Chapter 640: Those Who Go to Die (5k)

Outside the capital.

Tang Lanzhou stumbled out of the city gate, running wildly forward with all his might.

The capital was already in chaos, but it was precisely because of this chaos that he successfully used the crowd as cover to run out of the city. During the journey, that foreign woman had chased after him several times, only to be blocked again by Zheng Yi. She had not chased after him for a cup of tea's time.

Tang Lanzhou's chest heaved violently like a broken bellows.

Even though his heart was like a rock, he could not overcome this body that was like a candle in the wind.

"Where... where..."

The edges of his vision were already dark, and his consciousness began to dissipate.

"Must... the tiger tally and the imperial seal... must be handed over..."

Tang Lanzhou stumbled forward.

In front, at the end of his vision, someone seemed to be running over rapidly.

"Tang... Tang..."

"Tang Gong..."

"Tang Gong!"

That figure finally arrived in front of him, reaching out to support him.

Tang Lanzhou tried hard to open his eyes wide and saw the person's face clearly.

"Ah—Commander An."

An Ziyang pinched his pulse and channeled true energy into him, asking urgently at the same time.

"What is the situation!"

Tang Lanzhou managed to recover his spirit and took the tiger tally and the imperial seal from his bosom.

"Zhu Gong, the Emperor, as well as the ministers, key officials, and offerings inside the Forbidden City."

"Should have all fallen."

"That Heaven-Man whose realm is above Commander Li's blasted apart the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

"Zheng Battalion Commander Zheng Yi blocked the pursuers for me, and I haven't seen her for a cup of tea's time."

He spat out the current situation like a string of firecrackers, each sentence making An Ziyang's expression even gloomier.

An Ziyang's condition was clearly not good either; not only was his face pale, but the hand supporting Tang Lanzhou also did not match the skin color of other parts of his body, clearly newly regenerated using healing techniques.

The foreign Heaven-Man's assassination of Li Miao's subordinates was clearly not so easy to withstand.

If it weren't for the fact that several of them had used little force since the Yingzhou chaos and had greatly improved their Wu Gong, causing the enemy to misjudge their strength, they might not have survived until now. But after being assassinated, rushing back to the capital overnight, they were already at the end of their rope.

While the two were talking, several more people arrived.

You Zi'ang was carrying the unconscious Mei Qinghe, and Cao Hanyan and Gao Anyu were each pressing on her pulse, channeling true energy to sustain her life.

Others included former Hengshan Sect leader Deng Baixuan, former Songshan Sect leader Zhou Yingxue, former Huashan Sect leader Liu Baiyun, Wudang leader Zhi Sheng, Wudang elder Zhi Qing, and others, all gathered around.

An Ziyang said in a deep voice.

"No need to enter the city."

"He Shang Zhangren has already entered the city."

Everyone's expression changed suddenly.

They had all rushed back from the south overnight, but they did not expect that as soon as they arrived, the worst-case scenario they had imagined had already come true and was placed before their eyes.

"But the old Commander—"

Cao Hanyan said urgently.

Tang Lanzhou managed to recover his spirit, looked up, and said.

"Zhu Gong and the Emperor will be fine."

"The other party wants to usurp the world, so they cannot kill the monarch; and Zhu Gong's life is their bargaining chip for negotiations with Commander Li. The other party will not kill them."

"Likewise, Commander Zhu Yijing, as well as Zhu Gong's family, are likely the same."

"But... the others in the city..."

Tang Lanzhou stopped speaking.

Deng Baixuan was stunned, and then he gripped his sword hilt tightly.

"Brother Zhang... is in the Forbidden City..."

"With his personality, he will definitely try to rescue Zhu Gong at the first opportunity..."

Zhou Yingxue, Liu Baiyun, and Gao Ling, who also came from the Five Mountains Sword Sect, had dark expressions.

Because they came from similar backgrounds and had known each other for a long time, and had also defected to the Embroidered Uniform Guard because of the Tai'an City incident, they had become close friends over the years. Precisely because of this, Deng Baixuan, who was soft-hearted, could not finish his sentence.

Zhang Jingfeng was undoubtedly dead.

The others also had faces as heavy as water.

"There is also Commander Zhu Shoujing, Attendant Ruan Mei, and Attendant Hong Chou."

"As well as other colleagues guarding the Forbidden City..."

Cao Hanyan lowered his head and gritted his teeth.

"No time to mourn."

An Ziyang said in a deep voice.

"There is still work to be done."

"The capital must be abandoned, but before the Commander returns, we must do something to delay their movements... Brother Cao, you take Zhou Yingxue, Deng Baixuan, and Liu Baiyun to meet Zheng Battalion Commander Zheng Yi."

Cao Hanyan nodded and left with the three.

"Brother You, you take Sister Mei and Tang Gong and go."

An Ziyang handed Tang Lanzhou and the imperial seal and tiger tally to You Zi'ang.

"Go to Nanjing; it is safe there."

"You must arrive there within three days, otherwise Sister Mei will undoubtedly die."

You Zi'ang took the imperial seal and tiger tally, carried Tang Lanzhou and Mei Qinghe on his back, nodded, and turned to leave rapidly.

An Ziyang turned his head to look at Zhi Qing and Zhi Sheng.

"Two Daoists, I and Battalion Commander Gao will go with you to meet Daoist Yue Cang."

"After that, we will do 'that thing'."

Yue Cang was the Daoist name of the Wudang Heaven-Man.

Zhi Qing, the Wudang elder who first met Li Miao, remained silent, and Wudang leader Zhi Sheng slowly shook his head.

"No need."

"Commander An, there is no need to meet my martial uncle."

An Ziyang frowned.

"But Daoist Yue Cang's realm should not be as good as that Wudang traitor..."

Zhi Sheng said slowly.

"My martial uncle left words."

"Wudang descendants helping foreigners enter the pass and overturning the world—this kind of sin must be washed away by a Wudang descendant with their own hands. It cannot be left for later, it cannot be left for tomorrow. As long as that person lives for one more breath, it is a disgrace to the founder."

"My martial uncle will perish together with him."

"It concerns the people of the world; Wudang will not hold back—that is what my martial uncle said."

Zhi Sheng's words were decisive.

An Ziyang fell silent for a few breaths upon hearing this, then nodded.

"I understand."

"If we can live in the future, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will build a cenotaph for Daoist Yue Cang, and every Qingming Festival, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will go to Wudang Mountain to sweep the tomb for Daoist Yue Cang."

"With that, everyone, follow me."

Having said that, An Ziyang turned around and galloped out like a sharp arrow.

Gao Anyu, Zhi Qing, and Zhi Sheng followed in silence.

The group did not enter the city but galloped in the opposite direction.

If someone were to look down from high in the sky, they would find that the direction they were galloping in was exactly the opposite of the path He Shang Zhangren had cleared when rushing into the capital, as if tracing back the direction from which He Shang Zhangren had come.

The group galloped like this for half an hour.

People gradually disappeared from the surroundings, and they arrived at a vast, flat wilderness.

An Ziyang stopped suddenly.

He channeled his true energy and raised his palm. After a few breaths, with a rustling sound, a Gu insect the thickness of a little finger crawled out from his sleeve and climbed onto his palm. After winding and stretching a few times, it became motionless.

After a while, two figures suddenly appeared in the distance.

Their speed was extremely fast, clearly also experts in the Heaven-Man Realm.

Within a few breaths, they arrived in front of the group.

An Ziyang scanned the two from top to bottom and let out a long breath.

"Thank goodness... Brother Wang."

Wang Hai nodded and put down Li Xiaosi, whom he was carrying on his back.

"The foreign Heaven-Man had been targeting Xiaosi for a long time. If it weren't for Master Yong Yong Jie of Shaolin, I'm afraid I wouldn't have been able to rescue Xiaosi from the city alone."

"Master Yong Yong Jie suffered heavy injuries, and I have already told him to leave on his own."

An Ziyang nodded.

"As long as you are alive."

Having said that, he turned his head to look at Xiaosi. ===== CHAPTER 641 =====