Chapter 23: Time Is Running Out

“Third Master, what should we do now?”

In the main hall, Yuchi Hong hurriedly gathered everyone to discuss the current situation.

If it were only the imperial army approaching, then as Third Master had said earlier, the Yuchi family’s best course would be to quietly send out the gifted children and then await their fate helplessly. But now, there was a new complication—Chen Xiao, who had been sent to seek outside help, had returned at this critical moment!

Upon hearing this, Master Luo furrowed his brow deeply. If it weren’t absolutely necessary, he naturally wouldn’t want to give up. But with enemy troops already at the city gates, the time they had to maneuver was extremely limited.

“We have no choice but to gamble...” Master Luo mused for a moment before saying, “I will accompany Second Lord to the docks to try to hold off Li Yu and buy time. Meanwhile, have someone immediately escort Chen Xiao and Master Tian to the Crown Prince. At this critical juncture, we can only hope that Master Tian has some real skill, unlike that useless Lu Yuan before.”

“That’s all we can do...” Yuchi Hong sighed heavily. The fate of the entire Yuchi family now rested on a sorcerer none of them had ever met. It was truly a helpless situation. But at this point, they had no other option. If only they had listened to Third Master from the start—sending the Crown Prince away early on...

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“How did the imperial army get here faster than us?”

Outside Beihai City, when Zhang Rui and his group landed, they immediately saw a tense standoff at the docks. The Beihai garrison had blocked the docks, but the imperial troops from a ship were confronting them fiercely. And standing at the very front of that ship was none other than Li Yu himself.

Chen Xiao and the others’ faces changed as well. On their way here, they had suspected that the Third Prince might cause trouble. He was a scheming man and would likely report any mishap involving the Crown Prince in Beihai to the Emperor, prompting immediate military intervention. They had expected the imperial forces to come eventually, but never imagined it would be so soon!

They had only just arrived!

“We left Huashi, near Heishui County, riding the swift boat enhanced by sorcery. It took less than two days to reach Beihai. Even if Li Yu had immediately sent a message to the capital after we parted, he shouldn’t have arrived this quickly!” one of the guards said, puzzled.

They had expected at least three or five more days.

Chen Xiao sighed upon hearing this. “It seems the Emperor acts swiftly.”

“Yuzhou has eagle messengers who, using sorcery, can deliver messages to the capital within an hour. If His Majesty doesn’t delay, Li Yu could receive authorization to mobilize troops within three hours. Departing from Yuzhou towards Chishui is closer to Beihai than the dock at Heishui. And don’t forget, who owns the fastest ship in the world...”

“Silver Dragon...” the Crown Prince’s guards clenched their teeth in realization.

The Third Prince Li Yu’s maternal family was extraordinary—the Qin family, the foremost aristocratic clan in the Eastern Sea, far more ancient than the Yuchi. Their trading houses spanned the world, rivaling nations in wealth. Half of the business in the Four Seas Merchants’ Association was handled by the Qin family. Their shipbuilding skills were unparalleled.

The Silver Dragon was a coming-of-age gift from the Qin family to Li Yu. It was said to sail a thousand nautical miles a day. Not only that, it had enormous capacity, capable of ferrying over ten thousand people, widely regarded as the greatest treasure ship in the realm.

If Li Yu had stationed the ship near Yuzhou from the start, it would explain how he arrived so swiftly!

“Send a signal for the Yuchi family to come and support us...” Chen Xiao’s expression was grave. The Third Prince was advancing relentlessly, leaving them less and less time!

The Yuchi family responded efficiently. Within less than a quarter of an hour, someone came to meet them and quickly brought them to the current head of the Yuchi family.

“Second Lord, how is His Highness?” Chen Xiao asked hurriedly.

“Why were you gone so long?” Zhang Rui looked over. The ‘Second Lord’ Chen Xiao mentioned was tall and imposing, nearly nine feet tall, like an ancient version of Yao Ming, but more robust and muscular, with sharp features embodying the archetype of a tough soldier. He looked nothing like the yellow-skinned coastal folk Zhang Rui had imagined.

“We encountered complications on the way...” Chen Xiao began to explain.

But before he could finish, Yuchi Hong waved his hand to cut him off. “Where is Master Tian?”

Yuchi Hong had been watching carefully since they arrived, but there was no sign of Master Tian anywhere.

“Master Tian is dead...”

“Cough...” Yuchi Hong nearly choked on the news.

They had spent half an hour just to hold back Li Yu’s forces, buying precious time for Master Tian to find a clue to turn the tide. Yet this one sentence turned all their efforts into a joke!

“A bunch of useless fools! Even the person sent to meet them is problematic? If Master Tian is dead, why did you even come back?”

Yuchi Hong lowered his voice and growled like a lion. If he weren’t afraid of alerting Li Yu’s men nearby, he would have slapped this weakling senseless on the spot.

“A lot happened, and I didn’t have time to explain everything. How is the Crown Prince’s health? Is he able to see people?”

“Do you still have the face to see the Crown Prince?” Yuchi Hong laughed bitterly. What could this guy possibly want to say? That everything had failed?

“General, please calm down!” Chen Xiao quickly said, fearing for his life. “We encountered a noble person on the way who might be able to save the Crown Prince!”

“A noble person?” Yuchi Hong was taken aback, then his brow furrowed. Instead of joy, suspicion was his first reaction. “Who? And on what basis do you claim he can save the Crown Prince?”

“A man who knows the origin of this plague!”

“Oh? Where is he?”

“He’s outside, being held back by the guards...”

Upon hearing this, Yuchi Hong immediately ordered the guards to bring the person in. Honestly, he didn’t trust Chen Xiao much. Chen Xiao wasn’t even a direct member of the Crown Prince’s household, and Yuchi Hong didn’t understand why the Crown Prince’s cousin had entrusted him with such an important mission. Now, after all that, Chen Xiao claimed to have brought back someone who knew the plague’s source. It all sounded suspicious.

Soon, the guards brought the person inside. Yuchi Hong was somewhat surprised to see the man dressed in official robes. He had expected some recluse dressed like a hermit.

“I am Zhang Rui, county magistrate of Fuchun County. Greetings, General Yuchi.”

“What is your official position?”

“Reporting to the General, I am the magistrate of Fuchun County.”

“Magistrate...” Yuchi Hong scrutinized him. The man looked barely in his early twenties, likely newly appointed. Fuchun County was not a desirable posting, and no prominent family would send their young scions there unless it was part of a plan.

“Is the Zhang family from Lingnan or the capital?”

“Sir, I hail from Green Bamboo County in Jiangnan. My ancestors have been farmers for three generations, not from any notable family.”

“Three generations of farmers?” Yuchi Hong sneered. “How could a farmer’s son know about the origin of this plague?”

“By chance and fate.”

“Chance and fate, indeed!” Yuchi Hong’s smile twisted into a grimace as he stepped forward. “Are you trying to deceive me, General?”

But just as he spoke, his fierce expression froze. A small figure had appeared beside this suspicious magistrate—a little girl no older than seven or eight. Yet, even this small child made him hesitate to take another step forward.

For a moment, he wondered if he was mistaken. If outsiders knew that the mighty Yuchi family’s Second Lord was intimidated by a toddler, they would surely laugh themselves silly.

But a warrior’s intuition did not lie. This little girl was extremely dangerous!

“Chen Xiao... you!” Yuchi Hong ground his teeth.

To bring in such a high-level expert without informing anyone—and having her appear as an unsuspecting little girl—this was the perfect assassin.

“General, there’s no need to be so tense...” Chen Xiao said bitterly. He immediately knew that General Yuchi had misunderstood, but it was natural. Anyone in his position would be suspicious of a potential traitor.

“General...” Zhang Rui stepped forward. “Mr. Chen has explained the situation to me. There’s no need to be so tense. Given your current predicament, if I wanted to harm you, you wouldn’t have lasted this long, right?”

Yuchi Hong was speechless.

“That’s true...” Yuchi Hong said nothing more. Luo Sanye, who had been observing from behind, finally spoke up.

“If Mr. Chen had been turned, he would have killed Master Tian and then quietly withdrawn. There’s no reason to return and take risks. Besides, with the current situation, you wouldn’t be able to stop that little girl anyway, Second Lord.”

Yuchi Hong’s face turned pale. Even now, he found it hard to believe. After years of grueling training through harsh winters and summers, he considered himself among the best warriors of his age. And yet today, he had no confidence against a mere child!

“Light in form and spirit, a celestial presence...” Luo Sanye gazed at Murong Yunji in amazement. “In all my years, I’ve never seen a young lady like her. Second Lord, don’t waste your effort. Not even your master at his prime could handle this young lady.”

Those around gasped. Was Luo Sanye losing his mind? Their master was a top-tier half-step grandmaster; if even he couldn’t handle her, was this little girl a grandmaster herself?

Yuchi Hong was surprised but did not doubt Luo Sanye’s words. Sanye was deeply respected by his own father and would not speak falsely. This only meant that the magistrate before them truly had an extraordinary background.

With that realization, Yuchi Hong dropped all pretense and cupped his fists. “Sir, do you truly have a way to save the Crown Prince?”

“General, you are too kind...” Zhang Rui hastily returned the greeting. “You are a noble officer; no need for such formality. I must first examine His Highness’s condition.”

Hearing this, Yuchi Hong glanced at Luo Sanye, who nodded slightly.

At this point, things couldn’t get much worse.

“Immediately take this gentleman to see the Crown Prince...”

“Yes!”

“Second Lord, aren’t you coming?” Chen Xiao was surprised.

“No, I must deal with that fellow outside,” Yuchi Hong said, pointing toward the dock where Li Yu stood in flowing white robes. “You must find a way to speed things up; time is running out...”