Empress, please lay down your armor, for I will save the world with a single sword!

Before Wu Liang could think it through,

A muffled groan came from beside him. He jolted back to his senses.

Turning his head,

Holy crap! He was scared out of his wits.

That female spy with the yellow badge, somehow managed to sneak up on us without a sound!

This woman had a very clear objective; ignoring everyone else, she charged straight at Jiang Qingluan, who was locked in a fierce battle with the commander of the Black-Clad Guards. Her long, gleaming whip was less than half a foot away from Jiang Qingluan's lower back!

"Oh shit!"

Wu Liang's eyes instantly turned bloodshot, and he exerted every ounce of strength he had. He frantically circulated the internal energy of the Longevity Technique within his body, pushing the Amazing Dragon Step to its limit.

"Whoosh—!"

He became a blurry afterimage, shooting past almost skimming the ground. He was so fast that he felt the scenery on either side of him stretch and distort.

Just before the long whip in the yellow-lettered spy's hand was about to touch Jiang Qingluan's back clothes.

Wu Liang lunged forward, his arm encircling Jiang Qingluan's waist tightly. Using the momentum, he rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow.

"Walk!"

Wu Liang ignored the pain, let out a low roar, and exerted force with his arms, almost half-carrying and half-dragging Jiang Qingluan up, desperately using the Amazing Dragon Step.

run!

Run as fast as you can!!

The exquisite beauty of the "Soaring Dragon Steps" was on full display at this moment. The steps were unpredictable and the turns were extremely fast. He dodged left and right on the uneven ground and actually widened the distance for a while.

"Chase!"

Behind them, the commander of the black-clad guards and the secret agent with the yellow name on his body roared at almost the same time, leaping up and quickly chasing after them.

Both were highly skilled, and their speed was by no means slow.

Further away,

Pei Hongye, who was fighting two spies, Di and Xuan, with her spear moving like a dragon, caught a glimpse of the change in this situation out of the corner of her eye. She shouted and her spear burst out with a dazzling red light, forcing her opponents back. Without hesitation, she abandoned the battle and chased after Wu Liang and Jiang Qingluan.

A three-way chase unfolded in this desolate suburb.

Wu Liang's initial burst of speed, covering several dozen feet, was truly impressive; his "Soaring Dragon Step" was indeed worthy of being a reward for the Five-Colored Entries.

This lightness skill is extremely fast, enough to rank it among the top in the martial arts world.

But problems soon arose. He had only reached the second level of the Longevity Technique, and the little internal energy in his dantian was like a small puddle. How could it withstand such reckless squandering?

He had run less than a hundred paces when he felt as if his legs were filled with lead, his chest was burning, his internal energy was sluggish, and his speed visibly slowed down.

The sound of wind rushing past behind me grew closer and closer!

"Why have you stopped running?!"

With a sharp shout, the yellow-lettered spy caught up first. With a flick of her wrist, the soft whip coiled like a serpent, instantly straightening and transforming into a sharp whip shadow with a piercing whistle, lashing fiercely at Wu Liang's back.

Wu Liang's hair stood on end, and he suddenly twisted to the right while holding Jiang Qingluan.

"Snapped!"

The whip grazed his left arm, struck the ground, kicked up a cloud of dust, and left a deep groove.

The strong wind stung his cheeks.

"Cough...cough cough..."

Jiang Qingluan, who was in his arms, coughed up another mouthful of blood, her face turning deathly pale.

She looked at Wu Liang's twisted and flushed face, sweat mixed with blood and mud dripping down, and his eyes, which always gleamed with snobbery or lechery, now held only a fierce determination that refused to admit defeat.

Her lips moved, and she sighed, "Wu Liang... you've done your best. Put me down... go on your own."

"fart!"

Wu Liang stared intently at the approaching city of Beiyong, cursing irritably, "They've already come all this way! We're almost inside! And now you're going to be let down? All that suffering I endured before was for nothing!"

He was panting heavily as he dodged another whip-like attack from behind. "You still owe me 21,000 taels of gold! Gold! If you die, I'll go ask the King of Hell for it!"

Jiang Qingluan was speechless with anger at his words, but the corners of her mouth curved slightly before being replaced by excruciating pain.

She leaned against Wu Liang's violently heaving chest and could hear his heart pounding like a drum.

Her vision was blurry, and she murmured to herself, "I...I won't kill you..."

"Huh? What did you say?"

Wu Liang was so focused on dodging the whip that all he could hear was the sound of the wind, and he didn't hear it at all.

A blush suddenly appeared on Jiang Qingluan's pale face.

She took a breath, raised her voice slightly, and said very seriously, "My name is not Zhou Jiu'er."

Wu Liang paused, almost tripping.

"My name is Jiang Qingluan." She looked at his profile, so close to hers, sweat dripping down his temples. "I am the Ninth Princess of the Great Zhou Dynasty."

"Wu Liang," she said softly and gently, "thank you... for helping me all the way."

Wu Liang forced a bitter smile that looked worse than crying.

I fucking knew that already!

Do you need to tell me now?

Wu Liang, you're such an idiot!

How pedantic! How womanly!

If I leave her now, I can definitely slip away with my amazing agility. The two guys behind me are after her, not me.

But... I'm just not willing to accept it!

Beiyong City is just ahead!

The flags on the city gate tower are now clearly visible!

As long as you rush in, rush through that door, you'll be safe!

Pei Hongye is chasing after us, and the Great Snow Dragon Riders might be able to escape and catch up... Giving up now? Wouldn't that be a complete failure?

"Damn it... I'll risk it!"

A ruthless glint flashed in Wu Liang's eyes. Without further hesitation, he gritted his teeth and forcefully activated the last bit of pitiful internal energy in his dantian, squeezing it out without even considering whether his meridians could withstand it!

"puff--!"

A surge of blood rushed to his throat, and he couldn't control it. He spat out a mouthful of blood, which splattered all over Jiang Qingluan's face, warm and salty.

"you!"

Jiang Qingluan was stunned. She could feel the disordered qi and blood in Wu Liang's body and said urgently, "Don't force yourself! You'll damage your foundation! You'll find it hard to make any progress on your martial arts path in the future! Let me go... I beg you..."

The last three words

So softly it was almost inaudible, yet it carried a sorrow never before felt.

"Shut up!!!"

Wu Liang roared furiously, his eyes bloodshot, ignoring everything else.

He forcefully activated his internal energy, which made him move a fraction faster, but he was still a beat too slow.

"Smack!—"

The long whip followed him relentlessly, and this time he couldn't dodge it.

The long whip struck Wu Liang squarely on the back, instantly tearing his skin and drawing blood. The pain nearly made Wu Liang faint.

"hiss--"

Wu Liang's face contorted in pain as he cursed, "If I don't die today, I'll definitely capture you, you filthy woman, and beat you a hundred times a day!"

"With your pathetic skills, you dare to spout such nonsense? I'll teach you a lesson today!" Huang Zimi sneered from behind.

Wu Liang reached into his robes with one hand, pulled out a porcelain bottle, bit off the stopper with his teeth, tilted his head back, and poured all the pills inside into his mouth.

As soon as the medicine took effect, a warm current surged through my dry and painful meridians, making me feel much better.

He frantically channeled his inner energy again, and his speed suddenly increased once more.

As he ran faster, he started being sarcastic again, "You old hag! Why don't you catch up with your dad then!"

The female spy with the yellow letter was furious.

This kid's martial arts skills aren't great, but his lightness skill is really something else!

As she drew closer to the city gate, a fierce glint flashed in her eyes. Her body twisted strangely, and her hand suddenly struck the Xuan Yi Guard commander beside her, who was also giving chase.

"You?!" Qianhu was shocked and instinctively blocked with his backhand.

"Bang!"

As the two forces collided, the yellow-lettered secret agent used the recoil to propel himself forward like a slingshot, his speed suddenly increasing dramatically!

In an instant, it covered several meters and caught up with Wu Liang in the blink of an eye!

"Leave it here for me!"

The whip flashed like a venomous dragon emerging from its cave, carrying all her hatred and killing intent as it lashed down fiercely!

This time, Wu Liang could no longer dodge. He used all his strength to run forward, leaving his back wide open.

"Smack—!!!"

A sickeningly crisp sound!

Wu Liang felt as if his back had been branded by a red-hot iron bar. The excruciating pain exploded, and his vision went black. He and Jiang Qingluan in his arms were thrown forward by the force and crashed heavily to the ground, rolling several times before coming to a stop.

Dust flew everywhere.

Wu Liang lay on the ground, his back burning with pain.

He struggled to get up, but felt as if all his bones were falling apart, and his throat was filled with the taste of blood.

The yellow-robed agent landed lightly, standing a few steps away, his soft whip flicking slightly. Looking at the two disheveled figures on the ground, he sneered coldly, "Running away? You think you're so fast? Run, you bastard!!"

With a flick of her wrist, the whip shot up, aimed at Wu Liang's head.

If that blow lands squarely, his head will definitely crack open.

Wu Liang let out a silent wail...

It’s over.

This is really the end.

Damn it...

As Lu Xun said, women... only slow down my speed of drawing my sword!

He resignedly closed his eyes, but his arms still instinctively pulled the already weak Jiang Qingluan under his body to protect her.

Having such a beautiful princess accompany him to the underworld wouldn't be a bad deal.

……