Chapter 460: Gou Dan and the Imperial Capital

The wind howled, early spring still a bit chilly.

Heng Xian regained consciousness, his first feeling was that he should be lying in a reed marsh, with something prickly beneath him.

He opened his eyes; sure enough, he was in a reed marsh by the lake, but in the dense reeds ahead, a pair of squinting, bi-colored eyes were staring at him.

Heng Xian instinctively raised two fingers, then blurted: "Gou Dan?"

"Chi-chi..."

Those bi-colored squinting eyes suddenly retreated, revealing the whole body—indeed a monkey covered in fur, wearing short pants and a short jacket.

At that moment it still held a thick mulberry stick as wide as a bowl's mouth; seeing Heng Xian look over, it performed a somewhat practiced dance, then gave a hehehe evil laugh.

Heng Xian glanced around, confirming he wasn't at Bitter Willow Peak of the Tianyuan Sect, then looked at Gou Dan, still not quite grasping this creature's "Ten-thousand-mile Tracking" ability, and cursed: "Damn, you can really find me—had enough of Bitter Willow Peak? Come on, do a Space Step for me!"

Gou Dan rolled its eyes, tossed the mulberry stick, one hand covering its crotch, the other pressing its forehead, and actually performed a Michael Space Step in the reed thicket, then chirped "chi-chi" as if seeking praise.

"Damn, that's awesome!"

Heng Xian laughed loudly, stood up, looked around, then faced the direction of the Great Zhou capital: "Now, I have business to attend to—going to rescue my wife!"

He tapped his foot and shot straight toward the capital in a flying leap.

"Chi-chi..."

Gou Dan picked up the mulberry stick and followed, hopping and jumping, with a single leap spanning over ten meters.

Qi Capital.

The sprawling city spanning dozens of li had been completely thrown into chaos.

All four gates were packed with fleeing families, the streets full of stray soldiers and loose warriors, burning, killing, looting without restraint; occasionally encountering opposing forces, they'd erupt into chaotic brawls.

The once absolute order-keepers—Shénwǔ Sī, Dàlǐ Sì, and Wǔchéng Bīngmǎ Sī—had long been dragged into the fighting, nowhere to be seen!

Instead, the students of the Imperial Academy and the Society and Literature Academy had taken up temporary constable duties, doing their utmost to preserve public order, but they only treated symptoms, not the root cause.

Heng Xian rushed to the city gate, and what met his eyes was this scene.

The capital's ban still held, preventing flight; he had no choice but to proceed on foot with Gou Dan.

Along the way rose cries and shouts of slaughter; brothel girls were freeloaded, pawnshops looted—a picture of chaotic times.

This was more than a palace coup; it was already an omen of the nation's demise.

"You damned women, halt!"

"Ah..."

At that moment, a young lady from an aristocratic family tumbled frantically from her carriage, while a big-headed soldier's eyes gleamed as he desperately gave chase.

Previously the gap between their stations was too vast—only looking, never touching—but now that royal law and norms have collapsed, the dark side of human nature has been unleashed without limit.

Just as the woman was about to be caught by the big-headed soldier, a flying sword came whistling and pierced the soldier's neck.

Several Society and Literature Academy students flashed over, first glancing at the fallen soldier and the panicked woman, then at Heng Xian, all startled: "Heng Xian?"

They were Sun Qianqian, Jiang Xiaoyu, Deng Wu, and Han Yu, among others.

"You all well." Heng Xian gave a faint smile, then suddenly felt that meeting under these circumstances was actually a bit awkward.

Jiang Xiaoyu and the others also felt a little awkward; Sun Qianqian sighed: "Great affairs of state and family cannot be interfered with; we can only do our utmost with effort and heart!"

"You've done... very well!"

Heng Xian nodded, then asked: "How's the Imperial City?"

Jiang Xiaoyu said: "The Crown Prince and his two siblings led troops into battle; the elite of the elite among Great Zhou's million-strong forces have besieged the Imperial City in fierce fighting for four days, and still no victor has emerged!"

"Thanks!"

Heng Xian strode off with Gou Dan.

Sun Qianqian and the others watched his retreating figure, and a thought suddenly rose in their minds: the almighty Poet Sage, Lord Shī Shèng, might this time also be powerless!

Actually, Heng Xian had no notion of saving the country at all; in this world his sense of belonging to the state had weakened to the extreme—he simply wanted to rescue his wife, and hurried straight for the Imperial City.

The nearer to the Imperial City, the more the chaotic troops; in the end they formed bands that fought each other.

Upon reaching the main street before the Imperial City, armies locked in combat appeared.

One side was three to four thousand gold-armored soldiers, the other three to four thousand black-armored soldiers; they faced off, ready to explode at a touch.

Heng Xian made a move to dart past, when four generals suddenly sprang from the gold-armored troops, speaking awkwardly: "Big brother, where are you headed?"

Heng Xian looked over—indeed the disheveled, bearded fellow, the somewhat stalwart Xu Youzhi, Cao Wei, and the four capital city young masters.

Heng Xian fell silent for a moment, then said: "Going to rescue Princess Taiping!"

Xu Youzhi and the others wore embarrassed faces: "We're on the heavenly queen's side—what about you?"

Heng Xian replied: "I'm not on either side, but I will definitely take Princess Taiping away!"

The four exchanged a glance, gritted their teeth, and waved their fists: "Make way!"

The gold-armored soldiers clattered aside.

Seeing this, the black-armored soldiers stared at each other, then the leading general waved: "Make way for the Prince Consort!"

"Whoosh..."

The black-armored soldiers likewise cleared a path.

At this moment, perhaps only Heng Xian could make both sides' troops stand down simultaneously.

However, before Heng Xian could enter the Imperial City, a fierce clamor rose from within, followed by a volley of arrows that sent the black-armored soldiers crashing to the ground.

Upon seeing this, Xu Youzhi exclaimed delightedly: "Hahaha, brothers, we've won—the Crown Prince and Prince Wu's armies have been defeated!"

Speaking, he then gave Heng Xian a troubled look: "Big brother, the Crown Prince and his siblings likely face more misfortune than fortune; you'd better leave, for we are few and weak and won't be able to protect you then..."

Before he finished speaking, the surroundings suddenly burst into a frenzied Sword Qi Field—illusory, dense sword qi began as a single line, then a hundred, a thousand, ten thousand, spreading wildly in all directions.

The arrows shot from the Imperial City were all blocked, shattering across the ground.

The soldiers trembled in fear, prone on the ground, unable to lift their heads.

Xu Youzhi and the others dismounted from their horned steeds, strained to look, and saw Heng Xian enveloped by a Ten Thousand Sword Qi Field, already charging fearlessly into the Imperial City.

"Big brother...... maybe...... is the reincarnation of the Sword Saint?" Wu Sitian shouted loudly.

Heng Xian had no mood to pay attention, nor did he have time; he exerted all his cultivation, enveloping a myriad-zhang sword field, rushing straight to the depths of the imperial palace, with only one goal in mind—to take Ji Yaoyue away!

Sword qi permeated, growing ever stronger; wherever it passed, soldiers of both sides fled in terror to the side.

The sword qi aura continued to spread outward in all directions, its momentum becoming ever more terrifying.

Ahead, generals of the Primordial Dan Realm had gradually appeared, yet they still dared not block the way.

One person and one monkey proceeded as if entering an uninhabited realm.

As they approached the inner palace, ahead lay a large-scale execution scene: a group of civil and military officials were escorted to kneel on the ground and beheaded on the spot.

Blood spattered wildly, flowing across the ground.

Heng Xian casually glanced and discovered among the beheaded a familiar face—

Black armor, three-inch beard, face smeared with blood, expression relieved; even kneeling, his back remained straight.

It was Yang Shu!

The older brother of Crown Princess Yang Lan'er.

Years ago, when accompanying Yang Lan'er and her father to the Yang family to demand the small drum treasure, they had met once.

Coincidentally, the Tianyuan Sect also had a person named Yang Shu, and Heng Xian had wondered whether this name in this world corresponded to the founding and Long Sea of his previous life!

At this moment, the sword qi aura arrived; Yang Shu sensed it, raised his head and saw Heng Xian amidst the myriad sword qi, the corner of his mouth twitched, and he shouted loudly: "I never expected that the poison-using brat from back then would become the esteemed Poet Saint, Champion Marquis; these days I've had no chance to visit him in the army, and now meeting again, I never expected— thanks to the... awkward..."

Before he could finish speaking, the executioner, heedless of the incoming sword qi, swung down a spirit blade.

(End of chapter)