A premonition, ominous and swift, struck him.
Qiu Lu fixed his gaze on Yun Changfeng, "General Yun, is it the mountain village not far ahead at the foot of the mountain?"
"Yes, but not just one village at the foot of the mountain. The three villages nearby have all been massacred. Alas, these assassins are too inhumane." Yun Changfeng's face turned icy as he recalled the scenes he had just witnessed and seen before.
The villagers at the foot of the mountain, their bodies were still warm.
If he had arrived a step earlier, perhaps he could have saved those villagers.
"What?!" Qiu Lu exclaimed, recoiling several steps in shock.
Yun Shu's expression changed dramatically, her face filled with horror, her brows knitted tightly.
Those innocent villagers!
And Uncle Qian's family too?
Those assassins came for her, yet they so brazenly massacred three villages, leaving no survivors in their wake. Who sent them?
Having transmigrated here for several years, this was the first time Yun Shu felt a sense of crisis, as if she were being watched from the shadows.
Zhan Tianye's face was somber and chilling.
Although Jing Heng was usually cold-blooded and ruthless, he too changed his expression upon hearing Yun Changfeng's words, "A pack of beasts!"
He did kill people.
But he never slaughtered innocents.
Especially these villagers who were defenseless!
Qiu Lu's eyes reddened, but no tears fell. His heart ached profoundly. He turned to Zhan Tianye, "Your Highness, may this subordinate return to check on Cousin and the others? This subordinate wishes to bury them and will definitely return to the capital before nightfall!"
Zhan Tianye nodded, "Go."
He then instructed the few behind him, "You will accompany Qiu Lu."
"Yes!"
Qiu Lu departed first.
Yun Shu approached the two survivors.
The two survivors had just regained consciousness amidst the explosion.
They looked at Yun Shu before them with blank expressions and no fear.
Before Yun Shu could speak, one of them blurted out, "You won't live long! If this attempt failed, there will be another! There is no mission we cannot complete! Those people deserve to die! They are nothing but ants!"
"Hahahahahaha!"
The two burst into unrestrained laughter, completely disregarding Yun Shu.
It was as if Yun Shu before them would die very soon.
That kind of arrogant confidence, that utter disregard for Yun Shu, made it seem as though they had everything under control!
Yun Shu lowered her gaze at the arrogant pair and tossed a pill into their mouths.
Jing Heng dislocated their jaws.
The two stared with wide eyes, appearing astonished, seemingly not expecting to be treated this way. With their jaws dislocated, the pill easily went down their throats and into their stomachs.
Yun Shu glanced back at Qiu Lu, who was galloping away, and thought of the innocent civilians who had been caught in the crossfire.
Looking at the two before her, her eyes held no warmth.
Her gaze seemed to flicker with the sharpness of a thousand knives, emanating a chilling aura.
"Who is your master?" Yun Shu asked directly.
The two were resolute. Even after ingesting the pill, they endured the pain with all their might, their expressions contorted.
Not a single word escaped their lips.
Jing Heng suddenly pried open one man's mouth and extracted a tooth!
The tooth was not real, but encased a poison pill!
Seeing this, the other man looked at Yun Shu and Jing Heng in disbelief, trying to struggle away or grit his teeth.
However, with their dislocated jaws, they could not bite down hard enough to secure their teeth.
They could only watch as Jing Heng forced their mouths open and extracted the poison.
"Mmmph mmmph mmmph!"
"Huannnn..."
"Wo-men..."
The two, with their mouths full of air, glared fiercely at Yun Shu, wishing they could kill her right now. They had undertaken many missions and never once failed! With their master's plans, they had never failed!
This was the first time!
This woman used sorcery!
She could start fires and cause explosions!
Yun Shu looked at them coldly, her eyes downcast.
Yun Changfeng had already moved to the side, instructing people to hide in the vicinity and apprehend any assassins who might appear.
Zhan Tianye had been seated behind Yun Shu all along.
He remained silent, his imposing aura palpable.
Yun Changfeng, remembering that he had wrongly accused Zhan Tianye earlier, lowered his voice and said to him, "My apologies, this general had misunderstood Prince Ye just now."
Zhan Tianye shifted his gaze from Yun Shu to Yun Changfeng, his tone calm and suggestive, "No need for apologies, you are not an outsider."
Yun Changfeng paused, not an outsider?
What did that mean?
He wanted to tell Prince Ye to conduct himself properly, but with others present, such words were inappropriate.
At this moment, the drug took effect. The two assassins' previously fierce and resistant expressions gradually turned dumbfounded, their gazes vacant.
Jing Heng saw that the time was right and directly reset their jaws.
Yun Shu glanced at the poison pills on the ground.
These were designed to be fatal upon crushing in the mouth. Many secret guards would swallow such poison when a mission failed.
However, this poison had clearly been refined to be even more potent.
Once it spread in the mouth, it was certain death, beyond the help of any immortal.
She withdrew her gaze and looked at the two, asking, "Who is your master?"
"May our master live for ten thousand years!"
The two replied almost in unison.
Jing Heng was startled.
Yun Shu frowned and looked back at Zhan Tianye. Their eyes met, and she asked, "Ten thousand years?"
"They likely do not know their master's true identity," Zhan Tianye said gravely.
Yun Shu nodded, then turned to the two again, "How many people were sent to assassinate me?"
"One hundred."
The two spoke in unison.
One hundred people?
She recalled the scene from last night. So many people, indeed around a hundred.
Their sole target was her.
Knowing that she would likely gain no useful information from them, and to prevent any leaks if they were captured, their master would have surely fled by now.
"Decapitate them and bring their heads back to the capital. Hang them at the city gates! Proclaim to the world that whoever is found behind this will be cut into a thousand pieces. They are making an enemy of the entire Prince Ye's Mansion," Zhan Tianye commanded coldly.
The hidden guards behind him immediately stepped forward and swiftly severed the heads of the two dazed and incoherent assassins.
Blood splattered outwards.
Yun Changfeng was stunned again.
It wasn't the shock of Zhan Tianye's order, but the words themselves that astounded him.
Making an enemy of the entire Prince Ye's Mansion?
What did those words imply?
It meant that Zhan Tianye, in order to protect Shu'er, was willing to make an enemy of this unknown force behind the assassination!
In that moment, the scales in Yun Changfeng's heart began to tip again.
Shu'er could find refuge with Prince Ye.
Yun Shu's heart also trembled slightly.
Their eyes met.
Zhan Tianye said, "Do not fear. Whoever is behind this, this King will find him!"
Yun Shu's brows relaxed, her expression softening. A certain spot in her heart vibrated, and she smiled faintly, nodding, "Thank you."