"Mu Qian—"
Gu Jingchun suddenly called out to him.
Shen Hechuan stopped walking, but did not turn around.
"I'll wait for you to come back."
The person in front did not speak, but waved to Gu Jingchun, signaling him to go back, and then strode away.
Gu Jingchun gazed at his retreating figure until that dark figure merged into the vast army formation, before letting a tear slide down her cheek and fall into the dust.
Meanwhile, on the outskirts of Beijing, warhorses neighed and weapons clashed in the martial arts arena.
One hundred thousand elite troops stood in formation like an iron torrent, their black armor gleaming in the sun.
Shen Hechuan spurred his horse to the command platform, drew his longsword and pointed it straight at the sky, the sound like thunder:
"My people! Today, the Great Qi is ruthless, intending to attack my Great Cheng, slaughter my people, and trample my land! Are you willing to follow me—to wash away this humiliation with blood and expand our territory with swords?"
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
The three armies roared in unison, their voices shaking the heavens.
The spear slammed into the ground, the shield clashed, and every step shook the earth.
Veterans had tears in their eyes, new recruits clenched their fists in excitement, and countless eyes were fixed on the figure in black armor.
The emperor shared their battle robes and faced life and death together!
The war drums sounded, and the bugles blared.
The army surged westward like a black torrent, its horses' hooves shattering the dust and its banners billowing through the clouds.
The people lined the streets to see him off, scattering wine and flower petals, their cheers like a tidal wave.
"May God bless Your Majesty! Triumphant return!"
The wind carried the mournful war song, mingled with the clanging of armor and the clatter of horses' hooves.
The setting sun over the distant mountains was as red as blood, making the entire army look like a wildfire, burning brightly on the horizon.
Shen Hechuan looked back at the receding capital, his fingers tracing the subtle outline of the peace charm on his chest. He then reined in his horse, turned around, and cast his piercing gaze toward the vast journey ahead.
The vast lands and rivers are all under the iron hooves.
Heaven and earth, sun and moon, will ultimately witness this magnificent epic jointly written by emperors and soldiers.
On the desolate streets, a horse-drawn carriage struggled along the official road.
The man driving the carriage only breathed a sigh of relief after it had left the territory of Dacheng.
The man found a secluded, shady spot, stopped, tied up his horse, and then lifted the curtain to look at the people inside the carriage.
"Master, how do you feel now?"
Inside the carriage was a thick quilt, which was bulging and seemed to contain a person wrapped inside.
Hearing the noise, he threw back the covers, revealing a pair of sinister eyes.
Above that is a small mustache, and below that he is wearing a martial arts uniform.
He gave a curt reply.
"Zixiao, carry me down."
Mao Zixiao nodded and quickly reached out to pick Guan Zhixin up.
Yes, the two people in front of them were none other than Guan Zhixin, who had disappeared some time ago.
That day, after Mao Zixiao and Guan Zhixin escaped, they suffered a lot in order to avoid being hunted down.
It was thanks to their familiarity with the secret passages throughout Dacheng that they were able to escape and provide timely medical treatment to Guan Zhixin, thus saving his life.
However, Shen Hechuan and Jiang Chongfan had laid a trap, making it impossible for them to escape. Even if they disguised themselves, they would still be subject to multiple layers of scrutiny.
Even many of their people have been arrested.
Moreover, Shen Hechuan was spreading rumors that Guiyuan Sect was suspected of treason, and anyone associated with Guiyuan Sect was arrested.
This caused the number of people in the Guiyuan Sect to decrease instantly.
Guan Zhixin's thousands of followers, whom he was so proud of, all went into hiding and severed ties with the Guiyuan Sect after realizing that believing in it would lead to their arrest.
Some people, in an attempt to clear their names, began leading soldiers to search for the secret passage of Guiyuan Gate.
That day, Mao Zixiao noticed that the person who went to buy food had not returned for a long time, and that's when he realized something was wrong.
Seeing that the man was arriving with his soldiers, Mao Zixiao didn't care about anything else, picked up Guan Zhixin and ran away.
Fortunately, the most crucial secret door and passage of the Guiyuan Sect are known to very few people except for Guan Zhixin and Mao Zixiao.
The two were then able to escape.
Afterwards, Mao Zixiao led Guan Zhixin through several chases, evading many pursuers, before finally bringing the person out.
As a result, both of them sustained numerous injuries.
Guan Zhixin's body, which already had no healthy wounds, became red, swollen, and ulcerated.
Guan Zhixin was in despair at that time.
He never imagined that the tens of thousands of people he had painstakingly built up over his entire life would collapse so easily in the end!
How ridiculous!
These people, these despicable people.
They kept saying they were grateful for the late Crown Prince's kindness and vowed to bring him back at all costs.
However, now, even a single order from Shen Hechuan has terrified them, causing them to flee at breakneck speed.
In the end, they didn't hesitate to betray him.
Such foolish people are not worthy to follow the late Crown Prince; they are not worthy!
As Guan Zhixin was thinking this, he suddenly felt a series of intense pains.
This finally brought him back to his senses.
"Master, you're awake!"
As soon as I opened my eyes, I saw Mao Zixiao's dirty face.
"Master, your wound has become infected. I'll clean out the pus for you. Please bear with it."
As he spoke, he got busy again.
Guan Zhixin felt waves of excruciating pain.
Once the pain subsided, Mao Zixiao bandaged Guan Zhixin's wound while saying:
"Luckily, I brought some medicine with me when we left that day, otherwise your wound would probably be in danger now."
Guan Zhixin was drenched in sweat. Upon hearing this, he simply nodded and then fainted.
Mao Zixiao was already used to it.
Guan Zhixin was in poor health, already frail and prone to illness, and now, after being injured, she had become extremely thin, almost skin and bones, due to the recent turbulence.
It's very light now.
Mao Zixiao carried him to a pile of hay, and after a while, he woke up again.
Mao Zixiao had just shot a pheasant, which was now roasting until it was dripping with oil, when Guan Zhixin opened her eyes.
Where are we now?
Mao Zixiao first handed a chicken leg to Mao Zixiao before speaking.
"We have arrived at the territory of Dacheng."
Mao Zixiao took another bite of the chicken leg before saying, "Master, you've been in a daze the whole way, and there are many things you don't understand."
But now I understand everything clearly.
"Now the Great Qi has assembled an army of 300,000 and has already started a war against our Great Cheng."
Upon learning the news, Shen Hechuan appointed the Empress as regent and personally led the army into battle.
"I've already figured out a solution."
All we need to do is bribe someone from Dacheng and take the opportunity to poison Shen Hechuan.
Anyway, the Empress is the one overseeing the country now, and eventually the world will belong to the Empress.
In this way, Master, your wish can be fulfilled naturally.
Guan Zhixin has regained some strength, but she still speaks with some weakness.
He held a chicken leg in his hand and slowly raised it.
"No, no, no..."
He said "no" several times in a row, but then he choked up and coughed violently.
Seeing this, Mao Zixiao forgot all about eating.
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