Surrounded by the Imperial Guard

When Chen Ning saw Su Ling'er again, the Thief God had already left the restaurant.

The little girl sat there sadly, her eyes red, looking utterly pitiful.

Chen Ning walked over, ruffled her hair, and said gently, "I'll bring you to visit Senior Thief God often in the future."

"Thank you, Sect Leader."

The little girl buried her head in Chen Ning's arms, feeling a sense of security once again.

"Sect Leader Brother, did you already know Ling'er's identity?"

The little girl suddenly tilted her head up and asked a question.

If she didn't know, why would she have brought me to the capital to search for my grandfather's whereabouts?

"Yes!"

Chen Ning smiled and said, "I knew that a long time ago."

Hearing Chen Ning's frank answer, the little girl felt a pang of panic and said, "Sect Leader Brother, Ling'er has never harmed you..."

Chen Ning nodded. "I know. Okay, let's not talk about this now, let's go back first."

"Uh-huh."

Su Ling'er nodded obediently.

At this moment, several soldiers in light armor walked in from outside, holding two portraits in their hands, and said something to the restaurant owner.

Then, someone posted the portrait on the wall of the restaurant.

Chen Ning looked over and realized that the people in the portrait were himself and the little girl.

At this moment, his cultivation had reached the Eighth Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm, and his eyesight was exceptional. Even from a distance, he could clearly see a line of text on the portrait notice.

The gist of it is that two barbarians from the Desolate Province killed several soldiers guarding the teleportation array.

The crimes are heinous; a warrant for their arrest has been issued.

However, Chen Ning didn't care. Even if he was wanted now, he could still return via the teleportation array.

I kept a low profile and concealed my identity because I was there to investigate the whereabouts of the Thief God.

Now that things are over, there's no need to hide my identity anymore.

But at that moment, the soldiers who had just finished posting the wanted notices casually glanced in Chen Ning's direction and were immediately startled, drawing their swords.

Clang!

"Surround this area; we can't let those two barbarians escape!"

The soldiers blocked all the entrances and exits of the restaurant.

Furthermore, more reinforcements will be arriving later.

The leading soldier's gaze sharpened, but he did not make any rash moves.

These two barbarians were able to kill so many of their brothers in front of the teleportation array.

He is no ordinary person.

We must wait for reinforcements to arrive before taking down the two in Press On in One Burst.

Inside the restaurant.

People are already filled with anxiety.

This restaurant is a luxurious place even in the capital, and most of its patrons are either rich or noble.

Therefore, faced with this situation, everyone was worried about whether they could save their lives.

Those are barbarians from the Desolate Province!

"Brother Zhu, what should we do? If the Imperial Guard and the barbarians start fighting soon, we innocent people might get hurt..."

"That's right, but the Imperial Guard have blocked the restaurant's entrance, so no one can get out."

Everyone was in a panic.

A wealthy merchant bowed to the Imperial Guard at the gate and said, "Sir, could you please let us out to avoid trouble? Here is a silver note worth one thousand taels of silver; you and your brothers can share it."

"Get out of here! Stay put, the Imperial Guard are here to arrest a wanted criminal, don't cause trouble."

The soldiers guarding the gate shouted angrily.

Upon seeing this, the wealthy merchant hurriedly scrambled back to his original position.

"Sigh... I can't run away now..."

Everyone was hoping that when the Imperial Guard started fighting, they wouldn't get hurt in the process.

Chen Ning glanced at Su Ling'er, and the little girl immediately understood, preparing to step forward and reveal her identity.

At that moment, a figure stepped into the restaurant, and instantly, the atmosphere in the entire restaurant seemed to drop by a third.

The newcomer was dressed in chainmail, wearing a shimmering gold cloak and battle boots.

He strode into the restaurant with an imposing air.

This man was none other than Zhao Hao, the commander of the Imperial Guard in the capital.

At just over thirty years old, he was already a powerful expert at the Ninth Heaven of the Spirit Martial Realm.

Moreover, having been through countless battles and possessing immense experience, it can be said to be invincible among its peers.

As soon as Zhao Hao entered, his hawk-like eyes fixed on Chen Ning and his companion, and he said in a deep voice, "So it was you two who killed my Imperial Guard brothers?"

"Hmph! Your Imperial Guard are all a bunch of bastards, so kill them if you want."

Su Ling'er stood with her hands on her hips and said coldly.

"Unrepentant!"

Zhao Hao slowly drew his gleaming silver spear and said, "Since that's the case, I have no choice but to take you two down and use you to pay tribute to our fallen brothers."

Whoosh!

Outside the gate, a large number of Imperial Guard had already gathered.

The force was quite large, and each soldier was an elite among elites. As the commander of the Imperial Guard, Zhao Hao never underestimated his opponents.

Furthermore, the moment he entered and saw Su Ling'er's appearance, he knew what she meant.

It was simply that the Imperial Guard's brother had been overcome by lust, which enraged the two men, leading them to commit murder.

Just as things were about to escalate, a group of guests at a nearby table suddenly stood up.

He walked towards the Imperial Guard.

There was no sign of weakness.

He's clearly not an ordinary merchant.

"Commander Zhao Hao, please make way for us. The three of us need to go out on business."

Zhao Hao said coldly, "Imperial Guard, you're here to apprehend a wanted criminal. Stay where you are."

"Please be lenient with me."

One of them spoke impatiently and took out a waist token. Zhao Hao's gaze swept over it, and his expression changed slightly.

This is the waist badge of the current Left Chancellor.

This indicates that these three men were subordinates of the Left Chancellor.

Left Situ Changqing was known throughout the court for his ruthlessness and had countless followers; he was indeed a powerful figure.

Zhao Hao must be kept at a respectful distance.

So he had no choice but to give up a space, signaling the three of them to leave quickly.

Thank you!

These three were powerful figures revered by the Situ Family, the very same three experts from the Situ Family who had fought over the Marrow-Cleansing Divine Fruit that day.

Just as the three were about to leave, their eyes caught sight of Su Ling'er and Chen Ning not far away.

I was greatly alarmed!

They exchanged glances, and the leader of the three bowed again, saying, "Commander Zhao, may I ask if these two are the barbarians from the Desolate Province you are trying to capture?"

"Exactly," Zhao Hao replied.

"That must be a misunderstanding. These two... are... friends of my Prime Minister, from Spirit Province, not barbarians from the Desolate Province."

The leader of the Situ Family experts considered the matter briefly before speaking.

He didn't know whether the leader of the Dragon-Seeking Sect wanted to reveal his identity, so he didn't want to point it out directly.

That's the only way to put it.

If this trivial trouble can be resolved in the process of helping Sect Leader Chen, it will also inadvertently improve relations with the Dragon-Seeking Sect.

"A friend of your prime minister?"

Zhao Hao narrowed his eyes, pondered for a long time, and then shook his head, saying, "I'm truly sorry, but I cannot release these wanted criminals based solely on your word. These two killed my Imperial Guard brothers; it's a blood feud that I must avenge."

Zhao Hao pointed his spear tip at the ground and said coldly, "The three of you are the Left Prime Minister's men. You may leave on your own, but do not interfere in the affairs of my Imperial Guard. Otherwise, don't blame me for being merciless and injuring you."

Left Situ Changqing wielded considerable power.

However, while Zhao Hao was wary, he wasn't afraid.

Because he was the Right Chancellor's man.