CHAPTER 153: CHAPTER 152: OPEN THE GATE

Situ Jing was taken aback, immediately sobering up in an instant.

It turned out that the confusing smoke just now didn’t render someone completely unconscious but rather trapped them in an almost illusory realm, unable to discern friend from foe.

The red-haired, green-eyed demon in that illusion was indeed the Golden-faced Imperial Censor, and the demonic claw stuffing something into his mouth must have been medicine given by the Golden-faced Imperial Censor...

And he himself...

Situ Jing quickly stepped forward, supporting Lu Qing who was swaying and about to collapse, while pulling his sword out from the chest of the follower, protecting Lu Qing and surveying the surroundings to assess the situation.

Fortunately, there was no one around them at this moment, but a couple of yards away, there were indeed people engaged in grappling, clearly also ensnared by the illusion.

"How are you? Can you hold on?" Situ Jing could not afford to show any remorse towards Lu Qing at this point; he glanced at the location of the bloodstain and asked quietly.

"For a while, I won’t die..." Lu Qing’s voice had lost its usual strength, sounding like he was forcing himself to stay alert.

His face was covered with fake skin, making it impossible to discern his complexion, but the blood on his chest continued to seep out, spreading increasingly, filling those who saw it with dread.

Situ Jing tore his robe into strips to bind up Lu Qing’s chest, using the remaining fabric as padding to press on his chest, temporarily slowing the bleeding.

Before long, some soldiers seemed to be approaching them, their eyes distant, yet their movements showed no sign of hesitation.

Situ Jing had no choice but to settle Lu Qing on the ground, guarding beside him, capturing any approaching imperial guard soldiers and knocking them unconscious, tossing them aside. If confronted with one of the "high man’s" followers, he would not hesitate to thrust his sword.

For the moment, aside from those engaged in combat, no one could approach him and Lu Qing.

Lu Qing lay weakly on the ground, his eyes constantly observing everything around him, his lips growing paler, yet he still managed to keep his eyes peeled, watching his surroundings.

After an unknown amount of time, amidst the chaotic sounds of slaughter around them, there came an added layer of noise that seemed more methodical; not only the clash of weapons and the hurried steps but also shouting and responding between people.

Situ Jing tightened his grip on his sword, held his breath, and stared in the direction from which the sound originated.

In the darkness, several people were quickly approaching, engaging in combat with those they encountered along the way. As they moved, someone could be heard shouting, "My Lord—! General Situ—!"

That voice was unfamiliar to Situ Jing; it was not someone close to him.

He did not know whether the arriving individuals were friend or foe, or if they were subordinates of the "high man" merely pretending to expose their location, so he carefully listened without immediately answering.

However, Lu Qing recognized the voice; it was distinctly from Fu Lu.

He wanted to speak but found himself unable to muster even the breath to shout. He could only muster lifting a hand slightly, tugging at the hem of Situ Jing’s robe.

Situ Jing comprehended the gesture and hurriedly responded on his behalf, "We’re over here!"

His voice was loud enough to be clearly heard, and the footsteps accelerated instantly. They seemed to encounter further obstacles along the way, followed by a "Hey—ya!" sound, and the heavy thud of a body being tossed aside.

Soon, a burly man in dark attire and a copper mask came running foremost, followed by several others.

Lu Qing immediately saw Fu Lu at the front, feeling slightly reassured, and as he watched the familiar figure in the uniform of personal soldiers rushing towards him, finally feeling completely at ease before succumbing to darkness.

By the time Zhu Yu reached him, Lu Qing had already lost consciousness.

Earlier, that "high man" had deceitfully released the confusing smoke; fortunately, Lu Qing had carried two Awakening Pills gifted by Yan Daoxin, able to dispel any sedative. Zhu Yu had just begun feeling dazed when Lu Qing slipped one into his mouth, instantly clearing his mind.

She didn’t even have time to wonder why the smoke hadn’t affected Lu Qing before he took advantage of the chaos to drag her out of the crowd.

"Those people used the smoke to try to escape amidst the chaos, but everyone around was ensnared, delaying their escape," Lu Qing said gravely to Zhu Yu, "I need to deliver the medicine to Situ Jing; you must open the camp gates as quickly as possible to let in the reinforcements.

If those people manage to escape first, even those outside might fall into a trap."

Zhu Yu dared not delay and dashed towards the camp gates as fast as she could.

She hadn’t run so fast in a long time, feeling as though her lungs would explode in her chest, with only the rushing wind in her ears.

Once she managed to open the camp gates ahead of the robbers, letting in the reinforcements, she immediately turned back to find Lu Qing.

Fu Lu and Yan Daoxin followed closely around Zhu Yu, assisting her in dealing with the disoriented imperial guard soldiers along the way.

But she never expected that when she found Lu Qing, his clothes would be soaked with blood, lying on the ground unconscious.

Zhu Yu felt that her heart, which had been pounding moments ago, suddenly stopped.

She took hold of Lu Qing’s wrist to feel his pulse, which was so weak it felt like a tremor, impossible to detect without carefully sensing.

Zhu Yu looked up at Situ Jing, wanting to ask how Lu Qing was injured, but as their eyes met, Situ Jing quickly averted his gaze guiltily, unwilling to meet her eyes.

Zhu Yu immediately realized the truth.

"Do you have any antiseptic medicine?" Zhu Yu asked Yan Daoxin with a trembling voice.

Yan Daoxin, initially in disbelief at Lu Qing’s injury, was momentarily stunned. Upon Zhu Yu’s inquiry, he hurriedly retrieved items from within his clothes, handing over two small porcelain bottles: "These, one for stopping blood, one for regenerating flesh, use them all on him if you can!

Unfortunately, this is not an ideal place for examination at the moment..."

Hearing this, Situ Jing snapped back, hurriedly telling Zhu Yu, "Take him to my main tent! I’ll manage things here!"

Yan Daoxin nodded, patting Fu Lu, "Carry your Lord and go with the Chief Historian! I’ll assist General Situ outside, resolving the effects of the confusing smoke on those affected!"

Fu Lu dared not delay and carefully lifted Lu Qing onto his back, closely following Zhu Yu and quickly bypassing the confused soldiers to reach Situ Jing’s main tent.