Meanwhile.
In the Ye family study, the lights were ablaze.
Old Master Ye lay on a rattan chair, gently fanning himself with a cattail leaf fan, and asked, “Is there any news of Ye Qiu?”
“Earlier reports said that Ye Qiu has passed Taiyuan and is heading towards the capital,” Shadow appeared beside Old Master Ye and replied.
“The journey hasn’t been peaceful, has it?”
“No, Ye Qiu first encountered Jun Dao, then two assassins. Before entering Taiyuan, the world’s top assassin Leng Xue and the two ghosts from Tianchi also appeared. However, they all died at Ye Qiu’s hands.”
“This lad is just like Wushuang in his youth,” Old Master Ye’s aged face broke into a smile, saying, “Wushuang used to kill gods and demons alike.”
Shadow added, “I also received news that Cao Yuan has mobilized the underground forces of the fourteen northern provinces, totaling one hundred thousand Dragon Gate disciples, to escort Ye Qiu into the capital.”
“Is that so?” Old Master Ye chuckled, “Cao Yuan is indeed generous.”
Shadow continued, “It’s likely that Ye Qiu won’t encounter any more enemies on his way to the capital.”
Old Master Ye smiled, “The Bai family’s lad is cunning. He knows that sending more assassins after Ye Qiu would be futile, so he won’t do such a foolish thing.”
“Master, if they can’t act outside the capital, then Bai Yujing will surely make his move within the city. I suspect it might be a fatal strike.”
“That’s exactly what worries me.”
“Master, should I go to the city gates to wait for Ye Qiu and protect him covertly?”
“You cannot go! Everyone knows you’re my man. If you show up to help Ye Qiu, those with ill intentions will immediately suspect Ye Qiu’s identity.”
“Then what should we do?”
Old Master Ye pondered for a moment, then asked, “Has Wudi returned?”
“Not yet.”
Old Master Ye’s expression turned serious, and the atmosphere in the study grew tense.
Shadow comforted, “Master, Ye Qiu is after all a member of the Underworld Palace. If he’s in danger, the War God surely won’t stand by and do nothing.”
“The War God will definitely save Ye Qiu, but I can’t place all my bets on him, especially when it concerns Ye Qiu’s life,” Old Master Ye said to Shadow, “Order the Dark Guards to be on standby at all times.”
Shadow was startled. Was the master finally going to deploy the Dark Guards?
After the incident with Ye Wushuang, Old Master Ye deeply realized the lack of manpower. Otherwise, Ye Wushuang wouldn’t have had to face so many enemies alone. Thus, he ordered Shadow to secretly recruit a group of death warriors and train them in secrecy.
Now, these death warriors have been training for a full twenty years.
Each of them is a master, and most importantly, they are utterly loyal.
“I promised Wushuang to protect Ye Qiu, so no matter what, Ye Qiu must not come to any harm,” Old Master Ye sighed, “If it weren’t for the special circumstances, I really wouldn’t want to use the Dark Guards. After all, they were trained to deal with…”
Ding dong dong!
Suddenly, the phone on the desk rang.
Shadow went over to answer it, listened for a few moments, then hung up.
“Whose call was it?” Old Master Ye asked.
“Master, there’s no need to deploy the Dark Guards,” Shadow said, “The old man Chang Mei has come out of seclusion.”
“Oh?” Old Master Ye perked up.
Shadow continued, “That call was from Chang Mei. He asked me to tell you not to worry about Ye Qiu’s safety, as he has already arrived in the capital.”
Old Master Ye clapped his hands and laughed, “Since Chang Mei the Taoist has come, I can sleep peacefully tonight.”
…
On the highway, a military jeep with a military plate was speeding towards the capital.
Ye Qiu looked out the window at the setting sun.
“How much longer until we reach the capital?” Ye Qiu asked.
“Four hours,” Tang Fei smiled, “We haven’t encountered any enemies for over ten hours.”
Since solving the issue with Leng Xue and the others last night, Ye Qiu and his companions had been driving for most of the day, over ten hours, without encountering any more enemies.
Long Ye said, “We still need to be careful. Whether it’s the Bai family or the Pei family, they certainly don’t want to see Ye Qiu reach the capital alive.”
“We won’t encounter any more enemies before entering the capital,” Ye Qiu said.
“Why do you think so?” Long Ye asked, puzzled.
Ye Qiu explained, “The Nine Thousand Years Old has mobilized one hundred thousand brothers from the Dragon Gate to escort me. As long as Bai Yujing isn’t a fool, he won’t continue to send assassins after me. Otherwise, no matter how many experts he sends, they will all be doomed.”
Tang Fei agreed with Ye Qiu’s analysis and smiled, “They say two fists are no match for four hands, let alone one hundred thousand.”
“With one hundred thousand gathered in one place, even a spit from each could drown a man.”
“Even if the Champion Marquis Xiao Jiu came, facing one hundred thousand Dragon Gate brothers, he would have no choice but to flee.”
Long Ye said, “Xiao Jiu would flee? That’s unlikely, he commands a million troops.”
“I’m just making a comparison, do you understand comparisons?” Tang Fei was somewhat annoyed at Long Ye’s nitpicking.
Long Ye chuckled and said, “Ye Qiu, you should tell the Nine Thousand Years Old to have the one hundred thousand Dragon Gate brothers accompany you to crash the wedding. By then, no matter how formidable Bai Yujing is, he would have no choice but to kneel and beg for mercy.”
Before Ye Qiu could respond, Tang Fei said, “You’re overthinking it. The Nine Thousand Years Old would never agree to Ye Qiu doing such a thing.”
“If Ye Qiu really did that, he would be walking to his own doom without anyone else needing to lift a finger.”
Tang Fei explained, “Last year, when the highest leader, Elder Tang, met with the Nine Thousand Years Old, he made three demands.”
“First, the Dragon Gate must not harm the innocent and must protect the interests of the common people.”
“Second, the Dragon Gate must never do anything detrimental to the country.”
“Third, the Nine Thousand Years Old and the core members of the Dragon Gate are allowed to reside in the capital, but other Dragon Gate disciples are forbidden from entering the capital without summons, otherwise, they will be executed without mercy.”
Tang Fei said, “Therefore, the one hundred thousand Dragon Gate brothers can only escort Ye Qiu to the outskirts of the capital.”
“It’s not that these brothers don’t want to accompany Ye Qiu into the capital, but they cannot enter the capital, or the Dragon Gate would face catastrophic consequences.”
“As the old saying goes, ‘All land under heaven belongs to the king; all people within the seas are the king’s subjects.'”
“In the past, the highest ruler’s command was an imperial decree, and anyone who dared to defy it would face death.”
Long Ye frowned slightly, “Old Tang, according to your analysis, the real danger should be within the capital.”
Tang Fei said with a grave expression, “I fear that once we enter the capital, there will be a fierce battle. Ye Qiu, we still have a few hours before we reach the capital. You should take this opportunity to rest well.”
“Alright,” Ye Qiu responded, closing his eyes to rest in the passenger seat.
The car moved steadily forward.
Time passed quietly.
One hour, two hours, three hours, four hours…
At 9:30 PM, the jeep finally entered the capital’s territory.
