But Leng Ningyue frowned deeply upon hearing this.
"What did you promise me before?"
"This..."
"This place is heavily guarded, with not only hidden elite guards but also several masters in residence. Furthermore, King Wucheng despises you to his very core. If you act rashly and meet with any misfortune, what will become of Mo'er and me?"
Hearing Leng Ningyue's words, Lin Qingge, realizing she had indeed been too hasty, lowered her head and admitted her mistake.
"Sister Ningyue, I apologize. My consideration was insufficient."
Lin Qingge trusted Leng Ningyue; if Leng Ningyue said so, King Wucheng's surroundings must be extremely dangerous. Therefore, she had to abandon her plans to cause trouble. To avoid arousing suspicion, Lin Qingge had Yan Tinghao strip the clothes off a guard on the ground and put them on. Leng Ningyue remained hidden in the shadows.
As the three walked through the narrow staircase to leave, they ran squarely into a group of men in black, peeking around furtively. After a brief silence, Yan Tinghao lunged forward, shielding Lin Qingge behind him.
"My lord, be careful!"
"My lord? Lord Lin?"
Hearing the familiar voice, Lin Qingge raised an eyebrow. "General Lian Shao?"
"It is I." Lian Cheng Yi pulled off the mask covering his face. "Lord Lin, I am here to save you." With that, he thrust an object into Lin Qingge's arms, then put his mask back on and turned to leave. However, after only a couple of steps, he realized the person behind him hadn't followed.
"Lord Lin, my men can only hold them off for a quarter of an hour at most. We must leave Baocha Temple within this time!"
"General Lian Shao, how many men do you have?" Lin Qingge asked out of the blue as they walked out of the dungeon.
Lian Cheng Yi answered without hesitation, "Including confidantes, around twenty men."
"Then the line of people standing in the distance is likely not yours, General Lian."
As Lin Qingge finished speaking, countless torches suddenly lit up around them. The blazing flames dispelled the darkness, illuminating the surroundings as bright as day.
"This—" Lian Cheng Yi stared blankly at the scene before him, unable to recover even when King Wucheng, with a grim expression, emerged from the shadows.
"Cheng Yi, you have truly disappointed me!"
"Father King, I..."
"Do not call me 'Father King.' I do not have a son like you, who disregards the blood feud of your grandmother and brothers and turns his back on his own family!"
At this moment, Zhou Zeli stepped out from the shadows beneath a tree.
"Father King, excessive anger harms the body. My elder brother is kind-hearted. Lord Lin, after all, shared hardships with him. His inability to bear it is understandable human nature."
Casting a glare at his sarcastic brother, Lian Cheng Yi knelt on the ground and advised, "Father King, the new emperor has ascended the throne, and the four seas are peaceful. You are also past your prime. Why cling to that position?"
"Hmph, your wings have hardened, and you dare to lecture me now!"
"Cheng Yi would not dare."
"No, you even went so far as to attempt a jailbreak. Is there anything you wouldn't dare to do?" King Wucheng became increasingly enraged, intending to lash out with his foot, but he ultimately only flicked his sleeve.
"Guards, escort General Lian Shao to the woodshed and keep him under strict watch. No one is to approach him without my command!"
Soon, Lian Cheng Yi and his men were escorted away. After dealing with his rebellious son, King Wucheng fixed his sinister gaze on a woman not far away, gnashing his teeth.
"Lin Qingge, you are truly remarkable. Cheng Yi was taught diligently by my side since childhood. You tricked him into being a free bodyguard for two months, only for him to return like a changed man. Not only did he ignore my earnest admonitions, but he even risked his own life to save you. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I would never have believed it. Fortunately, I still have Li'er. Li'er mentioned your skill in picking locks and said you wouldn't remain idle tonight. So, I set up an ambush with Li'er and waited here. You indeed did not make me wait in vain."
As he spoke, King Wucheng's gaze shifted slightly to Yan Tinghao beside him, and he furrowed his brow slightly. "You are not Shangguan Wan'er; you are the village idiot from the Yan family?"
"You're the idiot! Your whole family are idiots!" Yan Tinghao retorted angrily. However, Lin Qingge narrowed her eyes, looking at the person beside King Wucheng.
"Zhou Zeli, you little wretch, this is too much! I always thought you were enduring hardships and bearing humiliation, but I never expected you to actually collude with King Wucheng!"
"My lord, you are as naive as ever. I am not like my brother, who acts on impulse like a fool. The Prince is my biological father. Why would you assume I would abandon my father and side with you, my lord, like my brother?"
"Fine, I suppose I was being too presumptuous. In that case, I have no need to hold back against you any longer." Lin Qingge's tone suddenly turned cold, but Zhou Zeli looked utterly unconcerned.
"At this point, do you still have any clever strategies to turn the tide, my lord? To be frank, we have archers hidden nearby. Even if madam possesses peerless martial arts, she will not be able to fly away tonight."
"But that's assuming you can see the targets. Without a target, are you going to shoot at the air? Furthermore, while I may not have any clever strategies, I have this." Lin Qingge said, taking out a signal flare from her embrace. "What's the saying... Ah, I remember! 'A single arrow piercing the clouds before the battle array brings forth an army of ten thousand to meet you!'"
With that, she lit the signal flare in her hand. A large firework exploded in the sky, illuminating the entire night. Sparks scattered sparsely in all directions, then vanished, leaving only a wispy white smoke. However, after a brief silence, nothing happened.
Just as King Wucheng was about to mock her, the archers who had been waiting on the sides began to fall to the ground, foaming at the mouth. King Wucheng looked over in astonishment and saw that at some point, Lin Qingge had covered her mouth and nose with one hand, while using the other to cover Yan Tinghao's. King Wucheng, realizing what was happening, covered his face with his sleeve and shouted loudly, "Bad, this smoke is poisonous! Hold your breath, everyone, hold your breath!"
Unfortunately, it was too late. With a thud, Zhou Zeli, standing beside him, also fell straight down. King Wucheng, relying on his internal energy, managed to brace himself and remain standing. The elite guards who had been hidden in the shadows now emerged, surrounding King Wucheng layer upon layer.
At this moment, a smarmy voice called out from a distance, "My lord, you are truly making it hard for your student to find you~"