A Jiu nestled in his embrace, finding his words quite reasonable. She and her companions had been terrified by the Qing Dynasty's Iron Cavalry years ago, never imagining that after so many years in the Central Plains, exposed to all its splendors, they would become corrupt and decadent. If the Ming Dynasty were under her rule, she thought, purging the internal parasites and diligently training troops, they might still have a chance to fight.
Renewed confidence welled up in her heart. She glanced sideways, catching sight of Hua Wu Que standing tall against the wind, surrounded but still laughing and carefree. Her beautiful eyes, like water, became a bit dazed. For a moment, she recalled the time when she was similarly saved, and had easily entrusted her heart, only to end up wounded. She quickly lowered her head, afraid to look any longer.
Hua Wu Que saw her anxieties vanish, a sense of satisfaction welling up in him. He was about to speak when a volley of arrows suddenly descended. With a flick of his sleeve, he sent a flurry of leaves whistling towards the incoming arrows. Looking up, he saw that Duo Long had finally assembled his forces, forming a siege around them.
Knowing they would become sitting ducks if they stayed, Hua Wu Que embraced the beauty in his arms, tapped his foot lightly, and spiraled up the tree trunk. Reaching the peak, he located the direction of the city gate and swiftly made his way there.
Duo Long and his troops finally arrived at the foot of the tree. Gazing at Hua Wu Que’s disappearing figure, he hacked at the tree with his saber and roared, “Chase him! Quickly seal all four gates, absolutely do not let this rebel escape!” The achievement that was practically in his grasp was about to fly away. He was furious, wishing he could hack those around him into a thousand pieces.
Hua Wu Que’s light footwork was extraordinary. In a short time, he reached the city gate. From afar, he saw that the gate was closed, the surrounding defenses were tight, and rows of armored soldiers stood in formation, guarding the entrance. Knowing he couldn’t act recklessly, he scanned his surroundings.
“Master Hua, the Tartars are prepared. They must have archers hidden in the shadows. You must not charge in! Why don’t we find somewhere to hide and wait for things to calm down before leaving?” A Jiu, seeing the situation, was afraid Hua Wu Que didn’t understand the gravity of it, and hurriedly spoke to warn him.
Hua Wu Que didn’t say anything. Seeing the city wall beside him, he took her to a secluded spot, checked it out, nodded in satisfaction, and bent down to pick up a few stones. Seeing her anxiety, he reassured her, “No need to be so troubled.”
He stepped back a few paces, and under A Jiu's confused gaze, picked up a stone, infused it with his inner energy, and threw it forcefully at the wall. He then went forward and tested it, satisfied that it was sturdy enough, before proceeding to throw the other stones onto the wall one by one.
Seeing his actions, A Jiu began to understand his intention. But looking up at the towering wall, she was shocked. “Master Hua's light footwork and inner energy, what level has he reached? He actually wants to climb up there with me!”
Hua Wu Que finished his preparations, embraced her, and A Jiu, used to his embrace, didn’t resist. Seeing him take a step back, she tightly clasped his waist, unwilling to burden him further.
“Let’s go!” Hua Wu Que, noticing her slight nervousness but still clinging to him, found her truly endearing. With a low shout, he charged towards the wall, tapped his foot, used the stones as footholds, and climbed like a gecko. Some sharp-eyed Qing soldiers saw the scene and shouted, “Look over there! The rebel is escaping!”
Duo Long, who had barely caught his breath, turned to look when he heard the shouts. He saw Hua Wu Que already on top of the wall, waving cheerfully at him. He couldn't bear it anymore and spat out a mouthful of blood.
Seeing this fellow's inability to handle his anger, Hua Wu Que decided there was no point in continuing to tease him. He looked down at A Jiu, who seemed a little incredulous, and said softly, “Princess Jiu, do you know where Chief Chen and the others are going?”
A Jiu finally came to her senses, pondered for a moment, and said crisply, “The suburban Righteousness Estate! Some time ago, the widow of the Zhuang family was being hunted by the Oboi faction. I encountered her and saved her, asking Uncle Chen to take care of her. If I'm not mistaken, they should be heading there. It’s the safest option, considering the other strongholds around the Yanjing City are not safe.”
She pointed out the direction to Hua Wu Que. Knowing it would be faster for him to lead the way, she stepped forward, looped her arms around his waist, and lowered her head, a little shy.
Hua Wu Que understood that now wasn’t the time to tease her, so he said nothing. He leaped down from the wall, activated his light footwork, and headed towards the Righteousness Estate.
。。。。。。。。
“Zhang Zhao Zhong, you martial arts scum, you come from a reputable sect yet willingly serve as a Tartar lackey. How can you face your sect elders?” A young man dressed as a scholar, holding a golden flute, looked at the opposite side with indignation.
The Zhang Zhao Zhong he was addressing was wearing a Manchu official uniform and had a gloomy expression. He had initially wanted to persuade these rebels to surrender so he could leave a good impression on the emperor. But before he could speak a few words, he was reprimanded by the Red Flower Society’s flute-playing scholar, the fourteenth head, Yu Yu Tong.
“Lord Zhang, why waste words with them? The Emperor has spent a long time laying this trap, and finally hooked these big fish. He must be waiting for news from here. If we delay too long, the Emperor will surely be displeased,” a tall, thin middle-aged Taoist priest, seeing that Zhang Zhao Zhong hadn’t given the order to attack yet, felt some displeasure. He stepped forward and said coldly.
Although Zhang Zhao Zhong disliked the Taoist priest’s presumption, he still needed this man, the Emperor's newly favored individual, to capture Chen Jin Nan and the others in the Righteousness Estate. Not wanting to offend him, he hurriedly explained, “Daoist Yu Zhen Zi, you don’t understand. It’s not that I don’t want to give the order. It’s just that the one who killed Oboi and escaped with his head, Hua Wu Que, is not here. I want to use these people as bait to lure out Hua Wu Que.”
Yu Zhen Zi had been hearing about Hua Wu Que’s reputation for days, and felt a sense of jealousy. He thought, how could a youngster like that have such great abilities? It must be just exaggerated rumors. Seeing Zhang Zhao Zhong place so much importance on this man, he said coldly, “That Hua Wu Que is just known for his name. If I had been there that day, I would have long since taken care of that Hua Wu Que…”
Before he could finish his sentence, a clear shout came from a distance, “If you were there, what could you have done to me?!”