Chapter 189: A Shocking Revelation
The townsfolk, having learned Chu Yang's name, left the area near the city gate feeling satisfied.
Nearby, the constables on duty looked at Lu Xiaofeng with puzzled expressions, not understanding why he had just lied.
With a grave expression, Lu Xiaofeng said in a low voice, "From this moment on, no matter who asks, you must not mention the Prince. Especially not that he was the one who held the line at Jinling City."
A constable asked in confusion, "Why, Master Lu? The Prince defended Jinling City. Countless people owe him their lives. How can we not speak of it?"
"Exactly because of that gratitude," Lu Xiaofeng shook his head. "We barely made it down from the ramparts alive. I don't want you dying needlessly."
Seeing Lu Xiaofeng speak with such seriousness, the constables immediately tensed, gradually beginning to realize the gravity of the situation.
One of the more perceptive constables even trembled slightly, as if he had thought of something dreadful.
Still uneasy, Lu Xiaofeng added, "Make sure you tell the other brothers too. This is about your lives—don't take it lightly."
The constables all bowed in unison, fists clasped, expressing their thanks to Lu Xiaofeng.
But then Lu Xiaofeng changed his tone and said, "However, if the time ever comes when the truth must be known, even if it costs you your life, you must let the world know it was the Prince who saved Jinling City! Who defended the southern gateway of the Ming Dynasty!"
"Don't forget—your wives, your children, and your parents are all within this city. It was the Prince who saved their lives!"
Hearing this, the constables immediately dropped to their knees, kowtowing in the direction of the city gate where Chu Yang had been, shouting, "We're willing to sacrifice everything for the Prince!"
Lu Xiaofeng exhaled deeply and nodded in satisfaction. He was one of the rare few with a brilliant mind and naturally understood the current political danger facing the "Virtuous Prince."
News of what had happened in Jinling City would undoubtedly provoke the man on the Dragon Throne, and trouble was bound to follow.
This was not the time to stir up that trouble...
Lu Xiaofeng followed the crowd of Jinling citizens to the other gate but didn't see Chu Yang. After inquiring, he learned that the soldier who had risked his life to bring news had awoken. The group had rushed to the clinic to hear from him about the situation in Wanglong City.
Since Chu Yang wasn't there, Lu Xiaofeng made an excuse to dismiss the crowd and then headed for the clinic. When he arrived, he saw the soldier propped against the bed, speaking to Chu Yang and the others.
"What's the situation in Wanglong City?" Lu Xiaofeng asked urgently.
"Don't be so hasty, Brother Lu. Let me introduce you—this is Deputy Commander Chen, under General Qi," Hua Manlou said with a smile, patting Lu Xiaofeng on the shoulder and signaling him to stay calm. Everyone in the room was watching.
"The Prince?" Lu Xiaofeng turned to look at Chu Yang.
"It's the Wokou and the demon race working together," Chu Yang said solemnly. "According to Deputy Commander Chen, the Qi Family Army was originally sent to handle the Wokou raiding coastal regions. But they were ambushed by sea-dwelling demons and had no choice but to retreat and hold Wanglong City."
Deputy Commander Chen coughed lightly and said in a soft voice, "Those Wokou have fully become demonkin. Some of them have cultivated demonic arts, others have literally replaced their bloodlines, becoming half-human, half-demon hybrids."
"The entire island of Japan has become a demon paradise—there's barely any place left for humans."
The room fell silent. The group had previously speculated that something had happened to the Ten Thousand Demons Nation, and the demon occupation of Japan only confirmed those suspicions.
It also meant that the catastrophe of demons and monsters would sweep across the Ming Dynasty with unprecedented momentum.
"The Wokou were scum to begin with, and now that they've become demonkin, they're even harder to deal with," Li Xunhuan said worriedly. "Given the current state of affairs, we're fighting a war on multiple fronts."
Chu Yang looked at Deputy Commander Chen and asked, "How many demon kings are besieging Wanglong City?"
Deputy Commander Chen shook his head with a guilty look. "I was sent by the General before the demon army encircled us. I don't know how many demon kings were involved."
"But that's not important right now!"
Suddenly becoming agitated, Chen said, "We must find a way to hold Jinling City. The demon army is almost here—there's likely to be a demon king leading them. We must prepare in advance!"
Li Xunhuan couldn't help but chuckle. "Deputy Commander Chen, you've been unconscious for a full day and night. The siege ended long ago."
"It's over?!" Chen blurted out in disbelief. "That's impossible! Jinling City only had a few thousand constables. Without me to command them, the gate should've been breached already! How could you still be here, talking to me so calmly?"
Li Ge Xiao said, "Believe it or not, there are still a bunch of demon corpses on the ramparts. You can go take a look. Also, two demon kings showed up—they're both lying outside the gate now."
Seeing their confident expressions, Chen had no choice but to believe them. He forced himself to get up and left the clinic, only to find the streets peaceful and quiet.
He finally let out the breath that had been weighing on him.
All his strength seemed to vanish, and someone had to carry him back. He leaned weakly against the wall.
"In any case, as long as Jinling City held, we can give General Qi an answer."
"Don't worry—if Jinling City holds, the Qi Family Army will be fine. It's only a matter of time before they win."
A smile appeared on Chen's face.
"From what you're saying, there must be even more demon kings attacking Wanglong City. How is the Qi Family Army able to break through?"
Chu Yang was curious.
"Everyone knows that the Qi Family Army has the famous Divine Craftsmen Battalion, experts in weapon-making. The Anti-Demon Heavy Crossbow was one of their creations."
"They've developed a new type of firearm. To test its power, General Qi led us out of Jinling."
As soon as Chen finished, Lu Xiaofeng asked, "Are you saying that the new weapon is powerful enough to ensure the Qi Family Army's escape?"
Chen nodded.
Everyone was amazed by the Divine Craftsmen Battalion's skill—everyone except Chu Yang, whose expression turned odd.
A new firearm?
Don't tell me they've made RPGs?
But even an RPG wouldn't be enough to kill a demon king!
The Divine Craftsmen Battalion was clearly something beyond normal artisans. From what he saw of the Anti-Demon Heavy Crossbow, they were more like artifact forgers.
The "new firearm" mentioned by Chen was likely a powerful magical weapon.
Li Xunhuan then made a suggestion: "Since the Qi Family Army's safety is no longer a concern, we should strike while the iron is hot and launch a counterattack before the demons regroup."
It surprised everyone—he had recently advised Chu Yang not to risk himself, yet now he was proposing a proactive assault.
"A counterattack?" Li Ge Xiao looked at him suspiciously.
"The situation has changed," Li Xunhuan said. "The demon clan and Wokou have formed a unified front. If this drags on, not just Jinling City—the entire southern region will be on the brink of collapse."
"We must take advantage of the Qi Family Army's current siege, turn their trap into ours, and strike hard. Only then will the Ming Dynasty get a breather!"
Chu Yang was tempted. If they could strike a heavy blow against the demon clan, humanity's survival in the South would be far more secure.
But the demon clan wasn't foolish. They had already lost two demon kings and failed to take Jinling. If they couldn't take Wanglong soon, they would likely retreat.
Chu Yang realized that by now, it was probably too late to move on Wanglong City.
He left quietly to gather the remains of the two demon kings outside the city. There was no point in leaving them out for display any longer.
Watching him go, Li Xunhuan realized the same thing and shook his head regretfully.
By mid-morning, a large army appeared about a mile outside Jinling City.
It was Guihai Yidao leading the reinforcements stationed at Fengling and Yeling, sent to aid Jinling.
But they didn't immediately advance. Instead, they sent scouts ahead to assess the situation.
The scouts returned with surprising news—the city gates were wide open.
Outside, the battlefield was a mess, littered with demon corpses, which made them assume the city had already fallen.
"We're too late. Damn it!"
"Those demon bastards move fast!"
"All troops, listen up! We're returning to the city!"
A bearded general cursed loudly and prepared to lead his troops back.
To him, Jinling's fall meant the heartland was exposed. The demon clan could invade freely now. They had to rush back and defend their own cities.
"Hold on, General. Jinling might not have fallen."
"Look—the ramparts are intact. If the demons had taken the city, how could it still be in perfect condition?"
Though they were still far off, thanks to his martial artist's sharp eyesight, Guihai Yidao could make out details near the gate.
The bearded general glanced at Jinling from a distance. While he wanted to believe in the reputation of the Dragon-Guard Manor, he feared it was all a demon trick—a trap to lure them in. He hesitated.
Seeing this, Guihai Yidao cursed inwardly. The military of the Ming Dynasty was growing more and more incompetent. Even fools like this could become generals, standing on equal footing with General Qi. Utter nonsense.
"If you're afraid, I'll go in alone," Guihai Yidao said coldly.
Without looking back, he strode toward the city.
The bearded general's face flushed with anger. Guihai Yidao had basically called him a coward in front of the troops.
Before he even reached the gates, Guihai Yidao saw citizens strolling out, chatting with the constables as if they hadn't just survived a siege.
Yet the battlefield outside told another story—demons had definitely been here.
The peaceful scene struck Guihai Yidao as incredibly eerie.
Instinctively, he gripped his sword and cautiously approached the gate. Only when he saw the wary looks from the constables did he snap out of it and quickly release his grip.
"I'm an agent from the Dragon-Guard Manor. I've brought reinforcements to aid Jinling. Where are the demons now?" he asked directly.
Hearing this, the constables sighed in relief—they didn't want more trouble either.
"The demon army was defeated last night. Jinling is safe now. No offense, but… you arrived too late," one of them explained.
"The demon army was defeated?"
Guihai Yidao was stunned by the answer—something he hadn't imagined. "How were they defeated? Did the Qi Family Army break through?"
The constable started to mention Chu Yang, but then remembered Lu Xiaofeng's warning and quickly changed his words: "It was Lord Li Ge Xiao of the former Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Flower Ranking's Top Scholar, Lord Li Xunhuan, who helped us defend the city."
"That's impossible," Guihai Yidao muttered. He knew both men. There was no way the two of them alone could repel a demon army.
"Before General Qi left, he gave us the Anti-Demon Heavy Crossbows. We used that batch of weapons to defend Jinling."
Another constable suddenly spoke up.
Guihai Yidao slowly shook his head, still feeling something wasn't right.
"We beg the Inspector not to make things difficult for us. If you have any doubts, perhaps you could ask Lord Li instead..."
The constables all bowed deeply in unison.
"I understand."
Guihai Yidao could sense the unspoken weight they carried. He didn't press further—judging from their injuries, it was clear they had risked their lives to defend the city last night.
"At least let me into the city, yes?"
The constables immediately stepped aside, clearing a path for Guihai Yidao.
Inside the city, everyone was on the streets talking about what had happened the night before. They hadn't seen it with their own eyes; most of what they knew came from Lu Xiaofeng.
As Guihai Yidao walked through the streets, he picked up a lot of information from the citizens. When he heard that the corpses of two demon kings had been piled outside the city gates, his entire body trembled.
A demon king—what did that even mean?
In the entire Ming Dynasty, only Zhuge Zhengwo could stand on equal footing with such beings.
For martial artists like them who hadn't even entered the Grandmaster realm, the demon kings were nothing more than legends whispered in the martial world.
Yet last night…
Two demon kings died outside Jinling City!
"May I ask—who killed the demon kings?"
The townsfolk, mid-discussion, turned to look at Guihai Yidao. Dozens of eyes stared at him, as though looking at something novel and strange.
Who in Jinling didn't know who had slain the demon kings?
"You must have just arrived in the city, huh?"
An elderly man looked at Guihai Yidao with a smile. Guihai nodded in response.
"Of course it was Lord Chu who killed them. Who else could it have been?"
A scholar's voice rose from within the crowd.
"That's right. Thanks to Lord Chu, we're still alive today."
"Only… we don't know where he's gone. We didn't even get the chance to thank him."
Guihai Yidao frowned.
Lord Chu?
Before he left, he only knew that within the city were Li Gexiao, Li Xunhuan, Hua Manlou, and Lu Xiaofeng. He had never heard of any Lord Chu.
The conversation among the townsfolk turned back to Chu Yang, and the crowd grew animated once again. Guihai Yidao took the chance to slip away and continue deeper into the city, hoping to find Li Gexiao or Li Xunhuan.
But the farther he walked, the more astonished he became. Aside from the absence of some nobles and officials, the commoners of Jinling seemed entirely unaffected.
For a city besieged by demons, this was nothing short of a miracle.
Guihai Yidao's curiosity about this Lord Chu only deepened.
When had the human race produced another powerhouse who could rival Zhuge Zhengwo?
Deep in thought, Guihai Yidao crossed Jinling City and arrived at another gate, where he finally saw Li Xunhuan and Li Gexiao.
Beside them stood a young man dressed in lavish robes.
His appearance stirred a sense of familiarity in Guihai Yidao.
Their gazes locked—deep and piercing.
Guihai Yidao's heart jolted. He rushed forward in three quick strides, dropped to one knee, and bowed deeply.
"Guihai Yidao, Earth-Class Agent No. 1 of Dragon-Guard Villa, pays respects to Your Highness."