Chapter 194

Night mist spread, the night wind bleak, the most unknown battle in Southern Qi's history slowly ended as the first streak of dawn light rose.

Everyone exerted their utmost; the foe was also spent. Not wishing to see Xiao Yin sent to hell, he instead found himself circling the gates of hell, only to be dragged back.

Fish-belly white appeared on the horizon, the door inside the room finally opened, and the people inside and outside the courtyard all had deathly pale faces, like ghosts.

Gu Jiu Ling's body trembled slightly; she raised her hand to steady herself on the doorframe, looking at Tuo Ba Yu standing before her.

Tuo Ba Yu had lain low and cultivated in obscurity for over a decade, since he was a child, and had never before experienced such a fierce battle.

The fight was satisfying, after all it was a clash of masters, every move lethal.

But he too was wounded; that knife wound on his shoulder was truly lethal, his arm nearly chopped off by those men.

He stared at Gu Jiu Ling: 'Not only are there members of the imperial clan, but also Xiao Wei's men; their blade technique is the unique White Tiger Blade of the border garrison set up by Xiao Wei—we must leave now! Long nights bring many dreams!'

Gu Jiu Ling nodded, her feelings toward Tuo Ba Yu this time unexpectedly complex; she then silently sighed.

She ordered Meng to bring a few dark guards, using the dismantled door panels to lift Xiao Yin onto them, removing the excess items from the carriage to free space, and then lifted Xiao Yin inside.

Ling Feng and the others seriously wounded were placed on the ox cart bought from nearby manors; the Red Scorpion men stayed behind to cover the rear and clean up the corpses.

Despite having gone sleepless all night and exhausted to the extreme, none of them dared to close their eyes to rest; even a brief respite felt like a luxury.

Seeing that they had reached the outskirts of Shang Jing, they needed only about the time it takes to burn an incense stick to enter the city.

Along the way they no longer dared to take side paths, sticking to the main roads; everyone was stained with blood, and the locals along the route fled in fright to report to the authorities, but upon seeing the Rui Wangfu token they fell silent.

The incident caused by the Rui Wangfu's recruitment of maidens became known to everyone along the outskirts of the capital; seeing that it was Prince Rui himself leading the suppression of those bandits, blood on their persons was quite normal.

Just when they thought they could return to Shang Jing, another group came toward them, everyone wearing soft armor, appearing fierce and imposing.

Cheng Ming lay collapsed on the ground; this time, despite enduring wounds all over his body, he struggled to his feet, only to find Lin Ru Jun—who had suffered the lightest injury—standing before him, drawing her waist sword.

Cheng Ming stared, a sudden inexplicable anger rising in his chest: 'When did it become a woman's turn to shield me? How embarrassing!'

He grabbed Lin Ru Jun and pulled her aside: 'What are you meddling for? This is no place for a woman!'

Lin Ru Jun was about to curse, but seeing the deep bone-revealing knife wound on his back, the curse that rose to her throat could not be spoken, and she swallowed it back.

This person had, in previous battles against the imperial clan's Iron Guards, blocked several near-fatal blows for her; among everyone present, she was the weakest in martial skill, yet Cheng Ming had shielded her to this extent, even making her the least wounded in the entire team—so much so that even the high-ranking Bei Di hostage prince, despite his great skill, was more injured than she.

Everyone, seeing these fierce attackers, gritted their teeth and struggled to rise, but at this moment they were truly too exhausted, too tired, and too wounded.

Not to mention these tough-looking hard men; even a group of children could press them down.

Jiu Yue came to Gu Jiu Ling's carriage, weeping, to report: 'My lady, the road ahead is blocked again, and the leader is a Daoist!'

'Wait!' Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly asked, 'What kind of Daoist?'

Jiu Yue replied, 'He looks kind and benevolent, yet he is actually so fierce and malevolent.'

Gu Jiu Ling hurriedly asked, 'Is he wearing a gray Daoist robe with patches, looking refined, with white beard and hair, yet holding prayer beads carved into skull shapes? Neither monk nor Daoist?'

Jiu Yue widened her eyes in disbelief, looking at her mistress, who had always sat in the carriage attending to the prince; how could she know such details?

Gu Jiu Ling finally relaxed, her tense body leaning against the carriage wall, and she softly asked, 'Are reinforcements here?'

Yes, reinforcements have arrived!

Master Nian Yuan mobilized Xiao Yin's former troops from his fief; these men had originally been hidden elsewhere, precisely to keep the lord of Shang Jing from knowing that Xiao Yin still commanded forces.

This time Xiao Yin was trapped in a dead end; Master Nian Yuan could no longer afford to worry about such things—Shang Jing must have Xiao Yin's own troops, otherwise incidents like the one in Wuzhou would keep recurring.

As for how to explain these extra troops to the emperor, let the prince wake up and then go explain it himself; anyway, the two are already on the verge of breaking ties, so it's bound to happen sooner or later.

The moment had come for the two to reveal each other's hidden cards.

Under Master Nian Yuan's protection, they naturally encountered no further danger.

Before they even entered the city, Cheng Ming was taken back by the princess's household; presumably Lord Ling and the Grand Princess were already frantic.

Lin Jing Yuan, the Heir Apparent of the An Guo Gong Fu, personally came to fetch his sister back; seeing her covered in blood, he was already terrified and at a loss, quickly removing his own cloak to cover Lin Ru Jun from head to toe, his heart aching immensely.

Gu Jiu Ling bowed to Lin Jing Yuan: 'Heir Apparent Lin, the kindness shown to your sister, I, Gu Jiu Ling, will never forget; I will surely come to thank you in the future.'

'No… no need!' Lin Jing Yuan dared not accept the Rui Wang Fei's bow; he hurriedly stepped aside, even forgetting basic etiquette, and directly escorted his sister onto the carriage back to the manor.

Gu Jiu Ling then saw off the deputy commander of the Imperial Guard, settled Zuo Feichen's affairs, and finally turned her gaze to Tuo Ba Yu.

Though disheveled, Tuo Ba Yu's expression remained relatively steady, a faint smile curling his lips as he looked at Gu Jiu Ling: 'No need to thank me; just remember our earlier agreement.'

He turned and rode away, leaving Gu Jiu Ling no chance to speak at all.

Gu Jiu Ling stared at his retreating back as he led the Red Scorpion away, unconsciously lifting her hand to her abdomen; she did not know whether it was from exhaustion, but the fetus was moving vigorously.

She gradually calmed her emotions, looking toward the carriage; Xiao Yin remained unconscious, his body having nearly collapsed, but the surgery was timely—if those parasitic worms had reached his heart, even a Great Luo Divine Immortal could not have saved him.

Gu Jiu Ling, carrying Xiao Yin, stepped into the Rui Wangfu gate under the night's cover; thereafter, the people brought by Master Nian Yuan secured the entire manor as tightly as a bronze wall and iron rampart.

Gu Jiu Ling moved all her personal belongings into the Dong Yuan where Xiao Yin resided, staying by his side; the surgery was finished, but whether his subsequent wounds could heal properly still required devoted care.

Jiu Yue and Ling Feng were resting and healing in one place; Yun Duo had gone out to investigate Su Wanrou's background, leaving only Jinzhi to attend and help.

Soon after, Jiu Yue came in, her face pale, and bowed to Gu Jiu Ling: 'My lady, did you summon me?'

Gu Jiu Ling, also utterly exhausted, leaned back in her chair and looked at Jiu Yue, asking, 'Has Ling Feng awakened?'

'Replying to my lady, he has awakened.'

Gu Jiu Ling slowly said, 'Go ask Ling Feng—what happened to Su Wanrou? Where did she go? When they first entered the ravine, did they see her?'