In the garrison, not far from the Changfeng Weichang, a mansion was still brightly lit.
Inside this mansion resided the only prince of the Qi Country, Prince Shen. Although Prince Shen was not skilled in archery, over the years he had accumulated a considerable amount of real estate under his name, and this mansion was one of them.
Rather than calling it a mansion, this piece of land resembled more of a country estate.
On ordinary days, the estate would receive guests who were aristocratic children coming from the outskirts for hunting.
These aristocratic children usually came for leisure and entertainment, seeking small game hunting.
They would bring along a large entourage, including children, wives, guards, and servants.
The nobles couldn’t withstand the heat, so after the hunt, they would often stay in the estate, enjoying some fruits and amusing their children. It was relatively comfortable for them. As they were generous spenders, Prince Shen had also earned a considerable amount of money from this estate.
Today, Prince Shen arrived at this estate not to settle accounts but to do something else. He lifted Xiao Qing in his arms, and though his hands trembled incessantly, he managed to place her securely on the horse’s back.
Xiao Qing had just changed her medicine and was about to sleep when her father woke her up. She was already very puzzled, and upon seeing the group of private guards secretly kept by her father, she became even more astonished. “Father, what are you doing?”
Prince Shen didn’t explain much to Xiao Qing. He mounted the horse and rode together with her. “Qing’er, come with Father and escape.”
“Escape? Father, why do we need to escape?”
“Because someone wants to kill us.”
“Kill us? Father, you are the prince of Qi Country. Who dares to kill you?”
Prince Shen’s face remained hidden in the dark night. He didn’t explain further to Xiao Qing and turned to the guards beside him, giving orders, “Make sure to protect Princess Qing.”
“Yes,” the guards acknowledged the order.
Xiao Qing listened to the howling wind in her ears, her eyes filled with confusion. Obviously, she didn’t quite understand what was happening tonight.
However, Xiao Jin, hiding in the darkness, understood.
In the pitch-black night, Xiao Jin sat in a wheelchair and watched as Prince Shen fled.
Her expression remained unchanged.
Unable to bear the loneliness, Ye Suyu, standing beside her, asked, “Your Highness, don’t you want to pursue?”
Xiao Jin replied, “Pursue what?”
Ye Suyu glanced at Chu Shao and the group of Tianya Sect disciples who were ready to strike with their swords and fell into silence. She didn’t answer Xiao Jin’s question, but her meaning was apparent.
Not pursuing meant letting this group of people gather here… What were they planning to do?
Even at night, the summer heat showed no signs of diminishing. .
Xiao Jin took the handkerchief handed to her by Chu Shao and gently wiped the sweat from her forehead. She said to Ye Suyu, “Let’s wait for a while and watch the show.”
Although she said that, even Xiao Jin herself felt that the cost of watching this show was a bit too hot. If it weren’t for Xiao Shuang advising her not to get involved, maybe she wouldn’t have come.
Chu Shao looked at the rolling yellow sand ahead and smiled as she asked, “Your Highness, how did you know that Prince Shen would choose this moment to escape?”
Xiao Jin replied, “I gambled.”
Her answer was enigmatic, but it was indeed the truth.
Xiao Jin met Chu Shao’s gaze and explained softly, “Today, I had a conversation with the Fifth Prince. He told me… someone wants to kill Prince Shen.”
Chu Shao didn’t seem surprised. She smiled and asked, “And then?”
“And then, tonight is the last day the camp is stationed here. Tomorrow, the whole team will return to the capital.”
Chu Shao nodded, “So, the last chance to target Prince Shen is tonight.”
Xiao Jin sighed softly.
As the female lead of the original story, she was truly unparalleled in terms of intelligence and martial prowess.
Even she wondered if Chu Shao had already seen through everything and had asked that question just now purely to find a topic to entertain herself.
Chu Shao stared at Xiao Jin and asked gently, “In that case, Your Highness deliberately accompanied this Princess to release sky lanterns, hoping to let the spies hiding in the dark discover that you were by the lake, report it to their master, and then come here to watch the show?”
“Of course not.” Even though that might be the case, at this moment, Xiao Jin could only firmly deny it.
Chu Shao smiled and remained silent.
Xiao Jin coughed lightly, changing the subject. “Bored as we are, how about we play a game?”
“Sure, what game does Your Highness want to play?”
As soon as Chu Shao heard the mention of playing a game, a smile appeared on her lips.
Xiao Jin replied, “Let’s play riddles.”
“What kind of riddles?” Chu Shao asked.
“Just guess when the person hiding behind will appear.”
Chu Shao shook her head slightly and smiled, “I won’t guess.”
Xiao Jin was somewhat surprised and asked, “Why not?”
“Because I believe they have already appeared.”
….
Prince Shen pulled the reins, staring at the people blocking his path.
The wind howled as he looked at the group of masked black-clothed mens standing before him.
Even the words he spoke were tinged with a trembling tone due to the wind, “So, you finally came.”
The Crown Prince, clad in black armor, smiled as he sat on the sweat-soaked steed gifted to him by Prince Shen years ago. He said, “Uncle, I have been waiting here for you.”
Prince Shen’s face showed a hint of confusion, “When did you arrive?”
“Before the Fifth Prince secretly conveyed the message to you.”
“Cheng’er is also your man?”
“He used to be.” The Crown Prince paused, his tone tinged with regret. “Unfortunately, not anymore.”
After realizing that the Fifth Prince hadn’t deceived him, Prince Shen’s face rarely showed a smile.
Looking at the crowd of black-clothed mens, knowing that he couldn’t resist, he asked, “How did you know I would take this route?”
The Crown Prince said, “I didn’t know.”
Then he smiled, “But two hours ago, I sealed off the entire area. So, no matter which route you took, the result would be the same.”
Prince Shen fell silent for a moment and asked seriously, “Qing’er is your sister. She knows nothing. Can you spare her?”
The Crown Prince looked at Xiao Qing, who was surrounded by Prince Shen, and saw her bewildered expression.
He spoke softly, “Uncle, if you hadn’t brought Qing’er with you to escape, I would spare her.”
“But now, she already knows everything.”
For a long time, there was only the starry sky above the grassland and the sound of the wind spreading like wild grass.
Prince Shen was greedy and lustful, but he wasn’t a foolish person.
As death approached, he looked at Xiao Yu’s smiling face and said mockingly, “Crown Prince, have you ever considered that maybe I’m not your uncle, but someone else entirely?”
There was a moment of silence in the wind.
The voice of the woman in red sounded particularly alluring, but her words were not pleasant, “Prince Shen, you really know how to court death.”
As soon as she finished speaking, she suddenly drew her sword.
However, the Crown Prince shook his head, stopping Shen Guichen’s actions.
He remained on his horse, looking at Prince Shen with a smile, and continued, “I have considered.”
….
The impact of these words was extremely strong.
Not only did they make the group of masked black-clothed people’s legs tremble, even Xiao Jin, hiding in the woods, furrowed her brows slightly, astonished by the depth of the Crown Prince’s scheming.
After all, Prince Shen’s words were spreading rumors about the Crown Prince’s illegitimate lineage.
Yet, the male lead actually followed along and continued, “I have considered. After receiving the order, I will lock you in a prison wagon and send you back to the capital. As a traitor conspiring with your faction, privately raising an army, do you still qualify as my uncle?”
“Now, it seems my thoughts were unnecessary. You don’t seem afraid of death,” the Crown Prince remarked.
Perhaps knowing his fate, Prince Shen decided to go all out and cursed, “Of course, I’m not afraid of death! If you kill me today, the whole world will know it was at the hands of Xiao Yu.”
“With my death, all the people will see your true face. How can someone disloyal, unfilial, unkind, and unjust like you deserve to be the Crown Prince of Qi Country?”
“As long as I can expose your hypocritical nature, it’s worth it for me to die!” Prince Shen’s words fell, and Xiao Jin foresaw everything.
It must be said that although Prince Shen had few other merits, he was quite good at cursing.
Now, even if the Crown Prince could remain calm, his subordinates were likely unable to. Indeed, following Prince Shen’s words, the sound of swords being unsheathed echoed through the scene.
First, the woman in red raised her sword and beheaded one of the opposing guards, splashing the ground with blood. Prince Shen’s soldiers, aware of having no way out, could only fight to the death.
They gritted their teeth and charged forward, engaging in a life-or-death struggle with the black-clothed mens. The sound of galloping horses filled the air.
Blades went in, red blades came out.
No one knew whose blood stained their robes.
Ye Suyu tightly gripped the sword at her waist, and the disciples of the Tianya Sect behind her grew restless, quietly asking Liu Tianya, “Master, can we fight against those thieves from the Blood Rain Pavilion?”
Liu Tianya did not speak; he merely looked at the person sitting in the wheelchair ahead.
If the other party didn’t move, it was difficult for him to respond to his disciples’ request.
However, Xiao Jin remained as solid as a rock, unaffected by the situation.
As the black-clothed mens were stabbed multiple times by the guards and fell to the ground with blood gushing out, she watched the scene unfold as if it were a play.
The woman in red deflected Prince Shen’s sword, still watching the scene.
Prince Shen rolled on the ground with Xiao Qing
Xiao Jin turned her head to chat with Chu Shao, saying, “This place is really unbearable. It’s even hotter today than yesterday.”
Ye Suyu remained silent, as did Liu Tianya.
Only Chu Shao smiled and produced a folding fan from somewhere, sending a gust of wind to Xiao Jin while speaking in a gentle and comforting voice, “After returning to the capital, it won’t be this hot anymore.”
The two of them casually chatted about the weather amidst the chaos of swords and shadows.
Such a mentality truly impressed everyone present.
It wasn’t until the woman in red’s sword touched Prince Shen’s throat that Xiao Jin finally stopped chatting with Chu Shao and turned her head to take a glance.
With the blade against his throat, Prince Shen’s fear of death weakened his aura.
Staring wide-eyed, lying on the ground, he looked up at the Crown Prince and stuttered, “You… if you kill me, you’ll never find out where I hid the evidence against you and the Empress. One day, you will regret it…”
The Crown Prince dismounted and, holding his sword, took steps closer to Prince Shen, smiling. “Uncle, I don’t know if I’ll regret it in the future, but I do know that you must be regretting it now.”
“To be honest, as a treacherous minister like you, even if you die on the way back to the capital, no one will suspect anything. So, just go peacefully.”
As the Crown Prince drew closer, Xiao Qing couldn’t help but rush out and stand in front of Prince Shen, trembling as she pleaded, “Brother, I beg you… please don’t kill father.”
The Crown Prince looked expressionless at Xiao Qing and gestured for Shen Guichen to pull her away.
Understanding the signal, Shen Guichen removed the sword from Prince Shen’s throat, grabbed Xiao Qing, and easily restrained her.
Amidst Xiao Qing’s screams, the Crown Prince raised his sword and struck at Prince Shen’s throat.
“Ding—”
The sound of the silver sword hitting the ground was extremely clear.
Shen Guichen froze, looking incredulously at the long sword that had fallen to the ground, wondering where this hidden weapon had come from that could knock off the Crown Prince’s sword!
The Crown Prince was taken aback and lowered his gaze to the new bloodstain on the back of his hand, furrowing his brow.
Then he lowered his head and examined the hidden weapon that had attacked him.
It was a folding fan.
The Crown Prince had a guess in his mind. He slowly raised his head and first saw the striking wheelchair and the indifferent face of the person sitting on it.
He stood in place, staring at Xiao Jin for a while.
Then his gaze moved beyond Xiao Jin’s head and met the smiling eyes of the woman in white.
In an instant, the Crown Prince touched the bloodstain on the back of his hand and even smiled warmly. “Third sister-in-law, you’ve come at the right time.”
Surprisingly, he bypassed the step of exchanging pleasantries with Xiao Jin and addressed Chu Shao first.
Chu Shao looked at the smile on the Crown Prince’s face, and with just one glance, she understood.
She despised this person.
Moreover, from his eyes, Chu Shao sensed something she was extremely familiar with.
It was—killing intent.
A deeper smile appeared on Chu Shao’s lips.
Perfect.
She possessed that as well.
And more than the Crown Prince.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Translator’s note: Oh! Oh! I’m finally seeing the male lead and female lead killing each other. Whoa… it’s so exciting!
TO BE CONTINUE…
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