The Ambush in Langzhou City

The elderly was none other than the sole gatekeeper of the Gu family, Old Yang.

On ordinary days, he and Liu Yexi would took turns managing the teahouse.

Not long after Old Yang settled Wu Feng.

Several black-clad individuals with swords at their waists appeared on the city walls of Langzhou out of nowhere!

The apparent leader, a relatively young man, surveyed the city beneath him with a slight smirk.

"Search. Wu Feng is definitely hiding in this city! Fox Lord ruptured his dantian, and it hasn't healed... Follow the blood trail and find him before dawn!"

With these orders, the black-clad death warriors dispersed, commencing a systematic search.

On another front, Old Yang hurriedly returned to the Gu Residence, heading directly to Gu Lan's study.

"Young Master! Young Master, something’s wrong!"

"What happened? Calm down first." Gu Lan was engrossed in reading and looked up at him.

Coincidentally, the Female Emperor was present too.

Due to the matter with the confidential letter, she sent Liu Yexi back to the capital to keep an eye on it. Now, she was peeling some mandarin oranges for Gu Lan.

"Old Yang, don't be anxious. Sit down and tell us slowly," Mu Yuyan displayed a ladylike demeanor.

"Thank you, Madam."

Old Yang sat down, "Just a moment ago, I was about to come back for some rest when I heard the knocking on the door of our teahouse..."

He then detailed the events involving Wu Feng.

"A martial artist covered in blood? Carrying a knife?"

Gu Lan furrowed. It sounded like a plotline of pursuit and escape from novels.

Nevertheless, considering the schedule, the protagonist should still growing awkwardly in a small fishing village near the East Sea.

Hearing Old Yang’s words, Mu Yuyan moved closer to Gu Lan and, appearing somewhat nervous, softly asked the elderly man, "Did you inquire about his name?"

"Madam, how could I dare to ask?" Old Yang smiled wryly, realizing that if he had delayed even a bit, he might not have seen the Young Master and Madam now.

"Is he... handsome?" Gu Lan suddenly asked an irrelevant question.

Old Yang was taken aback. "N-not really, just ordinary."

"All right, that's good."

Gu Lan nodded, confirming that the person wasn't a crucial character. After all, even supporting characters chosen by the system had to be exceptionally handsome.

"Tomorrow, I'll accompany you. Just stay close, continue business as usual... If anyone else wants to harm him, we'll run away," Gu Lan was curious about the visitor.

But as long as it wasn't the protagonist, with his current state of reverted profound cultivation, he didn't care much about observing from the sidelines.

"Yuyan, stay at home and wait for me tomorrow, don't go out."

As a precaution, Gu Lan patted Mu Yuyan's hand and advised her.

After all, who knew if the two groups would end up chasing each other, potentially endangering other areas of Langzhou City.

If it involved the Female Emperor, he wouldn't be able to continue his peaceful life.

Staying at home was impossible, how could I, a dignified sword immortal, let you take risks... Mu Yuyan hesitated for a moment and obediently told a little lie, "Alright, I'll follow your advice, Master Gu."

...

The next morning, Langzhou City's early market gradually became lively.

On the second floor of Gu's Teahouse, Wu Feng, who had slept through the night, finally woke up.

Touching there and here, he was relieved to find the engraved stone still with him!

Enduring the pain all over his body, he quietly opened the window of his room and looked outside.

The streets were bustling with activity, filled with noise.

"Phew~ Not being discovered yet... But I can’t stay here any longer; I have to hurry."

Wu Feng picked up his knife and pulled out a silver coin from his pocket.

That was when he suddenly noticed a change at the counter.

The elderly man from last night was replaced by a youth today, someone close to his age. The youth was naturally Gu Lan, who was dressed in azure attire and held a book in his hand, emanating an otherworldly temperament.

His features, with sharp eyebrows and starry eyes, were exceptionally handsome.

What a remarkable scion of a noble family... Even on the escape route, Wu Feng couldn't help but praise.

But when he regained his senses, his brows furrowed slightly.

Why does it feel like he's reading me instead of the book on his hands?

Wu Feng was astonished, uncertain if he was experiencing an illusion.

At this moment, Old Yang came up, "Did you sleep well last night, guest?"

"Fairly." Wu Feng nodded, not daring to waste words with a stranger. "Settle the bill."

"Five coins." Old Yang took the silver coin, as usual, saying, "Please come again next time!"

Wu Feng nodded mechanically and turned to leave.

Watching Wu Feng leave, Old Yang returned to the counter and said in a low voice, "Young Master, we're quite lucky... the people chasing him haven't arrived yet!"

Gu Lan put down his scroll and leisurely sipped tea, seeming to see through the folding screen in front of him. "They've already come."

The aura of several martial cultivators had come to the neighborhood half an hour ago, it was just that ordinary people couldn't perceive it...

Several martial auras had arrived half an hour ago, but ordinary people couldn't perceive them...

As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd in front of the teahouse suddenly became chaotic! A group of death warriors descended from the sky, surrounding Wu Feng, who had just left the teahouse.

At the same time, a slightly sinister voice echoed from the sky, "Wu Feng, did you sleep well last night? Are you in such a hurry to rush to the capital without informing me, Duan Xiao?"

Duan Xiao. It’s him... Gu Lan recalled this name with some familiarity.

In the original work, Duan Xiao had limited appearances, but his father, Duan Pei, had a substantial role.

As an intermediate-level minor antagonist, the sect master of Heavenly Sword Sect, Duan Pei, had been active for quite some time.

With the help of a demon king, Heavenly Sword Sect gradually developed into a major sect in Yunzhou.

Unfortunately, in the end, it provoked the hanging protagonist and was wiped out after a few chapters!

Oh, right! The protagonist also obtained a phoenix egg seized from Heavenly Sword Sect, comparable to the Heaven Treasure. Later, the phoenix became the protagonist's powerful ally!

"A phoenix... would be nice to ride." Thinking of this, Gu Lan's heart instinctively wavered.

At this moment, unnoticed in a corner, a breathtaking figure with hidden breath arrived. He was mingling in the crowd and coldly watching the scene in front of the teahouse.

"The son of Duan Pei, chasing the son of Governor Wu, all the way from Yunzhou... Heh, if I hadn't seen it with my own eyes today, I'm afraid it would have been concealed by Heavenly Sword Sect!"

Mu Yuyan had originally come to secretly protect Gu Lan.

Unexpectedly, she gained such an unexpected harvest!

Connected with the confidential letter she had read yesterday, her expression gradually darkened...

Governor Wu leaked the information and urgently sent his son to the capital; he probably had already been killed.

Such news was more distressing than a sect's betrayal!

"Heavenly Sword Sect, colluding with demons to kill loyal subjects of my Great Jing, from now on... you no longer need to exist!"

...

Returning his gaze to Wu Feng.

Seeing Duan Xiao's appearance, his face changed drastically. He quickly drew his knife, ready to confront him.

"Duan Xiao, your Heavenly Sword Sect colluded with demons, murdering loyal individuals. I will surely expose your crimes to the world and avenge my father!"

He gritted his teeth and shouted.

Seeing him so agitated, Duan Xiao sneered disdainfully, "Shouting so loudly, are you hoping everyone around can hear? Do you hope that they can spread the news to the capital after you die?"

Hearing that, Wu Feng's pupils shrunk sharply!

He indeed no longer harbored hope for survival, but he hadn't expected Duan Xiao to see through him at a glance!

"You can shout as much as you want because... the people here will all accompany you in the graves later. Since they heard things they shouldn't have!" Duan Xiao said with a sinister look, his eyes cold and indifferent, as if he saw not people but a herd of livestock ready to be slaughtered!