#697 - If you want to accuse someone, you can always find a pretext.

As the sounds of gongs and shouts from outside the prison reached their ears, everyone reacted accordingly.

Yan Huanwen's eyes widened, and a hint of nervousness crept into his expression.

The black-clad figures also stopped abruptly, their faces showing concern.

After a moment, the leader of the black-clad men spoke urgently to Yan Huanwen:

"Your Majesty! Those outside the prison have already noticed something is wrong. We are outnumbered and weak. If we are trapped here, we will surely die!"

"In this subordinate's opinion, our only chance for survival is to release all the prisoners in the jail and fight our way out in the chaos!"

"Please, Your Majesty, make a decision quickly!"

"..."

Release the prisoners from the jail and, while the prison guards outside have not yet gathered in large numbers, take advantage of the chaos to break through the encirclement.

"Good!"

Hearing the black-clad man's words, Yan Huanwen didn't think too much and quickly nodded through gritted teeth.

What the former said was correct. If they were trapped in the prison, they would only face death, so he had no other choice.

"Clang!"

"Clang, clang, clang! !"

In an instant, ear-piercing sounds of metal clashing rang out one after another.

The men quickly ran towards the prison gate, slashing at all the iron locks on the cell doors along the way.

While some of the imprisoned remained motionless, many more immediately rushed out of their cells, following behind the men towards the prison gate.

"Hahaha! This old man is finally out!"

"Hahahaha!"

"..."

For a time, all sorts of wild laughter and curses echoed through the prison, the scene incredibly chaotic.

Having suffered so much in the prison, they finally had a chance to see the light of day again.

Although these prisoners seemed almost insane, they were actually very shrewd, always staying behind Yan Huanwen and the others, unwilling to be the first to rush out and die.

But how could these black-clad men let them have their way?

"Bang!"

"Crack!"

Stopping before the massive iron gate, he severed the three horizontal locks on the door with a single slash.

The leader of the black-clad men pointed the tip of his blade backward, and sneered coldly:

"You! Come push the door!"

"..."

At this time, there were about a hundred prisoners gathered on the inner side of the gate. Upon hearing this, they all stood still, making it clear that none of them were willing to be the first to stick their necks out.

The black-clad men didn't waste any time, waving their hands and slashing out a few times. The flashes of blades instantly took several heads.

"Pfft!"

Fresh blood spurted into the air, and several headless corpses slowly fell to the ground amidst the crowd's screams.

"Hmph! Now, if you rush out together, you might have a chance of survival!"

Pointing the tip of his blade forward, a black-clad man said coldly: "But if you don't dare, then I'll let you die right now!"

"I'll say it one last time!"

"Someone, push the door!"

"..."

"Damn it! If I'm meant to die, I can't live. If I'm meant to live, I can't die! I'll do it!"

"Let's go! Dying outside is better than dying here!"

"Damn it..."

No matter how angry they were, these prisoners knew that the black-clad men in front of them didn't care about their lives at all.

So, rather than hesitating and being killed here, they might as well risk their lives and fight for a chance to escape.

And so, under the threat of death, over a hundred prisoners, whether willing or not, could only swarm forward and push open the prison gate, then crowded and rushed out of the door.

Then...

"Hmm?"

The expected scene of blazing torches and flashing blades did not appear.

Under the pale moonlight, the large prison compound was empty and deserted, without a single person in sight.

"What's going on?"

"Hahahaha! The guards must be scared!"

"Brothers! This is a great opportunity! Run!"

"..."

After a brief moment of stunned silence, over a hundred prisoners began to run wildly with joy, heading without hesitation towards the courtyard wall dozens of feet away.

Beyond this courtyard wall was Liangzhou City. Once they disappeared into the city, it would undoubtedly be very difficult for the authorities to find them again.

"Freedom" was right in front of them, how could these prisoners not be excited? In just a few breaths, the first few had already run several feet away.

At this time, the black-clad men, who were still inside the prison gate, quickly urged Yan Huanwen:

"Your Majesty! It seems the enemy has not yet gathered!"

"Let's get out of here quickly!"

"..."

Without answering immediately, Yan Huanwen frowned as he looked at the prisoners running wildly ahead, subconsciously feeling that something was wrong.

After all, even if the prison guards watching the jail were timid and dared not stop them, there shouldn't be no one in the courtyard at this moment.

What's more, someone was clearly banging the gong and shouting just now.

Why have even those people disappeared now?

Clearly, Yan Huanwen was not one of those prisoners who only cared about escaping for their lives, and he had already vaguely realized something at this moment.

It was just a pity that he realized it a little too late...

"Your Majesty! Don't hesitate anymore!"

"Your subordinates will protect you and escape!"

After exchanging a look, two black-clad men immediately came to Yan Huanwen's side, and without explanation, they lifted him up and rushed out of the prison gate.

"You, you!"

Yan Huanwen's eyes suddenly widened, and the unease in his heart grew stronger.

As the wind whistled past his ears, he looked at the black-clad men around him in horror, constantly telling himself that all of this was just his own paranoia.

After all, no matter what, they had already run to the center of the courtyard, and at most, in a dozen or so breaths, they could climb over the wall and escape, and then...

"Whoosh! !"

Suddenly, all thoughts came to an abrupt halt, and Yan Huanwen froze.

Including the hundred or so prisoners in front of them, they all stopped abruptly, their expressions becoming extremely terrified.

Because just now, countless torches suddenly lit up on the courtyard wall directly in front of them, also illuminating the dense, cold-shimmering arrowheads.

"Damn it! It's an ambush!"

"Damn it! We've been tricked!"

Looking at the Qingjia army pouring in from outside the courtyard gate, these prisoners panicked and almost subconsciously turned around, trying to escape from the other side.

However, before they could run two steps, they saw that the courtyard walls on the left and right sides had also lit up torches at the same time, forming rows of short bows.

The continuous torches illuminated the entire courtyard like daylight, and hundreds of Shu soldiers clad in armor had already surrounded this place like divine soldiers descending from the heavens, making it impenetrable.

Everything was already obvious, this was completely a trap.

"Go back!"

"They just want to kill us on the charge of jailbreak! !"

"Run back! !"

At this moment, someone finally understood the purpose of the person who planned tonight's affair.

They shouted and screamed like madmen, turning around and trying to escape back into the prison.

However, just at this moment, a black-clad man who had been staying behind suddenly flashed to the front of the prison gate, picked up an iron lock that had fallen on the ground, and then, in full view of the public, put his hands together and exerted force...

"Crack!"

The crisp sound was not loud, but it cut off the last bit of life for these hundred or so prisoners.

Some of them may have been cultivators, but since they had entered the prison, their meridians would definitely be sealed.

So now they are just like ordinary people, not only are they powerless against the hundreds of Shu soldiers around them, but even this mere iron lock is equally impossible to deal with.

Including Yan Huanwen, who was already a third-rank, it was the same.

He just stood there dumbfounded, as if he was stupid, in the midst of the chaotic crowd.

He just watched those black-clad men flash away from him, and then disappear into the Shu army formation.

He just watched Su Xiu being thrown on the ground, unable to move, her body covered in mud.

He watched all of this with his own eyes, unable to say a word.

He didn't even know why this was happening...

The raging torches, the countless ready-to-fire arrows, the expressionless Shu soldiers, the pale crescent moon overhead.

The cries of sorrow, curses, and pleas for mercy gradually stopped after a dozen or so breaths. The hundred or so prisoners trapped in the center of the courtyard finally stopped shouting, only huddled together, trembling, looking at the dense array of soldiers around them, and the cold weapons in their hands.

Until the figures flickered, and a passage suddenly opened in the army formation...

In an instant, all eyes focused on the man who walked out of the army formation.

The latter just glanced at Yan Huanwen from afar, and then calmly uttered two words.

"Fire."