Chapter 144

"Hey! Are you really not going to help?" Yang Yaozong watched as Liao Qiniang and Simple Bear engaged in fierce combat with the rushing men, while Yin Tuyun only intervened when someone drew dangerously close to Yang Yaozong or herself.

Yin Tuyun let out a light, cold huff. "It was your Chief who said this is an internal matter of their stronghold and forbade us from interfering. Why should I make a redundant move?"

Yang Yaozong smiled helplessly, noticing the Judge and Gu Youning glaring darkly at him, Liao Qiniang, and the others. Under the cover of Yin Tuyun, he unslung the bow from his back, drew an arrow, nocked it to the string, and took aim at Gu Youning.

Gu Youning and the Judge also noticed this action, frowning as they locked their gazes on Yang Yaozong.

The Judge let out a cold laugh. The Third Chief flashed a sinister smile at Yang Yaozong, drawing his saber and pacing toward him followed by several men.

Without flinching, Yang Yaozong kept his aim on Gu Youning, but suddenly changed direction, releasing the arrow toward the outside of the hall. The arrow soared out with a piercing whistle.

This was precisely a signal arrow, used by Yang Yaozong to communicate with Qin Haizhou. Since negotiations had broken down, the facade was torn away, and the enemy vastly outnumbered them, why should he show any mercy? Yang Yaozong resolved in his heart.

The moment the arrow flew, both Gu Youning and the Judge inwardly cursed in dismay.

A moment later, two consecutive loud explosions echoed—the sounds of artillery shells detonating. Following that, the entire grand hall seemed to tremble.

"Sec... Second Chief! The stronghold gates have been blown down by the government troops! The imperial soldiers are charging into the stronghold!"

The Judge roared angrily, "Stop! All of you, stop!"

Staring at Yang Yaozong, Gu Youning demanded in a harsh voice, "Just what kind of person are you?"

Yang Yaozong smiled. "A real man!"

"You!" Gu Youning stood up with a cold scoff. "A man! A fine man indeed! In this official's eyes, you are simply Liao Qiniang's man!"

Liao Qiniang frowned and shouted furiously, "Gu Youning, stop spouting such utter nonsense!"

Yang Yaozong raised an eyebrow and smiled, "Oh? I never expected that in your eyes, I would be such a fitting match for Liao Qiniang. Even at a time like this, you still wish to use this matter to incite the people in the hall to kill us?"

With a cold snort, Yang Yaozong glanced around the room, then pointed at Liao Qiniang and said with bitter indignation, "Look at her! Open your dog eyes and take a good look! Your Chief has used only her scabbard to block the blades you swung at her. Even until now, she still remembers her bonds of brotherhood with you and cannot bear to deal a fatal blow! And what about you? You treat her as if she were your mortal enemy! Every strike is vicious, every sword thrust is lethal! Have your hearts truly been eaten by dogs?"

Seeing that the hand Liao Qiniang used to grip her sword was dripping with blood—though where she was wounded remained unknown—yet her blade never once left its scabbard, some people in the hall finally dropped their sabers, knelt before Liao Qiniang, and cried out emotionally, "Chief!"

The Judge’s expression turned icy. He walked over to one of the kneeling men, drew his saber, and severed the man's head from his body in a single stroke. Amidst the angry and terrified gazes of the people in the hall, the Judge let out a harsh laugh, then said through clenched teeth, "What? Regretting it now? It's too late! I have already planted gunpowder all around this grand hall, Liao Qiniang! Since negotiations have failed, bury your bones right here today! Number Six!"

The White Ghost ripped off his outer robe, revealing muscular arms wrapped in layer after layer of explosives. He casually picked up a torch in one hand and held the fuse in the other, making a menacing display toward the people in the hall.

Yang Yaozong could not help but draw a sharp breath, thinking to himself that both of these men were utterly ruthless.

Outside the hall, the sounds of slaughter between the government soldiers and the mountain bandits shook the heavens, but inside, an oppressive, suffocating silence reigned.

Yang Yaozong watched as the Judge and Gu Youning slowly retreated toward the rear of the hall, while the White Ghost stood motionlessly in the center with a look of utter defiance of death.

"Lord Gu, are you and the Judge planning to run away?" Yang Yaozong asked in a clear voice.

The two ignored Yang Yaozong entirely. Standing in the middle of the hall, the White Ghost laughed out loud and shouted, "Second Chief! White Ghost will be your brother again in the next life!"

Frowning at the White Ghost, Yang Yaozong cursed inwardly, "This bastard has truly been brainwashed to hell and back!"

Before the thought could even finish, right as the White Ghost was about to ignite the fuse before everyone in the hall, Yin Tuyun finally drew her sword. She leapt into the air and slashed downward, her sword Qi taking physical form with an unstoppable momentum. Accompanied by a piercing, biting chill, the strike instantly reached the White Ghost.

Everyone saw the White Ghost standing frozen in place, a ferocious smile still twisted across his face. Suddenly, the explosives strapped to his body slid off him for no apparent reason. A thin, bloody fissure cracked open across his body, stretching from his right shoulder to his left hip. Only then did the White Ghost seem to feel the pain, letting out a sharp cry of agony. The surrounding people then realized that his body had been cleanly split in half. Blood spurted forth, and while his upper body still spasmed, survival was clearly impossible.

This single sword strike from Yin Tuyun stunned everyone in the hall. To kill a man with sword Qi and slice him neatly in two—what kind of earth-shattering cultivation was required for such a feat!

Yang Yaozong stepped close to Yin Tuyun and quietly supported her. He noticed that as she landed, her body swayed slightly, revealing that the previous strike had consumed a massive amount of her energy.

Yang Yaozong handed Yin Tuyun over to Liao Qiniang and said, "Quickly lead everyone out of the hall! Simple Bear and I will go after the Judge and Gu Youning!"

Without waiting for Yin Tuyun's objections, he and Simple Bear rushed toward the back of the hall in pursuit.

Upon reaching the rear hall, they found no trace of the Judge or Gu Youning, but heard the neighing of a horse.

"It's Black Glory!" Yang Yaozong exclaimed in shock. Noticing that a window in the back hall stood open, he guessed that the Judge and Gu Youning must have jumped through it to escape. He hurriedly vaulted out the window after them.

"Yang Guo! I knew you would chase after me!" At that moment, the Judge had his blade pressed against Yang Yaozong's neck, while his other hand clamped tightly around Yang Yaozong's throat, preventing him from making a sound. When retreating from the hall, the Judge had witnessed the exact moment the White Ghost was slain by Yin Tuyun. Hiding here, he had expected the first person to chase him out would be the formidable Yin Tuyun, allowing him to avenge the White Ghost. He had never imagined that Yang Yaozong would be the first to leap out.

Right behind Yang Yaozong came Simple Bear. Seeing that Yang Yaozong had fallen into the Judge's grasp, Simple Bear glared and roared furiously, "Judge! Let go of Officer Yang right now!"

The Judge paused for a moment, then pressed his blade even closer to Yang Yaozong's neck with a malicious laugh. "Officer Yang? I never expected you to be an official of the imperial court! You're the one who led the troops to surround the stronghold, aren't you? No wonder that General surnamed Qin insisted on offering terms of amnesty to Liao Qiniang. You planned all of this from the start, didn't you?! You really were in cahoots with Liao Qiniang all along! What a pair of treacherous dogs! To think the brothers in the stronghold trusted her so deeply, only to be schemed against by the two of you in the end!"

Realizing he had slipped up, Simple Bear shouted angrily, "Stop framing the Chief! If you hadn't colluded with that corrupt official surnamed Gu, today's events would never have happened!"

With a cold scoff, the Judge retreated while holding Yang Yaozong hostage, wearing a sinister smile. "Take a look at yourself, Simple Bear, what a spineless wretch you are! You're actually content to lick the boots of a woman! Did Liao Qiniang give you some kind of sweetness that makes you follow blindly at her heels? Usually she puts on such a righteous facade, but behind closed doors, she's nothing more than a promiscuous bitch!"

"Bah! If you dare insult the Chief like that again, see if I don't tear you limb from limb!" Roaring with rage, Simple Bear charged forward, but seeing the Judge press the blade tighter against Yang Yaozong's throat until blood began to seep out, he forced himself to slow his advance.

By now, the Judge had dragged Yang Yaozong back to the cliffside where Yang Yaozong had previously jumped, and Liao Qiniang and Yin Tuyun had also arrived at the scene. As for Gu Youning, upon fleeing to this spot and spotting Black Glory, he had tried to mount the steed and escape. Instead, he had been violently thrown to the ground by the horse and trampled until he was on the verge of death, barely clinging to life.