For Bai Ruo, there was no need to go to the capital to meet the emperor and ask for a title. Although the capital was not far away, even if she was bound to get involved in the dispute between the human and the world and have some disputes with the fate of Dazhen, this would reduce the impact on her own practice as much as possible. As for the fact that Bai Ruo's relationship with the dispute between the human and the world was not legitimate because she had not been canonized by Dazhen, the Shinto of Zuyue Kingdom could attack her directly without any scruples. She was not afraid of this. Not to mention that the war was mainly in the territory of Dazhen, even if they invaded Zuyue Kingdom, the Shinto there would have collapsed.
In fact, there were many people who had the same idea as Bai Ruo, and some even took action earlier. Of course, there were also those who were willing to accept the imperial court's enthronement. Some went to the capital, while others reported to the local authorities and obtained a pass before going directly to the north.
…
“Gee…Gee…” “Gee, everyone, get over this mountain before nightfall!”
"Got it!" "Understood!"
At dusk, on a mountain road in the southern border of Qizhou, thirty or forty people were riding horses. Each of them was carrying various weapons and wearing different clothes. They seemed to be loosely organized but each of them was steady.
Finally, before nightfall, these thirty or forty people left the mountain and temporarily set up camp on the official road a few miles away from the foot of the mountain. It was called camping, but in fact, they just found a suitable place to tie up their horses, light a bonfire and rest for a while.
It is winter now. Even the warriors who have been traveling all day are freezing. It is a rare enjoyment to be able to sit by the campfires and rest. However, although their bodies are cold, their hearts are warm, and everyone is holding on to their energy.
"We have already entered Qizhou, and are not far from the Dazhen garrison pass. Be prepared and recuperate. If we run into the Zuyue thieves soon, we will give them a lesson!"
"You're right. These Zuyue bandits can't win head-on, so they resort to these crooked ways to bully us, Dazhen. Are we not alone? Let them know how sharp my sword is!"
After the man finished speaking, he pulled out his knife a little, revealing the blade that reflected the firelight.
"Now there are righteous men from all walks of life gathering here. We have martial arts skills, so it is time to uphold justice. Many people in Qizhou have been killed, and now there are villains roaming around. After we pass Qilin Pass, we will kill any villains we see!"
"Yes!" "Good!"
While the warriors were discussing heatedly, the sound of horse hooves was heard in the distance, and it was gradually approaching. Although these warriors were not familiar with military affairs, they all had martial arts skills and were relatively keen in sight and hearing, so they all fell silent immediately.
Someone leaped onto a nearby tree and looked into the distance to see a group of knights approaching. It was not yet completely dark, so it could be seen that the knights were all dressed in neat armor.
"Comrades, here comes a group of soldiers, they look like our Dazhen soldiers!"
Hearing what the man on the tree said, the people below looked at each other and subconsciously stood up with their weapons still on their bodies, without trying to avoid it.
Before long, this team of knights had already ridden their horses close by. The leading officer waved his hand, and the cavalry began to slowly slow down, finally stopping about thirty steps away from the group of martial artists, which was a relatively safe distance and within the high-powered range of the soldiers' bows and crossbows.
The leading soldier held a spear and pointed it at the warriors in front.
"I am from the Dazhen Northern Expedition Army patrol team. Who are you? Tell me your names immediately!"
At the moment the sergeant was asking questions, dozens of cavalrymen on horseback had already aimed their crossbows forward.
Immediately, a warrior stepped forward and clasped his fists in response.
"We are all warriors from the Dazhen Jianghu. The country is in trouble now, so we have come to the north to do our best to kill the traitor Zu Yue and uphold justice."
"Do you have a guide?"
"Yes, please have a look!"
The warrior who had answered before took out the pass book from his arms, took a few steps forward and handed it to the soldier. The latter took it and opened the book to check. He could see the seals and annotations on the first few checkpoints. Looking at these warriors again, some were dressed simply and some were dressed brightly, but they were basically neat and tidy, and there was no blood on their bodies.
The sergeant suddenly asked, his eyes narrowed.
"You are all from Yizhou? You just came to the north. Did you bring Yizhou's famous Hualong Tuanzi Cake? I haven't eaten it for a long time."
The leading warrior frowned, but before he could say anything, someone in the crowd behind him asked in confusion.
"Hualong Tuanzi Cake? Famous in Yizhou? I haven't heard of it. Then, Junshou, is it a delicacy from some small place?"
The leading soldier smiled and put away the gun in his hand.
"I made it up. Of course you haven't heard it."
The warrior understood, but still finished what he had just said.
"Not all of us are from Yizhou. We also have fellow travelers from Bingzhou. It's just that the pass was obtained from Yizhou. The one over there is the chief constable of Bingzhou, the Yin-Yang God Constable Wang Kewang!"
The soldier was slightly stunned, and looked up at the inconspicuous man in brown shirt standing by the campfire. He saw that the other party was slightly bowing towards him. He didn't expect that this man was a public detective. However, he had never heard of the title of Yin-Yang God Constable. It should be the same as those exaggerated titles in the underworld.
Thinking of this, the soldier returned the salute to Wang Ke, then handed the pass booklet back to the warrior in front of the horse, and then bowed to everyone.
"Thank you all for coming to help. This is already the front line. Please forgive me for any offense I have caused."
"Don't worry, sir. We know the seriousness of the situation!" "Yes, sir, don't worry. We are also people who travel the world and know that we must be on guard against others!"
The warriors did not really have much ill will towards this group of cavalrymen. Seeing that their clothes and armor were mostly scratched and torn, and stained with a lot of old blood, it was clear without asking that they were brave soldiers who had experienced bloody battles.
"Well, I would like to remind you that you are no longer safe here. There are many strange enemies, so you must be careful of their tricks. Going northeast is the direction of our army's camp, and there are small paths around that can lead to the pass, so you must be careful! We have military duties to attend to, so I'll take my leave first!"
"Take care, everyone. See you later!" "See you later!"
Some warriors who were hiding behind trees also came out. Thirty or forty of them saluted toward the fifty cavalrymen. Only the officer on horseback returned the salute, and then after saying "let's go", he rode away with his soldiers.
When the cavalry disappeared from the warriors' sight, they began to sigh with emotion.
"What a mighty army! There is no way I, Dazhen, will lose!"
"Yes, with this royal division, we will surely be able to defeat the bandits!"
While others were sighing, the warrior holding the pass also approached Wang Ke, who had remained silent.
"Captain Wang, should we go to the main camp?"
"Well, of course I have to go. I have to listen to what the sergeant says. I have to be especially careful at night. I have to add more people to the night watch tonight."
When Wang Ke spoke, his eyes were still looking at the direction where the cavalrymen left. At this moment, there was only a cloud of rising dust in his sight.
"Second Master, why are you staring at those soldiers?"
The person who spoke was the man standing next to Wang Ke. He looked strong and tall, but his face still showed some immaturity. It was Zuo Wuji, who was only fourteen years old.
Wang Ke looked at Zuo Wuji and sighed.
"I have been in charge of the Prison Seal for many years. This item was given to me by an immortal. Over the years, I have been able to judge yin and yang and gradually gain some abilities. Sometimes I can vaguely sense when someone is about to die."
"So, Second Master means those sergeants?"
"Well, but I can't say anything. Nothing is absolute in this world. The soldiers who marched north are already in danger. Even people like you and me have death energy in us. Let's rest first."
…
That night, a scream was faintly heard in the distant wilderness.
Wang Ke, who was originally sleeping soundly, suddenly opened his eyes, frowned, looked around, and nudged Zuo Wuji beside him with his elbow. The latter also opened his eyes the next moment, looked at the person beside him and lowered his voice in confusion.
"Master?"
"Shh... wake everyone up and don't make any noise."
Zuo Wuji then realized that even the night watchmen had fallen asleep in this temporary camp, and he simply did not believe that the warriors would not be able to resist the sleepiness and hold out until the shift change.
Soon, everyone was pushed awake one after another, and when they woke up, they were reminded by their companions who woke up earlier not to make any noise.
"Everyone, show your weapons."
The warriors gathered together and handed out their swords and other items. Wang Ke took out a small seal from his arms and gently pressed it on the weapons of everyone. The fluorescent word "prison" flashed faintly on the swords and other items.
"Everyone, an evil creature will appear tonight. We will pretend to be asleep and control our heart rate and breathing. If he attacks us later, do not hesitate."
"I know!" "Yes." "I'll listen to Captain Wang!"
Everyone became nervous, but after all, they were all experienced in the martial arts world, so they quickly suppressed their anxiety, lay back in their respective seats and pretended to sleep, controlling their breathing and pulse to make themselves appear to be in a deep sleep.
About half a quarter of an hour later, about twenty figures appeared silently from the distant wilderness and approached the camp where Wang Ke and others were at a very fast speed.
"Humph, there are indeed some short-lived ghosts here. Master Zhou's sleepiness is really strong. We can cut off a hundred left ears tonight."
Soon, more than twenty people came closer and saw clearly that there were dozens of people dressed as warriors sleeping beside a bonfire that was still hot from sparks. They all looked happy immediately.
"Are these warriors from the mainland of Dazhen? Great, these people have more money than those soldiers!"
"Hehe, not bad, no more nonsense, chop off their heads first."
More than twenty people leaped into the camp, slowly drew out their scimitars, and raised them high towards the necks of their targets. But when they were about to chop them down, the light of swords and knives suddenly appeared in their eyes.
“Zheng~” “Zheng~” “Zheng~”…
“Puff…” “Puff…” “Puff…” “Puff…”…
Blood was spurting out in the camp. Wang Ke and his men launched a sudden counterattack, killing and wounding many enemies. Then they covered the invading enemies with flashes of swords and shadows. Zuo Wuji held a flat stick in his hand, smashed one man's crotch and stabbed another man's neck, then swung the stick wildly.
In just a dozen breaths, with the help of deliberate planning and numerical superiority, all twenty or so intruders were killed, and many bloody ears were found in their pockets.
Half an hour later, under the leadership of Wang Ke, everyone found another camp full of the bodies of Dazhen soldiers. The officer who had left a good impression on everyone during the day was among them, and all of them had lost their left ears.