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Chapter 130: Rescue

A robust man, casually dressed in coarse linen clothes that barely covered his body. His messy hair was mostly loose, and his well-defined chin was covered with stubble. He had been drinking outside, and his body still carried the strong smell of liquor, giving him a somewhat disheveled and desolate appearance. However, his sharp eyes showed no signs of drunkenness, as sharp as unsheathed swords.

He held an ordinary broadsword.

What was unusual was the still-warm blood dripping from the tip of the sword.

At this moment, Meng Yang looked like a god of death!

The Tianjiao Sect member he had just attacked lay on the ground, eyes wide open, but already dead, with a few dry gasps from his throat before he died.

Everyone was terrified at the sight.

In a flash, they recalled various terrifying rumors about Meng Yang. Although they had the advantage in numbers, they were not truly evil people and were too scared to attack.

At this moment, Zhang Zhe stood up, his robe splattered with blood. He didn’t even frown at the sight, simply moving the chair aside to make way for himself, and said calmly to Meng Yang, “Thank you.”

Meng Yang didn’t look back, casually saying, “You’re welcome.”

Their demeanor was quite indifferent.

If Feng Mingyu and the others were initially shocked, they were now furious. Slamming the table, Feng Mingyu shouted, “Meng Yang, what do you mean by this?!”

Meng Yang, having been in prison for a long time, hadn’t stretched his muscles in a while. Killing someone brought a long-lost sense of satisfaction and a faint tremor throughout his body.

When a person abandons their humanity, only their animal nature remains.

He lightly flicked his wrist, shaking off the blood from the sword, and said in a hoarse, rough voice, “Can’t you see? I’m not on the same path as you!”

“Good, good!”

Feng Mingyu’s face turned extremely dark. He thought that killing a small fry like Meng Yang was no big deal, given their numerical advantage. He waved his hand, ordering his men to attack.

However, Meng Yang, knowing he was deep in enemy territory, had come prepared.

Almost simultaneously with Feng Mingyu’s order, Meng Yang shouted towards the door, “What are you waiting for? Grab your weapons!”

It should be noted that the Tianjiao Sect had rescued a group of bandits during the prison raid. Huang Qian and Feng Mingyu assumed these people would submit to the sect.

But who among them wasn’t a fierce wolf?

How could a mere Tianjiao Sect make them submit?

Among them, they only feared Meng Yang. Although they didn’t say it, they always watched his reactions. When Zhang Zhe’s identity was exposed and the Tianjiao Sect attacked, Meng Yang’s intervention left them stunned. But now that Meng Yang had spoken, who dared to stand still?

Despite the Tianjiao Sect’s growth over the years, it mainly recruited followers from the common people. Even the strong ones were just ordinary soldiers, not used to real chaos. They might cause trouble, but rarely took lives.

The prisoners, however, were different.

Almost all of them had murder charges and didn’t care about their own lives, let alone others’. Although outnumbered, they had an overwhelming advantage in momentum when they grabbed weapons and charged.

The temple, built against the mountain, had limited space inside. During the fight, the Tianjiao Sect members outside could only watch anxiously, unable to squeeze in.

The situation inside quickly became chaotic.

Swords clashed, blood splattered, and shadows moved wildly. Even Feng Mingyu and Wu Feng were nearly caught in the fray. Zhang Zhe, protected by the death row inmates, remained calm amidst the chaos, having experienced major events in his past life.

While others fought, he suddenly remembered something and looked towards the upper right seat.

But Xiao Dingfei was nowhere to be seen.

When he exposed Zhang Zhe, he had already prepared to escape. Seeing the fight break out, he realized it was a good opportunity to flee. Blending into the crowd, he made his way to the door, muttering indistinctly and sneaking along the wall.

He had known Zhang Zhe wasn’t deeply connected to Master Du Jun when he heard him mention Du Jun Shanren living in the mountains outside the ruined temple.

He knew Master Du Jun too well.

Seeing Xiao Bao nearby, whom he had seen at Du Jun’s place, he hesitated, thinking Xiao Bao hadn’t spoken up, so why should he?

What if it was part of a plan by the Shes, and he accidentally ruined it?

Until he saw the secret letter.

Xiao Dingfei then knew clearly: regardless of any plans, when the secret letter reached the Tianjiao Sect, Du Jun didn’t want Zhang Zhe alive! He had caused enough trouble and feared being resented by the leader.

So he decided to play it safe.

In case he fell into their hands one day, he could at least have something to defend himself with. That’s why he turned the tables on Zhang Zhe.

Being a cautious person, he feared dying here or falling into Du Jun’s hands, so he had honed his escape skills.

He managed to sneak out of the temple without incident.

Seeing the main gate of Shangqing Temple ahead, he was delighted.

However, just as a smile appeared on his face, several young Taoist apprentices guarding the entrance suddenly ran in, shouting, “It’s bad! The court has come to raid us!”

Everyone inside was shocked.

Xiao Dingfei froze, and moments later, the sound of battle outside reached his ears.

With a loud bang, the temple’s main gate, with its brass rings, was forcefully knocked down, raising a cloud of dust!

Then, a tide of people surged in.

The attackers were not wearing the usual black uniforms of court officials but were clad in cold armor, a black mass that was terrifying to behold!

The soldiers charged forward.

Behind them, Xiao Dingfei saw the Xiao father and son sitting high on horseback.

Xiao Yuan didn’t expect things to go so smoothly. They easily broke into the Tianjiao Sect’s stronghold, thinking it was like catching turtles in a jar. He laughed triumphantly, “How dare you raid the prison in the capital! Now that you’ve fallen into my hands, none of you will be spared! Kill them all!”

Xiao Dingfei didn’t know who this fool was, but hearing the voice, he realized the court had indeed come to raid them. He cursed his bad luck. He had almost reached the door, but now he was at the forefront of the attack. He couldn’t help but curse, “Damn it!”

But despite his cursing, he was quick to turn and run.

In the Tianjiao Sect, he had a high status, so he used others as shields while he escaped to a less crowded area.

The Tianjiao Sect members were initially focused on dealing with Meng Yang’s group and didn’t expect the sudden arrival of court soldiers.

They were thrown into chaos.

Everyone was terrified.

“How did the court know about this place?”

“There must be a traitor!”

The fear of death made everyone look ferocious.

However, Feng Mingyu and Wu Feng exchanged a strange glance.

Unexpectedly, they weren’t panicked.

Huang Qian exchanged a look with them, then blew a whistle and shouted, “Brothers, don’t panic! Retreat to the back mountain while fighting!”

To the back mountain?

This reaction from the Tianjiao Sect was unexpected for Zhang Zhe.

He searched for Xiao Dingfei but couldn’t find him, realizing that the slippery “Young Master Dingfei” had probably already fled. His expression turned grim. Hearing the familiar voice of Xiao Yuan from the court reinforcements, his frown deepened.

Seeing Feng Mingyu and Wu Feng leading a retreat, he sensed something was wrong.

But the situation was too chaotic.

Initially, Meng Yang’s group clashed with the Tianjiao Sect, and it had already turned into a brawl. The soldiers brought by the Xiao family couldn’t distinguish between the sides. Xiao Yuan had ordered to kill everyone, assuming it was an internal conflict or a rebellion. They didn’t need to differentiate, just kill.

This was terrifying.

Trying to raise his voice to negotiate, Zhang Zhe was drowned out by the battle cries.

The court reinforcements’ attack was fierce, forcing Zhang Zhe and Meng Yang’s group to retreat, ending up caught between the court and the Tianjiao Sect, facing enemies on both sides!

Meng Yang had killed over ten people. Blocking a sword from a Tianjiao Sect member, he killed the attacker but found his own sword edge chipped. He gritted his teeth, “Your court is really something, not even caring about your own officials’ lives!”

The death row inmates could handle the Tianjiao Sect, even having the upper hand.

But with the court reinforcements, they were struggling.

Although Zhang Zhe wasn’t skilled in combat, he held a sword. His mind raced, considering the Tianjiao Sect’s retreat. Distracted, he didn’t notice an attacker and was slashed on the left shoulder, blood gushing out!

Meng Yang quickly killed the attacker.

Feng Mingyu and Wu Feng, though surprised, remained calm, even showing some excitement. Master Du Jun had warned them about a traitor among their group and knew the court’s movements.

The secret letter they showed was one of two sent.

The other letter had already informed them of the Xiao family’s raid!

The Tianjiao Sect quickly retreated to the back of Shangqing Temple.

Seeing Meng Yang and Zhang Zhe struggling, Feng Mingyu had a sinister thought, “Zhang Zhe has learned many of our secrets. If we don’t kill him, he’ll be a future threat!”

He ordered, “Go, take his head!”

The skilled fighters beside them moved against the crowd towards Zhang Zhe.

Meng Yang and his group’s defense pressure increased.

Corpses littered the ground.

Just as they were about to collapse, a shout came from the forest behind the temple. The Xiao family, death row inmates, and Tianjiao Sect were all stunned, not knowing who this new group was!

All three sides became wary.

But this new group came from the side of Shangqing Temple, cutting off the retreat and charging in. They wore the uniforms of court officials, wielding broadswords. The leader was a short, fat man, his official robe nearly torn by branches, his hat askew, but he shouted righteously, “The Tongzhou Prefecture is here to suppress the bandits! Surrender now! Lord Zhang, where are you? I’ve come to rescue you!”

Everyone who heard this couldn’t help but twitch their mouths.

One look and it was clear this man was a rogue.

But he had brought many men, overwhelming the Tianjiao Sect, forcing them to retreat.

Amidst the noise, the fat man asked, “Which one is Lord Zhang?”

A delicate voice amidst the clashing swords replied, “How can I see in this chaos?”

Zhang Zhe was shocked.

He turned towards the voice.

The officials, ruthless in their attacks, had carved a bloody path. A slender figure rushed towards him.

Her face, bare of makeup, no longer pale from her visit to the Yongding Pharmacy, was flushed from running. The shortcut through the forest had left fine scratches on her fair cheeks.

But she seemed unaware.

Seeing him, her eyes filled with light, and she almost cried, calling out, “Zhang Zhe!”

Zhang Zhe’s left shoulder was bleeding heavily, staining half his robe red. Seeing Jiang Xuening had not left Tongzhou but had come to rescue him, a fire ignited in his chest. Exhausted and bloodshot, he rarely got angry, but he shouted at her, “Why did you come back?!”

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