Сhаpter 323: Тhе Firе Моth Party 55
Неaring the vоice, Zhu Yаn snарреd bаck to аttention and looked аt him.
Тheir еyеs mеt, bоth mоmentаrilу lоst in соnfusion.
Jing Lin’s еyes werе blоodshоt, unable to bеar the sight оf Shen Du’s pitiful stаtе. Не grоwlеd in а low voiсе, “Mаdаm, nоw that Мo Qiаnzhi is dеad, we аrе no lоnger under threаt. We should seizе this орpоrtunity to attасk thе Fire Моth Раrtу, сaрturе the аntidotе, and savе the Grеаt Рaviliоn Соmmаnder.”
Jing Lin’s analуsis was correct, but Zhu Yаn had her own сonsiderаtions. Shе рressеd her temples, remaining silent for a long time before finally parting her lips slightly. “Go, hang Mo Qianzhi’s bloodstained clothes on the city wall and sound the war drums.”
Jing Lin’s eyes gleamed. “Yes.” He turned and left, fearing that Lai Luofu might escape if he delayed.
“Wait.” She suddenly called out to Jing Lin. “Do not speak too much about Mo Qianzhi’s affairs.”
Jing Lin nodded without further questions, accepted the order, and hurried away, leaving only two people in the room.
“If it were you, you would do the same, wouldn’t you?”
Zhu Yan’s face was filled with worry, and she unconsciously tightened her grip on Shen Du’s hand.
But there was no response. Shen Du had lost too much blood, his complexion pale and lifeless, the veins beneath his skin clearly visible.
Zhu Yan couldn’t help but feel tears welling up.
—
Following the orders, Jing Lin quickly arrived at the city wall.
The surrounding soldiers all turned to look at him, unsure of what had happened.
They watched as he hung a bloodstained outer garment on the city wall, his expression grave, and shouted, “Sound the war drums!”
The thunderous beat of the war drums pierced through the dark clouds, revealing the long-hidden sunlight.
Dawn had broken, and everything would get better.
In the Fire Moth Party camp, upon hearing the war drums, the members automatically formed ranks. However, after waiting for a long time, Mo Qianzhi’s figure remained nowhere to be seen.
For a moment, everyone was left without a leader, unsure of how to proceed.
Soon, someone called for Lai Luofu.
Lai Luofu was in the midst of refining poison and was displeased by the interruption. But with the war drums pounding incessantly, she had no choice but to brace herself and come to assess the situation.
“Where is Lord Mo!”
The soldiers who had followed Mo Qianzhi surrounded Lai Luofu, angrily demanding, “What have you done to Lord Mo?”
These Half-Faced Ghosts were known for their strange behavior and cannibalistic tendencies. Now that Lord Mo was missing, how could they not suspect foul play?
If not for Lord Mo’s instructions, they would never have associated with such people.
Lai Luofu sneered disdainfully. “What a classic case of the thief crying ‘stop thief’! You know best where your Lord Mo has gone.”
“We know you harmed Lord Mo!”
“Hand Lord Mo over!”
Lai Luofu found them troublesome and glared fiercely. “Just prepare for battle. Don’t waste time on these trivial matters.”
Her tone was harsh, sending an inexplicable chill down their spines.
They had long heard that this Fire Moth Party leader was ruthless and cunning. But with no sign of life or death, the soldiers could not easily provoke her.
After much effort, the two groups finally marched into battle, though their hearts were far from united.
As they drew closer, someone reported the sight of Lord Mo’s bloodstained official robe hanging on the wall of Yingzhou City.
Jing Lin shouted at the top of his lungs, “Mo Qianzhi is dead! Surrender now!”
Instantly, the soldiers’ eyes turned red, unwilling to believe it. The Fire Moth Sect Members also looked up at the bloodstained robe, and murmurs rippled through the ranks.
Lai Luofu glared at the sight. The blood had soaked the official robe, washing away its original color. A tear at the chest fluttered in the wind with a “whooshing” sound.
This was indeed Mo Qianzhi’s robe. He prided himself on being orthodox and had never taken off his official attire. However, this was not the formal robe he wore for court sessions but the informal one he used for daily investigations.Last night, Mo Qianzhi came to Lai Luofu to inquire about the antidote. After some thought, Lai Luofu’s eyes shifted, and she snorted coldly, speaking abruptly:
“This is probably just a trick to deceive us.”
With the battle imminent, low morale among the troops was a major taboo.
She turned her horse to face the dark, dense ranks, her expression grim: “Lord Mo must have been captured by them. We cannot afford to be distracted now. Our primary task is to face the battle.”
The main force of the officers and soldiers remained unmoved, as they only obeyed Mo Qianzhi’s commands.
Left with no choice, Lai Luofu devised a plan: “Even if Lord Mo’s headless corpse is real, even if he is truly dead, I, Chen Huo’e, have a way to revive him.”
The memory of Chen Huo’e being shot by an arrow two days ago and emerging unscathed still lingered in everyone’s minds. Upon hearing this, their spirits were lifted—yes, even if he were truly dead, he could be revived.
“Charge!”
Everyone rallied their spirits and galloped toward the gates of Yingzhou City.
Jing Lin couldn’t help but admire Lai Luofu’s masterful art of manipulation. He then issued the order to defend the city gates at all costs.
“Yes!” the Inner Guard and the city defenders responded loudly.
Meanwhile, the Fire Moth Party and the former officers and soldiers pressed their attack with renewed vigor. Especially Mo Qianzhi’s former subordinates, who were determined to breach the gates and rescue him, fought with reckless abandon, scaling the walls with ladders or joining forces to ram the gates with ironwood.
Previously, Mo Qianzhi had shown restraint, but now they were giving it their all.
Lai Luofu was pleased with this reaction, thinking to herself that perhaps Shen Du was already dead, and they had used one of Mo Qianzhi’s regular garments to deceive them.
Jing Lin directed the defense, simultaneously preventing enemies from scaling the walls while encouraging everyone to hold the gates. He wished he could split himself in two to manage it all. Just then, Pan Chi arrived in full armor. After exchanging a glance with Jing Lin, he quickly descended to command the defenders at the gates.
He was not skilled in military tactics, so the task of defending the walls was left to Jing Lin.
Without Mo Qianzhi, the common people lost hope. Faced with the fact that most of the enemy were the ruthless Half-Faced Ghosts, the young and strong among them volunteered to help.
As the gates trembled violently, the defenders, though exhausted, gritted their teeth and held on.
“Rotate! Those in the back, step forward!” Pan Chi calmly directed the defenders in a relay battle.
Since ancient times, those who won the hearts of the people ruled the land. He refused to believe that with so many common people joining the fight, these demons could still prevail.
At that moment, Jing Lin observed carefully from the walls. For some reason, reinforcements had arrived in the Fire Moth Party’s ranks, and the situation was turning dire.
“Defend Yingzhou City with your lives!”
As soon as he finished speaking, a thunderous crash echoed—the gates had been breached, and the Half-Faced Ghosts surged in like madmen.
The city gates had fallen.
Pan Chi gripped his sword and shouted, “Damn, they came fast!”
Jing Lin’s situation was no better. The reinforcements, skilled in qinggong, quickly scaled the walls and leaped inside. Jing Lin had no choice but to lead the resistance, with no time to warn Pan Chi.
The two sides clashed fiercely.
Although the former officers and soldiers did not target ordinary civilians, the reinforcements were all highly skilled martial artists, ruthless in their attacks. The Inner Guard and city defenders gradually struggled to hold their ground.
Pan Chi raised his arm and shouted first: “As officials and generals, we would rather die standing than live kneeling. Charge!”
Inspired by his words, the defenders, in their despair, summoned a surge of heroic spirit and rallied to continue the fight.Pan Chi had his own calculations in mind. As he approached Lai Luofu, his primary goal was to obtain the antidote for Shen Du, repaying the life-saving favor he owed.
Seeing that Yingzhou City was already within the grasp of the Fire Moth Party, Lai Luofu couldn't help but laugh triumphantly. He showed no surprise at Pan Chi's appearance: "You actually survived, hehehe. But Shen Du is undoubtedly doomed. Excellent, truly excellent."
Pan Chi brandished his sword, swirling it with a flourish, and spoke in a mocking tone: "You genderless monster, it would be excellent, truly excellent, especially excellent if you were dead."
With that, he charged forward and thrust his sword. Lai Luofu parried and counterattacked. Within a few moves, Pan Chi was outmatched and panting heavily. Lai Luofu snorted coldly, disdainfully saying:
"I intend to trade your life for a city from Commander Pan. What do you think, Young Master Pan?"
Pan Chi's peach-blossom eyes drifted into the distance as he replied with an innocent smile: "Do you really mean that?"
Lai Luofu found Pan Chi's question strange and raised an eyebrow, looking at him.
Pan Chi tilted his chin, gesturing toward the east for Lai Luofu to see.
Lai Luofu turned to look and instantly turned pale.
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