The Empress’s Gigolo

70 or 80 anxious people were hurrying along the road on the hill and occasionally looking backward as if there were some fierce beasts chasing after them.

“Governor Xie, Da Yunze is just 15 kilometers ahead! We will be safe once we enter. Even if Qi Zixiao were to come personally, it would be hard for her to find us.” Still wearing a colorful feather cape, Mister Bu pointed forward as he spoke.

Everyone finally felt quite relieved as 15 kilometers could be covered in half a day.

“Better be careful,” Xie Kun warned. “Hopefully nothing will happen again during this final stretch.”

Even though he said so, his expression was much more relaxed.

He turned back to look and saw two teenagers and a young girl being carried on the backs of three guards.

If they weren’t piggybacked by the guards, these three youngsters wouldn’t have had the energy to reach this far.

Half of the 70 or 80 people were wearing colorful feather capes with patches of bronze skin exposed. Among the aristocratic looking people from the Six Doors, there were the elephant trainers who wore a white feather cape, the insect keepers whose clothes were full of pockets, and the monkey trainers with a red feather cape.

The other half consisted of Xie Kun’s guards. A starving camel is still bigger than a horse, and even though Xie Kun was fleeing for his life, a few dozen guards still followed him.

In addition to these people, there was a huge black bird, a giant python, and a bunch of noisy monkeys running and jumping all over the place.

Ren Baqian and others were standing in a far away forest. He saw the expressions of those people with his binoculars and laughed.

“They seem to be relaxed because Da Yunze isn’t far away. Are they feeling safe? Will they despair if they see us?”

“They will be very desperate!” Zuo Leng replied.

As for Xi Wanya and company, those who needed to sharpen their knives did so and those who needed to rest, rested.

“I assume they will suffer psychological scarring when they see Protector General Xi appear.” Ren gave Zuo Leng an admiring look.

It was really good to have someone beside him who was supportive. Otherwise, it would be embarrassing to have to answer his own questions.

“Sir, what is psychological scarring?” Zuo Leng was diligent and eager to learn.

Ren Baqian folded his arms and pondered for a long time over how he should explain. He finally gave Zuo Leng a disgusted look and said, “You will not understand even if I tell you.”

“Principal Ren, get the firewood and water ready to feast on the huge snake and bird in the evening!” Xi Wanya propped up the long-handled saber that was on his knees, rose to his feet, and laughed.

“It’s not a huge snake, it’s a Mangshan!”

Slurp! Lin Qiaole, who was on the treetop above Ren Baqian, didn’t forget to correct the name even in her dreams.

She drooled profusely.

And Ren Baqian had almost mistaken it for rain.

“Your Majesty, we are leaving. The earlier we settle this, the earlier we go back.”

The three, consisting of Xi Wanya, Zong Shen, and Qing Ping, cupped their fists to bid the empress farewell.

“I am also going!” Lin Qiaole tumbled down from the tree. It was rare to see her so active, and this made one wonder about the depth of the enmity between the Mangshan and her.

“During the upcoming battle, dispose of the other people and do not let anyone escape,” Ren Baqian ordered to those from the Rearguard Commandery.

More than 20 baihu at the Earth Wheel level from the Rearguard Commandery were with him, so wiping out 70 or 80 soldiers was considered a done deal.

Xi Wanya’s team of three landed in front of Xie Kun and the troops from the Six Doors.

“Where do you think you are going? Let’s stay here today. You should be honored that I am here to take your lives.” Xi Wanya laughed.

Several Cardinal Heaven experts killing a group of Earth Wheel and Man Wheel experts, with some not even at the Man Wheel level, was considered a blessing for these victims.

“Xi Wanya!” Xie Kun and company were stunned by the appearance of the three men in front of them. They didn’t expect to be intercepted after taking such a circuitous route.

“Die!” Xi Wanya stabbed out with his saber. The air in front of him exploded, and a trench appeared in the ground.

The body of someone behind Xie Kun suddenly exploded as if there was a bomb inside them as blood and flesh splattered everywhere.

“Whoop!” Not far away, a long-haired reddish-brown monkey puffed his fur and rushed toward Xi Wanya.

The crow general also rushed across at the three men, striking with its iron wings. A loud bang was heard when it collided with Qing Ping’s mace.

As a result, Qing Ping was repelled by more than four meters.

Following this, the crow general jumped up again, flapped its large wings, and aimed it iron talons at Zong Shen. After a miss, it adjusted its center of gravity, lowered its head, and pecked down.

Ren Baqian watched the huge bird jump, claw, and peck through his binoculars… He felt it to be inexplicably familiar.

The old mother hen at his grandfather’s house used to peck at him in the same way when he was young.

The Mangshan, which was coiled up, raised half of its body up and kept hissing. The figure of Lin Qiaole was revolving around it so rapidly that it was impossible to see her clearly.

“They are moving to the side,” Ren Baqian reminded them after watching for a while.

Seeing Xi Wanya and the others move to one side, Zuo Leng and company rushed over rapidly and surrounded the remaining soldiers without further orders from Ren Baqian.

After some whistles were heard, a bunch of nearby monkeys charged toward Zuo Leng and his group. The insect keepers detached the bags from their bodies and let the poisonous insects crawl out to surround them tightly.

Nevertheless, they still couldn’t withstand the assault of the troops from the protectorate.

Most of the monkeys weren’t even at the Man Wheel level; only a few of the stronger ones were about Man Wheel level, and their speed was faster. However, no matter how fast they were, they weren’t as fast as the Earth Wheel experts, and with each saber strike, a monkey would be dismembered.

Within a short time period, the surrounding area was filled with the corpses of monkeys.

In the distance, the reddish brown long-haired monkey who was fighting with Xi Wanya gave a shrill cry, abandoned Xi Wanya, and rushed over. However, it had to avoid a strike from behind that Xi Wanya delivered with his saber. It gave a shrill cry every time it responded to the saber attacks from Xi Wanya. The area surrounding their battleground was like a ploughed field with trenches covering the surface.

“It has finally ended.” Ren Baqian sighed when he saw a baihu cutting off Xie Kun’s head with one slash of the saber.

“Your Majesty, why does every thrust of Xi Wanya’s saber generate a saber force that leaves a mark on the ground? This situation isn’t seen when you strike. Is it because Your Majesty concentrates your energy on one point, which is a manifestation of your perfect control?” Ren Baqian asked.

The empress looked at him contemptuously and said, “What nonsense are you saying? I’ve already told you to read more. This is the form of Xi Wanya’s skills. Aside from the saber in his hand, there is a saber force that enters the ground and explodes under the enemy’s feet. The marks are due to the vigorous saber force!”

“What about Captain Qing’s mace? Normally, it isn’t seen by his side, but every time there’s a battle, he takes it out. Don’t tell me it is a type of Heaven-grade weapon?”

This time, the empress said without disdain, “That mace is mixed with cloud crystals and thus has some special features. It’s like your Elongation Saber, but your saber is too brittle and breaks at a touch.”

The two chatted while watching the battle in the distance.

I n a surprisingly short time, the first unusual creature to die was the reddish brown long-haired monkey.

After the group of monkeys died, it went berserk.

Xi Wanya took the opportunity to absorb a punch from the monkey and disabled one of its legs with a counter slash of his saber. It was supposed to be a cut, but it was more like a fracture. The monkey seemed to have copper skin and iron bones. The bone was broken, but the skin was still intact.

Not long after, the monkey died at the hands of Xi Wanya. Xi Wanya stabbed the top of its head three times before he managed to split it apart.

Following this, the battlefield was totally cleared with no rebels managing to escape.

The Mangshan was finally killed after the crow general ran away. He was first chopped into two portions by Zong Shen and then was bashed on the head more than 10 times by Qing Ping’s mace before it died. It really had an iron head.

“They are finally exterminated!” The empress wrinkled her nose and smiled cheerfully.

The rebel leaders were already exterminated. The next step was to get rid of all the rebels that ran away and then return to Lan City.