Chapter 78 Thorn
It was rainy in March, and at night there were no people on the streets except for the night watchmen who walked the streets in their straw raincoats. As soon as he passed Zhuque Street, he saw from a distance a group of murderous cavalrymen rushing towards the direction of the palace. The sound of their horses' hooves was as rapid as an earthquake, and he was so scared that he quickly ran into the alley and hid.
The rain was noisy, and only a few angry shouts could be heard on the street:
"The Emperor has issued an order! Tianshui and Dongli hostages have escaped. Immediately guard the four city gates and have the patrol troops assist in capturing them!"
The silent fairy night was stirred up by these words, just like raindrops falling into the water, creating ripples.
Gongsun Wuyou had never been so flustered in the past ten years of his life. He dressed up and fled on horseback with Master Xuanhong. Behind him were endless pursuers. The cold rain hit his face coldly, making it difficult for him to see clearly. He asked in panic:
"National Master! Didn't you say that the Emperor had accepted the Sword Sect's secrets and agreed to let me return to my country? Why are you running away?!"
"Your Highness is confused! The Emperor has always been ruthless, how could he really let you go back? That was just a stopgap measure to let him let down his guard! I have already discussed with Dong Li, and we will gather together at the East City Gate to fight. As long as we reach the ferry, someone will pick us up. Even if I risk my life, I will definitely save you and bring you back to the country!"
Xuan Hong looked tense, watching to see if the Yu Lin army was chasing them, while riding his horse towards the east city gate with Gongsun Wuyou. Hundreds of death warriors protected them in the middle, ready for the upcoming bloody battle.
The Dongli envoys had been lying in ambush near the city gate for a long time. When they arrived, Prince Liu hurriedly led his men to meet them. It was raining heavily, and they were soaked through. Their voices were filled with anxiety: "Hurry up! In another cup of tea, the city gate will be changed, and my men will be of no help!"
Prince Liu had placed a chess piece in the fairyland in advance, which was hidden very deeply. Now it was a young general guarding the East Gate. When the melee broke out later, the opponent would secretly open the gate and let them leave. If they missed the change of duty, it would be difficult to escape!
Xuan Hong ordered the people behind him to send several fast horses to the Dongli people: "Prince Liu, we have to act without delay and escort the two princes out of the city first. The pursuers are catching up!"
Liu Quedan followed behind Prince Liu in a black nightgown, looking solemn but calm.
Gongsun Wuyou looked at Xuan Hong's fearless expression and had a vague feeling that many people might die next, and among them might be the Grand Master who had watched him grow up. He said in panic:
"Master, I...I won't leave, okay? I will stay in Xianling for three years, and then go back after three years..."
"Your Highness, what nonsense are you talking about! The king is seriously ill and the court is worried about internal and external troubles. How can we wait for three years?"
Xuan Hong wiped the rain off his face and said to Prince Liu, "When the pursuers come, I will do my best to stop them. If anything happens, I hope you will take care of Prince Wuyou and escort him to the ferry safely!"
In front of the country and the people, no matter how talented a person is, he seems to be nothing more than a floating feather, no matter if it is Xuan Hong, Prince Liu, or those nameless warriors.
They are the pillars of the country and are among the smartest people in the world, but smart people often do stupid things, just like most loyal ministers and generals do not have a good end.
That night, the Immortal King's roar of killing shook the sky.
That night, the entire imperial city was swaying in the wind and rain.
That night, peach blossoms in early March fluttered down the bluestone streets, and were dyed red by the blood on the ground.
Gongsun Wuyou no longer remembered how he escaped from the royal capital. He only remembered the flashing of swords and the shadows of swords all around him, the pungent smell of blood and screams floating in the air, and the guards who fought desperately and finally cut a bloody path out.
The remaining troops fled to the outskirts of the city, but the pursuers behind them were getting more and more numerous. He Jianshuang led the Longquan Division in pursuit, shouting as their horses' hooves trotted across the muddy road:
"Chase them! His Majesty has ordered that we find them alive or dead, and not a single one of them shall be spared!"
As he stopped talking, he drew his bow and arrow in the rain, aimed at Xuanhong's back and shot him off his horse with one arrow.
"National Master!"
Gongsun Wuyou shouted when he saw this, and immediately dismounted and helped him up. His face was wet, and he couldn't tell whether it was tears or rain. He asked in panic, "Master, are you okay?"
"Hello!"
Liu Quedan stopped the reins and shouted, "Don't worry! Hurry up! He Jianshuang and the others have caught up with us!"
Xuan Hong grabbed his sword with all his strength and stood up shakily, his body covered in blood. He pushed Gongsun Wuyou away and said, "Your Highness, please leave! I will take care of you!"
"No! I won't leave! Imperial Master, I won't leave. I will go back and apologize to the Emperor and ask him to heal your wounds, okay? Wuwuwuwuwu..."
Gongsun Wuyou cried heartbreakingly, but was dragged onto a horse by Prince Liu's men and rushed towards the ferry. He Jianshuang chased after him and saw Xuanhong standing by the road with a sword in his hand. He looked at his graying hair and sneered, "Xuanhong, do you think you can stop my Fairy Iron Cavalry by yourself?"
Xuan Hong was guarding the intersection with a sword, laughing coldly: "Although I am old, I can still lift a sword. General He, I heard that you are the most valiant warrior in the fairy world, and I am also the most skilled fighter in Tianshui. I wonder who will win in today's competition?!"
"A mantis trying to stop a chariot is overestimating one's own abilities!"
He Jianshuang's pride made him unwilling to compete with a seriously injured old man, so he only ordered the guards to stop him. He drew his bow and arrow again, aiming at the people fleeing not far away. However, the arrow shot out with a whoosh, but was suddenly broken by a piece of gravel that came from nowhere, and broke into two pieces with a click.
He Jianshuang's eyes suddenly widened: "Who?!"
Countless men in black suddenly appeared on the hillside above. They wore ghost masks with green faces and fangs, and carried crossbows in their hands. They pointed countless hidden weapons at the people of Longquan Division. The intimidation they showed was self-evident.
The deputy general's face changed: "It's bad, envoy! They have helpers in secret!"
He Jianshuang recognized that this group of people were the assassins who attacked the posthouse. His sharp face showed a hint of anger. He threw away his bow and arrow angrily, and with a clang, he drew the sword at his waist, cutting through countless raindrops: "Kill them!"
A huge battle suddenly broke out. The Longquan Division was composed of carefully selected masters, but they were no match for the hidden weapons that were denser than raindrops. The silver needles soaked in anesthetics pierced into the skin, paralyzing the whole body in a moment.
Master Xuan didn't know what was going on, and his first reaction was to get away from the melee as quickly as possible. He staggered away, covering his wound that was bleeding profusely, but he was exhausted and fell heavily into the mud. In a trance, he saw a familiar figure rolling and crawling towards him. It was Gongsun Wuyou who had returned.
"National Master! National Master!"
Gongsun Wuyou saw Xuan Hong was covered in blood, and he quickly helped him up from the ground. With red eyes, he said in panic: "I will go back to Tianshui with you! We have to go back to Tianshui together! I can't leave you alone!"
He is a fool. He has never done anything smart in his life. He has just been following his heart all his life. In the end, he can't leave Xuan Hong alone.
Prince Liu and his men also turned back, bringing their few remaining guards to resist the pursuers, and anxiously shouted, "Prince Wuyou! Hurry up!"
Gongsun Wuyouyu stopped talking and carried the exhausted Xuanhong on his back, and hurried towards the ferry step by step with difficulty. Seeing this, He Jianshuang jumped off his horse and wanted to step forward to stop them, but suddenly there was another team in front of him.
Although this team also wore black clothes, they had three-legged golden crow patterns embroidered on their shoulders and swords on their waists, so their identities were self-evident. They stood in the rain like a black human wall, exuding a murderous aura.
He Jianshuang was shocked: "Golden Crow Guard?!"
Someone from Fengling Palace? !
Behind the wall of people, a figure on horseback suddenly appeared. He was also dressed in black and had a red devil mask on his face. He looked ferocious, but the voice belonged to a young man, and was particularly clear and pleasant:
"Go back, Envoy He Zheng. I owe you a favor."
He Jianshuang's pupils shrank: "You...you are..."
The man in black shook his head slightly, indicating that he could not speak:
"Why make enemies? Father is foolish."
He blew a whistle before he finished speaking. The clear sound cut through the rainy night: "Retreat!"
The Jinwu Guards still stayed where they were to block the Yulin Army coming from behind. They were from Fengling Palace, so they would not clash and avoid casualties. Only the people from Tianji Palace who were ambushing on the cliff withdrew like a tide, and they all mounted their horses and followed Lu Yan to leave.
Gongsun Wuyou panicked when he heard the sound of horse hooves behind him and fell heavily on the mountain path. He hurriedly helped Xuanhong up, but saw that a group of men in black wearing ghost-tooth masks were chasing them.
"Come up!"
The leading man reached out and directly pulled Gongsun Wuyou onto the horse's back, while another man in black pulled the seriously injured Xuan Hong onto the horse's back. They followed Prince Liu's men and galloped towards the ferry. The pursuers behind them gradually turned into a distant black dot.
Several boats had already stopped at the ferry. A beautiful woman wearing a cloak was waiting anxiously on the deck. She saw Gongsun Wuyou and his men riding towards her at full speed from afar. She immediately went ashore and shouted anxiously, "Wuyou!"
"Mother?!"
Gongsun Wuyou dismounted immediately upon seeing this, and supported the woman with shock and joy: "Mother?! Why are you here?!"
The Queen's eyes were red, and she wiped Gongsun Wuyou's bloodstained face helplessly: "You have been away from the country for so long, and your mother was worried about you, so she quietly followed Master Xuan here. The boat is ready, and we can go home soon. Fortunately, you escaped, fortunately, you escaped..."
She burst into tears, fearing that her son would not be able to escape and would be caught again.
"Yes...someone saved me and the Imperial Master on the road..."
Gongsun Wuyou didn't know what he was thinking of. He turned around and looked at the group of men in black standing on horseback on the shore. Although the leading man was wearing a mask, it was not difficult to see that he had a handsome figure. His slender fingertips were holding the reins, and the pale backs of his hands looked like cold jade under the cold rain.
Master Xuan stood up with great difficulty under the help of his followers, and bowed to the man to thank him: "I don't know your name, sir, but I will never forget your life-saving grace!"
Although he felt relieved that he had survived the disaster, he was more suspicious. After all, if the other party saved them, it would be equivalent to offending the immortals. Xuan Hong went through all his close friends in his mind, but he couldn't figure out where this mysterious force came from.
"It's just a small effort, don't worry about it. Now the clouds have cleared and the rain has stopped, everyone can set out."
The man in black did not seem to intend to reveal his identity. He said lightly, pinched the horse's belly, and was about to leave when a cold voice suddenly sounded behind him -
"Are you King Fengling?!"
As soon as these words came out, everyone was shocked, except Liu Quedan, who stared at the black-clothed man who was leading the group. He stepped forward and said in a deep voice, word by word:
"You are Lu Yan!"
This time it is not a question, but an affirmative sentence.
The man in black chuckled when he heard that, and turned to look at Liu Quedan. Because he was wearing a mask, it was difficult to see his expression for a moment: "Why do you say that?"
Liu Quedan clenched his hands silently at his side: "The troops who just stopped the pursuers were the Jinwu Guards!"
His tone was complicated. He probably couldn't understand why Lu Yan wanted to save them. This man always did things beyond his expectations time and time again.
Gongsun Wuyou was also stunned for a moment: "Are you King Fengling?!"
The man was silent for a moment, and finally raised his hand to cover the edge of the mask, and directly took off the devil mask, revealing a face that turned everyone upside down. His eyes were slightly lowered, and his handsome face looked even more romantic and passionate, and the dark rain curtain in the sky was brightened a little:
"Prince Quedan has good eyesight."
Although Liu Quedan had already guessed that this person was Lu Yan, he was still shocked when he actually saw him. He subconsciously took two steps back, his face grim, and asked the question that everyone wanted to know: "Why...why are you helping us?!"
Lu Yanyan smiled and said, "No reason, I just want to help."
He knew that even if he robbed and killed Gongsun Wuyou and his men here today, there would be no benefit and it would only intensify the hatred. It would be better to go with the flow and do them a favor.
Lu Yanyu suddenly remembered something and took out a red pendant from his arms and threw it accurately into Gongsun Wuyou's arms:
"The wind and rain are blowing, and the mountains are hard to cross. I have offended many people in the past. The pursuers of the immortals will not come again. You can go home without worry."
Gongsun Wuyou looked at the Blood Soul Jade Pendant in his hand, his pupils shrank in shock: Isn't this the thing he gave to Chen Yingqi? ! How did it end up in Lu Yan's hands? !
Gongsun Wuyou's brain suddenly came to his senses for once, and he shouted in surprise: "Chen Yingqi?! You are Chen Yingqi, right?!"
He was simple-minded and didn't think too much about it. He was just surprised that the little guard who brought him snacks every day was actually Lu Yan in disguise. He suddenly felt a lot closer to him. He ignored the Queen's obstruction and quickly ran to the horse and asked, "Are you Chen Yingqi?!"
His round eyes were full of joy.
Lu Yan glanced at Liu Quedan, whose face changed drastically, and neither admitted nor denied it. He just said, "I should go now."
He was about to leave with his team when Gongsun Wuyou suddenly stood on tiptoe and forced the jade into his hands: "We Tianshui people will never take back what we give you. This jade is yours."
Gongsun Wuyou took a few steps back after he finished speaking, paused, and then said softly, "Thank you, Chen Yingqi."
When he was locked up in the small courtyard, he missed his family so much that he secretly wiped away his tears. Only Chen Yingqi would sit on the wall to make him happy and always bring him snacks. Gongsun Wuyou always thought that the other person was not a bad person, and he never thought that the other person was Lu Yan.
Lu Yan didn't say anything else, but just looked at him with a half-smile, then led his team away on horseback.
The clouds cleared and the rain stopped, and a ray of light finally appeared in the dark night. On both sides of the ferry, there were green mountains and countless peach trees. After a night of wind and rain, the petals fell one after another, falling into the mud accompanied by the sound of horse hooves.
It falls into mud and turns into dust, but the fragrance remains the same.
When Shang Junnian woke up early in the morning and walked into the courtyard wearing his coat, he saw fallen flowers all over the ground. He never felt sad about the passing of time, so he just stood at the bottom of the stairs and looked at the sky, wondering why Lu Yan hadn't come back yet.
Lu Yanyuan didn't know about the proton's escape. He was sleeping soundly in bed that night. It was Shang Junnian who accidentally found Zhifengyuan too quiet and realized something was wrong and woke him up.
Shang Junnian originally wanted to go with them, but he pretended to fall down a hillside when the assassins attacked him, and his hands and feet were injured. Not only would he be unable to help if he went, he might even cause more trouble, so he had to stay in the mansion and wait.
"Jun Nian, why are you awake so early? It's just dawn."
Zhao Yuzhang strolled in from the courtyard gate, holding a steaming hot bun in his hand. It was obvious that he had just brought it back from the kitchen.
Shang Junnian raised his eyebrows slightly when he saw this: "You have a good appetite, aren't you in a hurry?"
The other two protons left, leaving Zhao Yuzhang alone. It would be reasonable for him to think about himself instead of just eating buns like he is doing now.
Zhao Yuzhang obviously didn't care: "Why should I be in such a hurry? Zhao Yuxi was already deposed by King Fengling. I'm afraid that when I return to Wuyun, his position as crown prince will be abolished. The oldest of the remaining princes is only six years old. There's nothing to worry about."
Shang Junnian: "If you are willing, I can find a way to let you return to your country now."
Zhao Yuzhang paused while eating his buns when he heard this. He was not as happy as he had imagined about going home. Instead, he felt indescribably heavy. He pursed his lips and looked at Shang Jun: "Do you want to stay in Xianling and accompany him?"
This "he" undoubtedly refers to Lu Yan.
Although Shang Junnian did not answer, his attitude was tacit. The early spring sunshine fell on him, and his dark and cold eyes melted a little, even revealing a barely perceptible warmth. He whispered, "Perhaps my crippled life is not completely useless..."
"I want to help him become a crown prince, an emperor, and the master of the twelve continents."
Zhao Yuzhang said sullenly, "If he becomes emperor, he will have three palaces and six courtyards. Do you still want to follow him?"
Shang Junnian shook his head: "That's too far away. I haven't thought about that time. Even if he has three palaces and six courtyards in the future, it's not something I need to worry about now."
Shang Junnian took the remaining half of the Blood Toad Pill, and the hidden injuries in his body were healing little by little. However, he suspected that Lu Yan had set a trap for him. Whenever he thought of the other's face, he felt a palpitation in his heart.
Zhao Yuzhang frowned in confusion: "Is he worthy of you doing this?"
Shang Junnian closed his eyes and said, "I have planned everything in my life, for the country, for the king, all for others. This is the first time in my life that I have met someone who has planned everything for me."
"Yuzhang, I've never seen such a person before, and I can't help but dislike him..."
Zhao Yuzhang paused when he heard this, and was about to say something when he saw a man in black suddenly run in from the courtyard gate. He was covered in blood, and he fell to Shang Junnian's feet, throwing out a piece of news that was like a bolt from the blue:
"It's bad, Prime Minister! King Fengling was attacked by a group of assassins on his way back to the city. He was stabbed in the heart with a sword. His life is in danger!"
Shang Junnian and Zhao Yuzhang's faces changed at the same time when they heard this. Shang Junnian was the first to react and grabbed the collar of the person who came. His eyes were so sinister that he seemed to want to eat someone: "What did you say?!"
The man cried out in tears: "The prince has stopped breathing and has no pulse. I'm afraid he is dead!"
Boom——!
Shang Junnian's mind went blank when he heard this, as if he had been hit by a stick, and he couldn't even stand steadily. He tried hard to open his eyes, but all he saw was the fallen flowers on the ground in the courtyard. It was clearly the beginning of spring in March, but it looked like a scene of decay.
Lu Yan, dead?
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