Hoo hoo hoo~
Within moments, Leopard General Gongsun Yanwu, the six commanders in the capital, and more than fifty Night-Walking Lieutenant also landed outside the steps.
At this moment, Mei Wuchang stood at the front and saw Wu Yi, the Heaven-Observing Assistant, dressed in ordinary clothes, standing in the council hall with a furrowed brow. Ruan Jinyu, dressed in a black brocade robe, stood beside him. He immediately asked:
" Duke Wu, what has happened?"
Seeing this, Wu Yi didn't beckon the others in, but directly replied:
"Last night, the Heaven-Observing Decree suddenly observed the death of Gold-Chasing Gentleman, but the cause and location of death could not be determined. Just now, an urgent message was sent from Jingzhou, and we learned that Ye Xingge killed Li Yi, the leader of Black Dragon Island, and Gold-Chasing Gentleman at the Forgetful River Mouth..."
"Ah?"
Before he could finish speaking, Luo Xuanqing, whose expression was grave, stumbled slightly.
"Huh? He's already passed the assessment?"
Chen Xuance and the others behind him were in an uproar, but they quickly realized what was going on:
" Gold-Chasing Gentleman?"
"The master of the Fate-Robbing Saber?"
"How was this child found...?"
Ruan Jinyu, acting as a vigilante, immediately reprimanded him upon seeing this:
"Quiet!"
The crowd outside fell silent, but their eyes were filled with disbelief.
Wu Yi, however, didn't show much excitement and continued:
"First, the leader of Black Dragon Island was not wanted. Second, his return was crucial for the assessment to be completed; his death in the line of duty during the investigation can only be described as 'the heavens being jealous of talent,' and now his chances of survival are slim..."
Luo Xuanqing, who had just been beaming with joy, turned pale upon hearing the sound:
What happened to Ye Xingge?
Wu Yi shook his head and sighed:
"After killing the incense master Li Yi, this boy was besieged by Black Dragon Island. Instead of hiding and waiting for reinforcements, he somehow ran to Green Snail Island, killed Gold-Chasing Gentleman with the Ravine-Leaping Tiger, and may have obtained the Fate-Robbing Saber."
" Green Snail Island is located inside the mouth of Forgetful River Mouth. The Forgetful River Mouth is the gateway to the River-Spanning Pavilion. Ravine-Leaping Tiger is one of the famous soldiers of the River-Spanning Pavilion. Gold-Chasing Gentleman has stolen from countless enemies of the eight major sects. Fate-Robbing Saber is also a divine weapon."
"When the scouts sent the message by carrier pigeon, Gold-Chasing Gentleman had just died. At that time, Forgetful River Mouth was already completely sealed off, and about three thousand people and two hundred boats were searching for him on the lake."
"Following this, all the sects of Dongyuan Lake will inevitably come out in full force, and even the Eight Great Sects of the Cang River and the wandering martial artists will be mobilized. Today is almost dawn, alas..."
"..."
As soon as these words were spoken, the area outside the door fell into dead silence.
Given the current situation, they don't even need to worry about whether Ye Xingge is dead or not, so they can't survive.
What they should be worried about is how much trouble a group of people from half of the martial arts world would cause if they went to steal the treasure.
Luo Xuanqing stood there stunned for a moment before saying incredulously:
"He killed the sect leader and didn't run away, instead he went to find that Gold-Chasing Gentleman?"
Mei Wuchang was also unaware of the details, but he still analyzed it as follows:
"After being surrounded by the leader of Black Dragon Island, it was already difficult for him to escape. He probably wanted to go to a deserted island to wait for reinforcements, but he unexpectedly ran into Gold-Chasing Gentleman."
"..."
Everyone felt that this speculation was a bit far-fetched, but apart from that, they couldn't think of any other reason why Ye Xingge would "double down" on himself and create such a deadly trap.
Those who knew Chen Xuance and the others knew their chances of survival were slim, and sorrow was already evident in their eyes.
Luo Xuanqing certainly didn't believe Ye Xingge was gone, and said urgently:
"This child is intelligent; he might still be hiding, awaiting rescue. I'll take some men there now..."
Wu Yi nodded. "If you go alone, you might not be able to control the situation. I called you here because Duke Zhang ordered you to lead a team to Forgetful River Mouth immediately. It would be best if you could save Ye Xingge, but if you can't, you must at least quell the unrest and bring back the Fate-Robbing Saber."
It's almost unheard of for all four commanders to come out in full force. To recruit a newcomer, they wouldn't issue such an order. The main purpose is to prevent chaos from erupting as heroes vie for the treasure, and to bring back the Fate-Robbing Saber.
Luo Xuanqing was extremely anxious and immediately gave the following orders:
" Chen Xuance, muster your men and depart immediately."
"Yes!"
Mei Wuchang, Gongsun Yanwu, and others had no time to waste and quickly mobilized their troops.
Tap tap tap, tap tap tap...
A short while later, the three thousand embroidered-clothes guards who remained in the capital rode out of the city gates in single file on flying horses.
The four commanders led the way, their grand spectacle causing even the ministers attending the morning court to stop in their tracks. The people of the capital were filled with doubt, all believing that some First Rank old devil had stormed into the city...
Meanwhile, the Cang River.
As dawn broke, the green hills and clear waters appeared on both sides of the river.
The canal boats sailed northwards with their sails billowing, while the soldiers guarding the canal stood watch on the deck, still discussing the chaos at Forgetful River Mouth the previous night.
And underwater.
Ye Xingge was still holding the big Great Beauty, breathing evenly with a bamboo tube in his mouth. Even though it was midsummer and the water wasn't cold, his arms were already sore and numb after not moving around for several hours. If it weren't for the big peach to comfort him, he probably wouldn't have been able to hold on.
Hongyu's arms were already sore, but she was happy and worried that Ye Xingge was too tired, so she helped him grab the dagger, supported Ye Xingge on her body, and carefully observed the surroundings along the way.
After confirming that there were no other boats on the river nearby, Hongyu estimated that they had already left the lake, so she and Ye Xingge quietly swam to the back of the cargo ship.
Whoosh~
Soon, the two men, wearing cloaks, peeked out from under the stern of the boat.
Ye Xingge looked back and across the river, and seeing that there were no pursuers left, he felt a great sense of relief and was overjoyed at his successful evacuation.
Hongyu was also filled with excitement. She first looked up to check and saw that the boat was a medium-sized workshop boat with a shallow draft and a fast speed with the wind. Moreover, it was flying the flag of the Grand Canal Administration.
"This ship is headed to Yongzhou. There are no carriages or horses on shore, so let's go aboard and rest for a while. Once you're rested, you can rush back by express courier. There's still a day and a half left for the assessment; you'll have plenty of time to get back."
Hearing this, Ye Xingge could already imagine the look of utter astonishment on Great Beauty Luo's face. He hugged Great Yu'er and asked:
Wasn't my move amazing?
"?"
Seeing the smug look in his eyes, Hongyu wanted to adopt the air of a powerful figure at the top of the mountain and warn her blind date not to get carried away.
But Ye Xingge's move was indeed domineering, and after a moment of hesitation, she still gave him a thumbs up:
"Well done! You've got half the flair of me!"
"Tch~"
Ye Xingge lowered his head and looked at the most Great Beauty and reliable place:
"You're the older one, whatever you say is right."
Hongyu flinched slightly, but didn't hit Ye Xingge, who had made a great contribution. After carefully listening to the movements of the boatmen above, she and Ye Xingge went around to the unguarded side of the boat, used the Filth-Severing Whip to wrap around the railing, and boarded the boat.
Then Hongyu wrapped the two of them in her cloak, like two little mice, and they stealthily crept along the wall into the cabin.
During the day, the cloak's concealing effect is greatly limited; any movement will reveal the outline of the light distortion.
But the ship only had a few porters and soldiers on board, and no one would have thought of such things. The two entered the cargo hold smoothly and found it full of red boxes, each sealed with a tape, which appeared to be "birthday tribute" sent from the south.
Ye Xingge didn't pay any attention to this. He went around to the back of the cabin, entered the empty lower deck, and sat down against the wall. After a night of tension, he could finally relax.
"Call..."
Hongyu's internal energy hadn't recovered, and she was actually exhausted. She gently smoothed the dark red hem of her skirt with both hands, revealing her three-foot-tall, longevity Great Longevity Peach clinging to her skin, as she prepared to sit down in front of her.
Ye Xingge, leaning against the wall facing the voluptuous and plump woman, was stunned by the impact of this "sitting-face perspective" and blurted out:
"Holy crap..."
Upon noticing Great Beauty turn around quickly, he swiftly suppressed his agitated emotions and stretched out his leg to check on her.
"The floor is dirty, sit on my lap, it'll have to do."
"Tch~"
Hongyu certainly didn't accept this ill intention. She sat down beside her and untied the strip of cloth binding her chest.
"That's wishful thinking. Lie down! I'll treat your injuries."
Ye Xingge shook his head and smiled, making it easier for Great Beauty Liang to examine him, while he himself was also taking a look.
Yesterday, he mainly relied on fishing to catch his prey off guard. He wasn't actually injured much; he was stabbed in the chest, but thanks to his chainmail, the wound was shallow and had already clotted. After taking some medicine, he barely felt anything.
As for the internal organs...
Now that he had some free time, Ye Xingge was able to pay attention to the changes in his body. He could tell that he had become noticeably stronger. Although he couldn't quite pinpoint how much he had improved, the improvement was real.
The fact that this can happen can only mean that the " Fate-Robbing Saber " has indeed recognized its master.
Ye Xingge with Great Beauty Liang these past few days and had roughly learned about the ins and outs of the divine weapon recognizing its master.
Divine weapons are discussed in terms of heart; there are two ways to recognize a master:
1. Blood test to identify the master.
If you obtain an unclaimed divine weapon, but your temperament does not meet the requirements for possessing it, you can stain the blade with your blood, carry the divine weapon through trials, and prove your determination and perseverance to the divine weapon.
Almost all the First Rank demons of the past have passed down their divine weapons in this way. It was also through this method that Heroine Yun gained the approval of the Filth-Severing Whip.
Being rejected by the divine weapon for three years means that there is indeed no such destiny.
2. The divine weapon automatically recognizes its master.
This is a rare occurrence, but once chosen, the divine weapon never lies.
They must have been bewitched by the "Three Corpses and Three Poisons," or they may have already severed the Three Corpses and eliminated the Three Poisons, thus achieving a pure and untainted Daoist heart.
Ye Xingge obtained the Filth-Severing Whip through this method.
He went all in from the start, and last night he even "nested his own nest" to try and get two wields. He's so greedy, which does indeed meet the criteria for choosing a master for the Fate-Robbing Saber.
As for putting down the divine weapon, there are two situations:
1. The warlord is dead.
2. When the master of the army "sincerely" wants to let go, the divine weapon automatically dissolves, and the two parties part ways amicably.
But this feeling, coming from the heart, could stem from exhaustion, enlightenment, a lack of need, or a desire to pass on the torch to a more suitable successor; it absolutely cannot be from "fear."
Forced by powerful authority and compelled by the situation, the divine weapon will only protect its master and help him survive life-or-death calamities.
As for how the life-or-death calamity came about, the divine weapon doesn't care; it just won't let you earn money on your knees.
Ye Xingge felt that the divine weapon had recognized its master, but since he had never seen the Fate-Robbing Saber before, he picked it up to try and verify it.
The divine weapons are twelve different types of weapons; if their forms were fixed, they would be difficult to adapt to all martial arts.
Therefore, the form can be changed around us, but the types and scope vary greatly.
The Filth-Severing Whip is a soft weapon; its transformations are inherent to its mechanism and have a wide range. When combined with the " Flower and Moon Pendant," it can even be made into Great Beauty inflatable version.
The Fate-Robbing Saber," on the other hand, is compatible with all known blade types, but one cannot act against one's will, such as pointing at scissors, a file, or a forty-meter-long broadsword and saying:
I think this is a knife!
The divine weapon and its master are of one mind; neither of them even realizes that it is a weapon, so the divine weapon naturally does not react.
At this moment, Ye Xingge gathered his energy, and the blood in his body surged, seemingly rushing towards his palms.
The three-foot-long single-edged sword in his hand, its dark red blade changing color, first turning crimson.
Then the tip of the blade seemed to dissolve like blood, turning into a flat head, while the blood-red color spread across the blade, making it straight. The handguard also disappeared, transforming it into a majestic watermelon knife!
"Huh!"
Ye Xingge, gripped the "Huaqiang Blade," his eyes gleaming with anticipation...