Chapter 616

Lin Ru Jun's face turned deathly pale as she stared fixedly at the chaotic scene before her, coldly saying, "My elder brother's death was unjust; no matter who tries to use my elder brother for some shameful scheme, I, Lin Ru Jun, will not share the heavens with him!"

Lin Ru Jun's words were already clear enough; anyone could hear them distinctly.

Lin Ru Jun had already noticed that He Wanshan across from her was using her elder brother's corpse to deliberately lure Xiao Yin here and attack him with fire.

Her elder brother's death must be inseparably linked to He Wanshan.

Even unrelated people could understand Lin Ru Jun's meaning, let alone her husband Cheng Ming, who constantly accompanied her.

"Wife, wait here; you need not act."

Cheng Ming shoved a sharp dagger into Lin Ru Jun's hand.

Although Lin Ru Jun was skilled in martial arts, she had just given birth, her body still feeling heavy, and with the family upheaval, she had grown increasingly thin these days.

Cheng Ming patted Lin Ru Jun's shoulder to comfort her, then turned, drew his side sword, and in one strike cut down the small lackey rushing at Xiao Yin.

Xiao Yin then kicked the lackey's corpse flying with a foot, and Cheng Ming closely followed, joining Xiao Yin's battle group.

He and Xiao Yin stood shoulder to shoulder, jointly facing the ever-increasing attacks.

Seeing Bai Xiao Sheng's concealed weapon slowly retracting here, the steps he had already taken forward retreated a bit.

Others did not know the strength of the Princess's residence, merely thinking it was just a lowly widow raising a son who was still a monster.

If it weren't for Gu Jiu Ling lending a hand, Cheng Ming would probably still be unable to show his face by now.

But as the sect leader of the Bai Xiao Sect, he naturally knew the ins and outs of the Princess's residence.

General Cheng enjoyed great prestige in the army.

Now, if he were to watch He Wanshan kill Cheng Ming helplessly, then side with He Wanshan, even if Xiao Yin died later and he truly grasped Southern Qi's political power, he would likely be cast aside by those generals, and even a mutiny in the army cannot be ruled out.

Thinking of these long-term benefits, Bai Xiao Sheng finally showed a hint of hesitation on his face.

Before he could make a decision, he heard the ground tremble again with the sound of warhorses' hooves from all around.

Then, behind He Wanshan, another troop emerged, clearly well-trained.

From afar, in the dark night's firelight, the banner fluttering in the wind bore a large 'Yin' character, entwined with a lush azure dragon—indeed the banner of the Azure Dragon Army.

Upon seeing that banner, everyone was momentarily dazed.

Especially those senior officials, who even felt a familiar sensation washing over them.

It had been nine years since anyone had seen that banner.

Now it suddenly appeared in this bleak night, giving an almost otherworldly feeling, as if from another era.

Although He Wanshan's men were also highly skilled and well-prepared, they could not compare to the Azure Dragon Army that Xiao Yin had secretly trained in the suburbs of the capital.

Initially, when Xiao Yin married Gu Jiu Ling, he used her astronomical dowry as a pretext, secretly drilling troops outside the capital under the guise of the Imperial Guard.

Though claimed to be training the Imperial Guard, he was actually training a new batch of the Azure Dragon Army.

Now this army suddenly appeared here, catching everyone off guard.

These youths were orphans selected by Xiao Yin from various places; they are utterly loyal to him and possess strong combat ability.

Among them, the centurions and other junior officers were personally taught martial arts by Xiao Yin, and organizing troops and formations was naturally no problem.

This army split into three routes, tightly blocking He Wanshan's men here.

Xiao Yin's Dragon Spring Sword even emitted a fierce ringing, and together with Cheng Ming's men coordinating inside and out, they instantly threw He Wanshan's side into utter chaos.

A flicker of fear crossed He Wanshan's face.

The appearance of this army was truly too eerie; earlier that person had claimed he would control Xiao Yin here and kill him outright.

But no one expected Xiao Yin's people to arrive so quickly.

He Wanshan, too, was an old fox; upon realizing this, he immediately understood.

Xiao Yin was giving them a taste of their own scheme—using their plan against them.

He Wanshan thought he could use a springtime trap to burn Xiao Yin to death here, but he never imagined Xiao Yin would deliberately walk into the snare; otherwise, how could he have forced these people to reveal themselves?

He Wanshan suddenly panicked; if Xiao Yin had entered the trap passively, he would still have a slim chance.

If Xiao Yin had deliberately trapped himself here, then he would have absolutely no way to retreat.

Upon thinking this, He Wanshan dared not delay any further.

He lashed his whip hard against the horse's back and charged forward.

He only hoped to break out before Xiao Yin's men could completely encircle them, perhaps still finding a chance.

The situation suddenly turned urgent; seeing that things were wrong, He Wanshan's subordinates around also wanted to use civilians as shields to restrain Xiao Yin, who cared about his reputation.

But who would have thought those civilians would be scattered by the Azure Dragon Army? The makeshift shields were already strewn everywhere.

He Wanshan's men, seeking a shield, instead threw their own formation into utter disarray, and were instantly crushed by the Azure Dragon Lord behind them, causing wails to fill the field.

He Wanshan muttered a curse, then, seizing the moment the gap was unblocked, hastily charged his horse toward it.

If he did not escape now, he feared it would be too late to regret.

"Wait here for me!" Xiao Yin turned and shoved Gu Jiu Ling toward Cheng Ming's side.

Cheng Ming instinctively swung his sword to guard, but saw Xiao Yin leap onto a warhorse and charge forward.

"Hey! What are you doing? Why toss your wife over to that brat's side?" Cheng Ming shouted.

His words didn't reach Xiao Yin's ears at all; those people also tried to take the opportunity to stab Gu Jiu Ling, but Cheng Ming blocked them with a swing of his sword.

This time, Lin Ru Jun drew her sword and, together with Cheng Ming, blocked the blade aimed at Gu Jiu Ling.

"Thank you!" Gu Jiu Ling said gratefully.

A flicker of discomfort crossed Lin Ru Jun's face as she let out a cold snort.

Over there, Xiao Yin had already mounted his horse and was riding straight toward He Wanshan.

At this moment, the Azure Dragon Army had completely reversed the situation, coordinating inside and out with Xiao Yin's personal guards, fiercely suppressing the rebels in every corner.

He Wanshan saw himself charging toward the gap, when suddenly a rapid thunder of hooves sounded behind him.

He instinctively looked back, but a single glance was enough for the gleam of the Dragon Spring Sword to blind his eye fiercely.

By the time he realized Xiao Yin had caught up, it was already too late; he only felt his back being fiercely sliced open by Xiao Ying's sword blade, and with a thud he fell from the horse.

He felt as if all the bones in his body had been broken by the fall.

He Wanshan cried out in alarm, just as he was about to retreat, a sharp pain shot from his neck.

Xiao Yin's sword blade was pressed firmly against his throat; a slight forward thrust would sever He Wanshan's head from his body.

Xiao Yin stared fixedly at He Wanshan and said coldly: "Speak! Where is Empress Dowager Ning'an? After hiding for so long, it's time to show yourself!"