They were now gathered in twos and threes by the roadside, waiting for physicians from the city's clinics to come and bandage them.
"Open the city gates! We need to go outside and investigate!"
A squad captain hurried forward and shouted at the soldiers guarding the gates.
"Without the city lord's written order, the gates cannot be opened without authorization. According to the rules, they cannot be opened for another two hours!"
The City Defense Army guarding the gates did not take this squad captain seriously at all.
A young guard stepped forward, looked him over from head to toe, and asked, "Which unit are you from?"
"Do you know that without a personal decree, the gates cannot be opened right now?"
"I advise you to go back quickly. Otherwise, if we report you, you won't get off easy!"
"Of course, if you insist on leaving the city, that isn't impossible. At the very least, you should leave the brothers some drinking money, shouldn't you?"
As he spoke that last sentence, a meaningful smile appeared on the young man's face.
His meaning could not have been clearer. They could leave if they wanted to, but they had to pay some Gold Soul Coins to grease the palms of the guards.
"Hmph, how audacious!"
"You ingrates, take a good look at who I am!"
At that moment, Lu Zhiyi, who had been riding behind Tang Lan, could no longer hold himself back. He spurred his horse forward and loudly rebuked the gate guards.
"Hmph, so what if we look? Even if Heavenly King Laozi himself came today, he would still have to pay to have the gates opened!"
"Don't think that just because we guard the gates, we're afraid of you Imperial Guards."
Those words instantly enraged the young guard. He