Star Trace Gate

Early in the morning, at the beginning of the Chen hour.

In Funan County, Ren Ye, Feng Lin, Ai Fei, and Lao Liu are hiding in an abandoned house.

After they left the dry well, they fled in the opposite direction and searched for a long time before they found a relatively remote place to stay.

Old Liu sat in the corner, eating dry food, and couldn't help sighing: "Alas, I followed King Huai for a quarter, not only did I not make any money, but the two bastards in my pocket were also forced to buy shares... I was chased and hacked from Qingliang Prefecture to Bulao Mountain, sleeping in the barren mountains and old forests, eating hard bricks... Damn, this is not much worse than the journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures."

"Why? Those who followed Tang Seng eventually became Buddhas." Ren Ye imitated Lao Liu's northern accent and raised his eyebrows and said, "The hardships you are going through now will be your capital for bragging in the future. Do you understand, little brother?"

"I know. You are good at brainwashing." Old Liu was speechless and shook his head, "If I had your mouth, I would have a reinforcement camp for my children now."

"Less complaining, more optimism." Ren Ye comforted him perfunctorily: "There will be bread, and there will be children. But yours is still Li Yan, so there is a big question mark..."

"Tap!"

While the two were bickering as usual, they heard footsteps outside.

"Your Highness, it's me." Immediately afterwards, Erlang's voice came from outside.

Everyone stood up to greet them and saw Xu Bangzi and Leng Leng disguised as ordinary people and running back together.

"What's the situation outside?" Ren Ye asked immediately.

Erlang shook his head. "Loushanguan is closed. Except for the city gate leading to the pass, the other three gates in the county are open. People can only enter but not leave. The streets are full of patrolling soldiers. There is a guard every ten steps and a sentry every five steps. The security is very strict."

"Yes, Erlang and I wanted to buy some food and find a place to stay, but we couldn't do it." Xu Bangzi interjected, "The soldiers along the way would interrogate unfamiliar faces from time to time. In short, it should be impossible to get out by disguising ourselves..."

Fenglin heard this and walked around the room. "It seems that what was written on the cloth is true. Wang Shantang's order to seal the border is indeed like an imperial decree."

"Is it the big fat dragon that plays a role?" Ren also added.

"It left last night, and it's only a little over four hours from now." Fenglin added: "No matter how fast this fat dragon is, it can't reach Kyoto at this moment. He should have sent a message to the Southern Frontier court, or directly submitted a memorial to the Southern Frontier ruler."

Ren also agreed, "From this point of view, the weight of the Earth Dragon Six Jia is still very heavy. After the fat dragon sent the message, the court of Southern Xinjiang responded."

"If that's the case, then we can sneak into the government office and meet Wang Shantang. With the protection of the court, the people chasing us on the mountain will definitely not dare to attack us again." Erlang interjected: "Our suffering is over."

“Ha.” Old Liu bit his dry food and sneered, “I am not smart at best, but you are really stupid.”

"Why do you say that?" Erleng didn't understand.

"I can't analyze anything, but my intuition tells me that I can't trust others at this moment." Lao Liu replied decisively.

Ren Ye heard this and turned to look at Feng Lin: "Military Advisor, what do you think?"

Fenglin pointed at Lao Liu and said simply, "I agree with this foolish man. It is very risky to meet Wang Shantang at this moment."

"What's the reason?" Ren Ye asked in a test.

Fenglin smiled and said, "If you want to accomplish great things, you need to plan before you act. No matter what situation you are facing, you should not risk your life and property for an unknown outcome. Once you enter the gate of the city, your life and death will not be decided by God or yourself, but by Wang Shantang alone. This is a reckless act."

Ren also listened to his words and nodded slightly: "It seems that everyone thinks the same as I do. The risk of entering the government office is too high. Even if Wang Shantang is fine, there is no guarantee that the generals under him are fine. Once they fall into the trap, it is tantamount to walking into a trap. It is so stupid that it is drooling..."

"But now, if we don't go into the government office, we will still be trapped." Xu Bangzi said softly, "The way back is completely blocked, and there are pursuers in the Bulao Mountain... If we hide here, we will be discovered sooner or later."

"We have to wait." Ren Ye turned his head to look at Xu Bangzi and asked softly, "If you were the ruler of Southern Xinjiang, and you knew that there were undercurrents in the border areas, and that the Earth Dragon Liujia was still in the possession of Prince Huai, would you only notify Wang Shantang to do something?"

Xu Bangzi was stunned when he heard this.

"Definitely not." Although Ren Ye didn't know what was happening outside, he said decisively: "I guess that the generals in the court around Funan may have brought their troops here..."

Fenglin's eyes lit up when he heard this, and he nodded and said, "My young master is so good at predicting things, it is a great blessing for Qingliang Prefecture and the people."

"I'm thinking about something. Please bear with it for a while and don't lick me." Ren Ye waved his hand.

Fenglin asked in bewilderment, "I have never touched your tongue, so how can I say I licked you?"

"You don't understand. This is an adjective used to describe people who flatter and try to curry favor with those in higher positions," Lao Liu added.

"Yes, vivid and descriptive." Fenglin nodded slightly and said yin-yangly, "It is indeed the most appropriate way to describe you..."

After a brief thought, Ren Ye decided, "We will wait here until Loushan Pass reopens and all the officials and generals from the surrounding areas have appeared, and then we will show up cautiously. Haha, no matter how deep the layout of Guanfeng and Daqian is, it is impossible... All the court generals sent by the emperor have problems, right? If they hinder each other, we can successfully retreat."

"How long will we have to wait?" Erlang asked.

"Not long after the big fat dragon left the secret realm, the imperial edict arrived." Fenglin said calmly: "The King of Southern Xinjiang reacts very quickly. I estimate that within a day, or even half a day, Funan County will be completely bustling."

"That's right." Ren also agreed: "It's possible that the outcome will be known by evening. Lao Liu, take out the Eternal Night Divine Ship, we will take a break and let the people outside look for it."

"it is good."

Old Liu nodded and called out the Eternal Night Divine Ship.

Not long after, after the six people finished their discussion, they hid in the Eternal Night Divine Ship, waiting for the sudden change in the situation in Funan County.

……

Loushan Pass.

Inside the watchtower on top of the city wall, Wang Shantang, wearing the general's official robe, was sitting upright on a wide wooden chair, his chin in deep thought.

He smelled bad all over and looked very pale.

"Tap!"

There was a sound of footsteps, and a centurion in armor ran in with a sword hanging from his waist: "Report-report to the general, someone is calling for the gate under the city wall."

"Who called Guan?" Wang Shantang asked, raising his head slightly.

"There are six people named Guan. They are dressed in cloth and have weapons hanging from their waists. The leader is big and strong with a stern face. He claimed that he came here specially from Hezhou Prefecture and insisted on meeting the general." The captain replied.

"Hezhou Prefecture?!"

Wang Shantang thought for a moment before he stood up and said, "You lead them through the pass to this place."

"Yes, sir!" the captain responded and stood up to go out.

"Wait a minute." Wang Shantang suddenly shouted.

"My lord, do you have any other instructions?" asked the captain.

"Bring them here through the small gate for transporting food and fodder." Wang Shantang specifically instructed: "There is an undercurrent in Funan County right now, so don't make any noise on the way and draw attention."

"Yes!" Baihu replied with a fist salute.

"Well, go ahead." Wang Shantang waved his hand.

After the captain trotted away, Wang Shantang walked towards the back hall.

He walked down a long and narrow corridor and pushed the door into the room on the left.

Inside the room, the air was filled with sandalwood and the light was dim. There were six men and women in black robes, all sitting cross-legged on cushions, looking very quiet.

When the six people saw Wang Shantang come in, one of the old men was the first to speak: "What's wrong?"

"Someone from Hezhou Prefecture has come." Wang Shantang replied expressionlessly.

Upon hearing this, all six people frowned.

……

A quarter of an hour later, at the gate of the watchtower.

Wang Shantang stood alone at the threshold, half bent over and looking outside.

Soon, a sound of footsteps was heard, and the centurion came quickly with six strong men.

"Your Excellency the General, it was these six people who were calling for the gate just now." The captain bowed and clasped his fists.

Wang Shantang looked up at the leading man and asked softly, "Which government office are you from?"

"Send your followers away." The leader of the other side replied in a very cold tone.

Wang Shantang was stunned for a moment, then immediately waved his hand and said, "You all leave."

As soon as he finished speaking, the two rows of soldiers at the gate of the watchtower all retreated twenty steps and stood on both sides of the building.

"Shh!"

The leading burly man directly showed a token and said softly: "Kyoto - Golden Scale Guard, Hezhou Prefecture Captain Guo Zheng."

When Wang Shantang saw the token, he immediately bowed and said, "It turns out to be Lord Guo from the Golden Scale Guard! I apologize for my neglect."

Although the other party was only a thousand households, he was affiliated with one of the most powerful organizations in southern Xinjiang, so Wang Shantang immediately became very polite.

"Sir Wang, I received a secret decree in Hezhou Prefecture. The emperor ordered me to rush here overnight to help rescue the young Prince Huai." Guo Zheng walked into the watchtower and said softly, "I'm afraid the six of us will have to bother Sir Wang in the next few days."

"No, no, don't be polite, Lord Guo. Please come in and I will explain the current situation to you in detail." Wang Shantang raised his hand and led the six people in.

As they walked, he asked with a smile, "Actually, there is one thing I don't understand... Hehe, why does our current emperor value little Prince Huai so much?"

"I don't know either." Guo Zheng shook his head and looked around with his hands behind his back.

"Now that you have come to Funan, have other guards also received the secret order?" Wang Shantang asked again.

Guo Zheng frowned when he heard this, thinking that this person talked too much and was a little immature.

What does His Majesty want to do and who has he notified? Is that something you can ask?

However, Guo Zheng still held his temper, paused for a moment and replied: "No, I am the only one who received the secret order."

"Oh, then I feel relieved." Wang Shantang nodded slightly.

"What are you worried about?"

"Don't worry about killing you, hehe..." Wang Shantang suddenly revealed a very evil smile.

"Shh!"

He took out a magic dagger from his sleeve and stabbed it into the opponent's abdomen.

"puff!"

Guo Zheng never expected that the other party would attack him by surprise, but he quickly dodged. But even so, his left abdomen was stabbed on the spot.

“Wang Shantang you…!”

"Shh!"

The guard next to him drew his sword instantly and chopped directly at Wang Shantang's neck.

“Haha, you can’t….”

Wang Shantang grinned, and in a flash, he retreated to the side of the chair.

"Dangdang!"

There was a slight sound, and the door of the watchtower closed instantly.

"Shua...!"

Six figures in black robes floated out from the back hall and rushed towards the Golden Scaled Owl Guards at an extremely fast speed.

About half a quarter of an hour later...

Six broken bodies were lying on the ground in the watchtower; Guo Zheng and the others were all ambushed to death.

Blood was all over the ground, intestines were flowing...

The six men in black robes put away their bloodstained weapons and stood at the door in silence.

“Haha, you are worthy of being the Golden Scale Guards. A mere thousand households have such fighting power. You almost hurt me.” Wang Shantang walked to Guo Zheng’s body, pressed his head with one hand, and held the dagger with the other hand, and began to cut his neck fiercely: “You son of a bitch, you don’t want to go on a good path in the world, but insist on coming to Funan County to die, ruining my good deeds... Stupid pig, stupid pig!”

"呲呲!"

Blood spurted all over Wang Shantang's cheeks. He squatted on the ground and took off Guo Zheng's head. He frowned and said, "People from Hezhou Prefecture have come. Time is running out. Are you guys accurate in sensing it?!"

"According to the compass, there was a violent formation fluctuation in the southwest direction. Send someone to look for it..." The old man replied, and then asked in confusion: "Why did you cut off his head?"

"The smell of blood can cover up some of the stench." Wang Shantang had a mad expression on his face, and cruelly took Guo Zheng's head and smeared it on himself: "...Alas, my official uniform is all dirty, and I have to change into another one later. It's so troublesome."

"...!"

Everyone was speechless.

……

After a while, we arrived at Loushan Pass.

More than twenty people dressed in plain clothes walked to the city gate tower.

The leader, a sturdy man wearing a turban, clasped his fists and said to the young general, "Please inform Lord Wang that we are here on the orders of the governor of Hezhou to investigate the case of Bulao Mountain."

"Wait a moment." The young general replied and walked away.

Among the twenty or so people, Li Yan, who was in disguise, and four handsome guys were silent.

Next to him, an old man carrying a wooden box turned his head and said to a woman, "Xun Yao, do you know who we are here for?"

"Oh, even the Lord of the Sky Rhinoceros Cave has been born, it's hard not to know." The woman replied with a smile: "The little prince Huai is full of treasures, attracting heroes from southern Xinjiang to flock to him. Hehe... If I meet him, I will taste him first."

"Who?!"

At this moment, Li Yan suddenly froze in place, turned his head to look at the woman, and asked softly: "Excuse me, lady, you just said... who are we here for?"

When the woman saw a stranger approaching, she alertly emitted her perception power. Then her eyes lit up and she exclaimed, "Wow, what a strong man's body, full of yang energy, condensed and solid... Hey, you are not still a virgin, are you?!"

"Shua...!"

With just one word, more than 20 people around, including the gatekeepers, all looked at Li Yan with shocked expressions.

Holy shit, a virgin at such an old age?!

Li Yan was stared at by dozens of people and felt socially dead instantly.