Guan Chang left three men to guard the door and rushed into the courtyard with the others.
The courtyard was not large, only about three to four hundred square meters.
As they entered the courtyard, they saw another group of maids, led by six veiled women, rushing towards them. Without a word, they grabbed their weapons and attacked!
"Stop right there, all of you! Grandfather doesn't hit women!"
Zhang De pointed his Mo Dao at them and shouted, as if he hadn't just thrown a punch at the gate.
The six veiled women leading the charge ignored what he was saying and directly ordered the maids to attack the Yan Yun cavalry.
However, although these maids were considered skilled fighters in Tianzhu, otherwise they wouldn't have been able to capture Hou Junji so easily, they were clearly no match for the Yan Yun cavalry.
When Guan Chang and his men started fighting, it was like slicing vegetables. The maids could only resist for a moment before being knocked to the ground.
Because the opponents were all women, and they were looking for the whereabouts of Hou Junji and others, the Yan Yun cavalry did not kill them, but merely knocked them unconscious, just as they had done at Nalanda Monastery before.
Including the one captured at the courtyard gate, a total of seven veiled women were rounded up.
The seven women, who had been arrogant and disdainful when facing the Yan Yun cavalry during the fight, now looked terrified.
One of them, who appeared slightly older, stared at Guan Chang and spoke in a stream of incomprehensible words.
"Who are you people, daring to cause trouble here? Do you know where this is?" Little Sprout translated her words verbatim for the Yan Yun cavalry.
"What business is it of yours who grandfather is? Where have you hidden the people you captured in the temple a few days ago? Hand them over quickly, or don't blame grandfather for being ruthless!"
Zhang De, after hearing Little Sprout's translation, walked up to the woman, grabbed her collar, and lifted her off the ground by her clothes, looking at her with utter disdain.
"Release this princess quickly, otherwise, when my royal father's army arrives, you will all be ground into dust!"
The woman, lifted by him, not only did not beg for mercy but instead uttered threats.
"Release Big Sister quickly!"
"Release Sister!"
The other veiled women glared at Zhang De.
Little Sprout faithfully acted as an interpreter.
"Oh, so these are princesses?"
The Yan Yun cavalry exchanged glances. To encounter princesses of Tianzhu in such a desolate place was truly unexpected.
But considering the purpose of their mission, Zhang De didn't care if she was a princess. He and Fang Er had even dealt with more than one emperor, so what was a mere princess?
"Answer my question. Where have you hidden those people?"
"Hmph!"
The woman snorted coldly and did not answer Zhang De's question.
"Huang Sheng, Zhao Long, Bai Song, Lü Shuang, Lü Bo, the five of you go search!"
Seeing that she refused to speak, Guan Chang ordered them to search the courtyard.
As Huang Sheng and the others rushed into the rooms, the so-called princess's expression became tense.
"Bang, bang, bang, bang!"
The five men kicked open doors one by one. After searching in vain, they moved on to the next.
"Someone's here!"
Bai Song kicked open a door and saw several men huddled in the corner. He quickly shouted to the others.
"No! No! Please, don't come over!"
One of the men, hearing Bai Song's voice, was filled with terror.
When Huang Sheng and the others arrived, the five men stepped forward and dragged all these men into the courtyard. One of them was none other than Hou Junji!
"Hahahaha, you damn monkey, keep running!"
Guan Chang sneered at Hou Junji.
"Please, please, take me back to Tang. I'd rather die by Li Shimin's blade than stay here!"
Hou Junji was gaunt, with dark circles under his eyes like a panda. He begged Guan Chang earnestly.
Guan Chang let out a cold snort, "Want to go back to Tang? You must be dreaming."
"The only thing going back is the great head on your neck!"
"Brothers, flay him and avenge the Prince!"
"Yes, Brother!"
Upon hearing this, all the Yan Yun cavalry drew their short swords and approached with ferocious expressions.
"Ah!~"
"Give me a quick end! Please~~~!"
Hou Junji hadn't expected Guan Chang to directly chop off three of his fingers. As he let out a scream, Zhang De stuffed his mouth shut with a sock.
"No! Don't!"
The princess whom Zhang De had interrogated earlier, seeing Hou Junji being tortured by the Yan Yun cavalry, let out a scream.
Unfortunately, no one paid any attention to her reaction.
In less than an hour, he was flayed alive by the Yan Yun cavalry until only his bones remained.
The seven veiled princesses were so terrified by the scene before them that they collapsed to the ground, and streams of pale yellow liquid flowed from beneath them, seeping into the yellow soil and nourishing the earth.
"Where are the things?"
Looking at Hou Junji, who had fallen to the ground with only his head intact, Guan Chang asked.
"Brother, they're all with me."
Huang Sheng untied a package from behind him. Upon opening it, it contained a wooden box and a pouch of flint.
"Dispose of Hou the Bandit's head, and then we return to Tang!"
"Yes, Brother!"
Hou Junji's head was cut off, preserved with lime, and placed in the wooden box.
"Brother, what about these women?"
As they prepared to depart, Bai Song glared murderously at the maids in the courtyard and the seven veiled princesses.
"Alright, it's better to avoid trouble than to create it. They have no grudge against us, so let them go."
Guan Chang's gaze swept over the women, and he walked out with his Mo Dao.
Outside the courtyard, the group mounted their warhorses and headed directly for Nalanda Monastery.
The few people found in the room with Hou Junji were also brought along. These were likely Hou Junji's subordinates, and there were matters that needed to be inquired about.