Chapter 185: The Demon Race attacks!

"Let us out!"

"I beg you, let me out! I don't want to stay here and wait for death!"

"You corrupt official, are you trying to get us killed?"

The moment the city gates closed, this group of refugees felt as if their hope for survival had been severed. In an instant, they became hysterical, hurling abuse at the city guards and at Chu Yang, who sat alone atop the gate tower.

Everyone's eyes were bloodshot, agitated as if they were ready to devour someone.

As the guards desperately held back the commoners from storming the gates, they too felt a sense of grievance. They had allowed passage before, but now they were forbidden; wasn't this clearly meant to incite public anger?

If they had been barred from leaving from the very beginning, perhaps these people wouldn't be so furious.

Now, those with money had already left, while those without were left behind to wait for death. Anyone in their position would go mad.

Some of the young, able-bodied men felt rage welling up in their hearts. They simply returned home to grab kitchen knives, hoes, and similar tools, gathering under the city gate to shout, seemingly intending to clash with the guards.

The two sides were at daggers drawn; a single misstep would lead to bloodshed on the spot.

Seeing this, Chu Yang waved his hand again, using the wind to blow these people back, completely clearing the area near the city gate.

Regardless of age or gender, they all fell heavily to the ground. They stared in terror at Chu Yang atop the gate tower; what had just happened was beyond human capability.

The commoners were in a state of extreme agitation; reasoning with them by mouth alone wouldn't work, and dawdling would only lead to disaster. Thus, Chu Yang used force to give them a stern warning.

Facts proved this tactic was very effective.

Whether they had calmed down or not, these people finally stopped showing signs of aggression, but they didn't leave immediately, standing silently in place instead.

Some had vacant expressions, while others wore looks of sorrow.

A faint sound of weeping rose from the crowd, and the feeling of grief spread in an instant.

Just then, Chu Yang spoke: "The reason I stopped you is that I don't want you to go out and die in vain."

The weeping paused slightly.

Seeing that the man who was as cold as a demon god had finally spoken, someone in the crowd mustered the courage to say: "Those wealthy merchants and officials have all left, taking their own guards with them. If we stay, we are just waiting to die for nothing."

Once these words were spoken, others immediately chimed in: "That's right! How can so few people defend Jinling City? My lord, please show mercy and let us out!"

"Yes! We beg you, my lord, let us out!"

"Have mercy and give us a way to live!"

Chu Yang shook his head: "I will ask you one thing: once you leave Jinling City, how will you avoid the tracking of the Demon Race? Why do you think you can hide from them?"

A scholar stepped out from the crowd and said politely: "The soldier who delivered the message said the Qi Family Army is trapped at Wang Long City, which proves he came from there. Based on the distance from Wang Long City to Jinling City, plus the speed of his blue-maned horse, we still have one day to escape."

"If things go smoothly, we can reach the next human city and seek refuge before the Demon Race arrives."

Hearing this, the crowd ignited with hope, demanding that Chu Yang open the city gates.

Chu Yang sneered: "That group of high-ranking officials thought the same thing, which is why they will die a miserable death."

The scholar was stunned, not knowing why Chu Yang would say that, assuming he was just being unreasonable. He frowned: "My lord, if you cannot find a reason to refute me, please open the city gates."

As soon as he finished speaking, a handsome young man stepped out from the crowd. If one looked closely, however, they would see that his temples were already gray and there were faint wrinkles at the corners of his eyes, but his eyes were very young, bright enough to illuminate another's heart.

Because he was so good-looking, people would subconsciously overlook his age.

He walked up to the scholar and explained: "I think this lord means that no matter how fast a person runs on two legs, they cannot be faster than a Great Demon."

"As far as I know, some avian demons only need to flap their wings once to fly dozens of miles. The one-day journey you speak of might not even take a cup of tea's time in the eyes of those Great Demons."

"Not to mention some canine demons, whose sense of smell is extremely keen; tracking a scent from three or five days ago is a daily occurrence for them."

"One person might be fine, as the scent dissipates faster, but if a group of people travels in the wild, the Demon Race will quickly notice. Therefore, this lord forcing you to stay in the city is actually giving you a chance to survive."

After the extremely handsome young man finished explaining, the commoners who didn't know the truth finally understood Chu Yang's intentions. Their inner anger turned into gratitude. A small minority still didn't believe it, but they didn't dare to incite the crowd to storm the gates again.

The scholar who had argued with Chu Yang lowered his head in shame. Using common sense to speculate about the Demon Race was, in itself, a mistake that couldn't be more wrong.

Seeing the scholar's state, the handsome young man smiled and consoled him: "General Qi has guarded Jinling City very well, and even the surrounding towns rarely suffer from the incursions of demons and the Demon Race. This is very rare in the entire south. It is normal that you don't understand these things."

The scholar bowed slightly, then performed another salute toward Chu Yang on the gate tower before leaving with a flushed face, though it was unclear if he had taken the words to heart.

After persuading the crowd to disperse, the handsome young man leaped onto the gate tower. Meeting Chu Yang's gaze, he cupped his hands and bowed: "Prince, it has been many years. I wonder how you have been?"

"Back when I became a top scholar, some gifted me jewels, some sent me beauties, and others promised me high office, but no one knew the melancholy in my heart; I only wanted to drink until I was drunk!"

"It was you who treated me to the best Daughter Red wine in the capital and drank heavily with me. I, Xunhuan, still remember the taste of that wine to this day."

"I never imagined that ten years later, your Daoist arts would be nearly profound; it truly makes one look at you with new eyes."

The person who had arrived was none other than the Little Li Scholar from ten years ago—Li Xunhuan, also known today as Little Li Flying Dagger.

In truth, Chu Yang hadn't intentionally set out to treat Li Xunhuan to a drink; it was because the Emperor was pressing him step by step, putting him under great pressure, and he had to drink to vent.

Who would have thought that by a twist of fate, he would get to know the wanderer Li Xunhuan.

However, the two had only drunk together once. Not long after, Li Xunhuan resigned from his post and retired, leaving no trace behind.

"How did you appear in Jinling City?"

Chu Yang looked at him with some surprise.

"I was chased here."

Li Xunhuan shook his head with a bitter smile, "I stayed outside the pass for ten years. Just as I thought about coming back to take a look, I was found by people from the Dragon Guarding Villa. I have to say, the intelligence capabilities of the Dragon Guarding Villa are truly the best in the world."

Chu Yang asked curiously: "Why are they chasing you?"

Li Xunhuan said helplessly: "I don't like being an official, but they insist I become one, and the Chief Instructor of the 800,000 Imperial Guards at that. How could I be qualified for such a high position? I really had no other choice but to run to Jinling City to lie low for a while."

Chu Yang's expression gradually turned cold, and he asked: "Isn't the position of Imperial Guard Instructor held concurrently by Guo Buqing, the Chief Catcher of the Six Doors? Why would it suddenly be changed to someone else?"

Li Xunhuan said: "According to the two people chasing me, it's because the Emperor is considerate of the fact that Hero Guo is overworked holding two positions and hopes he will take care of his health, which is why they removed him from the post of Imperial Guard Instructor."

Chu Yang closed his eyes, wondering what he was thinking. A moment later, he opened his eyes, which were filled with cold light: "His Majesty is indeed benevolent."

"It's just that I wonder if His Majesty, having held absolute power for so many years, might also be a little tired."

Li Xunhuan caught the hidden meaning in his words, and his body trembled, a look of horror appearing on his face.

"Since Scholar Li has come, you might as well stay and help defend the city. Your Little Li Flying Dagger is the nemesis of avian Great Demons."

Chu Yang didn't care how shocked Li Xunhuan was by his words and actions; he only wanted to handle the matter at hand well.

"Prince, rest assured, that is exactly my intention."

From the moment Li Xunhuan stepped out of the crowd, he had no intention of staying out of it.

"Then please, Scholar Li, go to the other gate tower and assist them in defending the city."

Jinling City had front and rear gates. The gate tower Chu Yang was standing on faced south, directly toward Wang Long City, so it would be the first place to bear the brunt when the Demon Race attacked.

Li Xunhuan asked doubtfully: "Does the Prince not need my help?"

Chu Yang explained: "I am enough on my own. You can take those guards below with you later." "Defend the city alone?" Li Xunhuan hesitated to speak.

He didn't know how to evaluate Chu Yang's "confidence," or perhaps, arrogance.

Defending a city was no child's play. Even top martial artists would only face death when confronted by a million iron hooves, let alone the Demon Race about to attack the city.

The Demon Race's physique was naturally superior to the Human Race, and there was also a gap in the lethality of the soldiers on both sides. When two armies clashed, the Demon army was clearly stronger than the Human army.

"I know the Prince understands Daoist arts, but defending the city alone is still too much of a stretch. You have been in the capital for these years; perhaps you haven't seen real war."

Li Xunhuan tried earnestly to persuade Chu Yang to abandon the idea of defending the city alone.

"Scholar Li, do not worry. Since the Prince says so, he naturally has the foundation for it."

A man walked over from the distance, a embroidered-spring blade at his waist; it was none other than Li Ge Xiao.

"Lord Li?"

Li Xunhuan looked at Li Ge Xiao in surprise.

"Scholar Li, it has been a long time. I heard you went outside the pass. I wonder what the scenery is like out there?"

Li Ge Xiao walked up with a smile.

"In a land of bitter cold, if you want to talk about scenery, there is only the sky full of wind and snow."

Li Xunhuan shook his head and laughed.

"Since you wanted to retire, why not find a good place? How did you think of going outside the pass to suffer?"

Li Ge Xiao asked with some confusion.

"I did something heartbreaking, which is why I went outside the pass to suffer."

For the first time, a bitter expression appeared on Li Xunhuan's face, and this expression made Li Ge Xiao feel empathy. He immediately understood that the heartbreaking thing Li Xunhuan spoke of was related to his feelings.

"In that case, let's not talk about it." Li Ge Xiao waved his hand and walked straight to Chu Yang, cupping his hands: "Prince, I have arranged everything on the other gate tower. Lu Xiaofeng and the others found the Demon-Exterminating Crossbows at General Qi's mansion, which can help us defend the city."

"However, it would be best to send people to seek reinforcements from the imperial court to ensure nothing goes wrong."

Chu Yang said: "Then you go. It just so happens you can settle the grudge between you and Yan Song."

After hearing this, Li Ge Xiao shook his head decisively: "I must stay to defend the city. Whoever wants to take Yan Shifan's life can take it; it has nothing to do with me."

Chu Yang felt surprised. He had thought Li Ge Xiao would go out without hesitation to intercept and kill Yan Shifan; after all, the pain of losing his wife had been etched in his heart for so many years.

"If you need someone to deliver the message, I do have two good candidates."

Li Xunhuan smiled broadly: "Does the Prince still remember that I said earlier I was chased to Jinling City?"

Chu Yang asked: "You want to talk about the Dragon Guarding Villa?"

Li Xunhuan nodded and said: "The ones chasing me are none other than Duan Tianya, the Heaven-rank number one secret agent, and Gui Hai Yi Dao, the Earth-rank number one secret agent."

"They were led to other places by my servant Tie Chuanjia. By now, they should be close to finding their way here."

Although Li Ge Xiao was curious why the Dragon Guarding Villa was chasing Li Xunhuan, the current situation was of utmost importance, so he said: "The Dragon Guarding Villa has cooperated with the Divine Marquis Mansion for years. The Divine Marquis Mansion is responsible for dealing with demons and the Demon Race, while they are responsible for gathering information and are proficient in methods to avoid the Demon Race's tracking."

"With Duan Tianya and Gui Hai Yi Dao responsible for delivering the message, we can ensure nothing goes wrong."

Jinling City could protect itself with Chu Yang here, but other southern cities might fall into disaster. Therefore, the sooner the imperial army arrived, the more hope those people would have of surviving.

Chu Yang suddenly spoke: "In that case, find those two as soon as possible. However, only one person is needed to deliver the intelligence; let the other help me do one thing."

Li Xunhuan asked: "What thing?"

Chu Yang replied: "I want to know the situation at Wang Long City. How exactly were General Qi and the Qi Family Army trapped there?"

Li Xunhuan understood Chu Yang's thoughts and smiled bitterly: "Prince, Jinling City is barely able to take care of itself, and you are still thinking about aiding the Qi Family Army at Wang Long City?"

He was one step away from saying the words "You are dreaming."

Li Ge Xiao grinned and said: "Scholar Li is really not suited to be an official. It's a good thing you resigned back then, otherwise you would have had a hard time now."

Li Xunhuan asked doubtfully: "What does Lord Li mean?"

Li Ge Xiao patted Li Xunhuan on the shoulder and whispered: "When I was still a Hundred-Household, my teacher told me that asking less and doing more is never wrong."

Li Xunhuan was still dazed when he was dragged off the gate tower by Li Ge Xiao.

After the two left, Chu Yang stood on the wall and whistled. Not long after, a huge wolfhound appeared at the base of the wall, showing a fawning smile at Chu Yang.

It couldn't jump up the hundred-meter-high city wall, so Chu Yang had to use magic to let it fly up.

If Wang Cai continued to stay outside, it might be slaughtered by the Demon Race attacking the city. With such a heavy human scent on it, the Great Demons would definitely know it had been claimed by a master.

Wang Cai had worked hard without complaint these days, and it was time to give it a reward. Chu Yang took out a handful of Blood Bodhi and stuffed it into its mouth; the abundant blood energy flowed into its body as energy.

Wang Cai's dog eyes widened instantly.

Chu Yang smiled: "If I gave these things I'm feeding you to Li Ge Xiao, I guarantee he would recover to his peak within a day, but that would be of no benefit to his martial path."

"Losing his foundation also means he can start from scratch, checking for gaps and making up for leaks in the parts he didn't do well before, making his martial path more complete."

"I never imagined that Yan Nantian would appear halfway and pass him the Wedding Dress Divine Art..."

"One can only say it is fate."

After swallowing the Blood Bodhi, even Wang Cai's fur became more lustrous. It wagged its tail busily, hoping Chu Yang would give it another reward.

"Alright, don't be too greedy. Eating too much makes it easy for you to be slaughtered, just like those pigs before the year ended."

Upon hearing this, Wang Cai's tail stiffened instantly. It was as panicked now as it had been excited just a moment ago.

Chu Yang smiled and looked toward the vast plains outside the city, watching the sun gradually disappear below the horizon.

Night fell.

Families in the city closed their doors tightly, everyone huddled around dim lamps to pray.

At this moment, people became the most loyal believers of the gods and Buddhas in the sky.

Moonlight spilled onto the city gate, and together with the torches in the dark night, illuminated the darkness ahead.

The guards were nervously guarding the Demon-Exterminating Crossbows; only this peerless killing weapon could give them a meager sense of security.

The cold wind suddenly became biting.

A strange aura was spreading in the air.

Pairs of eyes hidden in the darkness were like ghost fires, staring fixedly at Jinling City, their blood-red gazes revealing pure greed.

Wang Cai bared its fangs, staring fiercely ahead!

Chu Yang stroked its head.

"Finally here!"

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 186 =====