Inside the military barracks, Xiao Yuan sat by the table, lifting her tea to moisten her throat. "That's everything that happened."
In the spacious commander's quarters, Xiahou Aotian, Tianxia Guihuo, Heavenly King Demonic Eye, Zhao Chenghuang, Lingjun, and Fu Qingyang sat together, looking at one another. Each saw the gravity in the others' eyes.
On the very first day entering the dungeon, he had been backstabbed by three teammates and nearly died in the bedchamber, only to immediately face another backstab from the captain of the guards, narrowly escaping death once more.
With great difficulty he endured until daybreak, only for the Zheng family to lead the Imperial Guard in a night assault that forced him out of the palace, his cultivation ruthlessly sealed, flanked by teammates who were either women, Fire Masters, or both.
Even the most nonchalant and optimistic Lingjun couldn't resist quipping, "Truly worthy of a Ruler of a Fallen Nation. Far more thrilling than our side."
Had it been him, he probably wouldn't have survived the first episode.
Xiahou Aotian glanced at the silent Heavenly King Demonic Eye and asked in surprise, "Why haven't you slammed the table and demanded to retreat to the capital?"
Demonic Eye peeled back the corners of his mouth in a grin. "Bewitching Demons aren't Fire Masters. We don't lack brains. On the contrary, we're all tactical masters and strategists. If we retreat to the capital, we'll be stripped of our military posts, charged with crimes, and thrown into prison. Then everyone will be done for."
Tianxia Guihuo replied neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Fire Masters can use wisdom and brains too."
Lingjun remarked with gratification, "Very good, very good. As expected, everyone on our side has brains. Even the only smart Fire Master is over here."
"The ceiling of combat strength on the capital map might not be as high as the battlefield, but in terms of difficulty, it seems even tougher. The battlefield's difficulty lies in martial might, whereas the capital requires brains far more." Zhao Chenghuang swept his gaze across everyone, speaking in a faint, rueful tone, "Yuanshi truly is pitiful..."
Xiao Yuan frowned at this, casting a chilly glare at Zhao Chenghuang. That was an insinuation that she lacked brains.
Just as the thought crossed her mind, she heard Xiahou Aotian's socially clueless remark: "Xiao Yuan, Zhao Chenghuang is implying that you have no brains."
Lingjun toyed with his teacup, teasing, "Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miaomiao grew up together, so of course he'd favor Sun Miaomiao. Mm, Guan Ya hasn't been found yet. If she were by Yuanshi's side, things would be much better."
Lingjun had openly declared his allegiance too.
Hearing this, Fu Qingyang cut in promptly, "Get to business."
If Lingjun were allowed to keep going, Fu Qingyang, as Guan Ya's cousin, would be forced to take sides too. They couldn't let Yuanshi Tianzun's romantic entanglements cause discord and sow friction within the team.
Turning his head toward this mature woman whose relationship with Yuanshi Tianzun was ambiguous, he said calmly, "The method for Demonic Eye to return to our team is simple. Once he swore allegiance to me before enough defending troops, his main quest changed.
"The core of this is witnesses—witnesses with sufficient credibility. Pass this thought to Yuanshi, and he'll know what to do."
Xiao Yuan pondered for a few seconds and gave a slight nod, feeling a great weight lift from her chest.
After escaping the imperial palace, she had rushed nonstop to Linxia City precisely to switch factions as soon as possible so she could lend Yuanshi a hand.
The capital was unlike the battlefield. No matter how many schemes and stratagems were used on the battlefield, it ultimately boiled down to slaughter in combat. The capital, on the other hand, was beset with far too many thorny problems.
Not only were there intricate interpersonal relationships, but also multiple convoluted plotlines, missing companions like Sun Miaomiao and Guan Ya, differing teammate factions, and more.
These things couldn't all be dumped on Yuanshi alone.
Lingjun chimed in, "The structure of the Ruler of a Fallen Nation dungeon is very clear now. The capital and Linxia City advance on two parallel tracks. If either side fails, it will lead to a total wipeout.
"As my proudest student, Yuanshi can handle the capital's affairs. But on the battlefield side, I don't really trust two useless bums like Fu Qingyang and Demonic Eye. Xiao Yuan, you're a Witch Doctor—provide us with some gu poisons and gu insects. Preferably ones with rapid reproduction and ferocious toxicity."
Xiao Yuan replied impassively, "Gu insects with ferocious toxicity don't reproduce quickly."
"Then give us fast-breeding ones. For ordinary soldiers, average toxicity will suffice," Lingjun said.
"I'll give them to you tomorrow morning." Having said that, Xiao Yuan's expression grew somewhat grim. "The enemy on the battlefield is very strong?"
Lingjun shrugged. "An army of four hundred thousand. The commanding general is a Level 9 Ancient God of War."
Zhao Chenghuang corrected him, "At most three hundred and fifty thousand now."
Tianxia Guihuo said, "Over in the capital, the current stage of the quest is to survive for three days. One day has already passed, and the next two days will likely be fraught with peril at every step. Yet the only Saints among you are Brother Red Chicken and the Palace Master of Halting Slaughter, and they're already separated from you. You're sorely lacking Saint-stage combat power."
He opened his inventory and retrieved a carved stone fiend, a stone stele engraved with 'Moderation in Expenditure', a stone stele engraved with 'Universal Love', and a three-inch-tall metallic contraption.
The metallic contraption possessed a square base cast of bronze. Atop the base sat a brass crescent, suspended within which was a metallic sphere composed of tiny brass granules.
Without needing any introduction from Tianxia Guihuo, Xiao Yuan, Xiahou Aotian, and Zhao Chenghuang recognized at a glance that these were consumables obtained after clearing the Mohist Mechanist City.
These four items were Clarifying Ghosts, Universal Love, Moderation in Expenditure, and the Six Domestic Animals Apparatus.
Tianxia Guihuo said, "Items of Saint quality require a price that Transcendent stage walkers cannot bear, but consumables demand no price. I only have four left. Zhao Chenghuang, Xiahou Aotian, how many do you have left?"
He actually had another one called Moderation in Funerals.
However, Moderation in Funerals could convert corpses into yin corpses to fight, making it perfectly suited for the battlefield, so he didn't offer it to Xiao Yuan.
Xiahou Aotian and Zhao Chenghuang looked at each other. "Used them up long ago."
Tianxia Guihuo's mouth twitched. He gave a hollow smile. "As expected of scions from prominent clans. Extravagance and waste are etched into your very bones."
Unlike him, who pinched every copper on every single item and consumable, scrimping whenever possible.
"This is plenty." Satisfied, Xiao Yuan stowed them away.
The next morning.
Having enjoyed a full night's sleep, Queen got up with a yawn and stretched her supple, slender waist.
"You're awake?" Zhang Yuanqing asked faintly, sitting at the head of the bed.
Queen answered with an affirmative hum and smiled. "Guild Leader, awake so early? You're sick, so you should rest more."
Zhang Yuanqing sighed and recited ruefully, "'My cloth quilt has been cold as iron for years; my spoiled brat kicked and tore the lining in his wild sleep. The roof leaks right above my bed, not a dry spot left; the rain pours endlessly like tangled hemp.'"
Queen took a closer look, only to see her Guild Leader sporting dark circles under his eyes, his face etched with exhaustion. Jiang Jingwei's two legs were resting across his belly, her body tilted to the left, her head twisted to the right—her sleeping posture an absolute display of total disregard for anyone around her.
The quilt had long since been kicked onto the floor.
Zhang Yuanqing said, "My already wretched health has been made even worse."
He had hardly slept a wink last night thanks to Jiang Jingwei's antics. If he wasn't kicked awake, he was crushed awake. The brat was probably brawling with someone in her dreams.
"Guild Leader, why don't you sleep a bit longer?"
"Forget it. Today is crucial. There's no time to waste on sleep. Even if it kills me from exhaustion, I have to get up and get things done." Zhang Yuanqing grabbed Jiang Jingwei's fair, tender feet and tossed them aside with a forceful heave. "Off you go!"
An hour later, having disguised their appearances, Zhang Yuanqing, Queen, and Jiang Jingwei bade farewell to the uncle and aunt. Walking down the long avenues of the Southern Dynasty's capital, they saw pedestrians weaving like a tapestry, markets displaying jewels and pearls, and households draped in gossamer and silk—a lively, bustling spectacle.
Yet in truth, with an army of four hundred thousand bearing down on the borders, a large portion of the Southern Dynasty capital's merchants and migrant laborers had already fled.
The Southern Dynasty enjoyed a developed economy. At its peak, the capital could be described as: misty willows and painted bridges, windblown curtains and emerald screens, sprawling over a hundred thousand homes.
Compared to its peak, the scene before them was already somewhat desolate.
They had three tasks to accomplish today: first, seek medical treatment; second, inquire into the emperor's reputation among the populace; and third, scout the terrain to find an opportunity to contact the Yang family.
Thus, the three left the southern part of the city and arrived at the main thoroughfare leading to the inner city, taking in this scene of flourishing splendor.
Lining both sides of the roughly fifty-meter-wide thoroughfare were shops, restaurants, and inns, hung thick with signboards and banners.
Jiang Jingwei glanced left and right in high spirits, fascinated by a horse carriage one moment and drawn to roadside food stalls the next, having entirely forgotten that she was inside a dungeon.
Just then, a city patrol marched toward them from ahead. Carriages and pedestrians yielded right and left.
The general in the lead possessed eyes as sharp as lightning, constantly searching through the crowd.
Zhang Yuanqing pulled Jiang Jingwei aside and whispered, "Heads down!"
Once the patrol moved on, Zhang Yuanqing and Queen exchanged glances. "That's the third patrol. Zheng Wenhan is searching for me."
Along the way, they noticed the patrols were focusing their searches on inns and taverns, their intent to locate someone glaringly obvious.
Queen murmured, "Should we find another hiding spot? That place isn't too far from the river."
Zhang Yuanqing shook his head. "No need. From the pursuers' perspective, we would definitely put as much distance as possible between ourselves and the southern district; we wouldn't stay nearby. Naturally, they'll also search residents near the underground river's outlet, but as long as we head out by day and return at sunset, we can evade their dragnet."
With the Northern and Southern Dynasties at war, the capital was under curfew. Moreover, Zheng Wenhan's hunt for the emperor had to remain strictly secret, so he could only operate during daylight hours.
Most importantly, of the six battalions of the City Defense Army, only two were controlled by the Zheng family. If the Zheng clan conducted a massive search at night, it would inevitably attract the attention of other factions.
Fifteen minutes later, they passed by an apothecary clinic named the Hall of the Sagely Hand.
Zhang Yuanqing led the two women inside. The resident physician was an elderly doctor dressed in a pale robe, wearing a headcloth, his beard and hair entirely white.
There were very few patients in the hall. Two apprentices stood before the counter sorting herbs, chatting in hushed tones.
The old physician glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "Sit."
Zhang Yuanqing took a seat accordingly and smiled. "How did you know I was the patient?"
"When you've already got one foot in the grave, it's obvious at a glance." With a solemn expression, the old doctor extended his hand, gesturing to feel his pulse.
Zhang Yuanqing proffered his wrist.
The old doctor placed his fingers on the pulse, focusing his senses for a moment, and his already somber countenance darkened further.
"Doctor, can my illness be cured?" Zhang Yuanqing probed.
"I was mistaken, thoroughly mistaken..." the old Chinese physician sighed.
Hearing this, Zhang Yuanqing felt a surge of hope. He hadn't expected an ordinary doctor to cure his condition, even if a physician running an apothecary in a bustling market surely had some real skill.
Yet judging from the doctor's words, could there be a turn for the better?
The old physician silently spread open a sheet of paper, picked up a brush, and scribbled away.
Zhang Yuanqing assumed he was writing a prescription, but it turned out to be an address. Staring at the paper, he asked, "This is..."
The old doctor's face was grave. "The address of a coffin shop in the north of the city. Young man, you don't just have one foot in the grave. You're already six feet under."
So that was what he meant by 'mistaken'?! Zhang Yuanqing walked out cursing under his breath.
Leaving the clinic into the bright, warm late-autumn sunlight, Queen said, "I just got the address of the Immortal Medicine Workshop from the apothecary apprentices. The workshop is offering free consultations today, so the city's commoners are all flocking there for free treatment."
Jiang Jingwei gasped in surprise. "With so many people in the capital, can the doctors at the Immortal Medicine Workshop handle them all?"
Queen replied, "Under normal circumstances, certainly not. But the apprentices said the Imperial Preceptor has taken on many disciples, all of whom are skilled in medicine. They're attending the clinics for the free consultation."
Jiang Jingwei brightened up. "Yuanshi, let's go get you checked out! We're in disguise anyway."
"So what we discussed yesterday—did you forget it all, or did you never listen in the first place?" Zhang Yuanqing rapped Jiang Jingwei on the head with his knuckles and grumbled irritably, "Take a guess why the Immortal Medicine Workshop is offering free consultations today. The bait is dangling so openly that only an idiot would bite."
"We have to pass the Immortal Medicine Workshop on our way to the Yang Manor anyway, so what harm is there in checking it out from a distance?" Queen said with a smile. "Oh, right, I also asked about our Emperor's reputation among the common folk."
"What did the two apprentices say?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.
Queen's smile vanished as she sighed. "A scourge upon the country and a curse to the people! They said the Southern Dynasty's five-hundred-year reign will sooner or later be ruined at the hands of Zhao Shun, that tyrant."
"Even if Zhao Shun is a tyrant, how dare two ordinary market dwellers speak the emperor's given name so brazenly?"
"It shows that both the Zheng clan and the Imperial Preceptor are indulging this sentiment."
And so the group continued along the main thoroughfare. After paying an entry tax of ten copper coins, they finally entered the inner city. Walking for another quarter of an hour, they arrived at the Immortal Medicine Workshop.
The Immortal Medicine Workshop was a street-facing, three-story pavilion, bright and respectable. Inside was a sea of people, while a dragon-like queue snaked outside.
Over a dozen workshop apprentices clad in black-and-white uniforms maintained order.
Jiang Jingwei let out an exclamation and pointed at the workshop's signboard. "Isn't that Xiao Yuan's—"
Before she could finish, Queen clamped a hand over her mouth.
Zhang Yuanqing said in a low voice, "Let's move."
Jiang Jingwei obediently followed her two teammates. After walking about a hundred meters, she remarked, "The Taiji fish pattern on the signboard is identical to the one on Xiao Yuan's bronze token."
Xiao Yuan's bronze token was also engraved with a black-and-white Taiji fish.
Queen turned her head to look at his handsome profile under the sunlight. "Consort Ya was placed in the palace by the Imperial Preceptor."
Damn it, you plant one, he plants one—do you take my harem for a public plaza?! Zhang Yuanqing complained inwardly, though his surface remained calm. "Not surprising at all."
After grabbing a random passerby to ask for directions to the Yang Manor, it took the trio just forty minutes to reach a spot several dozen meters from the Yang Manor, where the silhouette of that prominent, noble estate came into view.
Zhang Yuanqing let his gaze casually sweep over the entire street before stating impassively, "Let's go. This street is crawling with undercover eyes."
Taikang Street, where the Yang Manor was situated, was an enclave where high officials and nobles gathered, akin to a modern upscale villa district. Pedestrians were rare in such an area.
Commoners wouldn't casually wander over here, yet at the entrance of the street and along the road, there were several peddlers pushing mobile carts and laborers cooling off by the base of the walls.
Jiang Jingwei and Queen nodded subtly, feigning to be ordinary passersby as they turned to leave.
A spacious, luxurious carriage turned onto the street, brushing past the trio.
The wheels rumbled as the lavish carriage pulled up before the gates of the Yang Manor.
The driver leaped down, fetching a small footstool to receive the noble passenger within.
The curtain parted, and a beautiful woman dressed in fine silks and satins stepped down onto the stool. Her dark hair was coiled high, adorned with gold hairpins and jade pendants.
Her eyes swept across the street, and she said to the driver, "There are many new lookouts outside the Yang Manor. Have the head steward send men to seize them and question them."
The palace expert serving as the driver bowed and said, "Understood, Your Majesty the Empress."
Chapter 856