The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 420 Result
On the 16th day of the 10th month of the 24th year of the Jiajing reign.

The sky collapsed and the earth crumbled, darkness fell as deep as night, and countless houses were leveled.

Smoke and clouds rose from Wanggongchang, resembling a giant lingzhi mushroom. Tiny iron filings the size of wheat bran fell from the sky, covering the surrounding area for miles. Thousands of houses nearby looked like flipped pancakes, with earth and wood on top and tiles underneath, slowly burning with embers.

Underground, Mei Qinghe slowly opened her eyes.

My mouth was filled with the taste of rust, my ears were ringing, and my chest could only rise and fall slightly, sending a small amount of oxygen into my heart and lungs.

An Ziyang's preparations were undeniably thorough, but he was ultimately a "native." Before today, no one knew the extent of the damage that the black powder stored in Wanggongchang could cause after being piled up in such large quantities.

The secret chamber had collapsed, with only a few stone beams supporting small spaces in the mud, where Mei Qinghe was located.

She remained still, sitting cross-legged and regulating her breathing.

The Gu worms inside her body expelled the last bit of Li Miao's healing true energy, slowly healing her injuries.

After a while, she opened her eyes.

Listen attentively.

In the final moments before the explosion, she saw the old Wudang Taoist shield An Ziyang and rush towards a corner that hadn't collapsed. If she was still alive, then An Ziyang, protected by the old Wudang Taoist, was also very likely alive; she needed to contact them.

After about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Mei Qinghe finally heard a faint knocking sound.

Ding, ding-ding—

One long and two short.

She responded at the same frequency.

The sound of digging came from the soil to the left front. After about half an hour, a hand parted the soil, and then the face of the old Wudang Taoist priest emerged.

"Commander Mei is still alive."

A long, relieved sigh came from behind him.

"That's good--"

The old Wudang Taoist priest and An Ziyang jumped out and helped Mei Qinghe up. Before Mei Qinghe could speak, An Ziyang shook his head knowingly.

"There were no other survivors. If I didn't have the internal strength foundation of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill and the protection of the Taoist priest, I wouldn't have been able to survive either. At the moment of the explosion, everyone was already killed by the shock... without much pain."

Mei Qinghe remained silent.

She was the one who pulled the lever.

An Ziyang patted her shoulder, but didn't say anything to comfort her. Instead, he turned to the old Taoist priest and said...

"Master, if we start digging upwards now, how long will it take to reach the surface?"

The old Taoist priest calculated with his fingers.

"Go all out, for one hour."

An Ziyang nodded.

"Then I'll trouble you, Daoist. I'll heal Commander Mei's wounds. Please proceed with your work, but please pause for a while before digging to the ground... An Qisheng may not die."

The old Taoist priest from Wudang changed his expression.

"Even with that kind of power, he couldn't be killed?"

An Ziyang shook his head.

"Although the commander is willing to fight to the death, he would not do something that would lead to mutual destruction. If he survives, An Qisheng might also survive... It's best to be careful."

The old Taoist priest went to dig deeper, but that's another story.

Half an hour later, the three of them finally approached the ground.

"Listen... there's a sound."

An Ziyang said softly.

The old Taoist priest from Wudang said in a deep voice.

“The sounds of fighting. Anqi survived, and Lord Li also survived... but the sounds are probably similar to those of this humble Taoist. Both of them must be seriously injured.”

Mei Qinghe and An Ziyang exchanged a glance.

"what--"

They all breathed a sigh of relief. "Master, are you sure their fighting sounds are about the same level as yours?" An Ziyang asked.

The old Taoist listened for a while longer and then nodded.

"I'm certain, and the intervals between their attacks are quite long, so they must be at their last gasp. If I were to go and lend Lord Li a hand, it might very well be the decisive blow!"

"Please wait a moment, I'll be right there!"

Having said that, he raised his hand and struck out with all his might, piercing through the soil above his head, and then flipped over and leaped onto the ground.

Mei Qinghe and An Ziyang waited underground.

After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the top of my head became quiet.

The two exchanged a glance and carefully climbed out.

With just a glance, both of them widened their eyes in surprise.

Ten feet away, the old Taoist priest stood there, holding a long sword he had snatched from who-knows-where. His clothes were torn to shreds, and several deep, bone-revealing wounds on his emaciated body were slowly oozing blood. Only the slight rise and fall of his chest indicated that he was still alive.

In the short time it takes for an incense stick to burn, he got involved in the fight between the seriously injured Li Miao and An Qisheng, and the old Taoist priest was seriously injured and on the verge of death.

A little further away, a person was sitting on the ground.

To call him a human would be a stretch.

His clothes had dwindled to a mere tattered black cloth around his waist. His muscular body was covered in burns and cuts, with the few intact areas appearing as black as charcoal. His left arm, right rib, and right cheek were all missing; only a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth hinted at his former valor.

Like a flawed deity.

Upon seeing An Ziyang and Mei Qinghe, he turned around and smiled nonchalantly.

"Xiao Anzi, Xiao Mei."

"Commander..."

An Ziyang murmured, wanting to step forward, but his legs went weak and he was supported by Mei Qinghe, tears streaming down his face.

Li Miao said with a smile.

"Why are you crying? You're a grown man."

"Don't worry, you won't die. Learn from Xiaomei."

Mei Qinghe spoke in a hoarse voice.

"Commander, I..."

Li Miao interrupted them.

"Alright, time is running out, listen up—I'm going to sleep for a while, and during that time, you and the old man will cover for me."

"An Qisheng is not dead."

"He escaped."

Mei Qinghe and An Ziyang's expressions changed drastically.

Then Li Miao continued speaking.

“I have thoroughly investigated An Qisheng’s background… The reason for his unusual state lies in the inheritance of Yingzhou, specifically the ‘sex’ he has separated.”

"He hasn't taken back the 'seed' he cut off and planted in the Yingzhou Celestials, so he can't fight with all his might. I think the reason he's gradually getting stronger tonight is because many Yingzhou Celestials died tonight."

"His protective inner energy strengthened, and the explosion failed to kill him. I fought with him for a while, and we were about to fight to the death, but a Taoist priest from Wudang came to interfere. When he saw that things were not going well, he ran away."

An Ziyang thought for a moment and said urgently.

"Do the Celestials of Yingzhou know about these things? Does An Qisheng have to kill them all to regain his full strength?"

Li Miao said with a smile.

“Zheng Anqi knows, and they probably know too… Hehe, Little Anzi, your brain is really sharp.”

"That's right, the situation has reversed."

“Now that An Qisheng is seriously injured, he can no longer maintain his deterrent power over the Yingzhou Celestials. They will start hunting him down, so he doesn’t have time to cause trouble for the time being... at least not until all the Yingzhou Celestials are dead.”

"They're fighting like dogs; they don't have time to kill civilians right now."

(End of this chapter)