About the same time the fight finished, Wu Guang and his group arrived at the side arch where the narrow dug ought to tunnel towards the tower was located. After a short discussion, it was decided that Xiao Feng will guard the cart alongside Duqi while Wu Guang will rush and ask the two inner disciples from the Martial Palace to come and help them move the unconscious Clansmen. Following this, Wu Guang climbed into the tunnel and moving quickly while using the light provided by the luminous stone reached the stairs leading into the pool.
When he ascended the stairs, he was greeted by the two disciples who recognized him as the youth accompanying Wisdom Palace Master Chen. One of them was taller than Wu Guang, while the other was about the same height. Both of them were about twenty years old and shared the same pointy face and a middle-length haircut. Wu Guang who had not really interacted with them before guessed that they were brothers.
He quickly explained to them the current situation, and they followed him to the cart while bringing a pair of oil lamps.
It didn't take them long to arrive, but the situation wasn't so easy to solve at first glance. The tunnel was pretty narrow, and only the inner disciples and Xiao Feng as well could climb into the tunnel and then into the tower while carrying someone. Considering the possible pursuers someone of the Spirit realm should stay guard, thus reducing the manpower to two people.
The Martial disciples decided to move two people first, while Xiao Feng who was exhausted after infusing his qi into the luminous stone and pushing the cart would stay as a guard. As said, it was done. Both of them quickly strapped two of the unconscious bodies that Duqi pointed as the most important on their backs and disappeared into the tunnel.
The first journey was complete without problems, but it had taken far longer than expected. After all, they could not leave the clansmen in the bath, so they had taken them to the canteen and asked Ji Yong to take care of them.
When Xiao Feng and the taller martial disciple left with the second pair, Wu Guang who had been using his senses to the maximum sensed the approach of several people.
Motioning to the remaining disciple of the Martial Palace, he pointed at a small light that was seen approaching in the distance and told him
"Someone is coming, and it should not be Elder Chen"
"Oh my rotten luck" While cursing, the face of the guy was practically shining. Wu Guang determined that he was a martial fanatic.
Stopping the guy from rushing out, Wu Guang quickly told him
"Senior Brother, please think about the unconscious people we have here. Would it not be better if you can hide them in the tunnel? Then wait for these guys to arrive battle them?"
His face darkened, but after a brief thought, the Martial disciple acknowledged that the idea was appropriate. Quickly grabbing the last of the clansmen, he ascended and left it inside the tunnel.
Repeating the same process with both of the bound and unconscious guards that Elder Chen had made them bring. Wu Guang and Guqi did not ascend so they were spotted by the approaching group after some moments.
After seeing them, they quickened their pace and stopped only when they were about ten feet from the youths.
There were ten men in total. If Xiao Feng was present, he could recognize them as part of the group that descended from the north wall stairs. Two men in light leather armor, with helms covering their heads, swords in hands, and a lantern in the other were walking at the front. Eight spearmen fully covered with half steel, half leather armor, and square shields followed them.
One of the men holding a sword shouted
"Identify yourselves!"
Before Wu Guang or Duqi answered, the disciple that finished hiding the bodies jumped from the tunnel and stood up before them. He answered in a good-natured manner
"We are from the Three Hills Sect. I am the inner disciple of the Martial Palace Cui Li. An accident happened in the tower and we found this tunnel, do you know where we are? And who are you?"
"Three Hills Sect?" After asking this as if he was asking himself, he suddenly barked out an order
"Arrest them, and kill them if they resist!"
Hearing this, the eight spearmen formed into a line and started approaching the disciple who just introduced himself as Cui Li. The latter, without batting an eye fell into a horse stance and when the nearest spearman was about five feet from him leaped forwards. He hit the shield with a punch.
Normally this would have no effect, but right after the punch hit the spearmen was sent flying back and landed on his back several feet away. Without saying anything, Cui Li sent several quick punches and kicks while moving alongside the line of spearmen. Only one attempted to poke him with the spear, but not only Cui Li dodged, he even took special care of sending this spearman flying and crashing into the tunnel wall.
After a brief moment, all the eight spearmen were either lying down or attempting to get up from where they were sent flying.
Cui Li flashed a smile and spoke in a manner that one could take either as meaning the best or extremely mocking
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"Dear sirs, I am a cultivator from the Three Hills Sect, on what reason I would be arrested by this mob?"
"Good, good. You resisted the lawful orders of the City Guards and proceeded to harm several of them. Now even your Sect can't ask us for accounting if we kill you in retaliation" Viciously answered the man that spoke before.
As these words left his mouth something came flying from the shadows outside the lamp's light.
The flying object turned to be a dagger that deeply entered Cui Li's hand, which he had risen in defense right as he sensed something approaching. Cui Li with a face full of pain pulled out the dagger and blood spurted out of the deep wound. Throwing the dagger aside, he angrily shouted
"Who the hell is hiding there?"
"Hahahaha. You blocked my dagger, now I will have to get close and personal... That's not good, not good... Especially for you" After this mocking laughter and words were heard a figure jumped out of the shadows, it was a hooded, black-robed man holding a sword in his right hand. Right after appearing he rushed to Cui Li and slashed downwards, intending to cut him in two.
Cui Li wasn't a genius, he wasn't in the top hundred of the inner ranking, even in the top hundred of his own palace, but he still was a disciple of the sect and had a 6th level Spirit realm cultivation. He reacted quickly, dodging the slash by jumping backward, he then formed a cleansing seal before taking out a short metal club that was hanging from his waist in a double grip. Ignoring the blood that spurted out of the wound on his right hand when he gripped the club, he moved forwards and engaged the attacker with a flurry of blows.
While evading these blows, the man shouted to the two leather armored swordsmen and the spearmen who were approaching the latter after standing up
"Go call the others! The rest, get rid of the brats. Don't let them retreat to the tower!"
The latter part was shouted in response to Wu Guang and Duqi who were slowly inching to the tunnel after Cui Li shouted
"Call for my brother!"
Hearing this, Wu Guang quickly formulated a plan in his mind. Reaching down to his ankles and taking one of the hunting knives he passed it to Duqi. Then he turned around and climbed the wall, reaching the tower's tunnel he loudly shouted
"Brother Xiao, they are killing us here!"
Then reaching to the quiver on his back, he unhooked the bone bow he had taken from the armory and latched an arrow on it. All this was done so quickly that only the two swordsmen reacted, but they were stopped by Duqi who was wildly slashing around himself with the hunting knife. Although this was not fighting, more like as if a child throwing a tantrum, it was enough to make the Swordsmen stop their rush and start approaching carefully, with their swords held before them.
Wu Guang did not expect that Duqi had absolutely no training with blades, after all, he was supposedly a cultivation genius and a warrior caste trainee. But anyway, this gave him enough time to occupy the only vantage point in the tunnel and prepare his bow.
He slowly aimed at one of the swordsmen. Recalling his original memories about bow techniques, he drew the bow and let go of the arrow at the first opportunity.
It was a bad place for ranged weapons, the light was dim and this body wasn't proficient with the bow at all. But with a distance of ten feet between him and the target, a body that had already started cultivating and the myriad of techniques he had seen and even practiced in his original life, the shot was successful.
The arrow managed to pass between the reinforced chest and waist armor parts, lodging itself for over a quarter of the shaft a bit left of the navel of the swordsman that had spoken. The man didn't fall, but with the arrow lodged in his abdomen and the blood spurting from the wound, he was no fighter.
Wung Guang quickly took another arrow "I need to take these two out and let Guqi climb here, the spearmen are heavily armored and my arrows will be far less effective" Thinking of this he sent the arrow, aiming it at the neck.
This time the shot did not hit the mark, leaving just a small and shallow wound. But this was enough for the swordsman to jump back and cover himself with one of the armored spearmen who just neared the fight location after standing up from Cui Li's attack.
Seeing this, Wu Guang shouted in the Wildlands Language
"Warrior Duqi, quickly climb here"
This time, Duqi who was participating in a real battle for the first time did not dally, he quickly jumped towards the wall and in a breath had already ascended.
"Don't let them retreat!" The black-robed and hooded expert that was exchanging blows with Cui Li shouted, but Wu Guang noticed that he wasn't so sure of himself anymore, this expert who was playing with Cui Li before could not continue to dodge all the blows, so he had either to block or disperse a big part of them. Although Cui Li looked like the losing part, with several cuts on his arms and legs, a fanatical glint in the eyes was present and he looked far more energetic than his opponent.
Wu Guang and Duqi could not retreat anyways, considering the two clansmen and two prisoners lying in the tunnel right behind. Wu Guang again shouted for help into the tunnel and hoped that the senses of the Spirit realm inner disciples would catch the meaning.