The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 405 Wang Gongchang

An Ziyang frowned and looked into the white mist, holding his breath and listening intently.

There were no screams.

"Keep going! Don't stop! Fill this area with them!"

An Ziyang shouted sharply and turned to walk into the yamen.

Before I had taken more than a few steps, I heard an old voice behind me.

"Commander An? I am—"

"Come die!"

An Ziyang suddenly stomped his foot on the ground!
boom! boom! boom! boom! boom!
A streak of fire, like a rope, snaked out from beneath his feet, circling the surrounding ten-foot-square area before a series of deafening explosions erupted.

The next moment, the ground of the entire courtyard suddenly sank!
An Ziyang raised his hand and flicked a rope dart, which hooked onto the eaves of a building. He then leaped into the air and turned to stare at the falling old Taoist priest.

The old Taoist priest sighed.

A trap, especially a falling trap, might be effective against ordinary martial arts masters, but it's really not enough against him. Wudang's most famous lightness skill, "Ladder Cloud Leap," is a martial art that allows one to soar into the air, and it's the perfect counter to this kind of trap.

"Trapes are useless against me, Commander An, you—"

"You stinking old man, why don't you look down and take a look!"

An Ziyang shouted from mid-air.

Before he could finish speaking, the old Taoist suddenly felt a stench coming from his feet and rushing straight into his nostrils.

His expression finally changed, and he looked down.

Beneath their feet lay a vast expanse of golden water. No one knew where An Ziyang had found so much "golden juice," which filled the ten-zhang square pool to the brim.

And that's not all. The old Taoist could clearly see several flames burning rapidly in the pool, already very close to the gunpowder wrapped in oil paper.

next moment--

Crash!!!
A yellow dragon shot into the sky, then dispersed and descended, covering the entire courtyard and sprinkling the sky with a light, drizzling rain.

An Ziyang didn't look back. He pulled the rope dart and jumped onto the roof. He pushed up with one hand, his sleeve burst open, and he raised an iron umbrella to block the filth falling from the sky.

He quickly jumped off the roof and rushed towards the next courtyard.

This trap is unlikely to work on the Celestial Being; at best, it will annoy him, provoke his anger, and make him relentlessly pursue and kill you, temporarily abandoning your goal of destroying this place.

Sure enough, the old Taoist's voice came from behind them the next moment.

"Commander An, this humble Taoist priest was sent by Lord Li to provide assistance!"

His voice was no longer calm and composed; it had become angry.

No matter how skilled the old Taoist priest was, he couldn't completely block all the filth that was splashing down like raindrops, and some of it had already gotten onto the hem of his clothes.

An Ziyang raised the iron umbrella behind him and patted his shoulder with his other hand!
"Guess whether I believe you or not!"

"Eat shit, you!"

The iron umbrella suddenly flipped up, spraying all the filth off its surface and covering the entire area behind An Ziyang.

Looking at the mess that had been spilled in front of him, the old Taoist priest regretted his actions.

Why did I suddenly want to test the defenses here for Li Miao? Why did I suddenly want to spar with An Ziyang? This kid's reputation in the martial arts world is no better than Li Miao's!
These few moves won't hurt him, but they are truly disgusting!

If it were a life-or-death struggle, he could naturally disregard his pride and chase after An Ziyang to kill him. But right now, An Ziyang is an ally, so he can only hide. If he hides, An Ziyang will have time to set the next trap, and who knows how many more disgusting things are waiting for him to run into.

But to go and tell An Ziyang, covered in filth, that he was a celestial being from Wudang, here to help... he really couldn't bring himself to do that! Wudang couldn't bring themselves to do that either!

"Very well, in the end, it is my own fault."

The old Taoist priest let out a long sigh and dodged away.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, An Ziyang jumped off the roof, quickly ran into the courtyard, raised his hand and picked up an iron chain from the ground, pulled it taut, and then looked at the old Taoist priest, panting.

"You old Taoist priest, come on, let's see if I can kill you!"

The old Taoist priest jumped off the roof and was about to go forward when he frowned, stopped, looked around, and twitched his nose.

"I see."

“Commander An, you are indeed loyal to Lord Li, willing to use your life as bait to perish together with the enemy.”

An Ziyang knew something was wrong. The old Taoist had discovered it.

This place is a trap filled with gunpowder, and the trigger is in his hands. If he pulls it, even a celestial being will die here with him.

That seemingly despicable "cesspool" was actually part of a elaborate scheme. Its purpose was to provoke the invading Celestials, causing them to hunt them down. Simultaneously, the stench of the filthy matter would mask the odor of gunpowder within.

But it was still discovered; the difference in their levels of understanding was ultimately not something that could be bridged by minor techniques.

An Ziyang raised his hand to pull the iron chain.

He would not allow anyone to destroy this place, even if it meant sacrificing his own life.

But the old Taoist priest raised his hand to stop him, and with his other hand he took out a piece of paper from his pocket and held it up in front of him, sneering at An Ziyang.

"Commander An, I am truly not an enemy. I am an ally invited by Lord Li, a disciple of Wudang."

"I made a few probes earlier to check if the defenses here were strong enough for Lord Li. Please do not make any moves, or I will have no face to see Lord Li again."

An Ziyang paused, looking at the paper.

It was an old, yellowed document stained with blood, with a handprint on it. You could vaguely see the words: "Li Miao, a centurion of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, works only four hours a day. This document serves as proof. Zhu Zai, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard, affixes his handprint here. This document is valid for life and will never be repudiated."

It was the "labor contract" that Li Miao had Zhu Zai sign back then.

It was also the certificate that Li Miao gave to the old Taoist priest to prove his identity.

An Ziyang released his grip, and the iron chain fell.

He suddenly slumped his shoulders, glanced sideways at the old Taoist priest, and after a long while, gave a dry, helpless laugh.

"Ha ha……"

"Master, why don't you take a bath first?"

The old Taoist priest's face darkened, and he awkwardly took off his filthy outer robe, threw it on the ground, and cupped his hands in a gesture of respect towards An Ziyang.

"Commander An, what a clever tactic... Heh..."

--------

After a while, the old Taoist changed his clothes and met with An Ziyang.

An Ziyang led the old Taoist priest toward the interior of the government office.

"Master, I apologize for my previous offense."

"Not at all, it was I who was presumptuous."

"hehe."

"hehe."

Both of them laughed awkwardly as they walked to a square.

An Ziyang squatted down and tapped the ground.

A moment later, the floor tiles flipped up, and Mei Qinghe poked her head out from inside, her hand on her sword.

"What's the matter?"

An Ziyang chuckled dryly.

"The Garrison Commander has brought reinforcements, a master from Wudang. Bring him here to take a look."

Mei Qinghe nodded.

"Come in, it's about half done."

The three of them went underground and followed the newly dug secret passage for about the time it takes to brew a cup of tea before emerging from an exit.

The old Taoist priest looked around.

This place is a square about 100 feet square.

Countless Imperial Guards and Tang Clan disciples were busily fiddling with something on the ground. Meanwhile, many soldiers from the Xiaoling Guard were carrying out loads of black powder from several secret passages, the pungent odor of which could be smelled from a distance.

On the gatehouse on the side of the square, a plaque with three large characters is hanging.

"Wang Gongchang".

(End of this chapter)