If I, a death row inmate, am not to become a demon, am I to become a member of the Imperial Guard?

The night was as thick as ink that couldn't be dissolved.

Zhou Yang carried Qin Shuang on his back, crushing the cobblestones beneath his feet. The wind howled in his ears, stinging his cheeks, but the smile on his lips grew increasingly unrestrained.

Behind him was a pack of hungry wolves.

Under the moonlight, the red robes of the Blood Shadow Guards resembled pools of flowing blood. The bounty hunters and wandering martial artists who usually hid in the shadows were now like wild dogs that had smelled blood, relentlessly chasing after them.

"Lone Wolf! Put Qin Shuang down!"

A loud shout came from behind, carrying a powerful internal force that made the surrounding window paper vibrate.

Zhou Yang ignored him completely. He even freed one hand and gave the middle finger with his back to the person behind him. Although the people behind him couldn't see it, it didn't stop him from expressing his feelings at that moment.

Trying to steal someone?

dream.

But he ran in the wrong direction.

Originally, the exit of Anyang County was in the south of the city, where the terrain was open and conducive to escape. But he was like a frightened wild boar, running wildly in the due north direction without any regard for the consequences.

That's the imperial palace.

The imperial palace was heavily guarded, with sentries every five or ten steps.

The city walls soared into the clouds, adorned with torches that illuminated the city as if it were daytime. The armor of the Imperial Guards gleamed coldly, and their powerful bows and crossbows were already fully drawn, ready to fire.

"Who goes there! How dare you trespass into the palace!"

A sharp shout came from the city wall, followed by the clanging sound of a bowstring snapping.

That was the sound of Death plucking the strings of his harp.

Zhou Yang didn't stop; instead, he accelerated again. He slapped his thigh, increasing his speed several notches, and even deliberately exposed himself on an open rooftop.

"What are you standing there for! Shoot!"

The Blood Shadow Guard commander, who was closest to the pursuer, panicked and, disregarding all rules, smashed the tile in front of him with a single blow.

The moment the Imperial Guard archers released their grip, Zhou Yang did something extremely reckless.

Instead of seeking cover, he whirled around and pulled a bounty hunter who was rushing up from the side to ambush him in front of him.

Puff puff!

The dull thuds of arrows piercing flesh echoed one after another.

The bounty hunter didn't even have time to scream before he was riddled with arrows.

But the arrows were too powerful; they pierced through the corpse and still managed to embed themselves in Zhou Yang's left shoulder. One stray arrow even grazed his neck, drawing a line of blood.

Blood exploded.

Zhou Yang groaned, lost his balance in mid-air, and crashed heavily onto the roof of an inconspicuous Taoist temple.

The tiles shattered, and he rolled down, landing right in the backyard of the Taoist temple.

"puff--"

He spat out a mouthful of blood, staining the leather armor on his chest that belonged to "Lone Wolf".

pain.

Excruciating pain.

But the light in his eyes was frighteningly bright.

It became.

He was betting that these Imperial Guards would not distinguish between friend and foe, and that they would kill anyone they saw.

Now, these injuries are the best disguise.

Rapid footsteps and shouts came from above.

"He's there! That's the back entrance to the observatory!"

"Surround him! Don't let him escape!"

"Damn it, has this lone wolf gone mad? Why is it trying to sneak into the palace?"

Zhou Yang struggled to get up from the ground, his left arm hanging limply, blood dripping from his wrist onto the floor. He glanced at Qin Shuang, who was still "unconscious" in his arms.

Qin Shuang's breathing was weak, and her brows were slightly furrowed, clearly indicating that she had suffered internal injuries.

"My lord, I'm so sorry."

Zhou Yang muttered something under his breath, but there was no hint of apology in his tone.

He dragged his badly injured body and staggered toward the depths of the Taoist temple. There stood an abandoned alchemy furnace, next to a dry well.

No, that's not a dry well.

That was one of the entrances from the observatory to the underground, and also the secret passage he had seen in the fragments of the register.

The pursuers had already broken through the courtyard gate.

The leader was a burly swordsman with a fierce face, carrying a nine-ringed broadsword. His eyes were fixed greedily on Zhou Yang, or more accurately, on Qin Shuang in his arms.

"Lone Wolf, you can't escape now!"

The swordsman grinned maliciously, "Leave the man here, and I'll give you a proper corpse!"

Zhou Yang leaned against the alchemy furnace, panting heavily. His face was ashen, and his forehead was covered in cold sweat, a sign of excessive blood loss.

"You want her?"

Zhou Yang grinned, his teeth covered in blood.

He suddenly and violently threw Qin Shuang out of his arms.

It wasn't a gentle push; it was a full-force throw, like tossing a tattered sack, aimed at the group of bounty hunters.

"Give it to her!"

This happened extremely suddenly.

Qin Shuang's already delicate body traced an arc in the air before crashing straight into the center of the crowd.

The group of bounty hunters were stunned for a moment, then their eyes lit up with wild joy.

That's Qin Shuang!

That's Qin Shuang, who can bring endless wealth and glory!

"be mine!"

"Don't try to take it! I caught it first!"

The once orderly encirclement instantly fell apart. Several people, moving with the speed of hungry dogs pouncing on their prey, rushed to catch Qin Shuang in mid-air, afraid that if they were a step too slow, someone else would get there first.

The weapons that were originally pointed at Zhou Yang unconsciously retracted inward, as if afraid of damaging the valuable "goods".

In that moment of chaos.

No one noticed that the lone wolf, who should have collapsed from exhaustion, suddenly had clear and sharp eyes.

No one even saw how he moved.

He was like a drop of water merging into the ocean, silently retreating into the shadows behind the alchemy furnace in that chaotic moment.

That's the location of the dry well.

There was no dramatic farewell, no harsh words, and no lingering affection.

In the blink of an eye, the figure that had been standing there, barely clinging to life, vanished into thin air.

When the burly swordsman grabbed Qin Shuang and shouted excitedly, "Gotcha!", she looked up.

There was nothing but emptiness in front of me.

Only the blood-stained alchemy furnace stood alone in the night wind.

The shocking pool of blood on the ground proved that a lone wolf on a desperate escape had indeed been there.

Where are they?!

The swordsman's eyes widened, and he roared in disbelief.

"It was just here! How did it disappear in the blink of an eye?"

"Search! There must be secret passages underground!"

"Forget about that lone wolf! Take Qin Shuang back to the Imperial Advisor first! That would be a truly great achievement!"

The crowd erupted in uproar.

Some wanted to find the secret passage, while others only wanted to protect Qin Shuang and claim credit.

Greed is the best smokescreen.

The moment Zhou Yang jumped into the dry well, he activated the mechanism above his head.

The sound of the stone slabs closing was barely audible amidst the cacophony of arguments.

Darkness instantly engulfed everything.

The air underground was cold and damp, with a musty smell.

Zhou Yang slid down the iron chain on the well wall quickly, and his feet touched the solid ground.

The darkness here made him feel safer than the torches outside.

He leaned against the damp, cold wall and let out a long sigh.

The wound on his left shoulder was still bleeding, but he didn't rush to treat it.

He was listening.

Listen to the sounds of fighting and cursing coming from above, and the new round of bloodshed that those idiots are about to unleash over Qin Shuang.

"Commander Qin, I'm sorry."

Zhou Yang pulled a tattered cloth from his pocket, casually wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, and a playful expression appeared on his face.

"Those bounty hunters may be greedy, but they're all capable and will surely return you to the Imperial Advisor. Since you intend to lure the Imperial Advisor away, I'll give you a ride."

This is an open conspiracy.

If Qin Shuang falls into the hands of a rabble, the news will spread quickly. To ensure success, the Imperial Advisor will undoubtedly mobilize all available forces to intercept and kill those bounty hunters and reclaim Qin Shuang.

The mission to hunt down the "lone wolf" was naturally put on hold.

The Grand Preceptor might even believe that "Lone Wolf" had already escaped during the chaos.

After all, in everyone's eyes, that act of abandoning Qin Shuang and fleeing for his life was the epitome of cowardice. Who would believe that someone who was seriously injured and had lost his bargaining chip would dare to stay in the same place?

No one would have thought that he hadn't gone far at all.

Zhou Yang touched the half-piece of dragon spine hidden in his underwear.

His heart skipped a beat when his fingertips touched the cold bone fragment.

The system panel appeared before his eyes, with a line of pale red text flashing.

[Host detected to be in an extremely dangerous area; abnormal heart rate fluctuations.]

[Current Mission: Infiltrate the underground altar of the observatory.]

[Reward: Lifespan increased by 50 years.]

Looking at the words "50 years", Zhou Yang's face, which had turned pale due to blood loss, instantly became much rosier.

"Fifty Ws".

He couldn't help but swallow, his eyes even more fervent than when he saw the barrage of arrows.

This is hardly an adventure.

This is clearly a purchase.

He tore off a piece of his shirt, bit one end with his teeth, and tightened the bandage on the wound on his left shoulder with one hand.

The pain brought him to his senses.

The noise above gradually faded away; the group of bounty hunters must have already led Qin Shuang to break through from another direction.

The observatory floor fell silent once more.

But Zhou Yang knew that the real drama was just beginning.

The Grand Preceptor will soon discover that although he has obtained what he wanted, the person who truly wanted his life has disappeared.

"You want to use me as a pawn."

Zhou Yang, supporting himself against the wall, walked step by step into the depths of darkness.

"Let's see who the player is and who the pawn is."

He took a few steps, then suddenly stopped and redeemed a bottle of the cheapest, lowest-quality liquor from the system shop.

He tilted his head back and took a big gulp.

The spicy liquor burned down his throat, sending a shiver through his body.

"Cool."

He wiped his face, casually tossed the empty bottle to the ground, and the sound of shattering glass echoed in the empty passageway.

That cowardly, greedy, and afraid-to-die "lone wolf" is dead.

He died in that instant when ten thousand arrows pierced his heart.

Zhou Yang is now a hunter.

A hunter lurking in his prey's lair, ready to overturn the table.

He raised his head and looked at the tightly closed stone door in front of him.

A faint blue light shone through the crack in the door, like will-o'-the-wisps.

Zhou Yang grinned, revealing a set of gleaming white teeth.

"The room is open for inspection."