The Empress's No.1 Lackey

In the main hall.

As Zhao Douan discussed the details, several people in the hall stood up, Gongshu Tianyuan took out the red veil again, chuckled, and said:

"Let's go, if we're going to act, we must play the whole part. The three of us need to come in openly from outside again."

Jin Jian rolled his eyes, while Lang Shiba walked over silently, the typical man of few words but ruthless actions.

According to Zhao Douan's arrangement, the three of them needed to return from the outside to report the situation at the Forbidden Mountain Villa to Magistrate Luan.

Magistrate Luan watched the three disappear and then stood up to walk outside:

"Junior Guardian Zhao, please rest inside the house. This prefecture will handle the follow-up matters outside."

The Jinyi from Lihua Hall also followed him out.

In the room, only Zhao Douan, Zhuang Xiaocheng, Yun Xi, Ji Yue, and the "dead at the bottom of the cliff" Haitang and Zhang Han were left.

Plus the two siblings of the Heavenly Master Mansion who needed to leave "dispirited" later, the entire "secretly transport" team had grown to an astonishing eight people.

"A bit too many people, I would have brought fewer people up the mountain if I had known." Zhao Douan sighed lightly.

Haitang, who was about to "fake death," let out a sneer:

"We are going to accompany you in faking death, and you're still unhappy? Or you can just treat Zhang Han and me as corpses, throw us in a coffin, and transport us back to the capital along with the main group. Lying down while going back to the capital is better than roughing it with you, I'd prefer that."

Zhao Douan laughed helplessly: "I admit I spoke poorly, alright."

He turned his head to Yun Xi and said:

"Right, I also need you to list the names of those you think, among today's Kuangfu Society members captured, can be recruited and are worth saving."

Yun Xi was stunned, incredulous: "You are still willing to forgive some of the rebels?"

She found it increasingly difficult to understand this traitor as he aged.

Zhao Douan smiled slightly:

"I am no demon, but I have conditions. The ones you think were deceived by Old Dog Zhuang and are still worth saving must publicly accuse Zhuang Xiaocheng as witnesses to his crime."

He sighed: "How can a grand trial be without witnesses?"

...

On this day, too many things happened in Feng City.

First, "Immortal Master" Lu Zhengchun was beheaded, the execution ground was "attacked" twice, but ultimately the head fell, reportedly dying in a gruesome manner.

He was said to have been killed by a blade piercing his buttocks... The onlookers were all amazed.

Then, the official army searched the entire city for rebels, allowing only entry but no exit from Feng City, and the arrests continued into the night.

However, the most sensational event was when Gongshu Tianyuan and the other two rushed back to the city with sorrowful expressions, reporting to Magistrate Luan Cheng:

Junior Guardian Zhao led elite troops to raid the rebel lair and perished together with the "bandit leader" Zhuang Xiaocheng.

The news caused an uproar in the city.

Deputy General Yuan Ji's face turned ashen, cold sweat immediately soaking through his armor, and Luan Cheng immediately appointed the county magistrate to hold the fort, while he personally led a large group of soldiers straight to the Forbidden Mountain Villa.

They detoured to enter the valley bottom under the cliff, indeed finding that the entire mountain had collapsed, almost forming a small mountain of rubble. The soldiers stationed there dug and searched through the night.

Countless torches burned through the night.

In the end, only a dozen disfigured bodies, crushed by debris, were dug out from the rubble.

It was reportedly based on the clothing and scattered accessories of the bodies that Zhao Douan and his party, along with Zhuang Xiaocheng's death, were confirmed.

Afterward, Magistrate Luan Cheng returned to the city almost like an evil spirit and personally ordered the captured rebels in the city to be assembled into an entire convoy. He would personally lead the prisoner convoy, escorted by Yuan Ji and other soldiers, north to the capital to plead guilty.

The two disciples of the Heavenly Master Mansion left under the guise of traveling, reportedly tearfully.

Surviving Lang Shiba followed the convoy, personally escorting Zhao Douan's "tomb clothes" back to the capital.

That day, dense, reddish clouds filled the sky, with sporadic snowflakes drifting down, and everyone in the escorting team wore mourning clothes and veils.

Before this, to complete the act, news of Zhao Douan's death was transmitted north to the capital by a hawk from the army.

...

Outside Feng City, several miles west, in a teahouse in a small town.

"Woo—"

The cold wind blew the thatch on the roof. Qi Yuchun's expressionless face felt the mixed snowflakes striking his face in the icy wind, and the dark circles under his eyes showed the fatigue from sleepless nights.

"Close the window, would you? If you're not cold, I am."

Inside, sitting by a reddish stove that looked ready to collapse, Ren Kun, wearing an earth-yellow magic robe, sat rubbing his hands by the fire.

His face was flushed red from the stove's glow.

Qi Yuchun did not turn back, hoarsely said: "The prisoner convoy has left the city."

Ren Kun replied irritably: "So what? What? You want to raid the prisoner convoy? If you want to go, go ahead, I'm not interested."

With their strength, killing people wasn't an issue, but rescuing people was a different matter.

The entire convoy had over a hundred prisoners, all of whom were either stripped of their cultivation or injured, rendering them incapacitated for a short time.

Bringing so many burdens with them, they wouldn't be able to escape at all. Rescuing them would be in vain.

Moreover, these people were originally the pawns that Zhuang Xiaocheng planned to expel from the Kuangfu Society, sacrificing them opportunistically.

Ren Kun lacked the motivation to risk his life to save them.

Qi Yuchun despondently said: "Retrieving the Grand Tutor's body would be enough."

Ren Kun glared at him coldly, mockingly saying:

"Now that they're dead, you're showing loyalty? Do you really think the soldiers could dig out anything at the bottom of the cliff? It's nothing but indistinguishable remains."

Qi Yuchun was persuaded, he sighed bitterly, turned back, and looked towards Ren Kun:

"I'm not being loyal... I just don't know what to do next. My current thought is to slowly gather the remaining members who fled that day and hid in Feng City, then go find the Princess Consort and the Princely Heir.