Ankang assigned tasks to everyone and urged them to go and return quickly, being careful on the way.
"Captain, what about Iron Ox?"
"He's still with us right now."
"If he acts with us, I'm afraid he won't be able to bear it, right?"
Wei Zhen asked Ankang.
Iron Ox was just an ordinary child and couldn't possibly wander the martial world with them.
Their mission was already dangerous, and if they had to take care of Iron Ox on the way, it would truly be asking too much.
"Let's find someone to send him back to the capital."
"His situation in Jade Prefecture has been resolved, and he is now free."
"First, let him find a job in the Red Scarf Squad, and if he is willing to learn martial arts, we can teach him some as well."
Iron Ox was just a pitiful child, and all Ankang could do was give him an opportunity.
As for whether Iron Ox could seize this opportunity, it depended on him.
If he did not wish to stay in the Red Scarf Squad in the future, Ankang would also let him go.
Saving a life was saving a life, but there was no need to shoulder another person's entire life.
Having seen many worldly affairs, Ankang no longer dwelled too much on such details.
"Yes, Captain."
Wei Zhen accepted the order.
Everyone on this trip received a task, but the places they had to deliver messages to were different.
Experts like Wei Zhen, who were Fourth-Grade, were all assigned to important Martial Arts Holy Lands.
However, Wei Zhen's identity was special; he also held the position of Game Warden. Ankang sent him to the nearest Martial Arts Holy Land and then told him to return to report as soon as possible.
After all, Emperor Yongyuan might still need Wei Zhen.
As for the others, they voluntarily participated in this dangerous operation to secretly oppose Prince Zheng's forces.
But even so, Ankang did not want them to take too many risks. This mission of spreading the news about the Thousand Vine Demoness was actually sufficient.
Otherwise, if the Red Scarf Squad members were to charge on the front lines, Ankang would feel a bit uneasy.
This was, after all, a mess that the imperial court should handle.
If the imperial court did not exert effort at such a time and relied entirely on these righteous martial artists, it would be too unreasonable.
Ankang herself was a member of the imperial family and believed she had a duty, but others did not, especially the martial arts heroes who joined the Red Scarf Squad with fervent passion. Now was far from the time for them to charge to the forefront.
The imperial court was not dead; there were still so many Great Inner Experts. It wouldn't be their turn anyway.
Everyone in the Red Scarf Squad was very excited after receiving such an important mission.
Even the Game Warden were like this.
They used to hunt in various dangerous places and had not interacted much with people from the martial world.
This time, they had to travel throughout Great Xing's martial arts forces to spread the news of the Thousand Vine Demoness, so they were naturally full of excitement.
As for the young martial arts heroes, they felt as if they were participating in a grand event, subtly feeling like protagonists in a story.
Among them, Chen Tan and Jiang Shanao were the happiest, their eyes gleaming.
The two of them were also among those closely watched in the Red Scarf Squad, and now that they finally had some freedom of movement, they were naturally joyful.
But they dared not simply leave.
Chen Tan knew that if Prince Zheng was not removed, he would not have a peaceful second half of his life, and the Money Gang would also have to be handed over to others.
And Jiang Shanao had some backbone. Although he had always been a fugitive, he also cared about the common people and the country.
Moreover, he had previously thought there was no prison that could hold him, but after experiencing the terror of the Ministry of Justice's prison, he realized that there were always people stronger and more capable.
Now that he had a hard-won opportunity to clear his name, he naturally had to seize it well.
Otherwise, if he were ever locked up in the Ministry of Justice's prison again, he would not have the confidence to attempt an escape.
After all, he had personally witnessed Belgrade nearly being beaten to death during his escape attempt that day.
The capital was not like other places; you could casually throw a stone and hit a Third-Grade expert.
With his small Fourth-Grade physique, it was better not to act rashly.
Seeing that the tasks had been arranged, Ankang bid farewell to the Red Scarf Squad members, wishing them a smooth journey.
Then, she returned to Emperor Yongyuan and reported these specific matters one by one.
"Imperial Father, your daughter has already sent the Red Scarf Squad to spread the news of the Thousand Vine Demoness."
"I believe the news of the Thousand Vine Demoness reappearing in the martial world will soon spread throughout the entire martial world."
"With the Red Scarf Squad connecting the dots, I believe those renowned sects will react."
"If no one leads the encirclement and suppression of the Thousand Vine Demoness at that time, your daughter will then, in the name of the Red Scarf Squad's captain and an imperial princess, rally the heroes of the martial world, supplemented by generous rewards. Success will surely be achieved."
Ankang's words were clear and resounding.
Emperor Yongyuan nodded repeatedly as he listened.
With Li Xuan in Jingyang Palace, there was no shortage of financial resources.
With the temptation of fame and fortune, it would surely stir up discussion in the martial world.
The Thousand Vine Demoness's enemies would also not sit idly by and let such a great opportunity slip away; they would certainly exert themselves.
Such actions against the Thousand Vine Demoness were merely incidental; the main purpose was to continue to exert pressure on Prince Zheng, making his subordinates dare not easily show themselves.
How many good people could there be among those who associated with the Thousand Vine Demoness?
Prince Zheng only valued talent and disregarded virtue, which naturally led to such consequences.
After all, people with a bit of moral integrity couldn't get along with evil demons and heretics.
"Zhen Zhao Princess is not suitable to handle this matter, so I will leave it entirely to you to arrange."
Emperor Yongyuan instructed Ankang.
Emperor Yongyuan also found it inconvenient to interfere in martial world affairs, otherwise the Martial Arts Holy Land would be wary and would not dare to take action against the Thousand Vine Demoness.
It was an unspoken understanding since ancient times that the Martial Arts Holy Land did not participate in dynastic disputes. Whoever broke the rules would find it difficult to explain.
"Ankang, go and rest early."
"We still have to continue our journey tomorrow."
Emperor Yongyuan said to Ankang.
"Your daughter bids farewell."
Ankang bowed and left Emperor Yongyuan's room with Li Xuan.
At this moment, the bright moon hung high, and silver light spread across the ground, illuminating the night like day.
"What a beautiful night."
Ankang caressed Li Xuan in her arms, looking at the bright moon in the night sky and sighing.
...
Outside Bailu County, a secluded forest.
A bonfire burned here, and many people were resting, sitting or lying around the bonfire.
Among them, a middle-aged scholar was quite striking.
He wore a long robe, washed until it was faded, but clean and tidy, though it had clearly been worn for many years.
The middle-aged scholar had a neatly trimmed short beard and looked refined, like a schoolteacher.
He occupied the best spot by the bonfire, sitting on a flat wooden stump, reading a book with relish by the light of the fire.
The cover of the book had the four large characters "Legend of Heavenly Mandate" written on it.
At this moment, someone rushed to the bonfire, draped in a wide, black cloak.
"Mr. Bai."
The newcomer saluted the middle-aged scholar.
His enjoyment of reading was disturbed, but he was not angry, merely regretfully put away the book and looked at the newcomer.
"Still no news of the Three Ghosts of the Cold River. I inquired in Jade Prefecture."
"Last night, there was indeed an incident at the government office, but the commotion ended quickly, and I heard that Jiang Pu was safe and sound. It seems that sects from the vicinity of Jade Prefecture intervened."
Mr. Bai sighed upon hearing these words: "So, their mission failed."
The messenger said nothing more, just waited for Mr. Bai's further instructions.
"Three Third-Grades couldn't take Jiang Pu's head, so how many people were protecting him last night?"
"In the vicinity of Jade Prefecture, I haven't heard of any Second-Grade experts."
Mr. Bai shook his head gently.
"There might be some other reasons, but it's truly strange that the Three Ghosts of the Cold River haven't returned to report, especially since last night, apart from some movement at the government office, the area around Jade Prefecture was very quiet, with no abnormalities."
The messenger's investigation was very thorough.
The Three Ghosts of the Cold River should have returned to report this morning, but they had not appeared.
Therefore, Mr. Bai sent their fastest runner to Jade Prefecture to check the situation, and this was the news brought back.
With the strength of the Three Ghosts of the Cold River, they could walk sideways in the territory of Jade Prefecture.
The three brothers, working together, even had the strength to contend with a Second-Grade martial artist.
All the large and small sects around Jade Prefecture combined might not even have one Second-Grade.
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Moreover, how could Jiang Pu have such influence to invite such experts?
Mr. Bai's conversation did not avoid others.
The people who were originally resting by the bonfire gradually sat up and gathered together.
"The Three Ghosts of the Cold River wouldn't have messed up the task and then just fled, fearing Mr. Bai's blame, would they?"
Someone guessed.
"Those three aren't fools!"
Someone next to him glared at the speaker, then immediately looked at Mr. Bai's expression.
Some of them were accustomed to speaking without thinking, daring to say anything.
They were all Prince Zhengs Mansion's retainers, usually busy with their own affairs, and rarely acted together.
But the Southern Tour was a special situation, and those who could set aside their work rushed over to prevent Emperor Yongyuan from harming Prince Zheng.
However, they were all used to their own freedom, and there were always frictions when they were together.
To put it bluntly, this group of people was like scattered stars, but when gathered, they were a mess.
It was only because Mr. Bai was holding the fort, otherwise, some of them would have started fighting among themselves long ago.
"Mr. Bai, I'm afraid something happened to the Three Ghosts of the Cold River."
"Should we send people to look for them?"
Someone who understood the situation asked.
"Alas, I'm afraid we've fallen into a trap again."
"Previously, Bamboo Five Peaks and Fire Old successively disappeared; they must have fallen into the dog emperor's trap."
"If the dog emperor could even take down Fire Old, let alone those three brothers."
"Sending people to rescue them would only add to our losses."
Hearing this, everyone's hearts sank.
The disappearance of Bamboo Five Peaks and Fire Old was a thorn in everyone's heart.
Leaving Bamboo Five Peaks aside for now, Fire Old was one of the strongest retainers in Prince Zhengs Mansion, yet he lost contact silently, causing panic among the others.
There was even a considerable stir within Prince Zhengs Mansion, leading to continuous conflicts among some retainers.
If Prince Zheng hadn't been suppressing them, a major problem would have arisen long ago.
But now Prince Zheng was isolated within the Southern Tour team, and they found it difficult to even transmit messages to him.
Greenie had been severely injured before and was still recuperating.
Until she fully recovered, they had no means to contact Prince Zheng.
"Mr. Bai, we've been guarding nearby these past few days, and those experts around the dog emperor haven't moved. Is there a mistake somewhere?"
They were now honestly following behind the Southern Tour team precisely because Emperor Yongyuan always had Great Inner Experts by his side.
These Great Inner Experts usually protected Emperor Yongyuan's safety, but if they sensed that their side's strength was insufficient, they would definitely take immediate action.
At that time, Prince Zheng's situation would be dangerous.
If they couldn't provide timely support, Prince Zheng even ran the risk of falling.
At that time, decades of grand plans would be ruined.
If Emperor Yongyuan feared being beheaded, why wouldn't Prince Zheng?
Mr. Bai did not speak, merely pondering.
But even if he didn't speak, everyone else already had an answer in their hearts.
There were still experts by Emperor Yongyuan's side, and at least Second-Grade experts who were skilled in using the Dao realm, otherwise, they wouldn't have been able to capture the Three Ghosts of the Cold River alive.
This conjecture made them all swallow their saliva.
Among those present, Second-Grade experts were, after all, a minority; most were in the Third-Grade realm.
Some people's strength was even inferior to any one of the Three Ghosts of the Cold River, so the sense of crisis was particularly strong.
What they originally thought was a sure-win struggle had now turned into a situation where they were at a disadvantage.
By the bonfire, it grew increasingly silent, with only the burning wood occasionally crackling, sending out a few sparks that scattered, then slowly fell and extinguished into a speck of ash.
In the deeper shadows beyond the bonfire, Greenie rested, leaning against Pure Yang's broad back.
Pure Yang looked at the silent crowd by the bonfire and couldn't help but sigh.
They weren't like this before, but now they were becoming increasingly unbearable.
"What are you sighing about in the middle of the night!"
"Are you going to let people sleep or not?"
Greenie said impatiently, and casually gave Pure Yang a hard slap.
After recuperating, her appearance had returned to normal, and her voice was no longer so weak.
Pure Yang was like a large stone and didn't care about Greenie's slaps.
"Three more are gone; something happened to the Three Ghosts of the Cold River," Pure Yang said.
"Those three brothers were never good people anyway. Their disappearance is heaven's blessing."
Greenie said casually, shifting her body to get more comfortable.
Pure Yang was silent for a moment, then suddenly said:
"But we can't be considered good people either."
Greenie, far from being annoyed, chuckled softly: "Our retribution will also come, I reckon it's not far off."
"I'm going to sleep; don't disturb me anymore."
After Greenie finished speaking, she said no more and fell asleep in an instant.
Pure Yang remained silent, looking at the people by the bonfire, and in his heart, he also agreed with Greenie's words.
Look at himself, and then at Greenie.
In all these years, when had they ever suffered such severe injuries?
Perhaps, this was the so-called sign before retribution arrived.
Pure Yang stopped thinking, and like Greenie, closed his eyes and sat in meditation to rest.
The two of them were already remnants of a defeated army; even if Mr. Bai had plans later, he would have to wait until their injuries healed.
Therefore, they didn't care if Mr. Bai would suddenly seek them out, and rested peacefully to recover their strength.
...
The next morning.
The Southern Tour team set off on their journey again.
Since the Southern Tour began, a considerable amount of time had passed.
At this moment, they were not far from their first important destination on the Southern Tour.
Luodong City.
This place, which almost became the new capital of Great Xing, would be the first city where Emperor Yongyuan would stay for several days during his Southern Tour.
And the officials in Luodong City were eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Southern Tour team.
This place was crucial for both Emperor Yongyuan and Prince Zheng.