Chapter 575: 8 hours left before death

Chapter 575: 8 hours left before death

Chapter 575: Eight Hours Left to Death (5k)

That night, the people of Jingchuan County hid in their homes and had no idea what was happening in the outside world.

When the next morning dawned, people left their homes and were shocked to find that the flags on the city walls of many towns had changed color.

Inside the Huai'an Palace.

"Father, breakfast is ready. Go and have a bite, or should we ask the cook to bring it over?"

Prince Xu Qian walked along the winding corridor to the central hall of the third house and looked at Prince Huai who had been sitting in the hall all night.

All the candles in the main hall had been extinguished. The early morning sunlight of late autumn shone through the trees in the mansion, illuminating the patio, and a thin layer of dew formed on the flower beds.

The wealthy Prince of Huaian sat in the armchair, accompanied by the elegant and sweet Princess Xu Junling.

The father and daughter looked at the prince at the same time. Prince Huai's tired cheek twitched and he cursed:
"Eat, eat, eat. All you do is eat! What time is it? And you still have the mind to eat? Why aren't you mad at me to death?"

Xu Junling sighed and advised: "Brother is also worried about father's health..."

That night, no one in the palace could sleep.

The female members even packed up their gold and silver jewelry overnight, ready to lead the masters in the palace to protect the female members and break out if the situation became critical.

Xu Junling didn't sleep a wink all night, but the expected fighting and danger did not happen.

As for the current situation in Jingchuan County, the princess is still unclear and is anxiously waiting.

The prince felt aggrieved and dared not say a word. Suddenly, the sound of horse hooves was heard outside the mansion.

Then, the chief treasurer Feng Xiaolian came back hurriedly with several guests from the mansion. Feng Xiaolian was still wearing a nightgown, with a scabbard hanging from his waist. He stood outside the central hall, clasped his hands and said:
"Your Majesty, my subordinate is back."

Prince Huai'an's eyes lit up, he suddenly jumped up from his chair, walked out a few steps, and asked anxiously: "What's the situation?!"

Feng Xiaolian explained:

"Last night, according to your instructions, we went to the various noble families in Jingchuan Town and fought with the rebels. Although there were some twists and turns in the process, it was generally smooth.

In the middle of the night, the rebels on the front line were defeated and fled in all directions. The imperial army had already marched straight in and was now split up to hunt down and encircle the rebels in Jingchuan County.

When I came back just now, I saw that the imperial army had entered the county town, and the flag on the top of the city wall had been replaced with the Beijing Camp Dragon Flag..."

Xu An, Xu Qian and Xu Junling listened to the latter's report in a daze and were all shocked.

The rebels were defeated?
So fast?
They originally thought that the two sides would confront each other for some days, but they didn't expect that the winner would be decided after just one battle.

The imperial army occupied Jingchuan Town much faster than expected.

Thinking of this, King Huai'an felt relieved and looked at his daughter beside him with a complicated look:

If Xu Junling had not decisively chosen sides last night and the imperial army had not entered the city today, the Huai'an Palace would have been truly finished.

"Prince Mu was defeated so quickly? Could he really have been captured and killed by Zhao Duan?" The naive Prince Xu Qian couldn't help but ask.

Feng Xiaolian shook her head and said:

"I came back in a hurry. The entire Jingchuan County is in chaos. I don't know where Governor Zhao is now. However, a great battle did break out in the direction of Baishi Garden last night. The momentum was shocking."

Last night was such a mess!
Even with the intelligence capabilities of the Huai'an Palace, it was impossible to learn the situation in such a short time.

Just at this time, the sound of dense horse hooves was heard again outside the palace, and flags were erected outside the wall.

"I'm afraid the generals from the imperial court are coming." Xu Junling's face changed slightly and he reminded.

King Huai'an took a deep breath and hurriedly led his daughter and son out to greet them.

When we arrived at the gate, we saw that the entire palace had been surrounded by soldiers from the Beijing camp.

On the tall horse outside the gate, Yuan Feng, commander of the Fifth Army Camp, sat in armor.

"Commander Yuan led the royal army into the city. I was just about to visit him, but I didn't expect General Yuan to arrive first." King Huai'an laughed and greeted him warmly.

Yuan Feng stared at him unkindly without getting off his horse. The atmosphere was depressing and serious. He said with a fake smile:
"Lord Huai, please don't move. Swords and knives have no eyes."

Xu Junling's eyelids jumped, and he quickly explained:
"When we were in Yongjia Prefecture, my father had reached an agreement with Governor Zhao. Governor Zhao came to our house last night, and my father worked with him to suppress the rebellion overnight... What does General Yuan mean by this?"

Yuan Feng was stunned, this was something he didn't know.

However, he was aware of the contact with Yongjia City and Zhao Duan's attack on Jingchuan Town.

At this moment, he was not sure whether the princess' words were true or not, but he did not dare to act rashly. After a slight hesitation, he raised his hand and waved, and the soldiers around him put away their swords.

However, the blockade on the palace was not lifted.

He sneered and said, "This general has not received any news. Everything can only be determined after seeing the governor."

Xu Wen breathed a sigh of relief, wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, and asked carefully:
"May I ask General Yuan, what is the current situation? Can the traitor Xu Jingtang be executed?"

Yuan Feng frowned:

"Don't you know? Last night on the frontline battlefield, General Zhao Shixiong broke into the enemy camp alone and killed Xu Jingtang's second son. As a result, the rebels were leaderless and suffered a crushing defeat.

Afterwards, Zhao Shixiong rushed to Baishi Garden, but unfortunately he found nothing and did not see Xu Jingtang. When he arrived, he encountered the evil sorcerer of Baiyi Sect. General Zhao fought with the leader of Baiyi Sect, who was seriously injured and fled...

Now, our army of the Beijing camp is chasing the defeated soldiers everywhere, and General Zhao, as the vanguard, is also looking for Xu Jingtang's whereabouts..."

He briefly explained these matters that did not involve any secrets.

The Xu family father and son were stunned for a moment. Xu Junling stepped forward and asked, biting his lip:

"Then can we see the whereabouts of Governor Zhao?"

Yuan Feng was silent for a moment, then said calmly, "We have just entered Jingchuan and have not yet met up with Governor Zhao."

The subtext of this sentence is:

Zhao Duan and his group disappeared along with Xu Jingtang, and their whereabouts are currently unknown.

It would be more accurate to say that the Beijing army was frantically searching for Zhao Duan rather than chasing down the defeated soldiers.

Both parties disappeared...Xu Junling's heart sank suddenly and he had a bad premonition.

……

At the same time, in a remote alley in the county town.

Where the sun never shines.

Ji Yue hugged her knees, with disheveled hair, and huddled beside an old door frame. The door frame was wet and covered with early morning dew, but the socially phobic sorceress did not move away.

She waited foolishly all night, obeying Zhao Duan's orders and not daring to leave.

Just guarding the two gates.

However, they had not noticed that the flower mark on the Two Life Gate had long disappeared. When the God of Death cast the curse, the magic that allowed Zhao Duan and his party to return to the Two Life Gate had been wiped out.

Under Ji Yue's black hair, her delicate little ears moved, and her white pupils alertly peeked out from her black hair, looking towards the entrance of the alley.

She could vaguely hear the sound of troops entering the city, but they should be entering the city from another direction, which was still far away from here.

She was restless and didn't know what to do.

suddenly.

Heavy footsteps were heard at the entrance of the alley, and then a shadow appeared, blocking the sunlight.

Ji Yue vigilantly took a defensive stance, and then was stunned to see the figure covered in blood, with disheveled hair, a bloodstained long stick on his back, and in his right hand, his arm and a broken scimitar were tied together with a cloth strip.

The man walked towards her step by step against the sunlight, and then his knees went weak and he fell to the ground with a thud, gasping for breath.

"Lang Eighteen!"

Ji Yue was horrified and looked at the old northern soldier at a loss, who was covered in wounds. He had no idea what he had been through, was seriously injured, but managed to crawl back with strong willpower.

Lang Eighteen was panting heavily, blood staining his stubbled face red. He lay on the ground, his face on his side, panting like a cow, and said weakly:
"My lord...there is an order...there is an order..."

……

……

The early morning sun pierced through the mist, and in a desolate suburb, an illusory carriage was galloping at lightning speed.

Zhao Duan leaned against the edge of the carriage, silently looking at the brightening sky outside and the unfamiliar scenery. On his knees was a map.

"Yunfu..."

According to calculations, they have now left the Huaishui border and headed southwest into the Yunfu Dao territory, which is also the base camp of King Mu.

Zhong Pan’s unicorn was indeed capable of traveling a thousand miles a day. It carried them over mountains and across rivers, and within a few hours, they had escaped to an unknown distance.

"Xu Jingtang hasn't caught up with us yet. Is it possible that he couldn't find us and didn't choose to chase us?"

Inside the carriage, Yuxiu, who was sitting cross-legged in meditation, opened her eyes, and spoke tiredly but calmly with eyes full of spiritual energy.

Jin Jian curled up beside her, because during the day, the young priestess entered a weak state, her eyelids were fighting, and she was in a state of half-sleep and half-wakefulness, not daring to really fall asleep. Zhao Duan retracted his gaze, glanced at the map on his knees, and shook his head:

"Not sure, but I think he's still chasing us."

This is both an intuition and a logical analysis.

While fleeing last night, he discussed the strength of Xu Jingtang with three people from the Tianshi Mansion.

Two conclusions were drawn.

First, as long as Xu Jingtang does not waste it, he can keep the power of the God of Death in his body for a long time. If he only uses it to travel, perhaps he can maintain his combat power for ten days or half a month.

Second, if Xu Jingtang chose to go to the front line, he could at most defeat the Beijing camp army, but it would not be enough to destroy the Beijing camp by himself.

Even a true celestial being doesn't have such power, not to mention he just borrowed the power of the gods. The God of Death is not a god who is good at fighting.

Coupled with the old Taoist priest’s deliberate arrangement... Zhao Duan put himself in Xu Jingtang’s shoes and thought that there was a high probability that Xu Jingtang would choose to chase him.

Past experience has proven time and again that if Zhao Duan could be eliminated, the loss to the court would definitely be greater than an army or a piece of territory.

"Xilulu!"

Suddenly, the pure white unicorn neighed and stopped abruptly. The animal stamped its hooves nervously and swung its tail.

Looking into the distance vigilantly, he was actually slowly retreating!

"He's coming!" Zhong Pan, who was in charge of driving, held the reins and spoke in a deep voice.

For a moment, the three people in the carriage had their hair standing on end, staring straight ahead, only to see a dark cloud suddenly floating over a mountain in front of them behind the morning mist.

Under the dark clouds, a black dot as big as a grain of rice stood on the top of the mountain.

The two sides looked at each other. The dark clouds were floating towards them at an unreasonable speed. In almost the blink of an eye, Zhao Duan saw Xu Jingtang, wearing armor and a helmet, running wildly on the ground with bare hands.

Wisps of gray air overflowed from the gaps in the armor, forming long threads that connected with the dark clouds above.

Xu Jingtang's eyes were red, and he could not hide his joy on his face. He ran with big strides, and each step was over a hundred feet.

He chased for almost the entire night!
Zhong Pan's carriage was indeed moving very fast, and coupled with the distance created by the initial teleportation, this pursuit was much more difficult than Xu Jingtang had expected.

During this period, he even thought about giving up and turning back to Jingchuan Town.

But in the end I still chose to catch up.

Finally, his hard work paid off and he was able to stop Zhao Duan.

The corners of his mouth turned up, and he laughed wildly from a distance, his voice echoing between heaven and earth:
"Zhao Duan! I have said that you can't escape! This is where you will die!"

Zhao Duan pursed his lips, suddenly stood in the carriage, half of his body leaned out, and also shouted with a smile:

"Xu Jingtang, you are such a good old dog, but in order to chase me, you actually abandoned Jingchuan. The imperial army must have already marched south, and your second son's life is in danger. I really don't know what you are planning!"

Xu Jingtang was furious. The gray gas coming out of his armor became thicker and thicker. He quickened his pace and said with a fierce smile:
"I have plenty of sons, so I don't need one more. I'll kill you soon. My good niece is so lonely and empty in the lower body. I'm kind-hearted, so I can have a few more children with her!"

Zhong Pan and others' faces changed slightly, thinking, is Xu Jingtang crazy?
Do you think you will be invincible in the world with the blessing of the God of Death?

Dare to say anything?
Sure enough, Zhao Duan still had a smile on his face, but there was no smile in his eyes anymore, only murderous intent.

There is a new red name of a person who must be killed in Zhao Yanwang’s little notebook.

But... not now.

Seeing Xu Jingtang raising his fist and pouncing towards the carriage like a tiger, the banyan leaf in Zhao Duan's palm burst into green light.

Green light engulfed the carriage.

"boom!!!"

Xu Jingtang swung his fist and hammered a huge deep pit into the ground. The soil splashed and countless curses spread.

The surrounding area of ​​a hundred feet has turned into an ominous place filled with curses!

"Run away...run away again..." Xu Jingtang stood at the edge of the pit, his fists clenched tightly, and his joints made crackling sounds.

The sky was covered with gray clouds, lightning and thunder, birds and beasts were dormant in the mountains, and the sky and the earth changed color.

……

Yunfu Road, in a forest.

A burst of green light filled the air, and a pitch-black carriage appeared out of nowhere, with its wheels slamming heavily onto the ground covered with dead leaves. The unicorn was so frightened that its four hooves went limp, and its cries were filled with fear.

After making sure that the fierce god had disappeared, his eyes widened in confusion.

"We escaped again." Zhao Duan looked around, exhaled silently, and then spread out his sweaty palms. He saw that the banyan leaf had become much dimmer, and the remaining magic power seemed to have been consumed by more than half.

Zhong Pan took a look and said calmly, "If we send it again, I'm afraid this banyan leaf will be useless."

Yuxiu, who had survived the catastrophe, bit her lip, looking unhappy: "Once...will we be able to reach Zhengyang Mountain in time?"

"Then we need to locate where we are first." Zhao Duan said with extraordinary calmness.

Yuxiu was silent for a moment, then took out a small compass and began to cast spells to locate the location. Although her cultivation was still under the curse, she could still use some simple spells.

A few moments.

She pointed to a spot on the map: "We are here."

Zhao Duan took a closer look, measured the current position, the position before the escape, and the first teleportation point with his hands, and analyzed calmly:
"It seems that the banyan leaf teleports over a similar distance each time. The direction is not fixed, but it generally goes southwest. Based on our experience last time, if we hurry as fast as we can, it will take Xu Jingtang at least four hours to catch up with us."

Four hours. This is not a comforting number.

Yuxiu shook her head and said:
"This is not enough. If he catches up with us next time, it will still take four hours, and we use up our last teleportation opportunity... We are still too far from Zhengyang Mountain!
Unicorns also need to rest and cannot run continuously. Besides, I am worried that Xu Jingtang will not take that long to catch up next time."

Zhong Pan glanced at her and said, "Do you think Xu Jingtang could have guessed where we were going?"

Yuxiu said calmly:
“He couldn’t have known that we were going to Zhengyang Mountain, but he wasn’t stupid. After he discovered that we didn’t flee north but headed southwest, he should have understood that our destination was Yunfu!
Maybe in his eyes, we are going to Yunfu to destroy his lair. It doesn’t matter what he thinks. What matters is that as long as he locks on our direction, he will save a lot of detours and it will be easier to catch up with us. "

This analysis made everyone feel depressed.

It seemed that no matter how they calculated, they could not escape death.

Even if the old Taoist priest could vaguely predict the danger, since it involved "gods", it was impossible for Zhang Yanyi to deduce all the details accurately.

Therefore, it was impossible for Zhang Yanyi to predict their current predicament in advance.

In the silent atmosphere, the young Taoist priest Zhong Pan took a deep breath and said calmly:

"There is always a way out. Let's keep going. There will always be a way out. Maybe if we delay for a few more hours, Xu Jingtang's magic power will decline."

Yuxiu said nothing, she was not optimistic about this.

However, at this moment, Zhao Duan suddenly dropped the map, jumped off the carriage, and began to clear a small area of ​​the forest.

"What are you going to do? We have to race against time." Yuxiu was stunned for a moment and stared at him.

Zhao Duan sent out a palm wind, blowing away the dead branches and rotten leaves, clearing an area, and turned his head to smile:

"We've been running all night, it's time to eat. Get off the car, I'll go find some prey nearby and eat it. You guys collect some wood and we'll grill the meat later."

Hearing this, the three people in the car were confused and stared at him.

At such an important time, do you still have the time to go hunting and barbecue?

"What are you looking at me for?" Zhao Duan smiled.
"Since Xu Jingtang will take several hours to catch up, there's no point in wasting a little time. Even if you want to die, you can't go on an empty stomach, right?

Besides, didn’t you say, Jade Sleeve Priest, that the unicorn also needs to rest? Look at how cowardly it is. If it keeps running, I’m afraid that this beast will die of exhaustion before we die.”

The unicorn seemed to understand what people said and stared at him hard, but it couldn't hide its tired look.

Zhong Pan, Yu Xiu and Jin Jian looked at each other. Although they thought it was absurd, they still got off the car.

The unicorn's four hooves softened and it knelt on the ground. Zhong Pan took out feed to feed it.

Yuxiu went to collect firewood. Jin Jian was so sleepy that he sat down and waited for dinner.

After a while, Zhao Duan returned from the forest carrying a roe deer he had hunted.

Then, a fire was lit, and the four of them sat around it in the woods, while Zhao Duan cooked himself.

He even took out several bottles and jars from the silver scroll, which contained the seasonings he had mixed himself at home.

When the steaming hot barbecue sprinkled with seasonings was served to everyone and swallowed, everyone's mouths watered and the anxiety they had felt after running for their lives all night was relieved.

"Let's have a meeting. We must find a way out of this situation."

Zhao Duan swallowed the barbecue and suddenly said.

(End of this chapter)