Let me think of a title.
"Why...why did you save me..." he uttered hoarsely, his eyes filled with disbelief and complexity.
"General Wu, what's the situation? I don't have time to answer your pointless questions right now." Tang Qi said through gritted teeth as he retreated. He spun around with Wu Shunyi, narrowly avoiding the blade aimed at the back of his neck, and with a backhand slash, he pierced the attacker's throat, warm blood splattering on his face.
Before he could catch his breath, more enemies surrounded him. Jiao Niang's eyes flashed with resentment, and she thrust her short blade straight at Tang Qi.
"Die!"
Tang Qi's pupils contracted. He was exhausted and had no way to dodge! He could only subconsciously push Wu Shunyi behind him, preparing to take the blow head-on!
At the critical moment—
"bite--!"
A piercing clang of metal rang out, and a figure suddenly emerged from the falling rocks, his heavy longsword slashing down with the force of splitting a mountain, striking the woman's deadly short sword.
The short sword, which had come flying with the wind, was cleaved in two and fell limply to the ground.
Covered in blood, Hu Xingche kicked Jiao Niang aside and, undeterred, stood before Tang Qi, long sword raised, like a warrior guarding a city gate. He stared intently at the frozen crowd, then, without turning back, called out to Tang Qi, "Boss! I'm here!"
He actually followed Tang Qi's figure, tearing a bloody path through the crowd and rushing in. Tang Qi, startled by his sudden movement, raised his head and laughed, "Not bad, kid, I haven't spoiled you for nothing."
"Let's go, to the cliff!" Tang Qi said to Hu Xingche, supporting Wu Shunyi. "Cheng Wang and the others are waiting for reinforcements there. Take the rest of the group over there and wipe them out in one fell swoop. Let Jinnan be completely leaderless!"
On the precipice, Cheng Junshi was covered in blood, his fingers stained with filth, yet his eyes shone with an astonishing light. He stared intently at the figure below carrying Wu Shunyi, then immediately shouted, "Smash! Keep smashing! Cover them!"
He directed the Imperial Guards to push more logs and boulders off the cliff.
The smoke, dust, and gravel acted as a curtain, temporarily obscuring the view of Jiao Niang and the others.
Tang Qi lifted the weakened Wu Shunyi up and rushed towards the cliff without stopping. Hu Xingche wielded his long sword to cover their retreat, acting as a mobile shield, mercilessly kicking down and cutting down the few remaining enemies who tried to pursue them.
"Brother Zhengye!" Lu Juezhen's voice pierced through the chaos and clearly reached Tang Qi, who was still desperately fleeing in the valley.
Upon seeing Tang Qi and the others, Lu Juezhen immediately raised his voice and shouted, "The general has been rescued! Quick! Light the fire!"
Tang Qi and Hu Xingche were both taken aback when they saw Lu Juezhen here. They didn't expect that this kid would go through all that trouble to come to this cliff.
"What are you doing here?!" Hu Xingche exclaimed in surprise.
“You rushed in to save people, I can’t just stand outside like an idiot. I guessed that after you and Zhengye escaped, you would retreat towards the cliff, so I’m staying here with them to keep watch, and also—”
During the conversation, a wall of fire suddenly shot up, and Jiao Niang and the others were blocked by the flames again.
"I've already learned how to build firewalls," Lu Juezhen said proudly.
"What good is your half-broken fire wall?!"
"It's not that time is tight—hey! Brother Zhengye, why are you pushing me!" Lu Juezhen stumbled as Tang Qi pushed him.
"Knowing time is running out, why aren't you running away!"
Tang Qi angrily cursed the two people who were still arguing, and then immediately directed everyone to flee.
When Awu, Jiaoniang, and the others emerged from the ashes, all they saw were the departing figures of the ashes.
The young woman's face instantly turned ashen, her eyes burning with boundless hatred.
"Lin—Zheng—Ye!" Jiao Niang's shrill scream echoed through the valley, filled with deep-seated resentment.
Without turning his head, Tang Qi's resolute figure, amidst the billowing dust and the gradually fading sound of rolling stones, shot out like a sharp arrow, following the others out of the bloody cage of Fenghe Domain.
Jiao Niang was still furious, but A Wu beside her had a cold look in her eyes and said with certainty, "They can't escape."
"Mother?" Jiao Niang turned her head to look over and saw that A Wu was tightly clutching the black whistle in her hand.
"Juyue," she called softly, "take your men back to the mountain and find that person."
"Yes, Master."
Ju Yue quickly led the group away, but Jiao Niang became puzzled: "That person? Who is that?"
A-Wu looked at her silently, without saying a word.
"Oh! Father!"
How could she have almost forgotten about her father!
Just as A-Wu had said, Tang Qi and the others ran into another group of people on their way to the cliff.
Those were the enemies who had been summoned by the black whistle.
Tang Qi muttered to himself, "Why am I always just a little short?"
He twirled the longsword in his hand, and another battle ensued.
The group attacked fiercely, and Tang Qi almost coughed up blood, but he swallowed it each time. His eyes were fierce, and he fought back as if his life depended on it.
Just as he raised his hand to stab the enemy in front of him in the heart, Tang Qi suddenly felt a pain in his back. He slashed back with his hand but was kicked far away.
The dagger in the hand of the beautiful woman behind him was dripping with his blood.
"Run! Now you can't escape, can you?"
They caught up.
"Boss!" Hu Xingche shouted at the top of his lungs.
"Brother Zhengye!"
Tang Qi knelt down, clutching his wound that was almost pierced through, and looked up at Jiao Niang with a grimace: "It's not a loss. You lost so many people, and I'm the only one who died. It's not a loss at all."
Provoked by him, Jiao Niang strode forward, raising her dagger to stab him, while Wu Shunyi lay to the side, only able to watch helplessly.
However, just as the dagger was about to fall, a sharp arrow struck the young woman's arm squarely. She cried out in pain, threw it aside, and quickly took a few steps back, looking warily at the newcomer.
The visitor was none other than Cheng Junshi.
He sheathed his longbow and rushed over to protect Tang Qi. He turned his head slightly and his gaze swept quickly over Tang Qi and the dazed Wu Shunyi behind him. Seeing the new wounds on Tang Qi's body and his clothes that were almost soaked with blood, Cheng Junshi felt anger for the first time.
"Cheng... Wang?" Tang Qi gasped for breath, looking at the broad back blocking his way. His tense nerves relaxed slightly, but soon a strong wave of dizziness hit him, and he almost immediately lost his balance and knelt down.
"Don't be afraid." Cheng Junshi's voice was soft, yet it had a special power when it touched the heart: "This time, it's my turn to guard you out of here."
Before the words were even finished, Cheng Junshi moved like a sword drawn from its sheath, weaving through the enemy ranks without the slightest hesitation. He had no fancy moves, only the purest and most resolute ruthlessness. Every sword strike from Cheng Junshi carried killing intent. He advanced step by step, sword in hand, while Zhui Feng and Hu Xingche beside him went berserk, carving a bloody path through the chaotic and bloody enemy ranks.
"Stay close!" Cheng Junshi shouted in a low voice without turning his head.
Tang Qi mustered his strength and gritted his teeth. Lu Juezhen supported him with his left hand and Wu Shunyi with his right. The group followed closely behind Cheng Junshi, struggling but determined to break out. Behind them, the soldiers brought by Cheng Junshi were fighting with the pursuers. Just then, A Wu blew the black whistle again.
"How many people did they ambush here! We can't kill them all no matter how hard we try!" Hu Xingche said through gritted teeth.
At the bottom of the cliff, Gui Luo was leisurely watching Cheng Junshi's group flee for their lives, arms crossed. He had no intention of rescuing them. He had brought his soldiers and stormed the top of the cliff. By all accounts, he had done his duty and repaid his debt of gratitude. He naturally didn't need to go through any more trouble.
Gui Luo was not a benevolent and charitable person.
However, his initial detached enjoyment of the spectacle abruptly halted when he saw Ah Wu blow the black whistle over there, and a dangerous voice emanated from beneath his mask: "He's really well hidden. No wonder..." His words trailed off in barely audible.
Another long whistle blew.
"Not again!"
This time, not only Tang Qi was stunned, but even A Wu was stunned—she hadn't blown the whistle at all.
Suddenly, another group of people appeared out of nowhere. They were dressed in all black, with neat white masks, and each one looked as thin as a shadow. They were incredibly fast, and when they attacked, they even left afterimages. Just as Cheng Junshi was about to block, the group of people passed through the gaps as if they hadn't seen him at all.
He had just turned his head when, almost instantly, a ghostly figure appeared silently beside Tang Qi—it was Gui Luo. He seemed to appear out of thin air, without even stirring up a gust of wind.
"Watch out!" Cheng Junshi instantly became alert, and the tip of his sword almost instinctively turned!
"Don't be nervous." Gui Luo's voice carried a hint of mockery. He didn't even look at the sword tip that Cheng Junshi was pointing at, but simply pointed behind Tang Qi—the group of shadow soldiers who had suddenly appeared were actually fighting with A Wu and the others!
"I'm just here to make this 'east wind' blow even stronger."
"Are they your people?" Tang Qi asked.
Gui Luo didn't comment, but just laughed: "Let me remind you, if their eyes land on me, they might run away."
Tang Qi looked in the direction he was pointing and saw that in the chaos, A Wu and Jiao Niang were leading the remaining soldiers to retreat quickly towards the hidden escape path deep in the Fenghe Domain!
Tang Qi was slightly surprised by this situation, not only by Gui Luo's actions but also by the fact that the group of people summoned by A Wu's whistle had fled so quickly upon seeing Gui Luo's shadow soldiers. It even seemed as if they had retreated without a fight.
Every one of them who fled, especially Ah Wu, looked extremely terrified, as if they had seen something horrifying.
“She can’t escape!” A cold glint flashed in Cheng Junshi’s eyes. He was about to take a step when Gui Luo stopped him with a hand. Gui Luo suddenly winked at Cheng Junshi and said with a smile, “I’m doing my duty to someone who entrusted me with this task. Considering how pleasant our cooperation has been, I don’t mind giving you some after-sales service.”
"Since we've gone all the way, I'll finish this job for you. No need to thank me too much~~"
Before Cheng Junshi could respond, he had already vanished from the spot.
Everyone: ?
The next moment, screams suddenly erupted from the crowd trying to escape. A blurry black shadow swept into the crowd, and blood spurted wherever it passed. Gui Luo was incredibly fast and his methods were bizarre and ruthless, making him even more terrifying than Cheng Junshi.
Gui Luo's target was the escaped A Wu.
Tang Qi glanced at the direction where Gui Luo was rampaging with complicated emotions, then quickly looked away: "Since they're eager to help, we might as well accept it. Don't get distracted, let's escape first."
With Gui Luo's help, Tang Qi and the others felt much less pressure, and they finally managed to break through the cliff with Wu Shunyi.
Outside Centipede Mountain, Ye Qian and Shen Zhiqing had already dispatched men to provide backup as planned. Seeing Tang Qi and the others rush out, the leader of the group let out a shout filled with both relief and urgency: "County Commandant Cheng! General Wu! You've finally come out! Something terrible has happened!"
"What happened?" Cheng Junshi asked as soon as he arrived.
"A riot has broken out in the city, and Young Master Ye and Miss Shen are trapped in the barn in great danger!" the messenger said urgently.
"How could this happen? Why are they surrounding them?" Hu Xingche asked anxiously from the side.
"Exactly! How could a riot break out in the city, and—"
Once outside Centipede Mountain, the blazing sun caused Tang Qi, already weakened, to collapse. His vision went black as they talked, his body swayed, and he suddenly fell forward.
"Boss!"
"Tang Qi!"
Hu Xingche and Cheng Junshi exclaimed in surprise at the same time.
Cheng Junshi moved swiftly, pulling Tang Qi into his arms before he fell to the ground. His palm touched Tang Qi's back, feeling a sticky, warm sensation. He looked up and saw that it was covered in blood.
Tang Qi was pale and breathing weakly; he had completely lost consciousness.
"Quick! Back to the city! Find the old doctor!" Cheng Junshi shouted immediately.
Hu Xingche immediately joined Lu Juezhen in supporting Wu Shunyi, and Zhuifeng directed the remaining soldiers to quickly evacuate.
Cheng Junshi scooped up the unconscious Tang Qi, mounted his horse, and held him tightly in front of him, galloping away without stopping. The wind whistled in his ears, and as he looked down at the bloodless face of the person in his arms, all his composure and calmness crumbled, leaving only boundless fear.
"Hold on... Tang Qi, you have to live! You promised me, you promised me!" He whispered over and over again, his voice hoarse, with sobs he himself didn't even realize.
Deep within Centipede Mountain, A-Wu and the others' escape route was also cut off by a ghostly figure wearing a demon mask. Several corpses lay at his feet. Gui Luo toyed with the bloodstained dagger in his hand, looking at the terrified woman before him, a cold and amused smile playing on his lips beneath the mask:
"Why are you running so fast? I wanted to come and have a good 'chat' with you."
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