CHAPTER 544: CHAPTER 526: REBELLION

The combat prowess of the Kyoto Capital Guard might not compare to the Ningzhou Iron Cavalry, but it is a force meticulously trained over the past few years. With Xie Xun leading them, they quickly split into two formations and shattered the ranks of the Jinyi Guard stationed outside the Jinyi Guard prison.

This was the Capital City’s territory, and the Jinyi Guard had been operating with impunity. They never expected Xie Xun would truly dare to appear. Caught off guard, Zhang Shun and the rest of the Jinyi Guard were slaughtered. Meanwhile, Xie Jue’s Shadow Guards, along with the Marquis Mansion’s deathsworn warriors, joined the Kyoto Capital Guard. Each of them was a battle-hardened warrior capable of taking on a hundred foes. It didn’t take long for the several thousand Jinyi Guards to be scattered, leaving rivers of blood in front of the prison after the fierce skirmish.

Zhang Shun had an arm severed by Xie Xun, leaving him in a pitiful state. The Jinyi Guard quickly sought reinforcements from the Imperial Palace. Though they had prepared for the possibility of Xie Xun showing up, the Jinyi Guard stationed outside the prison was undermanned. However, a force of fifteen thousand troops awaited Yuwen Jing’s orders. When news of the attack reached him, Yuwen Jing’s gaze turned venomously cold as he declared, "Xie Xun must die. I will not allow him to leave the Capital alive!"

"Yes!" Chen Mo received the order, made arrangements for Yuwen Jing’s security, and led the Jinyi Guard reinforcements to the battlefield.

Even Grandmaster Zhang had not anticipated Xie Xun’s daring arrival. Though they had guessed he might be in the Capital, they never thought Xie Xun would risk his life for the sake of these old subordinates.

Indeed, stepping forward now was tantamount to courting death!

Grandmaster Zhang was so agitated that he blurted out incoherently, "Xie Zhixu, you... you... you truly are..."

Truly worthy of being Marquis Zhenbei’s son!

Unflinching in the face of danger, unafraid of death—though trapped in the Capital, a veritable cage, he remained fearless in his resolve. Even at the cost of his own life, he was determined to save these innocent people who were imprisoned because of him.

Such a leader inspired absolute loyalty, compelling others to shed their blood and sacrifice themselves for his cause. No wonder Marquis An Yuan and others had endured silently for so many years. Watching Xie Xun now leading the Kyoto Capital Guard, the Grandmaster finally understood why Marquis An Yuan had even used his daughter’s marriage as a bargaining chip for the sake of the Marquis Zhenbei Mansion.

Otherwise, with someone of Princess Xue Lan’s stature, why would she have to marry Zhang Boxi?

Even marrying Zhang Boju would have been more than sufficient. It turned out they did it for command over the Kyoto Capital Guard!

"Grand Tutor, we meet again!" Xie Xun’s longsword dripped with blood. His crimson robes were spattered with gore, yet he greeted the Grandmaster with elegant courtesy. "Who would have thought we’d meet so soon? How have you been, sir?"

No matter how genial his expression seemed, to these scholarly officials, he remained nothing short of a fearsome demon. With a single flicker of rage, Xie Xun could reduce them to shredded flesh.

"You... I never expected this either!"

Zhang Boxi had already freed the officials and their families imprisoned in the cells. The family members looked anxious and uneasy. Princess Xue Lan clung tightly to her mother’s arm, her face pale with terror. Zhang Boxi stood nearby, softly murmuring reassurances. Among the prisoners were infants still in swaddling clothes. They had endured a harrowing day and night in their cells, waiting for the executioner’s blade to fall.

Marquis An Yuan, though imprisoned, held up relatively well. Protected by the Grandmaster and others, he had not faced much suffering. Now, standing alongside Xie Xun, his stance had been made abundantly clear. After today’s events, he and Yuwen Jing were fully and irrevocably at odds; even the last veil of pretense would no longer be preserved!

"Xie Zhixu, I, this Marquis, will join you today in overturning the heavens!" Marquis An Yuan’s eyes blazed with determination. Three years ago, they should have revolted. For the sake of their clans, they had endured humiliation and disgrace. But Yuwen Jing had pushed them too far, and they had no retreat left—they could only lift their blades to protect their families.

A blade can take lives, but it can also guard them!

"Marquis An Yuan, Xie Zhixu, I implore you to reconsider! Do not act rashly. Right now, you still have time to flee the Capital before the main forces of the Jinyi Guard arrive. The Capital is heavily guarded, the stronghold of both the Jinyi Guard and the Forbidden Army. The Emperor will not let you go. Escape! As long as you leave the Imperial City, you will be safe." The Grandmaster did not wish to see them throw their lives away meaninglessly within the Capital.

The blood and corpses in front of the Jinyi Guard prison bore grim witness to the brutal clash that had just transpired. Xie Xun’s gaze darkened as he looked in the direction of the Imperial Palace. Marquis An Yuan asked, "Zhixu, will you rebel, or will you flee?"

"I have already revealed myself; fleeing is not an option," Xie Xun replied calmly. "Today, I will pierce the heavens! As for Yuwen Jing’s life, I am determined to claim it!"

Marquis An Yuan responded with conviction, "Very well, you have courage. We will follow you—in rebellion!"