"Where's Shui Ling?" Lan Qin asked Si Hua as she approached.
"I don't know, she went in that direction," Si Hua said.
"You all head straight to the main gate. I'll go find her, and we'll meet up there!" Fourth Master said, knowing that Lanqin would definitely not want to leave Shuiling behind.
Si Hua was unaware of what had happened. Lan Qin was torn, not wanting to abandon Shui Ling, but also not wanting to leave Fourth Master.
But time was of the essence for her to hesitate, so she could only watch as Fourth Master went to look for Shui Ling in the direction she had gone.
"Master, the master told us to go towards the main gate," Si Hua had no choice but to say to Lan Qin.
"Okay, let's go. We can't leave Shui Ling here alone!" Lan Qin and Si Hua walked directly towards the gate along the road. They encountered no obstacles along the way; it seemed the Taoists were indeed locked in a standoff, and no one was loitering outside at this time.
Lanqin and Sihua descended along the central axis of Wudang Mountain, first arriving at the edge of Zixiao Palace, only to find it deserted. According to Zhou Xingchuan's plan, they should be at Nanyan at this moment.
“If we go down this way, we shouldn’t encounter any more Taoists. The head stewards are all in Nanyan, and the second steward should be at Wulongtai. Let’s follow this road all the way to Xuanyue Gate. Su Peisheng and Gesang are over there,” Lanqin said.
"Yes, Master, let's go quickly. Let these Taoists handle their own affairs," Si Hua said. "I hope Master can find Shui Ling soon."
Lanqin didn't have time to think much before she and Sihua headed straight for Xuanyue Gate.
Meanwhile, the Fourth Prince finally found Shui Ling at the entrance of a palace on the west side. He took Shui Ling and started walking down the mountain, not daring to turn back for fear of being caught up.
"This servant thanks Master for coming to our rescue!" Shui Ling said, following behind the Fourth Master.
"No need for further explanation. It's just that the concubine is worried about you all and is following me closely!" the Fourth Prince said, and then he rushed down the mountain.
They followed the central and western paths of Wudang Mountain down to Nanyan. Nanyan was an extremely difficult path to traverse. One person blocking the way there was virtually impenetrable to ten thousand. The only way was through Nanyan; there was no other route.
Fourth Master and Shui Ling saw that Nan Yan was surrounded by many high-ranking officials.
“Master, there’s no other way out. We have no choice but to go right under their noses,” Shui Ling said.
“Something seems off about Yuan Xinghui’s men!” Fourth Master said.
"The head steward has come to besiege Nanyan, Master. Is there anything wrong with that?" Shui Ling asked. She and Si Hua had heard from Lan Qin about Zhou Xingchuan and Yuan Xinghui's arrangements, and that was exactly how it was arranged.
“They shouldn’t have actually resorted to violence. They only said that as long as they didn’t go to Jin Ding to provide support, there wouldn’t be a real fight. After all, they are all disciples of the Quanzhen Sect, and they wouldn’t resort to violence unless absolutely necessary,” Fourth Master said.
"Master, how do we get there?" Shui Ling asked.
"But is Yuan Xinghui simply deceiving Zhou Xingchuan?" Fourth Master murmured.
After watching for a while, Fourth Master said, "Let's detour to Five Dragon Terrace and see how things are over there!"
Shui Ling then followed Fourth Master eastward from Nanyan. Fourth Master had just left Jin Ding when he sensed something was wrong. He then used the excuse of going to the toilet to knock out the Taoist guarding him.
The two did not encounter any Taoist priests along their journey. The situation at Wulongtai was even more complicated. Before Fourth Master and Shuiling even arrived, they saw groups of two or three Taoist priests fleeing from that direction.
Fourth Master and Shui Ling hid in the shadows, observing the fleeing Taoist priests. Judging from their attire, besides the Second Master, there was also a Master Master. Although the Taoist robes were all the same, their hairpins were different to distinguish them and indicate which Master Master belonged to. Fourth Master identified them by their hairpins.
“This should be the place of the second and fourth managers, so why is there an extra manager?” Shui Ling asked.
"It seems I was right. The head steward didn't actually join forces with the second steward. He was just outwardly compliant, but in reality, he's still siding with the fake one," Fourth Master said.
“The second-in-command is not in danger, but he is one of their men. He can’t fight alone!” Shui Ling said.
"That's his fate, in their own words," Fourth Master said. "What we need to do now is hope that reinforcements come quickly, otherwise, who knows what will happen to Wudang Mountain!"
Taking advantage of the chaos, the two passed through Mount Wutai and then ran downhill towards Xuanyue Gate.
Lanqin and Sihua had already arrived there and met up with Su Peisheng and Gesang. Su Peisheng, with his silver tongue and persuasive words, managed to sway the Taoist priests guarding the gate. In the end, Gesang resorted to his fists and tied them all up.
"I hope Ling Feng arrives soon, otherwise we'll have to leave this place on our own," Lan Qin said, standing at the entrance of Xuan Yue Sect.
“Master, Ling Feng will definitely come,” Gesang said.
For some reason, Lanqin always felt a sense of peace whenever she heard his voice.
"Master, look! Master and Shui Ling are here!" Si Hua suddenly pointed to a mountain road outside and exclaimed.
Lanqin hurried over to see, and sure enough, she saw that Fourth Master and Shuiling had already walked towards them.
Lanqin rushed inside and greeted Fourth Master.
"As expected, Yuan Xinghui was feigning an alliance with Zhou Xingchuan. Let's go, we need to get out of here quickly. The few of us are no match for them; we can only wait for Ling Feng to bring reinforcements," Fourth Master said.
"The Second Master might have been killed by them," Lan Qin suddenly said worriedly.
"It can only be blamed on the deep corruption within Wudang; he alone cannot change it," said Fourth Master.
"Master, I hear the sound of horses' hooves. It's a large troop of horses galloping towards us," Gesang said. Lanqin turned around and saw him lying on the ground, seemingly listening intently.
Upon hearing this, Fourth Master immediately went over to Gesang and, imitating him, listened intently to the sounds from the ground together.
"Great! The reinforcements have arrived! Wudang is saved!" Fourth Master exclaimed.
When Ling Feng, dressed in a cloak, led five thousand elite soldiers borrowed from Xiangzhou, marching in perfect formation to the gate, Lan Qin realized that this was not a fake.
Lanqin, along with her two maids, Su Peisheng, and Gesang, were left at Xuan Yue Gate by the Fourth Master. The Fourth Master and Ling Feng, leading reinforcements from Xiangzhou, set off again for Wulongtai.
As Lanqin watched the soldiers in their indigo robes rushing up the mountain, she silently prayed for the second steward and his apprentice Zhou Tianhao, hoping for their safety.
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