Chapter 1163 - 791: Prince Pingbian’s Mansion Convoy

Anyone who becomes a Marquis is no fool.

Upon hearing the other’s words, Marquis Wen’s eyes shifted, landing on the bodies strewn on the ground: "Gong Family? How could Gong Family be here now? Could it be the Gong Family stole the treasure?"

Looking at the corpses scattered around the wooden boxes, Marquis Wen seemed to see his savior.

Dugu Qiu heard this and smiled without speaking. Marquis Wen quickly nodded: "That’s right, it was the Gong Family who stole the treasure. The Gong Family is truly detestable! The Gong Family deserved to be punished severely!"

"However, the Gong Family is an ancient race with a legacy of hundreds of thousands of years. Without witnessing them in the act, if they turn around and claim they merely passed by, saw the wooden box drop and joined in the excitement, leading to their demise, we might end up in a passive situation. As the saying goes, catch a thief with stolen goods, this matter requires careful contemplation," Dugu Qiu remarked.

"I understand, whatever orders you have, Grand Steward, I will comply," Marquis Wen stated.

Upon hearing Marquis Wen’s words, Dugu Qiu nodded, whispered instructions to Marquis Wen, then vanished into the void.

The loss of the Tree of Life Coffin must be reported to the court officials, requesting their involvement. Fortunately, it was lost within the court’s domain. With the court’s power, there remains hope of finding it.

The Tree of Life Coffin is exceedingly heavy and cannot be carried while flying, meaning the culprit hasn’t gone far and is still within Marquis Wen’s territory. If Marquis Wen can seal off the territory, the Tree of Life Coffin can be intercepted. At that point, each family will exert every effort, even digging three feet deep, to find it.

As for how to handle Chen Ping and the Dragon Tiger Escort Agency?

Given the Gong Family’s methods, having targeted Chen Ping, it’s unlikely Dragon Tiger Escort Agency will escape unscathed. With Dragon Tiger Mountain behind Chen Ping, the court may seize the chance to take action against Dragon Tiger Mountain. If the court can control Dragon Tiger Mountain and use it to restrain the Yellow Heaven Dao, it might mitigate many troubles for the court.

With Marquis Wen’s command, all entrances and exits of the territory were sealed, preventing anyone from leaving with items larger than their body size. Luckily, Marquis Wen didn’t obstruct the refugees’ escape routes, allowing countless displaced persons to continue towards Kyoto.

Zhang Chen also didn’t linger, quietly following behind, tailing Dragon Tiger Escort Agency. Seeing Chen Ping’s anxious face, as if hit by a fatal blow, Zhang Chen couldn’t help but secretly chuckle.

With his relationship with Dugu Qiu, upon reaching Kyoto, rescuing him from Dugu Qiu wasn’t difficult.

With the Gong Family taking the blame, rescuing Chen Ping would be but a trivial task.

Seven days later, Zhang Chen arrived at the escort agency convoy, met with Chen Ping, and joined the escort agency on its route south.

You might wonder why Zhang Chen joined the escort agency? Why didn’t he use his escape technique to fly directly to Kyoto?

Firstly, he didn’t know the route to Kyoto. Secondly, he needed to guide Zhou Qiucheng on the right path, lest Zhou Qiucheng stray off track again. Thirdly, he feared Chen Ping might lose hope and disperse the escort agency, fleeing.

When Zhang Chen arrived at the escort agency troop, he saw the worried-looking Chen Ping and asked, "Mr. Chen, why so troubled?"

He asked in surprise.

In response, Chen Ping sighed deeply: "Trouble might be coming. My Dragon Tiger Escort Agency may not survive this ordeal."

Zhang Chen feigned ignorance: "What happened?"

Chen Ping replied: "The Dragon Tiger Escort Agency was schemed against, losing a very important escorted item. I’m afraid the influential figure will rage with thunder and not spare my agency."

"Lost the escorted item? Can’t you compensate for it accordingly? What’s there to fear?" Zhang Chen asked in bewilderment.

"Because that item is priceless." Chen Ping said.

"Priceless?" Zhang Chen’s eyes flickered upon hearing this: "Who is the owner of that item? Is there no room for negotiation?"

"The owner of the escorted item is a great figure from Kyoto, indescribably eminent. Compared to that venerable figure, my agency is like an ant that can be crushed at will, having no qualification for negotiations," Chen Ping said bitterly.

"A great figure? How great? I know Chief Eunuch Dugu Qiu, who’s like a foster father to me. Can the other’s background be greater than Dugu Qiu?" Zhang Chen, feigning indifference, subtly introduced his background and mentioned Dugu Qiu.

Chen Ping, shocked, staring at Zhang Chen in disbelief: "You know Dugu Qiu? Chief Eunuch Dugu Qiu?"

"Indeed, Dugu Qiu is my foster father! No matter the other’s origin, once we’re in Kyoto, I’ll ask him to mediate; perhaps there’s room for maneuver," Zhang Chen reassured Chen Ping.

Chen Ping forced a bitter smile at these words: "Brother Zhang, I won’t hide it from you. The owner entrusting this escort mission is none other than the Chief Eunuch Dugu Qiu. The Grand Steward trusts our agency enough to entrust us with the escort, but who could have known that despite our utmost efforts, things still went awry. When we reach Kyoto, I will have to trouble you to explain to the Grand Steward on my behalf. I am willing to pay any price, as long as the Grand Steward can forgive my mistakes."

"This matter can be settled." Zhang Chen nodded in agreement.

Chen Ping secretly breathed a sigh of relief at this moment. With Zhang Chen’s connection to Dugu Qiu, the situation might have more room for maneuver.

In the following days, Zhang Chen traveled with a large group of the escort agency heading towards Kyoto.

Now that they were entering the territory of the Human Race, things were more stable and peaceful, yet Zhang Chen could still sense a tense atmosphere. The invasion of the Demon Race, like autumn winds sweeping across the land, struck fear into the hearts of the dukedoms, which had already begun preparations for war, recruiting soldiers and training armies.

"The atmosphere is very tense. It seems the Demon Race army’s southern campaign, which destroyed the Northern Land and annihilated Jinling, has greatly intimidated the Human Race." Zhang Chen felt the tense atmosphere along the journey, and a look of solemnity appeared in his eyes.

Zhou Qiucheng sat opposite Zhang Chen, the carriage swaying leisurely as they continued southward, and he spoke: "In the path of the Demon Race army, barely one in ten survives, and even those who survive end up enslaved. Aren’t you afraid? In the past, human aristocrats could still seek refuge with the Human Demons to survive by chance. Now, after the Demon Race slaughtered the Jiangnan region, the Human Race’s aristocrats have been terrified and dare not pin their hopes on the Human Demons any longer."

Zhang Chen fell silent at these words.

"Moreover, with the Demon Race’s conquest, many human aristocrats keep integrating with the Human Demons, and the Human Demons will gradually rise, becoming more human-like. Once they master human iron forging technology and the flames of human civilization, combined with the vast armies of the Demon Race, the Human Race’s chances of victory will diminish." Zhou Qiucheng shared his analysis.

Zhang Chen fell into contemplation upon hearing this, a thoughtful look in his eyes. He looked up into the void, a trace of sentiment in his gaze, finally turning into a faint sigh: "What do you think, sir, where will this struggle between the Human Race and the Demon Race lead?"

After a long silence, Zhou Qiucheng replied: "The major trend of the world lies not in the various dukes, but in Kyoto."

The carriage continued its leisurely journey towards Kyoto, and suddenly, at a certain moment, the convoy came to an abrupt halt, with the sound of arguing coming from afar.

"What’s happening up ahead?" Zhang Chen lifted the curtain and asked.

A young escort answered quickly: "I’ve heard that a noble team from the Northern Land collided with our convoy, and they are demanding we stop and make way. One of our escorts spoke up in disagreement and was actually injured by the other party."

Zhang Chen showed a curious expression upon hearing this. The Northern Land has already been destroyed, a team from the Northern Land? Where would there still be a team from there?

Just as Zhang Chen was secretly curious, a light flashed at his side. The Fox Immortal Nannan emerged from Zhang Chen’s Dragon Qi, saying to him: "It’s the Ancestor!"

Zhang Chen was startled at this, not expecting to encounter Bai Cang, who traveled from the Northern Land at the same speed as himself.

Prince Pingbian was planning to send Bai Cang to the Great Victory Emperor to have him killed, but unexpectedly, the Prince’s Mansion convoy’s speed turned out to be disappointingly slow.

"Go and take a look." Zhang Chen said, then got off the carriage, moving through the crowd towards the front.

From a distance, he saw a troop of several tens of thousands gathered together, Dragon Qi swirling around them, seeming to gather a power capable of destroying the Ten Thousand Techniques.

Within the troops, divine light flowed, and a Divine Spirit was stationed among them.

"A Tenth Tier Divine Spirit, it seems the foundation of the Prince Pingbian’s Mansion remains deep." Zhang Chen recognized the source of the divine light from afar, identifying the background of the Divine Spirit.

At this moment, Chen Ping led dozens of escorts, continuously apologizing to a general-like figure in the convoy. The general, riding a horse with an arrogant demeanor, said: "You lowly folks collided with nobility; it is simply a crime deserving of death. Do you think you can escape punishment so easily? There’s no such luck!"

Seeing this, Chen Ping could only cautiously present a prepared tray: "We were unaware of the noble’s passage through this place and inadvertently offended. We humbly ask the noble’s forgiveness. These items are offered as an apology, and we ask you to accept them."

The officer lifted a corner of the red silk on the tray with his whip, a hint of satisfaction appearing in his eyes: "Not bad! Consider yourself sensible. However, you have offended the nobility, and while you may avoid the death penalty, you cannot escape punishment. Each of you must sever one arm as an apology."

Chen Ping’s expression changed drastically upon hearing this. The escorts in the agency were martial artists; if an arm was cut off, how could they continue to make a living in the Martial World? His agency would be ruined.

"Can you spare us just this once, sir? Our arms are our livelihood. Without them, wouldn’t we starve?" Chen Ping pleaded humbly, full of desperation.

Hearing this, the general sneered coldly: "What do I care if you lowly people live or die? Either you cut off an arm yourselves, or none of you leaves; everyone stays right here."

The voice was cold and mercilessly grim.