By now, the entire mountain was almost swarming with black-clad men. At least, as Shen Li made her way down the mountain for a while, she didn't come across any of the people she had brought from outside.
Shen Li was worried about them. She had told Jiaoyue that she'd be back soon, but now so much time had passed. Jiaoyue must be worried sick.
If Jiaoyue, out of worry for her safety, led their people up this mountain, then all the people she had brought would be in danger!
As Shen Li descended the mountain, she couldn't stop praying. Fortunately, until she was almost at the foot of the mountain, they didn't run into Jiaoyue and the others.
In the capital city, things were far from peaceful. Batch after batch of well-equipped imperial guards marched out of the city. The sight made the citizens feel uneasy. They thought something bad had happened in the city and scurried back into their homes, slamming their doors shut.
The bustling streets that were usually full of life were now deserted. All that could be heard were the clanging sounds of the iron armor, which made people even more nervous.
In the imperial study of Emperor Dongling in the palace, more than a dozen ministers and princes were kneeling.
"Prince Li, I'm now ordering you to rescue my three sons from Pufa Temple!" Ever since Emperor Dongling received the news from Shen Yichuan, he had first flown into a rage and then summoned all the senior ministers and military generals into the palace.
"Prince Li, you must bring those children back safely, no matter what!" Emperor Dongling stepped down from his dragon throne, walked up to Prince Li, and looked at him seriously.
"I obey your order, Your Majesty! I will surely fulfill my mission!" Prince Li clasped his fists and knelt on the ground.
Emperor Dongling helped him up from the ground, held his hand, and said earnestly, "Now, you're the only one I can trust!"
"This is the military order for the imperial guards. I'm entrusting this matter entirely to you. I'll be waiting here for your news!"
Prince Li took the military order that could mobilize the entire military force in the capital city, held it tightly in his hand, and promised Emperor Dongling once again, "Your Majesty, please rest assured. I will surely bring the three princes back safely."
After Prince Li left, Emperor Dongling seemed to lose all his strength. He staggered, but luckily, Eunuch Li was by his side and quickly supported him.
"Your Majesty, please sit down and rest for a while. The three princes are of royal blood. They'll be fine!"
Emperor Dongling didn't respond to Eunuch Li's words. He just waved his hand at the kneeling ministers in the room, signaling them to leave.
After coming out of the imperial study, the smile on the Second Prince, Xiao Yujin's face, was almost impossible to hide. His three brothers had all gotten into trouble today and were being attacked and chased. How could he not be happy?
If they all disappeared today, he would probably laugh in his dreams for a long time.
"Your Highness, the Second Prince, this is the most crucial moment. You must be more careful and not let others catch you with your guard down!" Marquis Xuanping, who was walking behind him, saw the smile on Xiao Yujin's face and whispered a reminder.
Hearing this, Xiao Yujin immediately came to his senses. The smile on his face disappeared instantly, and he replaced it with an expression of grief and worry. "My three younger brothers are now in great danger, but I can't do anything to help them. Sigh! I'd better go back and burn a couple of incense sticks and copy some Buddhist scriptures to pray for them!"
Xiao Yujin might have said nice things, but only he knew what he was really praying for when he went back to burn incense and worship the Buddha!
Hearing this, Marquis Xuanping nodded in satisfaction. "Your Highness, this is exactly what you should do!"
"However, Your Highness, you must be more careful. Prince Li is not an ordinary person!"
Xiao Yujin also agreed and said, "Father just gave him the military token that can mobilize the entire imperial guards in the capital city without hesitation. He's not even afraid of that old guy... Hehe, in the end, Father values the Fourth Prince too much!"
Just thinking about how Emperor Dongling had said in front of more than a dozen officials in the imperial study that he only trusted Prince Li, Xiao Yujin felt extremely uncomfortable, as if his heart was on fire.
Marquis Xuanping was already in his sixties and had been an official in the court for decades. He was very good at reading people's expressions. Looking at Xiao Yujin's face, he knew what he was dissatisfied with. "Your Highness, you must look further into the future! Only those who laugh last can laugh the longest!"
"Those people are just clowns now! If today's matter is not handled properly, then in the future... Your Highness, the Second Prince, you'll really have nothing to worry about!"
"Good! Then I'll just patiently wait and see how this matter is resolved!"
...
On the other side, on the back mountain of Pufa Temple, as they got closer to the foot of the mountain, everyone couldn't help but feel anxious.
"Sorry, everyone! The place we're going to is a bit far away. To ensure your safety, please bear with it for a while!" The leading black-clad man spoke nicely and seemed very respectful. If you ignored the chains in his hand, he even looked a bit sincere.
Xiao Hanzhi, Xiao Luochi, and Xiao Jinnan all had gloomy expressions on their faces.
"Hehe! Are you treating us like prisoners?" Xuan Yuanjue looked at the chains in the black-clad man's hand and said disdainfully, "Don't you have that Soft Skill Dispersing Powder? Why do you still need to go through the trouble of putting these on us?"
"The Soft Skill Dispersing Powder is not a good medicine after all. For the sake of the princes' and the young master's health, we didn't dare to give it to you again!"
"Humph! You talk so nicely. Why didn't you hesitate when you gave us the medicine before?" Xuan Yuanjue retorted directly.
The black-clad men ignored Xuan Yuanjue's sarcasm. The black-clad man standing in front of them still had a firm attitude, and he didn't put down the chains in his hand.
"I wonder which of you guests would like to go first?" The masked black-clad man's eyes shifted back and forth between Xiao Hanzhi and Xuan Yuanjue.
Xiao Hanzhi remained in the same position, with an expression of humiliation on his face. His hands hanging on both sides of his body were tightly clenched into fists, and the veins on them were clearly visible.
"He goes first!" Shen Miao, who was standing behind him, glanced at the chains in the black-clad man's hand, then pointed at Xuan Yuanjue and answered directly.
"Oh? Then I assume the Fourth Prince thinks the same. So, let's start with the young master of Prince Li." This time, the black-clad man "obediently" followed Shen Miao's suggestion. He swung the chains in his hand a couple of times, making them clang, and then walked towards Xuan Yuanjue.
When Xiao Hanzhi heard the black-clad man's words, he couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. His tightly clenched fists slowly relaxed.
"Hehe!" Hearing Shen Miao's words, Xuan Yuanjue just let out a soft laugh, with a hint of sarcasm on his face. He turned to look at Shen Miao, and the killing intent in his eyes was undisguised.