Outside the city, the prison.
Here has been a fierce fight, the strong fortified cell, now, already have a mess, fell down a large number of bodies on the ground, all dressed in black to cover up face.
At the gate of the prison, stood several skilled martial artists from the Town Security Bureau, clad in black robes and wearing a swan feather sword, exuding an imposing aura.
Among the few, a middle-aged man wearing a black robe with a yellow dragon embroidered in front of him sat on a chair, indifferently holding a teacup, sipping tea, and spitting out the tea residue in his mouth.
The man is named Li Xiao, the commander-in-chief of the Town Security Bureau, known as the Tiger of the Empire, is the first person in Tianlong Dynasty.
During the reign of the former emperor, he accompanied the army in southern campaigns to conquer the forbidden region's alien beasts. He alone defeated an entire army of alien beasts with his own strength; when the Tumen Sea Empire invaded and moved south, he single-handedly charged into a million-strong army and decapitated the head of the Tumen Sea's top fighter, thereby stopping the advance of the Tumen Sea Empire.
With these two battles, Li Xiao's reputation spread throughout Tianlong Dynasty, earning him the title of the Empire's Tiger.
"Are they all accounted for?"
Li Xiao held a teacup, looking around and scanning the surroundings, besides the fallen black-clad people, there were many skilled martial artists from the Town Security Bureau, bringing back the prisoners taken captive from all directions.
Just as his words fell, a figure bent down and whispered in Li Xiao's ear. Then, the figure handed him a list of names.
Li Xiao raised an eyebrow, his expression showing some displeasure, and he was about to scold someone when a faint call suddenly echoed in his ear. His face paled with a start, and he hurried to stand up, stepping into the void and flying towards the city walls of the capital.
Upon seeing the white-clad young lord Long Aotian on the walls of the city, Li Xiao was frightened and leaped down, bowing respectfully, "Master."
Long Aotian, with his hands behind his back and piercing eyes looking out into the distance, asked, "Late?"
Li Xiao nodded slightly, "Master said that the action would start at three o'clock in the hour of the Ox, but in fact, it began one hour earlier. These were the people taken captive at two o'clock in the hour of the Ox..."
Cheated? No, that guy, was it a mistake of listening, or did he have another intention? Long Aotian pondered in his heart.
"..., The jailbreakers have all been killed, and the prisoners have been captured, but... there are still three who have not been found and are missing..."
Li Xiao hesitated for a moment before revealing the truth.
"Three missing and unknown?"
Long Aotian raised an eyebrow, as if suddenly recalling something. His mouth curled slightly upwards, and he said, "This matter is settled. Go investigate who is behind these people. Kill those who should be killed, and do not give these rebels a chance to turn the tables."
"The three who escaped..."
"Three insignificant escapees are not worth considering"
Ten years ago, Chen Dewang went out of the city for a visit and accidentally discovered a beautiful environment in a mountain outside the capital. He then spent a large sum of money to buy a piece of land and built a residence there.
The original intention was to spend summer or take a leisurely vacation and stay temporarily for the purpose of resting and recovering.
In the first few years after the house was built, he came to visit every year, but as the new emperor ascended the throne and everyone began to fear for their safety, Chen Dewang also feared he would be gossiped about, so he didn't come back.
His two eldest sons enjoyed helping fallen women, while his third son Chen Mo was a recluse who never left the house. The house outside the city had been abandoned for several years.
Now the house has fallen into disrepair, Chen Dewang is too afraid to come out and play around, so he decided to give the house to Chen Mo.
"There, that will be my home from now on, no, our home."
Chen Mo pulled on the reins with one hand, and with the other hand pointed to the distant, abandoned four-courtyard house in the distance.
"Home?"
Liu Wuksi sat in front of Chen Mo and repeated his words in a whisper, her eyes, with their unusual color, held a complex expression.
Since she had memories, she had never had the concept of a family. When she was young, she was raised by an old beggar, an old madam in a brothel, and a man who had saved her. None of them had ever treated her like family.
How can one who has always been in the dark know what it means to be in the light?
Chen Mo's hand gently rested on Liu Wuksi's head, and the latter instinctively dodged, but failed to avoid it, so she shyly shrunk her body. She had expected to be struck, but after a long time, she did not feel any pain instead of a gentle caress.
The temperature of the palm, the exquisite touch-head technique, made Liu Wuksi gradually let go of her guard. Like a stray cat always abandoned, she seemed to have found a place that can accommodate her.
"I know that you have suffered too much in your life. I can't accompany you in the past, but I want to stay by your side and protect you in the future."
Chen Mo gently stroked Liu Wuksi's little head, his voice as tender as his touch.
As if drinking fine wine, it is intoxicating.
Liu Wuksi only felt as if she had just done a very beautiful dream. This dream was her longing, someone could contain her, accept her, let her no longer be bullied, no longer need to step into the world that is like hell.
But, can this dream come true?
Liu Wuksi's hopes have been too numerous to count, but reality has given her a heavy blow after another.
She was afraid that this time, she would still fall into the same trap.
Liu Wuksi pinched the tattered hem of her clothes with her small hands covered in blisters, then turned to look at Chen Mo. As their eyes met, she spoke, "I have heterochromia. They all say I am a source of misfortune, the kind of person who brings them bad luck. People like me shouldn't be alive."
"Mm"
"My body is ill, and these things make me very ugly, very ugly. They are afraid that I will infect them, making them like me and become ugly."
"Mm."
"My body, there are bugs, toxins, and..."
"I won't leave you no matter what you have."
Chen Mo once again stroked Liu Wuksi's head, and this time, she did not dodge or fear. The colors in her heterochromia eyes became even brighter.
"Liu Wuksi"
Liu Wuksi took a long time to gather courage and finally spoke up: "My name is Liu Wuksi."
"My name is Chen Mo, from the character 'old,' as in 'the old,' and 'mo' means to protect you silently."
Outside the four-courtyard house, there were weeds that grew as high as a person, covering an area of dozens of square meters. They had been untended for years and had turned the place into a wasteland. The path was full of thorns.
Chen Mo was pondering how to enter when he noticed that a path ran straight from a distance to the gate of the four-courtyard house, as if someone had specially opened it.
Moreover, the tracks looked very new, not older than a day.
"Who could it be at this time?"
Chen Mo's eyebrows furrowed slightly, and he dare not act rashly. He stood still for a while, but saw Zhang Long gallop over.
"Third Young Master."
Zhang Long was in a hurry, and his forehead had fine sweat. He had numerous small and big injuries on his body, but they were all superficial wounds.
Zhang Long had gone out to make his mark for a few years in the early days, and although his strength was not impressive, he was quite adept at escaping.
"Are you all right?"
Chen Mo first inquired about Zhang Long's condition, and the latter nodded slightly, saying, "I'm just an eight-level martial artist, and I can't kill me. Now, that guy has been killed by the high-level martial artists of the Town Security Bureau, Zhao Hu has returned with them, and I was questioned for a while, I came too late."
"That's good"
Chen Mo nodded slightly, then turned his gaze to the courtyard house, "There are signs of someone having cleared the land outside the house. I don't know who did it. Let's go and take a look."
