The demon army passed through

The stunningly beautiful woman in the white dress smiled slightly, "Why don't you try to find out where the King of Zhenbei slaughtered three thousand miles of people?"

The man with the blurred face shook his head and said helplessly, "These past few days, I've traveled to every corner of Chuzhou, observing the aura of destiny, but I still haven't found the location where the Prince of Zhenbei slaughtered countless lives. But the secrets of heaven tell me that it is in Chuzhou."

The woman in the white dress suppressed her alluring charm, her long, straight eyebrows furrowing slightly as she pondered:

"He's racing against time. Once the Essence Blood is refined, it will be too late for us to stop him. At that point, the only way to stop the Prince of Zhenbei from advancing to the second rank is to kill Mu Nanzhi."

"However, Mu Nanzhi is with that kid. If you want to kill him, you Warlock do it yourselves. Heh, being resented by someone with great fortune is very bad for your luck."

"By the way, do you think the Supervisor knows about the Prince of Zhenbei's scheme? If he does, why is he so indifferent? I suddenly suspect that the Supervisor is secretly pushing Mu Nanzhi and Xu Qi'an together."

The man in white sneered, "You can keep guessing. Once you figure out his plan, Heaven will sense it, and the Supervisor will come. I'll definitely find a way to escape. As for you, you can forget about getting your tail."

The woman in the white dress was indeed wary and didn't say anything more about the matter of the supervisor.

"Three days. We must find the location of the Northern King's massacre within three days, or everything will be set in stone," the woman in the white dress said thoughtfully.

I have an idea.

The Warlock, whose true form remained hidden, gazed at the distant mountains and rivers, and continued, "Xu Qi'an?"

"Yes and no." She smiled faintly, stroking the soft, long fur of the six-tailed white fox, and said:

"You believe Xu Qi'an's great fortune can guide us, which is indeed a good idea. But my thought is that everyone seems to have overlooked Wei Yuan. He is the only strategist who can hold his own against the Supervisor on the chessboard. Why don't we keep an eye on the delegation?"

The man in white scoffed, "Since you know he can fight the Supervisor to a draw, you should know the delegation is just a pretext. I have never underestimated Wei Yuan; I just couldn't gauge his attitude on this matter."

"Wei Yuan is a national hero and a rare military genius. He doesn't approach problems from a simple good-or-evil perspective. If the Prince of Zhenbei is promoted to the second rank, the Great Feng will be worry-free, and he can even suppress the barbarians to the point of being unable to breathe."

"Over the years, Wei Yuan has been both embroiled in court struggles and trying to mend the increasingly weakened empire. He must have hoped to see the Prince of Zhenbei promoted."

"But the actions of the Prince of Zhenbei have crossed the line. Whether Wei Qingyi tacitly approves of it or secretly stabs the Prince of Zhenbei in the back, even the Prince of Zhenbei himself probably doesn't know."

At this point, the white-robed Warlock sneered, "That fool is still heading west."

The woman in the white dress gently tossed the six-tailed white fox from her arms and whispered, "Go and inform the demons to quickly enter Chu Prefecture, gather in the mountains and forests, and await orders."

The petite and adorable white fox fell off the cliff. During the fall, its body swelled up, and its round, fluffy body stretched out, transforming in an instant into a giant fox ten feet long. Its body lines were smooth, its limbs were strong and powerful, and its tail behind it resembled a peacock spreading its tail feathers.

It galloped on all fours, moving through the void as if on flat ground, and quickly disappeared into the distance.

On his journey west, Xu Qi'an dozed off in the cool shade of a tree. In his dream, he was in bed with a stunningly beautiful woman, and a young general in white robes was leading thousands of troops in and out of battle seven times.

"Call"

Xu Qi'an opened his eyes. The shadows of the trees swayed, and the light was dappled. The beauty in his dream gradually overlapped with the princess who had appeared briefly that night.

This left him unsure whether it was because he hadn't been to the Imperial Academy of Music for too long, or because the princess's charm was too strong.

This woman is like poison; once you see her, you can't forget her.

Thinking of this, he turned his head and looked at the princess leaning against the tree trunk, dozing off with her head tilted to the side, and her plain-looking face. Xu Qi'an's heart immediately became clear as ice, and he was not alarmed even if the sky were to fall.

A unique kind of sage-like moment welled up inside me.

"Hey, get up."

Xu Qi'an woke the princess, and seeing her open her drowsy eyes, urged her:

"We should be able to reach the next city before lunchtime. Let's improve our meals and see if we can kill a few more barbarians or your husband's spies."

The princess frowned, clearly displeased to hear the words "your husband," and rolled her eyes with a snort.

When Xu Qi'an squatted down, she obediently lay down on him.

The princess, after a moment of haughtiness, wrapped her arms around his neck, refusing to look at the rapidly receding scenery, and whispered with her head down:

"Hey, can you beat the Prince of Huai? What are your plans to do against him?"

Although she was attracted by his charisma at the moment, the princess was still able to face reality and was very curious about how Xu Qi'an would deal with the Prince of Zhenbei.

If Xu Qi'an said: I intend to kill the Prince of Zhenbei with one blow.

So she decided to try and persuade him not to do something as foolish as courting death.

Xu Qi'an said irritably, "I'm going to stab his wife, white knife in, green knife out."

"?"

The princess was momentarily stunned, then suddenly realized what was happening. Her eyebrows furrowed, and she clenched her fist and smacked him on the head.

Duang, duang, duang!

We fought all the way.

Chuzhou Guard.

Yang Yan, accompanied by Imperial Censor Liu, stopped outside the military camp, which was not a tent in the usual sense.

Apart from living in tents during marches, troops stationed in various locations have their own barracks, which are no different from ordinary civilian houses.

Normally, the number of guards in a state capital is between five and six thousand. The number of guards in a border state capital is between ten thousand and twenty thousand.

In cities like Chuzhou, which are close to the border, the number of guards, including those increased by Prince Zhenbei, reached 36,000.

These 36,000 men are troops that the Prince of Zhenbei can directly control in a short period of time. As for the garrisons in various parts of Chuzhou, the Prince of Zhenbei, as the General of Chuzhou, can also control them, but it requires a certain procedure.

The seal of the Commander-in-Chief of Chuzhou!

Yang Yan and Imperial Censor Liu sat on horseback, basking in the scorching sun for an hour; even the horses beneath them were snorting from the heat.

Liu, the Imperial Censor, lay listlessly on his horse, his lips cracked and dry. He said weakly, "Yang Jinluo, let's go back first. I'm practically dried into a dried-up corpse."

Just then, a guard stepped forward, his hand on the hilt of his sword, and announced loudly, "The Commander-in-Chief invites you both inside."

Liu, the Imperial Censor, breathed a sigh of relief, as if he had collapsed from exhaustion, and tumbled and scrambled off his horse.

The two followed the guards into the military camp, passing through barracks, until they arrived at a large courtyard with two sections.

Upon entering the compound, they met Que Yongxiu, the Commander-in-Chief of Chuzhou and Duke of Protector of the State, in the reception room.

Que Yongxiu had an extremely handsome appearance, with striking features and a short beard. However, he was blind in one eye, and his remaining single eye had a sharp and arrogant gaze.

He sat upright in the large chair, holding a teacup in his hand, his single eye coldly staring at Yang Yan: "Isn't this Wei Yuan's adopted son? What are you doing in my camp?"

The term "adopted son" carries a slightly sarcastic connotation.

Yang Yan, with his expressionless face, naturally wouldn't get angry. Without even blinking, he calmly said, "Investigate the case."

Que Yongxiu asked knowingly, "What case are you investigating?"

Yang Yan said coldly, "After slaughtering across three thousand miles, I want to see the records of the Chuzhou guards leaving their camp."

The reason for starting the investigation with the Chuzhou Guards was that the delegation would naturally have to come to Chuzhou City first upon arriving at the northern border, following the principle of proximity. Furthermore, the 36,000 soldiers of the Chuzhou Guards were all trusted confidants of the Prince of Zhenbei.

It was also the main force of Chuzhou's army.

The barbarians slaughtered across three thousand miles, so the King of Zhenbei would definitely have to send troops to fight. The camp departure records would serve as evidence. The mobilization of troops is a complicated task.

It's not like you can just leave camp whenever you want; the corresponding supplies, equipment, and so on are all traceable.

Given the Prince of Zhenbei's control over Chuzhou City, he might not leave any clues, but an investigation is still necessary; otherwise, the delegation will be stuck in the post station drinking tea and sleeping.

"What 'bloody slaughter across three thousand miles'!"

Que Yongxiu slammed his fist on the table and stood up, startling Imperial Censor Liu.

The Duke of Protectorate strode up to Yang Yan, pointed his finger at him, and began to curse, "I have followed the Prince of Zhenbei and guarded Chuzhou for more than ten years. You think you can just investigate me because I am the adopted son of this eunuch Wei?"

Yang Yan didn't respond, staring at him expressionlessly.

"While I was fighting on the front lines and guarding the border, you were all lying in bed with beautiful women in the capital. Now you come to me talking about slaughtering three thousand miles of enemies? Bah! Go back and tell Wei Yuan, tell those pedantic scholars who only know how to wield their pens, that they're dreaming if they think they can frame me and the Prince of Huai."

Duke Que Yongxiu, the Protector of the Nation, sneered, "Now, go back to where you came from."

Imperial Censor Liu flew into a rage, pointing at Que Yongxiu and shouting, "Duke Protector of the Nation, we are here by imperial decree to investigate this case. How dare you disobey?"

Que Yongxiu said with a forced smile, "After Censor Liu returns to the capital, he is free to impeach me."

That's just how arrogant they are.

Censor Liu's cheek muscles twitched with rage, yet he was powerless to do anything about it. He was neither the presiding official nor the governor, and had no authority to deal with the Duke of Protectorate.

It was even more impossible for them to confront the other side head-on in Chuzhou; they didn't have the resources. All they could do was return to the capital and impeach the Duke of Protectorate.

Let's go!

Yang Yan turned around, intending to leave.

"."

Imperial Censor Liu was furious. He had been standing outside in the scorching sun for an hour, suffering terribly. He finally managed to get into the military camp, only to find that they had deliberately let him in so they could humiliate him severely.

Want to investigate the case? No way.

"Etc!"

Que Yongxiu suddenly called out to the two of them. When Yang Yan turned around, he raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Yang Yan, you failed in your duty to protect the princess and she was captured by the barbarians. Her whereabouts are still unknown."

"The Prince of Huai is furious, but he's not pursuing the matter out of respect for Wei Yuan. However, if you admit your mistake and kneel outside the military camp for two hours, I will make an exception and allow you to check the guards' exit records."

As he said these words, Que Yongxiu sneered, his expression one of undisguised provocation.

"This is outrageous!" Imperial Censor Liu was furious. He was about to unleash his eloquence as a civil official and teach this crude warrior a lesson about how all the women in his family had unknowingly lost their chastity.

But Yang Yan stopped him with a look.

The two turned and left, followed by Que Yongxiu's arrogant laughter.

"This is outrageous! This is outrageous!" Imperial Censor Liu was so angry he was about to have a heart attack, his lips trembling.

"After returning to the capital, I will show this scoundrel the power of a scholar's pen."

Yang Yan said calmly, "He's deliberately provoking me; he wants to kill us."

Imperial Censor Liu was greatly surprised. "How do you know?"

Yang Yan didn't answer, but instead mounted his horse while lowering his voice:

"The massacre of three thousand miles may be more troublesome than we imagined. Xu Qi'an's decision was right. He secretly headed north and broke away from the mission. If he were still in the mission, he wouldn't be able to do anything."

"Given his uncompromising nature, he could easily fall into Que Yongxiu's trap. Here, he can't defeat the Duke of Protectorate and the Prince of Zhenbei; his only fate is death."

Imperial Censor Liu's face suddenly paled, then he composed himself, his tone more serious than ever before. "With Xu Yinluo's intelligence, surely it wouldn't come to that?"

Yang Yan shook his head. "Simply using reverse psychology won't work."

But if it were like that Zhu guy with the silver gong back then, could Xu Qi'an still tolerate it?

Imperial Censor Liu did not press the matter, not because he understood Yang Yan's meaning, but because of his keen intuition in official circles. He realized that the massacre of three thousand miles was more troublesome than the delegation had anticipated.

Otherwise, why would the Duke of Protectorate have harbored murderous intent?

Let me tell you a joke.

Carrying Princess You Rong on his back, Xu Qi'an trekked through the mountains and fields, finally yielding to her words.

It wasn't because she'd been hit on the head. Xu Qi'an summarized the princess as stingy, timid, and arrogant. The latter two didn't matter; she was just that stingy. Well, she was sulking and hadn't spoken for a long time.

Xu Qi'an felt bored and wanted to find someone to talk to.

Seeing that he had given in, the princess hummed in agreement, raised her chin, and said, "Let's hear it for now."

Once upon a time, there was an ant that loved to play with its legs. One day, it saw a millipede and exclaimed with delight, "Wow, I could play with those legs for a year!"

The princess paused for a few seconds, then realized what was going on and chuckled, "I've never seen a millipede before, but it must be a multi-legged insect, right? That's why the little ant was so shocked."

"Yeah yeah."

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It's a word used to express shock."

The princess suddenly realized what was happening, nodded, indicating that she had learned something, and forgave Xu Qi'an in her heart.

Xu Qi'an carried her for a while, then suddenly stopped in a valley.

"What's wrong?" the princess asked.

"I need to pee," Xu Qi'an answered calmly.

The princess spat, got off his back, and turned away.

Xu Qi'an gave her a strange look. Did this woman think he was going to pee in front of her? What was she thinking, you filthy scoundrel?

He disappeared into the dense forest at the edge of the valley, and just as he was about to loosen his belt to relieve his bloated bladder, the princess's scream suddenly rang out.

At the same time, Xu Qi'an caught a commotion coming from afar; the sounds were chaotic and dense.

He hurriedly tightened his belt, rushed out of the dense forest, and ran into the princess, whose face was filled with terror and who looked like she was about to cry as she chased after him into the forest.

"Xu Qi'an, holy crap!" the princess shouted.

Princess Ning Ke was truly a studious princess. Xu Qi'an's lips twitched slightly, then he turned his gaze to the distance. He immediately understood why the princess was so terrified.

Ahead, a giant python, ten feet thick and over ten feet long, slithered into the valley, breaking through the bushes along its path and leaving clear "footprints."

Behind the giant python were black horses over two meters tall, with a single horn on their foreheads, scarlet eyes, and flames swirling around their hooves; a giant rat as tall as a person, with bulging muscles, leading a dense swarm of rats; and a four-tailed white fox, as large as an ordinary horse, leading a dense swarm of foxes.

That's not all. The forests on both sides of the valley are home to countless different kinds of animals, including monkeys, mountain spirits, argali sheep, tigers, lynxes, and many more ferocious beasts that Xu Qi'an did not recognize.

A massive army is passing through!

"They are Demon Race."

Xu Qi'an immediately pulled the princess behind him, facing the Demon Race army as if facing a formidable enemy.

The situation before him was completely unexpected. Xu Qi'an had not anticipated that he would encounter such a large army of Demon Race. He suspected that the Demon Race were after him, but since he was always on the move and kept a low profile, it was impossible for him to be pursued by such a large army.

Regardless, what's happened is happened.

At this moment, the python leading the way hissed and stopped, raising its head high and staring at Xu Qi'an with its cold, vertical pupils.

The leaders, including the four-tailed fox, the black horse, and the rat monster, let out sharp whistles or hisses to send signals, and various roars rose and fell in the mountains and forests, echoing each other from afar.

Then, the Demon Race army stopped.

A series of gazes pierced through the dense forest from the opposite side, landing on Xu Qi'an. Countless malicious intents surged forth like a tidal wave, all of which were detected by the martial artist's sense of crisis.

The princess was so frightened that her face turned pale, her legs trembled, and she clung tightly to Xu Qi'an's arm as if this man was her only support.

Xu Qi'an's mind raced as he considered how to deal with the dire situation:

"The dense auras are overwhelming. Every single one of these Demon Race is a formidable opponent. I would have a hard time even fighting my way out alone, let alone protecting the queen. Regardless of whether they are coming for me or not, given the Demon Race ' modus operandi, they will certainly not let go of any opportunity to hunt them down."

"These are the northern Demon Race? Demon Race army has gathered in Chu Prefecture. This... this means Chu Prefecture is about to descend into chaos?"

With a whoosh, Xu Qi'an's chest heaved as he gently tapped the surface of the jade mirror, revealing a black-gold longsword and books on Confucian School Law Technique.

He held the princess's hand with one hand, and a straight, long sword in the other. He slowly put the book in his mouth, glanced around at the surrounding Demon Race army, and his slightly muffled voice echoed throughout the area:

"Among you, who is the leader of all demons?"

The giant python spoke in a human voice, its cold eyes fixed on Xu Qi'an: "Who are you?"

Xu Qi'an, relieved that I wasn't there for him, breathed a sigh of relief and said, "I'm just a martial artist from the Jianghu, and I have no intention of being your enemy."

He first made his stance clear.

These days, harmony brings wealth; fighting and killing are no good.

But he clearly underestimated the habits of the Demon Race, and voices came from the mountains and forests:

"Eat him, eat him!"

"Such powerful Qi and Blood energy, a great tonic for the flesh and blood."

"That woman next to me looks quite fresh and delicious; she could be a snack."

"Eat him, eat him, suck his marrow from his bones."

A tidal wave of malice swept in, overwhelming everything.

The princess's face was drained of color, like a small flower in the cold wind, pitiful and helpless.

The giant python flicked its tongue, its cold pupils gradually replaced by a hunger for food. They were ordered by the princess to infiltrate Chuzhou, and it was best for them to keep a low profile.

But this man's Qi and Blood was simply too alluring.

It seems there's no way to settle this peacefully. Just in time, the monk Shenshu's potent tonic has arrived. Xu Qi'an sighed, his sword finger pressed against his brow, a sinister smile slowly spreading across his face:

Are you sure you want to eat me?!

A spot of gold paint shone between his brows, quickly spreading across his entire body. The brilliant golden light exuded an aura of majesty, catching the eyes of the demons.

"Diamond Skill?!"

Terrified screams rang out from the dense forest, throwing the Demon Race into chaos instantly.

Several leading Demon Race leaders instinctively retreated.

PS: Thanks to "Secondhand King of Pretentiousness" Yang Qianhuan for the 600+ reward. I will correct the typos in half an hour.