Sun Tan, following Zhu Yan’s orders, immediately called two of his men to ascend the city wall upon hearing her voice.
Seeing Sun Tan was like finding a lifeline for Zhu Yan. “Deputy Commander Sun, quickly, send Pan Chi for medical treatment right away.”
Sun Tan nodded in agreement and ordered his men to carry Pan Chi. He then said to Zhu Yan, “Madam Zhu, it’s not safe to linger here. Pan Chi needs medical attention, and you should leave as well.”
With Pan Chi taken care of, Zhu Yan’s thoughts turned to Shen Du’s safety. She refused to leave, “It’s fine. They can’t deal with me right now. I won’t be in danger here. Deputy Commander Sun, I entrust Pan Chi to your care.”
Seeing Zhu Yan’s stubbornness, Sun Tan gave up trying to persuade her and let her be.
Meanwhile, Mo Qianzhi instinctively tried to avoid Shen Du’s fierce attack, but before he could move, someone beside him pushed him forward.
In that instant, Mo Qianzhi was shocked, his pupils dilating.
Seeing this, Shen Du had to divert his sword. His eyes were filled with complex emotions, not because he was reluctant to harm Mo Qianzhi, but because some mysteries remained unsolved, and he couldn’t kill him just yet.
Unexpectedly, Mo Qianzhi didn’t appreciate this mercy. Instead, he thrust his sword at Shen Du, who managed to dodge, only getting wounded on the arm.
The Half-Face Ghost on the high platform, seeing Shen Du disrupting their plans, immediately launched a group attack.
Jing Lin killed one of the Half-Face Ghosts with a swift sword strike to the throat. Seeing Shen Du surrounded again, he immediately called several Imperial Guards to the platform to assist Shen Du.
With Sun Tan gone and Jing Lin and his men on the platform, their main force suddenly diminished. The situation they had just turned around was about to worsen again.
Unexpectedly, a troop emerged from within the city. They were all strong men armed with long spears who joined the battle without hesitation, pushing the Half-Face Ghosts into retreat.
It turned out that earlier when Sun Tan discovered Mo Qianzhi’s indiscriminate killings, he had sent someone back to the Local Constable Yingzhou branch to bring reinforcements, while he led the remaining men to help.
By now, the Local Constable reinforcements had arrived.
Zhu Yan, standing high on the city wall, could see far. Witnessing this scene, she almost wept with joy. Heaven was indeed watching over them and hadn’t abandoned them completely!
After a brief consideration, she decided to descend the city wall to get closer to Shen Du, so she could tend to his wounds once the fighting was over.
However, the Half-Face Ghost leader, seeing the situation turn unfavorable, took advantage of Shen Du being occupied with the other Half-Face Ghosts and Mo Qianzhi to leave the high platform.
In an instant, he appeared on the city wall, blocking Zhu Yan’s path.
Zhu Yan halted, instinctively taking a step back. Seeing the Half-Face Ghost leader approaching her, she turned and ran.
Without martial arts skills, Zhu Yan was self-aware enough to know her limitations. Injuring Ji Dafu had been luck; she was no match for this man now.
Seeing her flee, the Half-Face Ghost leader caught up in a few steps, grabbing the back of her collar with one hand while his other hand reached around to grip her throat, intending to take her away without a word.
Zhu Yan was not one to submit quietly. Unable to break free after several attempts, she stomped on the Half-Face Ghost leader’s foot and bit his arm, causing him to cry out in pain.
“Ah! You’re asking for death.”
Zhu Yan was flung away by him, flying through the air and landing on the ground head-first. Her eyelids drooped, and she lost consciousness.
The Half-Face Ghost leader’s cry caught Shen Du’s attention. Looking up, he saw only the retreating figure carrying Zhu Yan away. He immediately became anxious, “Jing Lin, I leave this to you. Keep Mo Qianzhi alive.”
After giving these brief instructions, he raised his sword and gave chase.
Shen Du was already exhausted from several rounds of combat, and he was wounded as well. How could Jing Lin let him charge into danger alone?
Disregarding Shen Du’s instructions, he passed the task to the Imperial Guards and pursued it as well.
With the arrival of the Local Constable reinforcements, the Half-Face Ghosts were already outmatched. Seeing their leader retreat, they no longer engaged fiercely and began to withdraw.
However, being surrounded, it wasn’t easy for them to break free. Only a few managed to escape, while the rest were captured and detained by the Imperial Guards and others.
One group continued the pursuit, while another stayed behind to deal with the aftermath.
Many civilians had been killed or injured. The living needed to be sent for medical treatment, while the dead needed to be identified by their families. Those unclaimed would need to be buried. A series of trivial matters still needed attention.
In victory and defeat, Mo Qianzhi, seeing the situation turn against him, naturally tried to escape. However, being originally a civil official, he had only commanded from afar when resisting foreign invasions and never needed to fight personally. Even though he had joined the Fire Moth Party and learned a few moves, he was out of practice. After a few exchanges, he was captured by the Imperial Guards.
To prevent him from using his silver tongue, the Imperial Guards stuffed several walnuts in his mouth and tied him up like a zongzi. Along with the unconscious Ji Dafu, he was taken back to the county yamen for custody.
Along the way, whatever Mo Qianzhi was trying to mumble was largely unintelligible.
With the crisis resolved, the remaining tasks were just clean up. The Local Constable naturally withdrew quietly. By the time the Imperial Guards came to their senses and wanted to express gratitude, they had already vanished without a trace.
Knowing that Zhu Yan’s disappearance would surely bring Shen Du in pursuit, the Half-Face Ghost leader took advantage of his familiarity with the terrain and moved swiftly, carrying Zhu Yan.
By the time Shen Du and Jing Lin caught up, they had already lost sight of them. Fortunately, some of the Half-Face Ghosts were still alive and were spotted retreating.
The two didn’t startle their quarry but followed behind, having a trail to follow was better than searching blindly like headless flies.
Zhu Yan had fainted from hitting her head but didn’t remain unconscious for long. She groggily woke up, but the Half-Face Ghost leader was carrying her, leaping across rooftops and eaves, making her dizzy and unable to struggle.
Moreover, she didn’t dare to struggle. If she angered the Half-Face Ghost leader and he dropped her in a fit of rage, she would only meet a fatal fall.
Soon, the Half-Face Ghost leader brought her into a courtyard, where people immediately came forward to take Zhu Yan.
The Half-Face Ghost leader waved them off, “Is everything prepared?” The sacrificial ritual had passed, and what came next was the main event. There could be no mistakes.
Otherwise, after causing this commotion today and exposing the connection between the Half-Face Ghosts and the Fire Moth Party, their losses would be severe.
“Yes, the people have been brought to the secret hall, and everything else is ready.”
Given how much importance the Vice Leader placed on this matter, emphasizing it repeatedly before leaving, they dared not be negligent.
“Pass down the orders: the sacrificial ritual is complete, proceed according to the plan. Also, strengthen the defenses. Don’t let any intruders find their way in and ruin everything.”
“Understood.”
After giving a series of orders, the Half-Face Ghost leader finally took Zhu Yan to the secret hall.
The secret hall was an underground chamber. Though underground, it was well-lit with candles.
Upon entering the secret hall, Zhu Yan was roughly thrown to the ground, letting out a pained “hiss.”
She quickly sat up straight, turning to look at her bruised arm, silently cursing. Though somewhat frightened, she didn’t forget to assess the current situation.
As she looked around, she realized something was amiss.