Novels online

Chapter 1099: Entry Granted

The guard captain shrieked, "Ah, ah, help, an assassin! A bizarre assassin!"

Even as he spoke, he drew his blade and brought it down with a "whoosh" at the tiny figure on the ground.

But the small figure had already darted a step forward, slipping past his feet.

Li Daoxuan was originally just a useless urban couch potato, with almost no fighting ability. But over the years, as he frequently used his avatars to engage in combat, he had actually gained a modest amount of fighting prowess.

At least he was no longer a weakling recluse; now he was upgrading to a combat-ready homebody.

Just as he darted past the man's feet, he drew a tiny blade with a sharp *clink*. For someone the size of a hand, this blade could certainly be called a "greatsword," as enormous as the protagonist's sword in *Berserk*.

But to the guard captain, it was nothing more than a fruit knife.

Li Daoxuan's "greatsword" swept horizontally, striking the guard captain's Achilles tendon with a soft *thud*. This was precisely the Achilles tendon, and once severed, the entire foot would be immobilized.

The guard captain crashed to the ground with a loud *thump*.

The guard captain was utterly terrified, but despite falling, he remained conscious. Though one foot was incapacitated, he was desperate to save his life, fearing the tiny monster would slice at his neck or face, and quickly rolled away, scrambling across the floor.

But Li Daoxuan didn't pursue him at all. Instead, he swung his "greatsword," delivering two swift, soft *thuds* that struck the insteps of two other guards.

A fruit knife in the instep—that was the sort of 'refreshing' feeling anyone who experienced it would never forget.

The two guards shrieked, clutching their feet and hopping, limping on one leg.

Li Daoxuan had already darted between them and slipped into the Prince of Chu's bedchamber.

Hearing the commotion outside, the Prince of Chu had already scrambled under his bed in terror.

But that angle under the bed could only hide him from a tall person. From Li Daoxuan's tiny perspective, he could see the Prince of Chu under the bed with perfect clarity.

"Your Highness, Prince of Chu," Li Daoxuan said, advancing with a menacing grin, "hiding under the bed won't help you."

The Prince of Chu was petrified. "What are you? What kind of demon are you? Don't come any closer!"

Li Daoxuan grinned. "I am the vengeful spirit of the common people. We were barred from the city by you, and slaughtered by the rebels. Our tormented souls converged to form me, and I have come to settle accounts."

"Aaaaah!" the Prince of Chu shrieked. "Someone save this prince! Who will save this prince?"

The guards at the door actually wanted to save him. If it were a normal human assassin coming for the Prince of Chu, they would have risked their lives to intervene. But this was a demon! If a demon wanted to kill the Prince of Chu, they didn't even have the courage to fight to the death.

Humans were strange creatures. They might not fear death, but they certainly feared ghosts.

The guards didn't dare approach a single step.

Li Daoxuan walked step by step to the Prince of Chu. He raised his "greatsword" and pointed it at the trembling old man. "Prepare to die," he declared.

The Prince of Chu let out a cry of "Ah!" His head slumped to the side, and before Li Daoxuan could even act, he had simply died of fright.

After all, he was old; he couldn't handle such a shock.

Li Daoxuan scoffed with a dismissive "Tch," then turned and walked back out.

The guard captain still sat on the ground by the doorway, clutching his wounded Achilles tendon. The two other guards trembled nearby, watching Li Daoxuan with terrified eyes. None dared to move; they could only stare as he walked away.

After walking a street's length, the reconnaissance Heavenly Lord wasn't in a hurry to leave the city. He found a secluded nook to hide, then made a seamless transition back to the camp.

In the camp, the soft sobbing of the common people could still be heard.

As Li Daoxuan opened his eyes, he saw Zhuge Wangchan, Zhu Cunji, and Zhu Yujian all staring at him with wide eyes.

Li Daoxuan smiled. "It's handled. Tomorrow morning, have the common people go to Wuchang City again. They should be able to enter the city successfully."

Zhuge Wangchan was overjoyed. "Understood, your subordinate will go and inform those who are still awake now."

To reassure the common people as soon as possible, he immediately sought out the refugees who were still awake and softly weeping in the camp. He comforted them gently, "Don't cry," he said. "Don't worry, if you go to Wuchang again tomorrow morning, you'll be able to enter the city."

A refugee cried, "Benefactor, please don't comfort us. We know we won't get in."

"Don't worry," Zhuge Wangchan assured them. "If the Heavenly Lord says you can enter, then you certainly will."

The refugee asked, "The Heavenly Lord is?"

Zhuge Wangchan casually pulled out a copy of "The Heavenly Lord Dao Xuan's Demon Extermination Saga" and pointed to its cover. "This is the Heavenly Lord," he declared. "He said you'll be able to enter by dawn tomorrow."

The refugees exclaimed, "What?"

Who could possibly believe that?

Zhuge Wangchan dedicated half the night to earnestly comforting the refugees. However, his efforts had little effect. All night long, soft sobs could be heard, born of their uncertainty about the future, a dread that a few simple words of comfort couldn't alleviate.

Fortunately, that night, the rebels did not launch an attack.

This spared the already terrified common people from further tribulation.

The next morning, at the first hint of dawn, as the sky was barely lightening, the common people rose and, impatient to confirm the news, once again headed towards Wuchang City.

As they reached the city walls, they immediately sensed something was amiss.

Of the people guarding the city walls today, there wasn't a single brilliantly uniformed Prince of Chu guard.

On the city walls, one could only see garrison soldiers, yamen runners, local militia, and a great many common people who had voluntarily come to help defend the city.

The Prefect of Wuchang stood atop the city wall, his beard fluttering wildly in the wind.

The moment he saw the large crowd of refugees approaching again, the Prefect immediately commanded loudly, "Open the city gates! Let the common people enter!"

This time, no one stopped him.

The refugees cheered, "We can enter the city!"

"We're safe!"

They turned their heads, bowed deeply to the Gao Family Village logistical team in the middle of the river, then stretched their legs and ran towards Wuchang City.

Zhuge Wangchan also let out a sigh of relief. "Good, they are finally safe."

Zhu Cunji grumbled, "That hateful prince wasted half our day. How annoying."

Zhu Yujian let out a long sigh. "Let's go," he said. "We continue our journey into Sichuan."

The fleet entered the Yangtze River from the Han River, then proceeded upstream, beginning their journey into Sichuan.

At this time, shipping on the Yangtze River was quite developed. Boats could travel all the way to Chaotianmen Pier in Chongqing.

However, there were several perilous sections in the Yangtze River Three Gorges. The currents were swift, and hidden reefs were numerous. It was extremely difficult to travel upstream relying solely on sails and oars.

The many cargo ships from Gao Family Village got stuck not far after entering the Three Gorges.

"Reporting, Captain," a sailor called out, "our boats can't move. No matter how much strength we use, they won't budge. The current is too swift; we can't sail against this water."

Zhuge Wangchan was also a bit perplexed. "What are we to do?" he wondered. "Our celestial ships didn't come this time. These are all wooden boats prepared in Hanzhong Prefecture; they can't contend with this rapid current."