Evan had absolute faith in Selena’s words. He shot west like a streak of shadow, heart pounding with worry—he knew Gavin Wei and Rowena Luo couldn’t hold out much longer with their strength.
Evan was fast, but Selena was even faster—she overtook him in an instant. The two arrived at the western side of the Great General’s Manor, where Gavin, Rowena, and an elegant middle-aged woman were locked in a desperate battle with several rebel guards.
All three were covered in blood, but Gavin was especially grievously wounded—he had several deep gashes, some so wide you could see the bone.
Selena reached the scene before Evan, instantly striking down one of the guards attacking Gavin with a single palm; her movements were lightning quick.
Evan quickly joined the fray, swinging the Frostbane Sword and sending streams of sword-qi slashing at the surrounding guards. In just a few breaths, he cut down several traitors.
With Evan and Selena joining the fight, Gavin and Rowena knew their rescuers had arrived. Even though their wounds were serious, they fought with renewed ferocity.
Selena’s power dominated the battlefield—she killed the most and the fastest. Within minutes, most of the rebels were dead. Any guards who tried to flee were locked down by her spatial imprisonment and executed instantly.
Soon, every rebel guard in this sector lay dead. Evan inspected the wounds of Gavin, Rowena, and Rowena’s mother, then said:
"Treat your wounds quickly—this isn’t a place to linger. We have to get to the Second Prince’s Manor as soon as possible."
"Bro Evan, I thought I’d never see you again. Can’t believe my luck—I actually held out until you guys came to save us," Gavin said, grimacing through the pain.
"Like hell you’re dying that easily. If I don’t let you die, you’ll never die. Didn’t you get some healing pills at the auction? Hurry up and give them to everyone," Evan laughed.
Rowena glanced at Evan and Selena, her voice choking up: "Thank you for arriving in time. If not for you, my mother, Gavin, and I would all be dead by now."
Selena didn’t say a word—she was scanning the bloody surroundings, making sure no traitors had slipped away.
Evan, hearing Rowena’s words, walked over to the middle-aged woman and said, "You must be Rowena’s mother. The city’s in chaos—Winston Ying’s faction really is everywhere. It’s shocking how deep their roots go."
"General Roland is at the Second Prince’s Manor right now, so don’t worry, madam. But do you know what’s happening at the manor itself?"
Gavin produced the fifth-tier Great Return Pills he’d gotten at the auction and handed them to Rowena and her mother. "These are Great Return Pills—they’re great for external injuries. Take them quickly!"
Evan glanced at Gavin and joked, "So you do have a manly side after all. I always thought you were just a coward. Why are you hurt worse than the others?"
After swallowing a Great Return Pill, Rowena explained, "Gavin got those wounds protecting me and my mother. If not for him, you’d be looking at our corpses right now."
Rowena’s mother spoke up: "I never thought my husband would be betrayed by the person he trusted most. And here, we were betrayed by the person we trusted most in the manor. It’s heartbreaking."
"What happened? Was the manor poisoned too?" Evan asked in shock.
"We weren’t poisoned, but it’s almost the same. The manor’s steward grew up with me—she was basically my personal maid since childhood.
After I married into the Great General’s Manor, she followed me here. She could’ve married, but she refused for my sake, dedicating herself to caring for me. We were like sisters.
Later, my husband saw how capable she was and made her the steward. She managed the estate perfectly all these years. Who would’ve thought the person we trusted most would turn out to be the ringleader of the rebellion?
Turns out, she secretly bought off most of the guards and household retainers. That’s one of the main reasons things got so bad."
Evan was shocked too—he hadn’t expected both husband and wife to be betrayed by those they trusted most. That kind of pain was the hardest to bear. He realized Rowena’s mother couldn’t bring herself to explain exactly how the steward betrayed her, so he didn’t press for details.
"Let’s go. The city’s in chaos—we have to help put things right, and if I’m not mistaken, the Sea Dragon Empire has already sent troops. The real crisis is here," Selena said.
All three were badly injured, especially Gavin. Walking to the Second Prince’s Manor would take at least half an hour, and Selena couldn’t carry so many people at once—her star power was already running low.
Evan called out in his mind to Goldwing, his golden vulture: "Goldwing, can you still fly? We need your help—things are urgent!"
"I’m good to go, boss! Coming out now!" Goldwing replied instantly.
With a thought, Evan summoned Goldwing. A flash of golden light appeared, and a tiny golden bird materialized in front of everyone.
Selena recognized the little golden bird immediately—it was the same totem-like bird she’d seen on Evan’s back. She hadn’t expected it to look like this in real life.
Everyone stared at Goldwing in shock, not understanding why Evan had summoned a tiny bird. Gavin asked, "Bro Evan, what are you doing bringing out a little bird?"
"He’s going to fly you to the Second Prince’s Manor. With your injuries, who knows how long you’d take to get there otherwise," Evan replied.
"You really think a bird that small can carry us? Evan, stop messing with us—we can walk just fine!" Gavin protested.
"Goldwing, show them your true body—we need to leave now!" Evan ordered.
"Yes, boss!" Goldwing answered. With a flash of golden light, he transformed into a gigantic golden vulture, the size of a house.
Goldwing’s true form stunned everyone. Aside from Selena, none of them had ever seen such a massive golden bird.
Rowena and Gavin stared at Evan like he was some kind of monster. First a mountain-sized lion, now a giant bird—how did he get these beasts?
"Evan, you’re just too mysterious. You can even contract flying beasts like this—I’m honestly impressed," Gavin exclaimed.
"No need to be surprised—Goldwing’s my little brother, and we’re all friends here. He won’t hurt you. Get on his back, questions can wait; now’s not the time for explanations," Evan said.
Everyone climbed onto Goldwing’s back. Goldwing already knew the way to the Second Prince’s Manor. With a rush of wind in their ears, they were airborne in an instant…