Yi Yuan shuddered. The long sword he had stabbed out couldn't be retracted.
In desperation, he gritted his teeth and forced it to turn to the side. The sharp blade grazed Zongzheng Fengyi's arm, cutting through his clothes and flesh. With a "hiss", it sank into the red lacquered pillar behind.
Lingyan had reported earlier that when she went to find Yun Xi as previously agreed, Yun Xi wasn't in the secret chamber and had been transferred away by the Saint Master.
Presumably, the Saint Master was afraid that they would come out to fight for imperial power while something went wrong with Yun Xi, so he took her with him.
A glint of light flashed across Yi Yuan's eyes in an instant. He had thought that a cold - blooded person like the Saint Master wouldn't stick up for Zongzheng Fengyi, his grandson with a bit of blood relation.
But he did, which meant that what Hun Yuan had found out before... was true!
Yi Yuan yanked his sword out with force in his hand, but he didn't let Zongzheng Fengyi go directly. He waved the long sword and placed it beside Zongzheng Fengyi's neck. Raising his voice slightly, he said outside:
"Hand over Xiao Xi."
The Saint Master didn't hesitate. He simply made a gesture to the people behind him, and immediately someone brought Yun Xi up in an iron cage like a prisoner's cart from behind.
Yi Yuan had known that Yun Xi was locked in the iron cage, but when he saw it with his own eyes, his anger welled up uncontrollably.
"Let her go!"
He angrily pushed the sharp sword a bit closer to Zongzheng Fengyi's neck. The frost in Yi Yuan's eyes almost turned into ice blades and "whizzed" towards the Saint Master.
Blood was already oozing from Zongzheng Fengyi's neck. If it went any further, blood would surely splash on the spot.
A hint of hesitation appeared in the Saint Master's eyes. Finally, in Zongzheng Fengyi's hopeful gaze, he told someone to open the iron cage.
A hint of pride flashed across Zongzheng Fengyi's eyes. He covered his wound and stood up with difficulty, giving Yi Yuan a meaningful look.
"Let's exchange, Prince Yu'an."
The Saint Master raised his chin at Yi Yuan and said sinisterly.
Yi Yuan naturally had no objection.
The two sides confronted each other. Under the lead of the Saint Master's men, Yun Xi walked step by step towards Yi Yuan and Zongzheng Fengyi who had come out together.
Just in front of the steps, Yun Xi and Zongzheng Fengyi passed by each other.
Yi Yuan was stepping forward to greet her when suddenly there was a loud whooshing sound. A large shower of fine silver needles shot towards his face.
"A Yuan!"
Yun Xi's pupils constricted. Just as her fingertips touched Yi Yuan's fluttering clothes, she felt a tight grip on her wrist, and her body was uncontrollably pulled back.
It was Shan Hou.
She hadn't seen him acting by the Saint Master's side for a long time, and Yun Xi had almost forgotten about this person.
Yi Yuan, no, almost everyone present had their full attention on the Saint Master and Zongzheng Fengyi. No one noticed when Shan Hou had sneaked over.
It seemed that not only they had a backup plan secretly, but the Saint Master and his people had also been on their guard.
"Hahaha..."
Zongzheng Fengyi laughed out loud. While retreating rapidly backward, he shouted:
"Now's the time! Attack!"
The great battle was about to break out.
The soldiers and generals that Yi Yuan had brought and ambushed on both sides at the back rushed in quickly. The sound of fighting immediately resounded in the imperial city.
This battle was much more intense than before.
Although the people the Saint Master had brought were not many, each of them seemed to be made of steel. They were brave and good at fighting, and their combat ability was almost three times that of ordinary soldiers.
Moreover, the Saint Master was vicious. He had a large number of poisonous smokes made under the cover of the Shen family before. Now he threw them into the crowd without hesitation. Soon, Yi Yuan's and Yun Qi's men began to stagger and showed signs of being defeated.
"This can't go on!"
Yun Qi blocked a strange big knife slashing at him and shouted to Yi Yuan:
"Retreat to the main hall first. We can block a bit of the poisonous smoke. The reinforcements are on the way and should arrive soon. Just hold on a little longer!"
This was exactly what Yi Yuan was thinking.
Immediately, they both shouted at the top of their voices:
"Retreat! Retreat to the main hall!"
The remaining soldiers immediately retreated into the hall in an orderly manner. In a short time, the main hall was almost filled.
Emperor Zhaohuan and others had retreated to the corner. A circle of guards and maids were in front, trying their best to fan out the poisonous smoke that had drifted in.
Yi Yuan's phoenix eyes were calm. Together with Yun Qi, he loudly comforted everyone in the hall.
But with strong enemies eyeing them outside and the poisonous smoke becoming thicker inside, the situation seemed to have reached a dead end.
"Idiot!"
Zongzheng Fengyi sneered:
"You lock yourselves up and let me attack. What's the difference between this and letting me catch you in a jar?"
Shaking his head mockingly, Zongzheng Fengyi glanced at Yun Xi who was firmly held by Shan Hou beside him and said sarcastically:
"Look at your taste. One, Yi Yuan, is extremely stupid, and the other, Shen Zhou, is insidious and heartless. Tsk tsk... I really don't know..."
Before he could finish speaking, the even louder and more chaotic sound of fighting from outside came into everyone's ears. Zongzheng Fengyi and the Saint Master's faces changed instantly.
"Why are there still people?!"
Zongzheng Fengyi and the Saint Master glanced at each other. They both saw surprise in each other's eyes.
"We've already put a curse on all the troops in the Kyoto military camp. They've all been checked. There can't be a mistake. Where did these suddenly - appearing people come from? Could they be the troops transferred from the border?"
After Zongzheng Fengyi questioned, he immediately denied himself:
"Impossible! Since ancient times, the border troops can't be moved unless the country is given away. If the great Yin border troops dare to be transferred away, our border - guarding troops will immediately kill them. Yi Yuan can't be that stupid, right?"
Unable to guess who the newcomers were, Zongzheng Fengyi simply grabbed Yun Xi's arm and angrily asked:
"Who are they? Could it be your dead father?"
"Anyway, you're in my hands. Even if your father came back from the dead, he would still lose because of his scruples!"
Yun Xi's arm was pinched so painfully that she couldn't help but let out a muffled groan, but she still said nothing.
Looking at Zongzheng Fengyi, who thought victory was in sight but was now in a rage because of the disruption, Yun Xi lowered her head.
She was afraid that others would see the smile on her lips.
Actually, Zongzheng Fengyi had asked the right person. She did know who the newcomers were.
It's just... definitely not her father.
The Saint Master's face also became solemn.
Obviously, although he wanted to be the mantis stalking the cicada, someone was one step ahead of him.
Before they could react, the people outside had rushed in.
The person in the lead was wearing a suit of dark - gold light armor. Together with the golden mask on his face, it reflected a dazzling light in the bright sun.
"Master Shen?!"
The unexpected person appeared in everyone's sight, startling everyone present. Yun Xi cooperated by showing a surprised look to cover the layers of smiles in her eyes.
"Why are you here?!"
Zongzheng Fengyi had already let go of Yun Xi and held his weapon. He was fully in a combat state.
If it was Master Shen, they had nothing to hold over him.
Whether it was Yun Xi, Emperor Zhaohuan, or the innocent people outside the imperial city... he didn't care.
Without a weakness, they could only fight hard.
Still somewhat rational, Zongzheng Fengyi quickly reacted after the brief moment of shock:
"The person who fought side by side with Shen Zhai just now was fake. You're the real Master Shen! Humph - You people of the great Yin are really full of tricks!"
A muffled "hehe" laugh came from under the mask. Master Shen pointed his still - blood - dripping sword at Zongzheng Fengyi and said:
"What? You can do it, but I can't? Prince Qi, you're being a bit too biased, aren't you?"