Chapter 147: Tang Yi Leads Troops to Besiege, Earth Mines Claim Lives

Outside Corpse Examination Office, Room Number Seven.

Before Song Mo even drew close, he saw Xia Yu waiting outside the door with a solemn expression.

Spotting Song Mo approaching, Xia Yu hurried forward and said, "This is bad, something has happened."

Frowning, Song Mo asked, "What is it? What has happened?"

In a deep voice, Xia Yu replied, "Didn't you ask me to look into that man named Wang Hu? Well, I found out—he is the deputy commander of the Taiping Army!"

Upon hearing this, Song Mo's expression changed drastically, and he hastily asked, "What? That man is the deputy commander of the Taiping Army?! Shouldn't he be stationed in the military camp?"

Xia Yu nodded and said, "That's right, he is indeed Taiping Army Deputy Commander Wang Hu, but he has gone missing."

"Missing?!" Song Mo exclaimed in shock. This news was utterly staggering to him.

Xia Yu continued, "Indeed, he has been missing for half a year. Throughout these past six months, he never left the camp, nor did he have any contact with the outside world. Furthermore, his identity has always been classified at the highest level, so apart from a few top-ranking officers, the ordinary soldiers had no idea."

Furrowing his brows in thought, Song Mo asked, "Then how did he go missing?"

"He left of his own accord," Xia Yu said.

"Left of his own accord?" Song Mo asked, bewildered. What kind of maneuver was this? How could he possibly have left voluntarily? Could it be that his accomplices smuggled him out? But who were those people? If his comrades really helped him escape, who was the one that rescued him?

Xia Yu went on, "He departed from the military camp entirely on his own initiative. There were no signs whatsoever, not even a single report sent back. That leads me to suspect he must have been captured by someone."

"Captured?!" Song Mo cried out in astonishment. "Could it be that he was murdered by—no, wait. If he was captured by the deputy commander of the Taiping Army... wait, how could he vanish so suddenly? Who took him away, and what on earth are these people plotting?"

Hearing this, Xia Yu shook his head with a wry smile. "I suspect there is more to this matter than meets the eye."

"Oh?" Song Mo looked at Xia Yu curiously.

"The deputy commander of the Taiping Army would never leave the camp on his own whim. Therefore, his appearance here must hide a deeper secret, and I have a strong feeling this was all part of a premeditated conspiracy," Xia Yu explained.

"What?!" Song Mo's eyes widened in disbelief.

"Indeed!" Xia Yu nodded. "And we are talking about a figure of a deputy commander's caliber. The strength of the Taiping Army is formidable; ordinary bandits could never hope to capture their second-in-command. His disappearance is definitely suspicious. If he wasn't murdered, he must have fallen into someone's trap!"

Song Mo nodded in agreement. "You make a very valid point. But that only makes this entire affair infinitely more complicated. What should we do now?"

Xia Yu said, "For now, we haven't found Wang Hu's whereabouts, but we can start from the place where he vanished. I'm certain he left some traces behind. As long as we find those clues, we can follow the vine to the melon and track down the truth. I believe he isn't dead yet; he's likely being held prisoner somewhere."

Song Mo declared, "Since that's the case, we'll start from there. I'm going to find Tang Yi right now. Wait for me here!"

"Alright!" Xia Yu agreed with a nod.

After Song Mo departed, Xia Yu stood guard outside the entrance of the Corpse Examination Office, awaiting the return of Song Mo and Tang Yi. Their manpower was far too limited right now; even with numbers on their side, the enemy was in the dark while they were exposed in the light. They desperately needed the cooperation of the Six Fan Gates.

***

Six Fan Gates.

With a grim expression, Tang Yi listened to Song Mo's account before saying, "You are right. Someone is indeed trying to frame you from the shadows. I crossed paths with that person."

"Can you confirm the adversary's identity?" Song Mo asked.

"Unclear!" Tang Yi replied. "I managed to kill a few of their men. Their martial arts are formidable, yet they didn't go all out. It seemed as though they were afraid of letting me discern their identity!"

Hearing this, Song Mo immediately frowned and said with displeasure, "It appears our opponent came fully prepared. They actually intended to use me to lure you away so they could deal with the person framing me. Who on earth are they, and why would they go to such lengths?"

Tang Yi sighed, "I don't know yet, so we'll have to wait until we track them down. This person is no ordinary foe; we must not take them lightly."

"Agreed!" Song Mo nodded. "Then let us divide the labor. I'll be responsible for watching the person who framed me, while you investigate Wang Hu. Rest assured, I will not let this matter rest. I will drag that culprit out into the light and demand justice for us!"

"Very well!" Tang Yi said solemnly. "Leave this to me; I guarantee I will unearth this individual. By the way, I've already drawn a portrait of the suspect. Take it and give it to Xia Yu!"

"Understood!" Song Mo replied.

"I'm heading out now. Our operation this time is of the utmost importance; we must exercise caution upon caution," Tang Yi instructed.

Song Mo paused in thought, then suddenly spoke up, "I know where Wang Hu is."

Tang Yi was momentarily stunned, then asked in a deep voice, "Where?"

"The Mule and Horse Inn," Song Mo said, his eyes narrowing.

***

North of the city, outside the Mule and Horse Inn.

Tang Yi, Song Mo, and Xia Yu stared at the inn with grave expressions.

Squads of constables clad in purple official robes had completely surrounded the Mule and Horse Inn. They gripped broadswords in their hands, with miniature crossbows strapped to their forearms.

"This operation is to capture the rebel remnants of the Taiping Army, especially the deputy commander Wang Hu. Make sure none of them escape," Tang Yi commanded in a low voice.

Clutching their broadswords, the constables rushed forward in a wave, unleashing a volley of crossbow bolts into the Mule and Horse Inn.

A few miserable shrieks rang out from within the inn first, followed immediately by a group of figures dressed in black and wearing bamboo rain hats who burst out, instantly clashing in fierce combat with the constables of the Six Fan Gates.

Seeing this, Tang Yi frowned. "These people are formidable indeed. They must be the remnants of the Taiping Army. To think that these rebel remnants would dare to flee all the way to the capital and openly defy the imperial court—their audacity knows no bounds."

Song Mo said coldly, "I had long suspected that the remnants of the Taiping Army were hiding within the capital, but we simply lacked the evidence. I never imagined they would be so arrogant as to challenge the imperial government directly."

"Now that we know their identities, leave this to me," Tang Yi stated.

With that, Tang Yi leaped gracefully into the air, holding a long sword horizontally across her chest. Her body soared forward like an arrow released from a taut bow, plunging straight toward the group of Taiping Army rebels locked in bloody combat with the constables.

*Whoosh—*

Tang Yi flicked her wrist, and a flash of silver light tore through the sky, plunging instantly into the midst of the rebels. Another chorus of wretched screams erupted as blood sprayed in all directions, releasing a thick, pungent stench that saturated the air with the reek of carnage.

Thud after thud echoed as bodies pierced through the heart by the long sword collapsed heavily to the ground.

Withdrawing her blade, Tang Yi let out a cold snort and tapped her toes lightly on the ground, darting forward from target to target until she stood directly before the remaining rebels in the blink of an eye.

"Kill them!"

"Slaughter these imperial running dogs and avenge our brothers!"

Shouting wildly, the Taiping Army remnants charged forward brandishing broadswords, engaging the Six Fan Gates constables in a chaotic melee. Swords flashed, blades glinted, and bright red blood spattered through the air, thick with the nauseating stench of death.

Tang Yi's long sword danced unceasingly, felling an enemy with every strike. Any rebel who dared approach her was instantly slain, painting the ground crimson with blood and filling the air with a sickening, gag-inducing foulness.

As she fought, Tang Yi kept a watchful eye on the enemy forces, her eyes suddenly widening in disbelief.

What was she witnessing?

Figures clad in black robes and bamboo rain hats were marching from the distance. Leading the vanguard were the Taiping Army rebels wielding broadswords and bows, while trailing closely behind them was a massive contingent of white-robed soldiers. These troops carried long spears, halberds, and pikes, with strings of bells tied around their wrists that jingled incessantly. Following the foot soldiers were cavalrymen mounted on fine steeds, clad in armor and armed with weapons, their expressions chillingly stern.

The scene looked precisely like an army on military maneuvers.

These soldiers were none other than the reinforcements of the Taiping Army!

And their target was clearly the three of them!

"Get back! Those rebels aren't aiming at ordinary targets—watch out!" Tang Yi warned.

"Ah!"

"Damn it!"

Crying out in alarm, Song Mo and Xia Yu scrambled to evade the oncoming onslaught.

Tang Yi's sword blurred into an afterimage as she thrust out more than a dozen times in rapid succession, slaying every rebel who rushed toward her while channeling her inner qi to shatter their bodies, causing the enemies to burst apart mid-air.

The Taiping Army remnants pressed forward aggressively with broadswords and spears, fighting their way through while frantically gathering the fallen corpses and tossing them onto carriages to be hauled away toward the outskirts of the capital.

Having just run through a rebel with her sword, Tang Yi vaulted into the air and gave chase at breakneck speed, shouting, "Follow me!"

Hearing this, Song Mo and Xia Yu hurriedly scrambled after her in pursuit of the retreating enemies.

Finding themselves relentlessly pursued by Tang Yi and her companions, the rebels panicked, but with no other options left, they could only flee for their lives.

*Bang!*

One rebel failed to dodge in time, getting sent flying into a cluster of bamboo poles before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Terrified out of his wits by the sight of his comrade, another rebel whipped his horse around and bolted in the opposite direction. Little did these rebels know that their pursuers were elite constables of the Six Fan Gates who had concealed their strength until now. Seeing their quarry exposed, the constables threw off all restraint, drawing their swords and charging forward. Panic-stricken and fleeing blindly, the rebels bumped into one another in total disarray.

The speed of Tang Yi and the other two was blindingly fast, and within moments they closed the distance to the fleeing rebels.

"Halt!" Tang Yi roared, brandishing her sword.

*Slash! Slash! Slash!*

A fierce sword arc chopped downward toward the nearest rebel. The desperate enemies whipped their horses around in a chaotic scramble to escape, but Tang Yi pressed the attack relentlessly.

*Slash!*

Tang Yi's blade hacked down upon a rebel's shoulder, cleaving the limb entirely from his body and sending a geyser of crimson blood shooting into the air to stain his armor.

"Agh! Ah!"

"Save me! My arm!"

"Help! Help!"

Wailing in agonizing shrieks, the wounded rebel tumbled from his mount to the ground, swinging his broadsword wildly at Tang Yi in a final, desperate retaliation.

Side-stepping the blow with fluid grace, Tang Yi spun on her heel and brought her sword down once more.

*Puchi—*

The blade pierced straight through the rebel's skull, sending his severed head rolling across the dirt, leaving a trail of blood that stained the earth.

With the death of this man, the remaining five rebels turned pale with horror, wheeling their mounts around to flee into the distance.

"Stop right there!"

The exit of the narrow alley ahead was blocked by a carriage, halting Tang Yi and her group's pursuit.

Before they could react, Song Mo caught a heavy, pungent whiff of sulfur and gunpowder.

"Not good! It's an earth bomb!"

In the capital of Jian'an under the Great Zhou dynasty, gunpowder had been in use for decades. These "earth bombs" were essentially primitive explosives packed inside clay jars.

Song Mo shouted a frantic warning, causing Tang Yi and Xia Yu to leap backward in retreat.

The remaining Six Fan Gates constables, however, were too slow to react.

A deafening roar shattered the air.

The explosives strapped to the carriage detonated with cataclysmic force, collapsing the earthen walls on both sides of the alley. Shrapnel and shattered limbs flew everywhere, and rivers of blood pooled across the ground, choking the air with thick dust and the overwhelming stench of carnage.