Dusk closed in over Luo Qingge's retreat outside Chang'an City.
Among the wooded hills outside, figures flickered and blades gleamed faintly.
Guo Yuanzhen stood on a slope, looking down at the little courtyard nestled between mountain and water. The autumn wind stirred the bamboo shadows, and the subtle fragrance of osmanthus drifted through the air. Everything seemed as peaceful as ever.
Behind him, Guo An waited in formation with a hundred household soldiers.
Every man wore armor and held a blade or spear, bristling with killing intent.
Farther out, armored soldiers of the Golden Scale Guards scattered through the woods, surrounding the entire courtyard so tightly that not even water could seep through.
Their leader was a burly man wielding a pair of pitch-black maces: Yue Zhenyuan, formerly the chief Attendant at Prince Xiang's Residence. His Five Peaks Demon-Subduing Mace Technique had shone brilliantly during Empress Wei's rebellion. Tonight, he had personally brought the Golden Scale Guards' "rebel" death warriors to lend their strength.
Xu Xiao and Xu Chi stood on the other side. Behind them were the two suits of Automaton Armor, Siming and Shangsheng, one silvery white and the other lustrous white, glimmering coldly in the dusk.
Guo Yuanzhen's gaze lingered on Xu Xiao's face before sweeping over the two suits of Automaton Armor, and his heart steadied a little. With so many men and so many experts, and Lu Changfeng already inside the formation, even three heads and six arms could not save him tonight!
He drew a deep breath and swept his hand forward.
"Attack!"
As the command fell, Guo An charged first, his hundred household soldiers surging toward the retreat like a tide.
The armored Golden Scale Guards closed in from every direction, with Yue Zhenyuan leading the charge, both maces in hand, his momentum