The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 451 Breakthrough
Blood flowed throughout the Forbidden City all day long, the rising steam of blood drifting into the air and dyeing the setting sun crimson before falling from the sky and casting dark red shadows on the streets.

In the two side halls outside Donghua Gate, the floor tiles were turned upside down. Two groups of people with completely different clothes and demeanors crawled out of the secret passage and gathered outside Donghua Gate, led by two people with completely different appearances but identical expressions and demeanors.

One group consisted of men with swords and knives, broad shoulders and thick waists, speaking crudely, their calluses on their hands seemingly ground from cast iron, the cracks on them bleeding. The other group wore official robes of crimson and purple, arrogant and haughty, engaging in grandiloquent discussions, their calluses on their fingertips caused by the pen, the lines on their fingertips stained with ink.

Two groups of people who had never crossed paths and had coexisted like parallel lines in Dashuo for two hundred years came together.

As they approached, the officials raised their heads, responding with either disdain or haughty friendliness; while the江湖 (jianghu, the martial arts world) people were much more direct, some spitting in disdain, some showing hostility, and others simply showing contempt.

Upon closer inspection, one can see that these people have slightly dilated pupils and are covered with blood vessels. They walk with a slight stagger, as if their minds have been affected by some means and they are somewhat dazed.

The two clones of Liu Jin merged.

How much of the martial arts world is there?

"Three hundred, officials?"

"Seventy-eight. But Tang Lanzhou has shattered their courage, so we can't use them now."

"know."

As they spoke, a piercing sound of wind breaking came from afar, growing louder in an instant. An Qisheng landed from mid-air, walked to Liu Jin's side, and calmly said...

"Li Miao is awake."

The expressions of the two Liu Jins changed slightly.

"Didn't you do anything?"

An Qisheng shook his head.

"No, either he's not in the right state, or he's bluffing. But I didn't gamble. This person is so strange that I've never seen anyone like him in my life. No one in Yingzhou for thousands of years and dozens of generations has been able to compare with him. There are too many strange things about him... The fact that I didn't succeed in possessing him means that this person's 'sexuality' is also problematic."

"Therefore, before restoring to a state of perfection and repairing one's spiritual cultivation, rashly engaging in a life-or-death struggle with him could very well lead to the same predicament as last night."

After a moment of silence, the two Liu Jins agreed with An Qisheng's assessment.

Indeed, whether Li Miao was bluffing or luring the enemy in, it would be wise to wait until An Qisheng was fully recovered before engaging in a decisive battle.

A slight error can lead to a huge difference. The An Qisheng who has recovered to full strength is worlds apart from the An Qisheng who fought Li Miao at Wanggongchang. Even if he has broken free from his mental imagery and recovered from his injuries, Li Miao is still no match for him.

As his thoughts raced, he heard An Qisheng ask a question.

"How many of you are left?"

This is asking how many more Liu Jins there are.

"Four."

The clone replied.

"There are two here, one from the Divine Machine Battalion and one inside the palace."

"You're dying."

An Qisheng said.

"Since you haven't cultivated your sexual cultivation, it's absolutely impossible for you to cut off your sexual seed. The only solution is to cut you into pieces. The more clones die, the weaker you will become. If two more die, you won't even be able to retain your sanity. If three more die, you'll only have ten breaths left to live."

The clone said calmly.

"That should be enough to get you to Li Miao."

An Qisheng nodded, flew to the top of Donghua Gate, and stood with his hands behind his back.

Both clones turned their heads to look at the crowd.

"In that case, gentlemen, it is time to set off."

"Heading to the Hall of Supreme Harmony."

The Hall of Supreme Harmony is the foremost of the three main halls.

Commonly known as the Golden Palace.

———————— "It's snowing."

An Ziyang lay on the roof of a large hall and reached out to catch a snowflake that drifted down in front of him.

Today is October 17th, and the solar term Minor Snow has passed.

Snowflakes fell on the scabbards, armor, siege engines, and crossbows clinging to the roof, slowly melting and then condensing into frost.

The sunlight had almost disappeared, leaving only a gray-white sky.

An Ziyang turned around and asked.

"Where are you?"

Then one of the worshippers answered softly.

"We've passed Donghuamen Inner Street; it should only take about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea to get here."

Where is An Qisheng?

"If we hadn't changed positions, we would have been escorting those officials and martial arts practitioners from the high ground inside the palace, and we would have passed by on the other side."

The worshipper pointed to the roof opposite.

An Ziyang nodded.

"Understood. Go and tell the Wenhua Hall to prepare for the reception."

He immediately held his breath and focused his attention on the gate in the distance.

Li Miao has already explained everything.

The so-called "resources" are not something that anyone can do or that can do in any situation; otherwise, Zheng Anqi would not have needed to hold that religious ceremony in Nanjing at all.

The stronger a person's qi and blood, and the more suitable they are as "resources." Jianghu people and officials are the groups that best fit these two criteria in Da Shuo. Because An Qisheng's realm far surpasses Zheng Anqi's, his requirements for "resources" are even higher, which is why Da Shuo went to such great lengths to collude with these two groups.

Conversely, if these two groups were eliminated before An Qisheng recovered... then An Qisheng would lose.

As for why An Ziyang was certain that An Qisheng would pass through this place, it's because people in a state of clarity and tranquility are the least likely to become "resources." Therefore, rituals are needed to stir their minds, causing them to fluctuate and unify, so that An Qisheng can use them as "resources" to complete his realm. The ritual in Nanjing and An Qisheng's insistence on taking these people to the Hall of Supreme Harmony are based on the same principle.

Entering the palace through the Donghua Gate and walking to the Taihe Hall, which symbolizes the highest authority in the world, is when the emotions of officials and martial arts practitioners reach their peak, and that is when An Qisheng makes his move.

There are four checkpoints along the way: Xiehe Gate, Wenhua Hall, the Imperial Road, and Fengtian Gate. How many people survive through these four checkpoints will determine the outcome of today's battle.

A thin layer of snow had accumulated on the ground, and the crunching sound of boots sinking into the snow could be heard in the distance.

"coming."

An Ziyang said softly.

boom! ! ! !

The next instant, An Qisheng descended from the sky and crashed into a side hall! The Imperial Guards and Embroidered Uniform Guards who were lying prone on the roof didn't even have time to let out a scream before they and the side hall turned into a pile of scattered and collapsed pieces!

That's right, An Qisheng won't just stand there waiting to be attacked. Rather than passively defending, he'd rather take the initiative and clear the way ahead!
Before the collapsed buildings even hit the ground, An Qisheng charged out again, speeding along the wide road. His protective aura extended outwards, as if he were wielding a ten-foot-long blade, crushing the buildings along the way.

Boom boom boom boom——

Devastating setbacks all the way!
At the same time, Liu Jin's group also stepped into Zuoshun Gate and came into An Ziyang's sight.

"put!!!!!"

The powerful true energy of the Wedding Dress Divine Skill amplified An Ziyang's roar.

Arrows, darts, poison needles, and pellets mingled with drifting snowflakes, raining down on the crowd from all directions, like a black and white rain.

A martial arts expert in the crowd drew his weapon and leaped to parry.

At the same time, An Qisheng's gaze also locked onto An Ziyang.

The next instant, he rushed toward An Ziyang.

(End of this chapter)