Chapter 1,203: The mantis stalks the cicada while the oriole

iggest piece in the box to feed to her father."Daddy is a strongman, so he should eat big sticky rice cakes!"Everyone burst into laughter, and just then, the gate of the academy finally opened.Mr. Wen..."Impossible!" Jiang Cheng almost went insane, a million times he refused to believe it!

But Xin Du indeed remained silent, even though he had reported the situation at the border to his superiors…

The gray-robed people were also in disarray, as they were directly under the emperor's command.

For so many years, the emperor has entrusted the Dark Guards to Marquis Xinting. They remain there, deeply loyal within the innermost circle!

If the emperor were to pass away, would the new emperor trust them

Even if they trusted, they wouldn't dare to be certain. What if the new emperor gradually divided and removed them in the future…

Jiang Cheng wasn't stupid, after all. After a moment of panic, he reacted.

He bellowed at the men in black, "Whether or not the Emperor is alive, they must be killed today! Otherwise, we die!"

The gray-clothed people came to their senses and tried to pull back their bows, but suddenly found their arms powerless!

Even the bows and arrows fell to the ground with a clatter!

Jiang Cheng also went weak in the knees, plopping to his knees. If not for leaning on his waist knife, he would have been flat on the ground...

"You... you poisoned me!"

"Good sound's cute clap, in response said, “Don’t wrongly accuse us! We didn’t poison anyone!”

The moment his voice faded, a white-haired old man leaped from the tall tree in the upwind direction. His clothes were somewhat soiled, and his face was haggard, but his eyes shone brightly. It was none other than Zhang, the Divine Physician.

The old man strode over, glared at Jia Yin, and grumbled, "You little wretch, look at the good job you've arranged for me! At my age, I have to come all the way to Jiangbei to suffer!"

Jia Yin giggled and quickly gave Mu Xu a knowing look.

Mu Xu understood and smiled, stepping forward to help Jia Yin support the old man to sit under the shade of a tree.

Mu Xu joked, "Old man, your pharmaceutical skills seem to have declined! A simple Soft Tendon Powder, and it takes this long to take effect. We almost got riddled with bullets!"

The old man coughed twice, covering his nervousness. He pretended to be upset and grumbled, "It's all because of Fu Niu'er, she's so good at hiding things. She has so many good medicinal herbs in her hands, but she won't give them to me. Humph, if I had those good herbs, I could knock them all out in a blink of an eye."

"Alright, alright! It's all my fault!" Jia Yin rummaged through the basket, pulling out food and snacks. There were dishes, fruits, and pastries - a complete spread.

The old man immediately forgot everything, grabbed something and started to eat.

He originally came to guard against the Marquis and Li Lao Si being framed and harmed by others, suffering serious injuries and needing timely treatment.

To their surprise, they escaped so smoothly.

Fortunately, Jiang Cheng led people to pursue them, finally giving him a chance to show off his skills. Otherwise, it would have been a wasted trip.

On the other side, Lao Si and Hou Ye carried their swords, one by one, defeating those in gray robes.

They didn't kill them out of vengeance, they simply slit their throats. Considering they were all part of the Tian Wu people, they gave them a quick and painless death.

Finally, it was Jiang Cheng's turn. He had been so scared that he peed himself and cried loudly.

"Waaah, Lord Hou spare my life! I was just possessed by a demon for a moment, I didn't mean to kill you! I just wanted to take you back and report to the Emperor!"

"Oh, woe is me! My wives and children are all in the Emperor's hands. I dare not disobey!"

“Master, please spare my life! I dare not again!”

The lord and Li Lao Si looked at him with disappointment in their eyes.

The iron-willed Northern Expeditionary Army, even an ordinary soldier, was a valiant hero who would rather die than bend!

But Jiang Cheng, as a general, was so pathetic!

Jiang Cheng saw their silence and thought they had softened, so he cried even harder.

"My Lord, I truly dare not again! It was the Emperor's order that I do this. I was forced to!"

"I know many of the emperor's secret decrees, I will tell them all, not a single word left out. Please, Your Lordship, for our years of friendship, spare my life!"

The Lord couldn't bear it anymore and coldly replied, "If you're plotting against me, whether it's assassination or poisoning, I will spare your life.

But you are wrong, because you shouldn't have colluded with the barbarians. You set up an ambush on Mount Gu, killing hundreds of vanguard soldiers! They also have wives, children and parents!

If I spare you, how will the heavenly spirits be appeased You must go and apologize to them yourself!

Jiang Cheng was about to argue, but the Lord Hou's war blade had already fallen, rolling the head far away and ending this grudge completely.

Li Laosi, fearing the marquis might feel unwell, comforted him, "Such a person is not worth grieving over. He's worse than a pig or dog; dead and gone!"

The Marquis sighed, "I actually had suspicions about him, but after decades of life and death companionship, I didn't want to believe it. I never imagined it would lead to such a catastrophe, dragging so many soldiers down with it…"

Li Lao Si shook his head, "Lord Marquis, the brothers who followed you to fight are prepared for death. After all, there is no such thing as an undying person in war!"

Besides, you wouldn't send troops unless you were absolutely sure of victory. Once you sent them, you'd be leading the charge yourself, just wanting to protect your brothers as best you could, saving a few lives, maybe even all of them.

"We all understand! Lord, you needn't blame yourself for this!"

Jia Yin also stepped forward to explain the arrangements for Xin Du.

Besides the pension that the imperial court would inevitably provide, regardless of whether a soldier died in battle or was wounded, there were also additional allowances enough to ensure they lived comfortably for life.

The lord raised his hand and rubbed his daughter's hair. He didn't say anything more, but his face had improved a lot.

Together, everyone dug a large pit and buried Jiang Cheng and the man in grey.

At this point, Zhang the physician had also finished his meal and asked, picking at his teeth, “Where to next Are we going to Quanzhou”

Jiayin casually put things away and replied, "Yes, our family members must be thinking of us. We should definitely reunite and let them know we're safe."

Besides, I don't know if my sixth brother was met by the fleet on the way! My eldest brother should be with Mr. Tong, so there is no need to worry too much.

Li Laosì wasn't worried, “Don't look at Li Ge’er being gentle and quiet on a daily basis, he's actually very clever. He's been taking the imperial examinations and becoming an official all his life, it's been incredibly smooth sailing. This kid is truly the most fortunate one among them all!”

"As for your elder brother, he's filled with doctrines. If he gets too attached to the people and refuses to leave, then Mr. Wen will have a lot of explaining to do."

The Lord retorted, "That's not the case. Jiaren understands how to seek profit and avoid harm, and he is reasonable. This is a decision made by the entire family, he wouldn't act rashly out of anger."

"Come on, come on!" Zhang the Divine Physician leaped up, patted the dust off his robe, and shouted, "There's no use thinking about it, just go to Quanzhou and see for yourself."

Jia Yin looked around and replied, "Uncle Da Shan hasn't come back yet, let's wait for him."

Talk about Cao Cao, and Cao Cao will arrive.

Before the words had even landed, Yeshima appeared.

"My lord, I sent a message to the border. Jiang Cheng wasn't there, only an eunuch was showing off his power. Upon receiving your order, the eunuch was immediately apprehended and could only be sent back to Xin Du for the Crown Prince. As for Jiang Cheng, his whereabouts are unknown. Should I investigate further"

The lord shook his head, Li Laosi used the tip of his knife to point at the newly piled mound not far away, and sneered in reply, “There’s no need to investigate, he's already gone to report to the King of Hell.”

"Fortunately, Master Fang was here to help us. Otherwise, we would have been badly hurt this time. This fellow brought over twenty-odd grey-clad guards to use us as stepping stones and gain wealth and honor for himself."

Today's update is here ~~ in the village was busy harvesting the fruits. They had worked hard for a year, and they couldn't afford to delay. They also needed to hurry and help.Jiayi couldn't stay idle. He hoisted his little s...