Chapter 828: Success or Failure Turns to Empty Air (8000 Monthly Ticket Supplement)

Dulongzi's face was a mix of sorrow and joy; thinking back on his experiences over this recent period, it was truly hard to put into words.

First, he had met an enlightened lord and participated in a great undertaking—it was incomparably gratifying!

Then, there was the plot to scheme for the Hidden Dragon of the Wuxiao Sect!

"... I never imagined the Qi Number would backlash. At the very last moment before returning home, that Hidden Dragon had a sudden whim and abandoned the plan... But the preparations in the county were already made; the arrow was on the string and had to be fired... The result was that we only killed the Hidden Dragon's father, and then two thousand elite troops of the Fengxiang Army arrived immediately."

As Dulongzi spoke, his face turned flushed, and he nearly vomited blood!

He had always known the Fengxiang Army's equipment was in disrepair; he did not understand why they had mobilized so quickly this time.

—Poor Dulongzi did not know that these two thousand men were originally secretly mobilized by the Commissioner Li Tie, prepared for a Thunder strike to annihilate the "Demon Dao Xulingzi," and it just so happened that the Xiao Yang he had chosen took the bullet!

Almost less than a day after occupying the county seat, the Imperial Court's army arrived, followed by a brutal siege. Because the foundation was unstable, a wealthy family surrendered the city at night. Xiao Yang died in battle on the spot, and only Dulongzi escaped with his younger sister and young son.

Listening to Dulongzi's account, Aaron looked at the woman and child beside him. Seeing they were both pale with fright, and a young girl was desperately hiding a child behind her, he couldn't help but be speechless: 'With just this bit of strength, they dare to rebel? Are they joking?'

'To die and have one's clan wiped out, becoming a laughingstock for the world—it is nothing more than this...'

This vitality was precious; although it could not completely suppress the Backlash, at least for a while, he would not die yet!

"This is a Fire Jujube. Since you have met this poor Daoist, it is fate; you are not meant to die here."

His family had deep ties with Fang La; in the future, when Fang La was wiped out, if the Imperial Court investigated, he might not be able to escape.

"As you command!"

Aaron's eyelids twitched as he watched.

'My Gu Family is too deeply involved; it is truly difficult to extricate myself... Could it be that I am about to encounter a catastrophic disaster?'

How high could the walls of a rural wealthy landowner be? Usually, hiring a dozen guards was the absolute limit. Under the pressure of hundreds of soldiers, they were completely at the mercy of others.

Not only would one die, but the soul would also suffer torture upon reaching the Underworld; these were all sins!

He closed his eyes slightly, then opened them: "Pass the order! Tell Hei Er there is no need to disguise himself anymore; bring all men and supplies directly to rendezvous with us!"

Aaron smiled: "Please return to Luzhouji with me, and we can discuss countermeasures slowly."

Dulongzi hurriedly pointed to the woman who still looked relatively composed: "This is Xiao Yang's younger sister—Xiao Zi, sixteen years of age, and this is Xiao Yang's young son, named Xiao Liang!"

"Bring them in."

It was hateful that he hadn't thought to contact them sooner!

This must be the confusion of Heavenly Secret again!

He was harboring the son of a rebel, and the Imperial Court's army would arrive in the blink of an eye; there was indeed no need for any disguise.

Dulongzi was closing his eyes, waiting for death, when suddenly a jujube in his mouth dissolved and fell into his belly, turning into wisps of burgeoning vitality.

After Dulongzi finished speaking, he vomited large mouthfuls of black blood, and the Qi in his body dissipated rapidly; the extent of it was truly tragic.

In the small town, every household kept their doors and windows tightly shut. Only the men of the house had the courage to peek through the door cracks at the outside. Seeing the elite troops passing through, they were all pale with fright, muttering to themselves: "Disaster! It's a disaster!"

Dulongzi vomited blood and laughed miserably.

With just one charge, those bailiffs from the Inspection Bureau were captured without a fight and taken into custody.

Gu Yue's thoughts churned, and he was practically on the verge of tears!

Aaron ignored these people entirely, ordering his soldiers to occupy several key intersections and set up checkpoints. He then arrived at the Inspection Bureau, using it as the main headquarters to issue orders, effectively occupying the town completely.

He was naturally not afraid of meeting bandits, but when encountering a real army, he was at a loss.

Success makes a king, failure makes a bandit; it is nothing more than this!

'Is this what is called the Legendary "heart higher than the heavens, but a life thinner than paper"?'

As he spoke, he pointed to the two of them: "State your names!"

Accompanied by Aaron's voice, the hundreds of men behind him formed an Army Formation and walked over in perfect unison.

Dulongzi muttered.

"Sigh... Xiao Yang's ancestors had good fortune and were buried in a Dragon Cave, thus obtaining the Qi Number, which allowed him to flourish... But I didn't expect the Dragon struggle to be so brutal. One careless move and the whole game was lost. Only this son remains; he did inherit a bit of Dragon Qi, but it is only a little."

'This... this is rebellion!'

As swift as the wind, as steady as the forest!

Dulongzi was stunned: "This... this obedience to orders... even the Imperial Court's Imperial Guard might not be able to compare, right?"

This fellow Daoist was quiet and unassuming, yet he trained such a strong army; he was clearly a person of similar ambition.

Aaron gave the order, and immediately several middle-aged and elderly men in brocade robes were dragged in. Each of them looked at Aaron in astonishment, their mouths wide open: "Daoist Xulingzi, how, how?"

Among them, Gu Yue was the most extreme!

Gu Yue was dumbfounded; he could never have imagined that Xulingzi, who seemed to have settled down to teach, had secretly raised so many troops!

The child shrank behind the young girl but poked his head out. His eyes were pitch black, and he seemed to have some innate potential, which made Aaron's heart stir.

"Dulongzi, what is this?"

"Go back with you? We have already raised the banner of rebellion; I fear the implications are great, and the Imperial Court's army will arrive shortly..."

Compared to family and clan, even the best of relationships must be discarded at this time; this was the realization of a scholar!

"You are all wealthy families in the town. My unit happens to lack provisions; I order each family to contribute one hundred piculs, otherwise, I will behead you all and confiscate your property!"

"Do not worry about this old Daoist... Since ancient times, supporting a dragon has always been like this. It is fine to have minor contact and provide support from outside the game, but for someone like me who has entered the chessboard and pledged to a lord, with our Qi connected, it is either Great Success or total defeat... This is the death of the dragon and snake, a Backlash of Heavenly Secret; it is beyond saving!"

Aaron sneered and did not stand on ceremony: "Now you are hostages, detained here. Only when your families send grain can you be released."

He immediately made a decision in his heart: 'Even if I kill myself, I must prove my family's innocence; I cannot implicate the clan!'

In reality, Aaron was already prepared to start a rebellion, so he did not care about this.

A soldier hurriedly ran out to pass the order. Not long after, Zhan Da came in again: "The wealthy families in the town and nearby have all been brought here."

Luzhouji was originally just a small town. Later, as it developed, a branch of the Inspection Bureau was built in the county, but it only had a dozen men, ten blades, and three bows.

"No matter!"

In fact, if he hadn't risked his life to protect one of Xiao Yang's sons, it wouldn't have been a total failure; he might have been killed by the Backlash long ago!

Seeing that Dulongzi was truly on the verge of death, Aaron's heart stirred; it was rare to catch someone who knew the ins and outs of the Daoist Gate and the dragon-supporting cause, so how could he let him go so easily?

He immediately stuffed a "Fire Jujube" over to him.

He let out a sound of surprise and suspicion, looking up at Aaron: "This is..."

He pointed a finger, including even Gu Yue in the gesture.

Gu Yue was taken aback, and then, unexpectedly, felt a secret sense of gratitude.

By not showing mercy due to their past friendship, this would be enough to clear his name of the charge of having followed a rebel!

(End of this chapter)