Qianbai Mei was no fool. He knew these people had likely been waiting for him, but after glancing at the palace on the island, he decided to fight his way through.
“What a pity I’m wearing white today,” he muttered, furrowing his brow. “Can you avoid splattering your blood on me?”
The surrounding shadows tensed, murderous intent radiating. Qianbai Mei laughed loudly, leaping into the air to break their formation. However, despite his martial prowess, he was still mortal. Surrounded by so many skilled opponents, he couldn’t avoid injury. His white robe gradually became soaked with blood, indistinguishable between his own and others, blooming like vivid red peonies.
Of the initial dozen or so assailants, only eight remained. They fled together. Qianbai Mei dusted off his hands and continued towards the palace, sword in hand. Unsurprisingly, opening the palace doors triggered a dart trap. He deflected them with his sword and entered to search.
“Is the renowned leader of the Four Divine Warriors of the Three Kingdoms really this foolish?” a familiar voice called out.
Turning, Qianbai Mei saw Wu Yue, another of the Four Divine Warriors he had yet to face in combat. A Wu Kingdom warrior had come all this way?
Chuckling, Qianbai Mei flipped his silver hair stylishly. “What brings you here?”
Wu Yue glanced at the bloodshed outside, then at Qianbai Mei’s wounds. “I’m here to kill you and take your position, of course.”
“I see,” Qianbai Mei nodded, continuing his search. “We can fight after I find what I’m looking for.”
“You still don’t understand?” Wu Yue sneered. “This is a trap to lure you in. Did you fall for it?”
Qianbai Mei stiffened, slowly turning to face him. “A trap?”
“They deceived you. There is no antidote. This island will be your grave!” Wu Yue drew his sword and charged.
Caught off guard, Qianbai Mei took a sword blow to the shoulder and stumbled back. He frowned, muttering, “They lied? The antidote is fake? She still can’t be saved?”
Wu Yue paused, furrowing his brow. “Have you lost your mind? Are you just going to stand there and let me kill you? If so, I’ll oblige!”
He rushed forward again, eyes gleaming with excitement. Suddenly, the silver-haired, blood-soaked man seemed to snap back to reality. A murderous aura exploded from him as he grabbed Wu Yue’s sword, flipping him over and slamming him into the ground.
“You’re courting death!” Qianbai Mei’s eyes blazed red. He discarded his weapon, stomping on Wu Yue’s ribs and shattering them. With a series of swift strikes, he broke every bone and tendon in Wu Yue’s body.
The entire process took less than the time it took to burn a stick of incense. Wu Yue was dumbfounded, his agonized screams echoing through half the palace.
Qianbai Mei left the island without a backward glance, slowly making his way to the Empress’s palace. He slaughtered every guard he encountered, leaving a trail of blood in his wake.
“Quickly… summon reinforcements to protect His Majesty!” The guards panicked, scrambling to report. However, the more people came, the more excited Qianbai Mei became. He abandoned his weapon, shattering hearts with his bare fists as he fought his way to Lü Shi’s palace gates.
“Won’t you come out?” Qianbai Mei called softly.
Inside the palace, Jiang Suheng sat alone, staring in shock at the man who seemed to have emerged from the underworld. Trembling, she stammered, “Mother… Mother is gone!”
“Gone?” Qianbai Mei smiled, his bloodied hand gripping her throat and lifting her into the air. “Weren’t you enjoying deceiving me earlier?”
Terror filled Jiang Suheng’s eyes as she struggled futilely. In his rage, Qianbai Mei’s blood-red eyes showed no one could stop him from killing.
“The Imperial Princess!” cried the people outside the palace as they watched Jiang Suheng’s face turn from red to purple, finally fading to a deathly pale as her legs went limp.
She was dead.
The crowd was stunned. Some ran to spread the news while others trembled at the doorway, raising swords and knives. The demon tossed aside the corpse and turned to face them.
Everyone instinctively stepped back.
“Where is your Empress?” Qianbai Mei smiled gently, his eyes blood-red. “If she doesn’t come out soon, I might have to tear down this palace.”
A nearby palace maid fell to her knees, hastily explaining, “The Empress was abducted earlier! The Imperial Princess said not to reveal this to avoid causing panic among the people…”
Abducted? Qianbai Mei was puzzled. Besides himself, who else would bother kidnapping the Empress of Zhao?
This meant she had escaped death for now. Qianbai Mei laughed coldly and continued on his way. No one dared stop him as he left the palace, his injuries trailing behind him.
What’s more devastating than despair? It’s being given a glimmer of hope amid despair, only to have it crushed before your eyes. Qianbai Mei felt exhausted, both physically and mentally. He didn’t want to watch little Taohua die before him, or see her suffer so much. Why wasn’t there an antidote for the allure poison in this world?
The redness in his eyes gradually faded as he walked aimlessly, recalling many past events. Eventually, he found himself on his knees, unsure of where he had ended up.
The sky was already brightening…
“Lord Qian!” At the gate of the Wei Kingdom’s military camp, Qing Tai had just risen to fetch water when he spotted the blood-soaked Qianbai Mei. He immediately turned to inform his master.
“Master?” Taohua, shocked by his injuries, quickly ran to support him. She frowned as she examined him. “What happened? What’s wrong with you?”
Qianbai Mei gazed at her hazily, feeling at ease. He closed his eyes and collapsed into the arms of his little disciple.
He hadn’t paid attention to where he was going, not knowing where he’d end up. Yet he still managed to find her.
How wonderful.
If she were to leave this world someday, he might find a way to follow her.
Taohua panicked, calling for Chang Jie to come out and tend to their master’s wounds. Chang Jie was astonished: “Who could have injured Master like this?”
“I don’t know,” Taohua frowned. “Some wounds are poisoned. See what medicines we can use; the doctor will be here soon.”
“Alright.” Chang Jie agreed, laying Qianbai Mei flat on the bed and examining the wounds. His eyes flickered.
Palace poisons? Had Master gone to the palace again? Glancing back at his sister, Chang Jie suddenly asked, “Imperial Sister, don’t you think Master truly cares for you?”
“You have time to discuss this now?” Taohua frowned. “Doesn’t Master care for both of us equally?”
Chang Jie opened his mouth, then sighed, deciding to focus on treating their master’s wounds.
He couldn’t blame his Imperial Sister for being oblivious. Master had never expressed anything beyond their master-disciple relationship, even vowing there would never be anything more between them. No wonder she no longer noticed some of Master’s particularly tender gestures.
At the Zhao-Wei border.
Shen Zaiye coldly watched Xu Yangui return in a carriage. As Xu dismounted, Shen spoke icily, “Who told you to bring her here?”
Xu Yangui raised an eyebrow, glancing back at his carriage. “Don’t you want to see Jiang Taohua?”
“No!” Shen Zaiye pressed his lips together, his eyes still fixed on the carriage. “Prepare to face punishment!”
“Come now, I won’t be punished,” Xu Yangui smirked. “I didn’t bring Jiang Taohua back. It’s Empress Lü in the carriage.”
Shen Zaiye: “…”
His suspended heart dropped back into place with a dull ache. Taking a deep breath, Shen Zaiye regained his composure and nodded. “If you managed to capture Empress Lü, then you’ve done well. She’s your responsibility now. Extract the formula from her.”
“Understood.” Xu Yangui nodded, then hesitated. “There’s news about the Jiang family. Do you want to hear it?”
“No,” Shen Zaiye turned to leave. “The next target is Zhao’s third border city. I’m busy.”
Xu Yangui understood Shen’s habit of saying one thing while meaning another. This time, however, he decided not to volunteer the information. He’d wait until Shen was in a better mood and could handle it.
Overnight, the situation in the Zhao Imperial Palace changed drastically. The Imperial Princess was brutally killed, the Empress disappeared, and the entire court was in chaos. Emperor Jiawu was so enraged he suffered a stroke, rendered speechless in his bed.
Taohua clicked her tongue, rubbing her chin. “Could this be karma?”
Qianbai Mei, reclining on the bed behind her, rolled his eyes. “Ungrateful little one, this is retribution I exacted for you. How can you attribute it to karma?”
“Yes, yes, of course,” Taohua quickly turned back with a smile. “Master is the best!”
Qianbai Mei snorted lightly but still looked concerned. “Who kidnapped the Empress?”
Taohua smiled. “Probably Xu Yangui. Besides you, only his skills could allow him to enter the palace and take someone without a trace.”
He had also come looking for her recently, so it wasn’t hard to guess. But what could kidnapping Empress Lü achieve? To throw the court into chaos and make conquest easier?
“Sister Jiang.” Mu Wuxia entered from outside, looking troubled. “There’s urgent news from Zhao’s border cities. Chancellor Shen has begun his assault.”
Taohua inhaled sharply and hurried into the palace with Jiang Chang Jie. The court officials, leaderless, gathered outside the Emperor’s bedchamber. Seeing the royal siblings, someone muttered, “Now these two are our only hope for an heir…”
“Preposterous!” The Censor-in-chief, an old man, frowned. “The Imperial Princess was killed by their master, all to seize Zhao’s throne. Do you want to let these schemers succeed?”
Taohua paused, turning to look at him with a smile. “Has Lord Cai seen the border city reports?”
The Censor-in-chief hesitated, frowning in silence.
At this critical moment, with border conflicts erupting, the country couldn’t go a day without a ruler. But to let one of these siblings ascend… they were truly reluctant.
Having followed the Imperial Princess and Empress for so many years, even if they adapted to the situation and switched allegiance to the Third Prince, they would surely be distrusted. Their power would be stripped away, followed by demotion. What good life would they have then? Better to cling to their current glory and go down together!
Steeling himself, the Censor-in-chief said, “Second Princess need not worry. Zhao’s affairs will be handled by Zhao’s people. Please return. His Majesty cannot speak.”
Taohua frowned but still went in to check. Emperor Jiawu lay in bed, his face completely rigid, unable to move, let alone speak.
Beside him sat Lai Shiqing, a veteran of three reigns. He glanced at Taohua and Chang Jie, saying, “This humble official is here to care for His Majesty and will wait for His Majesty to write his last edict. Until then, this official will not allow anyone to interfere with Zhao’s throne.”
Taohua snorted coldly. “Even if the enemy reaches our capital and threatens to make Zhao a vassal state, you’ll still cling to this useless throne?”
“The Princess speaks too harshly,” Lai Shiqing replied. “This official believes in Zhao’s strength. We won’t so easily…”
“Report!” A messenger rushed in, kneeling before the Emperor’s bed. “The Great Wei army has breached three border cities. The garrison outside the capital remains unmoved.”
Lai Shiqing’s face finally showed signs of panic. He glanced at Taohua, struggling to maintain composure. “Second Princess and Third Prince, please return. The remaining matters will be handled by us old ministers.”
Handle what? The enemy is at our doorstep, and they’re still hung up on these trivial matters. Aren’t they just waiting for death? Slightly angered, Taohua turned to Chang Jie. “Quickly mobilize the troops. First, negotiate with the Wei Emperor to withdraw thirty li. Then, bring all your forces here. We must defend the capital at all costs!”
“Understood!” Chang Jie left immediately. Taohua turned back, looking earnestly at Lai Shiqing. “I hope Your Excellency understands that this State doesn’t belong to one person. Zhao isn’t just about the Emperor on high. In times of great peril, if the Jiang family can’t protect the people, then let another surname do it. There’s no need for everyone to die for the Jiang family!”
Lai Shiqing was shocked, looking at her with incomprehension. “What is the Second Princess saying? If the royal family’s position is unstable, the State will surely be unstable. Between the royal family and the State, we must prioritize the royal family!”
Laughing coldly, Taohua shook her head, feeling it was impossible to reason with these people. A group of parasites feeding on their ancestors’ legacy, harming the country like termites – how could she expect anything from them?
Turning to leave, Taohua took Qing Tai and rode around the capital, reinforcing the city walls and defenses. She had Chang Jie station troops outside the city and personally went to find Mu Wuxia.
“I understand Sister’s intentions,” Mu Wuxia said. “Great Wei’s army will withdraw thirty li and definitely won’t attack Zhao’s capital. You can rest assured.”
Taohua bowed deeply to him, then hurried off to arrange supplies. Watching her, Mu Wuxia couldn’t help but send a message to Shen Zaiye – Your wife is working so hard while pregnant, why must you push her so?
Holding the letter, Shen Zaiye laughed coldly. “The State and its affairs are no concern of women. If she insists on meddling, who can she blame?”
He turned to ask Zhan Lu, “What’s the situation in the capital?”
“Zhao’s civil and military officials don’t support Jiang Chang Jie’s ascension. Jiang Chang Jie is leading troops to defend the capital alone. The court is in chaos.”
“Such stubborn old fools,” Shen Zaiye snorted. “Then continue the attack. They have few troops in each city. In three days, we can greet old acquaintances at the capital’s gates.”
(End of Chapter)