Chapter 198: Fend for Yourself

Zhu Shoujing was shocked.

He knew the other party must be a Heaven-Man expert, and definitely not simple. So he had a posture of having everything under control, but actually, he had raised his vigilance to the highest level in secret; otherwise, how could he let the other party approach within ten zhang of him?

How could the other party suddenly appear behind him!?

Were his two paths of Heaven-Man experts fake?

But no matter how the other party appeared behind him, it was the most stupid choice! Behind him were the Heaven-Man experts of the Xiaolingwei; he was simply walking into a siege, throwing himself into a net!

Even if the other party was three paths combined, he would have to leave his life here!

"Surround and kill!"

He shouted, without a hint of hesitation, turning around and slashing down with his saber in the direction the sound came from!

Clang! —

Puchi.

"Commander! You!?"

The Xiaolingwei's Heaven-Man expert raised his weapon to block Zhu Shoujing's blade. Because he had no defense at all, the blade had already cut an inch into his shoulder, and blood gushed out instantly.

He looked at Zhu Shoujing with a face full of horror.

"!!!"

Zhu Shoujing's pupils shrank, he let go of the saber handle, and suddenly turned to look behind him.

Inside the main gate of the Xiaoling Mausoleum, that dragon robe stood quietly inside the gate.

The cold wind blew the hem of the robe, slowly rolling.

The other party seemed never to have walked out of the gate.

"Commander!"

A confidant whispered, pulling Zhu Shoujing out of his hesitation and fear.

"What is wrong with you?"

The confidant first had someone treat the injured Heaven-Man expert, then looked at Zhu Shoujing, his eyes full of doubt.

They had surrounded the Xiaoling Mausoleum and seen the dragon robe standing at the main gate. They were secretly on guard, waiting for Zhu Shoujing's order to strike together and take the other party down.

But Zhu Shoujing did not speak.

From the moment he saw the dragon robe, Zhu Shoujing had not made any sound or any move. He just stood there quietly, looking at the dragon robe.

And then, it was the matter of suddenly turning around and slashing at his own people.

The Xiaolingwei passed down from father to son, almost never supplementing personnel from the outside. The Xiaoling Guards present were all comrades who had known each other since childhood and grew up together, trusting each other immensely, and even more so toward Zhu Shoujing.

They would absolutely not suspect that Zhu Shoujing was colluding with the other party... then, it must be that the other party used some unknown means to confuse Zhu Shoujing's mind.

"Poison? Confusion smoke?"

The confidant secretly pondered, quickly reaching into his bosom, taking out a pill, and taking it. Other Xiaoling Guards also followed suit.

Zhu Shoujing also reacted quickly, taking a pill in the same way, and then his mind quickly entered a state of stillness, examining himself, but he did not find any abnormalities.

"Not poisoned?"

"Commander, you—"

The confidant beside him spoke again, seemingly wanting to ask about Zhu Shoujing's situation.

But, in Zhu Shoujing's ears, the word "you" was suddenly elongated the moment it was spoken, echoing slowly in the silent air.

It seemed both ridiculous... and terrifying.

"!!!"

Zhu Shoujing's true energy surged, trying to change his stance to protect himself.

But suddenly, he found that his true energy was not as easy to use as usual, but sluggish and slow. As if it were viscous resin, flowing slowly in his meridians.

And his movements were also locked by the air. No matter how he struggled, he could only move at a speed that was terrifyingly slow. Just a slight displacement of his fingers took a full ten breaths of time.

Only his eyes could still move freely.

He looked toward the gate of the Xiaoling Mausoleum in horror.

In an instant, his pupils shrank.

That dragon robe moved.

One step.

Two steps.

Three steps.

Under the moonlight, that mummy-like face appeared in his line of sight again. Walking slowly toward him.

"Move! Move quickly!"

Zhu Shoujing had not fought Heaven-Man experts once or twice; he had experienced countless life-and-death situations, and he thought he would no longer fear anything.

But that long-lost cold emotion was like a claw, first stroking his legs and feet, then spiraling up along his waist and abdomen, and finally, slowly gripping his heart.

He opened his eyes wide in anger, desperately surging his true energy, even completely disregarding the direction of his true energy's circulation, and ignoring the risk of suffering from Qi deviation after the true energy went astray; he only wanted to break free from this bizarre situation.

He tried to clench his hands into fists; at the very least, he had to protect his chest and abdomen.

But he was powerless.

His true energy took a long while to leave his dantian, and his fingers only bent slightly. If at this speed, he might not be able to prepare his defense even in the time it takes for a stick of incense to burn.

And the other party was only thirty zhang away from him.

He could only watch helplessly as that decayed dragon robe got closer and closer to him, closer and closer.

Finally, it stood in front of him.

That withered, pitch-black face leaned in front of him, first sniffing him, as if confirming the prey's scent.

Then, he slowly opened his mouth, revealing incomplete teeth, and bit toward his neck bit by bit.

"Finished."

Zhu Shoujing lost the strength to resist.

"Founding Emperor... your subject has failed his duty..."

This was his last thought.

The Xiaolingwei did not participate in government affairs, nor were they responsible for conquering cities, guarding the imperial city, or arresting lawbreakers. Their only mission was to guard the imperial mausoleum according to the founding Emperor's decree.

Father dies, son inherits, unchanged for ten thousand generations. This mission had been deeply engraved in the hearts of the Xiaolingwei, and it was the foundation they thought was superior to the other Twelve Guards.

If not for this, Zhu Shoujing would not have ignored the reigning Emperor's decree and insisted on bringing the Xiaolingwei to the Xiaoling Mausoleum. Because they only owed loyalty to the founding Emperor and existed only for the founding Emperor.

Just at the moment he had his last thought, full of remorse and despair, closing his eyes and waiting for death.

The person opposite stopped.

He slowly closed his mouth, raised his head, took two steps back, and then looked at Zhu Shoujing quietly.

He said hoarsely and strained.

"Minister, are, a, loyal, subject."

Suddenly, Zhu Shoujing's vision blurred.

The situation around him changed suddenly, his subordinates from the Xiaolingwei appeared beside him again, and the confidant's voice continued.

"—Are you alright?"

"Pfft—"

He spat out a mouthful of fresh blood.

Just now, he attempted to break free from the restraints, desperately surging his true energy, which had already deviated from the Zhou Tian and gone astray in his meridians; he already showed signs of Qi deviation and had suffered a not-insignificant internal injury.

Zhu Shoujing's body softened, and he suddenly fell backward.

"Commander!"

The confidant caught him, gripped his pulse point to channel true energy, and combed his meridians for him. At the same time, he looked at Zhu Shoujing with a face full of anxiety and worry.

Zhu Shoujing barely raised his head from the confidant's arms and looked at the gate of the Xiaoling Mausoleum.

That dragon robe had disappeared.

As if everything before was just his hallucination.

But that hoarse voice still echoed in his ears, saying the last sentence.

"Beloved, minister."

"Fend, for, yourself."

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 199 =====