Legendary Son-in-Law: The Man with Poison Talismans

The resistance in the streets and alleys was like charcoal embers drenched by a heavy rain; the smoke was still rising, but the flames were gone.

The Imperial Guards advanced along the main street and side alleys, quickly suppressing any sporadic resistance they encountered. The remaining guards either dropped their weapons and crouched in corners, waiting to be dealt with, or had already crushed random teleportation scrolls and flown away, never to return.

On the other hand, those guards who had flown away at random quickly returned to rejoin the battle.

The once sturdy barricades and ambush points in Shabak City are now just a pile of broken bricks and a few trampled flags, like a sand table that has been turned over, with chess pieces scattered all over the place.

Only the rear hall remains standing there; that's the location of the Shabak Palace in the game.

In the real world, it certainly wouldn't be called a palace.

Above the rear hall hung a faded old plaque with three large characters engraved on it: "Gathering Righteousness Hall".

Legend has it that the Huo family ancestors established their ancestral hall with this name, meaning "to gather righteous people from all over the world and safeguard peace in one region." The three characters are still there today, but most of the paint has peeled off, and the edges of the strokes have been worn smooth by the wind and sand.

In the game, you can only truly take over the city by occupying it and eliminating all the Shabak members inside.

But in such a real world, things are obviously not that complicated. The members of Shabak are either dead or have fled. There aren't many left after fighting their way here. How many people can a rear hall hold? Besides, this rear hall isn't as indestructible as it is in the game. The actual situation is clear: behind that tightly closed door is just a group of people who have nowhere else to go.

Huo Lie stepped forward, standing in front of the back hall, sword drawn, eyes closed.

He heard the footsteps of the Imperial Guards getting closer and closer in the distance, and he could feel the layer of orange-red mist being gradually dispersed above his head, like dust being slapped flat by someone's hand.

He didn't open his eyes, but he could hear the guards putting down their weapons.

The dull thuds of metal hitting the ground echoed one after another.

He knew in his heart that Shabak was finished.

The city that the Huo family had managed for generations was breached in just a few days; the walls collapsed, the gates opened, and the people scattered.

Chapter 330 Your Highness? No! I am the Heir Apparent

More and more of the defenders began to lay down their weapons. First were the guild members who had joined halfway through, then the veterans who had fought alongside Shabak for many years, and finally even a few of Huo's old subordinates hesitated, put their knives down at their feet, and bowed their heads to the side.

The Shabak garrison's lines were rapidly shrinking, until only a small area remained at the entrance to the rear hall, where the core members of the Huo family and a few family members stood. There were not many people, no more than two palms' worth.

Huo Lie stood there, his sword held horizontally in front of him, his gaze sweeping over the dispersing figures before finally settling on the few remaining people in front of him.

Tieshan, Zhang Dao, and several old guards who had served the Huo family for twenty years.

He didn't speak, but silently went over those old grievances in his mind.

He wondered if he had taken a wrong step from the very beginning. Was it when he instigated Gu Changfeng to usurp the throne, or even earlier, from the day the Huo family first came into contact with the Bichjiang family? Had the Huo family been on a path that was getting narrower and narrower?

But he quickly suppressed those thoughts, because all those things had already been done, the city gates had been closed, people had died, and the war had reached this point; there was no point in making assumptions.

His fingers tightened and loosened their grip on the knife handle repeatedly, as if he were repeatedly confirming that he could still hold the knife.

Unfortunately, despite her illustrious life, her son Huo Yan died in battle, and her youngest daughter Huo Tang went missing.

He recalled the image of Huo Yan riding on his shoulders as a child, pointing at the city wall and saying he wanted to be the city lord; he recalled the image of Huo Tang with her ponytail chasing chickens in the yard. Those memories were like looking through a layer of water, blurry and distant. When he reached out to grab them, all that remained was a ripple, and his fingers slipped through the water's surface, unable to grasp anything.

He suddenly realized the things he had spent his whole life fighting for.

Power, cities, prestige.

Looking back now, everything seems as light as the ashes left after paper has burned, easily scattered by the wind. But those things he had never really looked at now weighed heavily on his heart, much heavier than the knife in his hand.

But he had already come this far, with the Hall of Righteousness behind him and the Imperial Guards in front of him; there was no way out for him on either side.

He suddenly remembered a sentence he had read in a book before: "Life is but a dream, and how many autumns have passed in a lifetime?" At that time, he thought the person who wrote it was pretentious. But now, standing here, he suddenly understood that feeling. It was like a person who had walked a lifetime's path, only to find at the end that the path was wrong. Looking back, he could no longer see the way he came, nor could he see the way forward. Only the brick under his feet was still there, and he knew that he was still standing.

But what's the point of just standing there?

He stood for his whole life, but when it was time to fall, he still fell.

He clenched his left fist, digging his nails deep into the flesh of his palm, as if using that stinging sensation to confirm that he was still alive, that he could stand a little longer in this meaningless world, or perhaps it was some ancient, stubborn habit of standing until the very last moment, knowing there was no result.

At this moment, Gu Changfeng suddenly squeezed out from the crack in the door of the Gathering Righteousness Hall.

His robes were askew, his hair disheveled, and wine stains still lingered on his face. He stumbled to a few steps in front of the Imperial Guards, waving his hands wildly. His voice was shrill and hoarse, as if he were shouting or crying: "You can't kill me! I'm a prince! No... I... I'm the heir apparent! Look closely, I'm Gu Changfeng! I'm the heir apparent!"

As he spoke, he took two steps back, like a startled bird.

Then he whirled around, pointed at Huo Lie, and his voice became even shriller than before, “It was him! It was all him! He threatened me! He forced me to do it! I didn’t want to do it!”

After he shouted, he stood there panting heavily, his sleeves fluttering wildly in the wind, as if the string had been stretched for too long and finally snapped at this moment.

In front of the Hall of Righteousness, Tieshan was wrapped in bandages, with blood seeping from the edges of the bandages. Zhang Dao's robe was covered in dust. When they saw Gu Changfeng suddenly appear, both of them had a thin layer of disgust on their faces, as if a maggot spewing filth had suddenly appeared while they were eating.

Sometimes it's like that. People from the lowest rungs of society, those who have struggled in the mud since childhood, are often tougher than those who grew up in luxury. They've seen sandstorms, endured hunger, and fallen down. They know what pain feels like, how to get back up after the pain, and that once you've done something, there's no turning back.

Those who are protected from childhood never truly fall down in their lives and seem to take every step steadily. But once that protective layer cracks, they will collapse first than anyone else because they have never learned how to stand up on their own.

Gu Changfeng is that kind of person. He was pampered and protected from a young age and pushed to that position. But when the wall protecting him collapsed, he was left with nothing but an empty shell. He would fall apart with the slightest touch and couldn't even crawl on the ground a couple of times.

At this moment, Huo Lie slowly turned his head and his gaze fell on Gu Changfeng.

It's like looking at an old, worn-out object. You know it's no longer useful, but before throwing it away, you want to take one last look to see what's left of it.

He sneered inwardly: Hmph, I'm afraid my Shabak Huo clan has no hope, but your Tucheng Gu clan won't be able to leave any trace either.

The thought crossed his mind.

Then, before anyone could react, Huo Lie suddenly moved.

A savage charge suddenly rammed forward, without a word or warning, as if the emotions that had been suppressed all day had finally found an outlet at this moment. He forcefully knocked Gu Changfeng away from the front of the Golden Guard formation several steps away, followed by a level four raging fire slash, the flames enveloping the blade as it slashed directly at Gu Changfeng's shoulder.

-486.

Looking at the number, Huo Lie thought to himself, "It's a pity there's no red poison; the damage is too low."

Gu Changfeng was hit by the knife before he could even regain his balance, and his health bar dropped drastically. He instinctively tried to raise his hand to activate a random teleportation scroll, but Huo Lie didn't give him the chance. The second knife followed immediately.

A layer of intense golden light shone on the Dragon-Slaying Saber once more, and the blade light of the Sun-Chasing Sword Technique, wrapped in a human-shaped shadow, thrust forward, accurately striking Gu Changfeng.

-429.

Gu Changfeng's health bar was almost completely depleted. Then, a layer of grayish-white stone skin rapidly spread from the spot where he was hit by the Sun Chasing Sword Technique, instantly enveloping his entire body in a thick stone shell, freezing Gu Changfeng in place.

It was Huo Lie's paralyzing ring that petrified Gu Changfeng.

Gu Changfeng's fingers were frozen in mid-air, his fingertips still in the posture of trying to crush the random teleportation scroll, but he could not move them at all, only his eyes could still move.

Chapter 331 Despicable Men, Duel

At this moment, Huo Lie raised his third blade, the level four flames on the blade burning bright red.

Gu Changfeng's eyes reflected the rekindling flames on Huo Lie's raised Dragon-Slaying Saber, growing brighter and closer.

Just then, a figure in moon-white rushed out from the Golden Guard formation, his blade flashing as he precisely blocked Huo Lie's descending strike.

The clash of swords produced a crisp metallic sound, sparks flying everywhere.

Gu Changfeng was pushed back two steps by the shockwave. His stiff state dissipated at that moment, and he staggered to the ground. Before he could stand up, he heard a voice from above.

“Huo Lie is a member of the royal family, and it’s not up to outsiders to kill him. No matter how serious his crimes are, it’s a royal family matter and the Imperial Clan Court should handle it.”

At this moment, the Imperial Guards also realized what was happening.

The highest commander of this attack on the city personally charged forward; how could they just stand there?

Several groups of people rushed forward, giving Huo Lie and Tie Shan no chance to catch their breath.

They then pinned Huo Lie to the ground.

Tieshan tried to resist with his sword, but the bandages wrapped around his body were already soaked with blood. His sword was only halfway raised when two Jinwu Guards pressed it down with their shields, and the Soul Lock Cuffs were immediately put on his wrists.

With a dull "click," he felt as if all his strength had been instantly drained away. His arms went limp, and he couldn't even muster the strength to grip the knife handle. It was as if his spine had been ripped out, and he could no longer struggle. Only his chest continued to heave violently.

Zhang Dao did not resist, but stood silently in place, letting the Imperial Guards take away his weapon and tie his hands behind his back to put on the Soul-Locking Cuff.

The remaining old guards were also subdued one by one, their movements swift and efficient, and they quickly cleared the area in front of the Hall of Righteousness.

The door to the rear hall was also forcefully pushed open by the Imperial Guards.

The Imperial Guards searched the area and brought out the people inside one by one. They were mostly family members and craftsmen of the core members of Shabak, mostly elderly people and women, with almost no young people.

Lin Mu stood at the far end of an alley, not moving towards the Hall of Righteousness, but leaning against the wall watching the people who were being brought out.

They were all family members and craftsmen of core members of Shabak, some of whom Lin Mu knew.

For example, Master Shi, the chief blacksmith of Shabak, and that clothing store owner.

The gates of Shabak were still open, and the Imperial Guards were gradually withdrawing. Those who remained began to inventory supplies and city defenses.

When Lin Mu returned to the central command tent, Gu Qingyi was handing a scroll of silk to the deputy general, giving him a few instructions, then turning to look at him as if to check if he had any unnecessary injuries. After confirming, she spoke, her tone as calm as if she were talking about something that had already been arranged: "I've left some people here in Shabak to keep an eye on things. The handover of prisoners, equipment, and supplies is all your responsibility."

She paused, glanced at the area behind Lin Mu where they were counting prisoners, and then looked away. "Among the prisoners are Gu Changfeng and Huo Lie. Take them both back to Bichon and deal with them according to the court's regulations. I've already informed the people in Bichon beforehand; just hand them over to them when you get back."

After saying this, she folded the remaining scroll of silk in her hand and put it into her bosom. She turned around and mounted her horse. Her movements were swift and decisive. Without saying anything more, she grasped the reins, turned her horse around, glanced in the direction of Tucheng, and then spurred her horse to leave Shabak along the way she had come. Only a small team of guards followed behind her. Her horse's hooves kicked up a thin layer of dust on the sand, which was quickly blown away by the wind.

Lin Mu stood in front of the central command tent, watching Gu Qingyi's figure grow farther and farther away until it became a blurry outline on the Gobi Desert. He didn't look in the direction she left any longer, but turned around and walked towards the prisoners who were being led to the city gate, and began to prepare for the next thing to do.

Now, the once bustling Mengzhong is mostly empty.

What remained were just scattered guild members and people still hiding in fear, like broken seashells left on the beach after the tide recedes, scattered here and there.

After Lin Mu finished counting the prisoners and supplies, loading them onto the carts and tying them up, he was about to give the order to head back when a shout came from behind him: "Lin Mu, you despicable scoundrel, do you dare to fight me!"

He turned around and saw Gu Changfeng being escorted by two Imperial Guards. His robes were askew, his face was covered with damp sweat and grime, and the stone fragments on his neck had not been completely cleaned off. But a bit of determination resurfaced in his eyes, as if he had finally found a word that could help him stand up again after holding back all the way.

Lin Mu looked at him, slowly turned around, and spoke in a calm and unhurried tone, as if answering a familiar person's question about the weather: "Oh, the bravest man in the world wants to duel with me?"

He drew the Overlord's Blade, weighed it in his hand, and said, "What a fine blade, it's a pity it hasn't been consecrated yet..."

Several prisoners being held nearby couldn't help but burst out laughing.

Although the Imperial Guards didn't know what Lin Mu was saying, they could roughly guess from the expressions of the prisoners that it wasn't anything nice.

Gu Changfeng's face turned pale and then red. He stood there, his lips moving as if he wanted to refute, but he didn't know where to begin. He could understand every word Lin Mu said, but each word was like a thorn that had already been inserted. Pulling it out would draw blood, but leaving it would hurt.

Lin Mu didn't wait for him to speak. He put the knife back into his Qiankun bag, mounted his horse, turned the horse around and rode towards Bichon, without looking back at Gu Changfeng's face.

Gu Changfeng was being pushed by the Imperial Guards towards the prison cart. He stumbled and almost fell on a loose stone slab. He was helped up by someone next to him and regained his balance.

At this moment, the Imperial Guards also spoke up. One of them gestured with his chin toward Gu Changfeng, his tone implying, "You still don't know who you're facing: You want to duel with the Heavenly Venerable? Do you know the Rainbow Demon Cult Master? During the siege of the city by the Strange Tide, the Rainbow Demon Cult Master had six lives and a total of 30 million HP, yet the Heavenly Venerable killed him in just a few hours. And then there's the Crimson Moon Demon, whose indiscriminate stabbing attacks within three thousand paces, once per second, dealing 1200 points of damage with each strike, ignoring defense and terrain. Guess who killed him? The Heavenly Venerable did it anyway."

After saying that, the man said no more, as if he felt that his words were enough to answer Gu Changfeng's "despicable person".

Huo Lie slowly raised his head in the corner of the prison cart and glanced at Lin Mu through the wooden bars.

Is this the young man I entertained before, Lin Yichen? At that time, I only thought he was an ordinary Taoist priest, who seemed unremarkable except for the extraordinary things he had.