Chapter 69: You hurt me and invaded me, this feud must be avenged!

  Many people present knew the truth about the flood, and because so many ordinary people knew the truth, there were recently criticisms and attacks unfavorable to the government filling the streets, which led to this public display of punishment. The government was just trying to kill a chicken to scare the monkeys.

  Truth and justice have been beheaded by the blade of tyranny.

  Jin Zheng saw Tai Shi's appearance, like a rooster with all its feathers standing up instantly, holding a whip and jumping back suddenly, then waiting to retreat into the group of yamen runners maintaining order behind him.

  He didn't believe she dared to lay hands on him in front of the government office, under the watchful eyes of everyone, but the silent face of the woman in front of him kept flashing back to the stormy night when he captured Huo Yuhao, that same silent and dripping wet face.

  Silent, yet with an aura of thunder and lightning.

  Even if he knew she had no martial arts skills, even with countless bodyguards behind him, he still couldn't help but feel intimidated.

  "Tai Shi girl, I've found the saw for you." A shout, the village chief panted and squeezed into the crowd, handing over a saw.

  Tai Shi Lan took it over, nodded in thanks, grabbed the saw and walked towards the cage.

  Kim Jong looked at Tai Shi's appearance and saw that he was about to cut open the cage.

  He hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to stop or let go. If he stopped, he would be guilty in his heart and didn't dare get close; if he let go, it seemed impossible to justify.

  Tai Shi Lan ignored his hesitation and quickly walked to Su Ya's cage, starting to saw the wooden bars.

  The village chief looked at Tai Shi Lan with a puzzled expression, he didn't understand why the other side insisted on borrowing a saw, this thing was too thin and fragile compared to the thick fence, a big knife would cut it off with one slash, it's not as useful as borrowing a hammer.

  The saw's cutting of wood made a harsh, hollow sound. The countless people in front had their mouths slightly open and their expressions were also empty. The sunlight floated up palely, with a faint black wood chip suspended in it.

  Su Yu struggled to lift his head, staring at Tai Shi Lan, his lips moved slightly, and a hint of mist appeared in the bottom of his eyes.

  It doesn't seem like she's feeling wronged, but rather that she's genuinely delighted to have found out she's still alive.

  Tai Shi Lan pursed her lips and didn't look at her, instead slowly sawing wood.

  "Creak......groan......creak......groan......"

  Everyone is subconsciously watching her saw wood, everyone's heart seems to be following this slow and steady sawing sound, a twinge, a tightening, another twinge, another tightening, the heartstrings are in disarray, the army is pressing forward, the mountain rain is coming, its wind fills the building.

  Suddenly felt terrified.

  Fear of the unknown.

  "Halt!" Jin Zheng suddenly jumped up, and at some point, his forehead was sweating profusely, shining brightly in the sunlight. "Halt! This is a government office, a serious crime scene, you dare to openly destroy the prisoner's cage, this is jailbreak, jailbreak!"

  In the midst of the ear-piercing screams, Tai Shi Lan continued to saw away, without even lifting his head, saying: "You only know now?"

  Jin Zheng was choked with a white eye, and violently waved his hand behind him, "Take her down!"

  As soon as he finished speaking, Tai Shi Lan raised his hand and threw the saw over.

  Jin Zheng swiftly yielded, and a tall and majestic official behind him, seemingly with some martial arts skills, immediately rushed forward, elegantly dancing a knife flower, throwing the knife out of his hand, and with a "pa" sound, struck the saw in mid-air, breaking it in two.

  Saw blade shoots out, Taishi Lang suddenly gets up, grabs the saw blade and smashes it again!

  He sneered coldly and sprang up, his knife flashing as he smashed the saw blade to pieces in mid-air. He landed on one knee, gathering the fragments into a pile with a sweep of his arm, then trampled them underfoot. Looking up, he drew a circle around himself with his finger.

  The mixed-bloods applauded sparsely for a while.

  This man was originally a street performer, with some clever skills in his hands. After showing off subconsciously, he heard the applause and fell into his old habit of being a street performer, thinking it was still the old days when he would perform for just a string of cash and a half-block drum, so he took steps towards the crowd to ask for money.

  As soon as he walked away, a gap appeared beside Jin Zheng. Before Jin Zheng could react, Tai Shi Lan had already rushed over.

  She charged forward with her bare hands, her dark green clothes fluttering behind her like a torn iron plate cutting through the wind.

  Jin Zheng sneered and raised his head, saying: "Looking for death!" The long whip lashed out, swishing down on Tai Shi Lan's waist, the whip having a rotating force that sent her body stumbling, and she fell onto the pile of sawdust fragments. Tai Shi Lan's palms and knees were instantly covered in blood.

  "How dare you show off your tricks in front of me!" Jin Zheng sneered, lifting his boot and stepping on Tai Shi Lan's back. With a forceful push, he pressed her down again just as she was about to get up.

  "Tai Shi girl! Tai Shi girl!" Jin Zheng laughed wildly, riding his horse and trampling on the threshold of the Tai Shi house. He imitated the excited tone of the common people from earlier, speaking in a strange and awkward tone, "This cheap woman has arrived, what are you shouting about? This cheap woman rushed into the government office, attempting to rescue someone from prison, do you still want to help her?"

  The people fell silent, staring at the triumphant Jin Zheng, then looking again at the humiliated Ta Shi Lan. Her long hair hung down, covering her face, and on the muddy ground beneath her palm, a bloodstain was spreading.

  The eyes of the common people were also dyed red by that bloody color.

  In the cage, Huo Hu glared with wide eyes, looking up at the sky and laughing coldly. Su Ya's whole body trembled, while Chen Mu cried softly, her sobs filled with despair.

  "Jin Zheng!" someone suddenly shouted in the crowd, "Are you still human or not? Do you think we really don't know who is the real hero who saved the Yi River from disaster? On the day of the dam burst, you were on the dike, what did you do? Everyone saw it! Be sensible and roll back to where you came from with your tail between your legs! Don't make our respected ancestors feel disgusted!"

  "Get out! Get out!" At first, it was just a few scattered voices, but soon the shouts grew louder and more intense. Initially, they were just squeezed in the second row shouting, but gradually some people lost their composure, squeezed out of the crowd, and waved their fists at Jin Zheng.

  "It's this girl... it's this girl..." An old woman stumbled in, pointing at Su Ya and shouting, "It was her who came to inform our village people to escape, my old lady had a relapse of illness, no one by her side, too lazy to move, she carried me out of the house, I didn't believe it then, even kicked her... Girl..." She hobbled over to the cage, reaching out to touch Su Ya's blood-stained cheek, "Those heartless people... how could they do this, how could they do this? Heaven, why not open your eyes!"

  An old hand, across the railing, strokes the congealed scab.

  Fingers and bloodstains, all in a dull, rusty color, rough and oppressive.

  Su Ya, who had been biting her teeth and remaining silent, suddenly stiffened and burst into loud sobs.

  Tears streamed down the old man's dark, cracked fingers, his hoarse cries bringing a momentary silence to the surroundings before erupting into even more ferocious shouts.

  There were hurried footsteps inside the yamen, as if someone was about to rush out.

  Jin Zheng was close to the gate, so he naturally heard it. His face changed color, and he couldn't bear to humiliate Tai Shi Lan anymore. He turned around to face the crowd, lifted his foot, and shouted: "Shut up!"

  At the moment he lifted his foot and let go of Tai Shi Lan, turning around.

  Tai Shi Lan suddenly raised her head.

  He stretched out his hand.

  A saw blade shines brightly in the palm of one's hand.

  Tai Shi Lan's hand moved upwards with a thrust.

  The saw blade went straight up and stabbed into Kim Jong's crotch before he could even react!

  That piercing sound was like a ripe melon bursting in the scorching sun, first making a slight splashing sound, then suddenly exploding with a loud "pa" and bursting into bright crimson!

  "Ah!"

  Jin Zheng turned around and the saw blade entered his body almost at the same moment, the saw blade entering his body and the miserable cry were also at the same moment, in a time that was not even enough for one breath, fresh blood had already sprayed into a river.

  Tai Shi Lan's movements were like flowing water, or perhaps they had been rehearsed countless times, blinking his eyes, reaping lives.

  The screams were shrill and the pitch trembled with unbearable agony, like a saw blade cutting through this moment of furious yelling.

  Suddenly, an eerie silence appeared on all sides.

  People maintained a fist-clenching posture, a crowded posture, and a forward-rushing posture, staring blankly at the scene, with anger on their faces that had not yet subsided, replaced by shocked bewilderment.

  In the suffocating silence, Taishi Lan, who was half-kneeling, finally lifted his head, expressionless, and kicked the saw blade that was exposed outside Jin Zhengti's body with a fierce kick.

  Jin Zheng fell to the ground with a loud thud, blood and dust splattering everywhere. In an instant, his anguished cries became hoarse and inhuman. Under intense pain, people often involuntarily curl up their bodies. As he curled up, the saw blade inside him ripped through flesh and blood, triggering another bout of frenzied howling.

  In the midst of the roar, Tai Shi Lan slowly stood up straight.

  In an instant, the wind passed through, a strand of black hair rose to block her eyes, and suddenly many years ago, a three-year-old girl under the Tianqiao Bridge flashed before her eyes, the glass lamp tube that had passed through her palm pierced into Hou's heart.

  Many years later, she killed the second person in her life that she had to kill, almost in the same way.

  No arms, but she has wisdom and a pair of hands that can restore all weapons.

  Three years old can, nineteen years old, also can.

  "Since brute force doesn't listen to reason," she said, "then use arms."

  She stepped over Jin Zheng's blood pool without looking at him and pointed to the three cages, "Those with a conscience, come out and help me smash them!"

  Almost instantly, a group of people jumped out, carrying stones and clubs, and pounced on the cage, making a loud clanging sound as they smashed the locks.

  That group of 50-cent party who were paid to watch and cheer had quietly left.

  There were many people, and everyone was excited and selling their strength. Almost instantly, the three cages collapsed, and the crowd had just helped the three prisoners out in a chaotic manner when someone at the gate suddenly shouted loudly, "Rebelled! You!"

  Everyone was stunned, and when they looked up, they saw Zhang Qiurong, the prefect of Beiyuan Prefecture, hurrying out, followed by a large group of magnificent officials from the prefecture government, as well as a group of well-equipped lower-ranking soldiers. Those fierce warriors marched out in formation, their footsteps stern and powerful, causing the stone pavement to echo with loud noises.

  Zhang Qiu saw Jin Zheng twitching in the pool of blood, his face changed suddenly, he raised his hand and pointed at Tai Shi Lan who was walking towards him with big strides.

  Before he could even say "take down", Tai Shi Lan suddenly raised his hand and slapped his away.

  "Don't point your dirty fingers at me," she said coldly. "You're not qualified."

  Zhang Qiu's face turned red and then purple, with bulging veins on his forehead, and he shouted: "How dare you——"

  "Even if you are arrogant, but you ignore the people's livelihood, bully your subordinates, harbor private intentions, disregard your duties, and put aside the disaster situation I reported, almost causing the people of Beiyuan to fall into the flood!"

  "How bold!"

  "How bold you are! But your audacity is nothing compared to how you shirk responsibility, take credit for others' work, deceive those above and below, turn black into white, allow the incompetent to remain in office, and put those who have made achievements on trial!"

  "Who's derelict of duty! Who deserves credit!" Zhang Qiu shouted loudly, his face twisted in anger. "Do you think you have the final say?"

  "It's the one with eyes who gets to decide!" Tai Shi Lan pointed behind him at the crowded common people, "More than 6,000 villagers from the eight villages of San Shui Ming An get to decide! When the Yi River Dam burst, where were Su Ya and I? Where were you? Where was Jin Zheng? Before the Yi River Dam burst, what did Su Ya and I do? What did you do? What did Jin Zheng do?"

  "This official doesn't need to argue with you here!" Zhang Qiu glanced around at the crowd, and although they didn't say anything, the anger and disdain in their eyes was crystal clear. He felt an instant surge of pressure, as if there was an insurmountable barrier in front of him. He took a step back, swallowed his saliva, and said, "Before the disaster, this official personally rushed to the Yi River Dam! After the disaster, this official promptly reported to the imperial court, led all the officials day and night without rest to rescue the disaster, cleared the river channel, reinforced the remaining dams, settled the affected people, and handled all matters thoroughly. This was praised by the imperial court and rewarded by King Kang! You dare to speak nonsense here, slandering this official for dereliction of duty? You are slandering all the officials in Beijian who have been loyal and diligent, and even looking down on His Highness the King and the imperial court!"

  "Then it's contemptuous." Tai Shi's thin lips formed a line, with a hint of disdain, "A fool who was deceived by another fool."

  ……

  "Too audacious!" Zhang Qiu encountered such a brazen and unscrupulous good-for-nothing, got so angry that his eyes blurred, had to change the subject again, "How dare you say we're derelict in our duties? As the deputy of the historian, when the Yi River dam burst and the whole city was busy with disaster relief, all the officials were doing their utmost, where were you?"

  Tai Shi gave him a faint glance and kicked Jin Zheng's toe, "Ask him."

  "No one in this mansion needs to ask." Zhang Qiuluo smiled, "This mansion has tolerated you for too long. Today, you are looking for your own death. Although you are arrogant and rude, this mansion will still follow the rules. You might as well bind yourself."

  "Fire Tiger!" Tai Shi Lan Li didn't even bother with him and took a step back. "Can you make him shut up?"

  The fire tiger, whose lock had been smashed, relaxed its muscles and bones, smiled with gleaming white teeth, "Got it!"

  "Tai Shi Lan, how dare you secretly release a recidivist and order him to kill!"

  "Wrong." Tai Shi Lan rolled up her sleeves, "This is called Ming Fang, inciting."

  Huǒ Hǔ hāhā yī xiào, yī bǎ tuī kāi liǎng gè chān fú tā de bǎixìng, cuān le guòlái.

  Translation:

  Fire Tiger burst out laughing and with a push, he opened up the two citizens who were supporting him and rushed over.

  "Protect the master! Protect the master!" A group of officials panicked and stumbled, protecting Zhang Qiu as they retreated, while the guards from the lower court rushed over, blocking the gate tightly and waiting in formation.

  Huǒ Hǔ sprang up, swept past Tàishǐ Lán's side, and Tàishǐ Lán turned his head, grabbed his sleeve, and hastily said: "Take us a few people away!"

  Huǒ Hǔ was taken aback for a moment, but being the agile and adaptable person he was, he immediately understood Tai Shi Lan's intention. He smiled slightly and said "Alright!" As he continued to pretend to charge forward, he reached out and grabbed Tai Shi Lan, then quickly retreated backwards.

  The figure in front of him suddenly retreated backwards, stirring up a whirlwind with his speed. Huo Hu rushed to Su Ya and Chen Mu's side, grabbing Chen Mu and putting him on his shoulder, while dragging Su Ya along, shouting: "Go!"

  His movements were too quick, the soldiers at the gate of the prefecture were densely arrayed, all guarding against this notorious thief stabbing the prefect, but he and Tai Shi Lan advanced as if retreating, and in the blink of an eye they emerged from the crowd.

  The crowd parted to let them through, and then closed in again, swallowing the four men whole.

  The guards looked at each other in dismay, completely unable to keep up, and didn't know whether to chase or continue protecting the masters. Zhang Qiu poked his head out from among the guards and turned pale with rage, shouting: "Chase, chase!"

  The soldiers rushed into the crowd, but in front of them were only the old, weak, women and children. Someone cried out "Oh no! I'm so scared!" while another shouted "Hey, don't trample my child!" An elderly woman leaned on someone's body, panting heavily, grabbing onto a soldier's sleeve "Sir, please don't ruin my fruit for sale." Meanwhile, an old man stumbled and staggered along, carrying his load and blocking the way... The chickens flew about, dogs barked, and the crowd was in an uproar. The soldiers were drenched in sweat as they searched through the throng, but where could they find even a few people?

  "Rebel! Rebel!" Zhang Qiu's pale face, which had not been in its normal color all day, yelled loudly at the top of his lungs, "You can run for a while but you can't run forever! Go to her residence and search it! Clerk! Issue a wanted notice throughout the city immediately, offering a reward for capture! Report to the Western Ling Province immediately and request the Governor's order to deal with this!"

  "Yes!"

  "No way, I'll go myself!" Zhang Qiu's heart was racing with anxiety, feeling uneasy and frustrated. He wasn't afraid of Ta Shi Lan causing trouble at the prefecture gate, the more she caused trouble, the more mistakes she made, the more evidence he could gather to put her in a precarious position. But what he feared was that Ta Shi Lan would run away, directly leave Beisen, unite with her classmates, report to Xiling Province, or even report to the capital, and let his political enemies get a hold of him.

  "Shut the city gates! No one is allowed in or out. Gather all the troops in the city and capture these four men at all costs!"

  "Yes!"

  Zhang Qi hastily got into the sedan chair, when suddenly a man came galloping on horseback, covered in dust and sweat from head to toe, looking extremely disheveled. This person had already dismounted his horse from afar and rushed to the side of the sedan chair.

  Zhang Qiu recognized that this was Wu Tui Guan, who had been sent out of the city a few days ago to deliver gifts to Sheng Fu Jiang, the deputy general of the Upper Barracks hundreds of miles away, and also wanted to bring back a few elite soldiers to serve as his personal bodyguards - Zhang Qiu had been having restless nights and was anxious, urgently needing to find some top-notch bodyguards.

  He looked around behind Magistrate Wu's back, saw no one, and couldn't help but frown, lifting the curtain to scold, "Old Wu, what kind of behavior is this!"

  "Sir." Wu Pushan's face was half smiling and half crying, contorting into an extremely ugly expression. "Your... humble servant... has returned to report..."

  "What are you mumbling about!" Zhang Qiuye glared at the guy, who looked more and more displeasing to her. With so many people around, it wasn't a good time to say anything, so she just gave him a stern look and said, "We'll talk later! First, follow me to catch Taishi Lan!"

  "Is Taishi Luan still alive?!" Magistrate Wu seemed to have been startled, but immediately resumed his bitter melon face, grasping the sedan handle with one hand, "Your Honor, I...I..."

  "What's wrong with you?" Zhang Qiu frowned at him, and Wu Pushan was stared at by him, his face suddenly turned pale, stuttered a few times but still couldn't say anything. Zhang Qiu had already lost patience, heavily dropping the curtain of the sedan chair, "Follow me to the back, I'll talk to you tonight!"

  The sedan chair was hastily lifted, the soldiers were lined up and ready to depart, and the onlookers had already dispersed in the chaos. In the distance, someone was still singing, "Black-hearted Zhang Dalang, stealing credit and killing people..." Wu Pushan heard Zhang Qiu humming a tune inside the sedan chair and stomped his foot heavily on the footboard.

  He got down and saw the crowd dispersing in all directions, Zhang Qiu's green sedan chair was surrounded by government soldiers in the middle, floating and sinking among the heads of people like a small green boat, heading into the wind and waves.

  A bigger storm is coming...

  Wu Pushan stood stiffly, his whole body wooden, until all the prefectural soldiers had quickly run past him. He mounted his horse, but instead of chasing after them, he raised his whip and galloped off in the opposite direction.

  He went in the opposite direction of the crowd, quickly disappearing into the alleys.

  Zhang Qiu's sedan had just walked out of a street and was about to reach the inner city gate when it was suddenly blocked by the crowd.

  Beiyuan has two cities, inner and outer. The outer city was formed after the population expanded, extending outward from the original city walls. Beiyuan's economic and political centers are all in the inner city, and the main camp of the Xiaofu Army is also located there. At this moment, the crowd in front seems to be in a state of chaos, shouting something in a jumbled mess, mixed with strange accents.

  Zhang Qiu resentfully lifted the curtain of her sedan chair, thinking to herself that since the appearance of Tai Shi Lan, nothing had gone smoothly. She instructed the attendant beside her: "Go and see what's going on."

  Before he could finish his sentence, a loud explosion suddenly came from the direction of the outer city gate, and immediately the crowd erupted in a deafening roar, with people pushing and shoving each other even more chaotically. Faintly, someone was heard shouting, "The Western barbarians are coming! The city is breached! Run for your lives!"

  Everyone was shocked, and Zhang Qiu was stunned for a moment before he couldn't help but laugh. "How is that possible! Xi Fan is currently facing off against the Tian Ji army in the Nan Lan mountain area, over 300 miles away from us, with the Upper Prefecture's large military camp separating them. Even if heavenly soldiers descended upon us, it would be impossible for them to descend upon Bei Yan!"

  Several horse-riding attendants beside him also laughed and said, "Sometimes Western merchants come to the city for trade, I'm afraid they've stirred up some trouble again, and the people are making a fuss."

  "Hmm." Zhang Qi ordered the commander of the imperial guards beside him, "Take some men and go take a look. Disperse all the people."

  A team of soldiers rushed over, just squeezed into the crowd, and was immediately washed back by a big wave of people. The civilians surged forward in disorder, rushing wildly towards the inner city. In a farther place, someone laughed loudly with a coarse voice. A bright flash of light pierced through the crowd and shot onto Zhang Qiu's face. He raised his sleeve to cover his face, and immediately changed color.

  That curved arc, flashing from the tip of a green-colored curved knife, is the "Moon Knife" unique to Western General Officers!

  Zhang Qiu was so startled that he stood up from the sedan chair, and his head hit the top of the sedan without feeling any pain. He hastily stretched out his head, but before he could speak, an arrow flew in with a "whoosh" sound and stuck into the railing of his sedan. Immediately after, the sound of galloping horses rose, and a large crowd surged back and forth like a tidal wave, not knowing which direction to flee. The sounds of pushing, shoving, crying, and shouting filled his ears.

  Zhang Qiu's face had lost all its color.

  In the most unlikely of circumstances.

  The city has fallen!

  When the city was broken, Tai Shi Lan was not far from Zhang Qiu.

  Although the villagers sheltered them, Huo Hu and the other two had suffered greatly after being released from their cages. With a burst of energy, Huo Hu led the three in an escape, but soon became exhausted and slowed down after taking only a few steps.

  Tai Shi felt that this would eventually be caught up, and she had to think of a way to inform Zhao Thirteen and Jing Tai Lan who were left in the house. She quickly slipped into an alley, preparing to find a subordinate of the Golden Knife Society to pass on a message to Zhao Thirteen.

  As a result, in those alleys where the Golden Knife gang's minions often lurked, she didn't find anyone who could send word.

  Then she heard the loud noise, and when she rushed out of the alley, she saw that the crowd on the distant long street was swept away like by the wind, overflowing the street surface, and then bursting open like fireworks, bursting into a chaotic scene.

  She also heard the cries of the city being broken, and unlike Zhang Qiu, she didn't think it was absurd. Instead, she immediately thought of what Rong Chu had told her about the recent strange movements of the Western Barbarians when they parted ways.

  "Huo Hu." Tai Shi Lan took an arrow step out of the alley, picked up Su Ya, and gestured to Huo Hu on Chen Mu's back, "Hold on tight, we must leave the city immediately!"

  "What's going on!" Huo Hu's eyes were keen, gazing intently at the source of the commotion, and his sharp eyes spotted a curved knife that was different from those of their own country. "That's a Western barbarian's knife!"

  "Go!" Tai Shi Lan dragged him away, she had to go back and find Jing Tai Lan immediately.

  However, she couldn't move either. Behind the crowd of people, a group of sturdy men appeared, all wearing indigo blue coarse cloth clothes, with various indigo blue flower patterns tattooed on their cheeks, which were the totems of the various tribes of Xifan. They wielded miscellaneous weapons and drove the panicked civilians like they were driving sheep on the grassland.

  A large crowd of people, as if from the west city direction, has been running for a while, most of them with disheveled clothes and skewed shoes and socks, being driven to stumble forward in a daze, blocking all roads that Taishi Lan and others wanted to take.

  Tai Shi Lan and others were washed away by the crowd, step by step. Panic emotions are very easy to spread, and the nearby villagers quickly understood what had happened. Shrieks and wails suddenly rose to the sky, turning into another swarm of fleeing people like headless flies.

  Ta Shi Lan furrowed her brow, feeling that the batch of Western barbarians was not many, and it didn't seem like a large army breaking into the city. However, due to the sudden descent of enemy troops, the huge panic among the civilians had made it impossible for people to calm down and check how the city was broken. What was the current situation? Ta Shi Lan had only just traveled through time and hadn't experienced ancient wars before. Perhaps, in the past, a few hundred men could break into a city and determine the fate of the world?

  She was forced back, suddenly bumped into someone's back, turned around, saw a crowd of people behind her, and surged forward again.

  The crowd was all going to the inner city, because everyone knew that although there were no intact eggs under the destroyed nest, the inner city still had a city wall that could resist external enemies. Inside, there were government offices and military camps with the most elite troops in the city, and everyone felt that only there could they get the best protection.

  However, at this moment, the crowd behind Tai Shi Lan was actually fleeing from the inner city towards the outside.

  These fleeing people in the opposite direction were accompanied by deafening cries.

  "What's going on!" Tai Shi Lan grabbed the young man who had bumped into her back and shouted, "Why did you rush out again!"

  "The prefect forbids entry into the inner city!" The young man wailed loudly, "The prefect has ordered all the lower officials and soldiers to enter the inner city, close the city gates, and no one is allowed to open them!"

  "Shameless!" Fire Tiger cursed loudly, "Zhang Qiufu is the master of this prefecture, and at a time like this, he doesn't come out to protect his people! Closing the inner city - this is sending the people to their deaths!"

  "Has the inner city gate been closed?" Tai Shi Lan turned his head back to look.

  "I don't know." The young man sobbed, "We were driven out by the imperial guards... Zhang Fu Yin was just nearby a moment ago, and now he's rushing to the inner city. All the imperial guards are with him, anyone who gets close will be stabbed with spears... My sister... my sister..."

  Huǒ Hǔ's face turned iron-green, Sū Yà lowered his head, Chén Mù's whole body trembled, staring at Tài Shǐ Lán in horror, and then looked at Sū Yà.

  Taishi Lan looked at these few people, then looked at the crowd, they were already sandwiched in the center by the crowds on both sides, ahead of them were the Western enemy, behind them was the closed inner city, a truly desperate situation with no escape.

  No place to escape, then don't escape.

  She suddenly turned around and walked away, heading towards the inner city.

  Huotiger was stunned, looking at her back as she went against the tide of people. He suddenly burst out laughing and supported Su Ya and Chen Mu with one hand each, saying: "This woman is going to do something scary again, let's follow her!"

  Suddenly, a man rushed over, took Su Ya from him with one hand, and snatched Chen Mu, handing her to someone beside him for support. Huo Hu was stunned, turned his head, and saw a strange black-faced man. On the black-faced man's shoulder sat a child, Yu Xue, who was cute and chubby, excitedly patting his head, her two short legs kicking wildly as she shouted: "Mom! Mom! Mom is up ahead! Zhao Thirteen, hurry, let's go!"

  Huǒ Hǔ was taken aback for a moment, the man in front of him had a robust build, but no matter how he looked at it, it didn't match the child on his head, this appearance was really strange.

  That man was naturally Zhao Thirteen, who looked at Huo Hu's gaze with a strange and eerie eye, half annoyed and half silly, pulled the corner of his mouth, raised his hand to hold Jing Tai Lan's leg, and muttered: "Little ancestor, little ancestor, don't call out! Can you leave me some face?"

  "You are..." Huo Hu felt no hostility from his opponent and relaxed a bit.

  "Zhao Thirteen!" Zhao Thirteen replied gruffly, "You're Huo Hu, right? Take care of yourself. Su Niang and Chen Gongzi are in our hands now."

  "Mother!" Jing Tai Blue chased Zhao Shi San all the way, catching up to Tai Shi Lan. Tai Shi Lan heard that familiar cry and couldn't help but be startled.

  Zhao Thirteen surprisingly didn't send the Jing Tai blue to a safe place first, but instead turned back to look for her?

  Tai Shi Lan is aware of Zhao Thirteen's views, a standard feudal society loyal dog, loyal to the master, and also believes that power cannot be violated. With his consistent attitude, he must first protect Jing Tai Blue when something happens, how can he turn back?

  She turned around, saw that the Jing Tai blue was safe and sound, and then stared at Zhao Thirteen. Zhao Thirteen looked up at the sky, down at the ground, at the flowers, and at the trees, but not at her. Unable to withstand her gaze, he finally lowered his head and muttered: "Master wants me to follow you in any situation."

  He looked coldly, without looking at Tai Shi Lan, and the words that Rong Chulin said when they parted floated through his mind.

  "Jingtai blue is gone and there are successors, some people are waiting to take his seat; but Taishi Lane has only one, and no one can be missing. Understand?"

  This is truly unfilial and unrighteous... Zhao Thirteen thought.

  Of course, he would never tell Tai Shi Lan this sentence.

  With Zhao Thirteen and his team of twenty guards, Tai Shi Lan's retreat speeded up a lot. Rong Chu's guards were all the best in the world, well-trained, and soon they escorted several people through the crowd like arrows piercing through black tide. The panicked and disorderly civilians on all sides gradually felt this special force, many people stopped and looked over, watching Tai Shi Lan and his party's speed, momentum, and direction, and in their desperate eyes, hope gradually emerged.

  It was unclear who followed first, but soon more and more people changed direction, surrounding the group and silently rushing towards the inner city. If viewed from above, it would look like a constantly expanding black cloud, layer by layer, with the center of the cloud being Hei Yiming's calm figure in black clothes.

  This increasingly large cloud of troops soon collided with the Xiafu army that was protecting Zhang Qiufei as he quickly retreated towards the inner city.

  "Back off! Back off!" A small team leader thrust his spear tip around, shouting loudly, "The inner city is about to close, no one is allowed to approach, retreat!"

  "Hurry up!" Zhang Qiu urged the sedan chair bearer impatiently, and if he wasn't afraid of being hit by stray rocks outside, he would have liked to grab a horse and rush back to the inner city.

  Through the swaying heads, he saw Tai Shi Lan's still calm face, her rapid pace, coming and going hastily, without a single sweat on her face, even her clothes were miraculously tidy, still crisp, her complexion slightly pale, but her eyes shone brighter and more fiercely, as if the worldly noise would retreat before her majestic presence.

  Zhang Qiu looked at his own disheveled state, then at the woman's unwavering demeanor in the midst of the stormy weather, and feelings of jealousy and terror surged up like a tidal wave, causing him to suddenly break out in a cold sweat.

  At that moment when sweat was pouring out, he heard someone on the opposite side shouting: "Zhang Fu Yin, Ta Shi young lady requests to enter the inner city with you to resist the enemy!"

  The crowd erupted in a loud murmur, and Zhang Qiu was stunned for a moment, almost daring not to believe his own ears.

  He sneered - Taishi Lun thinking of entering the city? Is that possible? Would he let such a sworn enemy in?

  "There are high-ranking officials beside Taishi Niang who have been gifted with personal guards, ensuring the safety of the master!"

  Zhang Qiubrow furrowed, he had also seen the men who appeared beside Taishi Lan earlier. Whether it was their footsteps or spirit, the aura that showed on the outside or the gaze that was restrained within, all of them could be seen as top-notch experts, absolutely not comparable to these lower-ranking soldiers like themselves.

  Zhang Qiu's heart also slightly stirred, Xifan had already entered the outer city, even if they retreated to the inner city, their side would still be in a desperate situation, only able to hold on for a short while. If these masters were protecting them, at the very least they would be safe and sound...

  But in an instant he made up his mind again - Taishi Lan and he had a deep-seated feud, precisely because she had these masters, all the more reason not to let her in!

  He was deep in thought in the sedan chair, unaware that the crowd had approached, and the guards of the mansion began to slowly give way without receiving any orders.

  "Tai Shi's young lady said that the brothers of the Green Forest Alliance outside the city, who are also her friends, can assist the adults at that time and jointly resist the enemy." The man's voice rang out again, "The adults won't be unaware, will they? That martial arts gathering a while ago was precisely to find Tai Shi's young lady?"

  Zhang Qiu was taken aback again, the leader of the Northern Green Forest Alliance, and it turned out that he was looking for Taishi Lan?

  Recently, the people of Wulin gathered in Beiyuan, he knew about it and was puzzled as to what they were doing there. Although the breach of Beiyuan was severe, it didn't seem serious enough for these Wulin people who don't care about worldly affairs to come from afar. Later, after inquiring about the news, it was said that they were looking for someone, and the description matched Taishi Lan perfectly. How could Zhang Qiu tolerate this? He immediately used the excuse that they were not allowed to gather a crowd within the city and disturb the peace, and drove all those Wulin people out of the city. They should be stationed just outside the city now.

  This group of martial artists is quite numerous and indeed a great help to the army at this moment...

  Zhang Qiu hesitated for a moment, then suddenly lifted the curtain and asked: "Ta Shi Lan! Why do you want to help me?"

  "I'm doing it for myself!" Tai Shi Lan replied, "Only by entering the inner city will we have a way out!"

  "The provisions in the inner city are limited, and there are these common people around you..."

  "What's it got to do with me?"

  The crowd of people who were holding their breath and listening attentively first fell silent, then suddenly reacted, and a burst of curses and wailing erupted from the crowd.

  "So this woman is also a fake benevolent person!"

  "Tai Shi Lan is going to abandon us too!"

  "Why don't you help us!"

  A large number of messy fruits and vegetables were thrown over, splashing Zhao Thirteen Huo and others with stinky egg yolks and rotten leaf juice.

  Jing Tai Lan shrank his neck and hid behind Zhao Thirteen's head, waiting for an opportunity to grab a pear that flew in front of him, wiped it with his sleeve, and smiled as he took a bite.

  Zhang Qiuleng sneered and said: This is exactly what he wants!

  A Taishi Huan who has lost the hearts of his people is nothing!

  "After you enter the city, you must not harm me, I swear!"

  "I swear it!" Tai Shi Lan replied without hesitation.

  "Alright! Get out of the way!"

  The lower official soldier stepped aside, and Tai Shi Lan walked over with big strides. Zhang Qiu stared at her and said, "You were following behind, hurry up, as soon as we enter, the city gate will be closed."

  "Good." Tai Shi Lan calmly replied amidst the thunderous wailing, taking a step forward.

  Zhao Thirteen and Huo Hu, also took a step forward at the same time. One of them separated the deputy captain of the vanguard battalion in front of him, while the other silently threw an elbow punch, which crashed into the soldier guarding the sedan chair with a loud bang.

  The soldier fell backwards and crashed into Zhang Qiu's sedan chair. Zhang Qiu's body tilted back, just as he was trying to sit up straight, the curtain of the sedan chair was suddenly lifted, and sunlight poured in. A hand emerged from the sunlight, and before he knew it, it had reached his face, cold and pale, and tightly grasped his throat.

  Zhang Qiu's eyes widened as he stared at the woman in front of him, his tilted neck only allowing him to see a small part of her nose, which was slightly pointed and extended into a straight arc, followed by a broad forehead. Like her temperament - seemingly straightforward at first glance, but actually vast and profound, with ups and downs like mountains and rivers.

  He wanted to struggle, he wanted to shout, but the fingers gripping his throat were so tight.

  "Let me take the common people in with me!" Tai Shi Lan's fingers did not relax one bit, coldly saying, "Otherwise I will strangle you to death immediately."

  Zhang Qi's neck arched back, a blue vein bulging on her forehead as she glared at her in anger.

  Perhaps his eyes were filled with "You swore! How dare you deny it!", so Ta Shi Lan finally showed great kindness and replied calmly: "I only said I swore, didn't say what I swore to."

  Zhang Qiu felt a sweet and fishy taste in his throat, probably the blood that had rushed up due to anger, but unfortunately it was stuck in his throat and he couldn't spit it out.

  "Now my oath can be told to you," said Tai Shi Lan, "I swear! Those who harm me and invade me - this enmity must be avenged!"

  Digression

  Today, this chapter is the beginning of the final part of the first volume of this book, and it's also the starting point for Tai Shi Lan's rise. In a chaotic world, heroes emerge to stem the tide, the city falls in an instant, and one man holds up the sky. The legend that belongs to Tai Shi Lan will finally unfold.

  By the way, I'd like to inform you that Tian Ding 3 is finally on sale at Dangdang, Jingdong and Amazon. At this moment, there's no joy left, only a sigh of relief. Except for myself, nobody knows how much hardship and struggle this book has gone through. I've shed tears for it, felt heartbroken, smashed my keyboard in frustration, and ruined my stomach. Until today, when it finally hits the market, I still can't explain too much about this difficult wait. A thousand words can only be summed up in one sentence: It's finally out.

  The difficulties of publishing, I believe everyone also knows a thing or two. Fortunately, the full version of "Qian Jin Xiao" has finally been published, and a publication announcement will be released soon. To those who have been waiting for the complete collection, I hope you can continue to support me and help me move forward on this increasingly stressful journey.

  Thank you.