freenovelworld Chapter 336: The People Outside the City, Listen Up
Chapter 336: The People Outside the City, Listen Up
The monk's face was contorted with a sinister smile. He glared at Fang Xiaoxiao and said, "Little beauty, just you wait and see. This trick of mine is guaranteed to work."
After saying that, he waved his hand and ordered his men, "Go, bring that prefect from the prison to me!"
Before long, the battered and bruised prefect was roughly dragged to the Flower Monk by several bandits.
The prefect raised his head, his eyes filled with anger and defiance: "You bunch of villains, you will not have a good end!"
The Flower Monk stepped forward and kicked the prefect, cursing, "Old bastard, still being stubborn! Just wait until I show you what's what!"
Turning his head, he shouted to his men, "Get ready! Once I take this old fellow to the city wall, let's see if those generals outside the city dare to make any rash moves!"
Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan were extremely anxious, but there was nothing they could do.
The monk Hua, accompanied by several trusted followers, escorted the prefect to the city wall. Outside the city, the imperial army stood ready, their imposing presence awe-inspiring.
The Flower Monk shouted at the top of his lungs, "Listen up, you people outside the city! Your prefect is in my hands. If you dare to attack, I'll kill him with one stroke!"
The general outside the city frowned upon seeing this, finding himself in a dilemma.
Inside the city, Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan took advantage of the fact that Monk Hua and the others were on the city wall to look for an opportunity to escape.
They groped around in the dark corners, hoping to find an exit or a tool they could use.
Just then, Hua Ruyan noticed a loose wall brick, behind which seemed to be a hidden passage.
"Xiao Xiao, look!" Hua Ruyan exclaimed in surprise.
Fang Xiaoxiao rushed over to check, and the two of them worked together to push aside the wall bricks, revealing a narrow passage.
"Never mind, let's go in first and talk about it later," Fang Xiaoxiao said.
They cautiously crawled into the passage, which was filled with a damp, musty smell, but they didn't care about that; they just wanted to escape this hellhole as quickly as possible.
The passage was narrow and winding, and they could only grope their way forward. After walking for an unknown amount of time, a glimmer of light finally appeared ahead.
"We're almost at the exit!" Hua Ruyan said excitedly.
However, just as they were about to step out of the passage, they heard the voices of bandits outside.
"Oh no, someone's here!" Fang Xiaoxiao's heart jumped into her throat again.
They hid in the shadows, not daring to breathe.
At this moment, the general outside the city, after some deliberation, decided that he could not allow the Flower Monk's threat to succeed. He ordered preparations to attack the city, determined to wipe out the bandits and rescue the prefect.
Will Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan be able to escape from the city? Will the Flower Monk's plot succeed? Everything remains to be seen...
Just as the general outside the city was about to order an attack, a soldier rushed over and presented a secret letter from the imperial court, delivered with urgent news.
The general unfolded the letter, his expression changing drastically. The letter instructed him to retreat five hundred zhang and establish a camp, forbidding any rash attack. The general frowned, his heart filled with doubt, but he could not disobey the imperial decree.
"Pass on my order: the entire army shall retreat five hundred zhang and set up camp!" the general shouted.
Military orders are absolute, and despite their reluctance, the soldiers carried out the orders in an orderly manner.
Inside the city, Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan's hearts pounded with anxiety upon hearing the sounds of bandits outside. Fortunately, the bandits were merely passing by and did not notice them.
The two continued to carefully make their way towards the exit and finally managed to escape the passage.
However, as soon as they emerged from the passage, they discovered that they were surrounded by bandit patrols. Left with no other option, they found a secluded spot to hide and observe their surroundings.
At this moment, the monk on the city wall saw the army outside the city retreating and laughed triumphantly: "Haha, I knew it! The imperial court wouldn't dare to joke with this old guy's life!"
However, he did not dare to let his guard down and continued to have the prefect closely watched over, while also increasing the number of people patrolling the city.
Taking advantage of the bandits' momentary lapse in vigilance, Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan quietly slipped past the patrol and made their way towards the city gate.
Just as they were about to reach the city gate, they were spotted by a sharp-eyed bandit.
"Halt! Who goes there?" the bandit shouted.
Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan took off running, with the bandits in hot pursuit.
At the critical moment, Fang Xiaoxiao discovered an abandoned house, and the two quickly hid inside.
The bandits searched outside but found no trace of them, so they left cursing.
Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan breathed a sigh of relief and continued to look for an opportunity to leave the city.
Meanwhile, the general outside the city, after setting up camp, pondered the deeper meaning behind the imperial court's secret order, and some guesses began to form in his mind...
At this moment, the Flower Monk on the city wall saw the army retreating and a smug and ferocious smile appeared on his face. He hurriedly led a group of his men back to the main camp, thinking that he wanted to have some fun with Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan.
But when they stormed into the room where the two were being held, they found it empty. The monk's face instantly turned ashen, veins bulged on his forehead, and the rage in his eyes seemed capable of burning everything to ashes.
"Where the people are? Where the hell have they all gone?!" the Flower Monk roared, his voice making the whole room buzz.
His two henchmen, trembling, were about to explain when the monk gave them no chance. With a swift stroke, his blade fell, and both heads rolled to the ground, blood splattering everywhere.
The rest of his men were so frightened they didn't dare to breathe, their heads bowed and their bodies trembling uncontrollably.
"Go find it, all of you! Don't come back if you can't find it!" the Flower Monk roared, his voice sounding like a demon from hell.
The bandits immediately scattered like startled birds and beasts, frantically searching every corner of the city.
Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan were hiding in the corner of an abandoned house, barely daring to breathe. Outside came the bandits' rough shouts and chaotic footsteps, each sound like a heavy hammer blow to their hearts.
"What should we do? They seem to be getting closer and closer." Hua Ruyan gripped Fang Xiaoxiao's arm tightly, her voice filled with fear and despair.
Fang Xiaoxiao's heart was pounding so hard it felt like it was going to jump out of her throat, but she tried to stay calm. "Don't be afraid, they haven't found us yet. As long as we don't make a sound, we might still have a chance."
However, fate seemed to be against them. Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps stopped outside the door, followed by a violent kicking sound.
"Search carefully!" a bandit shouted.
Fang Xiaoxiao and Hua Ruyan exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with terror. They huddled together tightly, as if that would give them a little more sense of security.