A person walking towards them, one of whom was wearing a red dress. Her appearance bore a slight resemblance to Gu Qianying, but even so, it couldn't conceal the cheap rouge and powder on her face. Her walk was also an imperfect imitation, merely a low-class mimic.
"Young Master Du, Sixth Prince, Young Master Ouyang, Young Master Meng, long time no see."
Wuzi walked alongside Nangong Hong.
When she arrived, a carriage followed behind her.
No one knew who was inside the carriage.
"Sixth brother, I never expected that after so many years, I would meet you in such a situation. We are fated. You are alive after all these years, and I am living well, hahaha."
Nangong Hong, clad in military attire, strode forward, exuding an imposing presence.
It was true that Gu Qianying had charmed him and tied him up at the First Wine House, but... Wuzi had saved him afterward and reached some sort of agreement with him.
"Yes, this prince is alive, disappointing Fifth Brother! But then again... the longest-living creatures in this world are likely old turtles and tortoises. So, this prince wishes Fifth Brother a long life, to become an old tortoise, ha!"
Nangong Li had always been sharp-tongued.
His words turned Nangong Hong's face ashen.
Du Chun, Meng Qinghua, and Ouyang Qinglin all chuckled.
"You are all on the brink of death, yet you are still so smug. Heh! This king has never seen such fools who feel self-important even before their demise!"
With that, Nangong Hong raised his hand behind him, "Attack! Capture all four of them for me!"
At his command,
Guards, swords in hand, swarmed forward.
Du Chun, Nangong Li, Ouyang Qinglin, and Meng Qinghua had exchanged many words. The four of them, weapons in hand, engaged in a series of fierce battles with the surrounding guards.
Although these four had lived in the Yi Jing Pavilion for years, often sitting around tables, drinking, and chatting about everything under the sun when they had free time,
their martial arts and skills had not waned during these years.
Especially Ouyang Qinglin, who had transformed into a snake demon a few days prior.
He now possessed two powerful spiritual energies within him.
And during his secluded cultivation, he could maintain a balance between these two spiritual energies.
Dealing with mere "small fries" was no challenge for him!
With a flick of his sleeve and a few palm strikes, more than half of the guards surrounding him fell.
Meng Qinghua, Nangong Li, and Du Chun also dealt with their opponents swiftly.
Among the three, not a single drop of blood stained their bodies, yet their weapons dripped with blood.
The ground was littered with corpses.
Seeing this, Nangong Hong retreated to the side with Wuzi.
Meanwhile, on Gu Yefeng's side.
He had been pursuing Nangong Xuanning. After administering the antidote to Nangong Xuanning, to prevent any unforeseen circumstances, he had knocked Nangong Xuanning unconscious and carried her in his arms.
As he prepared to leave, he was surrounded by guards in military attire.
He then placed Nangong Xuanning on his back and fought his way through.
Old General Gu, wielding a large saber, protected Gu Yefeng and Nangong Xuanning, a couple.
In addition, Madam Meng, Lan Qingqing, and Caixia, after taking the antidote, had also regained much of their consciousness.
These individuals had spent several days expending their energy, and after regaining consciousness, they were left only with exhaustion.
Even so, Caixia and Lan Qingqing picked up their swords from the ground and stood alongside Du Chun and the others.
However, even the strongest fists are no match for many hands. Nangong Hong had summoned all his guards, including the hundred thousand elite soldiers he had with him on campaign.
With their addition, Du Chun, Meng Qinghua, Nangong Li, and Ouyang Qinglin began to show signs of fatigue in their fighting.
Ouyang Qinglin was still relatively fine, as his martial arts and spiritual energy were superior to the others.
But Du Chun, Meng Qinghua, and Nangong Li were growing weary.
"Damn it! Why are there so many more people? I'm numb from killing. When will this ever end!"
Nangong Li flicked his fan, and as it returned, a few drops of blood adorned it.
Nangong Li held it steady and glanced at the guards he had just slit the throats of, who lay dead on the ground.
Behind them, more waves of people were closing in on Nangong Li.
"It seems Nangong Hong wants to wear us out."
Du Chun severed the heads of the guards surrounding him with his sword.
Blood splattered a zhang high, and he frowned, dodging it.
His white robe remained spotless.
"Continuing to fight like this is not a solution. Even if we aren't worn out, it's delaying our time. We haven't seen Qianying yet, and we don't know how Qianying is doing. We can't keep fighting! We need to disengage quickly."
Meng Qinghua kicked away a guard he had impaled with his sword, killing him instantly.
The tip of his sword still bore traces of blood.
"En!"
Nangong Li and Du Chun nodded in unison, agreeing with Meng Qinghua's suggestion.
"But with so many people, how can we disengage?"
Nangong Li was momentarily troubled.
"You all go first, I'll stay and hold them off!"
Ouyang Qinglin approached, his bloodied sword in hand.
He admitted that he was eager to see Gu Qianying.
But at this moment, Du Chun and the others were clearly struggling to hold on.
And he was the most skilled martial artist among them. His staying behind to cover their escape was the most sensible course of action.
"No!"
"We went down the mountain together, so we must disengage together."
"Yes! No way, I'm not someone who fears death."
Du Chun, Nangong Li, and Meng Qinghua refused to leave Ouyang Qinglin behind.
Just then, Ouyang Qinglin suddenly said, "Stop arguing. It seems none of us can leave today!"
He gestured with his eyes.
Du Chun and the others followed his gaze and saw Nangong Hong bringing out Xiao Yihao and the bound Duan Xifeng from the carriage behind him.
"Stop fighting, or I'll kill these two!"
With many of his guards dead, Nangong Hong, to prevent Du Chun and the others from escaping, brought out his "trump cards."
Seeing Duan Xifeng with his mouth gagged, Nangong Li's anger flared, "Nangong Hong, release Duan Xifeng, or I'll cut off your dog head!"
Nangong Li's eyes turned red, especially when he saw Duan Xifeng's face, which was bruised like a panda's eye. His rage intensified.
Duan Xifeng's mouth was gagged, preventing him from speaking, but his angry eyes were exceptionally clear.
Damn it! They attacked me while I was relieving myself. If you have the guts, release me, and I'll bite you to death!
Du Chun, Meng Qinghua, and Ouyang Qinglin's focus was different from Nangong Li's.
These three were looking at Xiao Yihao, who was next to Duan Xifeng.
The three were initially startled, then they all showed expressions of "I understand."
"Release the child, and we will surrender ourselves."
Meng Qinghua stepped forward first, throwing his sword to the ground.
Over the years, Gu Qianying's letters to her friends often spoke of Xiao Yihao.
Today, he saw Xiao Yihao for the first time and inexplicably felt a sense of familiarity.
And today, he had to protect Xiao Yihao's safety.
Du Chun followed Meng Qinghua's example and dropped his sword.
Nangong Li and Ouyang Qinglin did the same.
At this moment, their only concern was the safety of Xiao Yihao, Gu Qianying's son.
"Hahaha, I knew you would be so obedient. I should have brought out these 'trump cards' earlier!"
Seeing Du Chun and the others drop their swords, Nangong Hong chuckled triumphantly.
He knew that their weakness was Xiao Yihao, Gu Qianying's child!
"Guards! Go and capture these people for me. I want them alive!"
Nangong Hong commanded loudly.
Du Chun and the others stood still, unmoved. The four of them exchanged glances, waiting for a good opportunity to rescue Xiao Yihao!
At this moment, Madam Meng, who did not know martial arts, climbed onto the city gate in her capacity as the current Empress, facing all the people in the realm. She recounted everything that had happened in the palace recently.
She also listed the crimes of Nangong Cong and Nangong Hong, and produced the jade pendant she had brought out of the palace, which was a symbol of her identity as Empress Dowager Meng, holding it high in the air.
"This empress has mistakenly trusted loyal officials, plunging our dynasty into conflict and causing panic among our people. She has also allowed these heartless scoundrels to kill wantonly within our country, their ambitions clearly known."
This empress alone cannot prevent this disaster in our country, but this empress believes that you all have flesh and blood and hearts. You will not stand by and watch these heartless scoundrels disrupt the stability of our Dong Sheng Kingdom. This empress is willing to use her own life to awaken the conscience of the people, and may you all support each other to protect the stability that belongs to our Dong Sheng Kingdom!