Patrol Captain

At that moment, Xiao Qingzhi's eyelashes trembled violently, and her originally dry and dull eyes seemed to suddenly become misty.

She seemed dazed, as if she were hallucinating, with the same sound echoing in her ears.

"The general already knows about your affair."

"I told you you shouldn't have to suffer like this!"

Until her gaze slowly descended and landed on the sword Liu Qing handed her, the cold light on the sword made her dazed pupils focus.

Her hand trembled slightly as she took the sword.

Liu Qing stepped aside.

Holding her sword, she walked step by step toward Xiao Shan, who was kneeling.

At this moment, the fat on Xiao Shan's face transformed into one of utter fear and disbelief. He never imagined that the fantastical tale had actually come true, filling him with immense panic. Seeing Xiao Qingzhi approaching him with a sword, he hurriedly tried to explain...

"Qingzhi, calm down, calm down."

“You were kicked out, it wasn’t my idea, it was the people in the clan who forced you to, so you can’t blame me.”

"I only came to take you back. Please explain to the adults of Ninth Mountain, okay?"

His face was full of panic, and he tried to appear innocent, which was completely different from the image of that mountain of flesh, making me feel inexplicably nauseous.

"Then where did my thirteen female relatives from the main branch go?" Xiao Qingzhi's voice was hoarse, her eyes were red, and her sword was pointed directly at Xiao Shan's chest.

Xiao Shan's greasy, fat face tightened, and he immediately protested, "Uncle doesn't know either. After the Xiao family fell on hard times, they retreated in a big retreat. When disaster strikes, everyone flies away. I guess they were all afraid of being implicated." His voice trailed off as he spoke.

"Do you really think I don't know?" Xiao Qingzhi's voice suddenly rose, and she thrust her long sword forward, the cold light slowly penetrating into the chest of Xiao Shan, who was bound and kneeling on the ground.

"Ah!" Xiao Shan screamed, then cried and begged for mercy, completely losing his previous fierce image, "Don't kill me, don't kill me, Xiao Zhi, I'm your third uncle."

"Do you still remember when you were little, your third uncle took you to Chishui Prefecture to watch fireworks? Every time you did something wrong, your third uncle would plead for your father. Please let your third uncle off the hook, okay? I will definitely correct my mistakes, I will definitely correct them."

He was head-banging, and beneath his fat and fierce body lay a cowardly, timid fellow who clung to life.

The pleas for mercy were pitiful, with snot and tears streaming down my face.

Xiao Qingzhi's hand trembled, and she lost her grip on the sword, which slipped from her hand. In the end, the sword did not penetrate deeply.

Seeing this, Xiao Shan was overjoyed and prepared to continue playing the family card to save his life. Fortunately, he was thick-skinned and hadn't had time to stab his heart.

But then, a hand reached out and slammed down on the hilt of the sword.

"puff"

The longsword, imbued with sword energy, pierced directly through Xiao Shan's chest, blasting a large hole in his back and exposing a patch of scarlet flesh.

After the longsword flew out, it moved like a bird through the forest, flashing coldly among the vicious servants behind it, before finally flying back and sticking into the door with a whoosh, making a few clear chimes.

It was clearly visible that the remaining few evil servants had blood lines appearing on their necks, then their heads flew off, their bodies fell to the ground, and they died.

The person who started this whole thing walked up to Xiao Shan, whose pupils were wide open and whose obese body was convulsing as he fell backward. Only after confirming that Xiao Shan was no longer alive did he look at Xiao Qingzhi.
"Hesitation only leads to more chaos. The war between demons and monsters has caused the deaths of countless sons in Sichuan and the destruction of countless families. Who can we talk to about right and wrong?"

“Miss Xiao, the past cannot be undone. The general has instructed me, Liu, to escort you home.”

"I'll be waiting for you two at the door!"

With that, Liu Qing strode toward the broken courtyard gate and disappeared into the courtyard.

Xiao Qingzhi stood there blankly, the deepest moisture in her eyes spreading in an instant, all her emotions surging into her heart.

"Miss! Miss!" The maid Xiao Jiu ran over crying.

Soon, a sob that had been suppressed to the extreme was heard in the courtyard. It was not a hysterical cry, but a sob of lamentation for fate, which moved everyone who heard it.

Outside the courtyard, Liu Qing stood imposingly in the alleyway, like a guardian deity.

He was expressionless, as cold as iron. The women in the courtyard had suffered greatly at the hands of fate, but he had seen too much of it and was numb to it.

People in the streets and alleys heard screams and cries, came out to check, and saw Liu Qing in full red armor, but no one dared to approach.

Soon after, the crying in the courtyard stopped, and the master and servant walked out, their tears wiped away.

Miss Xiao put on the clothes she wore back then, but they no longer had the same radiance they once had.

"Please, sir, escort me home!"

With a wave of his hand, Liu Qing took off on the wind and led his men straight to the south city.

That morning, at the Xiao family in Nancheng, the eldest daughter of the Xiao family returned to the Xiao family. She was escorted back by the master of the Ninth Mountain, and everyone in the Xiao family in Nancheng stood like lackeys.

At noon, around 1-3 PM, in a secluded courtyard east of the Astronomical Bureau's residence, under a pavilion with artificial hills and flowing water,
"Deng deng deng"

Footsteps approached quickly, accompanied by the clanging of armor.

"General, I have fulfilled my mission. I have delivered the Miss Xiao to your residence, and the matter has been handled properly." Liu Qing bowed and clasped his hands in a fist salute as he reported to Chen Yuan, who was standing with his back to him in the pavilion.

Chen Yuan sprinkled all the fish food in his hand into the flowing water below and asked,
"Did that Miss Xiao say anything?"

"No." Liu Qing shook her head.

"Alright, let's leave it at that. Pack your things and get ready to leave. I've already sent out the rest of the team to deliver the invitations."

"Take your small squad and head to Tiger Gorge Pass in the west."

"This is an invitation!"

Chen Yuan flicked his hand behind his back, sending out a beam of silver light. The light shot out, and Liu Qing, quick as a flash, raised his hand to grab it.

It is an invitation woven from silver leaves, imbued with the aura of the sacred tree of Yinshan.

Then, Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve again, and a sphere bound by golden light flew out.

"Inside is a great demonic soul of a Gu Diao. Since you are going to a far place, it will guide you there."

"There is a mark planted inside. If you encounter danger, you can activate it with the Mountain-Slaying Banner. However, I think these immortal kings shouldn't need to risk it." "Yes! Your subordinate will deliver it in time," Liu Qing replied, taking the bowl-sized golden ball.

"Then I shall prepare to depart."

"Go!"

Liu Qing then left in a hurry.

After he left, Chen Yuan stood there for a while, looking down at the fish scrambling for food on the surface of the water, silently pondering how he should "negotiate" with the seven kings at this banquet.

Of the seven kings, he has the most contact with the white-robed king Luo Cheng. Luo Cheng has been kind to him by passing on his teachings, and they are quite close. Judging from his actions, Luo Cheng could be brought to his side.

A closer one is Venerable Aniruddha, with whom I had made contact. I obtained the method to activate the Buddha's relic from him. However, he also hindered my efforts to deal with the two Martial Saints of the Ninth Mountain and made a deal with the people of the Ninth Mountain.

This shows that this Hinayana Arhat was neither a Buddha nor a demon, and there was no real friendship between them, let alone with other immortal kings.

These monarchs are essentially reincarnations of celestial beings, possessing unfathomable strength. Needless to say, their skeletal armies are as numerous as locusts and ants, and should not be underestimated.

Although he was not afraid, he still had to be mindful of the methods and approaches.

The best approach is to find common ground between the two parties.

He recalled going to the Heavenly Cave, where the passage to the lower realm was located, late last night, and having a long talk with the temple keeper of the Martial Temple who guarded it, inquiring about the past lives of these seven kings a thousand years ago. The temple keeper knew quite a lot, so he had gathered some information.

He pondered, his mind blank for the moment, and decided to take it one step at a time and see what happened first.

This banquet was a test for myself!

After thinking it over, Chen Yuan withdrew his thoughts and decided to focus on the preparations for the banquet, a task he entrusted to Gou Zhi.

I'm sure this little matter won't be difficult for this local lieutenant general!

That's right. While Liu Qing and his group were quietly leaving the city for White Bone City, Gou Zhi, who was burdened with a "heavy responsibility," personally went out to select people and used all his skills to help Chen Yuan organize the banquet.

Cook, singer, entertainer, waiter.
They were determined to select the best "talents" in the entire Guang'an Prefecture.

The city's largest restaurants, renowned actors, and Peking Opera performers all received invitations from the prefectural magistrate.

In a short time, the news spread throughout Guang'an City that the prefectural government was going to host a banquet to entertain the lords from the Ninth Mountain and that they needed to be treated with great hospitality. That's why they were inviting talented people from all over the city to "partner with" them.

The news that troops had arrived at the Ninth Mountain last night had spread like wildfire since this morning, generating a great deal of excitement among the common people. It was not surprising that this news had been released, after all, it was the Ninth Mountain.

As a result, many people in the city flocked to this opportunity, offering themselves up. Everyone wanted to make a name for themselves, hoping to gain the favor of a powerful figure from the Ninth Mountain and rise to prominence. At the very least, they could use this opportunity to shine and become famous.

As a result, the prefectural government office was bustling with activity, and the local military commander personally participated in the rehearsals and selections for the "banquet."

No one would have guessed that the protagonist of this "banquet" was the world-renowned Martial Saint General, who was right there in the mansion.

They never imagined they would be involved in a banquet that would be written into history!
The whole incident was like a play, full of humor and absurdity!
As time passed, night fell, and then dawn broke again. The singing and dancing in the front courtyard of the government office continued all night.

Several squads of Ninth Mountain soldiers, ordered to deliver a message to White Bone City, arrived one after another at the seven dead cities lost in the war, weathered by the elements along the way!
On this morning, at Huxia Pass, 11,000 li away from Guang'an Prefecture, dark clouds shrouded the area, covering a radius of 100 li, so dense and impenetrable that it was as oppressive as night, and filled with the aura of death.

The city was filled with skeletons, both inside and out, and the bones were piled up like a forest. From time to time, eerie and terrifying roars could be heard from within the city, sending chills down one's spine.

At noon that morning, a piercing shriek, sharp enough to shatter gold and split stone, suddenly exploded in the sky above the east of the city. This sound, piercing through layers of dark clouds, caused the walls of Tiger Gorge Pass to tremble slightly.

The next second, an extremely dazzling golden light, like a divine sword thrown down by a god, tore a crack in the dark sky. The crack spread rapidly, and a large golden bird swooped down along the crack, cutting through the sky!

This bird was dazzlingly golden, with wingspans reaching hundreds of feet, like clouds hanging from the sky. Its wings sliced ​​through the air, whipping up fierce winds that tore apart the surrounding dark clouds.

The golden eagle hovered steadily several miles outside Tiger Gorge Pass. On its broad, plain-like back, dozens of banners with black backgrounds and gold borders, depicting mountains, stood tall in the wind, fluttering in the fierce breeze and exuding an aura of battle. Beneath the banners, dozens of divine steeds stood proudly, each one strong and muscular, its mane flying. The soldiers on horseback were all clad in heavy armor, their postures upright and imposing. The clash of their armor produced a clear, resonant sound.

The golden Gu eagle, suspended above the pass, shattered the oppressive death aura of the pass, while the Ninth Mountain troops on the back of the Peng descended like heavenly soldiers.

As they suddenly burst in, the pass seemed to come alive from the dead silence. Dark clouds surged within, and a series of ear-piercing roars erupted from within!
The sound, like the awakening of ten thousand ferocious soldiers, mingled with the creaking of bones grinding together, surged forth from within the city, piercing the eardrums. On the city walls, the scattered skeletons on the ground crackled and sprang to life, awakening within breaths. In a few short moments, the walls were covered with a dense mass of skeletal soldiers. They varied in height; some were the withered bones of soldiers clad in tattered armor, fragments embedded in the bones, scraping and grating with each movement; others were the remains of demons—flames erupted from the eye sockets of these skeletons!

"Roar—" A roar exploded from the throat of a skeleton, not the roar of flesh and blood, but a muffled boom from the collision of bones and the intertwining of Yin energy.

Immediately afterwards, the countless skeletal soldiers on the city wall raised their heads in unison, letting out a deafening roar. The surging yin energy and dark clouds gathered again, converging towards the people coming from the Ninth Mountain, confronting the golden light.

At this moment, on the back of the golden Gu eagle, Liu Qing, the leader, looked at the stark white bones on the opposite city gate, took two steps forward, his eyes gleaming, and shouted:

"Liu Qing, the cavalry commander of the Ninth Mountain, has come to pay respects to your king on the orders of my general. Please open the city gates!"

After these words were spoken, Tiger Gorge Pass fell silent for a moment, followed by a roar.

A few breaths later, the gate of the pass was seen to open with a loud rumble, sending out a shower of white bone dust.

Seeing this, Liu Qing did not hesitate and ordered, "Enter the city!"

With that, he pulled on the reins and spurred his horse, taking the lead in leaping off the ground, followed closely by the rest of his men.

"drive"

"drive"

"drive"

"."

A group of dozens of soldiers, carrying banners, charged into the bone city inhabited by undead creatures, their horses galloping as they surged forward.

Meanwhile, at around the same time, in Guang'an Prefecture, the local military commander Gou Zhi, sporting eye bags, came to meet Chen Yuan, smiling broadly as he said:

"General Chen, the banquet staff are ready. We are a bit pressed for time, so I personally supervised the event all night to avoid any delays. I hope I have not disgraced you."

"You!" Chen Yuan looked at his eye bags and smiled. As a martial arts master, you have eye bags after staying up all night? This is just for show, and he won't expose the guy's little scheme.

"Thanks for your hard work!"

"I will not let you work for nothing. Take this, and your old injuries will be healed."

As he spoke, Chen Yuan flicked his sleeve slightly, and a small jade bottle flew out and shot towards Gou Zhi.

Gou Zhi was overjoyed and quickly took the bottle. (End of Chapter)