Fei Xiong, jolted by the bumpy ride, could no longer bear it and called out.
"Second Brother, wait!"
Dao Lang reined in his horse with a helpless sigh and asked him,
"What is it?"
"I want to rest. I can't take it anymore, my back is about to fall apart."
Dao Lang was momentarily speechless but couldn't help but want to scold him.
"You usually walk so fast and have energy for everything. Why are you so weak here?"
Fei Xiong had to confess.
"That's different. I was walking, this is riding a horse. Ouch, my backside is almost falling apart."
Saying that, he dismounted and sat by the roadside to rest.
The bright moon was high in the sky, and the surroundings were quiet and serene.
Dao Lang rode over, dismounted, and sat with him, asking,
"Where does it hurt?"
"My back hurts, my backside hurts."
"Let me give you a massage."
As he said this, he began to massage Fei Xiong's back. Fei Xiong turned his head with a look of surprise, and suddenly, his eyes sparkled with moisture.
"Is that better?"
Dao Lang massaged him a few times, then looked up and saw Fei Xiong looking at him with his big, touched eyes.
He suddenly froze, then smiled and said,
"What, are you moved by me?"
Fei Xiong nodded.
Dao Lang smiled slightly, reached out and patted his head, saying to him like a doting father,
"After Big Brother left, you are my only family. If I don't treat you well, who will I treat well?"
"Heh heh."
Fei Xiong chuckled, full of emotion.
"Second Brother is the best."
"Is it much better?"
"Much better."
"If it's much better, let's continue our journey."
"So soon?"
"If we don't hurry, how can we catch up to the Snow Blade Duo?"
"That's true."
Saying that, the two of them got up and prepared to mount their horses to continue their journey.
Suddenly, a dark shadow darted out from the woods, and a sword flew out, lodging itself at Dao Lang's feet.
Dao Lang immediately became alert, and Fei Xiong also took out the large axe he carried on his back.
Suddenly, a flying dart streaked towards them. Fei Xiong immediately chopped at it, and the dart fell to the ground.
Then, several more flying darts came. Dao Lang immediately drew his saber and swung it. In a flash of light and thunder, only the sound of clashing metal was heard.
Suddenly, a black figure lunged out, aiming a sword at Fei Xiong, and a cold voice followed.
"Don't move!"
Dao Lang immediately stopped, turned his head, and saw over a dozen people dressed in black clothes appearing behind Fei Xiong.
One of them held a sword to Fei Xiong's neck.
Dao Lang, however, remained calm and cupped his fists, saying,
"I believe you recognize us. Since you do, there's no need for swords and spears."
The one holding the sword to Fei Xiong's neck slowly opened his mouth.
"As for you two, you are known to everyone. It is precisely because we know you that we have come to find you."
Dao Lang became suspicious and guessed,
"If they were here to capture us, they would have acted by now. It's unlikely.
Are they sent by the Four Cities to kill us? That doesn't seem likely either.
Could it be... they are here for some important news? The most significant event in the Four Cities recently is the Myriad Ghost King.
It seems they are here for the Myriad Ghost King."
After a moment of thought, Dao Lang quickly arrived at an answer.
The man said,
"We heard that the Myriad Ghost King had a close relationship with you before her emergence. I believe you must know where she is."
They were indeed here for the Myriad Ghost King. However, strangely, the wanted poster only depicted a likeness but did not state that it was Mu Ye.
Then how did they know about our relationship with Mu Ye? Did they see us together before?
Despite his doubts, Dao Lang knew he had to find a way to get rid of these people. He said,
"The Myriad Ghost King? We also heard about the Myriad Ghost King's emergence. May I ask why you are looking for her?"
The man replied,
"You don't need to worry about that. Just tell us where the Myriad Ghost King is."
He thought for a moment and said,
"We heard that the Myriad Ghost King fled to the vast ocean. You can go and look there."
The man's eyes sharpened, and he said,
"You are lying."
He didn't expect to be seen through so quickly, but Dao Lang remained unhurried and said,
"Why do you think I'm lying? We have no relationship with that Myriad Ghost King."
The man sneered coldly and revealed the truth.
"The current Myriad Ghost King is named Liu Mu Ye, and she was once your good friend. How could you not know?"
Fei Xiong also pretended.
"What! Liu Mu Ye is the Myriad Ghost King? I've never heard of this!"
"Isn't it?"
He applied more pressure, making Fei Xiong cry out in pain.
Fei Xiong wailed in pain.
"Ouch, ouch, ouch, be gentler."
Dao Lang said,
"You don't need to trouble my brother. Liu Mu Ye is indeed our friend, but she has a beloved who has gone to the Western Purple Kingdom with her beloved.
If you want to find her, go to the Western Purple Kingdom."
The man still didn't believe him.
"Don't try to trick me. Why would Liu Mu Ye be in the Western Purple Kingdom? She could be hiding anywhere. Speak quickly, or I will not be polite to him."
Fei Xiong immediately thought of a plan and feigned weakness.
"No, no, no, big brother, don't hurt me. Second Brother, just tell them the truth.
Isn't that remote area outside the Western Purple Kingdom her stronghold? Didn't we overhear them saying they were going to the Western Purple Kingdom to rescue them before?
I think they've probably reunited by now, and they might be in the wilderness from the Western Purple Kingdom to South Sea City."
Dao Lang feigned surprise and rebuked Fei Xiong.
"Fei Xiong! How can you say that? Mu Ye is our friend. As the saying goes, without trust, one cannot stand. How can we betray her?"
"Second Brother, what time is it? Don't you see the knife at my neck?
Anyway, you're the only family I have. If I don't betray her, who will I betray?"
"Alas! You! If you do this, how can I face her?"
"Come on, you've wanted to tell the authorities this news for a long time to get that ten thousand gold. If I hadn't stopped you, you would have gone by now."
"You!"
The man was stunned. Although he knew there was truth and falsehood in their words, he still thought about it carefully.
"I did hear that the Ghost Tribe of the Northwest Desert has escaped. Perhaps what they are saying has some truth to it."
Thinking this, he felt a little more confident. He pushed Fei Xiong forward, cupped his fists, and said,
"We apologize for the offense. Please forgive us. Farewell."
With that, he led his men and turned back into the woods.
Fei Xiong looked back, then looked at Dao Lang triumphantly. Just as he was about to speak, Dao Lang signaled him with his eyes.
So, he could only silently mount his horse and head towards North Divine Capital.
At the same time, Xue Gu Cheng and Yan Wu Shuang, who had been traveling on foot for half a day, felt something was amiss. They bought horses midway and traveled day and night, finally arriving at North Divine Capital two days later.
To wait for Fei Xiong and Dao Lang, they waited for another two days at an old shop by the street.
It wasn't until dusk on the third day that they saw the two of them riding their horses in a hurry from the main gate.
As Dao Lang entered the city, he saw the white streamers hanging at the gate and knew that the Snow Blade Duo were waiting for them.
So, he rode his horse directly to the shop entrance, dismounted, and entered the shop, where he saw Xue Gu Cheng and Yan Wu Shuang.
Their eyes met, and it seemed their wait was not in vain. Yan Wu Shuang stood up and said,
"You've arrived."
Fei Xiong chuckled and teased,
"You two arrived so quickly, but you've worn my brother and me out. We've been traveling for days, and my bones are about to fall apart."
Yan Wu Shuang couldn't help but laugh.
"It's not me saying this, but Xue Ge and I have been waiting here for two days. Add the two days it took you to get here, that's four days. You two are really slow."
Fei Xiong pouted, looking wronged.
"We were delayed."
"You two are so sharp. What could possibly delay you?"
"It's a long story. Let's find a quiet place to talk."
Xue Gu Cheng said,
"Alright. I'll ask the shopkeeper to open a private room."
"Mm."
Saying that, he went to the counter and spoke to the shopkeeper about opening a private room.
Afterward, the owner led them upstairs, along the second-floor corridor, and into the last room at the end of the corridor.
The four entered the private room, closed the door, and sat around the octagonal table. Fei Xiong said,
"To tell you the truth, we encountered something strange on our way here."
"What is it?"
Xue Gu Cheng became curious.
Dao Lang said,
"Let me tell you. On our way here, we ran into a group of people. They didn't seem like ordinary people, but a small team of over a dozen people looking for the Myriad Ghost King."
"A team?"
Yan Wu Shuang also became curious.
Dao Lang continued,
"If they were just looking for the Myriad Ghost King as usual, it would be nothing strange.
But they actually knew that Mu Ye was the Myriad Ghost King, and they also knew about our relationship with Mu Ye."
Speaking of this, Fei Xiong felt indignant.
"Look, my neck still hurts. They threatened me with a sword and interrogated me about Mu Ye's whereabouts."
Yan Wu Shuang also looked confused.
"Indeed, regarding the rumors of the Myriad Ghost King, very few people know it's Mu Ye. Could it be that, like you, they have met Mu Ye?"
Dao Lang pondered for a moment and said,
"If they had met her, it wouldn't be that remarkable. It's not surprising to have heard her name. But how did they know about our relationship with Mu Ye?
We have met Mu Ye only a handful of times. If they truly knew, why didn't they come to capture us earlier?
Why did they have to wait until a few days ago?"
A series of questions all pointed to one answer.
Xue Gu Cheng said,
"It seems that in addition to the Four Cities, there is a third force."
"That's the only explanation."
Hearing this, Yan Wu Shuang became a little worried.
"If that's the case, I'm afraid Mu Ye's hiding place will be exposed soon."
Speaking of this, everyone became worried. Only Xue Gu Cheng remained confident.
"It's only a matter of time before her hiding place is exposed. However, before coming here, Mu Ye was already making arrangements for everything.
I don't think even if the Four Cities knew, they could attack her all at once."
Hearing this, the others felt a little relieved.
Dao Lang said,
"If that's the case, we don't need to worry too much. Let's first think about how to rescue her."
Dao Lang and Fei Xiong were experienced and resourceful, and they were the best at rescuing people. So, Yan Wu Shuang asked,
"If we want to rescue Liu Shi Nian, what methods do you two have?"
Fei Xiong thought for a moment but couldn't come up with a good plan. He then asked them,
"Since you two have come, you must have some ideas, right? We know very little about Liu Shi Nian's situation and can't think of a good plan right away."
Xue Gu Cheng felt that Fei Xiong had a point. He told them about the letter Mu Ye had given them when they came.
"We haven't figured it out yet. It's just that before coming, Mu Ye wrote a letter asking us to give it to General Zi Ye.
She said she had some acquaintance with Zi Ye and thought she might be able to help."
"May I see it?"
Dao Lang wanted to read the contents.
Xue Gu Cheng thought for a moment. Dao Lang and Fei Xiong were trustworthy, so it was fine to show it to them.
He took the letter out of his怀 and handed it to Dao Lang. Dao Lang opened and read it in front of the two of them. After reading it carefully, he analyzed,
"This letter mainly talks about ordinary help. If she were an ordinary person, Zi Ye might be able to help.
Now that she has become the Myriad Ghost King, if her secret is revealed, wouldn't it put people in a difficult position?"
Xue Gu Cheng felt that there was some truth to this.
"Indeed. Then what should we do?"
"Fei Xiong and I have been in and out of the Grand Divine Palace for many years, and we have some understanding of Palace Master Zi Yu. Although she is a royal relative, she is also a just and upright person.
If the few of us tell her the truth, she will definitely help us."
Yan Wu Shuang also felt this was feasible.
"Let's do as Dao Lang suggests."
Fei Xiong also said,
"Brother Dao Lang's method is the most feasible. If we give this letter from Mu Ye to Zi Ye, she might not be able to help us."
Xue Gu Cheng listened to their suggestions and thought carefully:
"Now that Mu Ye has become the Myriad Ghost King, even if she had many acquaintances with Zi Ye before, it would be difficult to accomplish anything. It's better to follow Dao Lang's advice."
Thinking this, he also came to a decision and agreed.
"Let's listen to Brother Dao Lang. But when should we go to see Zi Yu?"
Fei Xiong chuckled and scratched his head, saying sheepishly,
"I think tomorrow. My brother and I have been traveling non-stop for several days to reach North Divine Capital. Now we are both tired and hungry."
Xue Gu Cheng then remembered that they had just arrived today. He glanced at the empty table and smiled.
He got up, opened the door, and said to the waiter downstairs,
"Bring us the best wine and food your establishment has."
Fei Xiong got a little anxious when he heard this and quickly said,
"Oh, just something simple is fine. It's too expensive for us to afford."
Xue Gu Cheng laughed heartily and said generously,
"Don't worry, eat as much as you want. This meal is on me."
"Wow, thank you, Brother Gu Cheng."
Yan Wu Shuang couldn't help but chuckle at his simple-minded appearance.
When the food and drinks arrived, after the four of them had a hearty meal, they decided to stay at the old shop for the night and then go to the Grand Divine Palace the next day.
The second dawn.
Xue Gu Cheng and Yan Wu Shuang got up early from the adjacent room, went out, and knocked on Fei Xiong and Dao Lang's door.
After knocking for a while, they heard a voice from inside,
"Coming, coming."
Dao Lang opened the door, followed by a sleepy Fei Xiong. Xue Gu Cheng's mind was filled with his promise to Mu Ye.
So, he was a little anxious and immediately said,
"We should go to the Grand Divine Palace."
"Oh, okay."
Dao Lang looked back and saw Fei Xiong squinting his eyes and swaying unsteadily, clearly not yet awake.
So, he reminded him lightly,
"It's time to eat!"
Fei Xiong's spirits immediately lifted, and his eyes widened.
"Eat, eat!"
Seeing this, the others chuckled. Dao Lang also laughed and patted his shoulder.
"Alright, alright, let's go to the Grand Divine Palace quickly. We might even be able to have breakfast."
Although they had enjoyed good wine and food yesterday, it had only been one night, and it was long digested. At this time, he was hungry again and said directly,
"Then let's hurry, I'm hungry."
Fei Xiong eagerly walked at the front, heading quickly towards the Grand Divine Palace, with the other three following closely behind.