Upon hearing this, Boluo said, "Yes, Iâll arrange it right away."
Boluo left the command tent, immediately gathered the troops, and then headed directly towards the Great Capital.
Meanwhile, on Bright Peak, Chen Jie and his group returned, and upon seeing them, Duozhi Fox immediately approached, saying, "Found it, that traitor is..."
"Monkey!"
Fang Guozhen quickly spoke, looking at Duozhi Fox.
Duozhi Fox was stunned, looking at Fang Guozhen, and said, "Brother Fang, when did you learn to divine? How did you know it was Monkey, that double-dealing fellow?"
"Monkey has already handed Little Ming King over to Tuotuo."
Liu Futong then spoke.
"What?"
Duozhi Fox was stunned, looking at Liu Futong, shocked that he had handed him over to Tuotuo.
"Then we must rescue Little Ming King!"
Duozhi Fox spoke up, and Liu Futong said, "Thereâs no chance. Tuotuo will not give us any opportunity to rescue Little Ming King. He must have arranged thorough protection methods, so this matter requires long-term planning."
Upon hearing this, Fang Guozhen looked at Liu Futong and said, "What do you mean?"
Liu Futong said, "If thatâs not possible, we might have to make a trip to the Great Capital!"
Upon hearing this, Duozhi Fox asked, "Are we all going?"
Fang Guozhen looked at Liu Futong and said, "I can accompany you."
Peng Yingyu had just said he could accompany them when suddenly a soldier rushed over frantically, "Report!"
Seeing the soldier in such a state, everyone was stunned and looked at him, "What is it? Speak quickly."
The soldier said, "Report, Venerable, urgent news from the front line just came; the army at the foot of the mountain has split into two routes. King Qi Li Siqi has already withdrawn, gone northwest, likely returning to his fief."
Upon hearing this, Peng Yingyuâs expression became grim.
"Heâs headed northwest!"
"Yes, I absolutely didnât see wrong. King Qi indeed left the troop and went northwest."
Upon hearing this, everyone was stunned. King Qi had parted ways with the court, does this mean thereâs a chance to ambush the courtâs army and rescue Little Ming King?
They all thought about it, but Liu Futong quickly vetoed it. Although he wanted to rescue Little Ming King more than anyone, he wasnât foolish. The court army has tens of thousands of troops, plus Boluo Timur leading the army. Even if they join forces, they might not be able to defeat Boluo within the army.
Unless they send a large army to attack, but is that possible?
Itâs simply impossible; their Zoroastrian Sectâs army has been mostly crippled by the courtâs people. How could they possibly chase down the retreating court army? Even if they could chase them, how much combat power could they muster?
Military formations may enhance the commanderâs combat power, but not just any soldiers can be enhanced.
If the troops are exhausted, the formations cannot even be set up, let alone enhanced.
So itâs impossible for them to lead an army to catch up to Tuotuoâs forces, and for strong individuals to face Boluo Timur, the fourth ranked in the world, leading tens of thousands in formation to resist. Let alone them, even an Earthly Immortal might not achieve anything.
If all three attacked, at best, they wouldnât lose.
At this point, Liu Futong thought of a key factor.
"Did the Ruyang King also leave with troops?"
Liu Futong asked, and upon hearing this, the soldier replied, "No, the Ruyang King did not leave with the troops; he is still in the escort team."
Upon hearing this, Liu Futong said, "It seems it will be impossible to intercept on the road; we can only head east to the Great Capital!"
Duozhi Fox touched the folding fan in his hand and said, "The Venerable is indeed right; there are too many troops guarding the way, itâs hard for us to succeed, but once in the Great Capital, itâs a different story."
"The Great Capital is the Capital City, the armies can only guard the outskirts, with the inner city guarded by the Royal Family. Once inside the city, itâs impossible for the Ruyang King and Boluo Timur to keep constant watch, making it easier for our operation."
"Thatâs right, the most relaxed place is often their own base. Once in the Great Capital, I donât believe they can post three or five Heavenly List Experts to constantly watch Little Ming King, hahaha..."
Fang Guozhen laughed heartily, thinking there might still be a turn in this matter.
Upon hearing this, everyone decided to advance to the Great Capital to rescue Little Ming King.
At this moment, Peng Yingyu spoke up, "Well, I wonât be going!"
His words surprised everyone, who looked at Peng Yingyu with curiosity. Peng Yingyu said, "Li Siqi has returned to the Northwest, and my territory is right next to his. If Iâm not there, Iâm afraid he will launch an offensive against my territory, and my cult members wouldnât be able to stop his attack."
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement; thatâs indeed the case. Li Siqi certainly wonât be idle upon returning, and Hubei has always been the coveted prize in his eyes.
Liu Futong heard this and said, "Hmm, Old Peng shouldnât go, Hubei Road is our main stronghold, it canât be lost. Additionally, Fourth Brother should go with Old Peng; with Old Pengâs golden body destroyed, without someone capable by his side, I wouldnât be at ease. Moreover, the Great Capital is a dragonâs den, Fourth Brother better not go."
"Besides, if us old folks die in the Great Capital, we still need Fourth Brother to save the day."
Liu Futong spoke, believing that eggs shouldnât be put in one basket; Chen Jiusi and Little Ming King were their hopes for the future.
Of course, Little Ming King was Liu Futongâs bet, while Chen Jiusi was Peng Yingyuâs.
As for Fang Guozhen, while he was bold, he wouldnât carelessly gamble his life and fortune. Naturally, if forced to choose, heâd definitely bet on Chen Jiusi.
Chen Jie heard their arrangements and said, "Actually, I wanted to help my brothers a bit."
Liu Futong said, "Donât argue with your brothers over this matter. Youâre still young, donât involve yourself in such dangerous adventures; itâs too perilous."
"Yes, listen to Big Brother. Fourth Brother, you should remain in Huangzhou Prefecture and develop it. If worse comes to worst, and I die in the Great Capital, then you and Second Brother must avenge me!"
Fang Guozhen said quite magnanimously, and upon hearing Fang Guozhenâs words, Chen Jie said, "Then... then Iâll listen to the brothers and return to Hubei with Second Brother Peng."
"Hmm, this is how itâs done. Alright, thereâs no rush; the court army has already retreated, so letâs finish the wine we havenât drunk. Who knows when weâll drink it again."
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone exchanged glances, feeling a bit melancholic.
Peng Yingyu said, "Haha, itâs not as if weâre separating for life or death, why make it so sad? Truly as childish as kids."
Fang Guozhen laughed heartily, "Precisely, who made emotions low as if Iâm losing my life going to the Great Capital? What a joke, who do they take me for? Iâm the Sea Dragon King!"
"The invincible Sea Dragon, who can do anything to me, hahaha..." Sea Dragon King Fang Guozhen laughed heartily.
Peng Yingyu said, "The Great Capital isnât exactly a dragonâs den, as long as we donât provoke Monk Ba Siba, thereâs no real danger. Why donât you, Little Fang, guard Hubei Road against Li Siqi, and Iâll go to the Great Capital to deal with the courtâs lackeys."
Fang Guozhen said, "Letâs forget it, I have no inclination to be anyoneâs vassal. The Little Emperor you instated likely would clash with me, and itâd be a waste of effort fighting with him."
"So Second Brother Peng, youâd better go back, and Iâll weigh the courtâs lackeysâ worth in the Great Capital."
Fang Guozhen spoke.
Next to him, Liu Futong immediately said, "Alright, alright, this is settled; Guozhen and I will go to the Great Capital, and Old Peng and Fourth Brother will return to Hubei."
"No more words needed, letâs drink; today letâs drink until we drop as send-off from me as a brother."
Following that, Liu Futong immediately arranged a banquet for everyone, unaffected by the capture of Little Ming King.
This is the psychological resilience of seasoned experts. No matter how pressing or urgent the situation, it doesnât affect their mood for drinking, or rather, theyâve become accustomed to such perilous living.
Such individuals, overly concerned about life and death, wouldnât survive in normal life; they should have been eliminated long ago.
During the banquet, the four merrily drank and seemed to forget the outside troubles, passing a quiet night. The next morning, Chen Jie, Peng Yingyu bid farewell to Liu Futong and Fang Guozhen.
They immediately rode off towards Hubei Road, and there were no further incidents along the way; they soon reached Hubei Road. Upon arriving, the two parted ways again, Peng Yingyu headed to Xiangyang City while Chen Jiusi headed straight for Huangzhou Prefecture; he was missing his wife having been away for so long!