407: Chapter 407 The Fountain

General Ma Chuang looked somewhat awkward as he said this.

The surrounding soldiers also wore complex expressions, with many shaking their heads and sighing.

"Uncle Ma, why did my father agree to join the Moon Worship Cult?" Leng Bingyan asked.

"It was because we were left with no way to survive after being forced by the Prince of Nanling. You can't expect thousands of brothers to survive just by hunting," General Ma Chuang sighed. "General Leng Duo probably did it to preserve our strength and endure the humiliation."

"But the Moon Worship Cult is not a kind group. Dealing with them is no different from drinking poison to quench thirst. This isn't saving the Black Dragon Cavalry; it's destroying your own foundation!" Lin Xiao said coldly and bluntly. "How could General Leng Duo not understand something like this?"

"Who are you? How dare you speak of our General like that?"

General Ma Chuang and a group of officers glared with anger. If it weren't for the status of the two women, they would have attacked directly.

"General Ma, this is my and Yaner's husband, the Prince of Zhenbei, Lin Xiao." Xiao Qingxuan gently held Lin Xiao's arm, introducing him with every word ringing with strength.

"What!?"

"The Prince of Zhenbei!?"

"The Emperor... the Emperor and the Eldest Miss's... husband!?"

"This..."

General Ma Chuang and the group of soldiers felt their heads buzzing; their entire world seemed to be collapsing!

This news was too explosive. Not only was the Empress alive, but she had also married the most dazzling Prince of Zhenbei in the world today!?

The key was, the Eldest Miss shared a husband with the Empress!?

But once they calmed down, the soldiers felt... it didn't seem that hard to accept.

After all, if this man was truly the Prince of Zhenbei, he held the world's number one army and possessed the North. In terms of strength, he was far stronger than the Western Shu Kingdom back then!

Now that the Western Shu Kingdom had fallen, the Empress marrying the Prince of Zhenbei could almost be considered "marrying up"!

"So it is the Prince of Zhenbei. General Ma Chuang has been disrespectful!"

"Greetings, Prince of Zhenbei!!"

General Ma Chuang and the soldiers bowed one after another, their eyes filled with admiration and curiosity.

Any soldier in the Central Plains, regardless of which camp they were in, now respected Lin Xiao immensely.

After all, everything Lin Xiao had done was an achievement for the ages, unprecedented in history!

It must be known that the Great Gan still belonged to the Li family, and the government deliberately blocked news from the North.

But even so, the Black Dragon Cavalry, roaming the southernmost border of the Great Gan, had heard of Lin Xiao's various deeds.

This showed just how much attention Lin Xiao received, and how revered he was among the people.

With Lin Xiao's prestige, if not for the government blocking it, he would likely be worshipped by the people as a martial god or a war god.

"No need for formalities. I have come here for one thing: to thoroughly investigate the Moon Worship Cult." Lin Xiao did not intend to hide anything. "The Moon Worship Cult slaughtered General Tong Yu and his men; you probably didn't know, did you?"

"What? General Tong Yu is dead!?" General Ma Chuang and the soldiers looked shocked.

Many soldiers were reduced to tears, unable to believe what they were hearing.

"It's true. Uncle Tong was cruelly beheaded, and the Moon Worship Cult even intended to assassinate me." Leng Bingyan's gaze was firm. "Uncle Ma, I must avenge this!"

"This is outrageous! When General Tong Yu refused to join and left with his men, the Leader of the Moon Worship Cult said he would not pursue it!"

"The things they said in front of General Leng Duo were all just farts!?"

General Ma Chuang used his only remaining hand to draw his sword. "Brothers! I, old Ma, am going with the Eldest Miss to avenge General Tong Yu. Who is willing to come with me!?"

"Me! Me!..."

"Fight them to the end!!"

"I've long found those charlatans unpleasant! General Leng Duo must have been deceived!!"

The Black Dragon Cavalry were, after all, battle-hardened elites; they were true warriors who did not fear death.

If not for their trust in General Leng Duo, they would never have joined the Moon Worship Cult even if it meant death.

Now that the Empress had arrived, bringing with her the Prince of Zhenbei they had long admired, they naturally had the confidence and reason to resist.

Coupled with the killing of General Tong Yu, it ignited the anger in their hearts.

Lin Xiao looked at the sharpness in the eyes of these soldiers and nodded secretly.

They were worthy of being called elites capable of contending with the five great cavalries; even in such harsh conditions, they had not lost their fighting spirit.

The remaining three thousand or so soldiers all picked up their weapons and followed the three of them, marching majestically toward the high ground by the river bend.

"Your Highness, Your Majesty, the Moon Worship Cult's 'Four Venerables' of Earth, Water, Fire, and Wind have high martial arts skills; two of them are even at the level of Martial Arts Grandmaster." General Ma Chuang warned solemnly. "You two must be careful."

Although he had heard that the Prince of Zhenbei had unparalleled martial arts, he had never seen it with his own eyes, so General Ma Chuang was still a bit worried.

"General Ma, you only need to take care of yourselves. My husband, myself, and Yaner do not need any protection. Martial Arts Grandmasters are not scary." Xiao Qingxuan smiled and comforted him.

General Ma Chuang was stunned. Martial Arts Grandmasters are not scary? Could it be that you are a Great Grandmaster?

But since "a monarch's word is final," General Ma Chuang dared not question it, thinking that the Prince of Zhenbei must have superb martial arts, which was why the Empress dared to say such things.

A large group of the Black Dragon Cavalry surging toward the high ground naturally attracted the attention of the Moon Worship Cult members.

Dozens of guards guarding the entrance to the high ground, holding crescent-shaped spears and wearing brass masks, quickly blocked the way.

These people were also well-trained and quickly formed a formation, sealing the only path up.

"During the Moon Worship Ceremony, no one is allowed to disturb. To blaspheme the gods is to suffer divine punishment!" The leading guard held two crescent-shaped curved blades, his tone unkind.

Facing the thousands of the Black Dragon Cavalry, he didn't seem to take them seriously.

Lin Xiao had long scanned the information of these guards; they were basically bandits from the green woods, fierce outlaws, fugitives, or some martial arts renegades and expelled disciples of sects.

Calling them a rabble was giving them too much credit; they were just a bunch of scum whose existence was a waste of food.

Take the masked guard leader in front of him, for example; he was a traitor to the Golden Blade Sect and a wanted criminal by the imperial court.

The first two entries were "heinous" and "treacherous"!

Lin Xiao couldn't even be bothered to consider what this guy had actually done; in any case, it certainly wasn't anything good!

In fact, if you think about it, as long as a person is a good person with a clean background and martial arts skills, who would be willing to live in the deep mountains and forests, sleeping in the open, to become a cultist of an evil sect?

It was only this group of people who couldn't survive outside that came here to find an organization—birds of a feather flock together!

"Audacious! Do you know who these people are? This is..."

"Hum! —"

Just as General Ma Chuang was about to go up and curse, he heard a sword hum!

Like a divine sword leaving its sheath, several blue sword beams flashed, and the dozens of guards in front of them were instantly decapitated!

Blood sprayed out from their necks, like rows of neatly arranged crimson fountains!