Chapter 658: Anyone Who Dares Act Today Is Refusing to Give Master Dao Face

Shang Chaozong’s personal guards also stepped forward with weapons in hand, surrounding husband and wife in a tight circle.

Every one of them looked ready to fight to the death.

There was not the slightest fear on their faces.

Seeing that Shang Chaozong’s side intended to resist the imperial decree, the men rushing forward could not help hesitating and looking back, waiting to see whether Shang Yongzhong and the others truly wanted them to use force.

A cold, mocking smile appeared on Shang Yongzhong’s face.

It was as though he were ridiculing these men for being like mantises raising their arms before a chariot, ignorant of their own strength.

At a time like this, did resistance have any meaning?

Shang Chaozong, meanwhile, turned his head and looked at the reaction of Huang Lie and the others from Dachan Mountain.

His expression showed neither joy nor grief.

Then he barked, “Stand down!”

Huang Lie’s gaze met Shang Chaozong’s for an instant before slipping away guiltily.

He truly felt ashamed.

There was indeed a heroic streak somewhere in him, but he could not act purely on emotion.

Knowing full well that the other side had overwhelming numbers and that the disparity in strength was enormous, how could he send the people of Dachan Mountain to die?

“Your Highness!”

Feng Ruonan and the personal guards all turned toward Shang Chaozong in alarm.

If they stood down, would they not simply be leaving the Prince to surrender without resistance?

Shang Yongzhong had been about to order a forced arrest, but after hearing Shang Chaozong’s command, he swallowed the words and waited.

Those above wanted Shang Chaozong alive.

Shang Yongzhong did not want some accident in the struggle to create further trouble.

Shang Chaozong’s eyes met Feng Ruonan’s.

The emotions in that gaze were indescribably complicated.

Slowly, he reached out, grasped her wrist, and pressed down the sword in her hand.

“Ruonan, all these years... I have wronged you.”

Feng Ruonan’s eyes reddened instantly.

She shook her head with difficulty. “There is no point saying that now. The imperial court harbors evil intentions. We absolutely cannot stand down!”

Shang Chaozong tightened his grip on her wrist so she could not raise the sword.

Taking advantage of their closeness, he leaned toward her ear and whispered, “Nothing will happen to me. Once this is over, leave here immediately. Don’t worry about me. Go join Marshal Meng. Understand?”

By now, he had begun to understand a little of what had puzzled him before.

At first, Niu Youdao’s inexplicable withdrawal order had left him completely baffled.

He had not understood why it had been issued.

Now the imperial court had suddenly sent people to seize him.

With only a little thought, it was not difficult to sense that Master Dao’s earlier order to withdraw was almost certainly connected to the scene before him.

Master Dao must have detected something beforehand.

Otherwise, the timing was too exact to explain.

Yet one point still eluded him.

If Niu Youdao truly had detected something, why had he not ordered Shang Chaozong himself out of danger?

Why had he instead left him almost alone to take this risk?

Shang Chaozong could not understand it.

But gradually, he had also grown accustomed to Niu Youdao’s usual way of handling affairs: never showing his true hand lightly until the final moment.

Of course, an unpleasant possibility crossed his mind too.

But at this moment, he had no choice left.

“No!” Feng Ruonan became agitated.

“All of you, obey my order. Stand down!” Shang Chaozong ignored her and issued the command publicly.

The personal guards looked at one another, deeply hesitant.

But military orders stood like a mountain.

In the end, they had no choice but to retreat slowly.

Shang Chaozong then called loudly toward the opposite side, “Royal Uncle, this matter has nothing to do with them. Spare them. I’ll go with you.”

A hint of amusement lingered on Shang Yongzhong’s face.

He had been watching husband and wife whisper to each other just now and had no idea what they had said.

For safety’s sake, he gave a cold laugh.

“Seize them all!”

“Other than Shang Chaozong, anyone who dares resist is to be killed without mercy!”

“Yes!”

The men were just about to rush forward again.

Shang Chaozong’s expression was turning furious as well when a figure suddenly descended from the air and landed in front of them.

The newcomer thrust out one hand to stop the charging men.

“Hold!”

Everyone who had just started moving stopped again and looked back.

Shang Yongzhong could tell the newcomer was a cultivator. He frowned.

“Who are you?”

Ga Miaoshui reminded him from the side, “One of Niu Youdao’s trusted men. Gongsun Bu, Sect Leader of Wuliang Mountain.”

Gongsun Bu said, “The imperial decree says nothing about arresting the Princess Consort.”

Shang Yongzhong replied, “Since when is it your place to instruct the imperial court on its decrees? This has nothing to do with you. Move aside!”

Gongsun Bu showed not the slightest fear.

He said calmly, “The Princess Consort accompanied this rebellion-suppression campaign because Master Dao personally named her to come.”

“Before I set out, Master Dao gave me no special instructions about anything else, but he personally charged me to protect the Princess Consort without fail.”

“Since the imperial decree says nothing about arresting her, if I let you seize the Princess Consort for no reason, I will have no way to answer to Master Dao.”

“So I must take the Princess Consort away.”

He had not suddenly been struck by a reckless impulse and stepped forward to gamble with his life.

Niu Youdao had given him secret instructions beforehand.

He had no choice but to come out now.

Niu Youdao had deliberately refrained from withdrawing Gongsun Bu, Feng Ruonan, and Huang Lie in advance for a reason.

If every relevant person had been cleanly pulled away beforehand, the preparation would have been too obvious.

After speaking, Gongsun Bu turned to Feng Ruonan.

“Princess Consort, come with me.”

Shang Chaozong immediately took the sword from Feng Ruonan’s hand and gave her a push.

“Go!”

“Your Highness!” Feng Ruonan was frantic.

How could she abandon her husband and flee alone at a moment like this?

The situation was critical.

Gongsun Bu had no time to concern himself with propriety between men and women. He grabbed Feng Ruonan by the arm and began dragging her away.

He was a cultivator.

Feng Ruonan could not physically struggle against him.

Shang Yongzhong finally lost his temper.

Without even obtaining his consent, this man dared take someone away right in front of him.

What did he take Shang Yongzhong for?

“Outrageous!” he shouted. “No one is permitted to leave. Seize every last one of them!”

Shing!

Gongsun Bu flung Feng Ruonan behind him with one hand and drew his sword with the other, sweeping a cold gaze over everyone around him.

His warning rang out sharply.

“I’m from Maolu Villa. Let me see who dares make a move!”

Shen Yuhong gave a cold laugh. “Someone from Maolu Villa?”

“Since when did people from Maolu Villa get to act presumptuously in front of us?”

Gongsun Bu’s voice turned icy.

“Then let me remind you of one thing.”

“The Princess Consort is someone Master Dao personally named to protect.”

“Anyone who dares act today is refusing to give Master Dao face.”

“Anger Master Dao, and don’t blame Master Dao for giving you no face in return!”

“When Master Dao is angry, he won’t give a damn about the Yan imperial court or some bullshit imperial decree.”

“If things get so out of hand afterward that no one can clean up the mess, don’t say I failed to warn you!”

This was an open threat.

In earlier years, Gongsun Bu would never have possessed the confidence to speak like this.

But following Niu Youdao had changed things.

Maolu Villa was hardly a place that had never seen great figures.

It had seen plenty of Elders at Shen Yuhong’s level.

One Shen Yuhong was not enough to frighten him.

Most importantly, behind Gongsun Bu lay the hidden shadow of Misty Pavilion.

That was also why Niu Youdao had dared order him to protect Feng Ruonan at the crucial moment.

Gongsun Bu had reason to believe he could afford to be hard.

There were some ordeals men could endure more easily than women.

If Feng Ruonan fell into the hands of a group of men and was subjected to rough handling, interrogation, and the like, her chastity could easily be compromised.

That was why Niu Youdao had ordered Gongsun Bu to take the risk and step forward at the critical moment to protect her.

“Stop! Stand down!”

Men had already rushed toward Shang Chaozong.

His personal guards were enraged and prepared to resist, but Shang Chaozong shouted them down.

He knew resistance from his men would only send them to pointless deaths.

It would change nothing.

Under everyone’s eyes, Shang Chaozong was forcibly bound.

“Your Highness!” Feng Ruonan cried out in grief and fury.

Gongsun Bu merely looked back once at the captured Shang Chaozong.

Then he dragged Feng Ruonan away by force and took her directly before Huang Lie and the others.

His voice sank.

“Sect Leader Huang, you have flying mounts. Send the Princess Consort immediately to rendezvous with Marshal Meng.”

Huang Lie felt especially ashamed today.

Facing Gongsun Bu, he actually found himself lacking confidence.

A mere Sect Leader of Wuliang Mountain possessed this much courage and had forcibly snatched Feng Ruonan from the tiger’s jaws.

Dachan Mountain, by contrast, looked truly pathetic.

He nodded again and again, almost submissively, then waved for his people to escort Feng Ruonan away at once.

Several Dachan Mountain experts immediately withdrew with her under protection.

A short while later, a large flying mount carried the weeping, shouting Feng Ruonan rapidly away.

Before she departed, Gongsun Bu looked back once more at the captured Shang Chaozong.

He too felt helpless.

Relying on Master Dao’s deterrent power to save Feng Ruonan was already no easy thing.

Using the same pressure to take Shang Chaozong from the other side was impossible.

They were willing to release the Princess Consort because she was not especially important.

Shang Chaozong was different.

Immediately afterward, Gongsun Bu, the people of Dachan Mountain, and the others shot away at speed.

They flew out over the encircling army and swiftly disappeared into the distance.

The army had received no order to stop them and could only watch the group leave.

Shang Yongzhong stared after their brazen departure, his jaw clenched so tightly his teeth nearly cracked.

The humiliation felt like a slap delivered directly across his face.

Only now did Ga Miaoshui release the grip he had maintained on Shang Yongzhong’s arm.

It was he who had stopped Shang Yongzhong from giving the order to block them.

Gongsun Bu had already made the threat explicit.

If they insisted on detaining someone now, they would be striking Niu Youdao across the face.

And Niu Youdao was no harmless man.

He even dared intercept the imperial court’s military grain.

Did anyone truly believe he would not dare do something even more outrageous?

“Your Highness,” Ga Miaoshui said quietly, reminding Shang Yongzhong once again, “there are one hundred thousand iron cavalry, four hundred thousand people caught up in the rebellion, and another four hundred thousand troops still in Nanzhou.”

“All of that is in Niu Youdao’s hands.”

“He could make the situation spiral completely out of control in an instant.”

“We have already seized Commandery Prince Yongping in a surprise move. That alone places Niu Youdao in an extremely awkward position!”

How could Shang Yongzhong not understand?

If not for that, there was no way he could have endured such humiliation.

Shen Yuhong also felt as though he had been slapped in public.

Faced with Gongsun Bu’s threat, he had not dared make a move and could only watch helplessly as the man took Feng Ruonan away.

After all, they would still need Niu Youdao’s cooperation to settle matters in Nanzhou afterward.

Shang Chaozong’s personal guards were also disarmed by the men who rushed forward and were escorted away under guard.

Several large flying mounts descended in the distance.

The tightly bound Shang Chaozong was marched toward them.

Clearly, they intended to send him to the capital immediately by flying mount, afraid that delaying matters would invite unforeseen complications.

After the disturbance just now and the loss of face, Shang Yongzhong and the others had lost any desire to admire the success before them.

Every expression was cold.

As Shang Chaozong passed, however, he struggled to a stop.

Seeing the soldiers shove him, Shang Yongzhong raised a hand and stopped them.

He said indifferently, “Chaozong, do you have something to say?”

Shang Chaozong replied, “I truly have nothing to say to a man like you who holds a position without doing the work.”

His gaze shifted past Shang Yongzhong and settled on Su Qitong and An Xianzhao.

The two men had watched Prince Ning’s son be seized before their own eyes.

They did indeed feel ashamed.

Many of the generals behind them had likewise once served under Prince Ning.

They lowered their heads darkly, unable to face him.

“My father exhausted his heart and blood throughout his life to bring peace to Great Yan.”

“My death is nothing to regret.”

“But my father never treated any of you poorly.”

“I ask only that, for the sake of the labor he poured into Great Yan while he was alive, you work with one heart and pacify the rebellion as soon as possible.”

Shang Chaozong looked directly at the two men as he made the plea.

Su Qitong and An Xianzhao slowly cupped their fists to see him off.

Neither spoke.

Their lips were pressed tight.

Behind them, one general after another also raised cupped fists.

Some men’s eyes had turned red.

Shang Yongzhong abruptly looked back.

The moment he saw the silent ranks of generals saluting Shang Chaozong in farewell, his face darkened.

He swept one hand.

“Take him away!”

Shang Chaozong was escorted off.

Soon several large flying mounts rose into the air and carried him straight toward the capital.

[End of Chapter 658]