Chapter 197

Mu Cheng and his family are about to be escorted to the execution ground.

Meanwhile, the dozen or so assassins arranged by the Prime Minister have already arrived near a residence inside the Royal City.

This residence is precisely the place the Prime Minister arranged for those foreigners to live.

At this moment, inside the residence.

Five gaunt, unremarkable-looking men took off the silk garments they had worn to pose as merchants, revealing the form-fitting protective clothing underneath.

This specially made form-fitting protective clothing was specially provided by Ning Jinli to the Qingyou Tai Scouts.

It is not only extremely lightweight and flexible, but also offers some protection against blades, swords, and arrows.

These five people are in fact not itinerant merchants at all; they are actually spies sent by Xiao Qidi to Qingyou Tai.

They had just received the latest intelligence, learning that the scheme to sow discord had succeeded, and that assassins were on their way to kill them all.

The five moved swiftly and orderly in making their preparations.

They opened several large chests, took out the prepared commoner's clothing and put it on, also carrying the weapons and equipment hidden inside, then lifted the false bottom of the large chests for inspection.

Inside the hidden compartment lay neatly packed square explosive packets.

Next to the explosive packets was also fitted a trigger-type igniter.

They skillfully opened the safety device, carefully tied a thin wire from the igniter to the inside of the chest lid, then slowly closed it.

All right, with these fun toys, those assassins will have a one-way trip.

Let's hurry and meet up with the other brothers; we must rescue General Mu and his family!

Go!

Having finished their preparations, the five slipped out through the room's windows, following the secretly planned evacuation route, avoiding the servants placed in the residence by the Wasteland Nation's Prime Minister, and quickly reached the backyard.

At the most inconspicuous corner of the backyard, they moved aside rubble and straw stacks, and crawled out from the wall hole they had dug earlier.

Just as they had left with their front feet, the assassins entered the residence with their back feet.

Are those few merchants still inside? the lead assassin asked the steward of the residence.

The steward said, those five have always been inside the house, never leaving.

Very well, the lead assassin lowered his voice, you have all the servants guard every door and window of the residence; if even half of them slips away later, the Prime Minister will interrogate you!

Yes yes yes! the steward nodded repeatedly and quickly issued the orders.

Soon, dozens of servants each guarded every entrance and exit, sealing the residence so tightly not even water could leak through.

More than ten assassins surrounded the main house; when they got close, the lead assassin waved his hand, and they simultaneously burst in through the front door, back door, and several windows.

However, upon entering and looking inside...

In the spacious house, there was no trace of those five.

They ran away?! an assassin exclaimed in shock, Quick, give chase!

Wait!

The lead assassin raised his hand to stop them.

He looked around, a confident smile curling at the corner of his mouth, They're definitely still inside this residence.

Why? the other assassins wondered.

He paced calmly to the large wooden chest, First, why would they run? They don't even know the Prime Minister sent us to kill them; they're still waiting to become his retainers and gain power by joining his household.

Second, with the dozens of eyes of the servants in the residence arranged by the Prime Minister, could they be blind? Perhaps the steward didn't notice and failed to see these five leave the house, but they certainly haven't left the compound.

Third, their personal bundles and even the chests holding their belongings are still here, with no sign of having packed up and fled in a hurry.

Therefore, I conclude they are still in the residence; perhaps they went for a walk in the grove courtyard, or maybe they went to the outhouse.

His analysis was thorough and logical, and the other assassins relaxed.

An assassin asked, What do we do next?

The assassin leader gently stroked the wooden chest, his eyes gleaming with greed, We'll wait for them to return; before that, let's first move these valuables out, as the Prime Minister ordered us to clean them out thoroughly.

The other assassins all gathered around.

Several of the large wooden chests, each over half a person tall, were made of fine timber and carved with delicate patterns.

Just the chests themselves were valuable.

Let's open and see, said the assassin leader, and he eagerly reached to lift the chest lid.

The other assassins couldn't wait either, and almost at the same time, they all pitched in to lift open several more chests.

The sound of the thin wire snapping rang out one after another.

Before they could clearly see what was inside the chests,

there came a tremendous boom!

When the steward and the servants inside the residence heard the sound and rushed over, the entire house had already been blown apart, rolling thick smoke and flames engulfing the wreckage.

More than ten assassins, none survived...

…… -> "..." (ellipsis). No named.

On a major avenue in the Royal City.

Officials led the way, with several prisoner wagons in the middle, and dozens of imperial guards escorting on both sides and behind.

Inside the prisoner wagons were none other than General Mu Cheng and his family.

There were his elderly parents.

Also his wife, tortured beyond recognition, and several children ranging from seven or eight to early teens.

A notice had already been posted in the palace, saying that the Mu Cheng family had conspired treason and would soon be taken to the execution ground to be beheaded as a warning.

The news spread like a gust of wind throughout the Royal City.

Crowds of civilians came to inquire, and as more and more people gathered, they gradually filled the roads, making the prisoner convoy ever harder to move forward.

When all the commoners heard that General Mu's family was to be executed for treason, they still thought it was a rumor from somewhere, until they saw it with their own eyes, only then did they realize it was actually true.

"General! General!" countless commoners shouted at the top of their lungs.

"The general must be wronged!"

"Quickly release the general!"

"We can't kill him!"

"……"

The noise was clamorous, wave after wave rising higher.

The officials clearing the road, while striving to maintain order, shouted sternly, "Make way!"

"You have great gall, daring to block the prisoner cart!"

"Whether you like it or not, I'll chop you!"

Faced with the officials' threats, the commoners were stirred to indignation; although they feared the gleaming long knives in their hands, they did not step aside, but instead knelt down one after another on the spot.

Since the commoners did not resort to violence, the officials found it inconvenient to draw their blades publicly, and a stalemate ensued for a moment.

Someone wept and shouted loudly, "General Mu Cheng is the protector deity of our Great Wilderness! From the former king to now, he has always protected us! Not long ago he even reclaimed lost lands for the Great Wilderness... he... how could he possibly plot rebellion?!"

Immediately others chimed in.

"Yes! The general is loyal and diligent with countless merits! We don't believe he would betray!"

"The general's parents, wife, and children—his whole family—have always treated us commoners well, living frugally to aid the poor; they are all good people!"

"We, the humble folk, beseech His Majesty, do not wrongly kill the loyal and virtuous!"

"……"

The commoners remained kneeling for a long time, kowtowing while pleading for the general's family.

Inside the prisoner cart, Mu Cheng and his family saw this scene, all tearing up.

Even the officials and the imperial guards had complex expressions.

Not to mention the commoners, even these people actually did not believe General Mu would plot rebellion.

But His Majesty had already issued an edict, and the Prime Minister likewise conveyed the order.

Today is surely the day of death for General Mu and his family.

"Officer... please... please go tell His Majesty," a commoner clung to the official's leg, weeping and begging, "Do not execute the general, do not kill his family! This is the plea of all of us commoners!"

"This..." the official's face showed difficulty.

The remaining commoners also kept kowtowing and pleading; the voices coming from all directions put great pressure on the officials.

The officials had no choice but to consult with the imperial guards.

Then one imperial guard left the prisoner convoy, spurring his horse and whipping it toward the palace.

The officials told the crowd that they had sent someone to report the situation to His Majesty, urging the commoners not to be anxious or panicked.

The people gradually quieted down, gazing toward the palace, hoping for good news to return shortly.

Inside the prisoner cart, Mu Cheng's parents and wife had already fallen into unconsciousness, while several children curled up, trembling.

Seeing his family in such a state, Mu Cheng felt his heart as if cut by a knife.

Unfortunately, each person was locked separately in a cage; he didn't even have the chance to go over and hug them.

As for the imperial guard who went to the palace to report the situation, he held no hope at all.

Now the ruler of the Great Wilderness has fully believed the words of those treacherous villains, and the great power of the court is also controlled by the newly appointed Prime Minister; they are aiming to destroy him, hence they have pinned the so-called rebellion charge on him.

How could they possibly care about the commoners' pleas?

On the contrary...

The more the commoners adored and supported him, the more His Majesty and the Prime Minister had to let him die.

"Heaven wants to destroy me..." Mu Cheng raised his head, gazing at the sun gradually obscured by a layer of dark clouds, murmuring to himself, "Heaven wants to destroy my Great Wilderness..."

"His Majesty is foolish and incompetent, treacherous ministers hold sway... hehe..."

"The fate of the Great Wilderness is exhausted. But... alas, it is the commoners of the Great Wilderness who suffer; they will never again be able to live peaceful lives. Sigh, it is also my fault for placing too much trust in His Majesty's favor toward me, leading to this predicament."

"It is I who am sorry to the Great Wilderness commoners..."

"……"

Amidst the dense throng of commoners.

The five Qingyou Platform spies who had withdrawn from the residence had already met with more than ten other brothers, gathering together to converse in low voices.

"On the way to the execution grounds, we have already made preparations."

"But now the procession is not moving; why not... simply act here?"

"With so many commoners pleading for General Mu, perhaps the king of the Wasteland Nation might spare his family's lives; if that is the case, we would need to make different rescue arrangements, or else, let's wait and see."

"Well... hard to say... okay, let's wait a bit."

Among them, a spy quietly took out a drone remote controller.

Subsequently, a drone silently rose from a distant rooftop, flying toward the area above the palace.

Not long after, the drone captured that large numbers of imperial guards were mobilized inside the palace, amounting to over a thousand.

Everyone immediately sensed something was amiss.

If the king of the Wasteland Nation learned of the commoners' pleas and were willing to spare General Mu's life, why would he need to dispatch so many imperial guards?

Clearly this is aimed at driving away the commoners!

Should the masses of commoners, in their heightened fervor, clash with the imperial guards, it would not only hinder the rescue but also cause countless casualties.

The group immediately decided, while the thousands of imperial guards had not yet arrived, to launch the rescue operation now!

Immediately, they scattered, using the crowd as cover to steadily approach the prisoner cart.

When the distance was about right, they each took out the smoke grenades supplied by Jinli Fairy and threw them directly around the prisoner cart.

*Puff puff puff!! *

Pungent thick smoke instantly rose.

The officials beside the prisoner wagon hadn't reacted yet when they were choked so badly they couldn't open their eyes.

Qingyou Tai Scouts quickly put on masks and climbed onto the prisoner wagon.

The thick smoke kept expanding; the surrounding civilians didn't know what had happened and could only hurriedly get up and keep retreating.

"Watch out! Someone's hijacking the prisoner convoy!" the captain of the imperial guards beside the prisoner convoy shouted.

Several dozen imperial guards immediately rushed through the smoke toward the prisoner wagon.

Before them was a blank white expanse; the smoke stung their noses and irritated their eyes, the closer they got the worse it felt, so they had to cover their mouths and noses and retreat a bit.

Seeing this, the captain of the imperial guards shouted again: "Don't approach! Surround all the prisoner wagons for me!"

The officials and imperial guards immediately changed strategy, weapons in hand, surrounding the convoy; as soon as anyone emerged from the smoke, they would attack without hesitation.

Boom—

Boom boom—boom!

Several muffled thuds followed.

Amid the churning thick smoke, several figures were flung out one after another.

Without a word, the imperial guards thrust their spears fiercely at the figures rolling onto the ground.

Only after stabbing did they realize these were all grooms.

"Giddyap!" a roar suddenly came from the smoke.

Then the horses neighed.

Accompanied by the urgent sound of hooves, several prisoner wagons charged straight out of the smoke.

"Make way! We're here to rescue the great general!"

The Qingyou Tai Scouts strained to drive the wagon carrying the prisoner cage, shouting loudly at the civilians.

Upon hearing this, the civilians unhesitatingly cleared a wide avenue ahead for them.

"Chase!" the captain of the imperial guards bellowed, "Don't let them get away!"

Several dozen imperial guards surged forward together.

Including the captain, more than ten who were quick-reacting and more agile mounted their horses and galloped over, leaping onto the prisoner wagon before it reached full speed.

The remaining imperial guards also wanted to follow suit.

But suddenly someone in the crowd shouted: "Stop them!"

Whoosh!

The crowd surged like a tide toward the rear of the prisoner convoy.

Using their bare hands, the civilians forcibly dragged some of the imperial guards off their horses.

Even if someone was knocked down by a horse, they didn't care, fell to the ground, and despite the pain clung to the horse's leg.

Besides the few Qingyou Tai Scouts responsible for driving the wagons, another ten or so climbed onto the prisoner cage and fought with the imperial guards.

Thick smoke filled the scene, dust rolled across the ground, and the surging crowd descended into chaos.

"How dare you rob a death row prisoner inside the Royal City! You're asking for death!" the captain of the guards launched an attack at the masked figure before him.

The masked figure dodged while blocking with the short blade in hand.

"Ha! You think a little knife can oppose me? Look at my blade!" the captain of the guards seized the opportunity, raised his bronze war blade with both hands, and brought it down with all his strength.

Crack!

The bronze war blade snapped cleanly in two.

Meanwhile the small knife in the masked person's hand suffered not a scratch.

The captain of the guards stared, "You… what kind of blade is this?"

"Hey, I'm not telling you." Taking advantage of his daze, the other lifted a foot and kicked.

The captain of the guards was caught off guard and kicked off the wagon.

The masked figure then tossed him a smoke pellet; before he could get up, he was choked, tears and snot streaming.

On the wagon's prisoner cage, one after another imperial guard was knocked down by the masked Qingyou Tai Scouts.

However, their desperate resistance did indeed slow the wagon's speed.

The thousands of imperial guards rushing up from behind had already noticed something wrong with the prisoner convoy, so they sped up, charging straight through the civilian crowd to flank it.

It was clear the prisoner convoy was about to be surrounded.

The angry civilians shouted:

"Folks! Let's all go together!"

"Even if we die, we must stop them! Protect the great general's whole family!"

"Charge! Fight them to the death!"