"You, surnamed Wan, are you crazy?! Do you even know what you're doing right now?" After Xu Yao connected to the other party's communication system, he bombarded that person with a ferocious roar in a rare display of strong emotions. Generally, it didn't matter how they fought with foreign enemies, but now, he had been attacked by the people belonging to his own side. Him being stationed in Huaxia meant that he didn't have a particularly good relationship with those of Blood Prison, but, in the end, they were all citizens of Tarot.
"Hmm… I've never been as sober as I am at this moment." Wan Deqing's sharp face, filled with apathy and traces of ridicule, appeared on the screen. "Both of us have the same duties on faraway planets, yet you can enjoy the warmth of the sunshine here, whilst our Wan Family has to guard the cold and darkness on Blood Prison. You tell me why is it so?!"
"Is this the reason why you've turned to attack your own people?"
"If you think it's because of that, then it is." Wan Deqing laughed. "In any case, the war has already started and I won't be the one stopping it. General Xu, take a guess, who do you think will win this battle?"
"Do I need to guess? Laozi has yet to learn how to write the word 'defeat' during this lifetime. Besides, you think it's a sure-fire thing to join forces with the Orcs? The Emperor attaches a significant amount of importance to Huaxia, much more than you can think of."
"The Emperor? I'm afraid he'll be too busy to care. Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha…"
With this, the communication between the two ended. Xu Yao pondered on Wan Deqing's last words and his face suddenly darkened. "Leslie, quickly contact Uncle Guan."
Guan Xuefeng did not pick up the call.
Leslie said, "General, the Commander is in a meeting."
"Brother Xu, why are you calling Uncle Guan?" Yan Jie asked.
"If Wan Deqing can silently lead an army here, he can attack Xingdu as well."
"No way! He has fewer people, it'll result in a difficult battle if he chooses to attack the Capital. Does he dare to face the entire garrison of Xingdu, which is full of soldiers?"
"What else doesn't he dare to do?!" Xu Yao would have also thought it impossible at the beginning, but what if Wan Deqing had already quietly sent people to Xingdu?
Up until now, criminals with a lengthy prison sentence and the death penalty sentence were incarcerated in Blood Prison. Moreover, all criminals, across the entire Tarot Empire, guilty of a major crime would usually be transported to Blood Prison, thus increasing the concentration of criminals there. The escort spaceship for prisoners travelled to and from the planet once a month. They would release the prisoners who were due to be released from prison, and bring the new incoming prisoners, who had been sentenced to a long prison term or the death penalty, back to Blood Prison. At the same time, a shift change for the guards would take place.
It would be good if this monthly routine proceeded just like it normally should. But, what if that pair of Wan father-and-son, under the ruse of transporting prisoners, secretly delivered their own people to Tarot?
Wan Deqing wasn't old, and his father was only in his fifties. It had been ten years since he had taken over the position of Chief Warden of Blood Prison. If he really wanted to mutiny against Tarot, ten years of time was more than enough for the necessary preparations. Furthermore, since Wan Deqing dared to confront him in such a manner, he obviously wasn't afraid of any consequences coming from those at the top.
"Leslie, contact the Empress using Madam's name and report the current situation." He continued, "Then contact Uncle Ming and tell him to be careful. Also, tell Han Mo to pay close attention to Madam, don't let him meet with any mishap."
"Yes!"
Seated inside a silver combat mecha, Xu Yao glanced back in the direction of the hospital for a moment, then decisively turned around and rushed towards the center of the battle.
More and more wounded soldiers were being sent to the hospital. At first, Le Yao had come over to see those who were seriously injured and check on who had already passed away, and thus could be summoned at nightfall. Consequently, he ended up rolling his sleeves to help out. He wasn't able to help much, but he did still have the ability to clean wounds and apply the closing agents. He also knew that, with his bulging stomach and impaired movement, he wasn't fit to stay at the hospital, where a quick response to each patient was required. However, the hospital was too short of manpower!
"Quick! Give me the scissors!"
"Closing agent! Who has the closing agent?!"
"Mr Xiao Le, your clothes…" A nurse looked at Le Yao in horror.
"What?" Le Yao bowed his head to look and simply said, "It's all right."
His hands, clothes and pants, had unknowingly, at some point in time, become soaked with the blood of the injured soldiers. The first time he noticed it, his stomach had churned, but now, he felt slightly better and was trying his best to adapt to the bloody situation. In other words, he didn't have the time to consider his own feelings when faced with such wounded soldiers.
Never would he have thought that one day, war would be so close; this once-in-a-lifetime experience was really enough!
Six members of the guard team had always been beside Le Yao, protecting his safety while also busily helping the wounded soldiers. Aunt Yu had also come to help. But this time, the Sarna Orcs had attacked much too suddenly and with unprecedented force in numbers! Even the veteran soldiers weren't their opponents in strength, let alone in a situation where they had been suddenly attacked like this, hence their retaliation couldn't help but be more passive.
A steady stream of injured people were being brought to the hospital. It was only today that Le Yao actually realized that compared to someone shouting at the loudest volume, the forbearance and repression of pain expressed by only muted sounds of discomfort was more unbearable to him. He had already familiarized himself with these soldiers in his days living in Huaxia. Watching these vivid lives weaken one by one before him… was suffocating.
"Mr Xiao Le, let's go, you shouldn't stay here any longer." Han Mo felt that Le Yao's mood was being affected very negatively.
"Mr Han is right. Mr Xiao Le, you should go back and rest." Aunt Yu added, "You may not feel the tiredness while you are keeping busy here, but you will feel it when you rest later."
"… Then, Brother Han and the Vice-Captain will go back with me, and the other four will stay here to help." Le Yao finished taking care of the wounded soldier in front of him and said, "It just so happens that I also have something to do at home."
"Alright," Han Mo said.
He agreed with Le Yao's suggestion, but also sneakily gave the other four a wink before leaving with Le Yao.
Taking the hint, the other four guards didn't react and kept silent for a while, just until Le Yao had disappeared, then quietly followed.
However, no one knew that, not long after they left, someone called Aunt Yu out for help, from which she never returned.
At home, Le Yao took a bath, changed his clothes and prepared incense, bowls of rice, a brush, cinnabar and a number of other items to invite the Gods. He hadn't intended to rest upon his return, but had instead decided to pray for blessings and also draw talismans. He asked Han Mo to help place the table in the center of the yard, then set everything on top.
This particular incense was much thicker than his usual incense stick, almost as thick as a rolling pin. He had not only prepared incense, but had also arranged various bowls of fruits, snacks, and other such items. He wore a robe that Han Mo had heard of but never seen, and for the first time in Huaxia, he went out without wearing a sun suit.
The temperature outside was more than fifty degrees. Without the Heart of Galaxy pendant on his neck and wrist to act as a coolant, he was afraid that the heat would have killed him in minutes.
"Mr Xiao Le, what are you doing? The sun hasn't set, and you will get sunburned if you stay like this in only a short while."
"Shhh!" Le Yao made a silencing gesture. "Help me keep watch, don't let people pass by the door. And keep quiet."
"Yes." Han Mo didn't know what Le Yao was going to do. It seemed to be a ceremony, but he hadn't seen anything like this before.
Le Yao then put a stone in each of the four corners of the yard, and bit his finger. Enduring the pain, he drew a rune on each stone before returning to the table in the center of the yard. He lit the three pillars of incense and stuck them into the rice bowls. He closed his eyes, calmed his mind, relaxed his body, and chanted, "Le Yao invites Li Laojun, the Taoist Master of Hunyuan, the Great Mother Emperor of San Palace, the three officials and nine deities of Lu Mountain… Please step out of the Palace to bless all the Flying Wolf soldiers, please help this disciple save people. This disciple devotes himself to your worship and invites the Immortals to quickly descend…"
Le Yao repeated this chant for a second time as he shook the brass bell. This bell wasn't the previous small dinosaur rattle, but a real rattle with eight small copper bells that he had had crafted during his recent trip to Xingdu. As he rang the bell, he began to circle the table. Even with his eyes closed, he didn't knock or touch the table, and always maintained the same steady pace. Even the speed of chanting did not change from the beginning to the end, it was recited very slowly. Oddly enough, this slow tone gave the entire proceeding a sense of sanctity and inviolability.
Han Mo and the several guards surrounding him didn't dare to speak. Not long after, someone suddenly entered the yard from afar at a fast pace.
Because the person was wearing a sun suit, it took Han Mo a moment to recognize the person as Aunt Yu.
Aunt Yu gestured with her eyes, asking what Le Yao was doing, to which Han Mo shook his head slightly.
A moment later, a gust of wind suddenly appeared and swirled around the desk, making Le Yao's robe flutter. Le Yao came to a stop in front of the table, and no longer chanted, but the bells continued ringing.
A flash of doubt zipped across Aunt Yu's eyes when Le Yao suddenly slammed the bell onto the table. "Bang!" After this sound rang out, the wind abruptly stopped and Le Yao continued to chant.
No one had heard anything, and no one dared to speak anything. But then, they noticed that Le Yao's forehead was gradually getting covered in sweat. They weren't able to determine whether it was due to the heat or the pressure of this ceremony.
It was only after Le Yao opened his eyes that this group of people discovered, in shock, that the originally slow-burning incense had suddenly begun to burn faster! A lot of smoke was rising! It looked as if something was devouring all of this smoke.
Le Yao observed the smoke for a while before turning his gaze towards his surroundings. "Aunt Yu, why did you come here?"
Aunt Yu showed a distressed expression. "I came to give you something."
"It's hot outside. Let's talk inside."
Aunt Yu nodded. Upon entering the house, Aunt Yu noticed that the guards didn't follow. She secretly smiled and took a small bottle out of her pocket. "You must be tired from helping out at the hospital, and may also be a little stressed because of the explosions. Uncle Liu was worried and told me to give you this calming medicine. It's safe for the children."
When Le Yao heard that it was an antenatal medicine, he reached over to accept it. The bottle was very small and the liquid inside was pale green. He was looking at the medicine in his hand, when suddenly, a strange feeling arose in his heart, one that couldn't be explained. His gaze fell back onto Aunt Yu's face. "Thank you, Aunt Yu."
Aunt Yu said, "Drink it, the taste should be alright."
The strange feeling intensified. Le Yao was still hesitant to drink the medicine, but had already started to open the lid, when Leslie's voice resounded from the communicator to reach only his ears. "Madam, don't drink!"
Le Yao hurriedly pushed the lid back into a closed position and slowly stood up. "I'll drink it later, after I take a break first." Then he shouted out loudly, "Brother—"
The words 'Han Mo' hadn't yet been uttered when the smiling Aunt Yu suddenly stretched out her arm to Le Yao's neck and started strangling him. Le Yao struggled against Aunt Yu's arm, but found that her strength was much too great!
No, this wasn't Aunt Yu! Although the two really looked exactly the same, he now realized that this person's pheromone smelled wrong. Previously, he hadn't found it abnormal. But after the distance between them decreased, he was able to notice some subtle differences. At first glance, it was still Aunt Yu, but upon looking more carefully, it clearly wasn't Aunt Yu anymore.
He was panicking and trying to stabilize his mind when he saw Han Mo rush in with the other guards. At this instant, the fake Aunt Yu's other hand was holding a miniature flashlight, which she pointed towards his stomach!!!
"You'd better not act rashly!" Aunt Yu smirked as she threatened the guards, "My miniature sonic cannon can blast your Madam into a pile of flesh and blood in an instant."
"Who the hell are you?" Han Mo's face was ashen, and his eyes flashed with aggravation.
"Who I am is not important, the important thing is that this time, you will lose." Then the fake Aunt Yu laughed and pressed the 'miniature flashlight' against Le Yao's stomach, following which a shrill sound reverberated throughout the house.
"Aaaaahhhhhhhh!" Some sort of stinging pain assaulted his brain, and caused Le Yao to scream!
…