Chapter 5

When Ling Dao awoke, he found himself lying in an old temple. He had been unconscious for a whole day and night, and even now, he felt weak all over. He shook his head vigorously, trying to clear his mind.

"Your Highness, you're finally awake!"

A familiar voice rang in Ling Dao's ears, but when he saw the speaker, he was taken aback. In front of him stood an old man with white hair and deep wrinkles on his face.

"Grandpa Jiang, why have you become like this?"

The old man was none other than General Jiang Zhong. In the past, Jiang Zhong looked only in his forties, but now he appeared to be in his sixties or seventies. That night, after the battle, Jiang Zhong fought fiercely, burning his cultivation to kill the black-clothed assassins.

The price for this was that Jiang Zhong's cultivation was completely ruined, and he now looked his true age. But at the time, there was no other choice. If he hadn't done so, both he and Ling Dao would have been killed by the assassins. His own death was not important, but Ling Dao must not come to any harm.

"It's nothing, I just lost all my cultivation!"

Jiang Zhong spoke lightly, but he felt very bitter inside. It was like someone with a fortune of several billion suddenly going bankrupt. To say he could completely let it go was impossible. But for Ling Dao, it was all worth it.

"It's all my fault, I've dragged you down, Grandpa Jiang!"

Jiang Zhong had become this way because he was protecting Ling Dao. If he had fled alone, he might not have been in trouble. The main target of the assassins was Ling Dao, not him.

"Your Highness, don't say such things. The Prince saved my life and gave me a second chance. You treat me like family. To protect you, even at the cost of my life, it is worth it! This time, what happened at the Free and Easy Prince's Manor is too infuriating. If there were no traitors, it wouldn't have happened. But the most urgent thing now is not revenge, but to ensure your safety and learn some skills. The Prince had always intended for you to join the Heavenly Martial Sect."

Both Jiang Zhong and Ling Dao understood that the royal family would not help Ling Dao. Returning to the Free and Easy Prince's Manor would be walking into a trap. The best choice was to join the Heavenly Martial Sect, as it was a true major power.

As the heir of the Free and Easy Prince, Ling Dao had naturally heard of the Heavenly Martial Sect. It was said that the Heavenly Martial Sect could stand on equal footing with the Da Luo Dynasty, perhaps an exaggeration, but even if it were weaker, it wouldn't be much weaker.

"Your Highness, don't think too much. After dawn, we will head to the Heavenly Martial Sect. Right now, it's the perfect time for them to recruit disciples."

Ling Dao nodded. He had been weak since childhood, and now that Jiang Zhong's cultivation was ruined, returning to the capital would be courting death. Only by joining the Heavenly Martial Sect and learning some skills would he have a chance for revenge. Perhaps becoming a disciple of the Heavenly Martial Sect would allow him to remove all the sword qi from his body.

...

After dawn, Jiang Zhong took Ling Dao and left the old temple. Given their current condition, they couldn't take the main roads. Fortunately, even on the mountain paths, Jiang Zhong was very familiar. Otherwise, Ling Dao would have had to slowly explore using a map of the Da Luo Dynasty.

"Your Highness, do you need to rest for a while?"

Ling Dao's body was extremely weak, and Jiang Zhong knew this well. Being able to walk this far was already quite remarkable. Seeing Ling Dao's sweat-soaked head, Jiang Zhong felt a pang of pain, but they were on the run, so they had no choice.

"Alright, let's stop and eat something."

Fortunately, he hadn't neglected his training over the years. Otherwise, such a long journey would have been impossible for Ling Dao. Although the Free and Easy Prince doted on Ling Dao, he was also very strict. Ling Dao's body was weak, and if he didn't train hard, he would be out of breath after a few steps.

"Your Highness, wait here. I'll go catch some game."

After saying this, Jiang Zhong left at top speed. They had fled and hadn't brought any provisions. After Jiang Zhong left, Ling Dao didn't sit down but instead searched for dry wood.

"Whew... whew..."

In the wilderness, the only thing Ling Dao could think of was making a fire by rubbing sticks together. After a lot of effort, he finally succeeded and gently blew on the smoking spot. At that moment, Jiang Zhong returned.

"Luck is on my side. I caught two wild rabbits. We'll eat them for lunch today!"

Soon, Jiang Zhong cleaned the rabbits and roasted them over the fire. In the past, Ling Dao had little appetite for delicacies, but now the two roasted rabbits made his mouth water. He was really hungry.

"Rumble... rumble..."

Smelling the aroma of the roasted rabbits, Ling Dao's stomach growled. When the rabbits were cooked, Ling Dao and Jiang Zhong ate heartily. For them, these roasted rabbits were the best delicacy in the world.

"Tap... tap... tap..."

The sound of footsteps echoed, and Ling Dao's ears perked up. Jiang Zhong stood up with a "whoosh." In such a desolate place, there were usually no people, and they were being pursued, so they couldn't afford to be careless.

"Ha ha ha, I searched high and low, and here you are. I never thought I'd find you so easily. Free and Easy Prince's heir, just by capturing you and turning you in, I'll make a fortune!"

A black-clothed man approached, his eyes blazing with fury at the sight of Ling Dao and Jiang Zhong. It was these black-clothed men who had slaughtered the guards of the Free and Easy Prince's Manor. Ling Dao and Jiang Zhong would never mistake them.

Even Jiang Zhong hadn't expected that they would be found even on these mountain paths. The wilderness was vast, and finding them was a stroke of luck for the black-clothed men. It could only be said that Jiang Zhong and Ling Dao were extremely unlucky.

"Ha, the look in your eyes says you want to kill me. But do you have the ability? What can an old man and a young boy do?"

The black-clothed man approached Jiang Zhong and Ling Dao. He was masked, and Ling Dao couldn't see his face, but he could see his greedy eyes. To the black-clothed assassin, Ling Dao was equivalent to a fortune.

"He's a True Qi Realm martial artist! Your Highness, you must escape. I'll hold him off!"

Jiang Zhong's face darkened. In his prime, he could have killed a True Qi Realm martial artist with one strike. Unfortunately, he had lost all his cultivation and was injured, so he had no confidence in dealing with such an assassin.

"Go now!"

He shouted at Ling Dao and drew his battle saber, charging fiercely at the black-clothed man!

(PS: 4,000 VIP updates! I'm going to Beijing for the next three days for the founding ceremony of the Network Literature University, and I've been invited to attend. So, the next three days will have guaranteed updates, but additional updates will depend on the situation. But brothers and sisters, keep voting with flowers! When I return from Beijing, I'll make up all the additional updates!)

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