The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 357 Separation
Gao Anyu stopped struggling and, together with Gu Feixuan, held their breath and listened intently.

The fighting at the Embroidered Uniform Guard headquarters has indeed stopped.

Two figures, their clothes fluttering and the sound of viscous water dripping, were rapidly approaching from the rooftops.

The two people inside held their breath and minimized the sounds of their breathing and blood circulation, lying prone on the floor and listening quietly to the sounds coming from the roof.

Cao Hanyan, on the rooftop, squinted at the two approaching figures, her grip on the hilt of her knife tightening, her expression complex and indescribable.

According to his agreement with Zheng Yi, he shouldn't have come back. But like Gao Anyu, he couldn't help but worry, so after settling the child in, he returned to see if Zheng Yi needed any assistance.

Of course, he was much more cautious than Gao Anyu, using many techniques Li Miao had taught him along the way to conceal his presence. He would not reveal himself unless absolutely necessary.

No one but Zheng Yi could find him.

Apart from Zheng Yi.

Cao Hanyan looked at the two people rushing straight toward him.

The person in front looked exactly like Zheng Yi, only a little older, appearing to be in his late thirties, with some wrinkles around his eyes. His left hand was severed at the elbow, and there was a huge gash in his waist. He was covered in wounds, and blood was constantly dripping from his body, but he showed no signs of fatigue, only coldly looking at Zheng Yi.

Behind this person, with pursed lips and clenched teeth, looking at him, was Zheng Yi.

In a flash, Zheng Yi and that woman were standing in front of him.

Cao Hanyan gripped the hilt of the knife and stood up.

"Senior Zheng."

Zheng Yi's lips twitched a few times, but she didn't speak.

The seriously injured woman spoke coldly.

"Yi'er, kill him."

Zheng Yi remained silent for a moment, her hand tightening and loosening on the sword hilt.

"Mother...why bother?"

"You're getting too close to Li Miao; that's not a good thing," the woman said in a completely emotionless voice.

“He is not just a ‘root’ of Yingzhou who has been stranded abroad; he is one of the candidates to become ‘Zheng Anqi’, and he is also our destined enemy in Penglai.”

"I will explain to you in detail about the internal strife in Yingzhou back then, and the reasons why Li Miao ended up wandering the martial world. I will also explain to you the origins of our Zheng family's lineage, which I have not told you before... But right now, I want you to kill this brat and cut off any improper thoughts."

The woman looked at Zheng Yi coldly, just as she looked at Cao Hanyan, without a trace of emotion.

"Our destiny is to take revenge on Yingzhou."

“Xue Bangzhu, Zheng Huaijin, and too many other members of the Penglai School have forgotten this point, forgotten their roots… You are my daughter, you should not forget.”

“Zheng Anqi could catch up at any moment. You have three breaths.”

After the woman finished speaking, she glanced at Cao Hanyan.

Zheng Yi bit her lip until it bled.

She knew her mother... she had no choice.

If she doesn't intervene, the woman will personally kill Cao Hanyan in three breaths, and her methods will be several times, even dozens of times, more cruel. Her martial arts, far surpassing those of ordinary celestial beings, mean the woman has countless ways to ensure Cao Hanyan's gruesome death, leaving her with barely a complete corpse.

No matter what she says or does, she can't change the woman's mind.

If we're talking about unwavering resolve, among all the people she's met, perhaps only Li Miao can rival her.

The woman would not hurt her, but all her actions against the woman's wishes would bring double the pain back to Cao Hanyan.

Three breaths.

Zheng Yi and Cao Hanyan's eyes met in mid-air.

Cao Hanyan gave a bitter smile, loosened his grip on the knife hilt, and spread his hands: "I shouldn't have come back."

“The garrison commander and Brother Gao are right, I am indeed nagging… The garrison commander taught me all this way, but in the end, my nature is hard to change.”

Zheng Yi slowly walked towards him.

Two breaths.

Zheng Yi's palm slowly touched Cao Hanyan's chest.

“I’m sorry…” she said softly. Cao Hanyan shook her head: “Senior Zheng, you had no choice. This is neither your fault nor mine.”

"I only hope that you can avoid the garrison commander in the future and not become his enemy... This is for your own good."

Zheng Yi nodded slightly.

Take a breath.

Cao Hanyan said with a smile.

“The Commander-in-Chief is right. We should learn martial arts so that we have the right to choose at any time. Weakness is wrong. A good person’s sword must be faster and sharper… It’s a pity that I met the Commander-in-Chief a little too late.”

"I wish I had been born in Shuntian Prefecture."

Bang!
Blood burst forth on Cao Hanyan's chest, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. Blood flowed onto the tiles, seeped into the cracks, and dripped through the roof.

It dripped onto Gao Anyu's face.

"Forehead!"

His veins suddenly bulged, his true energy surged, and his strength surged. The force he exerted was so great that it ruptured countless tiny blood vessels in the retina of his eyes in an instant. Blood then poured into the whites of his eyes, mixing with tears and Cao Hanyan's blood, and splattered on the ground.

Gu Feixuan pointed a finger at his neck and pressed him firmly to the ground.

On the rooftop, the woman glanced at the fallen Cao Hanyan, her eyebrows furrowing almost imperceptibly. Then she looked down at her feet, her gaze seemingly piercing through the tiles as she looked at Gao Anyu and Gu Feixuan.

With a slight twitch of her finger, the woman was about to unleash her inner energy to destroy the roof and all three floors of the building.

Just then—BOOM!

A loud bang came from the Jinyiwei (Imperial Guard) headquarters.

The woman's expression changed.

She had only held Zheng Anqi in place for a moment. Judging from the commotion, Zheng Anqi had already broken free and was charging towards her.

She had no time to linger. She reached out and grabbed Zheng Yi's arm, who was still in a daze. In a flash, she darted several feet away and fled into the distance.

In an instant, the roof exploded!

Gao Guanbo's figure shattered the rooftops as he suddenly darted forward, exploding countless buildings in Nanjing as he chased after the fleeing woman and Zheng Yi.

Cao Hanyan tumbled from the roof to the third floor, landing on the ground with a muffled thud before slowly coming to a stop.

After a while, when the place quieted down again, a sound came from the ruins.

Kerala -

Gu Feixuan lifted the rubble that was pressing down on him, poked his head out, looked around, and only after confirming that no one was around did he let out a long sigh of relief.

But then, he looked at Gao Anyu in his arms with an embarrassed expression.

Gao Anyu was immobilized by his acupoints, so he was shielded by him when the roof collapsed.

Right now, she's staring at him with a pair of blood-red eyes.

Gu Feixuan laughed awkwardly.

“Brother Gao… if you had gone out just now, I’m afraid you would have lost your life in vain. I also promised Commander Wang that I would subdue you when you were about to die… I was entrusted with this task, and I must do my duty. I hope you will not take offense.”

"I'll have to trouble you for a little while. I'll go and help Brother Cao... get ready. We need to leave quickly."

He placed Gao Anyu on the ground, lifted the rubble, and walked towards Cao Hanyan, who was lying on the ground. After looking at him for a while, he squatted down and reached out to close his eyes.

He paused suddenly when his fingers touched Cao Hanyan's face.

Gu Feixuan looked Cao Hanyan up and down in disbelief, then reached out and grasped her pulse. He looked disappointed at first, but after pressing her pulse for a few more moments, a smile slowly appeared on his face.

He suddenly turned to look at Gao Anyu.

"Brother Gao!"

"We need to leave quickly and find Commander Wang and Commander Li... With Commander Li's witchcraft skills, maybe we can succeed!"

Gao Anyu lay on the ground, trying to open his eyes as wide as possible, glaring angrily at Gu Feixuan.

You fucking untie me first!
(End of this chapter)