"I didn't expect you to have times of defeat," Xue said softly, holding a teacup.
"No one in this world can win every battle, and I am no exception," Jiang Wenji said. She looked at Xue, her eyes filled with nostalgia. "If your master hadn't saved me back then, perhaps there wouldn't be the me of today."
Jiang Wen was about to say something when he heard Jiang Wenji chuckle.
Inquiring what had happened, she pointed to a certain part of the Heavenly Prison.
It was a person sneaking around, watching the Royal City Heavenly Prison, writing something on paper before leaving.
After Xue finished speaking, she looked at Jiang Wenji beside her. The two looked at each other, and Jiang Wenji leisurely sipped her tea.
Let's not talk about Jiang Wen and the others for now.
After observing the Royal City Heavenly Prison in secret, the hidden spy returned to a hidden place to report the situation to the person known as Red Marquis.
Now that the insider's fate is unknown, the most powerful figure of the White King's forces in Tianyuan City is the Red Marquis.
The White King is a direct descendant of the Taicang royal family, occupying a territory in Taicang. It's just that with the Heavenly King's overwhelming power, even if the White King has the ambition to ascend to the throne of Emperor, it's difficult to achieve. Therefore, he even more wants to eliminate the Heavenly King, and even started planning a hundred years ago.
There are many insiders in Tianyuan City, all of whom were rewarded and won over by the White King.
After understanding the situation in detail these past two days, looking at the defense distribution map of the Royal City Heavenly Prison, the Red Marquis fell into deep thought.
"The main entrance of the Heavenly Prison is heavily guarded, and the two sides are also full of imperial guards. Moreover, the back door is even more watertight, and anyone passing through must have their identity checked. It seems that the person we are looking for must be in the back chamber of the Heavenly Prison."
The Red Marquis drew a circle on the defense distribution map, encircling the entire rear half of the Heavenly Prison.
"We don't have many helpers in Tianyuan City. We need Jutian Marquis to provide assistance. What does Jutian Marquis say?" The Red Marquis looked at the person beside him and asked.
"Jutian Marquis said that eight hundred Azure Dragon imperial guards can be provided in Tianyuan City, but they cannot attack for long and need to be quick. Otherwise, if the other imperial guards in the city arrive, we will have no way to escape," the person replied from the shadows.
"That's natural." The Red Marquis nodded, then asked the person again, "I wonder what Hundred-Eyes Marquis thinks?"
"The Heavenly Prison is arranged in this way, it must be under the guidance of an expert. If you want to break in and rescue the insider, you need to lure out the guards in the back chamber of the Heavenly Prison, and then cooperate with the imperial guards from the inside out, so that you can succeed," the person said with a faint smile, and then stopped speaking.
The Red Marquis looked at the defense distribution map, deeply agreeing.
"In that case, notify the hidden hand in the imperial guards and let him find out how many people are in the back chamber of the Heavenly Prison during the day. It would be best to exchange defenses with the guards in the back chamber, so that we can also reduce some casualties."
The subordinate heard the Red Marquis's words, responded with a yes, and then left.
After assigning the task, the Red Marquis walked out of the room and came to a hidden underground passage.
It turned out that this place had been hollowed out, with dozens of pillars supporting the foundation.
Surging crowds walked back and forth underground, organizing their magical artifacts and armor.
Seeing the Red Marquis arrive, the leader quickly stepped forward.
"Red Marquis, your subordinates have completed the assembly and are waiting for your order."
"How many tribal warriors have come?" the Red Marquis asked.
"Most of the brothers in Tianyuan City are here," the leader said. "There are a total of two thousand people, scattered in four hidden places."
"Jutian Marquis has eight hundred Azure Dragon imperial guards, plus the manpower in our hands, attacking a Heavenly Prison is not a difficult task," the Red Marquis said with a confident smile. "When the time comes to rescue that person, all the brothers present will be rewarded. You can also choose a place to live in Tianyuan City as a reward."
"Then thank you, Red Marquis," the leader said with great joy.
"Then gather at Xu hour, advance at Hai hour, and attack the Heavenly Prison at Zi hour!" The Red Marquis made a final decision.
Amidst this undercurrent, the prosperity of Tianyuan City remained.
Songs were sung, and gongs and drums were noisy.
Completely unaware of the coming storm.
Xue sat at the table and handed the jade token in her hand to everyone to look at. After Jiang Wen looked at it, he smiled and said, "It seems that the person behind the scenes can't sit still anymore. I think there will be action tonight."
"That's natural," Jiang Wenji nodded.
She spread out the jade token and placed it in her palm to burn with fire.
The flames slowly devoured the paper, and the handwriting disappeared one by one.
From bottom to top, it read, "Jutian Marquis inquires about the Heavenly Prison's defenses."
… …
The moon was setting and the stars were sparse, and all sounds were silent.
Lights flickered beside the Heavenly Prison, and whispers echoed.
Imperial guards wearing iron armor patrolled the surroundings, checking the situation.
"It's really strange, why did the chiliarch transfer us here?"
"I'm not too sure either. I heard the chiliarch say that it's more leisurely here. It's tiring for us brothers to stand in front of the Heavenly Prison, so it's more comfortable to come here."
"So that's how it is. The chiliarch is still considerate."
The imperial guard soldiers chatted and laughed, completely unaware that there were shadows in the nearby streets.
"Hey, do you think the chiliarch has been troubled recently? I always feel like he's moody."
"Don't know."
The imperial guard soldiers held their weapons and scouted in the courtyard.
Then they heard a clang, and an arrow flew towards him like a meteor.
The arrow shot straight at his iron armor, and the feathers at the tail were still vibrating wildly. The imperial guard soldier's body shattered on the spot, turning into blood.
The imperial guard soldier next to him took a few steps back in horror, raised his long spear, and shouted loudly, "Enemy attack! Enemy attack!"
Suddenly, the sound of drums rang out, and countless flames rose into the sky.
Shouts, the sound of iron armor, echoed one after another. Different lights flashed, all the sounds of magical artifacts.
The imperial guards came rumbling, holding shields and defending towards the outside of the Heavenly Prison.
"Kill!"
Hundreds of imperial guards wearing cyan armor rushed out of the black alley, holding long knives and raising Azure Dragon shields.
Three people formed a line, ten people formed a row, and a hundred people formed a column. Like thunder and lightning, they charged towards the army formation.
For a time, the Heavenly Prison was surrounded by fire, and the sound of iron and thunder echoed endlessly.
On the opposite pavilion of the Heavenly Prison, a window was open.
The lights in the room were extinguished, and a maid carefully brought tea, standing quietly on the side without daring to speak.
"The fish have taken the bait." Jiang Wenji's eyes were bright in the night.
Even if one couldn't see her face clearly, one could feel her happy mood.
"It's a big fish. I thought it was an overkill to deploy so many troops, but now it seems that it was really a wise move. I was ignorant."
Jiang Wen, who was sitting next to him, looked at the fighting under the Heavenly Prison and couldn't help but sigh.
"I will punish myself with a cup of tea."
"Why not drink wine?" Xue, who hadn't spoken for a long time, said.
"Now is the time for the two armies to fight, how can I be mistaken by wine?" Jiang Wen joked.
"You don't need to take action in this matter, just to lure out the person behind the scenes," Xue said calmly.
"A fierce tiger still knows to use all its strength when hunting. This matter of fighting is a matter of life and death, so naturally it must be comprehensive," Jiang Wen said with a dumb smile.
Xue nodded when she heard this, then looked at the maid behind her, waved her hand and said, "Since they have taken the bait, let's light the lights."
After she finished speaking, the maid lit the bright candle on the table.
When the pavilion was bright, the sound of fighting outside became more and more fierce. There were constant screams, and even the imperial guards of the distant city defense were alarmed.
"Pass my order, retreat three, lure the snake out of its hole." Xue looked at the imperial guard who had been waiting for a long time on the right and handed out the command talisman.
