Chapter 587: Dragontrap Array
Chapter 587: Dragontrap Array
Lu Yuan said with a half-smile, "Our only option now is to seek out the legendary general."
Si She didn't object.
Ji Li was in a state of exasperation.
Lu Yuan continued, "But speaking of which, how many generals are there in the Black Armor Army?"
Ji Li replied peculiarly, "Just one. Is there any doubt about that?"
Lu Yuan asked in confusion, "The general Han Qi you mentioned yesterday, and the general Xu Zhongping Si She mentioned today, what's the relationship between them?"
Si She explained, "Han Qi is Xu Zhongping, and Xu Zhongping is Han Qi, just like Lu Yuan and Lu Lin Yuan are the same person."
Lu Yuan said with a profound tone, "It seems that, like you, he has a story to tell."
Si She didn't respond.
Throughout the journey, Lu Yuan probed more than once, but he wasn't unaware.
"Are you leading the way?"
He changed the subject.
Lu Yuan smiled, "Sure."
Ji Li followed behind them, muttering curses, "Damn Song Yingzhong, with money, he forgets his brothers. How much did the Lu family bribe you to sell yourself so easily? And you, Yun Chaomu, you lecherous bastard! You forget your principles for a woman! I thought you were my brother! Just wait until I get my hands on you!"
He suddenly realized something in the middle of his rant, "Wait, where's Chen Long? He went into the Water Curtain Cave with Lu Qi. If Lu Qi is here, where did Chen Long go?"
---
In a valley shrouded in eerie miasma, Chen Long was under relentless assault. He had just swung his sword to sever three burning arrows when countless darts shot from all directions.
He wielded a heavy sword, relying on strength rather than agility.
Using his sword as a shield, the sword's shadow would quickly drain his inner strength.
In a flash, he split a boulder with a single strike, using it as cover. He then used the hilt of his sword to destroy two traps behind him, wedging himself between the boulder and the cliff wall.
He wasn't afraid of the arrows; it was the poisoned darts that worried him.
Once the darts were exhausted, he leaped up, destroying three more dart traps with a single strike.
"Han Qi! If you have the guts, come out and fight me face to face! Hiding behind your traps, is this the way of the Black Armor Army? Where is your honor, Han Qi!"
With a loud rumble, the cliff walls began to move, and in an instant, the landscape shifted, with layers of boulders rising to form a wall around him.
The traps were just an appetizer, meant to make Chen Long retreat.
If he had left, it would have been fine.
But he destroyed all the traps.
Chen Long roared, "Han Qi! Come out!"
On the cliff wall, a majestic figure stood proudly amidst the miasma, silently observing Chen Long within the array.
Chen Long swung his sword at the stone wall in front of him, and something surprising happened.
The stone wall actually dodged, as if anticipating his move.
Chen Long was taken aback.
What was going on?
He tried again.
The result was the same.
His sword technique seemed to be ... ineffective within the array?
"Han Qi! What kind of cheap trick is this!"
A deep voice echoed from the miasma, resonating through the valley:
"This array is called the Dragontrap Array, created by the Grand Marshal. Once activated, even I cannot deactivate it, Chen Long. You have twenty-four hours."
"Twenty-four hours from now, you will perish along with the array."
Chen Long gripped his sword hilt tightly.
---
At the Crown Prince's Mansion.
Meng Qianqian was polishing a dagger on the table.
Yu Zichuan entered and handed her a note.
Meng Qianqian unfolded it and her expression relaxed, "So, Duan Mingyue has finally taken the job."
After parting ways with Duan Mingyue, she had gone to the palace to ask Empress Concubine Chen to keep an eye on Lu Fengyin, in case anyone other than her palace attendants approached her.
The next day, a small eunuch from the Inner Affairs Office delivered a screen to Lu Fengyin.
Did Lu Fengyin really need another screen?
"There are informants even in the Inner Affairs Office. I'm becoming more and more curious about this Duan Mingyue."
She burned the note and saw Yu Zichuan hesitating, so she asked, "What's wrong?"
"Is he going to be divorced?"
Yu Zichuan's abrupt question left Meng Qianqian confused.
"Who?"
"Lu Yuan."
"How could he... be divorced?"
Meng Qianqian thought to herself that she didn't have the nerve to do such a thing.
Yu Zichuan said, "Curiosity about someone often marks the beginning of affection. If you're curious about another man, he can be divorced."
Meng Qianqian: "……"
---
Soon, Cui Hu also came to report.
Now he was in too deep, there was no way out!
"Madam."
Cui Hu saluted, "I followed the man in the wheelchair. He got into a carriage and seems to be leaving the city."
Leaving the city, to find the Black Armor Army?
Meng Qianqian looked at the polished dagger: "How big is the carriage?"
Cui Hu replied, "About the same size as Prince Jin's carriage."
Prince Jin's carriage was spacious and luxurious, far more impressive than the Crown Prince's.
It seemed he wasn't going alone, nor was he only taking his younger brother, Duan Wenliang.
There were important people with him.
Lu Fengyin, perhaps?
"Prepare the carriage, and follow him."
"Right away!"
As Cui Hu left, Meng Qianqian also stood up. Cui Hu asked, "Madam, what are you going to do?"
"I'm going too."
Given the matter of the Black Armor Army, she had to go herself.
"Sister, and me! And me!"
Tang Er called out from the courtyard, munching on a skewer of candied fruit.
Meng Qianqian went to bid farewell to Lu Zhaoyan and Liu Qingyun.
Upon learning she was going to find the Black Armor Army, Liu Qingyun suggested she wait for the King Miao to return and have him accompany her.
Meng Qianqian refused.
With both her and Lu Yuan gone, the Liang Emperor was surrounded by wolves and needed a powerful ally more than she did.
She actually wanted to leave Yu Zichuan and Cui Hu behind.
Lu Zhaoyan said, "Leave Cui Hu here, take Jifeng with you, and Yu Zichuan as well."
Cui Hu looked bewildered: "Your Highness!"
Jifeng's martial arts were superior to his, and he felt resentful, but he had no choice but to accept it.
Meng Qianqian shook her head: "If Father insists on a two-to-one choice, I choose Cui Hu."
---
Cui Hu drove the carriage.
Meng Qianqian and Tang Er sat inside.
Yu Zichuan, unusually, didn't ride on the roof.
Without anyone he wanted to ride with, he sat next to Cui Hu, holding a sword and a bow, looking as cold as a little ice block.
Cui Hu asked with a smile, "Madam, why did you choose me over Jifeng?"
Meng Qianqian replied, "Because you're more shameless."
Cui Hu's smile froze.
---
After a day and a night of travel, the group entered the territory of the Grand Princess.
Duan Wenliang said, "Brother, it seems we've been followed this whole way."
Duan Mingyue replied nonchalantly, "No problem, we'll shake them off when we reach the town."
Duan Wenliang was puzzled: "Why not do it earlier?"
Duan Mingyue said, "You didn't mention it earlier."
Duan Wenliang was speechless, feeling it made sense but also sensing something off.
After a while, he realized, "That's not right, Brother. Your skills are better than mine. You must have noticed it earlier. Why wait for me to say something?" (End of Chapter)
Chapter end
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