Jing was anxious. He quickly reached out and grabbed Han Che's arm, and quickly ran towards the entrance with him...
"Be careful!" As the entrance was right in front of them, a low shout was heard. Before Han Jing and Han Che turned around to look, a stream of hot blood had already splashed on their faces. Han Jing and Han Che then realized that the mechanism in the dungeon had been activated at some point, and countless short arrows shot out from the walls everywhere. Fortunately, the death warriors protecting them reacted very quickly and used their bodies to block some of the short arrows for them. Otherwise, Han Jing and Han Che would have been shot to death by now.
The assassins around him fell on the stone steps one after another. The shocking blood flowed down the stone steps quickly like a winding river, which hurt Han Che's heart.
Han Che immediately raised the long sword in his hand, and together with the assassins around him, he swung the sword to knock away the short arrows that were rapidly shooting towards their bodies.
"Dangdangdang..." The dungeon was suddenly filled with the sound of defending against short arrows...
At this moment, everyone's body shook violently for a moment, and they felt the stone steps under their feet vibrate. A deafening "boom" instantly replaced the sound of arrows breaking through the air, which seemed very terrifying in the silent night.
"Oh no, the entrance is about to be sealed..." Han Jing was shocked and couldn't help but shout out. Without saying a word, he used his body as a shield to protect Han Che in front of him, dragging Han Che towards the entrance desperately...
"Father!" Han Che's heart tightened, and he couldn't help but look back at the assassin lying in a pool of blood behind him. His heart was broken, but he was powerless. For the first time, he felt that his power was so insignificant that he couldn't even save the assassin's life.
"It's too late, hurry up!" Han Jing only had Han Che in his heart. He pulled Han Che quickly to the entrance. Before the stone door fell to the ground, the two of them tumbled out in a panic...
"Shoot!" Unexpectedly, the person waiting outside was Yuan Yao who had already prepared his battle formation. Seeing that someone could actually escape from the dungeon full of traps, a trace of surprise flashed across Yuan Yao's eyes, but then it was replaced by a bloodthirsty light. He ordered to shoot Han Che and the other man as soon as they escaped from the dungeon and had not yet stood up straight.
"Fire!" To Yuan Yao's surprise, Han Che remained calm in the face of danger. He witnessed with his own eyes the warriors who had protected him since childhood falling in a pool of blood one by one. He was filled with shock and anger. Almost at the same time Yuan Yao spoke, Han Che also gave orders to the warriors guarding outside.
'Bang, bang, bang...' In an instant, the heart-shaking sounds of gunfire rang in the ears of the Sea King's Army. The Sea King's Army, including Yuan Yao, had not yet seen how the other side made their move. The archers who were originally squatting in the front had already died and fell to the ground.
A faint smoke was coming out of the chests of the fallen archers. The wound was only the size of a copper coin, but it caused them to bleed profusely and die instantly.
Such a sudden change immediately caused chaos and panic in the Sea King's army, which had originally had the advantage. Those Sea King's soldiers who had originally stood behind the archers saw their companions die in such a strange way, and they were timid and dared not step forward. Even the knowledgeable Yuan Yao was shocked by the situation in front of him and didn't understand what kind of weapon it was.
Han Che and the others saw the Sea King's army caught up in the chaos and immediately put away their muskets and retreated...
"Chase them! Don't spare a single one! Anyone who dares to break into the dungeon and rescue someone must be the King of Chu's men!" Yuan Yao's sinister eyes swept across the dungeon, which had become a secret chamber. A bloody look suddenly emanated from his eyes as he gave the order without mercy. He quickly drew his sword from his waist, intending to lead the pursuit himself...
'Bang, bang, bang...' At this moment, the same sound as before was heard outside the originally silent city wall. The continuous sound was like a death cry, engraved in the hearts of the Sea King's soldiers. Yuan Yao looked up and saw that the faces of the Sea King's soldiers around him were all filled with fear.
"You lead them in the pursuit. I'll go up to the tower to check on the enemy!" Yuan Yao glared at these disgraceful Sea King soldiers, gave his deputy a firm order, and then turned and quickly ran up the tower...
"General, be careful!" Yuan Yaofang rushed to the tower and was knocked to the ground by a Sea King soldier guarding the city. Just above where he had just stood, something the size of a date flew past...
"What happened?" At this point, Yuan Yao did not dare to be careless anymore. He stood up with the soldier and asked the Sea King Army beside him with a gloomy face and a frown, but he was careful not to go to the front to see the situation under the city wall.
"Just now, a large number of Chu King's army suddenly appeared under the city wall. I thought it was the same as usual, and that Chu Nanshan came to the city wall to provoke me, so I didn't take it seriously. But I didn't expect that within a cup of tea, the Chu King's army gathered more and more, and even got ready for battle. Without waiting for our people to ask, the other side had already begun to attack the city. Moreover, I have never heard of the weapons used by the Chu King's army, and I really don't know what to do! General, you'd better think of a solution quickly. Our people will be shot as soon as they stand behind the city wall, but we can't find which direction the weapons are coming from. If this goes on, I'm afraid the city will be in danger!" The Sea King's army was sweating profusely, looking very nervous, and was even more worried about the current situation of the Sea King's army.
After hearing his report, Yuan Yao's heart sank suddenly, but he did not show any panic. His years of experience in fighting on the battlefield allowed him to keep a cool head in such a situation.
He crouched down and walked quickly to the back of the city wall, then slowly stuck his head out to look down at the tower...
The originally dark outside the city was now lit up by the torches in the hands of the Chu army. Thousands of Chu army archers were drawing their longbows and shooting arrows at the city walls. Behind the archers stood the Chu army infantry, ready to go. Behind the infantry stood tens of thousands of Chu army cavalry, who had already formed an attack formation. Leading the troops was Chu Nanshan, who had been constantly provoking people under the city walls these days.
Seeing this situation with his own eyes, Yuan Yao showed a look of embarrassment on his face. The Sea King's army had lost the battle of Jincheng, and the Sea King had not yet returned. If he lost Chaocheng again, he was afraid that the Sea King's army would never recover from this.
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