Hurt my loved ones? I'm not guarding this country's borders anymore!

Previously: I'll make them swallow it down, let it rot inside them!

Outside the dungeon.

The sun was shining brightly, but it couldn't penetrate the chilling, bloody aura seeping from the cracks in the iron gate.

Shen Jinglong stood on the steps and slowly removed his white gloves. A trace of dark red remained between the fingers of the gloves.

That was the blood of that stubborn third envoy.

"Did you all hear me clearly?"

Shen Jinglong casually tossed the gloves into a roadside trash can, his movements as elegant as if he were discarding a piece of waste paper.

The Azure Dragon and Vermilion Bird stood solemnly to the side, their backs straight as spears.

"Spread the word." Shen Jinglong's voice was calm, without any emotional fluctuation. "Say that the 'Nine-Turn Ice Soul Pill' sent by the High Priest of the Northern Territory has miraculous effects, and the 'evil spirit' in Sisi's body has been completely sealed. Although she still needs recuperation, her life is no longer in danger."

He raised his eyelids, his gaze sweeping over the undulating outline of Cangcheng in the distance.

"I must also tell everyone in the city that my grudges in Cangcheng are settled. This wretched place is unlucky. In three days, I will take my daughter and return to the Northern Border, never to return."

Zhuque was taken aback. Although she knew that Commander Long had a plan, she couldn't help but ask, "Commander Long, the city-wide lockdown is still in effect. If it's suddenly lifted, what will happen...?"

"They've withdrawn."

Shen Jinglong's lips curled into a mocking smile, his eyes filled with amusement.

"With the road blocked, how are these rats hiding in the gutter supposed to come out and move around? We're all trying to 'escape,' so we have to leave them a way to get through."

"Otherwise, how do you catch big fish?"

Qinglong chuckled, the murderous intent in his eyes turning into a cunning glint: "Understood! Acting is something I'm good at. Back in the Northern Frontier, I pretended to be a cripple for three months to lure the enemy in."

Shen Jinglong glanced at him, then turned and got into the car.

"If you mess this up, I'll make you a cripple for real."

,,,

the next day.

The entire city of Cangcheng felt as if a depth charge had been dropped into it.

The once desolate street suddenly became lively.

In the teahouse, the storyteller struck the gavel, no longer recounting the story of the Dragon Lord's massacre of the Zhou family, but rather "The Dragon Lord, out of love for his daughter, withdrew after achieving his goal."

"Have you heard?"

A portly tea drinker, cracking sunflower seeds, mysteriously approached the next table and whispered, "That living devil is leaving!"

"Really?" The skinny guy at the next table looked incredulous. "Didn't they turn Cangcheng upside down just a couple of days ago? The lockdown order hasn't even been completely lifted yet, how can they just leave like that?"

"You just don't understand," the fat man said knowingly. "Who is he? He's a dragon from the heavens! He came to our shallows to get his daughter treated. Now that she's better, what's he doing here? Waiting for the New Year?"

"And I heard that it was because someone in the capital put pressure on him, and the Dragon Lord didn't want to push things too far, so he went along with it."

"See that? They started loading trucks in front of Baicaotang this morning!"

The back door of Baicaotang.

A dozen or so black heavy trucks were lined up in a row.

Zhuque changed into civilian clothes, held a megaphone, and was loudly giving orders.

"Go easy! Go easy on me, all of you!"

"That red box contains thousand-year-old snow ginseng dug up from Changbai Mountain! Even if you sell yourselves to lose a single rootlet, you couldn't afford to pay for it!"

A group of laborers dressed as dragon guards were huffing and puffing as they carried heavy mahogany boxes onto the cart.

The box looked incredibly heavy.

But only the Dragon Guards who carried the boxes knew that they were filled with stones taken from the artificial hill in the backyard.

This scene did not escape the eyes of those who were paying attention.

On the second floor of "Jinxiu Silk Shop" diagonally opposite Baicaotang, the curtains were slightly lifted.

A pair of sinister eyes stared intently at the boxes for a full half hour.

Only after the last box of "medicinal herbs" was loaded onto the truck and the convoy slowly started moving did those eyes retract.

Half an hour later.

The back alley of the silk shop.

A gray carrier pigeon fluttered into the sky and sped off toward the outskirts of the city.

at the same time.

Cangcheng Temporary Command Center.

Qinglong chewed his gum, watching the small red dot moving rapidly on the big screen.

"Commander Long, the fishing float has moved."

Qinglong pointed to the screen, "That's a carrier pigeon sent out by the silk shop. According to the tracking, it's heading towards Princess Huimin's villa."

Shen Jinglong sat in the chair, holding a book titled "Three Hundred Bedtime Stories" in his hand, without even looking up.

"Let her pass it on."

"It would be boring if she didn't move."

Two more hours passed.

A black sedan bearing the license plate of the Princess's Mansion stopped in front of Baicaotang.

The person who got out of the car was a middle-aged butler with a fair complexion and no beard, who looked humble and respectful.

"Mr. Shen, this is an urgent letter written by my princess herself."

The steward presented a letter with gold lettering with both hands, his face crinkling with smiles. "The princess heard you were leaving and specially sent me to deliver this. She said it concerns your daughter's safety, and she begs you to take a look."

Shen Jinglong took the letter and gently rubbed the orchid wax seal on the envelope with his fingertip.

"Please thank the princess for me."

The butler left, thanking him profusely.

Once everyone had left, Shen Jinglong casually tossed the letter onto the table: "Read it."

Zhuque picked up the letter, opening it while muttering to himself, "This woman, coming to fawn over me now, it can't be anything good."

She glanced at the letter, and her eyebrows instantly rose.

"Commander Long, this woman is setting a trap for us."

"What did she say?"

"She first praised your actions, then suddenly changed the subject and said..."

Zhuque cleared her throat and read, "I was shocked to hear that Your Majesty intends to leave. As far as I know, the 'Taiyin Demon Seed' is an ancient evil creature that cannot be eradicated by ordinary elixirs. If you leave now, leaving the territory of Cangcheng, I fear your daughter's life will be in danger."

"She said she knew a reclusive master who possessed the true method to break the curse. However, this master was eccentric and unwilling to come to the city, so they could only meet at 'Listening to the Rain Manor,' eighty miles outside the city."

"She begs you to bring your daughter with you to Tingyu Villa in three days. She says this is the last chance."

After Zhuque finished reading, he slammed the letter on the table.

"Tingyu Manor? I know that place. It's a private garden built in a canyon, far from any village or shop. If someone blocks the entrance, it'll be a dead end."

"This is clearly a trap!"

Shen Jinglong finally put down the book in his hand.

He walked to the huge floor-to-ceiling window and looked out at the city gradually returning to its bustling state.

"A trap?"

Shen Jinglong sneered, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.

"She's in a hurry."

"She believed my 'empty city ruse.' She thought I really didn't know that Sisi was the 'key,' and that I was going to take the key back to the North."

"If they leave Cangcheng and the sphere of influence of the 'Holy Lord,' it will be as difficult as climbing to heaven for them to get this key again."

"So, she had to stop me."

"Even if it means exposing my identity, even if it's just a lame excuse, she still wants to trick me into going to that Listening to Rain Manor."

Shen Jinglong turned around and tapped his fingers lightly on the table.

The rhythm was steady, yet it carried a murderous intent.

"She doesn't want to help me. She's afraid that I, this big fish, will escape with the bait, so she wants to lure me to the slaughterhouse that the 'Holy Lord' has already prepared."

"She and 'Holy Lord' are indeed in cahoots."

"Commander Long, what should we do?" Qinglong asked from the side. "This place is definitely full of ambushes. If we really go, we're outnumbered and might suffer. Should we just tear up this letter?"

"Torn it?"

Shen Jinglong shook his head, a cruel smile curling at the corner of his lips.

"Since they've set the stage and put on a show, wouldn't it be incredibly disrespectful of us not to go and support them?"

"reply."

His voice wasn't loud, but every word sounded like it had been pulled from an ice cellar.

"Tell Princess Huimin that I, Shen Jinglong, have thanked her for her 'kindness'."

"For my daughter, I would go even if it meant facing mountains of knives and seas of fire."

"I'll definitely be there on time in three days!"

Qinglong's eyes lit up, as if he had guessed something.

Shen Jinglong walked to the weapon rack by the wall, reached out and stroked the long sword that had never been drawn, his fingertips tracing the cold scabbard.

"Also, inform Xuanwu."

Shen Jinglong's eyes were brimming with killing intent, and his voice was as cold as the wind from the deepest hell.

"Tell him to bring out those 'big guys' that just arrived. It's impolite to go to someone's house empty-handed."

"I want to send them a big gift!"

"I'm worried that they might not have good teeth and won't be able to chew this meal."