Chapter 1 Barracks

Xiao Yuan sat at the table, picked up the tea, and moistened her throat. "That's how it happened."

In the spacious marshal's room, Xiahou Aotian, Tianxia Guihuo, Demon Eye Heavenly King, Zhao Chenghuang, Lingjun, and Fu Qingyang sat together, looking at each other, and saw a heavy look in each other's eyes.

On the first day of entering the dungeon, they were backstabbed by three teammates and almost died in the bedroom. Then they encountered a backstab from the guard leader and almost died again.

They finally survived until dawn, but tonight, the Zheng family led the Imperial Guards to raid them at night, forcing them out of the palace, and their cultivation was sealed. Those around them were either women, fire masters, or both.

Even the most casual and optimistic Lingjun couldn't help but complain: "As expected of a king of a fallen country, it's much more exciting than our side."

If it were him, he probably wouldn't survive the first episode.

Xiahou Aotian looked at the silent Demon Eye Heavenly King and asked in surprise:

"Why didn't you slam the table and retreat to the capital?"

The Demon Eye Heavenly King grinned, "The bewitching demon is not a fire master. We don't lack brains. On the contrary, we are all tactical masters and strategists. Retreating to the capital will cost us our military posts and land us in jail. We'll all be finished."

Tianxia Guihuo said neither humbly nor arrogantly, "Fire masters can also use wisdom and brains."

Lingjun said with relief: "Very good, very good, we all have brains here, and even the only smart fire master is on this side."

"The upper limit of combat power on the capital's map may not be as high as on the battlefield, but in terms of difficulty, it seems to be even higher. The difficulty of the battlefield is reflected in combat power, while the capital requires more brains." Zhao Chenghuang swept around the crowd and said quietly:

"Yuanshi is so pitiful..."

Xiao Yuan frowned when she heard this and gave Zhao Chenghuang a cold look. He was implying that she had no brains.

As soon as she thought this, she heard Xiahou Aotian say with low emotional intelligence: "Xiao Yuan, Zhao Chenghuang is implying that you have no brains."

Lingjun played with the teacup and said jokingly, "Zhao Chenghuang and Sun Miaomiao are childhood sweethearts, so he must be on Sun Miaomiao's side. Well, Guan Ya hasn't been found yet. If she were by Yuanshi's side, the situation would be much better."

Lingjun also made his team affiliation public.

Hearing this, Fu Qingyang interrupted in time: "Let's talk about serious matters."

If Lingjun continued, he, Guan Ya's cousin, would have to take sides as well. They couldn't let Yuanshi Tianzun's philandering lead to infighting and discord in the team.

He turned to look at the mature woman who had an ambiguous relationship with Yuanshi Tianzun and said lightly:

"The way for Demon Eye to rejoin the team is very simple. He swears allegiance to me in front of enough guards, and the main quest will change.

"The core of this is witnessing, witnessing with sufficient credibility. Tell Yuanshi this idea, and he will know what to do."

Xiao Yuan thought for a few seconds, then nodded slightly, feeling a great weight lifted from her heart.

After escaping from the palace, she rushed to Linxia City non-stop, just to change camps as soon as possible and help Yuanshi.

The capital is not like the battlefield. No matter how many intrigues are used, it is still a matter of battlefield fighting. The capital encounters too many problems.

Not only are there complex relationships between people, but there are also complex multiple plot lines, as well as missing people (Sun Miaomiao, Guan Ya) and teammates in different camps.

These things cannot all be done by Yuanshi.

At this time, Lingjun said:

"The dungeon structure of the king of the fallen country is very clear. The capital and Linxia City are advancing on two fronts. No matter which side fails, it will lead to the destruction of the entire team.

"As my proudest student, Yuanshi can handle the affairs of the capital, but I don't quite trust Fu Qingyang and Demon Eye on the battlefield. Xiao Yuan, you are a witch and Gu master, provide us with some Gu poison and Gu insects, preferably those that reproduce quickly and are highly poisonous."

Xiao Yuan said lightly, "Highly poisonous Gu insects don't reproduce quickly."

"Then give us those that reproduce quickly. For ordinary soldiers, ordinary toxicity is enough," Lingjun said.

"I'll give them to you tomorrow morning." After Xiao Yuan finished speaking, her face became solemn: "Are the enemies on the battlefield very strong?"

Lingjun shrugged: "Four hundred thousand troops, and the main general is a level 9 ancient war god."

Zhao Chenghuang corrected, "Now it's at most 350,000 troops."

At this time, Tianxia Guihuo said:

"In the capital, the current task is to survive for three days. One day has already passed, and the next two days will probably be full of dangers. And the only Saints among you are Red Rooster and the Palace Master of Zhisha, and they have already been separated. You lack the combat power of the Saint stage."

He opened his inventory and took out a stone statue of an evil ghost; a stone tablet engraved with "Thrift"; a stone tablet engraved with "Universal Love"; and a three-inch-tall metal creation.

The metal creation had a square base cast in bronze, and on the base was a crescent moon made of brass, with metal spheres made of brass pieces suspended between the crescents.

Without Tianxia Guihuo's introduction, Xiao Yuan, Xiahou Aotian, and Zhao Chenghuang immediately recognized that these were consumables obtained after clearing the "Mo Sect Mechanical City."

These four props are "Ming Gui" (Understanding Ghosts), "Jian Ai" (Universal Love), "Jie Yong" (Thrift), and "Liuchu Yi" (Six Domestic Animals Ritual).

Tianxia Guihuo said, "The price to pay for props of Saint quality is unbearable for transcendent practitioners, but consumables do not require a price to be paid. I only have four left. Zhao Chenghuang, Xiahou Aotian, how many do you have left?"

In fact, he had one more, called "Jie Zang" (Frugal Burial).

But Jie Zang could turn corpses into Yin corpses to fight, which was perfect for the battlefield, so he wouldn't give it to Xiao Yuan.

Xiahou Aotian and Zhao Chenghuang looked at each other: "We used them up long ago."

Tianxia Guihuo's mouth twitched, and he said with a fake smile: "As expected of people from aristocratic families, extravagance and waste are ingrained in your bones."

Unlike him, every prop and consumable was used sparingly, saving as much as possible.

"It's enough." Xiao Yuan happily put them away.

The next morning.

The Queen slept soundly and got up with a yawn, stretching her soft waist.

"Awake?" Zhang Yuanqing, who was sitting at the head of the bed, said quietly.

The Queen responded and said with a smile: "Gang leader, you're up so early? You're sick, you should rest more."

Zhang Yuanqing sighed and said quietly: "The cloth quilt has been cold as iron for many years, and the spoiled child sleeps badly and tears the lining. There is no dry place for the roof to leak at the head of the bed, and the rain is like hemp and never stops."

The Queen looked closely and saw that the gang leader had dark circles under his eyes and looked tired. Jiang Jingwei's legs were resting on his stomach, her body was leaning to the left, and her head was leaning to the right. Her sleeping posture was such that she wouldn't recognize anyone.

The quilt had long been kicked off the bed.

Zhang Yuanqing said: "My already bad body is getting worse."

He was tossed around by Jiang Jingwei almost all night last night, either kicked awake or crushed awake. The brat was probably fighting with someone in her dream.

"Gang leader, why don't you sleep a little longer?"

"Forget it, today is crucial, and there's no time to waste on sleep. Even if I die suddenly, I have to get up and work." Zhang Yuanqing grabbed Jiang Jingwei's fair and tender feet and threw them away with force: "Go!"

Half an hour later, Zhang Yuanqing, the Queen, and Jiang Jingwei, who had disguised themselves, said goodbye to their aunt and uncle and walked on the long street of the Southern Dynasty capital. They saw a bustling scene with crowds of people, markets full of jewels, and households filled with silk and satin.

But in fact, with 400,000 troops pressing down on the border, a large number of merchants and migrant workers in the Southern Dynasty capital had already fled.

The Southern Dynasty's economy was developed. In its peak period, the capital could be described as having: willow-lined painted bridges, wind curtains and emerald screens, and ten thousand households of varying sizes.

Compared to its peak, this scene was already considered desolate.

There were three things to do today: first, see a doctor; second, inquire about the emperor's image among the people; and third, scout the area and look for opportunities to contact the Yang family.

So the three left the south of the city and came to the main road leading to the inner city, where they saw this flowery scene.

The streets, about fifty meters wide, were lined with shops, restaurants, and inns, all hung with signboards and cloth banners.

Jiang Jingwei looked around with great interest, sometimes interested in carriages, sometimes interested in food stalls on the street, completely forgetting that she was in a dungeon.

At this time, a patrol team came from the front, and carriages and pedestrians gave way one after another.

The leading general's eyes were like lightning, constantly searching the crowd.

Zhang Yuanqing pulled Jiang Jingwei to the side and whispered, "Lower your head!"

After the patrol team left, Zhang Yuanqing and the Queen exchanged glances. "This is the third team. Zheng Wenhan is looking for me."

Along the way, they found that the patrol teams were focusing on searching inns and restaurants, and their intention to find someone was very obvious.

The Queen whispered, "Should we change places? That place is not far from the river."

Zhang Yuanqing shook his head:

"No need. From the pursuers' perspective, we will definitely stay away from the South City and won't stay nearby. Of course, they will definitely search the households near the underground dark river exit. As long as we come out during the day and return at sunset, we can avoid the enemy's search."

The Northern and Southern Dynasties were at war, and the capital was under curfew. Zheng Wenhan's search for the emperor must be kept secret, so he would only act during the day.

The most important thing was that of the six battalions of the city defense army, only two were controlled by the Zheng family. If the Zheng family conducted large-scale searches at night, it would definitely be noticed by other forces.

A quarter of an hour later, they passed a medical clinic called "Holy Hand Hall."

Zhang Yuanqing led the two women inside. The doctor sitting in charge was an old doctor in a light-colored gown with white hair and beard, wearing a turban.

There were very few patients in the hall, and two apprentices were picking medicinal herbs in front of the counter, chatting in low voices.

The old doctor glanced at Zhang Yuanqing and said, "Sit down."

Zhang Yuanqing sat down and said with a smile, "How did you know I was here to see a doctor?"

"Half of your body is in the ground, so it's easy to see at a glance." The old doctor stretched out his hand with a solemn expression, indicating that he wanted to take his pulse.

Zhang Yuanqing stretched out his hand.

The old doctor took his pulse and sensed it carefully for a moment. His already solemn expression sank again.

"Doctor, can my illness be cured?" Zhang Yuanqing asked tentatively.

"I misjudged, I misjudged..." The old Chinese doctor sighed.

Zhang Yuanqing was overjoyed when he heard this. He didn't expect an ordinary doctor to cure his illness, even a doctor who opened a clinic in a "downtown" area must have some skills.

But according to the doctor, there seemed to be a turning point?

The old Chinese doctor silently spread out a piece of paper, picked up a writing brush, and wrote quickly.

Zhang Yuanqing thought he was going to write a prescription, but it turned out to be an address. Staring at the address on the paper, he asked, "This is..."

The old Chinese doctor said with a solemn expression: "The address of the coffin shop in the north of the city. Young man, you are not half of your body in the ground, but your whole body is in the ground."

So that's what "misjudged" means? Zhang Yuanqing walked away cursing.

The three left the medical clinic. The autumn sun was bright and warm. The Queen said:

"I just found out the address of 'Immortal Medicine Workshop' from the medical apprentices. Immortal Medicine Workshop is holding a free clinic today, and the people in the city have all gone to freeload."

Jiang Jingwei was taken aback:

"There are so many people in the capital, can the doctors at Immortal Medicine Workshop see them all?"

The Queen replied: "Normally, it definitely wouldn't work, but the apprentice at the medical clinic said that the National Preceptor has taken in many disciples, and those disciples are all proficient in medicine. They will be in charge during the free clinic."

Jiang Jingwei cheered up: "Yuanshi, let's go see a doctor, we're disguised anyway."

"So you've forgotten everything we discussed yesterday, or you didn't listen at all?" Zhang Yuanqing flicked Jiang Jingwei on the forehead and said angrily, "Why do you think Immortal Medicine Workshop is holding a free clinic today? It's such an obvious trap, only a fool would go."

"We're going to the Yang residence, and we'll pass by Immortal Medicine Workshop. What's wrong with going to watch?" The Queen said with a smile: "By the way, I also asked about our Emperor's reputation among the people."

"What did the two apprentices say?" Zhang Yuanqing asked.

The Queen put away her smile and sighed:

"A scourge to the country and the people! They said that the Southern Dynasty's five hundred years of reign will be ruined sooner or later by Zhao Shun, this foolish emperor."

"Although Zhao Shun is a foolish emperor, how dare two commoners directly call the Emperor by his name?"

"It can be seen that the Zheng family and the National Preceptor are both condoning this phenomenon."

So, the group walked along the main road. After paying ten copper coins for the city entrance tax, they finally arrived at the inner city. After walking for another quarter of an hour, they successfully arrived at Immortal Medicine Workshop.

Immortal Medicine Workshop was a three-story pavilion facing the street, bright and decent. The building was crowded with people, and the line outside the building was long.

More than a dozen Immortal Medicine Workshop apprentices in black and white uniforms maintained order.

Jiang Jingwei said "Ah" and pointed to the Immortal Medicine Workshop's signboard: "Isn't that Xiao Yuan?"

Before she could finish speaking, she was covered by the Queen.

Zhang Yuanqing whispered, "Let's go."

Jiang Jingwei obediently followed her two teammates forward. After walking about a hundred meters, she said, "The Taiji fish pattern on the signboard is the same as Xiao Yuan's copper badge."

Xiao Yuan's copper badge also had black and white Taiji fish engraved on it.

The Queen tilted her head, looking at the handsome face under the sunlight. "Madam Ya was arranged into the palace by the National Preceptor."

Damn it, you arrange one, and he arranges one. Do you think my harem is a public place! Zhang Yuanqing complained in his heart, but remained calm on the surface: "That's not surprising at all."

After randomly grabbing a passerby to inquire about the address of the Yang residence, the three of them only took forty minutes to arrive within dozens of meters of the Yang residence, and saw the outline of that high-ranking family's mansion.

Zhang Yuanqing casually swept his gaze across the entire street, and then said expressionlessly:

"Let's go, this whole street is full of spies."

The "Taikang Street" where the Yang residence was located was a gathering place for high-ranking officials and nobles, similar to modern high-end villa areas. There were very few pedestrians in this kind of place.

Commoners wouldn't stroll around here, but at the street entrance and on the street, there were several vendors pushing mobile stalls, as well as coolies taking shelter under the walls.

Jiang Jingwei and the Queen nodded slightly, pretending to be passers-by and turning to leave.

A spacious and luxurious carriage turned into this street, passing by the three of them.

The wheels rumbled, and the luxurious carriage stopped in front of the Yang residence.

The coachman jumped out of the carriage and brought a small stool to greet the noble person inside the carriage.

The curtain was lifted, and a beautiful woman wearing silk and satin, with her black hair tied high and inserted with gold hairpins and jade pendants, stepped out of the carriage onto the small stool.

She glanced at the street and said to the coachman: "There are many more spies outside the Yang residence. Have the steward send people to arrest them and ask about the situation."

The Grand Inner Court expert acting as the coachman bowed and said, "Yes, Your Majesty the Queen."

(End of this chapter)