“Come with me.”
With a wave of his hand, Zhao Zifei put his hands, which were hidden in his wide sleeves, behind his back and walked outside.
Yuan Jue chuckled softly and led Feng Fei and the other five out. Two military spirits stood guard on either side of the entrance to the flower hall, their faces solemn and tense. Their expressions changed drastically when they saw Feng Fei and Yuan Jue's group of six emerge. Then, as if receiving some instructions, they followed closely behind Zhao Zifei after he and his group of six had left.
After passing through a long corridor, a grand hall exuding a majestic and imposing aura soon appeared before everyone.
Zhao Zifei, leading the way, continued walking slowly into the main hall without changing his pace. The four military spirits following behind Feng Fei and his group suddenly stopped. They split into two small teams and abruptly retreated to either side.
Feng Feiyuan and the other six naturally sensed what was happening behind them, but they were only cautious and didn't pay much attention to it.
Approaching the main hall, Feng Fei finally noticed three large, elegantly written characters on the plaque above it: "Yongzhen Hall." These characters exuded a simple yet grand charm. On either side of the hall's entrance stood four long, red-lacquered pillars adorned with carved phoenixes. Against the backdrop of a faint, dark mist, the phoenixes on the pillars appeared almost alive.
Further inside, at the deepest part of the Yongzhen Hall, there is a relatively wide stone platform. On the platform are a main seat and four secondary seats. Sitting on the main seat is a handsome man in battle robes, and standing beside him are two armored soldiers, who, judging from their figures, are both female warriors.
"City Lord?" Feng Fei blurted out her thoughts instinctively. Unexpectedly, the City Lord, who had transformed into a military spirit, heard her and even smiled and nodded. Feng Fei felt somewhat embarrassed, but still maintained a proper bow and returned the smile.
After smiling at Feng Fei, the city lord of Fengye City focused all his attention on Yuan Jue. After bringing Feng Fei, Yuan Jue, and the other six to Yongzhen Hall, Zhao Zifei also stood beside the city lord of Fengye City.
“Lord of the City,” Yuan Jue bowed slightly to the Lord of the City, “please do not blame us for coming uninvited.”
Yuan Jue greeted the city lord, suppressing the excitement welling up inside him. The city lord of Fengye City could naturally see Yuan Jue's suppressed excitement and was somewhat puzzled, but he also sensed a faint sense of familiarity emanating from him. He suppressed this strange feeling and asked Yuan Jue, "May I ask where this friend comes from? What brings you here?"
"We come from outside, and as for what we're here for..." Yuan Jue kept it a secret, not revealing it immediately, but turned to look around: "The city lord is indeed skilled. Despite having encountered Tianqing, Yongzhen Palace seems to have retained its majestic and imposing appearance in the slightest."
"That's very kind of you. It's simply the culmination of the work of our predecessors. And you gentlemen... I wonder how we should address you?"
Before Yuan Jue could answer, Zhao Zifei leaned close to the city lord's ear and told him everything Yuan Jue had told them and what he had discovered.
The city lord nodded, then pointed to the seat to his right and said, "Young Master Yuanjue, you may bring your friends and sit here. It would be easier to talk that way, wouldn't it?"
Feng Fei looked at the four available seats and was about to speak when Yuan Jue pulled her to sit with him. These four seats were actually low tables, each with a blanket, longer than the table itself, spread out on the floor behind it. Feng Fei sat cross-legged, feeling a faint coolness creep from the point where her bottom touched the blanket, spreading throughout her body. It wasn't a chilling cold, but a coolness that made her pores open with comfort, like a refreshing breeze blowing away the heat of a sweltering summer day.
Below Feng Fei and Yuan Jue, Jin Ming and Ming Feng sat on a blanket, while Da Bao and Xiao Bao took a blanket from the opposite side and placed it behind Feng Fei and Yuan Jue on the ground. Ignoring everyone's gaze, they knelt down directly.
"Heh..." The city lord chuckled, then looked at Yuan Jue and said, "Young Master Yuan Jue, you truly have impressive skills." (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)
Chapter Sixty: Besieged
"Heh..." The city lord chuckled, then looked at Yuan Jue and said, "Young Master Yuan Jue, you truly have remarkable skills."
Feng Fei was somewhat puzzled by the words of the City Lord of Fengye, but she knew that she would not be the main character in the following process, so she remained silent and watched the situation unfold.
"Oh? What do you mean?"
Lord Fengye City simply smiled and shook his head, his young face bearing a maturity and depth beyond his years. An unbelievable thought suddenly popped into Feng Fei's mind, but she found it utterly absurd and quickly suppressed it.
Suddenly, the city lord of Fengye's face hardened, and he shouted at the door, "Come in!"
Feng Fei couldn't help but look towards the entrance, only to see rows of military spirits suddenly pouring into the main hall of Yongzhen Palace, dividing into two groups and filling both sides of the main aisle. Perhaps because they had become military spirits, or perhaps because their resentment before death was overwhelming, as these military spirits entered the hall, a wave of malevolent energy swept over them, causing Feng Fei to shudder.
"What's going on?" The Lord of Fengye City asked with an imposing air, though not angry.
The leader of the warriors showed a flash of fear on his face, but then calmly replied, "Lord, we are surrounded by Soul-Devouring Spiders!"
"Smack!"
Lord Fengye slammed his hand on the table, and a powerful aura surged from his body. The two female generals behind him and Zhao Zifei gripped their weapons tightly, looking ready to fight Feng Fei and his six companions.
"Does Mr. Yuanjue have anything to say?"
Yuan Jue spread his hands and said, "What do you want me to say? I didn't bring these Soul-Devouring Spiders."
Feng Fei chimed in, "Yes, we killed a lot of Soul-Devouring Spiders before we came to the City Lord's Mansion."
“Iron Blood can bear witness,” Mingfeng interjected.
Jin Ming and the two children sitting in the back nodded repeatedly.
"Ironblood," the Lord of Fengye City called out to Ironblood from the ranks in a deep voice, "Are they telling the truth?"
Tie Xue stepped forward from the ranks and first saluted. He then gave a brief account of how they encountered Feng Feiyuan and his group of six. "Lord City Lord, this is all the information I have."
Lord Fengye waved for Tiexue to return to the ranks and then lowered his head in deep thought.
Before long, another soldier ran in from outside the hall.
"Report! Soul-Devouring Spiders have invaded Tianyi Pavilion!"
Lord Fengye suddenly stood up, and the two female generals behind him and Zhao Zifei couldn't help but show their fear on their faces.
"What's going on! Doesn't Tianyi Pavilion have a hundred soldiers guarding it?"
"They..." The soldier who came to report looked grief-stricken. After a long pause, he continued, "They were killed in action."
Lord Fengye was struck dumb. He almost fell backward, but fortunately, a female general behind him caught him in time.
"Could it be... even if... it's not going to work...?" The Fengye City Lord's distraught murmurs reached Feng Fei's ears, causing the thoughts that Feng Fei had previously suppressed to resurface.
Seeing the urgency of the situation, Yuan Jue abandoned his previous attitude. Although his calculations remained, he calmly pulled Zhao Zifei close and whispered, "What is Tianyi Pavilion? Why are you so panicked?"
Zhao Zifei hesitated for a moment, then finally made up his mind. He looked directly at Yuan Jue and said, "Tianyi Pavilion is the foundation upon which we, the military spirits, stand. When the heavens first collapsed, it was because of Tianyi Pavilion that we were able to survive. Furthermore, Tianyi Pavilion also imprisons many military spirits who have not yet regained their intelligence. Finally, it is the key hub for our City Lord's Mansion to resist the invasion of the Soul-Devouring Spiders, but I don't know why today... and we even lost a hundred military spirits. Those hundred military spirits were already considered the most powerful soldiers among us!"
Zhao Zifei quickly explained the main situation of Tianyi Pavilion to Yuan Jue. Normally, as a military strategist, Zhao Zifei would never have revealed all this so easily. However, given the current lack of hope, he could only pin his hopes on these six people who had suddenly appeared in Fengye City. Moreover, deep down, he vaguely felt that these six were their saviors, even though this feeling was inexplicable. At this point, he had no choice but to try anything, even if it seemed hopeless.
After hearing Zhao Zifei's words, Yuan Jue fell silent.
This is very strange. The Lord of Fengye City was able to survive safely in Fengye City, surrounded by Soul-Devouring Spiders, for about two years with so many military spirits. He must have had some safeguards in place, and clearly, those safeguards were all located within Tianyi Pavilion. Anyone would carefully maintain safeguards that determine their future survival. Based on his current observations of the Lord of Fengye City, he is definitely not the type to fight an unprepared war. Therefore, the current situation can only be attributed to one thing—an internal traitor.
Yuan Jue then ruled out the possibility of an internal traitor. The formation of a military spirit is no easy feat. First, one must possess unwavering faith; then, at the moment of death, one must be unwilling and filled with resentment; and afterwards, someone must awaken their spiritual intelligence. To possess innate intelligence is practically monstrous. So, if not an internal traitor, what could be the reason?
Yuan Jue fell into deep thought, and the entire hall fell silent. The hall doors were closed again after the messenger entered. Outside the hall, there came the sounds of sharpening knives—the sound of the Soul-Devouring Spider's pincers snapping shut—and the sizzling sound of corrosion—the sound of the Soul-Devouring Spider's acid spraying onto the outer wall of the hall.
Despite the menacing Soul-Devouring Spiders outside the door, the military spirits inside the hall remained silent. Feng Fei, seeing this, couldn't help but admire the soldiers' discipline.
Feng Fei glanced at the still bewildered City Lord of Fengye, wondering why the city lord seemed so easily defeated. Taking a few steps closer, Feng Fei immediately understood the City Lord's muttered words. While deeply shocked, his mind raced, and he devised a plan that would benefit them and their fellow soldiers.
Feng Fei leaned close to Yuan Jue's ear and whispered his thoughts.
Yuan Jue was racking his brains trying to figure out the reason when Feng Fei suddenly came up with a solution that seemed extremely impractical, but upon closer examination, it actually made a lot of sense.
"City Lord, would you like to come out with me?" In the end, Yuan Jue chose to use Feng Fei's idea.
Yuan Jue's voice suddenly rang out in the hall, startling everyone. After clearly understanding what Yuan Jue said, they looked at him with suspicion and uncertainty. Zhao Zifei, however, was filled with mixed joy and surprise: Could these six people really be their saviors?
Lord Fengye City seemed not to have heard anything, and remained slumped on the spot, utterly dejected.
"Lord of Fengye City!"
Yuan Jue suddenly raised his voice, his words piercing straight into the city lord's ears, instantly waking him up.
The Lord of Fengye City raised his head blankly. His eyes remained lifeless, and his lips moved unconsciously: "Oh? What's wrong?"
Are you going out?
"What!" The Lord of Fengye City seemed to only understand Yuan Jue's words at this moment. He suddenly got up from the ground and rushed to Yuan Jue. He wanted to grab Yuan Jue's collar, but Yuan Jue dodged to the side.
"Lord of the city, it would be best if you didn't get too excited."
Lord Fengye lowered his hands hesitantly, bowing his head to compose himself. When he raised his head again, he was once again the composed and domineering ruler who once commanded the world.
"I was rude just now." City Lord Fengye apologized to Yuan Jue first, then turned the topic to Yuan Jue's question: "Mr. Yuan Jue, did you just say that we can go out? What do you need us to do? And what kind of reward do you need us to give?"
“We can indeed take you out and change your fate,” Feng Fei said before Yuan Jue could speak. The City Lord of Fengye shuddered, his eyes flashing with astonishing light as he stared wide-eyed at Feng Fei.
Feng Fei naturally understood the meaning behind her words, so she wasn't surprised by the City Lord of Fengye's reaction. Instead, she felt a sense of relief, as if she had known all along. She slowly exhaled and looked steadily at the City Lord of Fengye: "Yes, we can change your fate."
The Lord of Fengye City could no longer contain his excitement. His voice trembled as he spoke: "What do you know? You were sent by heaven to save us, weren't you?"
Feng Fei was taken aback by the question posed by the City Lord of Fengye, and after a slight surprise, he replied, "No. I wasn't sent by Heaven; I was sent by an old crow."
The people in the hall were in an uproar, wondering where Feng Fei's words came from. Only Yuan Jue, Jin Ming, and the other two knew the reason. Jin Ming and Ming Feng reacted the fastest and couldn't help but laugh.
Yuan Jue laughed and said, "Feng Fei, stop joking around."
Feng Fei touched her right cheek shyly, then said seriously, "Actually, what I just said was partly true. We did encounter an old crow outside Fengye City. However, we didn't come here specifically to rescue you. We came in for a purpose."
Although Feng Fei didn't explicitly state their purpose, the City Lord of Fengye could still guess it. Not only the City Lord, but almost all the military spirits present weren't truly foolish; a little thought was enough to deduce Feng Fei and his group's purpose in entering Fengye City. But it was precisely this purpose that silenced everyone.
Finally, the Lord of Fengye City spoke slowly, his voice filled with indescribable melancholy, helplessness, and bitterness: "What should we do? Life is always more important."
As if he had anticipated the answer from the City Lord of Fengye, Feng Fei suddenly laughed, but this aroused the dissatisfaction of many of the soldiers below: "City Lord, we would rather die in battle!"
"Yes, sir! We will fight to the death!"
"Lord of the City, please don't agree! We'd rather disappear from this world forever!"
Zhao Zifei rushed to the city lord and knelt down, but said nothing, because his thoughts were the same as the city lord's, but contrary to those of the other military heroes.
"Lord City Lord, please reconsider!"
"Yes, sir! These people are bandits! They take advantage of our weakened state to kill and rob!"
"..."
Yuan Jue Fengfei ignored the reactions of the other military spirits and kept his eyes fixed on the Lord of Fengye City.
"Gentlemen," the city lord's voice echoed throughout the hall, "my mind is made up. If you still acknowledge me as your city lord, then please trust my decision. I will never play with the lives of you soldiers; your lives are more precious to me than my own!"
Lord Fengye's words were resounding and immediately silenced the entire hall.
"We swear to follow you to the death, sir!"
"We swear to follow you to the death, sir!"
"..."
All the soldiers in the main hall knelt on the ground, their deafening roars rising one after another.
After all the soldiers had quieted down, the City Lord of Fengye looked at Feng Fei and asked, "What's next?"
Feng Fei, however, looked at Yuan Jue. (To be continued. If you like this work, please vote for it on Qidian. Your support is my greatest motivation.)