And yet, on the back of the great Phoenix rests Ji Youzhi.
Upon spotting a figure dressed in black approaching him and the Phoenix, Ji Youzhi imdiately thought of the Great Wizard, notorious for distributing clones all around the world.
He quickly drew his sword and lunged at the intruder.
The Phoenix, without any hesitation, flew at the figure, hitting it with a swift talon strike and sending it flying.
With the Great Wizard sent flying, the puppet citizens on the ground were left directionless, providing a much-needed respite for the National Master and the Emperor!
He urgently asked Xie Pan’Er, "Has the Phoenix arrived?"
Xie Pan’Er responded, "I believe I felt its presence; it seed to be flying around erratically, likely searching for us. So, I called out to it, hoping it would hear my cries and co to our aid!"
As soon as Xie Pan’Er finished speaking, a screech echoed from the skies!
The sky darkened, revealing giant wings, a vibrant cacophony of colors, and a piercing screech that made hearts pound. Who else could it be but the Phoenix from the Imperial Palace?
"Phoenix! We’re here!" Xie Pan’Er yelled towards the sky.
The Phoenix slowly descended, fluttering its wings. Seeing this, the National Master understood that the calculations he had made earlier referred to this very mont.
In haste, the National Master unleashed a wave of energy from his sword, forcibly pushing back the puppet citizens. He then swiftly scooped up the exhausted Princess Ata and gently flung her into the air with his True Qi.
Xie Pan’Er saw this and shouted loudly, "Catch Princess Ata, Phoenix!"
The Phoenix answered with a screech and, with a precise tilt, caught Princess Ata!
Seeing this, the Emperor wasted no ti in carrying Xie Pan’Er onto the back of the Phoenix.
The National Master, however, flew on his own, taking his young disciple, Li Yanyan, to personally cover their retreat.
"Your Majesty! I apologize for my late arrival." Upon seeing the Emperor, Ji Youzhi hastily apologized.
With his hands firmly on Ji Youzhi’s shoulders, the Emperor replied excitedly, "You’ve arrived just in ti, good brother. You’ve saved again!"
"Your Majesty, are you alright? Are you injured?" Anxious, Ji Youzhi examined the Emperor’s body. Upon noticing bloodstains, he asked with concern.
Shaking his head, the Emperor clarified, "I am not hurt; that’s the blood of a few puppet citizens."
"Puppet citizens? You killed them?" The news left Ji Youzhi shocked, and he hurriedly looked down at the city to assess the casualties among the citizens.
"We did not kill them; we only injured a few by accident at the beginning," Xie Pan’Er quickly explained, seeing Ji Youzhi’s concern. "Later, the benevolent Emperor commanded that they are the children of our Great Han, and we must find a way to spare them. Afterwards, Princess Ata said that these citizens were rely puppets, transford by Witch Power. She added that if a chance presented itself, we could disperse the Witch Power within them. Therefore, the puppet citizens did not suffer significant casualties."
Upon hearing this, Ji Youzhi exhaled in relief. "That is good. We have already experinted at Wangwu Mountain. The Witch Power in those transford can be dispersed, helping them return to normal."
"Really! That’s fantastic." The Emperor, Xie Pan’Er, and Princess Ata were all overjoyed by the news.
Xie Pan’Er further inquired about Xiaosuisui’s situation. "Where is Suisui? Why isn’t she with the Seventh Prince?" Xie Pan’Er didn’t see Xiaosuisui and quickly asked.
"Suisui and Cousin Yun Kuo are dealing with the puppet issues on Wangwu Mountain," Ji Youzhi replied. "She asked and the Phoenix to co and help you first."
The Emperor asked, "Where are we going now? The Phoenix seems to be flying towards the city outskirts."
Ji Youzhi quickly responded, "Allow to explain, Your Majesty. Before coming here, I heard from Suisui about the situation in Yunhang County. General Dugu is still at sea and has not returned. Therefore, Yunhang is essentially under the control of the County Magistrate, Wu Li. We can’t confront them head-on currently. I will take you all to a safe place temporarily. After that, I will go to the sea to find General Dugu. Once he returns to provide protection, we can plan our next move!"
The Emperor agreed without objection, but Princess Ata coughed up blood and passed out on the Phoenix’s back.
Seeing this, Xie Pan’Er hastily cried out, "Princess Ata!" and quickly sat on the Phoenix’s back, holding Princess Ata in her arms.
Ji Youzhi quickly reached out to check Princess Ata’s pulse, his brow furrowed. "She’s exhausted; she’ll be fine after so rest." As he finished speaking, his gaze unintentionally t Xie Pan’Er’s.
Their eyes t. For a mont, both of their lips twitched slightly, but in the end, neither spoke.
Ji Youzhi silently turned away, quickly scanned the surroundings, and finally pointed to a peak not far away. "There seems to be an abandoned Daoist temple there. Let’s stop there!"
"Oh! Okay!" Xie Pan’Er snapped back to reality upon hearing Ji Youzhi’s words and quickly patted the Phoenix’s body. "Phoenix, let’s stop at that peak over there!"
The Phoenix screeched, indicating it understood, then slowly descended. The National Master also landed and surveyed the surroundings. After confirming the place was safe, he said quietly, "This place is quite secure; we can stay here temporarily!"
"If the National Master also thinks this place is safe, then let’s rest here for now!" the Emperor declared, and everyone walked towards the temple together.
The Daoist Temple wasn’t very rundown, just sowhat dirty from long disuse. After a little tidying, it would be habitable.
Once it was determined that they could settle here, Ji Youzhi bowed to the Emperor. "Your Majesty, with the National Master’s protection, you will surely be safe. I will take my leave to find General Dugu at sea and return as soon as possible to Your Majesty’s aid!"
The Emperor responded, "Don’t you need to rest a bit? Wangwu Mountain is quite so distance from here, and you must be tired from traveling day and night. Why not rest a bit before setting out!"
"There’s no need, Your Majesty. The Phoenix flies by itself, and I can rest on its back." Although Ji Youzhi had traveled day and night, he had been able to eat and sleep on the Phoenix’s back, so he genuinely wasn’t tired.
Xie Pan’Er, after communicating with the Phoenix and learning it needed to recuperate, said to Ji Youzhi, "Seventh Prince, you should rest before setting out! Even if you don’t need to, the Phoenix does. It needs at least four hours of rest before we depart again!"
"Fine! Then I will rest for four hours before setting out!" Ji Youzhi replied. Without a mont’s hesitation, he found a wooden plank that would serve as a makeshift bed, brushed off his sleeve, and lay down.
He was soon fast asleep.
Seeing Ji Youzhi fall asleep so quickly, Xie Pan’Er opened her mouth to speak. She had many things to say, many questions to ask, but...
The Emperor, standing to one side, saw Xie Pan’Er’s expression, silently turned, and went to an old locust tree in the courtyard. He looked up at its branches, an unreadable expression in his eyes.
Soon, the sounds of cleaning ca from within the Daoist temple. The Emperor turned to see Xie Pan’Er fetching water from the well with a wooden basin; she had started to clean up.
On the other side, Li Yanyan was watching the Phoenix, which was resting to one side, a gleam in her eyes. She tiptoed towards the Phoenix, reached out to grasp its wing, and seed to be trying to climb onto it!
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