Lord Zhang's expression changed. "I didn't expect him to arrive so quickly. But it's alright, with you by our side, we're not afraid he'll disobey us."
He waved his hand, signaling his men to prepare for battle.
Qi Guze rushed forward and saw Xu Yuehuai being held hostage, which filled him with rage.
"Lord Zhang, you've actually taken the Princess hostage! Release the Princess immediately, or don't blame me for being impolite!" Qi Guze shouted.
Lord Zhang sneered, "Do you think you have the right to negotiate with me? I advise you to surrender as soon as possible; you are no match for us."
Although Qi Guze was anxious, he knew he had to remain calm.
He deliberately slowed his speech, "Lord Zhang, I don't think we need to resort to arms. As long as you release the princess, we can have a proper talk."
Lord Zhang narrowed his eyes. "Do you think I'd believe you?"
Qi Guze continued to persuade, "You are all time travelers, from the same place. There's no need for you to turn against each other. We can sit down and talk things over!"
His words implied something else, hoping to alert Lord Zhang.
Lord Zhang was clearly unaware of Qi Guze's intentions. "Hmph, are you stalling for time? Do you think I'd fall for that?"
Just then, Xu Yuehuai suddenly broke free from his captivity and rushed toward the edge of the cliff.
Lord Zhang was startled and tried to stop her, but it was too late.
Xu Yuehuai leaped into the air, drawing a graceful arc in the air.
Seeing this, Qi Guze rushed over without hesitation; he couldn't let anything happen to Xu Yuehuai.
Just as Xu Yuehuai was about to fall off the cliff, Qi Guze leaped forward and caught her tightly. Their bodies tumbled several times in the air before finally landing on the grass at the edge of the cliff.
"Aze!" Xu Yuehuai exclaimed.
"Yuehuai, are you alright?" Qi Guze asked with concern.
The two exchanged a smile, overwhelmed with the joy of surviving a close call.
Meanwhile, Lord Zhang glared at the two men, furious. "How dare you play me! I won't let you get away with this!"
He waved his hand, preparing to order his men to attack. However, at that moment, a mysterious group of men in black suddenly appeared and blocked their path.
"Who are you people?" Lord Zhang demanded.
The leader of the men in black removed his mask. "We are reinforcements sent by the First Prince. The entire palace is now stable, and you have no way out."
Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai were very surprised to see this. "The Crown Prince? How could he suddenly appear?"
They hadn't informed the eldest prince beforehand that the plan would change. But now it seems that the eldest prince's appearance was undoubtedly the best outcome.
Lord Zhang and his men exchanged bewildered glances, clearly stunned by this sudden turn of events. Their plan had failed, but he would not surrender easily and immediately deployed his own troops to confront the Crown Prince.
"Charge! Take them down!"
"We absolutely cannot let them leave today!"
"Kill them!"
A chaotic battle was inevitable, and Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai hurriedly hid in the bushes to avoid being caught in the crossfire.
At this moment, Xu Yuehuai was leaning tightly on Qi Guze's shoulder. Her face was pale, and she had not yet fully recovered from the danger she had just experienced.
"Aze, actually just now I... I was so scared..." Xu Yuehuai said in a trembling voice.
Qi Guze gently stroked her hair. "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
The two embraced tightly, their sense of surviving the ordeal making them cherish each other even more.
Meanwhile, in the melee not far away, the Crown Prince's reinforcements and Lord Zhang's men were locked in a fierce and evenly matched battle.
Amidst the flashing swords and clashing blades, people fell frequently, making the battle exceptionally fierce.
Seeing his plan fail, Lord Zhang angrily ordered, "Fight your way out with all your might! Charge now!"
Upon hearing the order, his men fought even harder, hoping to break through the encirclement.
However, the Crown Prince's reinforcements were no pushovers either. They were well-trained and powerful, and Zhang's men gradually found themselves at a disadvantage.
The battle reached a fever pitch, with both sides fighting with bloodlust.
Amid the chaos of battle, Qi Guze and Xu Yuehuai slowly approached the edge of the battlefield, intending to seize an opportunity to leave this dangerous place.
But then a cold arrow suddenly flew in, aiming straight for Xu Yuehuai's throat.
Qi Guze reacted quickly, tackling her to the ground, while he himself was shot in the left arm by a stray arrow.
"Aze!" Xu Yuehuai exclaimed, hurriedly checking Qi Guze's injuries.
Qi Guze gritted his teeth, his face pale, "I'm fine... I'm glad you're alright..."
He gritted his teeth, enduring the pain, and struggled to his feet. He looked up at the chaotic battlefield, a resolute glint in his eyes.
"Yuehuai, we must find a chance to leave here now." Qi Guze said, shaking his left arm forcefully in an attempt to slow the bleeding.
Xu Yuehuai looked at him, her eyes full of worry, but she also knew that now was not the time to hesitate.
“You’re injured, we can’t take any risks.” Xu Yuehuai said, taking out a small porcelain bottle from her bosom, pouring out a pill and handing it to Qi Guze, “This is a healing medicine, take it quickly.”
Qi Guze took the pill and swallowed it. He felt the pain in his wound lessen slightly, but it was still very intense.
"I'm fine, let's get out of here first." Qi Guze said, picking up the longsword from the ground and cautiously observing his surroundings.
Xu Yuehuai also gripped the dagger tightly, cautiously following behind Qi Guze.
The two bypassed the chaotic battlefield, avoiding the crowd as much as possible, and fled in a secluded direction.
However, the enemy did not seem to want to let them go.
They sensed that someone was following them, and the number of people was increasing.
“We need to find a way to shake them off,” Qi Guze said, glancing back at the pursuers. “Otherwise, they’ll catch up with us sooner or later.”
Xu Yuehuai frowned, pondering a solution.
Suddenly, her eyes lit up. "Aze, let's split up and run."
Qi Guze was taken aback, but then he understood Xu Yuehuai's intention. "Good idea! I'll cover the rear. You try to run to places with fewer people and find reinforcements."
Xu Yuehua nodded and quickly ran in another direction.
Qi Guze then turned to face his pursuers, preparing to buy time by himself.
He gripped his longsword tightly, preparing for a life-or-death battle.
Lord Zhang's men drew closer, their faces revealing cruel smiles, as if they could already foresee Qi Guze's defeat and demise.
However, Qi Guze showed no fear. His eyes were firm, and he was prepared to do everything in his power to protect Xu Yuehuai.
A fierce battle was inevitable. Qi Guze's longsword drew graceful arcs under the moonlight, forcing the enemy back.
He was agile, sometimes attacking and sometimes defending, and engaged in a fierce battle with the enemy.
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