The Imperial Guards, like Yama, slaughtered until the Empress cried out for help.

Under the setting sun, the deep mountains and forests were stained red with blood.

Shouts of battle continued.

Lin Zikai and Black Dog led the Imperial Guards in a fierce battle.

However, the Embroidered Uniform Guard is still the Embroidered Uniform Guard; a group of people who rose through crooked means are no match for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Along the way, there were dozens of corpses, only three of which belonged to the Imperial Guards; the rest were evil cultivators.

Lin Zikai wiped the blade, which was now covered in nicks and chips.

"How long have we been running?"

The black dog looked at the red sun, which was already half-hidden behind the mountain.

"I estimate they've been running for about an hour."

Lin Zikai's expression turned grim as he realized the worst-case scenario had occurred.

"It's only half an hour's distance from Shili Township to Baiyun County, so the carrier pigeon should have arrived long ago."

"But no reinforcements have arrived yet; the carrier pigeons must have all been intercepted."

All the Imperial Guards fell silent.

As the voices drew ever closer, they understood what it meant.

Lin Zikai spat out a mouthful of saliva mixed with blood.

"Damn it, let's fight him. Killing one is enough, killing two is a bonus."

Having said that, Lin Zikai suddenly sprang into action and charged directly at the evil cultivator in the forest.

Just then, a blood-red figure approached at an extremely fast speed and slammed a palm into Lin Zikai's knife, sending him flying several meters away.

A sinister voice came from behind.

"A junior officer in the Imperial Guard? Not bad."

Two middle-aged men in red robes emerged from a clearing in the woods; they appeared to be brothers.

A middle-aged man in a red robe with a thin face smiled in an extremely sinister manner.

Lin Zikai steadied himself, his expression serious: "The Acquired Realm?"

"Black dogs, one for each of you."

After saying that, Black Dog and Lin Zikai brandished their knives and charged at the two men from the left and right respectively.

The black dog flipped its hand and swung it forcefully, sending a black, spherical object hurtling towards the middle-aged man.

With a loud bang.

The black sphere suddenly exploded, sending out a cloud of white powder that obscured the vision of a middle-aged man in a red robe.

In the next instant, the black dog leaped high into the air and slashed at the head of the middle-aged man in red robes.

But then, a pale hand emerged from the white mist, grabbed the black dog by the neck, and with a slight pull, the black dog found it hard to breathe.

"Die!"

Lin Zikai shouted and charged at another middle-aged man in red robes.

The middle-aged man in the red robe snorted, grabbed Lin Zikai's steel knife, and with a slight force, cracks appeared all over the knife. The next moment...

With a loud bang.

The steel knife shattered into pieces.

He then punched Lin Zikai in the chest, sending him flying and crashing into several large trees.

He fell and was completely disoriented.

Lin Zikai struggled to sit up, leaning against the tree stump, feeling as if all the bones in his body were about to fall apart.

However, there is one good thing.

He's still being stubborn.

"A heretical cultivator is a heretical cultivator. His punches are like tickling you. Are you a woman?"

"You hit someone as if you're being affectionate."

"It doesn't hurt at all!"

The middle-aged man in the red robe, whose face had darkened considerably from the mockery, strode forward.

"The Embroidered Uniform Guard? I'd like to see how tough you really are."

Just as a punch was about to land on Lin Zikai, Lin Zikai had already closed his eyes and was waiting to die.

Suddenly, a dark figure darted through the woods, using the "Free and Easy Step" technique to quickly advance.

With a hissing sound.

Shen Qing's fist pierced straight through the chest of the middle-aged man in the red robe.

The middle-aged man in the red robe lowered his head in disbelief: "What... happened?"

The next moment, a hand also emerged from the other side of his chest.

With a little force, Shen Qing tore the middle-aged man in the red robe in two.

Blood soaked Lin Zikai's body. Just as Lin Zikai was in a daze, Shen Qing grabbed Lin Zikai's arm and lifted him up.

"How are you? Are you alright?"

Lin Zikai snapped out of his daze and felt a wetness in the corner of his eye.

Looking at Shen Qing, who was half a head taller than him, he felt that Shen Qing was radiating endless brilliance.

He seemed to have seen it.

His God.

Lin Zikai wiped his eyes.

"I'm fine, I'm fine!"

Another middle-aged man in a red robe was stunned for a moment, then casually tossed the black dog aside, his face filled with fear.

"Who are you?"

Shen Qing flashed and blew half of the red-robed middle-aged man's head off.

"Where did this idiot come from? Don't you recognize me? Don't you even recognize the clothes I'm wearing?"

Shen Qing was too lazy to keep such a person around for interrogation; he was too stupid, and she wouldn't get anything out of him anyway.

Shouts of battle echoed from the woods as the scholar led a group of Imperial Guards into the fray. With the addition of these twenty-odd men, the tide of battle quickly turned.

The prey has become the hunter again.

Lin Zikai limped forward and helped the black dog up. The black dog lived up to its name; it was tough enough that it regained its balance after a few moments of rest.

Shen Qing walked over and casually flicked his wrist, releasing two healing pills.

"Let's eat first."

"We'll talk about it later."

Black Dog and Lin Zikai didn't dawdle; they stuffed the food into their mouths and then quickly closed their eyes to process it.

Not long after, the two received only simple treatment and were able to stand up again.

Shen Qing told them to heal their wounds because he was considerate of his subordinates, but they couldn't be so ungrateful as to actually heal properly and keep Shen Qing waiting.

Lin Zikai opened his eyes and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Shen Qing glanced at the two of them: "All done?"

Lin Zikai nodded and wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth: "All done."

"Then tell me what happened."

Lin Zikai immediately began to recount the events, and with Black Dog adding details from the side, Shen Qing quickly grasped the general outline of the matter.

People have been going missing in Shili Township recently, and the local government couldn't find any clues, so they reported it to the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

Lin Zikai and Black Dog decided to investigate, and they were lucky enough to capture a suspect and find out where these people were hiding. It turned out they were a gang.

Lin Zikai and his group found their hideout and discovered that it was a group of evil cultivators who were imprisoning many people.

What followed was that Lin Zikai and Black Dog were chased and killed all the way.

Lin Zikai tentatively asked, "Sir, what should we do? Should we report this to the Luoshui Town Government?"

"Asking for instructions? If you rely on asking for instructions to get things done, you'll never get to eat a hot dish."

Ask Luoshui City for instructions? It takes two or three days for a carrier pigeon to travel back and forth. By the time the report is submitted, the person has already disappeared.

Shen Qing casually tore off a clean cloth from the corpse at his feet and wiped his hands.

"Lead the way. I want to see what kind of thing dares to cause trouble on my turf."