Peach Blossoms in Chang'an

"General, be careful!" Wu Tao was quick-witted and quick-handed. She pushed Hu Bugui away. The hidden arrow almost flew past her arm and penetrated deeply into the tree trunk behind her.

Hu Bugui was still in shock. He looked back and saw Wu Tao's pale face, and he was frightened. "Taohua, are you okay?" He held her arm tightly and asked anxiously.

Wu Tao shook her head, indicating that she was fine. "We can't linger in the battle, we must break out as soon as possible!" She knew very well that this was not the time to be sentimental, and the most urgent task was to get out of the current predicament.

Hu Bugui also knew the priorities, he suppressed his worries and commanded the soldiers to continue to break out. However, the enemy's attacks came one after another, as if endless, the soldiers suffered heavy casualties and the situation was precarious.

In order to escape from the predicament, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui decided to lead a small team of elite soldiers, risking their lives to cross a swamp behind the Black Wind Ridge and take a detour to their destination.

This swamp was rarely visited, filled with miasma, and harboured all kinds of dangers. The soldiers walked cautiously on the simple path built with branches and vines, and everyone was on edge, not daring to relax at all.

"Splash!" With a loud noise, the calm swamp water surface suddenly exploded, and a huge crocodile opened its bloody mouth and pounced on the soldiers walking in front of the team.

"Ah--" The soldier didn't even have time to let out a scream before he was dragged into the water by the crocodile and disappeared in an instant.

"It's a crocodile! Be careful everyone!" Hu Bugui shouted a warning, and the soldiers immediately formed a circle and looked at the water around them vigilantly.

One after another, several crocodiles emerged from the water. They stared greedily at the prey in front of them, waiting for their opportunity to strike.

"Damn, why are there so many of these beasts!" Hu Bugui cursed and swung his sword at a crocodile that tried to launch a sneak attack.

Wu Tao also drew out his dagger and calmly observed the surrounding environment, looking for a way to escape.

"Hu Bugui, we can't stay here, we must find a way to leave as soon as possible!" she reminded loudly.

Hu Bugui also knew that he could not just sit there and wait for death. While commanding his soldiers to resist the crocodile's attack, he was racking his brains for countermeasures.

At this moment, Wu Tao suddenly discovered that there was a body of water with dense reeds not far away, which might be their refuge.

"Hu Bugui, look over there!" She pointed at the reeds and shouted, "Maybe we can hide there!"

Hu Bugui followed her gaze and a glimmer of hope suddenly ignited in his heart.

"Everyone listen up, follow me!" He shouted and rushed towards the reeds.

The soldiers followed closely behind, running forward with all their might, risking being attacked by the crocodiles.

Finally, they successfully rushed into the reeds and temporarily escaped the crocodile's pursuit.

However, what they did not know was that a greater crisis was quietly approaching. Instead of letting them go, opposition officials used their identities to spread rumors, claiming that they had rebelled and intended to rebel.

These rumors spread quickly among the people like a plague, and some people who originally supported them began to waver and even doubt their motives.

Hundreds of miles away in the base, Chun Tao was busy, and suddenly, she noticed something strange...

Chuntao's heart skipped a beat, and a chill ran from her feet to her head. She keenly sensed that there seemed to be some movement behind the tent. The base was built in a hidden valley, surrounded by secret sentries, and ordinary people could not get close at all, let alone sneak into the base. Unless...

"Who is it?!" Chuntao shouted loudly, and at the same time, she grasped the dagger at her waist with her backhand, turned around suddenly, and rushed to the back of the tent.

The figure behind the tent obviously did not expect to be discovered. In panic, he turned around and ran away.

"Want to leave?!" How could Chun Tao let him escape so easily? She moved as fast as lightning and caught up with the figure in a few jumps. She drew her dagger and with a flash of cold light, she went straight for the opponent's vital point.

The figure was forced to stop and turned around to fight with Chuntao. Although Chuntao had not been practicing martial arts for a long time, Wu Tao taught her some exquisite moves, and she practiced diligently every day, so her practical experience should not be underestimated.

The two fought back and forth, the flash of swords and sabers was particularly harsh in the silent valley. Chuntao became more and more courageous and gradually gained the upper hand, but the figure seemed a little powerless and his movements began to become slow.

"Tell me, who sent you? Why did you sneak into the base?" Chun Tao seized the opportunity, kicked the figure in the chest, forced him back several steps, and questioned him harshly.

The figure covered his chest with his hands, a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth, but he just sneered and did not answer.

"Don't want to tell me? Then don't blame me for being rude!" Chun Tao's eyes flashed with ruthlessness, and she swung her knife to attack again.

The figure knew that he was no match for Chuntao, and filled with despair. He suddenly pulled out a dagger from his arms and stabbed Chuntao fiercely.

Chuntao was prepared and dodged to the side, but the dagger still left a bloody mark on her arm.

"Ah!" Chuntao screamed in pain, and the dagger in her hand almost slipped out of her hand.

Seeing this, the figure took the opportunity to turn around and run away. Chun Tao endured the pain and chased after him again, and finally subdued the figure.

However, the moment the figure was subdued, he bit the poison hidden in his teeth and died on the spot.

Chun Tao looked at the cold body on the ground, her heart filled with doubts and uneasiness. Who sent this person? What was his purpose in sneaking into the base?

At the same time, Hu Bugui and Wu Tao, who were thousands of miles away, knew nothing about this and were experiencing even more severe tests.

A chivalrous knight in the martial arts world unfortunately fell into the hands of the opposition while performing his mission. Facing the enemy's torture, he always kept the secret and refused to reveal the whereabouts of Wu Tao and Hu Bugui.

"Tell me! What are you planning?!" The opposition official had a ferocious look on his face and whipped the knight hard with the whip in his hand.

"Cough cough..." The knight was covered with wounds, but he still clenched his teeth and said nothing.

"If you don't accept my toast, you will be punished!" The opposition officials were furious and ordered a more cruel punishment for the knight.

Time passed by minute by minute, and the knight's life was gradually slipping away...

Chun Tao had an ominous premonition in her heart, and she immediately reported the matter to Wu Tao. After hearing this, Wu Tao frowned and was extremely anxious. The assassins who sneaked into the base and the dead soldiers who committed suicide by taking poison all showed that the enemy they faced was far more powerful and cunning than they imagined.

"It seems that our every move is under their surveillance." Wu Tao said in a deep voice, "Chun Tao, pass the order down, strengthen the vigilance, and everyone must not take it lightly."

"Yes!" Chuntao took the order and left.

Wu Tao took a deep breath and tried to calm herself down. She knew that she couldn't lose her composure at such a time. She had to find out the details of the enemy and their purpose of sneaking into the base as soon as possible before she could formulate the next plan.

However, as if things didn't get worse, just as Wu Tao was worried about the safety of the base, another piece of bad news came - the reinforcements sent by the emperor encountered a rare snowstorm on the way, and their journey was seriously delayed.

"What?!" The map in Wu Tao's hand almost fell to the ground, "How could this happen..."

The snowstorm meant that their connection with the outside world would be completely cut off, and that they would lose support from the imperial court. Isolated and attacked from all sides, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's situation became even more difficult.

"No, we can't just sit there and wait to die!" A gleam of determination flashed in Wu Tao's eyes, "I don't believe that we can't survive without their support!"

With modern knowledge and limited materials at the base, Wu Tao tried to make a simple communication device, hoping to get in touch with the outside world. After several days of hard work, a simple wireless telegraph was finally completed.

Wu Tao began to try to send signals with trepidation. However, due to the crude equipment, the signal was intermittent and the reception effect was extremely unsatisfactory.

“Zizizi… This is…”

"Calling...if you hear me, please answer..."

Wu Tao repeated her call over and over again, but all she got in response was endless noise and desperate silence...

 Chapter 70 Adversity Escalates

Despair swept Wu Tao like a blizzard, but she knew she couldn't give up, Hu Bugui still needed her, and the fate of the Tang Dynasty depended on her. She held back her tears and tried to send a signal again, but the only response she got was chilling silence.

At this moment, a burst of hurried footsteps was heard. Wu Tao looked up suddenly and saw Chuntao running in in a panic, "Miss, this is bad, General Hu..."

Wu Tao's heart sank suddenly, "What happened to him?"

"General Hu was attacked by a group of unidentified people while on patrol and was injured!"

Wu Tao didn't have time to think about it, and immediately followed Chun Tao to Hu Bugui's room. He was lying on the bed with a pale face, a blood-stained bandage on his arm, his brows furrowed, and he was obviously enduring severe pain.

"Why are you so careless?" Wu Tao held his hand lovingly, with a hint of blame and deep worry in her tone.

Hu Bugui held her hand with his backhand, and a weak smile appeared on his lips. "I'm fine, just some minor injuries, it's nothing serious."

"You're injured like this, and you still say it's okay." Wu Tao's eyes turned red, tears welling up in her eyes. She carefully wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, her movements as gentle as if she were treating a treasure.

Under Wu Tao's meticulous care, Hu Bugui's injuries gradually improved. During this period, they spent time together day and night, supporting each other, and their feelings gradually warmed up. Wu Tao found that she was becoming more and more dependent on this man. His tenacity, his courage, and his tenderness towards her all fascinated her.

However, the reality of the situation did not give them much time to relent. Opposition officials noticed Wu Tao and Hu Bugui's actions, strengthened the defense of their secret hiding place, and sent more people to search for them.

"It seems that they have targeted us." Hu Bugui looked at the map on the wall with a frown.

"We must find the treasure as soon as possible to turn the situation around." Wu Tao also understood that time was not on their side.

Just when they were worried about how to break out, an unexpected discovery brought them new hope. During a breakout operation, Wu Tao and Hu Bugui were forced into a desperate situation and were about to be surrounded by the enemy, but they unexpectedly discovered a secret passage hidden in the mountain.

"Could this secret passage be the entrance to the treasure?" A glimmer of hope ignited in Wu Tao's eyes.

"You'll know if you go in and take a look." Hu Bugui gripped the sword tightly in his hand and stepped into the secret passage first.

The secret passage was pitch black, and the air was filled with a damp and rotten smell. Wu Tao and Hu Bugui moved forward cautiously, their hearts filled with unknown fear and expectation. Was this secret passage a road to hope, or a dangerous trap?