Ending – Everyone’s Laughing Stock
Long Cheng raced to Kong Duan upon hearing the latter's panic-stricken cry for help. Long Cheng saw three parties ganging up on an elder upon arriving, riling him.
"Release him!" demanded Long Cheng, zipping over and slashing everyone in the way effortlessly.
Yan Jingwang was the only one who escaped three slashes. Due to the narrow space, he had no option but to retreat a few steps. Long Cheng already helped Kong Duan to his feet by the time Yan Jingwang found his footing.
Long Cheng: "Secretary Kong, wake up. Secretary Kong. Secretary K-"
Long Cheng felt uneasy. He wasn't even sure if he rescued the right person when Kong Duan's face was disfigured. Kong Duan had walnuts for eyes, lentils for a noise, sausages for lips and his face was painted with his own blood. Long Cheng even speculated it was an enemy ploy. On second thought, wouldn't you find someone resembling the person you're trying to disguise to set a trap? How was anyone supposed to tell if he was Kong Duan or not?
Red-walnut-lentil-sausage face stammered, "L-Long Cheng… Y-You're finally here."
Long Cheng could confirm he heard Secretary Kong's voice. He fumed, "Sir, how did this happen?"
"Isn't it obvious? I beat the snot out of him. I never knew he made so enemies, though," commented Secretary Lie, sitting off in the distance and tiresomely waving his hands. Tone lazy, he continued, "Man, there's a bloody line waiting to pummel him. Since we only had short turns, I milked every second of my time. It's a tiring job. I'm drained."
Long Cheng wasn't surprised Kong Duan was completely disfigured after he saw Lie Jingchan's massive fist… Lie Jingchan could potentially help a surgeon's business boom.
Kong Duan wobbled, but he kept his vindictive gaze fixed on Kong Duan. He mumbled, "Old Lie… If I don't get away today, you're done for."
Lie Jingchan responded fearlessly: "Whatever. I don't even have to kill you; they'll kill you sooner or lat-"
Bai Lian led Tang Ye and four Seventeen Hidden Dragons over before Lie Jingchan could finish his sentence. They had wrapped up their wounds and were ready for an intense fight. They overwhelmingly outnumbered Kong Duan and Long Cheng. Bai Lian called, "Demon Sect villain, hand Kong Duan over!"
Those on Bai Lian's immediate left and right raged, "Where did you hide him?! Where is he?!"
"…"
Kong Duan tried to wear a cocky smile: "Eunuch Bai, I'm surprised you found me."
Bai Lian scrunched her face. She looked as if she saw a ghost. She stuttered, "H-How is his voice reaching here when he's not here? Are there ghosts?"
Tang Ye: "Could he have mastered Thousand Mile Voice Transmission? I suppose it's true that the skilled don't rave…"
Kong Duan was understandably livid. In his mind: "Is my appearance that bad? I only took a few blows!"
Long Cheng was vigilant of Bai Lian. After their last clash, he determined he wouldn't necessarily be able to hit her with Wind of Death, as she was amazingly quick to react. If he couldn't make contact in a single slash, she would lay the counterattack on him. If the other Seventeen Hidden Dragons joined in, he was unquestionably doomed. To further complicate his predicament, he needed to guard Kong Duan. It was difficult to see himself gaining the upper hand.
The Emperor soon arrived with his golden armour guards. Long Cheng slew ten guards back in the hall, but the Emperor brought over five hundred of them with him. The chances of victory seemed to only dwindle.
Yang Lianhua only had about a hundred men. Fighting the Emperor was pure folly. Yan Jingwang, therefore, had his underlings take refuge in the residential homes around and wait it out.
The Emperor exclaimed, "Where is Kong Duan?! Come out! Don't be a coward!"
Lord Zi swung a flag: "Come out! Come out! We have you surrounded!"
The father and son duo surveyed their surroundings and touched their chins in unison: "Did he escape?"
Kong Duan wanted to say, "This old one is right here! You're all blind!"
Long Cheng's tension accumulated as the enemy numbers increased. He couldn't use Wind of Death over and over; it was a skill he reserved for exclusively getting out of dire situations, as it cost a lot of true qi and original qi. He had to use it back on the hall to escape capture, as he couldn't kill all of the Seventeen Hidden Dragons in one fell swoop at his calibre. Bai Lian's combat prowess was a surprise to him, nevertheless.
Long Cheng was used to being in carnages; he'd seen worse before. This time, he was drastically outnumbered, outclassed and had to carry dead weight. On a positive note, they might not have been able to defeat him. He was confident his qinggong surpassed theirs. Another advantage was his knowledge of the terrain. He was confident he could escape their pursuit whilst carrying Kong Duan if he decisively fled. Kong Duan suddenly interrupted his thoughts: "Long Cheng… I have a question for you."
"Worry not, Sir," replied Long Cheng, forcing a smile. "Long Cheng owes you a life. Had you not supported me these last two years, I would not be here today. I will give my life to protect you today."
Kong Duan shook his head. Unwilling to accept his plan was foiled, he asked, "No, that's not what I was asking… Wh-Where are my guards from Feiyun Hall?"
Kong Duan considered the hundred adepts he found, developed and invested into for ten years to be his trump card when he needed to turn the tables. Since some could match the Seventeen Hidden Dragons, they were the equivalent of his own Liu Shans' Elites Ranking. His magnificent force capable of granting him the power he desired were nowhere to be seen when he was in a plight, however. Instead, he, unfortunately, mistook enemies for them, resulting in his physical and mental misery.
Kong Duan: "Wh-Where are they?"
Long Cheng felt awkward: "Uh, I do not know, either. Did you give the order for them to be here today?"
Kong Duan tried widening his eyes: "Of course I said today! They would never oppose me… Hurry, let's head underground to search for them."
Kong Duan offered the worst suggestion Long Cheng could imagine. Talk about having a moron and useless superior! Instead of fleeing, they were going to waltz into a dungeon of all places. If the enemy caught up to them, it was one way road to hell!
"Are you going to defy me?! Don't forget I have what you want!" brayed Kong Duan, sounding malicious. "I won't fall for fake loyalty acts. This old one knows what you're thinking. You would take this old one's head if he didn't have the key!"
Long Cheng tacitly admitted to it with a helpless smile: "I underestimated you, Sir. You certainly are perceptive."
Kong Duan snickered: "If you still want the key, show me some loyalty."
"Of course," replied Long Cheng, stoic and hiding an angry undertone in his voice. "This one's life is not worth anything. Sir, hang on tight."
Bai Lian read Long Cheng's expression: "He's going to put it all on the line! Be careful! Prioritise His Majesty and Lord Zi's safety!"
The Seventeen Hidden Dragons led the charge with the guards following behind.
Long Cheng swung with everything he had, but he opted to use Evil Wind Myriad Blade's risky techniques. They say, "An inch shorter, an inch more dangerous." Meaning, the shorter the range of a weapon, the greater the risk required to land. Additionally, Long Cheng was mad; as such, he was disappointed and lacked a desire to guard himself. Hence, he struck without considering his safety. He tried to outpace his opponents, quickly dispatching those in his way.
"Wind of Death!" exclaimed Long Cheng.
Those caught in Wind of Death explosively leapt back. As soon as they backed down, Long Cheng dashed into a lane. They gave chase, but they ran into a dead end. Meanwhile, Long Cheng was gone. There was no need to guess there was a secret door somewhere.
Among the Seventeen Hidden Dragons present were members of the Emperor's Entourage, who were reconnaissance experts. They soon located the hidden door from the traces of blood. The issue was how to open it; they needed some time to figure out how to open it. It, usually, wouldn't be the biggest of issues. It was an issue, though, for His Majesty was there, and they couldn't act on their own. They, therefore, went to report to His Majesty.
The Emperor thought about it and replied, "If we blindly charge in, we'll suffer. Bai Lian, did you and Ming Feizhen ever search the dungeon? There must be a mechanism to access the underground area."
l
