On a paved path, Gu Yunxi was attracted by the fierce impact sound of the weaponry.

Narrowing her eyes, Gu Yunxi found that the guard team of the Eastern Depot led by Ai Qing was fighting with two people.

Both of them were in official suit of guards. One of them looked strange, while the other was Lu Qiange.

On the periphery of the human wall, another person dressed as a guard was firmly pressed by people of the Eastern Depot, with his face pressed to the ground.

Two eunuchs were Lu Qiange's subordinates Wuji and Dayan.

Lu Qiange and they two had already prepared for the Spring Banquet this night to capture the Kunhuang Island map.

Just before the start of the banquet, Wuji and Dayan wormed their ways into the Honour Guards who aimed at safeguarding according to their plan, waiting for the opportunity.

In Baohe Palace, the Shenle Marquis competed with the Eastern Depot, and the differences between the real map and the fake one caused the Emperor’s mental disorder, and then he injured Empress Qian accidentally. After the concubines, the civil and military officials were dismissed, Lord Zhang ordered the Honour Guards to put the gold boxes with the Kunhuang Island maps in them into Qinming Hall to wait for the next order.

This was a great opportunity to grab the map.

Priest Wu had said that the map had something to do with Yin and Yang and even life and death.

So when sending the two treasure maps, the guards seemed hesitant, and no one even had the courage to come forward and touch the gold box containing the sheepskin.

Wuji and Dayan volunteered, which made the leader relieve a lot.

Ten Honour Guards walked along the black palace road.

Two of Lu Qiange's subordinates walked in the center of the queue, each holding a gold box which was emitting a dim golden light in the dark night.

Wuji rolled his eyes quietly, looking around.

With his good ears which had been trained for more than ten years in martial arts, he had keenly caught the noisy footsteps a hundred meters away from the west which were approaching quickly like the wing-shaking waves of butterflies.

Gosh! A lot of people were coming...

His heart sank. He then thought about it and looked up.

"Captain, please wait a minute."

The guard at the front of the team turned his head back with the lantern in his hand, frowning.

"What's the matter?"

Wuji lowered his head and smiled.

"We went the wrong way."

The leader paused. He raised the lantern to look towards the long and lonely road, as if muttering to himself.

"Really? But it's the right way to go to Qinming Hall."

Wuji pretended to be nervous.

"Captain, I had met Lord Zhang once when I was on duty, and he led me to take a shortcut which is just ahead. There are so many things tonight. Let's finish our task earlier, safely and peacefully. Don't get involved in other things."

"Your words make sense."

The leader in front thought about it and agreed.

"Come and lead the way."

Wuji smiled, walked at the forefront of the team and turned into a fork in the road.

There were densely planted a-few-people-high bamboos on both sides on the winding path. The wind blew and the fine leaves rustled.

The treasure maps were already in his and Dayan's hands. When Wuji was thinking about where and how to get rid of the Honour Guards with his companion, he heard the battle cry.

"Who are you?"

The leading guard yelled, drew his sword and raised the lantern, illuminating the broad square face of Ai Qing instantly.

The leading guard turned pale in shock, and threw the lantern in his hand. His lips trembled. When he was about to say something, the guards behind him were in chaos then.

After he turned around, there was smoke in front of his eyes. The leading guard lost consciousness and collapsed on the ground then.

Wuji and Dayan jumped into the bamboo forest with the gold boxes in their hands as soon as the narcotic smoke took effect.

Originally, Wuji had tried to use the dense bamboo forest to escape after he heard the footsteps of the pursuing forces, so he deliberately deceived the leader.

However, another guard team of the Eastern Depot lay in ambush in this favorable position to stop them.

At this time, they could only run!

"Catch them alive!"

The Eastern Depot was also an institution used to illegal methods. They had taken relevant restraint medicine long before so that drugs and poisons could not hurt their bodies easily.

Meeting the guards who came into the bamboo forest later, Ai Qing waved his sword and commanded.

"They are the thieves who get into the Palace to steal maps! Catch them alive!"

With the treasure map in his arms, Dayan pulled out the sword from his waist and turned around to attack the guards.

After several rounds of fighting, Wuji ran out of the bamboo forest. There was an empty field in front of him, and the opposite was an unknown palace.

In the fight, his companion Dayan was outnumbered and was captured by Ai Qing.

Wuji seized the sword from a guard to fight, but he was at a disadvantage gradually against more than 30 people.

Lu Qiange arrived at the critical juncture. Hearing that he had got the maps, he was excited physically and mentally, so he fought with them harder and harder.

Ai Qing knew Lu Qiange was proficient in martial arts, so he fought against him personally.

Gu Yunxi hid in the high position of the opposite palace and watched the battle secretly. She knew that Lu Qiange could escape alone, but it was difficult to take two of his subordinates to leave together.

Thinking that he had always put her first and he could give up everything at hand for her, she couldn't ignore his being trapped at this moment.

She had to take him out of the Palace safely at least!

Making up her mind, Gu Yunxi stretched her arms down the ridge of the house, circled around, and landed steadily into the chaotic crowd.

"Lu Qiange, hand over the Kunhuang Island map!"

The girl shouted and raised her fist to hit him. Lu Qiange stepped sideways, not knowing what she wanted to do.

Gu Yunxi fought against him ahead of Ai Qing, turning her palm into a hand knife, hitting him more and more quickly.

Lu Qiange's expression changed drastically. He didn't know why Yunxi chased him, let alone why she fought against him.

After more than ten rounds of fighting between them, Wuji was caught by Ai Qing.

"Hijack me!"

The girl spoke in a low voice at the moment of they got close.

His purple eyes shone. He was both surprised and touched.

Lu Qiange pursed his lips and kicked after three strokes.

Gu Yunxi's upper body leaned back sharply to avoid him, only to see that he withdrew his stroke unexpectedly.

This was a feint!

Before the girl straightened up, Lu Qiange ran behind the girl. In the blink of an eye, the cold light passed, and the gloomy blade reached the girl's neck.

"Don't move!"

Lu Qiange clenched the hilt of the sword with his five fingers, and shouted at the crowd with hideous eyes.

"Let go of my subordinates, or I will kill her!"

Ai Qing raised his hands in panic, and ordered the people behind him.

"Don't move! Don't move!"

He didn't know that Lu Qiange had known Gu Yunxi's identity. He only knew that he had captured the favorite female guard of the Master.

If something really happened to this girl, even if he captured Lu Qiange and his two subordinates alive and preserved the Kunhuang Island map, how could he explain to the Master after returning?

Ai Qing gasped nervously, standing still, and said to Lu Qiange with trembling hands.

"Childe Lu, calm down. Release squire Tu first."

Gu Yunxi pretended to put on a brave look, as if she would face death unflinchingly, and opened her mouth resolutely.

"Don't worry about me! First captain, they have got the map. You can't let them go!"

"Stop talking nonsense!"

Lu Qiange shouted, and gritted his teeth. He still couldn't bear to hurt the girl.

Gu Yunxi couldn't wait. She deliberately moved her neck slightly, causing the blade to cut through her delicate skin.

She started bleeding...

"Ah!"

She screamed in pain.

"Lu Qiange, stop that!"

Ai Qing naturally thought it was Lu Qiange who hurt her. He couldn't help exclaiming with a hint of helplessness in his eyes bursting with anger.

Lu Qiange was worried about her, but he had to continue the play to the end.

"Let go of my subordinates, and I'll let her go!"

"Leave the maps, and I will let you three leave!"

Ai Qing thought for a moment, and then gave in slightly.

Gu Yunxi looked sideways and said.

"Hand over the map as he said. There are too many people of the Eastern Depot. It will be detrimental to you if you keep staying here."

Lu Qiange thought about it carefully and felt that what Yunxi said made sense.

He was afraid that the cunning Leng Qingtang would send more people here if he kept dallying.

Glancing towards Ai Qing, Lu Qiange said coldly.

"The map is held by my subordinates. If you want the map, you should let them go."

Ai Qing raised his hand to give a sign, and his subordinates immediately let go of Dayan and Wuji.

Dayan's eyes flickered faintly. He exchanged a look with Wuji, squatted down slowly to pull the sheepskin from his boot and threw it to the ground with a silent and sullen face.

A guard picked up the treasure map carefully and let the first captain watch it.

Ai Qing raised his eyes with a shrewd light flashing past his eyes. He then said with a faint smile.

"There is another map!"

The guards immediately made threatening gestures, and quickly lifted their weapons, eager to take action.

Lu Qiange narrowed his eyes and sneered.

"Why do you think you can swap her for two Kunhuang Island maps?"

"How dare you!" Ai Qing yelled angrily, and raised his hand to point at the handsome man.

"What right do you have to make a deal with the Eastern Depot?"

Lu Qiange spoke calmly with sharp eyes.

"I think it's your Eastern Depot that doesn't have the right to make a deal with me!"

He increased the pressure on the steel sword, which made Gu Yunxi scream again in front of him.

Ai Qing clenched his fists tightly with hot sweat on his palms. He glared at Lu Qiange and panted, saying after a long while.

"How will you let her go?"

"When we three are out of danger, I will let her go naturally!"

Ai Qing sighed and waved to the guards, asking them to make a way out. They watched the two thieves walking in front while Lu Qiange hijacking Gu Yunxi behind them. They withdrew from the encirclement, jumped onto the tiled house, and disappeared then.