At the critical moment, Nangong Mo swiftly dodged the dagger in Nan Rong Qi's hand. His long sword spun in his palm, its tip pressing against Nan Rong Qi's throat, and Nangong Mo exerted force.
"Ah!"
A scream rang out.
Nan Rong Qi clutched his bleeding left ear, his face contorted in pain.
Suddenly, a dark shadow leaped forward, landing before him.
Upon seeing the newcomer's appearance, he became ecstatic. "Hu Biao, you're here! It's wonderful! Quickly, quickly, kill him for me!"
"It's you!"
Nangong Mo looked at Hu Biao, who was protecting Nan Rong Qi, his voice as cold as ice. "You ungrateful wretch, get lost!"
Hu Biao refused to yield. Both drew their swords simultaneously. The wind howled as their figures faced off on the cliff.
Between the cliffs, the gentle breeze turned into a gale, and in an instant, fierce winds erupted.
Nangong Mo's long sword pierced Hu Biao's abdomen. Hu Biao clutched his lower abdomen, kneeling on one knee. Seeing that the situation was dire, Nan Rong Qi had already fled while Hu Biao and Nangong Mo were locked in combat.
"I spared your life, only because your life belongs to your former master, Gu Qianying. She will be the one to end you!"
Discarding the blood-stained sword in his hand, Nangong Mo leaped from the cliff.
As he left, no one noticed how his originally pale face had become even more paper-white.
When Nangong Mo descended the cliff, Bai Qi and Nangong Li had also nearly finished their tasks.
In the absence of outsiders, Nangong Mo ceased his pretense.
"Ninth Imperial Uncle is so formidable,"
Having dealt with all the black-clad assassins, Nangong Li felt much relieved. It was only a pity that Nan Rong Qi had escaped.
"Master, what's wrong?"
Bai Qi, noticing Nangong Mo's unusual complexion, stepped forward with concern.
"Hurry back... hurry back, find her... *cough*..."
Nangong Mo swayed precariously, coughed up a mouthful of blood, and then fell heavily backward.
"Ninth Imperial Uncle!"
Nangong Li lunged forward. The moment Nangong Mo fell, he desperately threw himself to the ground, becoming a human shield for Nangong Mo.
Beneath him were dense, thorny wild grasses, which not only tore his clothes but also left him with numerous wounds.
Bai Qi quickly walked over, helped the unconscious Nangong Mo up, and then pulled Nangong Li, who was lying on the ground, to his feet.
"Ninth Imperial Uncle, what happened?"
Ignoring the dense, stinging wounds on his chest and abdomen, Nangong Li still remembered to care for Nangong Mo.
Bai Qi thought for a moment, then after a pause, suddenly recalled, "Tonight should be the full moon. The poison in Master's body must be about to flare up."
"Not good, let's go! We must hurry back, otherwise, your Prince will die. Go, quickly!"
Nangong Li and Bai Qi, carrying Prince Nangong Mo, left the place. They hired a carriage on the road and rushed back.
Meanwhile,
The gate of the Gu Residence slowly opened from within.
Gu Qianying emerged, holding a long sword. Blood flowed from its hilt, and her dress was also stained with blood. Her gaze was cold. The moment she stepped out, the Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple, having gathered several archers, surrounded the Gu Residence. He, mounted on his horse, looked at Gu Qianying as she descended the steps with her sword.
"The Ninth Princess Consort, Gu Qianying, defied the imperial decree and massacred the Gu clan along with several royal guards. By order of His Highness the Crown Prince, this woman cannot be spared. Kill!"
With a command,
Several arrows flew towards Gu Qianying, scattering like a celestial bloom.
Having just fought with several guards, she was already exhausted. Now, she was facing the prospect of being pierced by a thousand arrows. Gu Qianying felt indignant.
Her reddened eyes swept over everyone.
Gu Qianying swung her long sword, deflecting several arrows. As she turned, her light feet leaped onto the horse of the Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple. She held her sword to his neck, sitting on the same horse with him, her voice cold, "If you don't want to die, make them stop!"
The Assistant Minister extended his hand, and the archers ceased their shooting.
"Ninth Princess Consort, I advise you to surrender..."
Gu Qianying gripped the Assistant Minister's neck with one hand, interrupting his unfinished words. "Shut up, take me away, quickly, or I will kill you!"
The Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple was also frightened. Under Gu Qianying's threat, he rode his horse and took her away from the place.
In the outskirts, no one pursued them.
On the road, riding on the same horse with the Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple, the Assistant Minister was in front, and Gu Qianying was behind. They were so close that they could seemingly hear each other's breathing. The Assistant Minister's face was slightly flushed along the way.
However, Gu Qianying now smelled an unusual scent on him.
"You've been poisoned?"
Gu Qianying's clear voice inquired. The Assistant Minister's body trembled. He remained silent.
Gu Qianying retracted her long sword, tossed the Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple onto a pile of grass, and remounted her horse to leave.
The Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple called out to her, "Where are you going? You have nowhere left to run."
Gu Qianying ignored him. She rode away for a moment, then returned with some wild herbs. The Assistant Minister was surprised to see her return. It wasn't until she directly shoved the herbs into his mouth and ordered him to chew and swallow them that he snapped out of his daze. He then heard Gu Qianying say, "The Bai Yi poison, although not a fatal slow-acting poison, its antidote is quite simple. You only need to chew and swallow a few roots of wild hui grass. I suspect those who poisoned you did not tell you this, as their goal was merely to make you obey."
Those poisoned by the Bai Yi poison emit a different scent from ordinary people. Even farmers who work in the fields all day cannot mask the smell of the Bai Yi poison with their sweat, let alone the Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple, who has never done farm work, values his appearance, and whose fingers have barely touched mundane chores!
The scent of the Bai Yi poison would be even stronger on him, and she could naturally detect it.
Swallowing the extremely tough and unpalatable wild grass, the Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple felt his body become lighter, and the pain in his abdomen subsided. His complexion also improved significantly.
"Why did you save me? I was supposed to kill you."
The Assistant Minister looked at Gu Qianying, very confused.
If it were anyone else, his head would have been severed by now.
"I can kill you anytime, but by keeping your dog's life, I wish to question you about some matters."
"This Assistant Minister will not betray His Majesty, nor will he betray His Highness the Crown Prince."
The Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple leaned against a tree.
"Heh!" Seeing him like this, Gu Qianying found it amusing. "If you were loyal willingly, why would you be poisoned and controlled by others?"
The Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple was speechless and silent.
At that moment, Gu Qianying turned away, no longer looking at him, and remounted her horse, heading towards the city.
The Assistant Minister of the Dali Temple suddenly stood up, looking at her retreating back, and shouted, "Don't go back! If you go back, you're walking into your death."
Gu Qianying did not turn back. The Assistant Minister chased a few steps. "It's the Crown Prince. The one who wants to kill you is the Crown Prince, and only the Crown Prince."
There was a hidden meaning in the Assistant Minister's words. Gu Qianying's hand, which was holding the reins, paused. She turned to look at the Assistant Minister, her voice very cold, "The one who wants to kill me is only the Crown Prince. This means His Majesty does not know about this matter!"