The arrow’s shaft pierced through the bustling crowd and in an instant reached Ji Yunshu’s eyes.
Too fast!
Tremendous force!
Before Ji Yunshu could even react, her body was violently shoved aside by someone, heavily thrown to the ground.
Her palms scraped against the rough stone slabs, seeming to spark friction, burning with searing pain.
When she lifted her eyes, that sharp arrow had already ruthlessly pierced through Wei Yi’s chest, penetrating completely through and shooting into a rock on the opposite side of the river.
“Wei Yi?”
She was stunned speechless!
Shocked beyond measure!
Her screaming cry shattered the heavens.
She only saw fresh blood flowing from Wei Yi’s chest, staining his plain blue-green garment red—exceptionally glaring!
She couldn’t even clearly perceive the reactions of those around her. Everything surrounding her became illusory and blurred in her eyes. She only saw Wei Yi’s face instantly turn deathly pale, blood staining the corners of his mouth, his eyelids slowly drooping shut, his body heavily pressing down toward her.
“Wei Yi?”
She caught his heavy, weakened body. Seeing that gaping hole of a wound pierced through his chest, her entire being was frightened into a buzzing daze.
Upon witnessing this scene, Jingrong on the bridge tensed nervously and was about to leap over frantically, but the next sharp arrow from the darkness was aimed at him.
The arrow’s force was very strong. When he caught it, his palm was pierced by the arrow!
Blood flowed all over the ground.
The crowd also began to grow turbulent at this moment!
From somewhere, twenty or thirty black-clothed masked people jumped out, each carrying long swords, killing intent surging as they charged toward Ji Yunshu and Jingrong.
Tang Si was closest to Ji Yunshu. She immediately drew the silver whip from her waist and lashed it toward several black-clothed people.
“To actually sneak around and ambush people—this young lady will take your lives!”
Fiercely whipping it out!
The Shi family siblings and Lang Bo, who had been hidden, also leaped out!
After killing several black-clothed people, Muruo rushed toward the arrow-struck Wei Yi.
He quickly pulled out a medicinal pill from his body and administered it to Wei Yi.
“Save him, save him…”
Ji Yunshu’s voice trembled, desperately pleading.
A pair of hands tightly pressed on Wei Yi’s arrow-pierced wound, stained with blood all over her hands.
But no matter what, the blood couldn’t be stopped!
Wei Yi’s eyes trembled slightly, his breath very weak.
His clean eyes gazed at Ji Yunshu. After softly calling “Shu’er” once, he fainted.
Several black-clothed people came charging over. Muruo picked up the pebbles Tang Si had thrown on the ground earlier and struck them away.
Then without another word, he lifted Wei Yi and rushed out of the crowd.
Ji Yunshu was numb for several seconds before chasing after them!
At this moment, chaos also erupted on the bridge. Jingrong worried about Ji Yunshu’s safety, but Mu Jin was beside him.
He could only push her into the crowd, “Leave quickly.”
“Master Jing!” Mu Jin worried.
Jingrong leaped up and from the bridge reached the riverside.
He commanded Shi Ziran.
“Go protect Master Ji.”
“But Your Highness, you…”
“Go.”
“Yes.”
Shi Ziran received the order and followed Ji Yunshu and Muruo.
Those black-clothed people also pursued and killed along the way.
Throughout the entire Lantern Festival, screams resounded continuously!
Ji Yunshu and the others circled around the prosperous lantern street, but another group of black-clothed people blocked their way.
Under the inky deep night, killing intent and an eerie, chilling atmosphere pervaded.
“Orders from above—leave none alive.” The leading black-clothed person tightly gripped his long sword, his brow twisted with ruthlessness, commanding, “Kill!”
The next second, over twenty black-clothed people charged forward!
Muruo had no choice but to set Wei Yi down, fighting the enemy alongside the Shi family siblings while protecting Ji Yunshu and Wei Yi.
Those black-clothed people struck with lethal moves—every sword strike aimed to take Ji Yunshu’s life. Although Muruo and the Shi family siblings were not to be underestimated.
They were outnumbered, two fists unable to defeat four.
Seeing a black-clothed person raise his sword to stab Muruo, at this critical moment, a silver whip lashed out, directly knocking away the sword. The blade changed direction in midair and pierced that black-clothed person’s throat.
One strike sealed his throat.
Tang Si withdrew her whip, looking pleased with herself, raising an eyebrow at Muruo, “You owe me your life.”
“Thank you.”
“Your life belongs to me—no one else can take it.”
At this moment, Jingrong and his shadow guards also converged at this location.
Those black-clothed people couldn’t resist—most were killed one by one.
The remaining three or four were all captured alive.
Muruo helped Wei Yi up, “I’ll take Wei Yi away first.”
He had to rush to the magistrate’s office!
Ji Yunshu was about to follow, but inadvertently caught sight of Jingrong’s injured hand—fresh blood dripping from the deep lines in his palm onto the ground.
Her chest trembled.
Jingrong caught her gaze looking at his palm and deliberately withdrew his hand, hiding it in his sleeve.
He instructed Shi Zijin, “Take her away!”
“Yes!”
Shi Zijin acknowledged, pulling her away.
Only after seeing them safely leave did Jingrong interrogate the several black-clothed people who had been captured and were kneeling on the ground.
“Who sent you?”
The several people didn’t respond.
He actually already knew in his heart. His toe flicked up a sword from the ground, and in succession he slashed down the black cloths covering the faces of several black-clothed people.
Those several people were full of stubborn defiance!
Not the least bit timid!
In their eyes, there wasn’t even half a trace of fear toward death.
Indeed, the death soldiers raised by Jing Yi were all formidable masters.
When those people still didn’t answer after a long wait, Lang Bo directly kicked at them, shouting loudly, “Speak—who exactly sent you?”
Who knew that just as this question was asked, several black-clothed people suddenly laughed, spat out a mouthful of blood, and fell to the ground dead one after another.
Lang Bo quickly stepped forward, prying open those people’s mouths to examine them, reporting, “Your Highness, they have poison in the gaps between their teeth.”
Jingrong’s sharp eyes swept over the dozen or twenty corpses on the ground.
He said nothing.
“Your Highness, what should we do now?”
“Since they’re corpses, then directly take these corpses back to the capital. Report to Father Emperor that this prince, while passing through Anfu County, was ambushed, and has already ordered people to escort the culprits to the capital. Remember—claim that we captured living people.”
“Living?”
He curved his lips, “Among these death soldiers raised by Jing Yi, not all are necessarily hardened warriors. Those who fear death and cling to life—they exist too.”
“Your Highness means?”
He flicked a sword from the ground into his hand, then with a wave of his hand, the sword hilt left his palm and finally pierced into a wooden post nearby.
“Doesn’t he want to kill this prince? Fine, then this prince will play a game of catching a turtle in a jar with him. If he learns that this prince captured living people and sent them to the capital, fearing things might take an unexpected turn, he’ll definitely send more people to intercept and kill them midway. At that time, we’ll leave survivors among those who come to intercept, and send them directly to the Court of Judicial Review.”
“But the Minister of the Court of Judicial Review is Yi Prince’s person.”
Jingrong’s brow furrowed, revealing several traces of ruthlessness.
“Don’t forget—the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, Lord Yu, is this prince’s person. Back when the Crown Prince besieged the palace, it was that Lord Yu who let this prince enter the palace. Since he wants this prince to be his backing, then this axe of his should do some practical work. Furthermore, this prince isn’t trying to accuse Yi Prince—rather, this prince wants to ring a bell… for Father Emperor.”
A covert battle within the court was about to unfold…