As Huo Qiyuan finished arranging his work, he turned and saw a large crowd gathered around Huo Qixiao. Listening to the noisy clamor, it seemed they still hadn't managed to separate the two.
When Huo Qiyuan strode over, he saw that Huo Qixiao appeared to have sustained more injuries. One of his subordinates, who had stepped forward to pull Huo Qixiao away, was also cut by a sword.
In reality, Huo Qixiao's current combat prowess was not so overwhelming that they couldn't defeat him. However, seeing that the Prince was always holding back his strength, they assumed Huo Qiyuan had other plans.
Therefore, they had not used overly forceful methods, which allowed Huo Qixiao to injure several people in the chaos.
Huo Qiyuan drew his sword and, without uttering a word, directly slashed towards Wang Bingchang's drooping head. Huo Qixiao's pupils contracted violently, and he raised his sword to block the falling blade.
The sword in his hand was knocked away, embedding itself deeply in the ground more than ten meters away. The powerful impact from Huo Qiyuan caused Huo Qixiao to involuntarily cough up more blood, all of it landing on Wang Bingchang.
As Huo Qixiao raised his hand to wipe it clean, taking advantage of his distraction, the people standing nearby surged forward, swiftly separating the two. "Huo Qiyuan! He's already dead, what else do you want? Give him back to me, give him back to me... hurry, give him back to me..."
Huo Qixiao looked at the corpse twisted on the ground and truly experienced the agony of a heart being twisted, along with the powerlessness of being unable to do anything.
He slowly knelt on the ground, his hoarse cries diminishing, laced with choked sobs. "Give him back to me, he's all I have left. I'll repay what I owe you, I just want him. In this life, I have nothing left..."
Huo Qiyuan had initially ignored Huo Qixiao's wails, but upon hearing him mention "this life," his gaze towards him couldn't help but narrow.
He hadn't forgotten the reborn Saintess of the Thousand Poisons Sect years ago. Mu Qing had said that most reborn individuals relive their lives with memories of their past lives. No wonder Huo Qixiao had changed so much in just a few years.
It now seemed highly likely that Huo Qixiao was also a reborn person! This would explain his immense transformation and his rapid acquisition of Emperor Rui's trust!
While Emperor Rui was indeed the most gentle-tempered among the princes back then, his status was also the lowest.
Thus, it was only through his own astuteness that he managed to survive to adulthood, later gaining the favor of the late Emperor and the assistance of his father, ultimately succeeding in ascending the throne and becoming the ruler of Da Yu.
To claim he had no cunning would be to believe even a fool. He couldn't help but wonder when the two of them had started colluding, or more precisely, when Huo Qixiao had begun his rebirth.
Huo Qiyuan suppressed the urge to immediately grab Huo Qixiao and demand answers. Seeing his current dejected state, he doubted Huo Qixiao would respond to any questions.
He leaned down and whispered something in Leng Ren's ear, after which Leng Ren and his men carried Wang Bingchang's corpse away. This time, their movements were gentler, not dragging and pulling as they had with other corpses.
Huo Qixiao was subdued from behind, his eyes following the person being carried away. He struggled to get up and follow.
However, after his previous intense battle and subsequent outburst, he had no strength left. Now, with two large men pinning his calves from behind, no matter how much he struggled, he couldn't get up.
Soon, Huo Qixiao's hands were bound behind his back, and he was dragged away. Only then did Huo Qiyuan begin to mobilize his troops, preparing to advance towards the inner city gate of Chehe City.
In reality, the distance between the two city walls was only about one to two kilometers. Huo Qiyuan left more than half of his forces to take over the outer city gate. Then, the Huaxia army, driving large trucks filled with soldiers, with the captured deputy generals tied to the rear with ropes, advanced towards the inner city gate.
Most of the divine fire cannons were primarily positioned within the inner city gate. As their vehicles approached the perimeter, a deafening barrage of explosions erupted simultaneously.
The general guarding the inner city gate was Zhao Chenggong, another confidant Emperor Rui had placed beside Huo Qixiao, primarily for surveillance.
For someone as meticulous as Emperor Rui, a person like Huo Qixiao, possessing the supernatural ability to foresee the past and future, needed to be kept firmly under his control.
Even if he couldn't hold onto him in the end, he had to ensure he could be eliminated in a timely manner to prevent future troubles! Otherwise, if he were to retaliate, he would pose a significant threat to the Emperor's reign.
Naturally, Emperor Rui had also assigned Zhao Chenggong another mission: once the enemy army set foot on this land, they were to completely destroy Chehe City, preferably in a devastating manner.
For years, hadn't the Huaxia Dynasty enjoyed cleaning up the messes left by the Da Yu Dynasty and winning over the populace? So, they might as well be ruthless, create more trouble for them, and ideally, delay them for a considerable period.
Even though Zhao Chenggong felt a pang of reluctance, he still gave the order to ignite the cannons. During the bombardment of the enemy army, there was a hidden command.
The cannons within the city would also target the innocent civilians and fire!
Inside the imperial study of the Da Yu Dynasty.
The environment here was quite pleasant, with a cool atmosphere. In every corner stood several large, colorful vats filled with large chunks of ice, specifically provided for Emperor Rui's comfort against the heat.
Emperor Rui, disheveled and looking listless, sat on his dragon throne. He held two delectable individuals, one in each arm, kissing one for a moment, then the other.
His decadent and debauched appearance was a far cry from the regal aura befitting a sovereign! A crowd of civil officials knelt outside the door, requesting his presence at court, but he still ignored them.
Several Censors from the Censorate were reprimanded, demoted, and two were even dragged away and beheaded for their overly sharp remarks.
At this point, the civil and military officials dared not speak further, merely kneeling outside in silent anticipation of the Emperor's timely repentance. Otherwise, the foundation of the Da Yu Dynasty, built over hundreds of years, would be lost.
Was Emperor Rui truly happy? Not at all! He was terrified to his core. The more panicked he became, the more he wanted to engage in outlandish acts to divert his attention.
There had been no reports from Chehe City for some time, and he didn't know if Huo Qixiao and the others had managed to hold their ground. Now that it was confirmed Huo Qiyuan was alive, Emperor Rui lived in constant fear that one day he would wake up and find his throat slit!
Ignoring the bothersome old men outside the door, Emperor Rui closed his eyes heavily. He had almost forgotten how long it had been since he had slept soundly. It seemed ever since he learned that Huo Qiyuan was still alive, his heart had been on edge, never truly at ease.