Besides the Sage-level swordsmen present, no one could "observe" the existence of the spiritual servants. Yet even the arrival of four阴 corpses, radiating an intensely cold and profoundly chilling aura, caused them to stand on end, as if plunged into an ice chamber. Ordinary soldiers felt genuine fear, much like children who hear ghost stories—fearful of the intangible and elusive spirits. The two Sage-level officers of the Shen Rui Army exchanged glances, their expressions growing serious. If they didn't have absolute trust in their intelligence sources, they would have doubted whether they had indeed pursued the correct enemy. This once-indolent, pleasure-seeking emperor, who seemed so unremarkable, possessed such profound cultivation? Beyond the emperor himself, the combined presence of four malevolent entities and two vengeful spirits—each at the level of junior Master—was deeply unsettling. Such a powerful being, yet willingly serving as a puppet emperor, easily manipulated by others? The two Sage-level officers from the Ministry of Justice felt a sudden surge of apprehension. The royal beast roared, "Which rogue has dared to invade our Ministry of Justice?" Having witnessed the strength of their opponents, they now preferred to engage in dialogue before considering a full-scale confrontation. Yet the senior commanders of the city's garrison were well aware of the situation. A young general, holding a long spear, stepped forward first, declaring, "Any who dare to intrude upon the Ministry of Justice shall be executed without mercy!" With the spear pointed firmly, he cut off the Ministry's saint any chance to speak, then ordered his subordinates, "Advance!" Immediately, twenty-some fierce soldiers stepped forward with their swords, while another dozen archers drew their bows and loosed arrows. Zhang Yuanqing remained motionless, allowing the arrows to strike him, his head held high, emitting a sharp, piercing cry. Four shadow corpses and two spiritual attendants immediately charged toward the defenders of the city, the officials of the Ministry of Justice, and the Saint-level warriors of the Divine Sharp Army. Zhang Yuanqing summoned a short sword, concealed himself, and waited for an opportune moment to strike. The scene顿时 became chaotic. Though the combat prowess of shadow corpses at the Saint level was weaker than that of peers among the Spirit-level practitioners and even ancient cultivators, they were fearless in the face of death, willing to sacrifice their lives to secure victories, and were particularly adept at close-quarters combat—crafted by a spirit-enslaving demon. Thus, while the present Saint-level warriors could contain the shadow corpses and attendants, they could not achieve a decisive, swift victory. Zhang Yuanqing frequently reappeared, attacking the Fire Demon, the Sword Master, and the Pest God, each time inflicting bleeding wounds upon them. After his short sword pierced the Fire Demon's chest, Zhang Yuanqing once again vanished into the night, donning a robe of Yin-Yang energy, and summoned two water dragons, transforming their breath into a torrential downpour. Then, he affixed the Thunder God's seal to his forehead, causing bright blue electric energy to surge from his body … After leaving the Ministry of Justice, Brother Red-Chicken burst into a frantic run across the street, the dense crowd restricting his pace. After being sharply kicked several times by Red Slippers, he once again scaled the rooftops and began a full city-scale acrobatic sprint. The steady "tap-tap" sound followed him like a shadow. While the Saint moved swiftly, Red Slippers was a perpetual motion entity—a rule-based artifact—once activated, it would never cease its pursuit, no matter how great the obstacles, until the very mountains turned into plains and heaven and earth converged. Fortunately, the city's garrison forces had been drawn to the Ministry of Justice, and thus, no one paid much attention to this agile, high-flying rogue—someone who would typically be brought down with a single arrow in ordinary circumstances. After running for a full hour, a glow of starlight emerged ahead, and the disguised Yuan-Shi Tian-Zun stepped forth from among the stars. Zhang Yuanqing canceled the pursuit order, calmed Red Slippers, and secured an agreement to "postpone the cost," then turned to Brother Red-Chicken and said: "Come with me." While rubbing his sore shoulders and back from the kicks, Brother Red-Chicken asked "The Four Saints," Zhang Yuanqing replied casually. "I didn't kill the Saints of the Shen Rui Army—I think they're still useful. They absorbed the spiritual essences of two senior officers from the city garrison's defense forces. Later, when they feed on spirits, I'll take you to meet Jing Wei. Jing Wei has been taken by Wang Beiwang. Though the meeting was sudden and no specific rendezvous point had been agreed upon, Zhang Yuanqing knows for sure that Wang Beiwang will return to his lodging point in the western part of the city. That's one of the three shared lodging points known to both sides. The other two are Wang Beiwang's home and Xu Elder's residence. At the sight of Zheng Wenshi hurrying over, the plague spirit of the Ministry of Justice straightened his expression and approached: "General Zheng!" The man in front commanded two battalions of the city's garrison forces, totaling four thousand troops. Though holding only a fifth-rank official position, he was a powerful military figure with substantial authority—indeed, the younger brother of Chancellor Zheng Wenhan. Moreover, Zheng Wenshi was at the peak of the Small Master rank (Level 6), just one step away from achieving Master rank (Level 7). In terms of family background, political influence, and cultivation, Zheng Wenshi was a major figure of significant weight in the Southern Dynasty. It was reportedly said that Chancellor Zheng had strongly advocated for his younger brother, Zheng Wenshi, to command five thousand elite troops and defend Lingxia City. However, this plan was ultimately taken over by Yang Family's Qilin Son. Zheng Wenshi specialized in sword techniques and supplemented his training with mastery of water control, combining the sharp authority of a swordmaster with the calm, subtle demeanor of a water spirit. He glanced at the bodies covered in white cloth and coldly asked, "Have they captured the assailant?" The plague spirit of the Ministry of Pausing, he added, "There are three saints pursuing the thieves, who have already fled. General Zheng, I heard one of the thieves shout 'the incompetent emperor'..." Before he could finish, Zheng Wenshì's eyes sharpened like a blade, fixing him instantly. The Minister of Justice, the 'Plague of the Criminal Department,' immediately fell silent. Zheng Wenshì spoke calmly, "The incompetent emperor? The Emperor is wise and powerful, residing in the palace—how could he be here? Moreover, the Emperor is no one of the spiritual path. He should focus on his duties and not make unwarranted assumptions." "Yes, yes..." the Minister of Justice nodded repeatedly. ... In the west of the city. Zhang Yuanqing and Hong Ji'ge climbed over the gray brick wall and saw Jiang Jingwei and Xiuer sitting in the courtyard, each of them eating a large white bun with meat bits inside. Their mouths were gleaming with oil. Wang Beiwang sat beside them, holding his teacup, anxiously rotating it between his fingers. Seeing the two return safely, Wang sighed with relief, then looked at Zhang Yuanqing with a complex expression, stammering, "Thank you..." Zhang Yuanqing said nothing, simply stated, "Take Xiuer and your parents and leave the capital. Go somewhere outside the city to hide." "Why?" Wang Beiwan instinctively resisted, as there were still so many matters unfinished in the capital. "I've only rescued Xiuer," Zhang Yuanqing urged. "Once the Ministry of Justice verifies your family's identity, they'll identify your household. If you don't want your entire family wiped out, act quickly and leave now." As a scout, Wang Beiwan naturally understood the implications; his heart tightened immediately. He rose to his feet, took hold of the horse, and went out to secure the carriage. Once the carriage was ready, he carried Wang Xiuer to the door. Xiuer hesitantly said, "Uncle, let's go home together..." Wang Beiwan's steps suddenly halted. He scoffed, "Once I've settled my parents, I'll return immediately. As for the weak king, I won't owe you any favors." "Red Chicken Brother watched Wang Beiwang drive away and mumbled, 'This NPC is quite aloof!' Zhang Yuanqing sat in the bamboo chair Wang Beiwang had just been sitting on, closed his eyes, and simultaneously absorbed the spiritual essences of two senior city defense officers. Fragments of memories surged forth. After a few seconds, Zhang Yuanqing opened his eyes, retrieved three vials of Life Essence from his inventory, and a healing wooden bracelet, placing them on the table. 'You're going too,' Zhang Yuanqing said to Red Chicken Brother, 'Get out of here—you're a real nuisance.' Red Chicken Brother: '????' Seeing Red Chicken Brother's puzzled expression, Zhang Yuanqing sighed, 'Don't you find the attacks we've encountered rather strange?' 'Do you know why?' Red Chicken Brother asked. "You're identified. I discovered through the spiritual essence of the city's defense officers that they were prepared—specifically, the female Taoist who attacked you is a Star Official, part of the Tianji Pavilion. That means the State Preceptor, the Golden Bird, specializes in celestial observation and astrological forecasting, and he has already predicted your movements. If we continue staying here, further assassinations are inevitable. In fact, the assassins may already be en route." Zhang Yuanqing lifted the water pot, poured it steadily, finished drinking, then wiped his lips. Upon hearing this, Red Chicken Brother was deeply alarmed: "Then we must consolidate and strengthen our unity—otherwise, we'll be broken one by one." "It's you who will be vulnerable, not me. If the State Preceptor could foresee my movements, he wouldn't have waited until today to strike. I believe he cannot currently observe the Emperor's movements—that's your role advantage," Zhang Yuanqing explained. "Your mission is to ensure my survival for five days. Three days have already passed. Just two more days of endurance, and we can exit the scenario." "Red Chicken thought it made sense, but still wasn't convinced. 'Didn't Crystalline Jingwei have been following you all along? Why hasn't she been included in the calculations?' Upon hearing this, Jingwei, who had been chewing on her steamed buns, raised her chin with pride. 'Because I'm smarter than you.' 'Go on!' both Zhang Yuanqing and Red Chicken spat at her simultaneously. Zhang Yuanqing explained: 'The State Preceptor didn't know that Jingwei was actually Chu Beauty. According to Zheng Wenhan's intelligence reports, Chu Beauty, Wan Beauty, and Wang Ge-jia were all deceased and out of sight. But you, Li Changshi, are alive and have accompanied the Emperor in escaping the palace. As long as you present one of your personal belongings for stargazing and calculation, their movements can be traced. The same logic applies to Lady Ya and Consort De—both are likely to fall under the State Preceptor's observation.' After listening, Red Chicken asked in the Fire Master's everyday language: 'Then what should we do?' 'First, go to the Yang family and verify whether Guan Ya is indeed the Empress. If she is, then Lady Ya and Consort De should already Zhang Yuanqing spoke as he thought: "The progress of the quest hasn't yet reached the stage where the Dominator appears, so the Yang family can still protect you. I'll assign a shadow corpse to accompany you—this will both safeguard you and allow you to reunite with your teammates. Once we reach this point, we need to convene a group meeting to consolidate information and plan our strategy." As he spoke, he strode to the kitchen, found a piece of black charcoal, and retrieved the wax paper from the day before when he had bought provisions. On the paper, he wrote: "Bring my favorite little trumpet to me." Then he took out the little red hat and folded the paper inside it. A moment later, he shook the little red hat gently, and a small trumpet, about the size of a palm, fell out along with the wax paper. On the paper, a new line appeared: "I'm so bored—when can I go out?" To which Zhang Yuanqing silently replied in his heart: "Wait until I reach the Dominator stage..." He then summoned the shadow corpse that had been stored in the house, the one he had sent back to Wang Xiu, and issued the command for it to follow. Zhang Yuanqing did not leave immediately. He gathered all the items—tea cups, bowls, chopsticks, bedding—and concentrated them in the courtyard, where he set them alight with a single blaze before finally departing with Jiang Jingwei. About a minute later, starlight rose from the courtyard, transforming into a graceful, endearing woman with a somewhat expressionless face, dressed in a Taiji fish robe. Her eyes remained vacant, fixed upon the charred remnants, as she remained silent for a while before gradually dissolving back into starlight. Her luck was better than Xiao Yuan's—she hadn't been attacked—and after seeing the notice board outside Yang's shop, she came straight to the Yang family. —Guan Ya instructed her steward to set up a plaque at every shop under the Yang family's name, inscribed with a poem: "Majestic grass grows on the plain, flourishing each year, withering and renewing..." The inspiration came from what Xie Lingxi had told her: "I received a dream from the Celestial Scholar of Literature, and in that dream, I composed a poem." Xie Lingxi looked left and right, remaining silent. Guan Ya, no doubt a master swordsman, was calm and composed. "At this stage, we are in the safest phase—our enemies are at most level six, unable to threaten us or endanger Yuan Shi. Beyond this point, we may face masters-level adversaries. As for us..." She glanced around the group, sighed. "Some are stuck at the level of extraordinary, others at that of saints. Our teammates vary widely in strength. Once the masters-level foes arrive, all these less capable ones will fall. By now, halfway through the plot, we saints still feel confused and disengaged—like spectators watching a flower in fog. Of course, Yuan Shi, the current ruler, and Fu Qingyang, our commander, must be having a most dynamic and eventful time. Guan Ya exhaled deeply, "We must find Yuan Shi. Our team can no longer remain like a flock of aimless sparrows." At that moment, the lady-in-waiting at her side knocked gently on the grid door and whispered, "Your Majesty, someone outside wishes to see you."