Volume 1: This Heart's Desire Chapter 24: Massacre in All Directions!

  A thousand people point at him, yet he dies of no illness.

  Tai Shi Lan was pointed at by this group of people, and his anger suddenly ignited with a whoosh.

  She was cold and stern, never happy or angry, but at this moment, staring at that group of people, it was as if she saw the most despicable and shameless creatures in the world, wearing a human-like disguise, dressed in a dignified and elegant attire, speaking words that were sometimes true and sometimes false, wearing masks that changed at any time, dancing with their hands and feet, harming the world.

  One moment ago, they desperately denied that she was Yu Shilan and hastily drove her away; the next moment, they desperately overturned their previous determination, wanting to use her life in exchange for a family's peace and prosperity.

  In their eyes, were she and Cuì Shìlán people or disposable goods that could be sacrificed at will?

  "You were originally here." The eunuch narrowed his eyes and stared at Tai Shi Lan, who was personally annotated by the Empress Dowager, indicating that he should focus on guarding the person to be buried with the emperor. This eunuch had seen Tai Shi Lan once or twice in the palace before, and this time he came personally just to verify his identity.

  At this moment, he took a casual look and nodded in satisfaction, waving his hand.

  "The Empress Dowager decrees that all palace consorts who served the late Emperor in the underground palace, regardless of whether they have a title or not, shall be promoted two ranks. The fourth-rank Anzhou General Manager's daughter, Yi Baiyu, is appointed as Baolin, and Yi Baolin is summoned."

  A team of guards rushed up behind him, and Tai Shi Lan turned around and walked away. She remembered that there was still a back door in this hall.

  However, she had just taken two steps when her foot stopped suddenly.

  The back door of the hall was already lined up with a row of neighbors' guards at some unknown time, blocking the door.

  Bei Po behind her said in a sorrowful tone: "Daughter, defying the imperial edict is a grave crime punishable by confiscation of property and extermination of the family. You... admit it."

  Tai Shi Lan bit her lower lip, not saying a word - at this time, explaining and denying would be useless, the entire Yi family would unanimously accuse her of being Yi Shilan.

  "No!" Suddenly, Wei Shi Tao rushed in, shouting, "She's not..." Before he could finish, he was swiftly covered by Wei Lin's hand and dragged out. The sound of his muffled struggles could still be heard from afar.

  Madam Yu explained to the eunuch, "The child is a bit muddle-headed, please forgive him..."

  The guards in front of her blocked the way, and the royal guards behind her were approaching. Suddenly, one of them shouted, "Wei Baolin!" and reached out to grab her shoulder.

  Tai Shi Lan gritted his teeth, and with a flick of his sleeve, the needle fell into his palm. He snapped his fingers, and the golden tip of the "Soul Return" needle appeared between his fingers.

  "Resurrection" can make a dying person temporarily resurrect, so for a healthy person, is there also a special effect?

  Tai Shi Lan was uncertain, but now with the vanguard blocking ahead and pursuers behind, she had no choice but to take a risk.

  Someone behind her stretched out a hand to grab her, the strong wind was fierce, she lowered her head and suddenly rushed out, rushing towards the guard blocking the back door, before she arrived, the golden spear tip flashed!

  A faint "hiss" sound, a sharp stab into flesh, and a bright red blood bead burst forth.

  The person standing right in front of Tai Shi Lan suddenly stiffened.

  He was originally sneering at Tai Shi's self-inflicted trap, but unexpectedly the woman rushed over, raised her head, and a pair of eyes shone brightly like a wild leopard. He was taken aback, and suddenly felt a flash of golden light in front of him.

  A flash of golden light had just faded, when countless more bursts of golden light flashed before my eyes, like the heavens flying out with countless golden moths, or perhaps rising up with countless new suns...

  "Hahaha..." The man who was stabbed suddenly let out a strange laugh, his body lunging forward, pouncing on Taishi Lan.

  Tai Shi Lan bowed his head and yielded, but the man didn't know how to stop himself, and pounced on the guards who were chasing after Tai Shi Lan, immediately shouting loudly, "Caught him! Caught him!"

  His face flushed, his nostrils flared, and a faint white foam appeared at the corners of his mouth, as if he had contracted rabies, he was extremely excited, hugging that royal guard tightly, while the guard stood there, unable to decide whether to intervene or not, and the rest of the Yu family guards were already stunned.

  Tai Shi Lan took advantage of the momentary distraction and burst out in big strides!

  With a loud crash, one of the guards standing by the door was knocked down by her. He finally came to his senses and shouted loudly, "She's escaped! She ran towards the backyard!"

  "Slap." He was slapped in the face instantly, and Tai Bo's face turned iron-green. "Don't chase! She went into the backyard, can't escape!"

  A grey shadow flashed over, a pale and soft finger pointed, and the two people who were still entwined suddenly separated. The crazy Tie family guard fell to the ground, while the royal guard stood there in a daze.

  The dark shadow fell to the ground, and it was unexpectedly the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict.

  "How interesting... haha, how interesting." The eunuch smiled and nodded at the guards behind him, "Why don't you all go serve Yu Bao Lin?"

  Madam Mei quietly walked up to her husband's side and whispered: "We must catch her, otherwise..."

  "She can't escape..." Bai Bo's gaze fell on the guard on the ground, and a thread of horror suddenly welled up in his eyes.

  "Why?"

  "This is Mr. Xi, from the Western Bureau..." Bai's voice was as low as it could go.

  Mrs. Yu heard these two words and also felt a chill, hastily closing her mouth.

  A gentle breeze blows by, slightly cool.

  On the ground, the guardian was motionless, long since silent and dead.

  Tai Shi Lan didn't run out of the door, she rushed straight to the backyard.

  No one understands what she wants to do. Obviously, rushing towards the front door is the only way to survive, but there is no back door in the backyard, isn't it a dead end?

  The pursuers were relentless, treating the rear courtyard of the Wei family as if it were a desolate wilderness. They kicked in doors, pushed people aside, and chased wildly, causing the maids and servant women who had not had time to hide to shriek and wail in terror, creating a chaotic scene.

  The footsteps were always very close, the Huai family guards were generally good at martial arts, and the royal guards were not to be underestimated. Tai Shi Lan was familiar with the terrain, and several times he narrowly escaped capture by borrowing a certain corner, but the distance was getting closer and closer.

  "Adult." A royal guard narrowed his eyes and watched Tai Shi Lan's escape route, saying to the leader beside him, "This woman seems to be going around in circles, has she gone mad?"

  "Perhaps she has her own destination? Perhaps she is going to beg for the blessing of her Bodhisattva?" The leader of the guards sneered with a laugh.

  The Taishi Lan who was running ahead suddenly tilted her body, but didn't fall over. Instead, a bundle of something fell out of her bosom. She seemed to be completely unaware and ran far away in an instant.

  The leader of the imperial guards was about to chase after him when he lowered his head and saw that thing, and his footsteps came to a sudden halt.

  "Isn't this the black cloth used by Master Seikyō?" The voice was both surprised and delighted.

  Xī Jú, a name unfamiliar to most people in Southern Qi, represents the most terrifying and mysterious royal organization of Southern Qi. Led by eunuchs, they possess the power of "hearing rumors and reporting affairs, investigating all under heaven". They are the secret blood-sucking bats nurtured by the Empress Dowager, with their wings' shadows silently hanging over every person in the Southern Qi court.

  The Western Bureau's wealth is boundless; every weapon they use is a treasure.

  This leader of the guards was the only one among them who had some understanding of the Western Bureau, and at this moment, upon seeing the black rope, his eyes gleamed with an unusual light.

  He stopped, and the others naturally stopped as well. The leader of the guards came to his senses, hastily picked up the black rope and stuffed it into his bosom, "Continue the pursuit!"

  At this delay, Tai Shi had already run to the wall behind the small kitchen in the backyard, where there was a bamboo basket specifically for holding broken ceramic bowls and other items from everyday life. At this time, the basket was already half full of broken ceramics.

  Tai Shi Lan ran past, kicking over a basket and shattering porcelain all over the ground.

  "Haha, what is she doing? Trying to get us stabbed in the foot? Ahh!" The guard running ahead let out a fake pained cry, his face twisted in an incredulous grin.

  The rest of them burst out laughing and stepped onto the broken porcelain road with abandon.

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly turned around.

  As she turned around, her empty hands somehow had an additional porcelain bottle!

  With a flick of his hand, a green light shot out.

  "Alright!"

  "Bang." A blood flower burst forth from his forehead, and the guard fell backwards with a thud.

  Fell on the broken porcelain pieces, a mournful cry, just been smashed and dazed again by pain, the whole body was pierced by the porcelain pieces into a bloody hedgehog.

  As he fell, he also collided with the others, and everyone dodged in a hurry, almost getting cut by the broken porcelain.

  "Save me! Save me!" The injured person was bleeding profusely and feared they would die, grabbing onto the person beside them.

  "Rubbish!" The leader of the guards cursed, leaving only two people to bandage his wound, and led the remaining men to continue the chase.

  With this delay, Tai Shi Lan had already run far away. She rushed towards the small martial arts training ground that was separated from the backyard by only one wall.

  The guards did not know it was a martial arts arena and only saw that there was a wall, Taishi Yan had already jumped over the wall.

  "Pursue!" Having encountered strange events one after another, the leader of the guards did not dare to be careless again. With a wave of his hand, the remaining seven guards formed a triangular formation and crossed over the wall.

  Then they saw Taishi Ran.

  She was no longer running, standing in the middle of the empty martial arts arena. She had been running for so long that she was visibly exhausted, panting slightly, with a faint flush on her face.

  She stood behind the sole weapon in the martial arts arena, her face expressionless.

  Originally, there were people guarding here, but now they have all been urgently dispatched to chase her. Who would have thought that Ta Shi Lan did not run outward, but instead took a detour and ventured into danger, just to rush to this place.

  With a faint rustling sound, seven guards fell to the ground. In an instant, they saw a woman standing upright behind a massive black bed curtain.

  Tonight, there is no moon, the starlight is dim, and only two things are shining - the bed's dark blue iron frame with a cold, forest-like glow, and Tai Shi Lan's black, narrow eyes with a fierce, icy light.

  She stood behind the crossbow, her hand on the stock of the crossbow, and there was a groove at the back of the stock. Pulling it to the bottom would allow the crossbow to be fired.

  "Divine Crossbow!" someone exclaimed.

  Everyone's face changed color.

  These people have all heard of this crossbow, listed as the first important weapon in Southern Qi. It was once opposed by a group of imperial censors from the Ducha Yuan with the name "injuring heaven's harmony" due to its excessive killing power, and ultimately did not spread because its strength was too great and arrows could not withstand it.

  This is a divine bow, and it's also a killing god. It's said that one arrow can pierce at least seven people!

  The fearsome killing device stunned everyone for a moment, and no one dared to move. However, when the leader of the guards took a closer look at the crossbow's body, he suddenly threw his head back and laughed maniacally.

  "Where did this divine crossbow come from?" he said, "It turns out you were just bluffing!" He burst out laughing, pointing at the crossbow. "Damn it, trying to deceive me with a broken arrow! I thought that after using the divine crossbow, how could there still be an intact arrow?!"

  It was then that everyone realized that on the bed crossbow, all the strings were actually broken arrows!

  It's clear that this prototype of the divine crossbow still didn't succeed, with arrows broken all over the ground due to the powerful force, and the new arrows prepared for testing are locked up.

  The loud laughter shook the small schoolyard, and everyone laughed very relaxedly.

  Tai Shi remained silent, his palm slowly stroking the broken arrow loaded into the crossbow's groove.

  The leader of the guards was laughing loudly, but suddenly his eyes seemed to catch something wrong, he turned around abruptly and saw an arrow in the groove, his face changed greatly.

  "You——" He trembled as he pointed at Tai Shi Lan, "You......monster......"

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly pulled the trigger!

  It's tough! It's heavy! Unshakeable! Pulling it feels like pulling a train by oneself!

  Go all out and get through half of it!

  Tai Shi suddenly realized that he had underestimated the power required to fire this crossbow, which far exceeded all heavy bows. He had never even drawn a bow before, and this was a reckless gamble with his life!

  The arrow is on the string, and it will be shot even if it costs one's life!

  She gritted her teeth and sprang into action! She grasped the trigger, pulling her entire body backward with all her might, unleashing a fierce burst of energy!

  Teeth broke thin lips, fresh blood spurted out.

  "Crack!"

  Overexertion caused the hard iron pliers to press against the elbow tip, and the left forearm, which had been broken since childhood, couldn't withstand it and broke again!

  A fractured elbow, blood gushing out, dyeing the bow red.

  The killer is silent, the bed crossbow shines more and more gloomy.

  Tai Shi Lan took a deep breath, quickly pulled out the pouch from her waist and stuffed it into her mouth, biting down tightly. The intense pain caused her to bite too hard, and the pouch was torn apart. A cool, bitter taste seeped into her mouth, and in her dizzying agony, she suddenly remembered that it might be the medicine from the bottle given by Rong Chu that had spilled out.

  I don't know what medicine it was, but it relieved pain and refreshed her mind. She took the opportunity to catch her breath, leaned back with all her might, and pressed down with full force!

  Silence, and suddenly all around fallen leaves rustle.

  Heaven and earth, all people, seem to be shocked into silence by a woman's fearlessness and bravery.

  His arm extended slightly outward, his bones crackling ominously, and then there was a faint "crack" sound.

  Pull the trigger!

  "Whoosh!"