Seeing Wen Yu Xi and the imposter both present, the Northern Frontier King's icy expression softened considerably.
"Your Highness, the assassin has fled, but the prisoner sustained some injuries," a guard reported, standing beside him.
The Northern Frontier King walked in. The jailer quickly opened the cell door, and he saw the scratch marks on Wen Yu Xi's arm.
"If you wish for me to die, then do it quickly. Why bother with this charade?" Wen Yu Xi said coldly upon seeing him.
Hearing this, the Northern Frontier King sneered, "If I wanted your life, Wen Yu Xi, would I need to go to such lengths? It wasn't my assassin."
Wen Yu Xi snorted, "Then guard this place well."
A trace of amusement flickered across the Northern Frontier King's face. "It seems, Wen Yu Xi, that everyone wants you dead."
Wen Yu Xi remained silent.
The Northern Frontier King took a step closer, now nearer to Wen Yu Xi. "Wen Yu Xi, why not surrender to my command? I will release you immediately and treat you well."
Upon hearing this, Wen Yu Xi looked up at him and suddenly spat a mouthful of phlegm towards him. He couldn't dodge in time and was splattered.
"Surrender to you? If I wanted to, I wouldn't have held out for so long," Wen Yu Xi said with a cold laugh.
"Your Highness..." The jailer beside them, terrified, quickly handed him a handkerchief.
The Northern Frontier King took it, wiped his face, and said coldly, "Wen Yu Xi, don't refuse a toast only to drink a forfeit."
"Then I'm truly sorry. I only like to drink forfeits, what can be done?"
The Northern Frontier King's gaze sharpened. The jailer beside him immediately cursed, "You ungrateful wretch."
"Your own King hasn't spoken, why are you, a dog, barking randomly?" Wen Yu Xi retorted.
The jailer, enraged, pulled out his whip and moved to strike.
The Northern Frontier King stopped him with one hand. The jailer said, "Your Highness, this prisoner deserves a beating."
The Northern Frontier King's gaze was sharp and sinister as he looked at the jailer. "Am I the King?"
The jailer trembled all over, quickly kneeling and begging for mercy. "Your Highness, please understand, this subordinate meant nothing of the sort."
"Scram..." the Northern Frontier King roared.
The jailer dared not delay and retreated immediately.
"Wen Yu Xi, don't think I dare not kill you," the Northern Frontier King said coldly.
Wen Yu Xi laughed heartily, "Then come, come and kill me..."
The Northern Frontier King's expression turned grim. He turned to his guards and said, "From today onwards, you will guard here. No one is allowed near them."
"Yes, Your Highness," the guard said, cupping his hands.
The Northern Frontier King flicked his sleeve and left.
"Why bother? If you left here, it would be of greater help to His Majesty," Xue Zi Xuan said softly from the side.
Wen Yu Xi looked at him. "Do you think he would easily believe? He knows me. I wouldn't agree so readily. If I agreed easily, I fear he would become suspicious, and His Majesty would be in danger."
Xue Zi Xuan was slightly stunned. "I never thought of that. Fortunately, you did."
Wen Yu Xi smiled. "We must trust His Majesty. She will definitely get us out of here."
Xue Zi Xuan nodded. He did not doubt his sister's capabilities.
Xue Zi Ning gazed at the water prison, feeling powerless for the first time. However, she would not give up. She was determined to bring the three of them out safely.
"Who are you? What are you doing here?" a voice suddenly came from behind.
Xue Zi Ning stiffened. She leaped up, hearing a shout from behind, "Assassin, catch the assassin..."
Suddenly, a whip came horizontally, blocking her path. She took a step back and saw the person approaching. She felt fortunate she had pulled up her veil earlier, because the person before her was none other than the Northern Frontier King.
"Who are you?" the Northern Frontier King asked coldly, holding his whip and looking at her.
Xue Zi Ning did not answer. She leaped up again, attempting to rush forward.
Seeing this, the Northern Frontier King shouted, "Take him down..."
He also swung his whip towards her.
Xue Zi Ning dodged, and the Northern Frontier King narrowed his eyes. "Were you the one who trespassed into the water prison earlier?"
As Xue Zi Ning dodged the Northern Frontier King's attack, she searched for an escape route.
The Northern Frontier King spoke again, "What grudge do you have with Wen Yu Xi?"
"..." Xue Zi Ning was taken aback. A grudge with Wen Yu Xi?
In her momentary daze, many of the King's guards had arrived.
The Northern Frontier King withdrew from the direct confrontation. Although the assassin kept dodging, he knew that the assassin's skills were excellent, and he might not be a match for them at full strength.
However, with so many guards, the assassin might not be able to escape.
Xue Zi Ning saw the guards surrounding them and knew a fierce battle was likely imminent.
She felt for the silver whip at her waist but did not draw it. If the silver whip were revealed, she feared the Northern Frontier King would recognize her identity.
A guard from the King's mansion charged forward. She dodged and struck the guard's wrist. The guard's hand was hit, and his sword fell. She caught it with one hand and kicked the guard in the abdomen.
The guard cried out in pain and was sent flying.
She picked up the guard's long sword and held it across her chest.
The guards surged forward. She leaped up, broke free, and headed in a certain direction. The Northern Frontier King grew anxious. "Don't let him get away..."
But the guards could no longer keep up. The Northern Frontier King was furious. "All of you are useless, utterly useless... still not chasing him..."
Xue Zi Ning landed outside the Northern Frontier King's mansion. She could still hear the sounds of the guards' footsteps from within the mansion in the distance.
She dared not delay and quickly left the area.
"He's that way..." the sound of guards came from behind.
Xue Zi Ning bolted. She hadn't expected the guards to pursue her so quickly.
The Northern Frontier King's mansion was located on the most prosperous main street in the Northern Frontier, teeming with people, but her dark attire was still extremely conspicuous.
She scanned her surroundings. With one hand, she snatched a straw hat from a vendor. With the other, she grabbed a lantern. Then, she tore off her dark clothing and stuffed it into the lantern.
Afterward, she let down her hair, put on the straw hat, and tied a scarf around her neck.
When the guards approached, they found that the person in dark clothing had vanished.
"There's dark clothing inside this lantern," a guard discovered the concealed clothing.
"Return to the mansion." With no distinguishing features, they could not continue the pursuit.
The Northern Frontier King, upon hearing that the person had escaped, angrily smashed the teacup in his hand to the ground, cursing, "You are all incompetent, useless..."
"Your Highness, the person was cunning..." the guard said.
"From today onwards, guard the mansion inside and out with all your might. If there's another incident, you won't have your heads on your necks." the Northern Frontier King raged.
The guards breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, their heads were still attached.
Xue Zi Ning returned to the residence. Shen Yun Xiu was pacing anxiously in the courtyard. Upon seeing her appear, he let out a breath of relief and stepped forward. "You're finally back. This humble subject was very worried about you."
Xue Zi Ning said, "The plan failed. The people were not rescued."
"Your Majesty, we need to plan this carefully. It's likely not feasible with just you and this humble subject."
Xue Zi Ning nodded. What Shen Yun Xiu said was true. They were too few. If Yan Zhao could also join, that would be great.