Путешествие безумки по династии Сун

Глава 33

Duanmu was jolted back three steps, only stopping when he leaned against the wall. Then, with a "pfft!" sound, he spat out a mouthful of blood. Leng Jie immediately jumped to Duanmu's side and supported the swaying man.

Then look at the middle-aged man, still standing motionless. He looked at Xiao Shiyu, who was fuming with rage, with disdain and sneered:

"So, Your Highness, are you going to come with us willingly, or do you want me to deal with your two men before we kidnap you?"

Shi Yu glanced at the Qingyi Sect members, then at the heavily injured Duanmu, and then at Leng Jie, confirming that they were doomed today. He was about to ask them to release Duanmu and Leng Jie before he went with them.

Suddenly, a flash of light appeared before my eyes, and I heard Leng Jie's cold, commanding voice.

"Don't move!"

Then they heard the man in black shout, "Master!"

Shi Yu looked up and saw Leng Jie holding one hand to the middle-aged man's neck, his lifeline, while the other hand took the long sword from the man's waist and handed it to him. Shi Yu took the sword in surprise and, following her instructions, pressed it against the middle-aged man's vital point.

Leng Jie pressed several acupoints on the middle-aged man's body, then released her hand from the back of his neck, and in a flash, went back to help up Duanmu, who was also stunned.

All of this happened so fast, almost in an instant.

All the men in black stared in disbelief, dumbfounded, at their leader who had been subdued. Then, they looked at Leng Jie, who was supporting the leader, with terrified eyes. Was he a human or a ghost? How could he be so fast? So fast that they hadn't even seen how he got behind their leader, or how he had subdued him before he could even resist. Their leader's martial arts were on par with the Eight Protectors.

They seem to have forgotten what became of their two protectors.

The middle-aged man, recovering from his shock, stared incredulously at the longsword pressed against his waist. He'd been subdued? How could this be? Even their number one gang leader would need a hundred moves to defeat him. How could he be subdued by a malnourished country bumpkin? He tried to turn and grab the sword, refusing to believe it, but he couldn't move. Now he truly believed he had been kidnapped.

"Who, who are you? How, how is this possible?"

The young maid forcefully plunged the sword tip into the middle-aged man's flesh, and immediately, bright red blood flowed out along the blade. She coldly said:

"Master Zong, tell your men to leave immediately and have everyone outside evacuate."

Suddenly, a loud laugh came from outside the door:

"Haha, indeed heroes emerge from among the young! I never imagined that Prince Ying had such a formidable figure by his side!"

Chapter Seventy: Escape from Death

Suddenly, a loud laugh came from outside the door:

"Haha, indeed heroes emerge from among the young! I never imagined that Prince Ying would have such a formidable figure by his side!" As the voice rang out, a small old man with white hair, a beetle-like appearance, rat-like eyes, and a deer-like head, with a golden-hilted sword hanging from his waist, appeared in the private room.

The men in black, who were still in shock, immediately regained their composure and bowed in unison to the newcomers:

"Greetings, Great Protector!"

Another protector arrived, and Leng Jie and the other two were simultaneously taken aback! They hadn't expected the Green Robe Sect to be so cunning! They actually knew to save the important figures for the grand finale. It seemed they truly couldn't escape their doom today!

"A bunch of useless trash!" The Great Protector narrowed his triangular eyes, glancing at his group of black-clad subordinates before his sinister gaze fell upon the Sect Master, whose vital point was being held against him by Xiao Shiyu's silver-hilted Qingfeng sword. You Di's old face darkened, and with a "whoosh," the gleaming three-foot-long Qingfeng sword was drawn from its sheath. A flash of green light followed, and a green snake suddenly pounced towards Xiao Shiyu and the middle-aged man standing in the middle of the room.

Leng Jie was startled. With quick reflexes, she dropped Duanmu and, in a flash, swept past Xiao Shiyu back to Duanmu's side.

"Ah!" A scream rang out at the same time.

Then came the surprised gasps of the men in black.

"How are you? Where are you hurt?" Leng Jie hurriedly bent down to check Shi Yu's injuries and asked anxiously.

"It wasn't me who was hurt," Little Stone's voice was still cold, but his gaze towards Leng Jie was burning.

Leng Jie, disbelieving, scanned Xiao Shiyu from head to toe, finding him truly unharmed. Then who had that sword pierced? Could it be...?

Leng Jie suddenly looked up at the sect leader. He was being flanked by two men in black, his face deathly pale, his eyes bulging, staring at his respected Grand Protector with a look of unrepentant rage. He probably never imagined he would die at the hands of his own people. Blood gushed from a three-inch-wide sword wound in his chest, soaking his body and pooling on the ground. Meanwhile, the Grand Protector was casually wiping the blood from the middle-aged man's clothes with his golden-hilted, green-edged sword.

Good heavens, these Qingyi Cult members are truly ruthless! They actually killed the hostages themselves first.

The guardian spoke ominously to the trembling men in black:

"Our Green Robe Sect never keeps useless people. You all need to watch carefully. If any of you are kidnapped or threatened, you'd better take your own lives. Otherwise, Zong Xing will be your fate!"

The men in black answered in unison, trembling with fear, "Yes, sir!"

Leng Jie was speechless. Was this some kind of protest? If so, if she had known earlier that she had just used a sleeping potion to subdue them all, would he have helped her deal with them all?

The old man nodded in satisfaction, then turned to look at Leng Jie and the other two standing against the wall, and said with a forced smile:

"I was preoccupied with some academic matters and neglected His Highness the King and the two children. Please forgive me, Your Highness."

"What a pretentious act!" Leng Jie rolled her eyes again, inwardly despising this so-called Great Protector who was clearly a treacherous villain. However, it seemed there was little hope of escaping from someone like this! Perhaps they should also accept the Great Protector's teachings and end their own lives? Bah! How could they even have such a thought! What kind of person was Leng Jie? She would never give up until the very last moment. That was Leng Jie's guiding principle.

Just as Leng Jie was about to try and deal with the old man, Xiao Shiyu spoke up first:

"Protector Chen, you don't need to put on airs in front of me. I accept that I have fallen into the hands of your Green Robe Sect. Release my two friends, and I will go with you."

Leng Jie glared at Xiao Shiyu and pinched him hard on the back. Is this guy stupid? It's obvious they have the upper hand right now, why are you trying to negotiate? That's just a waste of breath.

Sure enough, the old man chuckled sinisterly twice and said mockingly:

"Haha, Your Highness, has your intelligence shrunk along with your size? What bargaining chips do you have in store for negotiating with me?"

Xiao Shiyu's face was grave as he sneered:

"Do you think my life is a bargaining chip? What your leader is desperately searching for is something only I know. I think the idea you just gave your men was quite good—better to die than submit, isn't it?"

The old man paused for a moment, his eyes flickering. He looked up at the heavily injured Duanmu and said:

"To thank you, my injured friend, for helping us find the prince's whereabouts, I can let him go first."

Duanmu was clearly stunned! Had he led the Green Robe Sect people here? He had only just recognized them!

Xiao Shiyu immediately glared at Duanmu with eyes that were practically spitting fire with anger, the blame and hatred in her eyes were crystal clear.

Only Leng Jie seemed completely oblivious to what the old man was saying, continuing to rack her brains for a way to escape.

The old man's sharp gaze swept over the three of them, finally settling on Leng Jie. He stared at Leng Jie, who remained calm and expressionless, for a moment before saying:

"As for this young man who was able to defeat the head of my Green Robe Sect's capital branch in one move, I'd like to have a friendly spar with him! If he can defeat me in three moves, then I won't make things difficult for him. Let him leave with that friend."

"Are you serious?" Leng Jie immediately asked. "Can you keep your word?"

How dare you question him? The old man narrowed his small eyes and said angrily, "My spit is as good as nails, why would I need to lie to a brat like you?"

Leng Jie immediately put on a smiling face and said, "I'm not questioning your personal credibility. Who in the martial arts world doesn't know that the renowned and famous Grand Protector of the Green Robe Sect is a truly upright and trustworthy hero!"

"Hmph, you're smart enough to know your place. I'll give you a quick death later." The old man sneered smugly.

Leng Jie winked at him and continued, "But I'm worried about the rules of your Green Robe Sect! You're just a protector; there should be some big shot like the sect leader above you! What if some sect leader comes along right after we finish fighting and treats you like you did to that sect leader? He might kill you with one sword. If I still can't leave then, wouldn't all our fighting have been for nothing?"

Before Leng Jie could finish speaking, the old man roared in fury:

"You little brat, you're asking for it!"

Then, the Green Edge Sword in his hand danced, unleashing countless green snake-like sword shadows, rushing straight towards Leng Jie with a "whoosh" of wind. Leng Jie, prepared, had been waiting for this rage. She pushed Shi Yu and Duanmu aside with her right hand, while the mechanism in her left ring activated. With a "swoosh," the Green Edge Sword swept past where Shi Yu and Duanmu had just been, piercing more than a foot deep into the wooden wall. If this sword had pierced a person's body, it would undoubtedly have pierced through the chest.

The old man, who was about to draw his sword again, suddenly realized that he couldn't move his hand. A fear he had never shown before appeared in his sinister triangular eyes. He stared blankly at Leng Jie, and shouted in a trembling voice:

"You, you cheated? What kind of sorcery did you use to freeze my hand?"

Taking advantage of his momentary shock, Leng Jie quickly pressed other major acupoints on his body.

The anesthetic on the silver needles was limited, only enough to paralyze one of his arms. For a martial arts master like him, losing an arm was nothing. If he had to wait until he recovered, he could have defeated Leng Jie with his other arm. Leng Jie had taken advantage of his momentary shock to completely subdue him; now, he couldn't even end his own life.

Leng Jie pulled his sword out of the wall again, held it to his wrinkled neck, and then answered with a grin:

"Haha, old man, you're mistaken. It's not sorcery, it's divine magic. This deity has come down to earth to punish you, you monsters who are neither human nor demon, neither ghost nor monster, and who have transcended the Three Realms, at the request of the people who have been bullied by your Green Robe Sect."

"Is he really a god?" The men in black exchanged bewildered glances. No wonder he was able to subdue two top experts so quickly.

Xiao Shiyu and Duanmu looked at Leng Jie with a mixture of curiosity and admiration. Just how deep was his skill at such a young age?

"Hmph, what kind of hero resorts to underhanded tricks? If you've got the guts, let me go and fight me fair and square."

The old man instantly concealed the fear in his eyes, then calmly changed Leng Jie's seemingly magical technique into a more underhanded one. This immediately sobered the black-clad men, who had initially believed in Leng Jie's supposed divine power. They realized he wasn't a deity at all, but had only managed to subdue their two experts in an instant using hidden weapons. Their confidence was instantly restored. At this moment, a minor leader wielding a blue sword with an iron hilt stepped forward and called out to the still somewhat trembling black-clad men behind him:

"He'll only use hidden weapons. Everyone, attack together and tear this kid to pieces!"

The old man immediately praised the young leader, "Good..." but before he could finish speaking, Leng Jie had already silenced him by striking his pressure point. Then she shouted:

"Who dares? I don't believe that if your Great Protector dies in front of you today, your leader will let you little whelps live?" At the same time, the hand holding the sword gently pulled and released, and the sword was already stained with blood.

The man in black, who was halfway through his attack, immediately stopped upon seeing this. Indeed, he was right. If the sect leader were dead, and the Grand Protector were to die as well, none of them who had come here today would be leaving alive.

"Get out of the way!" Leng Jie shouted again in a sharp voice.

The sharp voice made the man in black instinctively back up to make way for him.

Unable to speak, the Grand Protector desperately tried to signal to the men in black, urging them to ignore him and stop them from leaving. However, none of the men in black dared to step forward to stop him. After all, even the Grand Protector and the Sect Master couldn't withstand the hidden weapons; wouldn't they be rushing to their deaths?

This time, Leng Jie dared not hand the hostage over to Xiao Shiyu. Instead, she kept Shiyu by her side and then shouted at a man in black who was cowering and retreating:

“You, come here, carry him on your back and follow us.”

The man in black tried to dodge, but Leng Jie pushed her sword forward again, and another bright red mark appeared on the Great Protector's neck. Realizing that the Great Protector was dead, he knew he couldn't survive either. The trembling man in black, his legs shaking, cautiously walked over, picked up Duanmu who was sitting against the wall, and followed Leng Jie and the others downstairs.

From the third floor down to the first floor, and then onto the street, all they saw were men in black. Not a single person of any other color could be seen. It had only been a quarter of an hour since the men in black appeared, yet they had managed to clear the area so thoroughly. Leng Jie couldn't help but admire the Green Robe Sect's swift and efficient actions.

She scanned the men in blue robes lining both sides of the street, and Leng Jie began to consider where to take this Grand Protector of the Green Robe Sect. Returning to the fishing village was definitely out of the question; it would only endanger the innocent fishermen. Leaving the capital? Perhaps before they even left the city gates, the other leaders of the Green Robe Sect would arrive, wouldn't they? Then, these men in black would have someone in command, and the hostage would be rendered useless. This wouldn't work, that wouldn't work—how could she possibly leave safely?

Just as Leng Jie was undecided, a thin, bony man in black rushed over in a panic and knelt down before the chief protector in front of Leng Jie. He hurriedly reported:

"Reporting to the Great Protector, the Imperial Guards are closing in." He seemed oblivious to the fact that a sword was held to his Great Protector's neck. Receiving no reply, he continued, "The Imperial Guards number several thousand, while we currently have fewer than five hundred followers. Furthermore, the Sect Leader has ordered that we avoid direct conflict with the capital's officials for the time being. Great Protector, order a retreat immediately!"

Upon hearing this, a chorus of "whoosh!" erupted from the surrounding men in black, followed by a flurry of chatter.

"Several thousand Imperial Guards? You must be joking."

"That's right, this is the outer city. How could the Imperial Guards possibly leave the capital?"

Leng Jie was equally puzzled. Shouldn't this situation be handled by the government offices in the capital? Why were the Imperial Guards stationed at the palace mobilized? Did the Emperor also know that Prince Ying was here? She involuntarily turned her gaze to Xiao Shiyu, and met Shiyu's hopeful eyes.

The person kneeling on the ground finally realized something was wrong. He looked up sharply, and his jaw nearly dropped. Staring wide-eyed, he pointed at the Green Edge Sword around his Great Protector's neck and stammered:

"What, what, what's going on?"

At this moment, as if to confirm the accuracy of the skinny man's information, the deafening sound of horses' hooves and rhythmic footsteps came from all directions, quickly surrounding the entire Qunyinglou.

The men in black, who had been neatly arranged in their respective important positions, suddenly swarmed to the entrance of the Heroes' Pavilion like headless flies. Each one of them stared expectantly at Leng Jie's Grand Protector, demanding instructions! Their Grand Protector could only watch helplessly. The leaderless group of men in black from the Green Robe Sect was thrown into chaos. Those who had been guarding the rooftops, sensing the unrest, had already quietly slipped away.

Leng Jie also didn't want to meet with the Imperial Guards; who knew if Ying might be inside?

Seeing that the Imperial Guards had arrived, she was confident that Xiao Shiyu could handle everything that followed. Seeing that the time was right, she whispered to Xiao Shiyu, "Xiao Shiyu, I'm leaving the rest to you. I'll take Duanmu and go first." Without further ado, she handed the sword and the old man to Shiyu, then turned back and used acupressure on the black-clad man carrying Duanmu. Taking Duanmu from his back, she gathered her energy and leaped onto the roof.

She actually abandoned him at this moment and left with Duanmu? Shi Yu stared blankly at her departing figure. An unnamed rage suddenly rose in his heart, and his eyes flashed with a bloodthirsty light. The Qingfeng sword in his hand involuntarily slashed at the old man's neck, and instantly, a stream of hot blood gushed out, splattering all over him.

As Ying landed at the entrance of the Heroes' Pavilion, he witnessed this scene. The child's eyes were terrifying! He was momentarily stunned. Then he heard someone shout, "Prince Ying has killed the Grand Protector!"