Chapter 402: Victory or Defeat

An Ziyang frowned, having no intention of letting Liu Jin continue speaking.

That display just now was merely to stall for time, a cover to allow the retainers to sneak into striking distance.

There was only one way to deal with Liu Jin.

An Ziyang waved his hand violently.

"Kill!"

In an instant, the various retainers, imperial guards, and Embroidered Uniform Guards present surged toward Liu Jin like a forest of blades and a tidal wave.

The cards of the Eastern Depot, Yingzhou, and the imperial court had all been played; they were now at their wit's end, with no possibility of reinforcements. The two surviving Eastern Depot Heaven-Men were already covered in wounds, and this clone of Liu Jin was only at a second-rate level. Facing this sea-like onslaught, they were certain not to last even the time it takes to brew a cup of tea.

Soon, the first Eastern Depot retainer was run through the chest and abdomen by a "Sword Twenty-Three" from Mei Qinghe. Just as he tried to gamble his life to take the weakened Mei Qinghe down with him, Ruan Mei's Emei daggers were stabbed into his waist.

"Arghhhhh!"

He roared and charged toward An Ziyang's side.

After charging only a few steps, he was hooked by grappling chains that dug into his stomach. Several imperial guards then hooked the chains to their saddles and spurred their horses forward.

*Rip—*

His abdomen was laid open, steaming with heat. He lost his strength, collapsed to his knees with a thud, and was decapitated by a blade from Cao Hanyan behind him.

The last surviving Eastern Depot Heaven-Man was also struggling under the siege of several retainers. Liu Jin, behind him, was caught in the shockwaves; his left arm and half his shoulder were shredded, the flesh hanging by a thread against his chest.

Even at this moment, his expression remained unchanged.

An Ziyang's frown deepened.

Just then, footsteps suddenly sounded behind him.

An Ziyang was a true disciple of the Thief Sect; by his hearing alone, he could tell these were the footsteps of Zhu Zai. But there was another set of footsteps hidden beneath them, stumbling and unsteady.

He turned to look.

He saw two people walking toward them.

One was Zhu Zai, his expression anxious, his hair and beard disheveled. He was gripping the other person's neck with one hand and holding an iron chain tied around that person with the other, walking quickly toward them.

The person being bound and held was Zhu Zai's only son, Zhu Yijing. His expression was vacant, his eyes dull, and his entire head and face were covered in blood—it was unclear whose it was—as he was led over by Zhu Zai.

At this very moment, there was also a result on Liu Jin's side.

The last Eastern Depot Heaven-Man was pierced by a thousand arrows. With no guards left, Liu Jin was kicked down from behind by Gao Anyu, and a black ruler whistled through the air, about to crush his skull.

"Wait!"

An Ziyang shouted abruptly, stopping Gao Anyu.

"Bring him over!"

With that, he hurried forward to meet Zhu Zai.

"Old Garrison Commander, did Liu Jin really plant a method on Battalion Commander Zhu that neither His Majesty nor the Garrison Commander could detect?"

The fact that Liu Jin had used the alias Liu Jinyi to lurk beside Zhu Yijing would naturally not be overlooked so easily. After Li Miao returned to the capital, he and the Emperor had both examined Zhu Yijing's body and had indeed found nothing unusual.

After that day, for safety's sake, Li Miao had even kept Zhu Yijing in the palace, cutting off all contact with the outside world, with several retainers watching him at all times to ensure he had no risk of accidents or being controlled.

Yet now, Zhu Zai had personally brought Zhu Yijing here under guard.

By the looks of it, the matter was not simple.

Hearing An Ziyang's question, Zhu Zai gritted his teeth and said.

"He suddenly lost his sanity just now and hacked a palace maid to death with a sword. His strength was nearly equal to that of a Heaven-Man. If he hadn't been irrational at the time and if there hadn't been retainers left on guard, even I couldn't have restrained him."

"That maid was acting strangely at the time; her expression was cold and rigid. She must also have been a clone of Liu Jin."

As they spoke, Liu Jin was dragged over by Gao Anyu and kicked to his knees. Gao Anyu grabbed his hair, forcing him to lift his face.

An Ziyang turned his head and said with a frown.

"Eunuch Liu, this is meaningless. Can't you accept defeat?"