Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 76 It's not like I haven't touched it before (5 chapters, please subscribe and vote)

What did you say?!

At the Incense Burning Pavilion, Sect Master Yi Yang stared dumbfounded at the staggering remnants of the defeated army, hardly believing what he had just heard.

completely annihilated?

how can that be!

The Heavenly Sword Sect is just a small, declining sect. It is called a third-grade sect because that's what people are used to calling it. In reality, none of the sects have reached the third grade, and the only fourth-grade sect is the sect leader, Shen Tang!

For Fenxianglou, this opponent was simply a pushover.

He had already gone all out, even when hunting a rabbit, sending out hundreds of elite soldiers, including three of the third rank, alchemists, Daoists, and sword cultivators; five or six of the fourth rank; and thirty or forty of the fifth and sixth ranks!
They've almost completely drained the fighting strength of the Incense Burning Pavilion. With that kind of strength, how difficult would it be to crush a mere Heavenly Sword Sect?
Even if it were a group of pigs of this grade, let them run around freely, the Heavenly Sword Sect wouldn't be able to catch them all in such a short time!

Moreover, this raid was originally very secretive; under normal circumstances, the enemy might not even have activated the mountain-protecting formation. It should have been a complete massacre...

As a result, all those above the third rank were wiped out; not a single one returned, not even a third-rank expert. Those who did return were all seventh or eighth-rank menial workers…

This blow almost wiped out three-quarters of the Incense Tower's fighting strength!
"Sect Master, it's true!" The disciple who ran back cried, "Elder Chang originally sent Protector Zhang and Protector Qin to lead the charge, but they entered the Heavenly Sword Sect and never came out again, leaving us trapped in a strange formation outside... In the end, Protector Zhu was even killed by Protector Zhang's flying sword!"

The hired protectors have betrayed us!

Master Yiyang understood everything instantly.

How could the mere Tianxing Sword Sect possibly win such a battle? It's because Zhang Shaoyou, Qin Buwang, and others defected at the last minute. No wonder!
No wonder the other side was prepared and laid a trap... This was all because of a traitor!

Master Yiyang felt dizzy and nearly vomited blood in anger. He slumped into his seat and muttered through gritted teeth, "I knew these people couldn't be trusted..."

Yang Dechang, a retainer of the Huo family, stood beside him, his eyes also showing some amazement.

It's truly unbelievable that Princess Chaohuang could wage such a battle; no one would have believed it if I told them beforehand. I wonder how much credit Lu Xingzhou, who is suspected to be the Seventh Prince, had for it... It seems we need to reassess the combination of Princess Chaohuang and the Seventh Prince Huo.

"Mr. Yang!" Master Yiyang said urgently, "Whether it was causing trouble at the grand ceremony or this surprise attack, it was because you said that Prince Jin was supporting us that we did it! Now, what do you have to say about this situation?"

There was a barely perceptible hint of contempt in Edward Yang's eyes.

With such strength, how dare you ask me for an explanation when you were beaten so badly by the weak Tianxing Sword Sect? How was I supposed to know you were such a useless bunch?

He could only be orchestrating this from behind the scenes; how could he possibly be doing it openly? Leaking information about the Huo family or the Prince of Jin would be a matter of life and death.

Of course, he was also afraid that Master Yiyang might not be able to withstand the pressure and would go around shouting that it was Prince Jin who ordered it, which would also be a troublesome matter. Yang Dechang pondered for a moment, but still showed a smile: "Master, you have made great sacrifices this time, as Prince Jin knows. How about this, I will go and report to Prince Jin, and ask him to secretly send more strong people and various resources to support you. You can rest assured about the people sent by Prince Jin, they are absolutely reliable."

Master Yiyang stamped his foot: "By the time you report back to Prince Jin and send more experts, how long will it take? Right now, the crisis at Burning Incense Pavilion is imminent!"

“Even if Shen Tang has incited Zhang Shaoyou and others to defect, he won’t dare to accept them into his service anytime soon. There’s a lack of trust between the two sides, and it will take time for them to gel,” Yang Dechang comforted him. “Besides, offense is different from defense. Your sect has its own protective formation and reclusive seniors. Even if Shen Tang has already gelled them, your strengths are still roughly equal. Shen Tang isn’t crazy; how could he dare to attack so rashly?”

Master Yiyang understood this principle, but the unexpected crushing defeat made him extremely panicked: "Since Mr. Yang says so, then go and return quickly... You all convey my orders: from today onwards, close the mountain, recall everyone, and activate the mountain protection formation!"

Edward Yang smiled slightly and then disappeared.

…………

At noon, a convoy carrying the city lord's flag left Xia Prefecture.

City Lord Sheng Yuanyao, dressed in the official robes of the Demon Suppression Division, led the way on a fine horse. Her fiery red cloak fluttered in the wind and snow, and her high ponytail made her look capable and handsome, attracting the attention of many in the procession.

The team consists of fierce warriors from the Demon Suppression Division. In fact, when Sheng Yuanyao first arrived, many people wondered what kind of work such a young girl could do in the Demon Suppression Division, let alone lead... It would be good enough if she wasn't just a spoiled young lady causing trouble. However, after two months, everyone's impression of her has been surprisingly good.

Although Commander Sheng still has many girlish ideals and dreams in many things, and is sometimes so naive that it makes people want to laugh, her serious and responsible attitude is beyond reproach, and everyone can see that she truly loves this industry.

He didn't care about his position as city lord, he ate and slept at the Demon Suppression Division every day, his mind was full of investigating demon cases, he never acted arrogantly or did anything stupid, and he didn't embezzle a single penny.

She's beautiful, spirited, and full of energy; she's also pleasing to the eye.

If only you weren't so overly curious, and didn't listen to your subordinates' gossip all the time... The other day, Old Wang was caught cheating at his house. What business is it of yours, Commander, to go and watch?

It was a caravan because there was a carriage in the procession, but it wasn't for the dignified city lord himself; instead, it was for a pair of adulterous lovers.

Cripples have special privileges... although none of the Demon Suppression Division colleagues knew why their commander was bringing these two cripples along.

Dugu Qingli wasn't as shameless as the two cripples. She was too embarrassed to get into the carriage, so she carried Anuo and rode on another horse, thus giving the adulterous couple a private space to be alone.

"Is it very good? You're watching it intently." Lu Xingzhou had been watching Sheng Yuanyao riding a horse with a smile behind his back for almost half an hour. Shen Tang, who was in the same carriage with him, finally couldn't bear it any longer and asked this question in a sour tone.

Lu Xingzhou lowered the curtain and sighed, "Would you believe me if I said I was mainly here to admire the snow scenery...?"

Shen Tang said with a sour face, "I don't believe you. You're just looking at Sheng Yuanyao."

"In the midst of wind, snow, and ice, the female knight stands tall and valiant; the scene is truly picturesque," Lu Xingzhou said with a smile. "And look at Qingli, she looks quite lovely in her new outfit."

Shen Tang turned her head and saw that because she was pretending to be a member of the "City Lord's Guard," Dugu Qingli had also changed into a uniform of the Demon Suppression Bureau. She had inexplicably changed from a frilly white-haired girl to someone with a serious and cold demeanor. It's true that clothes can make the man; one's temperament can indeed be changed by one's attire.

"And what about me?" Shen Tang lowered the carriage curtain, her eyes sparkling. "I'm dressed like this too."

The two were sitting face to face. Lu Xingzhou looked at Shen Tang in her Demon Suppression Division uniform, pursed his lips, and subconsciously looked away slightly.

This is terrible! I never thought she was this old before, but this relatively tight-fitting uniform makes her look so bulky. And with that slightly annoyed expression... on other people, this outfit makes them look serious or dashing, but on you, it's inexplicably alluring...

True uniform fetish.

Seeing his slight hesitation, Shen Tang bit her lower lip and deliberately said in a seductive voice, "What, am I not as pretty as them?"

The hugs and kisses in the early morning brought about a slight change in their relationship. Words that would normally get stuck in their throats and feel like they would have to break through certain barriers were now spoken so casually.

Anyway, Shen Tang has now basically figured out Lu Xingzhou's true colors. If the two of them were sitting side by side, he might make a move, but since they are sitting opposite each other, he won't be so insistent on sitting over there, so it's okay to tease him a little.

As a result, Lu Xingzhou bent down expressionlessly and grabbed Shen Tang's ankle.

Shen Tang: “?”

Lu Xingzhou said in a serious tone, "Sect Master, as your attending physician for your leg injury, I have an obligation to remind you that your leg injury needs regular check-ups to prevent a recurrence. Especially after last night's fierce battle, you need to be even more careful..."

Last night's fierce battle... Shen Tang was actually sitting in a wheelchair pretending to be lame and never stood up, so what does it have to do with her legs?

The battle against the corpse puppets in the secret realm was the most intense battle after people left their wheelchairs. Why didn't you mention that back then?

Just as Shen Tang was about to pull her foot back, her shoe was taken off, revealing her beautiful little feet. Lu Xingzhou said seriously, "Don't move around. A relapse of your leg injury is a very serious matter..."

As he spoke, he actually started massaging up his calf in a very serious manner, as if he were really checking it.

Shen Tang was both amused and annoyed. Her eyes sparkled like autumn waves, and her face flushed red past her ears: "I should have known... you're no good..."

I thought that since he had touched my calves for ten days, I would be numb by now... But I was really treating my illness back then, and now he was just playing with my legs. The psychological experience was completely different. I was so ashamed that I almost cried out. I had to bite my lower lip to keep myself from giving myself away.

But I brought this on myself, what can I do?
I should have known better than to tease him...

But after touching it so many times, it doesn't seem to cause any problems...

The poor princess never even considered that she could simply take it back; there was no question of what to do...

Dugu Qingli glanced out the window.

The words are correct, referring to the practice of Huang Ji Jing Shi Jing.

A breeze swept by in the distance, and Dugu Qingli's expression shifted slightly as she placed her hand on the hilt of her sword.

Yang Dechang's voice came from somewhere: "Miss, don't be anxious... I have something I want to discuss with Princess Chaohuang and the Seventh Prince."

Dugu Qingli said calmly, "You can just communicate with them yourself, why are you looking for me?"

Edward Yang was extremely embarrassed: "But... Princess Chaohuang and the Seventh Prince are now... their..."

"Oh, they're checking on the leg injury." Dugu Qingli casually picked a dead branch from the roadside and tossed it into the carriage.

Lu Xingzhou's hand was about to reach above his knee when it was slapped by a tree branch, causing him to pull back as if electrocuted.

Dugu Qingli's voice came: "Stop treating her, someone is looking for you."

Sigrún has taught at the Iceland University of the Arts as a part-time lecturer since and was Dean of the Department of Fine Art from -. In – she held a research position at Reykjavík Art Museum focusing on the role of women in Icelandic art. She studied fine art at the Icelandic College of Arts and Crafts and at Pratt Institute, New York, and holds BA and MA degrees in art history and philosophy from the University of Iceland. Sigrún lives and works in Iceland.

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