She immediately turned back, her gaze sweeping around. There were quite a few soldiers on the city wall, each performing their duties—nothing unusual could be seen.
“What’s wrong?” Jingxu asked.
Tie Ci shook her head, then suddenly turned back and walked to the city wall’s edge to look down.
The others were puzzled but had to follow her, leaning forward to peer into the darkness below. Pingzong said: “Little Aunt, what are you doing…”
Before the word “doing” could leave her mouth, Tie Ci said: “Behind us!”
Without thinking, Pingzong flashed to the left.
At the same time, Jingxu flashed to the right.
Tie Ci flipped backward and fell toward the base of the city wall.
Exclamations erupted all around.
Amid the cries, there was a faint “hiss.”
A white light flashed by, and where the three had just been standing on the city wall, the bricks and stones vanished, leaving a huge gap.
Tie Ci had also disappeared.
Before everyone could react, a current of air surged in the darkness, accompanied by slight buzzing vibrations. In their pupils they could only catch a few blurred streaks of armored light, with sharp wind cutting past their cheeks.
Pingzong and Jingxu could see more clearly—two figures dressed as soldiers suddenly appeared. These two had strange silver wings growing from their backs, moving at shocking speed. In a blink they went from one end of the wall to the other, lifting their feet to leap over the battlements and swooping toward the base of the wall.
But at that moment, Tie Ci, who had been falling toward the bottom, suddenly appeared like a ghost, flipping back up.
She had been hanging from the wall’s edge with one hand and flipped up with a whoosh, appearing right between the two descending figures. They only saw a snow-white face suddenly emerge from the thick darkness below—the visual effect was quite startling, and both froze for a moment.
Just that moment of shock.
Tie Ci’s feet flew out in kicks, one for each, sending both flying.
In the instant she kicked them away, her remaining hand moved like lightning across their backs, snatching the two buzzing flying wings.
Those two, who hadn’t been panicked before, immediately cried out in alarm, flailing as they fell.
“Catch!” Tie Ci called.
Jingxu and Pingzong each caught one of the wings.
With a whoosh like a blooming flower, Tie Ci gripped the battlements with one hand, flipping in a circle in mid-air, her flowing robes catching the light from the torches on the wall and scattering countless sparks.
White light appeared again on the distant horizon, about to reach the wall top.
“Everyone take cover! Jingxu! Pingzong!” Tie Ci called.
Both Jingxu and Pingzong were top-tier fighters. In the brief time available, they had figured out how to wear the devices and quickly strapped them to their backs.
The two responded, one left and one right, grabbing Tie Ci’s arms as all three rushed toward the base of the wall.
The watching soldiers ran while looking back in amazement, thinking these three were about to commit suicide on the city wall.
They hadn’t charged three steps before their backs buzzed and all three were airborne.
Using the city wall as level ground, at a ninety-degree vertical, the three flew across the wall surface.
Behind them came a thunderous crash as another section of wall collapsed.
Hair whipped straight by the wind, wind howling, Pingzong laughed heartily while Jingxu’s expression was one of amazement.
Where did those strange people come from? Why did they have so many odd things?
They could fly, could kill from a thousand li away, could reduce massive ships to ash with a wave of the hand. Any random one of them was comparable to the Three Madmen and Five Emperors.
The era when they had confidently guided the martial world was truly over.
In a flash the three reached the base of the wall. Pingzong whistled once, and three horses charged out from a gate opening. The three landed perfectly on horseback.
After galloping far away, Pingzong looked back to see the wall top missing two chunks, like a bewildered giant beast with missing teeth, mouth agape toward the sky.
Three horses raced wildly through the nighttime city.
The outer city had a nighttime curfew, but encountering Pingzong’s raised token, everyone retreated to the side.
The horses were good horses, but they hadn’t galloped long before the three heard buzzing sounds overhead.
Looking up, they saw several black objects circling above, with four propellers each, red lights on their bodies flashing on and off.
Pingzong was alarmed: “What things are those? Ghosts?”
Jingxu’s hair and beard bristled: “Ghost fire!”
Suddenly the red light brightened. Tie Ci shouted: “Duck!”
The three simultaneously rolled under their horses’ bellies. In the next instant red light shot out. The horses screamed and collapsed. The three slipped out from under like wisps of smoke. Jingxu raised his hand in a flash of gold light, Pingzong hurled a tree branch, and Tie Ci shot out a stone.
Crack, crack, crack—several sounds, and the low-flying machines smoked and fell to earth, while two others fired red light while fleeing to higher altitude.
Pingzong’s anger flared. In a few moves she scrambled up a nearby large tree. The machine seemed to sense her killing intent and continuously fired red light while dodging. Where the red light passed, branches broke and leaves flew everywhere in a chaotic green mist, while Pingzong darted and dodged among the broken branches and scattered leaves, reaching the treetop like a monkey in the blink of an eye.
Reaching the treetop, she found the thing had flown even higher, its red lights flashing like a mocking grimace, making Pingzong burn with rage. She felt around her body for a long weapon, found nothing suitable, and simply started to pull off her belt.
Suddenly someone shouted “Catch!” from below, tossing up a horse whip. Pingzong caught it smoothly and leaped up to strike.
That thing continued fleeing upward, its red lights flashing more urgently, as if laughing more smugly.
Pingzong was furious but had no way to jump higher in mid-air. Her body was falling when she suddenly felt something solid under her feet. Looking down, she saw a section of emerald green branch wrapped in ice and snow supporting her feet.
Pingzong was delighted. Borrowing the support, she launched herself up. After rising half a zhang, another branch section appeared under her feet.
She continued launching upward. Each time after rising, another branch section would appear precisely under her feet. The branches were condensed with ice and snow, and since Pingzong also possessed ice-cold true qi, the branches she stepped on not only didn’t break but became harder and more solid. From a distance it looked as if an invisible person was suddenly drawing ice stairs in the air with a giant brush, sending her up to the blue clouds step by step.
At the end of the stairway, she whipped down that thing which couldn’t react in time to continue ascending.
Then she walked down the stairway step by step with satisfaction. Wherever she passed, flames rose, and those branches gradually turned to ash behind her, drifting down in the air.
This scene was quite marvelous. Pingzong deeply regretted that more people hadn’t witnessed her prowess.
Coming down, she found there was an additional person on the ground.
It was a young woman holding a child. The child was about a year old, sleeping soundly in its mother’s arms.
She had a strange stool tied around her waist with the child sleeping on it. There were straps across her chest fixing the child in place, and this young mother was able to free her hands to hold a bowl of wontons while drinking.
While drinking, she said to Tie Ci: “Came too hastily, didn’t have time for dinner. Good thing there’s a wonton stand for something hot.”
Tie Ci said: “Why did you come now? And why bring Da Da? Does Xiao Xiao know?”
Hearing all this “da da xiao xiao,” Pingzong felt dizzy, but she had always corresponded with Tie Ci and Chi Xue, so she understood who this was.
Wasn’t this the palace master who had boldly pursued Gu Xiaoxiao and finally married into Scholar Gu’s mansion at the end of the year before last? She had given birth to a son last year with the pet name Da Da.
Pingzong had always wondered how someone like Gu Xiaoxiao could marry and have children. Wouldn’t he have episodes during marital intimacy?
Clearly he hadn’t, since they already had a son.
“He’s working overtime at the Ministry of Revenue. Da Da likes excitement, so I take him everywhere.” The palace master said. “He had someone ride fast to report that something happened at the palace, so I left the mansion directly. Originally I was going to the palace, but then I heard about all the commotion at Ningfang Pavilion and guessed Your Majesty had left the palace, so I pursued all the way here.”
Tie Ci knew the palace master was extremely fast and skilled at tracking. Only she could follow her trail to reach this place in such a short time.
She briefly explained the situation without too much detail. The palace master didn’t ask many questions, only saying: “Do you still have that token I gave Your Majesty back then?”
Tie Ci rummaged in her backpack—it was still there.
Her backpack was an emergency pack she kept ready year-round, containing various necessities, with the dry provisions regularly replaced. Years ago, when the palace master had given her that token at Yueli Academy, she had stuffed it into this backpack.
The palace master said: “Your Majesty, whatever decisions you make, I support them. Now that you and the Grand Preceptor have had a falling out, and the Grand Preceptor’s influence in the capital and throughout the realm may already exceed your expectations. Nothing else need be said—just the existence of Gui Qizhai can monitor your movements at any time, making it impossible for you to move freely.”
Tie Ci nodded. Not only that, but hearing the palace master’s account of events on various streets, clearly Gui Qizhai had machines capable of identifying her, which was why they could so quickly eliminate so many decoys and pursue rapidly.
This meant that from now on, any disguise or camouflage she attempted would be useless.
“Fortunately, because Gui Qizhai maintains high standards, it never opens shops in poor streets and shabby alleys.” The palace master said. “And coincidentally, my people are most familiar with every corner of the capital—unknown small alleys, filthy sewers, walls between low-class brothels.”
“And these places have many roofs, much cover, chaotic routes, and miscellaneous things. Anything that can observe from above cannot immediately find the traces it seeks.”
“Gui Qizhai follows the path of high officials and nobles, Tian Record caters to ordinary common people, while we Gong family were once martial world giants, once held high court positions, later lived in seclusion overseas, but also left a branch to continue operating in the martial world. We don’t occupy mountains or establish strongholds—what we operate is the three teachings and nine streams, the underground black market.”
“There are still more ordinary people in this world, ordinary people trying to make a living. Gui Qizhai seems glorious and prominent, frequented by celebrities; Tian Record seems wealthy and powerful, dealing with merchants; but what truly controls and manipulates ordinary people’s lives in secret are these.” The palace master turned and pointed toward the narrow alley ahead where lights faintly showed. “What you see—candied hawthorn sellers, wonton stands, barber carriers, candy peddlers, carpenters with carrying poles, camel carriers, knife and scissor sharpeners, vegetable vendors, cart services, gambling dens, even street beggars… With this token, someone will guide you on the most secret routes, the fastest paths, into the hardest places to find, providing the safest hiding places… not just within the capital, but throughout all of Da Qian.”
Tie Ci squinted, thinking this was true substantial power. Imagine—at one command, all the peddlers and vendors on the street would drop their loads and draw knives. Who could withstand that?
And to spread such influence throughout the realm—what deep foundations and long management would that require?
Such power would normally be feared by rulers, yet unexpectedly, when the palace master first met her, she had been frank about it from the beginning.
Tie Ci sighed inwardly, only raising her hand to pat her shoulder, smiling: “In that case, We entrust the capital to you as well.”
Before her words finished, she collapsed headfirst.
…
In the deep night, the wonton stand in the small alley closed up. The stall owner carried his pole while his wife and daughter pushed a cart, walking through one street. Seeing no road ahead, they should turn toward the next street where a Gui Qizhai was brightly lit.
But as the stall owner turned around a small corner with a tiny earth god shrine, he suddenly disappeared behind the wall.
The cart wheels rolled over the uneven stone street, the ground stained with much filth and grease. The gutters were piled with leftover food scraps, gleaming with greasy light in the moonlight. Several rats shuttled through garbage heaps of bones and vegetable leaves, their oil-green eyes flashing.
This seemed to be the back alley of some restaurant. The aroma of food and wine and the sounds of drinking games drifted down from second-floor windows—luxury and poverty separated by just one wall.
The cart creaked past under the windows. Just then someone pushed open a window and spat down, nearly hitting the cart.
The plainly dressed woman walking beside the cart raised her eyebrows and was about to look up when the woman beside her grabbed her.
Pingzong snorted irritably.
Buzzing sounds came from overhead, but the view was blocked by the continuous stretch of awnings behind the restaurants.
A street away, Gui Qizhai was brilliantly lit, with huge light beams shooting from the second floor through windows, continuously sweeping the surrounding five-li area.
But they couldn’t sweep the dark corners beneath the brilliant lights.
At the end of the small alley, the wonton stall owner pushed open a door and entered an extremely narrow courtyard. After walking a few steps, before the black flying machines scanning everywhere from high altitude could discover their target, they went underground.
After walking only a few steps underground, they reached a crude tunnel. Ahead in the tunnel was a table with a drowsing guard sitting behind it.
This group pushed their cart in. The guard lifted his eyelids, glanced at the wonton stall owner, and continued his dozing with indifference.
But his hand under the table pushed a thin blade that was sticking out back in, while simultaneously pulling a rope behind him.
At the end of the tunnel was a door. From behind the half-open door came faint sounds of gambling calls and hot air mixed with excited shouts that hit them in the face—exactly like all underground gambling dens in the world.
The wonton stall owner incongruously pushed his cart inside. The gamblers lying over tables gambling and sweating profusely didn’t raise their heads, while the house operators watched intently, staring only at the gamblers’ money.
Pingzong pushed the cart all the way to an inner room and closed the door.
All the house operators turned to glance at the inner room at this moment.
Then the dice were thrown again, rolling and clattering in the cups, causing another wave of shouting.
Inside the room, Pingzong closed the door and finally breathed a sigh of relief.
When pushing the cart earlier, she had clearly seen Gui Qizhai not far ahead, yet they had found another route.
Walking in the alley, those buzzing monsters had been right overhead. She had even seen those flashing red lights—a whole mass of them.
She had thought then: if discovered, what should they do?
Someone had to protect His Majesty, and one person remaining simply had no way to quickly deal with so many of those things.
Those things flew high and were extremely agile. No matter how high one’s martial arts, it was hard to reach them, yet they could kill from a distance with a beam of light.
She had clutched sweat in her palm the whole time, only now understanding why Tie Ci wouldn’t bring any elite guards, only willing to bring her and Jingxu.
However many other guards came, they would just be cannon fodder.
She carried Tie Ci to the bed. Jingxu, disguised as the stall owner, stepped forward to check her pulse: “No problem, the nightly routine medicinal reaction.”
Tie Ci’s face alternated between blue and red, her body rigid, yet her hands and feet trembled slightly. Though completely unconscious, her brow remained tightly furrowed, clearly with unsettled qi and blood, in severe pain.
“One hour,” Jingxu said. “She must endure this hour every day.”
Pingzong turned to look at Tie Ci on the bed, then at the water clock on the table.
The noise outside was tumultuous, making it even more irritating to hear.
The enemy’s weapons possessed extremely powerful search capabilities and force. They now had to stop for an hour because of Tie Ci’s condition. Could this underground gambling den really keep them safe for an hour?
…
“The signal has disappeared.” The silver-clothed man Rui said to the display in front of him, his expression not looking good.
This group was now in Da Qian Academy, but not in the laboratory. The entire experimental building had been destroyed. A group of experimenters trapped underground couldn’t get out and were probably still trying to crack garbled codes repeatedly. But within Da Qian Academy, in the password-protected hidden room of Yun Buci’s office, there was also a complete command system.
The era Rui came from had already achieved optical flow ultrasonic connection technology. As long as one had transmitters and receivers, without needing base stations and signals, signal transmission could be achieved within a certain distance. Especially in the clean electromagnetic environment of ancient times, the controllable distance could be even farther. In unsuitable environments, switching to manual or attitude mode would work.
The only somewhat labor-intensive aspect was that at night a large group of people needed to squat there hand-cranking generators.
The person sitting on the right sent him coordinates: “Still at this location five minutes ago, then suddenly disappeared collectively. Given ancient people’s movement speed, I believe they’re still nearby, very likely underground. Suggest activating underground radar sensors.”
“Doesn’t the emperor possess teleportation abilities? What if she teleported?”
“Her supernatural abilities disappeared due to injury four years ago.” This time Yun Buci answered.
The silver-clothed person watching the screen on the other side said: “The other side moved quickly, killing large numbers of birds in a short time. The ‘wild game’ may not achieve our expected deterrent effect.”
“Do we have other backup reagents?”
“Yes. But they’re too potent—not something these ancient people can withstand. Once used, there may be huge damage to local soil, water sources, ecology, and species reproduction for an unpredictable duration. If we still want to survive on this land, I suggest not using them lightly.”
“Yun, I think in the process of teaching your disciple, you violated Management Department rules eighteen through twenty-seven regarding information resource blockade for inferior civilized races. She clearly knows many things she shouldn’t know, which will bring great losses to our pursuit. After this matter concludes, I will report to the Management Department to investigate your related responsibilities.” Rui stared at the screen while giving orders: “Activate underground radar sensors.”
“Report, scanning has discovered suspected areas.”
“Report, the scanned area has special terrain with too many obstacles. Drones cannot approach, sensors are being interfered with.”
“Report, three drones have been shot down by slingshots.”
Rui’s face was iron-blue. He glanced at Yun Buci and said decisively: “Use bee drones to confirm targets. Given the other side’s high combat value, to prevent insect drone losses, use nanobots afterward.”
“Yes.”
…
All future technology is fictional. Please don’t take it seriously—this is just melodramatic romance fiction for entertainment purposes only.