Shen Yun Xiu watched the black-clad assailants charging menacingly towards the carriage, and for a moment, he felt like weeping. They were clearly intent on taking his life.
Tied up with ropes, he couldn't escape. Was he truly going to die like this?
As swords and blades drew perilously close, Shen Yun Xiu, in his terror, closed his eyes. A chill wind swept past his face, but it was only a wind. What followed was a wail. He instinctively opened his eyes and saw the black-clad assailant right before him, staring at him with wide eyes, blood spewing from his mouth.
Then, the assailant fell to the ground, a dagger buried in his back. The dagger was swiftly pulled out by a pale, jade-like hand and hurled towards him.
Using a burst of his inner force, Shen Yun Xiu raised his hands high. The dagger passed between his wrists, severing the ropes that bound them.
Catching the dagger, he quickly cut through the ropes around his feet and rushed out of the carriage. He saw a slender figure locked in combat with the other four black-clad assailants.
He leaped forward, engaging one of the assailants. After a brief exchange, he was somewhat astonished. These individuals were highly skilled. Just to hold off one required all his effort. Moreover, the Empress had fought five of them and still managed to free up her hands to kill the attacker who had tried to ambush him. Her combat prowess was not to be underestimated.
"Are these people all sent by Han Xi Chen?"
Xue Zi Ning nodded, "It's likely to silence witnesses."
Upon hearing this, Shen Yun Xiu's gaze turned cold. Han Xi Chen was truly ruthless.
"Not a single one of them can be allowed to escape, otherwise Shen Yun Xuan will be in danger," Xue Zi Ning said in a low voice.
Shen Yun Xiu nodded. He knew the Empress was right; allowing anyone to escape would be like letting the tiger return to its lair.
The black-clad assailants had never expected that the couple, described by their master as possessing only a little martial skill, would now fight like seasoned experts. They had already lost two comrades at the hands of the unarmed woman.
These were men who had taken decades of meticulous training from their master to reach their current level of achievement.
Yet, they had never imagined they would fall at the hands of a woman their master claimed knew no martial arts, leaving them utterly humiliated.
They had to report this intelligence to His Highness, allowing him to prepare in advance. With this thought, the remaining three prepared themselves. Two simultaneously attacked, engaging Shen Yun Xiu and Xue Zi Ning, while the third prepared to escape and relay the information.
When Xue Zi Ning noticed, the messenger had already entered the undergrowth.
"This is bad," she thought with a sense of dread. She absolutely could not let them report to Han Xi Chen. With this thought, her gaze sharpened, and she accelerated her movements. With a forward lunge, her whip coiled around an assailant, flinging him away.
She leaped into the air, heading towards the fleeing assailant.
The flung assailant, disregarding whether he would die from the fall, produced a dart in mid-air and threw it with all his might towards Xue Zi Ning. Sensing the hidden weapon behind her, Xue Zi Ning exerted force on her feet, flipping to dodge the dart.
Her gaze turned icy. She intercepted the last dart and sent it flying back towards the assailant.
The dart pierced the assailant's throat. He moved his lips, but ultimately uttered no sound, falling to the ground dead.
Xue Zi Ning turned, only to see that the previously fleeing assailant had vanished without a trace. A sense of unease settled in her heart.
Turning back, she saw Shen Yun Xiu still struggling against the remaining assailant. She flicked her whip, hitting the assailant squarely on the calf. The man cried out in pain and collapsed to his knees.
Shen Yun Xiu pressed the dagger against the assailant and asked coldly, "Was Han Xi Chen the one who sent you?"
The assailant's expression suddenly changed, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth as he fell to the ground, dead.
Seeing this, Shen Yun Xiu cursed inwardly.
He looked up and saw the Empress looking at him. He hurried forward, "Your Majesty, that person..."
"Escaped," Xue Zi Ning said coldly.
"Your Majesty, do not worry. Shen Yun Xuan is no ordinary person; he knows how to handle himself."
Before Shen Yun Xiu's words had even finished, a dark shadow flashed past, followed by a heavy thud on the ground.
Xue Zi Ning started and looked up, seeing the black-clad figure on the ground was none other than the one she had failed to pursue earlier.
"A Ning, you underestimated them!"
She looked up, seeing the newcomer, and her entire being relaxed. She smiled, "With you here, isn't it natural for me to underestimate them?"
Shen Yun Xiu gazed at the man's graceful demeanor and unparalleled elegance, unable to help but sigh inwardly. With someone like this by the Empress's side, how could the Empress possibly fancy anyone else?
Seeing Xue Jing Yun transform two of the fallen black-clad assailants into likenesses of himself and the Empress, he couldn't help but ask, "What is Your Highness planning?"
Xue Jing Yun said faintly, "Han Xi Chen is a naturally suspicious person. Without receiving news, he will undoubtedly send more people to investigate."
Shen Yun Xiu was somewhat surprised. Xue Jing Yun truly lived up to his reputation as the exceptionally talented Crown Prince of Xue Kingdom. His mind was indeed meticulous.
By the evening, Han Xi Chen had still received no news, and a sense of unease gnawed at him.
The arrival of Prince Chang Ping only made him more agitated.
"Is there any news?" An Ping asked, noticing Han Xi Chen's darkening complexion.
Han Xi Chen said coldly, "There is no news yet."
An Ping frowned. "Could your subordinates have failed?"
Hearing this, Han Xi Chen let out a cold laugh. "They are elite assassins I have meticulously trained for years. Unless someone helped Shen Yun Xiu escape, he was bound to die."
"If that's the case, what are you still worried about?" An Ping couldn't help but ask.
Han Xi Chen remained silent. He knew all this, but for some reason, his heart felt uneasy.
"Someone, go and investigate," Han Xi Chen commanded.
Someone quickly accepted the order and left.
"Even if they escaped, they can't do anything. Who would believe them?" An Qing felt Han Xi Chen was making a mountain out of a molehill. He might as well focus on how to get the gold out quickly.
"This is your misplaced kindness. Shen Yun Xiu once came close to assassinating the Empress. If it weren't for his aunt, the Empress would likely be severely injured by now."
An Ping responded, "Since you know that, why didn't you send more men?"
Was this the time for regret?
Han Xi Chen scoffed, "If Prince Chang Ping is not satisfied, you are welcome to send reinforcements yourself. Why mock me here?"
"You..."
"If there is nothing else, Prince Chang Ping, please take your leave!" Han Xi Chen issued a clear dismissal.
An Ping left the room in a fit of rage.
Han Xi Chen looked out the window, feeling as though an unseen hand was subtly manipulating everything.
And he was merely a pawn. This feeling was incredibly unsettling.
"Your Highness."
Seeing the dispatched subordinate return, he couldn't help but eagerly ask, "What is it?"
"Reporting to Your Highness, Shen Yun Xiu is already dead. Madam Shen should still have some life, but my subordinate delivered a final blow."
"Good, very good." Han Xi Chen's heart finally settled.