It was already night, and a silver moon hung in the sky above the mountain ridge.
In a mountain depression more than ten li away from Fulong Cave, a large army held torches and marched quickly towards the depths of the mountains.
On the nearby mountain ridge, Ye Jingtang held a spear in his right hand and a Junshan Saber in his left hand. He walked along the ridge. When he reached a cliff, he threw the Junshan Saber with a notch down to prevent Yao Wenzhong from picking up the weapon.
Luo Ning carried the heavy saber by his side and also had a powerful bow hung on her back, which was used to disrupt King Wu's personal guard team just now.
Pei Xiangjun held a long spear and followed at the end, frequently paying attention to Ye Jingtang's complexion as they walked.
Ye Jingtang had given Xuan Yuan Hongzhi two severe slashes just now and wasn't injured himself. However, "Reverse Blood in Fengchi" exerted too much pressure on his body. Using it would damage his Governor Vessel. At this moment, his back was aching terribly, and he was indeed feeling quite uncomfortable.
After the three of them walked along the mountain ridge for a long time, the bird that had been circling in the sky landed and perched on his shoulder, indicating that the court troops had already discovered King Wu's whereabouts. Seeing this, Ye Jingtang stopped wandering around and found a nearby cave to stop in.
The naturally formed cave wasn't very big, and there were some supplies prepared beforehand inside.
Ye Jingtang placed the long spear on the ground, spread out the rolled-up blanket, sat down, opened the water bottle, and took a big gulp.
Luo Ning leaned the Junshan Saber against the wall, sat down in front of him, lit a candle, and asked:
"How's your back?"
"It's a bit uncomfortable."
Ye Jingtang took off his tattered coat and untied his silver soft armor. In the middle of his broad back, there was a dark red mark extending from the back of his head down to his waist.
Pei Xiangjun knew what it felt like after using Reverse Blood in Fengchi. She put down her weapon, came behind him, squatted down, and took out Yulong Ointment, pouring it into her hand:
"Lie down."
Ye Jingtang couldn't see his own back, so he used Ning'er's thigh as a pillow and lay down on the blanket:
"This move is powerful, but the side effects are indeed a bit big. I should use it less in the future..."
The space in the cave was very small, and Ye Jingtang was tall and big. It was a bit awkward for Pei Xiangjun to kneel and sit beside him. So she directly stepped over Ye Jingtang, straddled his legs, and helped apply the medicine:
"When using Reverse Blood in Fengchi, it's best to pair it with Green Dragon Presenting Claws, which can pierce through both the armor and the person. Other moves are easy to be blocked. Once you miss, you can only run..."
Ye Jingtang felt quite comfortable being "ridden" by Third Lady, but some parts of his body were not so comfortable while lying down. After chatting for a few words, he pulled out the rolled-up medical book from his belt and opened it to take a look.
The cover of the medical book was cracked, but it was still mostly intact. It was filled with unique secret prescriptions developed by Zhang Jinglin. Although there were only seven or eight kinds, each of them was a strange and secret medicine with unique effects, and Xuehu San was among them.
Luo Ning sat on the ground, letting Ye Jingtang rest his head on her leg, and also looked at the book with him. After thinking for a while, she asked:
"What happened to Guan Yujia just now?"
"He used the 'Tianlang Pearl', couldn't withstand the potency of the medicine, and then exploded."
As Ye Jingtang said this, he carefully took out the white jade bead he had snatched from the leather armor behind his waist.
As soon as he looked at it, he found that there were fine cracks on the bead. It should be because it wasn't put in the box and the commotion during the fight with Yao Wenzhong was too big.
Ye Jingtang's heart sank when he saw this. He quickly sat up and moved a bit away from the two girls to prevent the medicine liquid from volatilizing and contaminating them. He frowned and said:
"The bead in Cheng Shilu's hand last time should also have been a Tianlang Pearl. The effect and touch are exactly the same as this bead. It seems that only I can use this kind of bead. Something bad happens to others when they touch it..."
Luo Ning still had a lingering fear of Cheng Shilu's death. After thinking for a while, she raised her hand and fanned gently, then smelled the scent emanating from the bead. As a result, her nose immediately felt the same discomfort as last time, and she quickly leaned back and moved away:
"It's Bone-Burning Hemp. Doesn't your hand hurt?"
Ye Jingtang's palm felt cool and comfortable, without any abnormality. He leaned closer and smelled it:
"I feel fine, and it even smells good."
Pei Xiangjun saw this and also leaned closer to smell the scent. Immediately, she frowned:
"It's indeed Bone-Burning Hemp. Why are you not affected by Bone-Burning Hemp?"
Ye Jingtang was silent for a moment, carefully thinking about the details. In the end, he could only reply:
"Maybe my constitution is different from that of ordinary people... This thing was refined with half a catty of Xuehuahua. If it breaks and the potency of the medicine dissipates, it would be a waste. What should we do now?"
"Half a catty of Xuehuahua..."
Both Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning were silent for a moment upon hearing this, and then asked:
"Will something happen to you if you use it?"
Ye Jingtang had used the imitation "Daliang Pearl". The only discomfort was that it only expanded the qi meridians without protecting them, which would lead to the tearing of the qi meridians. Otherwise, he felt quite good.
And this genuine "Tianlang Pearl", which concentrated half a catty of Xuehuahua, obviously had an extremely powerful effect of continuing and protecting the meridians. Theoretically speaking, using it could expand all the qi meridians in his body without damage.
However, the effect of "Correcting Bones and Softening Tendons" still couldn't be exerted. After using it, it might be the same as the Daliang Pearl, causing excessive essence and qi. Even if he made Ning'er cry, it might not be able to relieve it...
The Tianlang Pearl already had cracks, and being able to smell the scent meant that the potency of the medicine was constantly volatilizing...
Ye Jingtang hesitated for a moment and still said: "Half a catty of Xuehuahua is equivalent to half of the reserve since the founding of the Great Wei Dynasty. If the potency of the medicine dissipates completely, it might not be possible to make another one even with the entire strength of the Great Wei Dynasty. I'll still give it a try."
Pei Xiangjun and Luo Ning didn't say anything more upon hearing this. They got up, moved a bit away, and stood at the entrance of the cave.
Ye Jingtang took a deep breath. Instead of directly crushing the Tianlang Pearl, he gently flicked it like peeling an egg, carefully making the cracks wider, allowing the potency of the medicine to seep into his palm little by little.
As the cracks on the Tianlang Pearl widened, his palm quickly felt moist. Then, the same feeling as last time came. The soreness and fatigue in his arm quickly recovered, and even the damage to the qi meridians on his back was rapidly recovering in an instant.
Ye Jingtang sat cross-legged on the spot, crossed his palms, held the Tianlang Pearl between his palms, and closed his eyes...
——
Among the mountains.
After Yao Wenzhong escaped from the forest, he quickly walked towards the outside of the mountain and didn't pursue Ye Jingtang's whereabouts anymore.
After all, the advantage of the Tulong Order of Junshan Terrace was that it was invincible when dealing with short weapons, and the disadvantage was that the weapon was too special. The only substitute in the martial arts world was a guillotine knife.
If someone else lost their weapon, they could pick up one casually and make do with it, and their combat effectiveness wouldn't be reduced too much. But if one lost the weapon of the Tulong Order, they couldn't use what they had learned at all.
Both of them had lost their Junshan Sabers. The only thing they could do now was to go to their own town and see if they could find two more Junshan Sabers.
As they walked, Yao Wenzhong was very angry and still brooding over what had happened just now:
"This guy used 'Reverse Blood in Fengchi', lost his spear, and his accomplices couldn't catch up in a short time. As long as I can get my hands on a Junshan Saber, he has no chance of winning. You, on the other hand, gave the Junshan Saber to him..."
Xuan Yuan Hongzhi had been slashed once on his left arm and stabbed once on his right arm. The injuries weren't serious, but they greatly affected his combat effectiveness. He was bandaging his wounds as he walked, and his face was also quite Ugly:
"Who could have expected that he would also know the Tulong Order? If he didn't know the Tulong Order and was forced away by my knife, you could have slashed back with one move. If I had thrown the knife to you, when you caught it, he would have slashed at you, and you would have lost an arm on the spot..."
Although both of them were leaders of Junshan Terrace, they had different positions in the gang. One was a "Red Club" and the other was a "Think Tank". It was not surprising that they cooperated like this.
If they had both been "Red Clubs" like Ye Jingtang and Song Chi and gone on a mission together, the effect would have been much better. If something went wrong, it would be because they had used too much force and couldn't end the situation, causing the gang leader to have a stroke, rather than failing to complete the task.
Now that things had turned out like this, it was meaningless to complain about a bad teammate.
After complaining a few words, Yao Wenzhong stopped. After thinking carefully for a moment, he said in a deep voice:
"Ye Jingtang's hard power is slightly weaker than mine, but he has learned a lot of diverse skills. He is proficient in light sabers, heavy sabers, and long spears. His boxing skills can compete with Guan Yujia's, and he also knows the Yanshan Cloud-Stopping Leap. I definitely can't kill this guy in a head-on single combat. Are you sure that in Zhou Manor last time, he could only fight Jian Yuhua with a ratio of eight to two?"
Xuan Yuan Hongzhi frowned and said: "In Zhou Manor, this guy must have hidden his strength. He has grown to this extent. In another year or two, he will surely become a Martial Champion. I'm not afraid of the Eight-Step Frenzy Saber, but the Overlord Spear is simply playing dirty. Even at the same level, I'm inferior to him in this. Moreover, he has the advantage of being young and strong. If we can't beat him by then, Junshan Terrace might be removed from the martial arts world..."
Yao Wenzhong knew that they had raised a tiger to their own peril. After thinking for a while, he frowned and said:
"It's probably very difficult for the two of us to kill him. If we let our master come, the commotion will be too big..."
Xuan Yuan Hongzhi said: "I'll contact some more people and try to get rid of him directly in Wu Prefecture this time to avoid future troubles. We really don't want this guy to become a Martial Champion..."
Yao Wenzhong didn't say much upon hearing this and quickly left Wushan with Xuan Yuan Hongzhi...
——
On the other side, outside Jianyang City.
Amidst the sound of horns, more than ten official boats filled with imperial guards slowly docked at the port outside the city.
Local officials and generals who had already received the news, in order to claim credit from the court, had waited at the port in advance and set up a posture of welcoming from ten li away.
The towering treasure ship, pulled by the trackers, slowly docked at the shore. The gangplank was lowered from the deck, and countless imperial guards poured out and formed two lines on both sides.
Then Dongfang Liren, dressed in a silver python robe and wearing a dragon-patterned sword at her waist, walked at the front with a majestic and noble aura. Behind her was True Person Xuanji, dressed like a Taoist priest from Yuxu Mountain, and the Empress Dowager, who was wearing a veil and looking around curiously.
"Pay respects to His Highness Prince Jing!"
Countless local officials on the shore didn't even dare to raise their heads when facing the empress's younger sister. They just bowed in salute.
Dongfang Liren didn't feel the slightest ripple in her heart for this small scene. She led the court officials from the Six Ministries who had disembarked and walked up to the waiting officials of Wu Prefecture, asking calmly:
"How is the situation in Wu Prefecture?"
Among the crowd, an old official standing at the front quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute, and replied respectfully:
"Reporting to Your Highness, everything is well in all parts of Wu Prefecture. All of King Wu's private troops have surrendered, and the common people haven't been affected at all..."
Dongfang Liren had come all the way here and obviously didn't want to hear these known news. She frowned and asked:
"Has King Wu's whereabouts been found?"
A general from Ze Prefecture standing beside him was more observant. He quickly stepped forward, cupped his hands in salute, and replied:
"Reporting to Your Highness, I am Hou Yong, the Marquis of Zhennan Army. Recently, with the assistance of Lord Ye Jingtang, the Deputy Commander of the Black Yamen, I have exterminated the remaining followers of King Wu, such as Huang Yulong and Xiao Shicheng from Xianyue Tower. We have captured more than a hundred and fifty bandits, seized countless fields, houses, and properties, and rescued more than thirty imprisoned common people... The bandits are detained in the prison of Jianyang City, awaiting Your Highness's inspection and interrogation..."
!
As soon as Dongfang Liren heard this, she immediately stood a bit straighter, and a look of approval appeared in her eyes.
After all, the Deputy Commander of the Black Yamen was her right-hand man. Saying that he had assisted in achieving the merit in front of the court officials from the Six Ministries and the officials of Wu Prefecture was like praising her for her ability to choose people and handle affairs, which was a matter of bringing honor to her.
Sure enough, as soon as the military officer finished reporting the matter of Xianyue Tower, the important ministers from the Six Ministries nearby showed surprise and began to praise Dongfang Liren for her resoluteness.
Dongfang Liren was quite satisfied, but she still didn't show her emotions. She just nodded slightly:
"General Hou and your soldiers have worked hard."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
The military officer Hou Yong continued in a loud voice: "This noon, Lord Ye Jingtang sent a message that King Wu's whereabouts were found in the mountains more than a hundred li away. I dispatched two thousand soldiers to surround and capture him. I just received an urgent report that the scouts have caught up with King Wu's personal soldiers. Guan Yujia, the leader of the martial arts bandits in Wu Prefecture, has been killed. If there are no accidents, King Wu will be captured before tomorrow night..."
"Oh..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the officials of Wu Prefecture present were a bit stunned. They never expected that this military officer from Ze Prefecture would quietly almost capture King Wu. In that case, wouldn't they, the local officials of Wu Prefecture, be regarded as good-for-nothings who had done nothing?
The important ministers from the Six Ministries behind also showed surprise. The head of the Ministry of Punishments said:
"Your Highness, is this Commander Ye the famous Ye Jingtang who solved the case of King Wu's heir apparent in the capital city? His ability to handle cases is truly something that makes this old minister ashamed..."
"It is said that Commander Ye has the 'Heavenly Eye' and can foresee the future. Now it seems that his reputation is well-deserved..."
"Your Highness's ability to make such a capable person work for you is truly remarkable..."
Dongfang Liren also didn't expect that Lord Ye would really have almost finished the matter before she arrived, leaving her to only receive the worship of her subordinates when she came. She felt a bit complacent.
After listening to the subordinates' flattery for a while, Dongfang Liren said some polite words. After heavily rewarding the observant military officer, she got on the carriage with her attendants.
The Empress Dowager had been unable to speak before. After getting on Dongfang Liren's carriage, she said with a look of surprise in her eyes:
"Is Ye Jingtang really that powerful? In just a few days, he has almost finished the matter."
"Ye Jingtang has always been quick in handling affairs. If we had come one day later, he might have already captured King Wu and been waiting at the port."
Hearing that the troops were surrounding and capturing King Wu and that the distance was only about a hundred li, which wasn't very far, Dongfang Liren couldn't help but want to have a sense of participation and go to Wushan to suppress the bandits herself. So she said:
"Master, you accompany the Empress Dowager to take a stroll in Jianyang City. I'll lead the imperial guards to Wushan to see the situation."
Appearing with hundreds of imperial guards, although the safety was extremely high, it was difficult to prevent top masters from single-handedly capturing the king, and there was still a risk.
Although True Person Xuanji was a bit worried about the awkwardness of meeting Ye Jingtang, with their respective identities, they would inevitably meet sooner or later. After thinking about it, she replied:
"I'll go with you."
"What about me?"
"War is not a child's play. Mother, go to bed."
"Ah?"