Chapter 857: Fallen

Pan Yun flew into the air, leaving only the Three Treasures Cauldron continuing to fly forward.

Seeing Miao Zhen instinctively gripped the pot's rim to fly forward, but halfway up, seeing how high it was, she silently pulled back.

Seeing Miao lowered her raised heart and teased her: "Jump! Go on, jump!"

Seeing Miao Zhen glared at her; the Three Treasures Cauldron, deprived of its master's control, slammed toward the ground with fierce force. The four seized the opening, leapt upward, and escaped first.

The Three Treasures Cauldron crashed down with a bang, striking dozens, finally carving a deep pit—but Seeing Miao and the others didn't even glance back; while still airborne, they were attacked by arrows.

By the time they shot down the arrows, kicked off the Wala cavalry, and seized their horses, they found they could barely control the mounts, let alone fight hand-to-hand against Wala riders skilled in mounted archery.

The four had to abandon the horses, maneuvering nimbly atop them, while Xue Shao constantly reminded them not to separate and kept adjusting their breakout direction.

Finally, after dodging left and right, they linked up with Great Ming's troops, first blocking a sword slash for the Duke of Ying, then dragging Vice Prefect Wang Xi out of the enemy ranks…

They also saw Pan Yun deep within the enemy ranks, alongside that flash of imperial yellow—they wanted to rush over, but every step was agonizing.

For the first time, they felt overwhelmed by a sea of bodies—utterly outmaneuvered, immobile.

This was what their instructors had meant: individual strength could not oppose an entire imperial court; thus, even as cultivators who had stepped beyond the mortal world, they must still abide by its laws.

Even one as strong as Little Master Shu could not act freely amid thousands of soldiers.

Until another large army arrived.

As they stood frozen, this new force cut through them; the Wala soldiers who had been relentlessly surrounding them were suddenly cleared away—now they could strike like a dragon through water.

Cavalry first scattered the Wala ranks; infantry behind them began encircling in waves, systematically slaughtering.

They carried not only broadswords and spears, but also arquebusiers—coordinated perfectly, front and rear units working with cavalry, leaving many Wala soldiers dead on the battlefield.

Only then did Pan Yun rush toward Seeing Miao and Tao Yan Bai, clutching the imperial yellow, shouting: "Save him!"

A blade pierced Xia Zheng's chest, its tip protruding from his back; Seeing Miao felt the ribs around the blade, her fingers trembling slightly, then shook her head at Pan Yun.

Tao Yan Bai whispered: "Little Master Shu, this blade struck straight through the lungs and organs—if you pull it out, he'll die."

Xia Zheng heard them. He opened his mouth to speak, then vomited blood in great gouts, thick clots mixed within.

His gaze frantically searched the crowd.

Civil and military officials and soldiers silently closed in; meeting his eyes, they silently stepped aside, clearing two paths.

The Duke of Ying pushed through the crowd, while Cao Nai staggered forward, both kneeling on one knee beside him, one on each side.

Cao Nai looked at him with sorrow, softly asking: "Are you looking for us?"

Xia Zheng gave a slight nod, lips opening and closing, struggling for a long moment before muttering: "My lord, General—has Your Majesty escaped?"

How could Cao Nai know if the Emperor had escaped? Since last night, the enemy had seemed everywhere.

But at Xia Zheng's final moment, he still nodded, whispering: "Your Majesty has escaped."

Xia Zheng exhaled in relief, smiled faintly, his life draining swiftly—he turned his gaze to the Duke of Ying.

The Duke of Ying was drenched in blood; he patted Xia Zheng's shoulder and said: "You did well. You are worthy of being Great Ming's Grand Steward."

The light in Xia Zheng's eyes flickered and vanished; his eyelids drooped, his hand resting on his waist fell instantly.

All watched in grief; soldiers behind them, unaware, thought the Emperor had died—and began to stir in unrest.

The Duke of Ying rose, turned to face them, and shouted: "All troops, listen! Grand Steward Xia Zheng died defending Your Majesty. Now the Emperor has escaped—you have all earned great merit. When we return to Jingcheng, I shall petition for your rewards. Even if I fall, civil and military officials will never forget your deeds. Glory awaits you today!"

Who among soldiers does not yearn for glory, to become the next Duke of Ying?

The surviving civil and military officials all pledged their assent to the Duke's words; the troops were calmed.

They now realized: the Emperor they had guarded for a day and night was none other than Grand Steward Xia Zheng in disguise—the true Emperor had long since broken free.

Though the troops were displeased, learning the Emperor still lived and had escaped brought them relief.

Great Ming had not lost!

After speaking, the Duke of Ying's vision grew dimmer, yet he stood firm, ordering soldiers to remove the imperial robe from Xia Zheng's body.

He asked: "Which army came to our aid?"

Commander Liang Cheng replied: "Chen Huai, stationed in Datong."

No sooner had he spoken than Chen Huai, clad in armor, arrived with a contingent of personal guards on horseback, leapt to the ground, and sprinted forward—CRASH—he knelt on one knee: "Your servant Chen Huai arrives too late to rescue Your Majesty—"

He urgently scanned the prone imperial yellow figure, then froze—realizing it was not the Emperor.

The Duke of Ying swayed; Pan Yun rushed forward and caught him, gripping his wrist—she paused, startled, staring at the Duke.

She turned to find Seeing Miao, but the Duke seized her wrist in return, smiling faintly and shaking his head.

Such heart failure—this was exhaustion beyond endurance. How had he lived this long?

Pan Yun thought a moment: even her Senior Brother here could not save him. Her hand flashed—suddenly, a chair appeared in midair.

The ministers watched in silence as she descended from the air, then materialized the chair; though astonished, they accepted it calmly.

The Duke of Ying was even calmer—he sat down at her urging, and looked at the astonished Chen Huai: "The Emperor escaped with Li Zhen and Fan Zhong. How is Datong?"

Chen Huai replied immediately: "Guo Deng concealed Datong's military intelligence. When Minister Kuang took command of Datong's defenses, he discovered Wala forces had already breached the line and infiltrated the rear. He promptly cut off two other infiltrating armies. On the twenty-sixth of August, Yishi personally led his army to attack Datong City; by the twenty-ninth, they were repelled. Our scouts reported the Imperial carriage had turned south, then north, then south again, finally heading northeast toward Xuanfu. Minister Kuang, uneasy, ordered me to lead troops in support. If the Emperor didn't need us, I was to seek out the Wala forces hiding behind our lines…"

So Chen Huai brought thirty thousand troops out—now only fifty thousand remain in Datong.

If Kuang Ye had not concealed military intelligence like Guo Deng, he truly would have been better suited to defend Datong.

The Duke of Ying exhaled, ordered surrounding soldiers to withdraw, leaving only a dozen civil and military officials.

They stood in silent circle around him.

The Duke of Ying said: "When the Imperial carriage was surrounded, breaking away was the best strategy—but I remained deeply troubled. Datong's defenses have been restored, yet the central route has failed repeatedly. What is the situation in Xuanfu? Cao…"

Cao Nai stepped forward immediately: "Your Grace." (End of Chapter)