In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

The young man wanted his men to drag the person away, but Wu Meiniang had already caught up.

"What did you mean just now?"

Wu Yuanqing and his companion broke free, their faces filled with panic: "Who else could it be? How many Han Kings are left? It's that Han King who didn't marry you!"

"He cut off our fingers!"

Wu Zetian's beautiful eyes flickered slightly as she noticed that both of them were indeed missing a finger.

"You mean Li Yuanchang cut off your fingers?"

"Yes!" Wu Yuanqing shouted, "He even asked us to do things for him! If you kill me, the Prince of Han will not let you off!"

In their desperation, the two brothers resorted to using Li Yuanchang's tiger skin as an overcoat.

This angered the young man, Song Sanlang.

"What are you all standing there for? Drag him away!!"

"yes!"

"Sanlang, wait!" Wu Meiniang stopped him.

Song Sanlang's handsome face darkened. He stepped forward and whispered, "Meiniang, the Prince of Han has abandoned you. Do you still harbor any feelings for him?"

"I only hate him. I just want to find out what really happened," Wu Zetian said coldly.

Song Sanlang had no choice but to step aside.

When Wu Meiniang came before the two brothers, the illegitimate younger sister who had once been bullied was now someone the two brothers had to look up to.

"Explain the whole story clearly."

"You want to deal with us? Why should I tell you!"

"Unless you return all our property to us!" Wu Yuanqing demanded an exorbitant price.

"That's right!" Wu Yuanshuang echoed.

That face reminded Wu Meiniang of many past events, and a hint of murderous intent, rarely seen in a woman, surfaced in her beautiful eyes.

"Do they really think I, Wu Zetian, am a saint?"

After saying that, she waved her hand.

A man in a tight-fitting outfit quickly stepped forward and pulled out a dagger.

"What, what are you trying to do?"

"Wu Mei, what are you doing?"

"I'm your older brother. Do you still want to acknowledge your ancestors and return to the family?"

Wu Mei smiled disdainfully and said domineeringly, "I don't need ancestors, I am the ancestor of my own lineage!"

"You lawless, rebellious daughter!"

"No!!"

"Mother, save me!"

"ah!!"

A piercing scream tore through the sky, sending chills down one's spine and lingering for a long time.

But here, no one will come to save them.

The two women's nine fingers were reduced to eight by Wu Zetian.

About fifteen minutes later, the two unconscious people woke up. The severed fingers were simply stopped bleeding with a cloth, but the excruciating pain continued intermittently.

The two knelt on the ground, sweating profusely and their lips turning pale.

"The thing is, the thing is... he said we bullied you and left you to fend for yourself. That crossed his line, so he cut off our fingers, spared our lives, and told us to find you and then report to the tavern in Zuixianfang outside the city."

"Second Aunt, Sister, please, please spare my brother! I truly know I was wrong."

"The King of Han has already punished us, and you've cut off one of our fingers too, please!" Wu Yuanqing cried, tears welling up in his eyes.

Wu Yuanshuang was unable to speak due to excessive blood loss.

Wu Zetian said expressionlessly, "In that case, I should thank Li Yuanchang."

Wu Yuanqing and his companion dared not utter a word.

Although they didn't know what had happened over the years, they could clearly sense that the current Wu Zetian was no ordinary person.

Song Sanlang, the top merchant in the north, endorsed it.

Those local bullies who had connections and influence were afraid of them and could only act as their henchmen.

The vanished past shrouded her in mystery.

The atmosphere remained tense for a full thirty breaths.

Wu Zetian took a deep breath. The angle formed by her delicate collarbone and proud curves showed that she was no longer the naive young girl she once was.

She has grown into a more mature woman, evolving from an exceptional beauty to a top-tier beauty who possesses a perfect blend of spirit, charm, and elegance.

As soon as she stood up, her longan and phoenix neck were already quite well-developed.

His first words were: "Do you want to live or die?"

The two brothers shuddered, a chill running down their spines.

"We want to live!!"

They had no doubt that if Wu Meiniang spoke, no one would even know if the two of them died. The little sister they used to bully was no longer the same person she used to be.

"From today onwards, you two will remain."

Upon hearing this, Song Sanlang's expression changed once again.

"Meiniang..."

"Sanlang, I have my own plans."

"These two still have some value to me; killing them is less valuable than keeping them as dogs."

They speak frankly to each other's faces without any restraint, disregarding any etiquette or family rules.

Wu Yuanqing and Wu Yuanshuang's faces turned as red as liver, filled with humiliation, but they didn't dare utter a single word.

"Are you planning to use the two of them to spread false information in order to counter Zuixianfang?" Song Sanlang asked softly.

Wu Mei shook her head.

"Neither of them is worth that much. Li Yuanchang got to where he is today because he's more cunning than anyone else."

"I just wanted to use these two dogs to tease that dog!" she said coldly.

Upon hearing this, Song Sanlang smiled.

……

"Archer!!"

Li Yuanchang sneezed loudly.

"Big brother, have you caught a cold?" Cheng Chuliang and his companion poked their big black heads over.

They might be considered naive and impulsive, and they could certainly be described as reckless and impulsive, but they also know how to care for others.

Li Yuanchang felt a little warm inside: "It's nothing, not at all."

"Brother, don't push yourself if you're sick. A cold can be very dangerous."

"Yes, we've been traveling for several days now, and the journey has been smooth. I reckon we'll be at the Great Mengchang military depot soon. You can stay and rest then."

"We'll go back to meet Gong Canjun and the others; it should be about the same time," Cheng Chuliang said.

Upon hearing this, Li Yuanchang was about to say something.

The thunderous sound of horses' hooves suddenly rang out, without any warning.

In an instant, the entire escort team, which was arranged in a long, straight line, froze, and then their faces showed horror.

Li Yuanchang suddenly turned his gaze towards the source of the sound, his nerves, which had been taut the entire way, instantly tensed up, and he almost reflexively shouted: "On the mountain to the southwest!"

"Form ranks!!"

boom!

He drew his long sword, and crimson lightning hissed in response.

Although they couldn't see the enemy, they did see the cavalry with their naked eyes, and it was too late to make any preparations.

In an instant, the atmosphere took a sharp turn for the worse, transforming from a relaxed and pleasant mood into a volcanic eruption.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

"Quickly!" All officers and soldiers turned around and drew their swords at the same time.

The cavalry charged forward, shouting to signal the enemy.

"The enemy is coming! The enemy is coming!"

"Get ready! Laborers and soldiers alike, protect the grain supplies!!"

"yes!"

Shouts rang out incessantly, armored vehicles clanged, and the thousand-strong force was thrown into chaos.

The road is flat and short, but its disadvantages are also obvious: the terrain is low-lying and extremely open, so if you encounter the enemy and try to escape, you're just asking for death.

The only solution is to set up the formation in advance.

This was something Li Yuanchang had planned from the beginning: if Xueyantuo cavalry appeared, a direct battle would be a hundred times better than fleeing.