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Xiao Qi is a middle-aged man with a scruffy beard, and it seems he is the leader among this group of Red-Clad Disciples, possessing a certain level of authority.
Lu Chen stepped aside, collected the two large swords, and stored them in Jun Bell. Then he said, "Good, good. Your name is Xiao Qi, right? This lady is Princess Zhulan of Yushan Kingdom, and she is also one of the allies of Sunzi Zhao Huang Ye."
These two standard large swords are unique to the Five Element Sect and are too conspicuous; they need to be handled carefully.
"Greetings, Your Highness." Xiao Qi and the others bowed to Princess Zhulan, who nodded but did not speak.
From this point, it can be seen that the disciples of the Red Robe Sect are very respectful of etiquette. Although they have been labeled with the Anti-Zhou Church's stigma, they are quite different from ordinary bandits and have clearly received better training.
These individuals are true righteous warriors, rallying under the banner of the Han People, harboring noble ideals, making them easier to educate, and they never engage in despicable acts of plunder or robbery.
"Xiao Qi, please tell me about the current situation on Wind Blinder Archipelago so I can take precautions!" Lu Chen said to Xiao Qi. He knew nothing about the situation on Wind Blinder Archipelago and was unaware of how many forces the Red Robe Sect had there.
"Reporting to the Incense Ambassador."
Lu Chen had Xiao Qi and the others sit down; after all, they had fought for so long that their physical strength was severely depleted.
Xiao Qi said, "We don't fully understand the specific situation either. We belong to the Jizhou Huaiyang Province Branch and were on a mission near Wind Blinder Archipelago when we unexpectedly heard about the Great Zhou Court's joint effort to encircle our Red Robe Sect. Due to the urgency of the situation, we had to send two disciples back to Huaiyang overnight to deliver the message. The rest of us changed our course and rushed here for support. Along the way, we encountered many troops from the Great Zhou Court and fought while retreating; we suffered significant casualties among our brothers. Just now, when passing through here, we were ambushed by those two disciples from the Five Element Sect wielding large swords. Counting everything up, more than fifty brothers have been lost, leaving only this many remaining. You know what happened afterward."
Xiao Qi wiped his dirt-covered face with his sleeve, looking quite disheveled and sorrowful; he nearly broke into tears.
"I see. The deceased are gone; Xiao Qizhu should mourn but prioritize the greater situation," Lu Chen shook his head. He didn't know how to comfort Xiao Qi regarding his losses.
These disciples are from Jizhou Huaiyang Province and are not locals of Wind Blinder Archipelago; thus, they do not have a clear understanding of the specific circumstances.
After pondering for a moment, Lu Chen asked again, "So how many of our forces remain on Wind Blinder Archipelago?"
Xiao Qi thought for a moment and replied, "Wind Blinder Archipelago is essentially the core base for our Red Robe Sect in the Eastern Seven States; it serves as a reserve base. We have a considerable number of forces occupying thirty-six major islands and hundreds of smaller ones. There are four main flags: Divine Wind, Xuanhuo, Thunderbolt, and Violet Lightning. The main flag is commanded by the Red Robe Sect Leader, under which there are ten sub-flags with about two hundred fifty people each. Each sub-flag has five smaller flags with around fifty people each. In total, we have over ten thousand personnel."
Xiao Qi is a Flag Master of one of these flags with over fifty subordinates. They fought their way in from outside Wind Blinder Archipelago but intended to support their main sect; however, they suffered heavy losses along the way—losing nearly one-fifth of their forces—leaving only about ten remaining now.
"How many brothers on the island have withdrawn?" Lu Chen asked.
"Perhaps none at all!" Xiao Qi expressed his opinion. Although it was just an opinion, based on the actual situation, the likelihood of this was very high.
Lu Chen's eyes sparkled with light, his thoughts swirling. The Headquarters of the Red Robe Sect in the Eastern Seven States had four main flags and tens of thousands of troops, and if not a single one had retreated, then there could only be one outcome: they were completely surrounded, waiting to be slaughtered.
The Great Zhou Protector King, Huangfu Xin, suddenly took action with thunderous methods, uniting various forces to launch a campaign in the east against the Wind Blinder Archipelago. This operation was meticulously planned, even fooling the spies that the Red Robe Sect had embedded within the court's army. It was only when the event unfolded that it was suddenly announced, catching the entire Red Robe Sect off guard, with no time for preparation.
This was like a blow to the head, likely extinguishing the nascent momentum of the Anti-Zhou Church.
Lu Chen pondered back and forth, feeling that something was very strange. The Great Zhou Court's intentions could not be so simple; although the power of the Red Robe Sect established in the Eastern Seven States was immense, it still did not compare to even one-thousandth of the Great Zhou army. Yet they were making such a significant effort—could there be a great secret hidden within?
"Is there any news about Sunzi Zhao Huang Ye?" Lu Chen asked again.
"None!" Xiao Qi shook his head.
"I hope Brother Zi Zhao is not on the island," Lu Chen murmured. Sun Zizhao was the core of the entire Anti-Zhou Church; he absolutely could not come to harm, or it would be a devastating blow to the Anti-Zhou Church.
After discussing with Xiao Qi and others for a while longer, Lu Chen finally commanded as the Incense Ambassador: "Xiao Qizhu, take the remaining brothers and retreat. Head back to Huaiyang and act according to circumstances. If you encounter any supporting brothers on the way, tell them not to come. The Great Zhou Court's efforts to eliminate bandits are formidable; no matter how many people come, it won't change the outcome. Go now!"
"Incense Ambassador, what about you?" Xiao Qi asked anxiously.
Lu Chen saved them but ordered them to leave while he himself showed no intention of retreating.
Lu Chen took a deep breath, looking towards the direction of Wind Blinder Archipelago, straightened his waist and said: "I cannot withdraw yet. Brother Zi Zhao formed an alliance with me and gifted me the Demon-Slaying Sword; such kindness deserves reciprocity. There are still many brothers on Wind Blinder Archipelago; I must make a trip there."
"We're not leaving, Incense Ambassador." A dozen Red-Clad Disciples rushed in front of Lu Chen and knelt down on both knees, their emotions running high.
"Xiao Qizhu, consider the bigger picture. My personal safety is one thing, but we cannot let the lifeblood of the Anti-Zhou Church be severed," Lu Chen resolutely decided to continue deeper into Wind Blinder Archipelago. His tone was righteous and serious.
"Incense Ambassador," Xiao Qi wiped his tears away, his eyes red; this middle-aged man unexpectedly began to sob softly, along with those surrounding Red-Clad Disciples who could hardly conceal their sorrow.
The atmosphere at the scene was filled with sorrow, even Princess Zhulan, an outsider, was moved.
“Xiao Qizhu, you don’t need to worry about me. I have the identity of a disciple from the Five Element Sect as cover; the officials won’t target me for no reason. You all should leave quickly,” Lu Chen said, with his hands clasped behind his back, exuding a strong aura of a man.
Xiao Qi and the other Red-Clad Disciples gradually stood up. Xiao Qi said, “Incense Ambassador, you two take care. We will take our leave now.”
Lu Chen suddenly raised his head. Xiao Qi and the others cupped their hands and turned to leave with their long knives in hand.
At the same time, Lu Chen noticed that Princess Zhulan also trembled slightly, her dark green eyes looking at Lu Chen in confusion, clearly affected by Xiao Qi's words.
“Xiao Qizhu must have misunderstood. The princess saved me just now, so she thinks our relationship is close. It’s all my fault for not clarifying things,” Lu Chen said self-reproachfully.
Princess Zhulan’s pretty face flushed, and a hint of shyness flashed between her brows as she realized that Xiao Qi had mistaken her relationship with Lu Chen as that of a couple.
However, now that Xiao Qi and the others were gradually walking away, it would be inappropriate to call them back for an explanation over such a trivial matter. Moreover, even blaming Lu Chen wouldn’t be of much use.
The situation was irreversible, and Princess Zhulan could only let it go.
“Thank you for your help just now, Princess,” Lu Chen said to Princess Zhulan, referring to how she had interrupted Chen Yushan from communicating with the Young Sovereign using her sleeve arrows.
“Brother Lu Chen, you’re being too polite. We are all in the same boat; there’s no need to stand on ceremony,” Princess Zhulan replied straightforwardly, showing herself to be a generous person.
“What are your plans next, Princess?” Lu Chen asked, curious about why Tu Youdong was not by Princess Zhulan’s side. It seemed that since they left the Five Element Sect, he hadn’t seen any sign of Tu Youdong, which was strange.
“What about you, Brother Lu Chen? What are your plans?” Princess Zhulan thought for a moment, pursing her pink lips before returning the question.
“I naturally plan to continue towards the Wind Blinder Archipelago. Even if Brother Sun Zizhao is not up there, I should still go see it for the sake of the four major command flags,” Lu Chen took two steps forward and said slowly.
“Brother Lu Chen, we think alike; after all, we share a common enemy,” Princess Zhulan replied.
“A common enemy?” Lu Chen asked.
Princess Zhulan nodded but did not answer, saying, "I have a special alliance with Sunzi Zhao Huang Ye, but I feel that now is not the time to tell Brother Lu Chen. In the future, you will naturally know."
"Is that so?" Princess Zhulan was unwilling to elaborate, and Lu Chen did not bother to press further.
"Since Princess Zhulan has her reasons for not speaking, then so be it. Traveling at night is not very safe; let's rest nearby for the night and head towards Wind Blinder Archipelago tomorrow. What do you think, Princess?" Lu Chen suggested.
"Alright, let's go with Brother Lu Chen's plan!"
Tu Youdong was not by Princess Zhulan's side, so she must be entering Wind Blinder Archipelago alone. She could not find anyone else to team up with, and now that she happened to encounter Lu Chen, it was indeed a fortunate coincidence.
Lu Chen and Princess Zhulan left the clearing and entered the forest, finding a slightly larger tree to lean against and rest.
However, they maintained a distance of four or five feet apart, as their relationship had not yet developed to that level of intimacy.
By late night, Princess Zhulan closed her dark eyes and began to meditate and sleep.
Lu Chen, on the other hand, practiced Yin Spirit Disembodiment and continued cultivating the Four Symbols Thunder Scripture. His hands formed claw shapes as two electric serpents hissed and rose from his palms, stretching and retracting repeatedly, colliding with each other. At times, they emitted dazzling sparks and occasionally pierced through the darkness, illuminating the area within ten steps with flickering flashes of lightning.
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