Translator: Yukidaruma Translations Editor: Yukidaruma Translations
Madam He looked at Fang Tao and asked outright, “Tao`er, is it time to flee?”
Fang Tao sighed and said, “The traitors’ influence is great now. Probably 80-90% of the Beiyuan City is no longer in our grasp, and we can only retreat first.”
Although the reply was within expectations, a hint of melancholy still flashed in Madam He’s eyes. She shook her head. “I don’t understand the military matters. You can go ahead and make the arrangements.”
After hearing their conversation, the many ladies and children immediately broke out crying. They had always been living a luxurious lifestyle since young, so how could they possibly dare face the agony of a life of constant fleeing?
“No, I don’t want to leave the Prince Manor.”
“I’d rather die than to leave the Prince Manor.”
There were also people who fell onto the floor limply, without any spirit in their eyes.
“Flee? Where can we flee to? Despite how big the world is, where is there a place that isn’t under the Emperor’s control?”
Someone cried, “Why don’t we just surrender? Fang Xuan is our nephew after all, and it might not be impossible for him to let us off.”
However, the crying had just started when Madam He knocked her cane and said, “What are you crying for? This is a critical moment of life and death for our Prince Manor. Don’t do anything to drag us down.
“To think that that young Fang Xuan wants to wipe out our Prince Xin’s clan. We’re his kin! Members of the royal family! Such a cold and emotionless person with no regard for ethics or morals won’t be our kin from now on. He won’t be our Emperor either.
“All of Prince Xin’s descendants must strive to overthrow the Great Jin Dynasty!”
Madam He was enraged to the extent that she went somewhat berserk.
She looked toward the north and said solemnly, “We’ll flee to the plains. There are several hundred tribes and several hundred thousand armies there. I believe that with our Prince Xin Manor’s great reputation on the plains, it might not be impossible to save some chances and wait to take action in the future.”
Fang Tao urged them on, ” Mother 1 , we don’t have much time. Let’s go.”
“We’ll do as you say.”
Fang Tao led ten or more women and children, along with over 20 of his most loyal death warriors. They headed for the Prince Manor’s underground passageway, prepared to go through it and head for the exit outside the city.
Before they actually entered the underground passageway, battle cries rang out from outside the Prince Manor.
“Capture the people from the Prince Xin Manor and offer them to the imperial court!”
“All those who don’t wish to die must surrender!”
“It’s over for Prince Xin! Don’t end up dying alongside with him!”
Hearing the many shouts, killing sounds, and agonizing cries, the limbs of the people from the Prince Xin Manor turned ice-cold and their faces were all filled with horrified expressions. If it was not because Fang Tao and Madam He had been using their great prestige to repress them all this while, this team would have collapsed a long time ago.
Despite this, there were still soft sobs while they walked in the underground passageway. Although Fang Tao’s and Madam He’s gazes still appeared to be determined, there was a hint of disorientation in the depths of their eyes.
By the time the group walked out of the passageway, war cries were already rising from the city’s direction, and there were even flames soaring into the sky.
Fang Tao turned and saw that a large batch of troops was several ten lis away, gushing incessantly into the city. The soldiers at the top of the city walls were no longer within sight. Even the city gates were opened. Clearly, someone had opened the city gates and surrendered.
“The city has fallen…” Fang Tao felt extremely bitter. Prince Xin Manor had spent over 20 years managing this city, yet it was given up so easily. This made his heart even more disoriented like he could not tell which way to head out from in the future.
‘Even if we escape to the plains, will we really still have a chance?’
Suppressing his doubts at the depths of his heart. Fang Tao knew that he no longer had a choice. He turned and led the group to head to the north.
However, they had yet to walk out from the forest when a series of arrows rained down and landed on the ground before them. As the women and children shrieked, several hundred warriors—who were dressed in black clothes and armor while holding bow and arrows—walked out from the shadows. It seemed that they had surrounded Fang Tao’s group.
Fang Tao looked at the few people in the lead, and his countenance immediately turned extremely cold. “Old Liu, Old Lee, and you, Fang Yong. What are you guys thinking of doing?”
These people were clearly the Elders from clans of the great generals and important subjects who had worked under the Prince Xin Manor in the past. The skinny Fang Yong was even Prince Xin’s son, born by a concubine. After he turned of age, he was driven out of the house, taking of the clan’s businesses under him.
Hearing Fang Tao’s questioning, the Elders were all silent, but the killing intents in their eyes became increasingly intense.
Only Fang Yong smiled coldly and said, “Brother Tao, what’s the point of saying all these now?” He cupped his hands in the direction of the Divine Capital and said respectfully, “The current Emperor is well-versed in both civil and military matters and puts in great efforts to make the country prosperous. He is admired by all the citizens and is an impressive and dignified person. Our Great Jin Dynasty is showing signs of prosperity.
“It’s just that with your short-sightedness, you failed to see the destined future and even think of challenging the heavens. How can this be accepted?”
Fang Tao said furiously, “You want to capture us and offer us to the imperial court? Have you forgotten that you’re also a member of the Prince Manor? You have the same blood as us flowing inside you.”
Madam He knocked on her cane and said angrily. “You b*stard. You’re thinking of killing your brother and going against your mother, acting without ethics and morals?!”
Fang Yong smiled coldly, “Have you guys ever treated me as one of you? Since young, I’ve always been a sidekick, and after I grew up, I was only your servant. Ever since I was born, I was destined to always be inferior to you people. It’s only because my mother is a maid and has no status that our names can’t be listed in the ancestral hall.
“Haha, now that trouble’s here, you think of me as your younger brother?”
“Alright, let’s not talk so much crap with them,” Liu Clan’s Elder said, waving his hand. “General Ma has already entered the city. We should be heading to welcome him.”
At the next moment, swooshing sounds of flying arrows kept ringing out, and streams of cold light kept flashing past in the forest. Blood and agonizing cries kept appearing incessantly, and more than half of Fang Tao’s subordinates died under the arrow rain.
As for Fang Tao, he let out an enraged bellow, and essential Qis exploded around him. However, he was swept back by the gushing ten or more steel swords.
The essential Qis of five Disha Realm experts in addition to several hundred Xiantian Realm experts connected to form a Qi field that came pressing down. Although Fang Tao exerted all of his powers, he was forced into a strained state and was gradually no match for them.
Under the messy arrow rain, agonizing cries rang out incessantly. Very soon after, a large number of the women and children fell down amidst pools of blood.
Madam He let out a sharp scream and waved her cane around to form a series of light and shadow as she blocked all the arrows. She was also a Disha Ream expert who had cleared five acupuncture points and depleted countless miraculous medicinal pills.
Liu Clan’s Elder frowned, took out a longbow, and channeled essential Qis into it. With a soft swoosh , a black line seemed to cut across the sky, piercing through Madam He’s body. She let out an agonizing cry and eventually fell to the floor with a look of being unwilling to accept this outcome, slowly losing her breath.
“Ahhh!” Fang Tao released a furious bellow as he watched everyone land into the pools of blood one after another. However, at the next moment, the main acupuncture points throughout his entire body were pierced by countless sharp swords, and he was unable to budge at all.
Fang Yong watched Fang Tao—who kept on struggling and was bleeding non-stop—and said with indifference, “Keep him alive. Chop off the heads off all the other traitors. We’ll bring them back as proof of their identities and offer them to His Majesty.”
