Hearing this, Xue Xingchuan narrowed his eyes even more and tightened his grip on his spear.
He was the continent's second-ranked Divine General, and his strength was far more formidable than ordinary peak Star Condensation cultivators, faintly surpassing those at the same level by half a level. Coupled with the fact that he was in the prime of his life, both his spirit and bearing were at their peak, many people even believed that his strength had already surpassed Divine General Han Qing in the Mausoleum of Books.
Even if Mao Qiuyu and An Lin worked together and had that treasure of the Li Palace, Xue Xingchuan was confident in dealing with them, but could he really keep Chen Changsheng here?
Just then, a massive boom suddenly came from the long street that ran parallel to the alley of the Northern Military Department, followed by the stamping of hooves and the collapse of buildings. Dust flew everywhere!
The people around the ruins of the courtyard looked over and saw that the buildings along the street had already been destroyed, revealing the scene on the main street.
Bright candles burned in lanterns and torches. The dim light of the long street fell upon the armor, but it did not give any warmth.
At this end of the street were eighteen cardinals of the Li Palace with profound cultivation, as well as several hundred Orthodoxy cavalry wielding divine crossbows.
At the other end of the street was a dense tide of soldiers of the capital's City Gate Department and the well-equipped Imperial Guard. At the very front was the austere Xu Shiji himself.
The standoff between the Imperial Court and the Orthodoxy had already lasted an entire night.
At the start, both sides had been searching for someone, but now they were at daggers drawn, ready to strike at any moment. In truth, both sides had already struck. The collapsed buildings, the still-unsettled dust, the corpses of cavalry lying in pools of blood on the street, the trail of blood at the corner of Xu Shiji's lips, and the three heavily injured cardinals were all clear proof.
The atmosphere on the street was abnormally tense and oppressive. Even the warhorses could sense it and uneasily kicked their hooves.
The person who ultimately ended this standoff was a person that no one had expected.
Zhou Tong, covered in blood and on the verge of death, said, "I'm still alive."
Yes, he was still alive. This was something that Chen Changsheng could not accept, but it was something that both the Orthodoxy and the Imperial Court were willing to accept, because this meant that there was still room for a buffer.
Now, Zhou Tong himself had spoken.
A carriage drove over from the alley. The curtain was raised, revealing Prince Chen Liu's face.
His handsome face was covered in worry, especially after seeing Chen Changsheng.
"I've come to take him back," Prince Chen Liu said to Xue Xingchuan, his eyes calm and fearless.
After a few moments, Xue Xingchuan slowly lowered his right hand and expressionlessly glanced at Chen Changsheng, then ordered his subordinate, "Prince Chen Changsheng,"
The hoofbeats rose once more, still like thunder, but not as hair-raising as before. The cavalry of the Imperial Court and the Orthodoxy followed their orders and slowly retreated into the darkness at the two ends of the street.
"I've given everyone trouble," Chen Chen Changsheng said to Prince, and then, Chen Liu helped him onto the carriage.
Chen Chen Yu's Chen Chen Chen Chen, "Prince Chen," Prince Chen, he, "Chen.
The night wind rustled the curtains, allowing him to see the alley of the Northern Military Department and that courtyard that he had never seen from the main street. He saw the Imperial Guards lifting Zhou Tong onto a stretcher.
Zhou Tong's eyes were closed. His face was pale and his body was covered in blood. He looked just like a dead man.
Even if the imperial doctors of the Imperial Palace could save him, this renowned treacherous official would have lost half of his body and soul. He would be no different from a cripple.
But Chen Changsheng still found it impossible to erase the knot on his brow.
"Am I being too daring, not caring for the greater good?" he asked Prince Chen Liu.
Prince Chen Liu patted him on the shoulder and comfortingly said, "Zhou Tong is naturally not an ordinary official, but to the Empress, he will only be used if he is useful. If you really had killed him just now, would the Empress still take revenge for him? Would she have stirred up a war for him and killed the future Pope? Of course not. "
In truth, he had not even finished his sentence. In his view, if Chen Changsheng was the Empress's own son, then his life was naturally more important than Zhou Tong's. Regardless of whether that rumor was true, even if the Empress wanted to kill Chen Changsheng, in her heart, Chen Changsheng's life was still a thousand times, ten thousand times more important than Zhou Tong's.
Prince Chen Liu's gaze passed through the curtain and fell on Zhou Tong's body. He harshly said, "He's a dog."
"Only a dead dog is a dog. As long as it's alive, it's still a wolf."
Chen Changsheng recalled what Zhexiu had said to him in the past and suddenly felt very tired. He said, "I wasn't able to truly kill him tonight, but I don't know if I'll have another chance in the future."
He was keenly aware that at the very least, he would not have another chance to kill Zhou Tong.
"A person like Zhou Tong is naturally not easy to kill. For you to be able to force him to this state is already very extraordinary."
As a member of the Imperial clan, Prince Chen Liu could not possibly have any good impressions of Zhou Tong. More than anyone else, he wanted Zhou Tong dead, so he was more grateful than anyone else for what Chen Changsheng had done tonight.
"I admire you very much," he said to Chen Changsheng.
Thinking of the turmoil in the capital tonight and the tense situation on the street that could erupt at any moment, his expression also grew solemn. He had appeared on the street earlier and now sat in a carriage with Chen Changsheng, escorted away by the Orthodoxy cavalry. This was tantamount to formally declaring his position to the entire capital and the Divine Empress.
Chen Changsheng did not feel that there was anything about him that was worthy of admiration.
Because he had still not been able to kill Zhou Tong.
In the Orthodox Academy, Zhexiu had once said that after he killed Zhou Tong, he would go to Mount Li to fetch Qi Jian. At the time, he, Tang Thirty-Six, and the others had all felt that this was an impossible matter.
An important figure like Zhou Tong was naturally very difficult to kill, but tonight, he had truly almost succeeded. If not for that final smear of darkness blocking his path.
If not for a voice coming from the depths of the darkness falling directly into his mind.
This was a voice that he was very familiar with, and also a voice that he had not heard in a very long time.
… …
… …
At the time, in that courtyard shrouded in darkness, only Chen Changsheng and Zhou Tong were present.
Chen Changsheng had heard that voice, and Zhou Tong had also heard it.
At the time, he believed it to be a hallucination that occurred when he was on the verge of death.
The darkness was so serene, so cold. He did not want to die, because death was an even more serene, even colder abyss.
At the moment when he was the closest to death, all his sinister and terrifying shell was completely shattered. What remained was that malicious, petty, and cowardly him.
After confirming that the voice was real, he unhesitatingly agreed to that person's conditions.
As expected, that smear of darkness protected his life, but he could not feel a shred of warmth from it. On the contrary, he felt even colder.
The common people all said that he, Zhou Tong, was a schemer on par with the Demon Military Advisor, Black Robe, but upon hearing that person's voice, he realized that this saying was just a joke.
In front of that person in the depths of the darkness, how could he have the right to discuss schemes, how could he be considered cold and emotionless? In that person's eyes, he was probably just a dog.
A dog that still had some use.
But even if he really was a dog, he still had to live.
Even if he had to wag his tail and beg the entire world, even if his eyes shone with sorrow, he still had to live.
As he thought of these things, his mind grew increasingly agitated. Zhou Tong could no longer resist the assault of his injuries and fainted.
Under the personal escort of Xue Xingchuan and Xu Shiji, the heavily injured Zhou Tong was sent to the Imperial Palace.
Only like this, only in this place, could he be assured of his survival.
The news that Zhou Tong was heavily injured had probably already spread. In the capital at night, countless people wanted him dead.
It was just like the situation Su Li had encountered on his return journey south.
As they gazed at Zhou Tong lying on the bed, on the verge of death and in a terrible state, Xue Xingchuan and Xu Shiji remained silent for a very long time, not saying a single word.
They didn't know what to say.
Just how had Chen Changsheng done it?
The horrifying and miserable wound from the left side of Zhou Tong's face to his ribs was exposed in the lantern light, a ghastly sight to behold.
Xue Xingchuan and Xu Shiji were both people who believed that they understood Chen Changsheng very well, especially the latter. They could never have imagined that Chen Changsheng had such a valiant side.
The Sacred Light Master of the Imperial Court had come, the best imperial doctor of the palace had also come, and that old chief eunuch had also come representing the Divine Empress.
Even after the diagnosis and treatment was concluded and it was confirmed that Zhou Tong would probably be able to keep his life, the Empress still did not appear.
"I will first take care of some business."
Perhaps Xu Shiji had been touched by something, but his complexion was rather unsightly. Just like that, he left the Imperial City.
Xue Xingchuan did not leave. He carefully cleaned Zhou Tong's wound, then moved a chair over and sat at the front gate of the palace.
He closed his eyes, the spear held horizontally in front of his knees.
No matter who wanted to kill Zhou Tong, they had to kill him first.
Because he was Zhou Tong's only friend in the world.
In the world, Zhou Tong only had him as a friend.
If even he left Zhou Tong, then Zhou Tong would really only be left alone.
… …
… …
Everyone knew that Xue Xingchuan was Zhou Tong's only friend.
This was also a matter that the people of the world had not been able to understand even after thinking for several decades.
Xue Xingchuan was the second-ranked Divine General of the continent. Han Qing had guarded the mausoleum for several hundred years, so he was the true leader of the Divine Generals. Whether it was his strength, his accomplishments in battle, or his achievements in the north, he could bear this reputation without shame. There had even been a saying that he and Wang Po were the two people with the greatest hopes of breaking through that threshold and entering the Divine Domain.
Moreover, he had a rather good reputation. Whether it was in managing his army or his household, he was extremely strict, yet he just happened to be on good terms with the infamous Zhou Tong. In the past, some people had speculated that this might have been because of the Divine Empress. However, although the other Divine Generals loyal to the Divine Empress feared Zhou Tong, they had never taken the initiative to get close to him, not even giving him any good looks.
No one knew why this was the case.
The medical skills of the Imperial Palace's imperial doctors were truly brilliant, and the Sacred Light had also played a rather important role. Even though Zhou Tong had suffered such heavy injuries, it did not take long for him to wake up.
Xue Xingchuan stood up and walked back to the edge of the cavern. Looking at the deathly pale Zhou Tong, he said, "Don't be in a rush to speak. Healing your injuries first."
Zhou Tong ignored him, his voice weak as he asked, "Am I very much like a dog right now?"
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