Family Cultivation: My entire family are Villains

Chapter 378: 195. Bloody Massacre (Part 5)_2

Gao Haiwen's expression fluctuated uncertainly for a long time before he barely grasped his elder brother's meaning. His eyebrows twitched violently, and he lowered his head, saying, "I understand, elder brother."

"You may leave now. The city has already been in panic these past few days. Send our clansmen down to stabilize the populace and avoid chaos. This battle between the two states, if we seize the opportunity well, may not necessarily be a bad thing for us!"

Gao Haicheng watched as Gao Haiwen left, remaining silent for a long time, over a hundred beats, before he turned to look behind the main hall's screen, his eyes revealing a trace of obsession as he knelt down, his tone filled with utmost devotion, "This subordinate pays respect to your Majesty!"

Behind the screen, suddenly, a graceful and charming figure appeared.

"No need for such formalities, stand up!"

The voice from behind the screen was soft and beguiling to the bone, utterly tantalizing, making even a grandmaster like Gao Haicheng show a hint of confusion in his eyes. An ordinary person, upon hearing this voice, would likely be unable to even stand steadily.

After standing up, Gao Haicheng spoke with a solemn tone, "Your Majesty, the Demon Sect's army is attacking, and the response from the Wanjian Holy Sect seems somewhat sluggish. How should we respond?"

"You are still sensible not to follow your foolhardy younger brother's advice!"

This remark made Gao Haicheng's expression freeze, puzzled as he stared behind the screen.

"The forty-thousand strong army from Longxiang County that went to aid Wanyang County has already perished. Ren Feixing has been captured alive, and Li Wenxuan has defected with the Famed Sword Sect's roster!"

This statement shockingly dilated Gao Haicheng's pupils, his face filled with horror.

"Then the thirty-thousand strong army of Mu Qingwu...."

When even the forty-thousand-strong army from Longxiang County had been entirely annihilated, and Ren Feixing nearly killed, with Li Wenxuan defecting with the entire Famed Sword Sect, surely the fate of the even weaker Yangping County reinforcements needs no question?

"Giggle giggle giggle…"

The woman behind the screen, seemingly thinking of something amusing, suddenly let out a series of coquettish laughter.

Although Gao Haicheng felt a tingling all over his body, the shock from the news just received hadn't dissipated. He just looked questioningly at the woman behind the screen, wondering why she was laughing...

"In the Demon Sect's army, there are clever people. Those thirty-thousand troops from Yangping County are probably gone. Your Gao family had better start planning early. I have put a lot of effort into nurturing you; don't perish too soon."

"Your subordinate obeys!"

......

"This mountain is high in the east and low in the west, the highest point reaching a kilometer. From a distance, it indeed appears like a giant standing tall, gazing towards Longxiang County with a majestic and imposing aura. 'Wanglong' truly is a fitting name!"

At the border between Wanyang County and Longxiang County, atop Wanglong Mountain, three people stood on a large rock. Leading them was a middle-aged martial artist with a lithe and strong build, gazing down at Wanglong Mountain and heaving a sigh.

"It's normal for Lord Mu to feel this way on his first visit, given that Xuzhou is predominantly flatlands, such rare tall mountains are indeed impressive. I, Mr. Gui, was equally astounded upon my first sight of Wanglong Mountain," Mr. Gui mentioned.

Standing on his left, Gui Zhaoqi was not the first to echo him, but this time, Mu Qingwu felt little pleasure from it, mainly because his mood was rather poor.

He ignored Gui Zhaoqi and also disregarded the awkwardness of his companion, turning his gaze towards Lin Dongzhao on the right and asking in a low voice, "Based on our current marching speed, how long will it take to reach Wanyang County?"

Lin Dongzhao, not particularly large in stature but wearing a set of heavy Silver Armor to present a somewhat military appearance and holding a dark Serpent Spear, his eyes sharp as he scrutinized the situation on the Official Road to the west, pondered for a moment before replying, "Wanglong Mountain spans more than thirty li; it would take about twelve hours to get beyond it. From there to Wanyang County is another fifty li, requiring eight more hours. If we continue at the current speed, we will likely arrive by noon tomorrow."

Hearing this, a flicker of unusual light passed through Mu Qingwu's eyes as he continued to ask, "Based on what you mentioned earlier, if Longxiang County had received the news and departed immediately, they should have already reached Wanyang County City by now, right?"

Upon hearing this, both Lin Dongzhao and Gui Zhaoqi nodded slightly, their faces concurrently flashing an unnatural expression.

"With such a long time having passed and no news coming out, do you think Wanyang County might have already fallen?"

Gui Zhaoqi's expression became profoundly secretive, and he dared not answer, while Lin Dongzhao, after contemplating for a moment, nodded and said softly, "Very likely!"

Upon hearing these four words, a strange look crossed Gui Zhaoqi's face.

Seeing the reactions of the two men, Mu Qingwu's expression grew somewhat somber.

He had received news from Wanyang County as early as the fifth of August. According to normal marching speed, he should have arrived in Wanyang County by the tenth of August; his delay until the fifteenth was deliberate.

Since the beginning of this battle, Mu Qingwu had already harbored thoughts of retreat. Had the messenger been a day later, he would have even prepared excuses to temporarily leave Yangping County.

But the messenger arrived right on the fifth of August.

With everyone watching, even if he didn't want to come, he had no choice but to do so.

Dragging time was his last option. If he could hear of Wanyang County's fall midway, he would immediately return home, which would have been the best outcome. However, he never expected that, even upon entering Wanyang County, no news had yet arrived...

Mu Qingwu had been ready to beat a retreat for a long while. His inquiry was mainly to test Gui Zhaoqi's stance.

Lin Dongzhao, having worked with him for many years, could almost guess his thoughts, and his lack of objections meant they had similar ideas and no problems would arise;