995: Chapter 617_2 995: Chapter 617_2 Feng Shui, Talisman Drawing, Divination, Medicine, are but extracurricular books for those who pursue both Confucianism and Tao.
They can’t, like the Taoist priests in the Taoist Temples, take on tasks in these fields, to observe Feng Shui, to reap souls, letting evil ghosts, fierce ghosts, and wronged ghosts of the Netherworld receive their punishments, even the wandering lost spirits must return to where they belong!
As controllers of their identity, Tang Feiyang and his fellow disciples only practice their Cultivation in the Capital City and maintain their strength in the Imperial Capital!
Yingzi felt something was amiss from atop the tree; the sound of hooves in the distance was not growing closer, but rather, fading further away.
The nearby sounds were from the direction of the town, where Du Jiaolan’s ambush was in place.
Apart from Du Jiaolan, none of the others knew the Invisibility Technique, hence they plotted to pincer the enemy from the correct direction.
“Pursue…!” As Yingzi uttered these words, she was already flying down from the tree, then she whistled in the proper direction!
Yingzi leaped down, signaling with her whistle to the others in the tree and those who were hiding.
The camouflaged figures buried in the ground bounded up, snow flying from their bodies!
At this moment, they could no longer care about the cold, and followed their leader in swift pursuit!
Du Jiaolan, taken aback by the whistle, recognized it as a signal for a change in plan within their organization; the enemy might have discovered their ambush, prompting a retreat to alter their route!
“After them…!” Du Jiaolan cried out.
The black-clad, masked people by her side were eerily still, their eyes cloudy – under the influence of the medicated powder prepared by Yingzi, they were obedient to their superiors!
Du Jiaolan knew the effects of this powder and could thus command these people.
Initially planning to launch a pincer attack, they hadn’t brought horses.
But, now that plans had changed and the enemy might have gone far, far away.
Therefore, they returned to the inn, where they took all the horses they had left, each person riding one and leading another.
They were taking all their luggage and belongings, preparing for a lengthy pursuit, possibly never returning to this spot!
Such rapid action left the innkeeper and shopkeeper with no opportunity to intervene.
Though the group had stayed here, they had only paid a deposit and some meal fees, and had yet to settle the bill!
Seeing the fierce and menacing look of the group, the innkeeper dared not speak and nudged the shopkeeper.
The shopkeeper’s legs trembled, nearly causing him to stumble, but he too had a quick thought and shoved an attendant.
The foolish attendant said, “Excuse me, honorable sirs, you haven’t paid for your rooms yet?”
Mounted on their horses, the group of black-clothed figures turned around as one.
Their wooden eyes sparkled cruelly – they were controlled by drugs, their true natures unleashed to the fullest.
Who would dare ask them for room rent during their previous stays?
All it took was to show their token; whether it was the hostelry or the authorities, didn’t they all fawn over them?
The attendant, shopkeeper, and inn owner, faced with the harsh gaze of the black-clothed, sat down weakly on the snow!
This predicament made them lament their misfortune, having been subjected to dine-and-dash and stay-and-bolt incidents.
Helplessly, they wondered if provoking these villains might lead to their deaths?
Armed with weapons, a murderous aura was evident in their eyes—undoubtedly, they were killers.
Du Jiaolan looked back from horseback; although she was part of the organization, she usually kept a low profile in the Imperial Capital or elsewhere.
She would not casually use the token or reveal her identity, always paying her way for meals and lodging.
This journey had also included provisions for expenses, which though quite substantial, were still within her limits.
With a flick of her wrist, she tossed a pouch of silver to the inn’s attendant.
The astonished attendant caught the silver flung by the veiled lady riding away in the distance.
He was delighted to receive the payment!
“Boss, the lady gave us the silver!”
The boss weighed the silver in his hands, feeling it was adequate.
It seemed to cover the debts for their lodging and meals, though he would only be sure after checking the accounts.
Having some payment was better than none, and if not enough, it should be close!
Du Jiaolan, also riding one horse and leading another, had advanced a good distance of about three miles when she spotted Yingzi and her subordinates running ahead.
Yingzi, turning back and seeing Du Jiaolan and the subordinates of the Prime Minister, stopped to await their arrival before leaping onto the horse led by Du Jiaolan.
“Quick, chase them, they’re ahead!”
“Oh”
With a wave of her hand, Du Jiaolan signaled to those behind her.
The controlled men in black followed silently, spurring their horses faster in pursuit.
Yingzi felt a bit regretful that they hadn’t set up an ambush on another stretch of road.
It was only because they didn’t have enough people; together, they were just a few dozen, whereas Tang Feiyang had brought over 100 men!
If they had split into two groups, it would have surely resulted in insufficient forces to match the opponent.
On the section of the road where they had previously laid an ambush, they had also buried explosives.
In the haste of their retreat, there was no time to retrieve the explosives planted in the road.
Perhaps this pursuit was a mistake.
After all, the other side had so many people, and even with different tactics, it might still not be enough!
Without doing so, it would be impossible to subdue the other side!
Du Jiaolan glanced at Yingzi, who had previously wanted to blow up a portion of those many people, then weaken them, and after controlling them, use them to create chaos in the north.
She knew these were elite troops.
She had tried to persuade Yingzi, also fearing that Yingzi’s actions might result in Tang Feiyang getting hurt!
Tang Feiyang truly lived up to her expectations, reacting so swiftly and quickly grasping their conspiracy.
Sister, to realize their plot so quickly!
He was indeed the one she admired!
The praised Tang Feiyang had been flying on clouds the whole time.
After directing his people to change their route, he was able to take advantage of the high clouds to remain undetected by the opposition!
Tang Feiyang had already spotted a large group of pursuers coming their way; they were on fast horses, while his were in carriages!
Even if they started chasing later, they would catch up soon.
This was not a solution; they couldn’t just keep being pursued without fighting back!
Having reached the seventh level of Qi Cultivation, Tang Feiyang had learned the fixed spell from the Secret Manual, a spell using space and time to trap the opponents in a small space.
By halting time, it kept them in the same pose for a duration of five hours.
Trapping the foes for such an extended period was more than enough for them to cover a significant distance and shake off pursuit!
Tang Feiyang thought and acted swiftly, diving down from the clouds and stopping within less than three yards of the enemy.
His hands quickly manipulated a stream of light, waving it towards the group watching the sky.
A beam of light enveloped them, petrifying their expressions of staring at the sky, frozen in astonishment and disbelief!
However, the eyes of those black-clothed, masked men were dull, clueless whether they had been controlled or not!
Tang Feiyang didn’t care about them; anyone with them was definitely an accomplice!
He had never had a good impression of Du Jiaolan.
At this moment, when he saw the woman lift her head and her veil flutter in the wind, revealing her face, he knew for sure—it was Du Jiaolan!
This ruthless woman, having tracked them all the way from the Capital City, he could only guess what conspiracy lay here.
Another woman, with a fierce look in her eyes, what was she about to do?
But it was too late to act; she had already been immobilized by his spell!
Du Jiaolan, Yingzi, and their strong-willed subordinates, though now physically frozen with minds awake unable to move.
Their horses still in the motion of its forelegs leaping and hind legs landing, were stuck in that same position, quite tiring indeed!
The expressionless men in black were even more bewildered in their confusion, motionless as their thoughts couldn’t keep up.
Puppets will never be agile, and without orders from their superiors, they remained in their riding posture, with no signs of initiating an attack!
Du Jiaolan’s gaze stayed fixed on the sky above; though her body was immobile, her thoughts continuously followed the man soaring away!
It wasn’t until the man’s figure vanished from sight that she realized, in disbelief, that he could fly!
Yingzi felt it even more inconceivable.
Wasn’t this a Confucian Cultivation practitioner?
Could the information they had obtained be wrong?
Was Tang Feiyang actually a Cultivator?