The court lackeys of the eight-hour workday

Chapter 635 Running
Outside the capital, in a small grove of trees.

Mei Qinghe and You Ziang ran off in a hurry.

"Aren't you going back?"

You Zi'ang didn't stop walking; he glanced back.

When the first loud bang was heard, the two had already received Zhu Zai's order to go outside the city. Then the loud bangs and flames became more and more intense. With their hearing, they could naturally distinguish the situation from the sound - Zhengyang Gate had been blown up, the enemy had entered the inner city, and at the same time, fighting was taking place in the Forbidden City.

This was undoubtedly an extremely critical situation, but Mei Qinghe didn't stop at all, as if nothing had happened. She even sped up and didn't even glance back.

"You and I can't affect the overall situation."

She said coldly.

"The old commander told us to go find the commander."

"But--"

You Zi'ang frowned, instinctively about to retort.

But then he immediately understood.

Mei Qinghe is right.

The timing of their attack was clearly intended to avoid Li Miao. Judging from the intense activity coming from the capital, it was obvious they had been planning this for a long time; the deafening roar of the explosion that blasted open Zhengyang Gate was almost comparable to the explosion at Wanggongchang three years ago. And since Mei Qinghe and he were both in the public eye, the enemy couldn't possibly be unprepared—the two of them certainly wouldn't affect the overall situation.

If Zhu Zai can pull through, the two of them won't make a difference.

If Zhu Zai cannot survive, Li Miao is the only hope.

Upon reading this, You Zi'ang turned his head and glanced at Mei Qinghe.

The two were recruited by Li Miao around the same time, and he practically watched Mei Qinghe grow up little by little. The naive girl from back then had become increasingly cold, increasingly sharp, and increasingly like a sharp sword.

Especially after practicing her spiritual cultivation and achieving the profound insight she gained, Mei Qinghe's greatest weakness—a lack of critical thinking—was compensated for by a sharp, direct instinct that gets straight to the heart of the matter. Now, Mei Qinghe is the sharpest sword among the Embroidered Uniform Guards, second only to Zheng Yi.

Not to mention her mysterious and uncanny abilities, which are so simple they're chilling.

In comparison... I'm just a messenger.

In terms of official rank, martial arts skills, and mental fortitude, he had fallen behind Mei Qinghe in every aspect. Although the two of them had only been under Li Miao's command for a few days, the gap between them had widened considerably, leaving him far behind... What right did he have to question her decision?
You Zi'ang withdrew his gaze and said nothing more.

He used his lightness skill to its fullest extent, following closely behind Mei Qinghe as they sped forward in a straight line.

The decision has been made, and there will be no more hesitation.

There's no need for any guilt about deserting the mission... Anyone with a brain knows that the journey between the two of them will definitely not be without its ups and downs.

Sure enough, the moment You Ziang's thought crossed his mind!
"Lower your head!"

Mei Qinghe shouted sharply from the front!
You Ziang instinctively bent down and looked down, then saw a large clump of hair fall from above his head. At the same time, he felt a cold and hot sensation on the back of his head, followed by a sharp pain.

A piece of skin and flesh was cut off the back of his head.

If he had been even a fraction slower, it would have been his neck that broke.

Without hesitation, You Zi'ang quickly retreated several steps and looked up.

Under the moonlight, Mei Qinghe stood silently, her long sword already drawn, pointing diagonally at the ground.

"Walk."

She said coldly.

You Ziang was taken aback.

Is she telling herself... to abandon her and run for her life?

The two had anticipated that they would encounter obstacles along the way.

But this is only the first enemy!

How could Mei Qinghe make the decision to let him escape?
But he was no fool to ask why at this moment. Without the slightest hesitation, he used his lightness skill to dodge and run to the side. In that brief moment, he glanced back and understood why Mei Qinghe had told him to run for his life.

On Mei Qinghe's sword, there was a notch the size of a grain of rice.

The enemy had just swung his sword at the two of them, aiming for their waists. Mei Qinghe deflected the attack with her sword, raising the enemy's blade a foot higher, so You Zi'ang only suffered a cut on the back of his head—Mei Qinghe's sword was already damaged after just one block!
The person who arrived was a swordsman even stronger than Mei Qinghe.

You Zi'ang's heart sank, and he desperately urged his lightness skill to run.

He wouldn't be foolish enough to hesitate about anything.

If he can't help, then he must leave immediately. If Mei Qinghe wins, she will save her own life; if Mei Qinghe loses… at least she can't die in vain!
With You Zi'ang's lightness skill, he darted dozens of feet in an instant and was about to disappear into the dense forest.

But at that moment—a chill ran through him.

How did they end up blocking this spot?

The two men immediately scaled the city wall after receiving the order, without passing through any city gates or being seen by anyone. Given their speed, the other party would have missed them if they had been a few breaths slower... So either the other party had been following them the whole time, or the other party had known about their actions and ambushed them in advance.

Whether it's the former or the latter, the other side will know that there are two people on their side.

Then... the other party won't be just one person.

You Zi'ang abruptly stopped, his toes barely touching the ground to dissipate the momentum, and he veered sharply back! Boom!!!
In that instant, a flash of cold light grazed his nose and struck the ground.

A deafening explosion rang out, and smoke and dust billowed up!
You Zi'ang withdrew from the dust and returned to Mei Qinghe's side, back to back.

"We can't leave, someone's blocking the way."

"Okay, I'll kill one and stop one, you go... don't die."

"know."

The two quickly exchanged words.

Then it was abruptly cut off by a burst of wild laughter.

"Hahahaha—kill one?"

A middle-aged man carrying a long sword walked slowly in front of Mei Qinghe, stopped a foot away from her, and sneered as he gripped the hilt of his sword.

"You callow brat, who do you want to kill?"

"Me, or him?"

Heavy footsteps echoed through the dust before You Zi'ang, and an old Taoist priest emerged, his face etched with worry and weariness. He held a long sword with a black body and white insignia in his hand. Without uttering a word, he walked directly to You Zi'ang and stood a foot away, saying something.

"Infinite Heavenly Lord."

You Zi'ang's expression changed drastically.

He didn't recognize the swordsman.

However, one could discern distinct Mongolian features in his features.

He finally understood who his enemy was today—the Tatars.

He recognized the old Taoist priest... not because of his appearance or identity, but because of his martial arts. It was the footwork the old Taoist priest used as he walked. There were few people in the world who could not recognize this footwork—stepping on the Seven Stars, dividing the Yin and Yang, this was the footwork of Tai Chi Sword!
This old Taoist priest is a former disciple of Wudang!
He couldn't help but speak up.

"Does the Taoist priest also intend to help a foreign race overthrow the world?"

The old Taoist priest still looked worried, but his tone was calm.

“Clan feuds are no match for blood feuds. I betrayed Wudang for decades, all for this day.”

Where does the hatred lie?

"The hatred for killing my master."

The old Taoist priest made no attempt to hide anything.

"My master's body is hanging in the imperial mausoleum."

You Zi'ang's face darkened.

Fuck!
The emperor's sins!
No wonder the Wudang sect didn't show any obvious resistance or hatred towards the court, even though the corpse of the old Wudang Taoist was hanging in the imperial tomb... Most likely, after the emperor kidnapped the Wudang Taoist, the disciples who wanted revenge were taken to the Tatars by this old Taoist!
The other party has made up their mind, and we are in the wrong, so there's nothing more to say!
But the old Taoist priest still added a sentence.

"Once the emperor dies, I will go to the gate of Wudang Mountain and commit suicide to atone for my sins."

He slowly drew his sword.

"But today, I cannot let you escape."

You Zi'ang's eyes flashed.

There are flaws.

The old Taoist priest was not entirely without resentment about his actions in helping the alien invasion, which is why he was so frank—it was an instinctive defense born out of guilt.

In other words, his state of mind is flawed.

Breakthrough.

Mei Qinghe, who was behind her, also noticed this and moved her feet slightly.

"Ah."

Just as Mei Qinghe made her move.

The middle-aged alien swordsman let out a sneer.

Is it really okay to get distracted in front of me?

Whoosh—whoosh!
You Ziang felt a heat behind him as a handful of viscous liquid was splashed onto his back.

Then there was a soft thud at my feet.

He glanced down.

That's an arm.

Mei Qinghe's arm.

What splashed on his back was Mei Qinghe's wound, the blood spurting out.

(End of this chapter)