The Imperial Guard soldier looked up at the person standing with a saber at the top of the stairs, assuming he was also an Imperial Forest Army soldier. He raised his saber and charged upstairs.

On the narrow staircase, the Imperial Guard soldier swung his saber upwards, aiming for Chen Ji’s knees.

Chen Ji lightly deflected the saber, effortlessly turning the Imperial Guard soldier’s blade back towards him. The soldier’s vision blurred, and his saber, as if pulled by an unseen force, circled back and struck his own left arm.

He looked up in astonishment, momentarily unable to comprehend what had just happened.

The Imperial Guard soldier pulled the saber from his left arm and, with a crimson face, roared in fury before swinging it at Chen Ji once more. But just as he raised his hand, Chen Ji’s five-and-a-half-foot-long Whale Saber pierced his neck like a spear.

The Whale Saber slowly retracted. Blood spurted from the soldier’s neck, flowing down the wooden stairs as his body tumbled down.

Chen Ji stood silently at the top of the stairs, holding his Whale Saber.

The next moment, the Imperial Guard soldiers charged upstairs once more, utterly fearless.

As the stairs were too narrow for more than one person to fight, two Imperial Guard soldiers immediately leaped lightly, stepping onto the banisters on either side. Like tightrope walkers, they moved to converge on Chen Ji.

The wooden banisters were only a palm’s width wide, yet they walked steadily, as if on flat ground.

With one soldier on the stairs and two on the banisters, the three formed an arrowhead formation.

As they reached Chen Ji, the soldier on the left banister leaped several feet into the air, bringing his saber down in a chop. The soldier on the right banister lunged forward, slicing towards Chen Ji’s chest and abdomen. Meanwhile, the soldier on the stairs ducked and swung horizontally, aiming for Chen Ji’s ankles.

Their murderous intent was starkly evident!

If Chen Ji retreated from the stairwell entrance, whether their attack succeeded or not, their comrades behind them would immediately follow, and Chen Ji would no longer be able to hold the narrow stairs.

But at that instant, Chen Ji lifted his foot and stomped down on the horizontal saber aimed at his lower body, pinning it firmly underfoot, unable to move. The soldier on the stairs could not pull his saber free and instinctively looked up. However, Chen Ji, without even glancing at him, had already swung his Whale Saber horizontally.

Two sharp clangs echoed as the sabers of the two soldiers charging from the banisters broke. Chen Ji’s momentum was not exhausted; he used his arm strength to forcibly twist the blade back, cutting down the two soldiers in mid-air.

Chen Ji released his foot, and the soldier who had been struggling to free his saber, caught off guard, fell backward, tumbling down the stairs.

With two thuds, the bodies of the leaping soldiers fell, blood spurting from them and flowing down the stairs.

Chen Ji swung his saber, smashing the banisters. The narrow stairs immediately became like a suspended log bridge.

In the main hall, the towering soldier was wiping his heavy sword. He silently looked up the stairs and saw Chen Ji’s long Whale Saber dripping blood, Chen Ji not retreating a single step.

“There’s actually a tough opponent among the Scion Guards?” The towering soldier glanced up once, then lowered his head to resume wiping his heavy sword, casually remarking, “Whoever slays this man will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver. Whoever captures the Ning Crown Prince alive will be ennobled as a marquis!”

The Imperial Guard soldiers exchanged glances, then rushed upwards like madmen, determined to overwhelm Chen Ji with their lives.

In Room Earth, Zhang Xia and Xiaoman parted the window crack to look outside. They saw Zaozao restlessly stamping its hooves in the stable.

When someone tried to kill it, Zaozao somehow untied its reins, kicked over two Imperial Guard soldiers, and ran off, disappearing in a flash.

Downstairs, a dense mass of Imperial Guard soldiers was rushing into the inn.

Zhang Xia gazed into the distance, hoping to find a glimmer of hope. But the Imperial Guard cavalry rampaged through the city, mowing down the lives of border guards and common folk like grass. There was still no sign of reinforcements in the city.

Chen Liqin paced back and forth in the room. He looked at Zhang Xia. “Second Miss Zhang,” he asked, “do you think Chen Ji can hold back those Jing Dynasty ruffians?”

Zhang Xia looked out the window and, without turning her head, replied, “He can’t.”

Chen Wenxiao trembled with fear. “He’s an official! How could he not hold them back?”

Zhang Xia said coldly, “The Imperial Guard who came to assassinate the Crown Prince must also have officials among them, at least at the Innate Realm. Even if there were no officials among the Imperial Guard, what then? Not even a Grandmaster of the Divine Path Realm could hold back an army of thousands. You don’t care about his safety, only whether he can shield you from harm? What were you doing before?”

Time passed slowly, and everyone in the room felt every moment was an eternity.

Chen Liqin struggled with himself for a long time, then finally rolled up a bedsheet, threw it over the beam, and tied a dead knot.

He hesitated for two breaths, then looked at Mrs. Liang. “If the Jing Dynasty ruffians charge in later, then you and I will…”

Mrs. Liang wailed mournfully from the side, “My lord, is there no other way? Why has it come to this, why has it come to this?”

Chen Liqin remained silent for a moment. “When the city falls,” he said, “to be able to die with dignity is already a great fortune.”

Mrs. Liang cried, “Master Zhang advised you not to come to Guyuan, but you stubbornly refused to listen. What are we to do now?”

Trembling, Chen Wenxiao said to Chen Liqin, “Father, they want to capture the Crown Prince alive, not kill people. You should reveal your identity; they definitely won’t kill us…”

Chen Wenzong exclaimed furiously, “Life can be lost, but integrity must never be broken! How can you even think of surrendering to the Jing Dynasty? When did my Chen family produce such a disloyal, unfilial, shameless scoundrel!”

Chen Wenxiao’s face also flushed red as he retorted, “Better a bad life than a good death! Brother, you and Father have studied poetry and books for decades; are you willing to be slaughtered like animals in this frontier region?”

Chen Wenzong angrily retorted, “The Jing Dynasty ruffians haven’t even broken in yet, and you’re already in such a panic?”

Chen Wenxiao said urgently, “There are so many Imperial Guard soldiers downstairs! How can Chen Ji alone hold them back? It’s only a matter of time before they come up…”

Standing by the window, Zhang Xia said without turning her head, “There’s no need to panic, everyone. If Chen Ji stops the Imperial Guard today, we live. If he can’t, then we die together.”

At this moment, in Room Heaven, Qi Zhenzhuo was guarding the Crown Prince.

The Crown Prince slowly awoke. Hearing the sounds of fighting from outside the door, he suddenly sat up abruptly. “Mr. Liao! Protect me!”

Qi Zhenzhuo was startled and quickly said, “Your Highness, Mr. Liao went to summon reinforcements.”

The Crown Prince came to his senses and turned to look around. “Wasn’t I knocked unconscious by Chen Ji? How am I still in the inn? Have the Imperial Guard already reached downstairs?”

Qi Zhenzhuo’s expression was grim. “Your Highness, the inn is surrounded. The Jing Dynasty Imperial Guard emerged from the inn’s secret passage and blocked the stairs. Chen Ji is currently holding the stairs and fighting them. As for us…”

The Crown Prince stood up and stood by the window, gazing at the setting sun in the distance.

He saw the Imperial Forest Army arrive at Xumei Alley and engage the Jing Dynasty Imperial Guard in battle. Although the Imperial Forest Army had a number of officials, they were still being steadily pushed back by the Jing Dynasty Imperial Guard.

Fortunately, Li Xuan was watching over them, preventing them from being immediately overwhelmed by the Jing Dynasty Imperial Guard.

The Crown Prince sighed, “The Imperial Forest Army in the capital has grown complacent and lax. Several of their members are also at the Innate Realm, like Chen Ji, yet there’s a world of difference between them.”

Qi Zhenzhuo, standing behind him, immediately felt ashamed. He cupped his fists and said, “Your Highness, the Imperial Forest Army failed to protect you fully. Your humble servant is utterly deserving of death.”

The Crown Prince turned to him, smiling. “Deputy Envoy Qi, there’s no need to blame yourself. It must be my own ill fate that I cannot bear the heavy burden of this nation’s destiny. Please pour me a cup of tea. I need to take my medicine.”

As he spoke, he took out a white porcelain bottle from his sleeve and poured out a black pill.

Qi Zhenzhuo froze on the spot. “Your Highness, this is…”

The Crown Prince sighed with emotion. “Now that the Jing Dynasty ruffians have learned the news and want to capture me alive, I can’t possibly let them seize me like a pig or a dog, can I? Wouldn’t I become a laughing stock for all eternity, and bring shame upon my Ning Dynasty as well? As the nation’s heir, how could I allow that?”

Qi Zhenzhuo hesitated for a moment. “If you hadn’t sent Mr. Liao to summon reinforcements, perhaps…”

The Crown Prince shook his head. “There are no so many ‘ifs’.”

Qi Zhenzhuo said solemnly, “Your Royal Highness must not take your own life. Your humble servant will certainly protect you here.”

The Crown Prince chuckled. “Deputy Envoy Qi, if you truly make it back alive, you’ll have to change this habit of boasting. Although you have the Qi family’s protection, a true man born between heaven and earth… don’t you want to carve out a career for yourself?”

Qi Zhenzhuo lowered his head in shame. “Your Highness, is what my brother-in-law said true? Am I really that useless?”

The Crown Prince gazed out the window in a daze. “Though you live under the Qi family’s shadow, you have grown into a blade of grass. Though Chen Ji is only a concubine’s son of the Chen family, he has grown into a tree.”

Qi Zhenzhuo was silent for a moment. “Your Highness, is it too late if your humble servant only awakens before death?”

The Crown Prince patted his shoulder. “If one hears the Way in the morning, one may die in the evening without regret. It’s never too late.”

However, at that very moment, he suddenly looked up. “That’s not right, Your Highness. By all accounts, with only Chen Ji blocking the stairs, the Imperial Guard should have stormed up by now. But the sounds of battle haven’t stopped yet, and no Jing Dynasty ruffians have reached the third floor. Could it be that there are hidden masters in this inn holding back the Jing Dynasty ruffians’ assault?”

The Crown Prince’s expression changed, and he immediately walked out of the room. “Let’s go see!”

He quickly descended the stairs to check.

But the next moment, the Crown Prince and Qi Zhenzhuo both froze on the stairs.

They saw Chen Ji swinging his saber like falling rain, deflecting the Imperial Guard soldiers’ attacks so impenetrably that not a drop of water could get through. Bodies lay strewn across the stairs, and blood dripped down from both sides like a waterfall.

The battle cries of the Jing Dynasty Imperial Guard shook the heavens.

From beginning to end, only Chen Ji alone was on these stairs.