Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 321 The Standoff at the City Gate
Feng Xiuhu stuffed his already soaked newsboy cap into his pocket and then put the top hat on his head.

The fact that Dicheng was safe and sound put his mind at ease. Now, all he had to do was rescue Shunzi.

The round trip from the upper city to the lower city had already wasted a lot of time, so Feng Xiuhu didn't delay any longer and ran back the way he came in the pouring rain.

The news that the large iron gate at the entrance to the upper city could not be closed spread quickly. When Feng Xiuhu returned here, he could still see many people fleeing to the upper city.

Along the streets, besides people fleeing with their families, Feng Xiuhu also saw people from the church.

The bells that rang in the cathedral earlier served not only as a warning but also as a signal to gather.

The fully equipped Divine Guards and priests are heading to the front lines in the port area in batches.

There were many familiar faces among them, but Feng Xiuhu didn't intend to greet them. As he walked straight past with his head down, he suddenly spotted Mike, who looked deathly pale, in the crowd.

Feng Xiuhu pulled him out: "Where are you going?"

Mike replied in a trembling voice, "Support the port area..."

Before he could finish speaking, the team leader, Yukhu, also spotted Feng Xiuhu.

He frowned and asked, "Father Feng, you were absent from the priests' assembly."

Mike was extremely anxious and whispered quickly in Feng Xiuhu's ear, "Give me a hand! With my limited abilities, I might not be able to come back from this trip!"

Feng Xiuhu pulled Mike behind him and replied to Yukehu, "Elder Findlay has assigned me an important task. I've requisitioned this man. You can go about your business now."

Yukhu looked suspicious: "What important mission? I haven't heard of it."

Feng Xiuhu, hands on his hips, said righteously, "So, the Cardinal Elder's arrangements require a special notification to you? If you have time to point fingers at me, you should do your own thing."

Yukhu didn't have time to waste on Feng Xiuhu. He nodded and said, "I'll ask Elder Findlay about it later. You'd better not be lying."

With so many priests, losing Mike wouldn't make a difference, Yukhu said before leading the priests away.

Feng Xiuhu's rescue of people wasn't for nothing; he was just worried about not being able to find his way out of the city, and Mike's appearance was an unexpected bonus.

Mike was overjoyed to hear that he was going to leave the city—in his opinion, anywhere was safer than Sail City.

He said, "I've never been to the camp, but I know the approximate location of Feiquan'ao."

Feng Xiuhu said that this was enough. Only after leaving the city, far away from the Goddess of Wind and Rain and the God of Mist, and without any worries, would he dare to lend him the power.

With authority, finding people is no longer a problem.

In any case, let's get to Feiquan'ao first.

Just when they thought things were going smoothly, the road was blocked again when they arrived at the city gate.

This time, the people blocking the road were not just ordinary police officers.

……

At the city gate.

Many dignitaries and high-ranking officials crowded together, anxious and eager to escape the city, yet none dared to make a sound.

Because the temple and the church are facing off in front of the gate.

Both sides had important figures on their side. The temple was led by Grand Master Ma Binghe, while the church was led by Archbishop Topherson Zhao.

Topherson Zhao remained expressionless and reiterated his request: "Elder Findlay ordered me to take over the city gates to prevent a riot among the people."

Ma Binghe gave a forced smile and cupped his hands, saying, "It's rare that the Church is so kind, but in the end, the Temple is the true host of Sail City, and the Church is just a guest. In the past thousand years, when has the Temple not singled out the trouble caused by evil gods? So there's no need for the Church to exert its efforts. Archbishop Toverson should go back and rest. Leave this to the Temple."

The two exchanged a glance, understanding each other perfectly. The Church had taken over the city gates to allow the main force of the Divine Guard to enter the city; the Temple, on the other hand, had come here on orders to keep the city gates tightly closed. As long as the drawbridge was raised and the city walls were defended, the main force of the Divine Guard would be unable to cross the cliff to reinforce the city. At that point, the two sides would turn against each other, and the Temple would face much less pressure.

Topherson Zhao remained unmoved and continued, "The place where Grandmaster Ma should be now is the port area, not here—the safe rear. There are no evil gods here, only a group of ordinary people trying to escape the city."

Upon hearing this, the crowd echoed his sentiments.

Ma Binghe's face turned cold: "Fan City is the place where they were born and raised. In history, there has never been a precedent of the people abandoning the city and fleeing whenever an evil god stirred up trouble. So I'm putting it out there: today, you are not allowed to leave this door, nor are you allowed to enter."

Just then, a figure squeezed out from the crowd, cursing, "What are you babbling about? Open the door for me right now!"

Everyone looked over, and Feng Xiuhu, without stopping, had already walked between Ma Binghe and Topherson Zhao.

Mike followed behind him, hunching his shoulders, trying to minimize his presence.

But he was still too conspicuous.

Officials in the crowd became agitated: "Mike! Father Mike! You must get well soon!"

Someone else started shouting, "I can stay! But Mike has to leave!"

"Mike! Live on!"

Feng Xiuhu continued walking forward.

Ma Binghe stepped in front of him, staring coldly at Feng Xiuhu: "Take another step forward, and don't blame the wind and rain for being merciless."

Topherson Zhao was also puzzled, thinking that Feng Xiuhu had fled in fear of battle, and his face turned somewhat unpleasant: "Father Feng, you shouldn't be here."

Feng Xiuhu remained calm and composed. He took out Shunzi's appointment letter from his pocket and showed it to Topherson Zhao: "Elder Findlay ordered me to go to Feiquan'ao Camp immediately to bring Shunzi back. The agent has a more important task today."

Topherson Zhao didn't believe it at all, but Feng Xiuhu ignored him—Topherson Zhao was the one who wanted to open the door, so whether Feng Xiuhu could leave or not was not up to him.

We need to get Ma Binghe on board.

So he turned directly to Ma Binghe, his back to Topherson Zhao, and Feng Xiuhu pulled out the VIP card for the Fengqing Yuyun Nightclub from his sleeve: "Do you recognize this? Old Man Wan gave it to me."

Ma Binghe glanced down, a glint of light flashing in his eyes.

Having made up his mind, Feng Xiuhu immediately took back the VIP card and said in a low voice, "I'll just go out with the two of us. It won't interfere with your argument with Topherson Zhao."

Ma Binghe hesitated for a moment, then silently stepped aside to make way.

Topherson Zhao was stunned, then shouted, "Feng Xiuhu!"

Feng Xiuhu ignored him completely and led Mike quickly toward the city gate.

Topherson Zhao then looked at Ma Binghe: "What did he say to you?"

Ma Binghe snorted coldly and did not answer. He raised his hand and shouted, "Close the city gates! No one may enter or leave immediately."

He glanced at Toverson and coldly ordered, "All disciples, listen to my command—anyone who trespasses through the city gates will be killed without mercy."

At this point, there is no room for further negotiation.

Topherson Zhao tapped the ground lightly with his scepter, and a thick fog immediately rose and spread.

"Follow the guidance of the fog... Believers, the time has come to prove your piety."

P.S.: I apologize to everyone. There was indeed a reason for the delay. I've been busy taking care of my child these past few days and can only write in short bursts of free time, which has been very painful. That's why I've been late with updates. I'll be back to normal in a few days.

(End of this chapter)