The Empress's No.1 Lackey

Chapter 1024 - 572: Welcome, Commander Zhao

The defensive forces around Xu Jingtang were destined to be weak.

They even thought that perhaps the capture and kill process would proceed extremely smoothly.

"Clang!" Jin Jian walked over, tossing the heavy alms bowl to Zhao Douan. The young priestess picked up her broken glasses, put them on her nose with some heartache, and said, "Spoils of war, it’s yours."

This was Kongzhu’s Magic Artifact.

In the last moment, it was thrown to hit her, but she picked it up again.

Huh? The little money-grubber has changed? Not wanting such a valuable item? Zhao Douan looked at her in surprise.

Jin Jian, wearing the cracked glasses, raised her chin and hummed proudly, justifying, "Trade it for money for me!"

She paused for a moment and added, "I’ll only take the share that I deserve!"

"..."

Alright, as expected of you... Zhao Douan almost couldn’t hold it in, wondering what went through this little head every day, feeling as if she would risk her life for money...

Zhao Douan didn’t hold back either, put the bowl away, and said with a smile, "You did well, I’ll give you a bonus when we return."

The corners of Jin Jian’s mouth lifted in delight!

She felt very clever, having exchanged a Buddhist Magic Artifact that wasn’t hers and was useless to her for a large sum of money.

At this moment, Yu Xiu also walked over, throwing a tin rod at Zhao Douan: "This is Guangyuan’s Magic Artifact, without your help, this Taoist couldn’t have killed him, so it also goes to you."

Zhao Douan earnestly shook his head and said, "Taoist, Guangyuan was killed by you..."

Yu Xiu looked at him and said, "Take it, and we’ll call it even for my sister’s matter."

Zhao Douan was momentarily stunned. Facing the Taoist woman’s spiritually overflowing eyes, he nodded with a smile: "Alright. Once we return to the army, I will order a special pardon for Nie Yurong. She will no longer be interfered with in whatever she wishes to do in the future."

A battle.

The rewards from this battle, aside from the ’temple guardian tiger’ which could not be given due to Zhong Pan’s suppression, were otherwise gathered into his hands.

Zhao Douan collected them.

And so, the division was complete.

At this time, the group meditating cross-legged gradually finished recovering, preparing to continue riding to the Hundred Generations Manor.

Completing the final step of tonight’s hunting operation.

"Cough, cough..." Ji Yue quietly got up, trying to follow, but couldn’t help coughing up a pool of blood.

Zhao Douan glanced at the weakened Ji Yue, furrowing his brow: "Are the injuries severe?"

Zhong Pan glanced at her and said: "She was struck by Kongzhu, causing her meridians to break. At least one or two months of recuperation are needed."

"I... I’m fine..." The socially anxious one stubbornly tried to argue.

But Zhao Douan interrupted her, saying seriously: "In that case, you stay in the city, no need to participate in the follow-up."

Seeing Ji Yue opened her mouth, he smiled and said, "However, although you don’t need to be on the battlefield, there is another important task for you."

Ji Yue was stunned, her white pupils showing bewilderment from behind her loose hair: "What... task."

"Guard the gate." Zhao Douan said seriously.

In this journey, he also carried the [Two-Life Gate], originally planning to use it near the Hundred Generations Garden.

Having changed his mind temporarily, He always felt that Xu Jingtang wouldn’t be so easy to kill, so he prepared to let everyone first pass through the [Two-Life Gate].

Then, placing this Suppressing Object in the city, in case of danger, they could teleport back to the city.

He had great trust in this thing capable of shaking off Zhao Shixiong’s long knife.

...

...

Yuan Feng stood at a high point, overlooking the slaughter in the night, his square face appearing particularly passionate under the firelight.

The golden "suns" rose from the ground one after another, shot up high, suspended in midair, and only after a while, did they extinguish.

This was a specially made "Night Sun Fireworks" using talismans, designed for large-scale night illumination.

Under the bright light, the court’s grand army clashed with the Yunfu Rebel Army on the plain.

When the sky darkened, the sides met nearby, starting a head-on confrontation, with intermittent fighting, the rebel army led by the Second Young Master engaged and retreated.

The Five Army Camp under Yuan Feng’s command was eager for a spectacular battle, jointly with General Zhao’s elite border army, holding the upper hand over the morale-dampened Yunfu Rebel Army.

Yet the rebel army, relying on the terrain, resisted stubbornly, managing to hold them here.

"In the distance is Jingchuan City, as long as we take down this group of rebels, we can advance unimpeded and reclaim the Huai River Western Front," Yuan Feng said.

He turned to look at a slightly short figure beside him, without armor, wearing a martial artist’s cloth garment, and hinted: "I’ve heard that the Southwest Border Army was split by Xu Jingtang, with half left in Yunfu, led by General Zhao, a detached unit. Otherwise, I’d be eager to witness the full might of the Southwest Border Army."

Zhao Shixiong said nothing, only stared at the front line, his brow slightly furrowed: "Something doesn’t feel right."

"Oh?" Yuan Feng was stunned.

Zhao Shixiong said: "There are only a few masters from the Mu Prince Manor present."

Yuan Feng sighed in relief, smiling: "Xu Jingtang wants to conserve strength and retreat to Yunfu, so naturally, he won’t deploy all his forces. What’s strange about that?"

Zhao Shixiong continued to shake his head: "It’s one thing for the army to be short of experts, but the people from the Divine Dragon Temple and White Clothes Sect haven’t shown up either."

Yuan Feng hesitated: "Perhaps they are unwilling to exert effort in this sure to lose battle..."

Zhao Shixiong shook his head again, turning around, his tigress eyes shining brightly in the firelight: "Yet if they are unwilling to deploy enough experts, how does Xu Jingtang have the confidence to rely on these ragtag bands to stop me?"

Yuan Feng was taken aback, and this time, he finally understood.

Zhao Shixiong emphasized not blocking the court’s grand army, but blocking him, Zhao Shixiong personally!

That’s right!

Zhao Shixiong’s Martial Arts Cultivation, while unknown to others, was certainly known to the Mu Prince.

If not dispatching enough high-end combat power in the army, couldn’t Zhao Shixiong easily break the enemy by avoiding the military formation, taking advantage of the night, and assassinating the opposing commander alone?

Would Xu Jingtang make such a low-level error?