She frowned slightly and looked toward the eastern part of the great hall where sunlight poured in. The approaching figure glittered with golden light, wearing a purple-gold dragon python robe and a jade belt. His hair was black as silk, his sword-like eyebrows extended to his temples, and his narrow phoenix eyes sparkled brilliantly in the air. His high-bridged nose and thin lips gave his entire face a sculpture-like, carved quality.
Xiao Shi’s frown gradually relaxed. Good—she feared most that a useless fool would arrive. Just from this person’s bearing, she understood he was no ordinary man. As for the inexplicable tension emanating from him and the powerful pressure he exuded, Xiao Shi automatically ignored it. Eight years of agent career, countless times protecting political leaders and assassinating terrorists had strengthened her psychological fortitude beyond measure. If she became intimidated just from one man’s glance, how could she still be called Military Intelligence’s number one super agent?
Chu Li frowned slightly but said nothing. His gaze swept around, briefly passing over the faces of Concubine Rou, Concubine Chen, and the others before finally pausing at Concubine Dan’s wrist. His eyebrow raised slightly, his inquiring intent clear without words.
Concubine Dan didn’t cry and wail like Concubine Chen, but instead shed her previous forceful and unreasonable demeanor. She turned her head away, smiled sadly, and said lightly: “This concubine is incompetent, troubling Your Highness to come personally. Please punish this concubine.”
Chu Li’s expression remained unchanged, but a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. He nodded slightly and slowly looked toward Xiao Shi, his gaze wandering slowly and examining her carefully, as if trying to see through her completely. Xiao Shi felt no discomfort and looked back openly and generously. She glanced at the impressive display of over a hundred sword-bearing servants around them, smiled coldly, and threw down the long blade in her hand.
With a “clang,” the long blade hit the ground. Concubine Dan lost her restraint, and her long-tensed body relaxed as she collapsed to the ground. Several servants rushed forward with loud exclamations to help Concubine Dan up. Concubine Rou nearby couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief, patting her chest with her delicate hand and carefully moving closer.
“What are your conditions? What are your objectives? Which faction do you represent behind the scenes? Lay your cards on the table clearly, and then I can consider whether we have any need to continue talking.” Xiao Shi looked directly at the brocade-robed man opposite her and spoke straightforwardly. However, her eyes remained vigilantly scanning the surrounding people, carefully watching their waists and guarding against hidden weapons. Although everyone here seemed to carry antique-style swords, she also had to guard against pistols at their waists. Before negotiations even began, they probably wouldn’t use real bullets, but tranquilizer darts would be enough to put Xiao Shi at a complete disadvantage. As an agent, she knew deeply that making a woman talk was far easier than killing her.
Chu Li’s gaze suddenly turned cold as he looked searchingly at the blue-clothed woman who was as alert as a leopard. He racked his brains trying to remember the wedding day, recalling that gentle, humble red-clothed girl who even smiled carefully. After not seeing her for a year, the sheep of that day had transformed into today’s lioness. Was the harem truly a place that killed people? Could it transform someone so completely?
“You had someone deliver a message saying you have something that would interest me, and you can make a deal with me?” Chu Li’s voice was slightly hoarse and somewhat low. He raised his eyebrow slightly, looking with interest at the blue-clothed woman’s cold, sharp eyes as he spoke slowly.
“Correct.” Xiao Shi smiled indifferently. This kind of scene wasn’t the first time she’d encountered it.
She still remembered the first time she carried out an assassination mission. She was severely wounded, and after the operation, she was rescued by Americans. To extract Xiao Shi’s identity and evidence of their country assassinating foreign political figures from her mouth—to provoke conflict between the two countries—the Americans cleverly staged a scenario making Xiao Shi believe she’d been rescued by a kind battlefield doctor. They even laughably used a honey trap on Xiao Shi. Unfortunately, from the very beginning, Xiao Shi knew everything was a setup. She played along, recovered from her injuries, skillfully stole the enemy’s military secrets, and even pinned the blame for the assassination on America before leaving triumphantly, nearly driving the American intelligence agencies to madness. For a full five years afterward, they listed Xiao Shi alongside several dangerous terrorists from Al-Qaeda as primary dangerous persons.
Now, although everything carried an air of strangeness and Xiao Shi hadn’t yet spotted any flaws, the overly perfect setup was itself a flaw. Xiao Shi focused intently on the opponent’s every move, seriously calculating in her mind what chances she’d have of subduing the brocade-robed man opposite her if negotiations failed, to secure the most advantageous position. She carefully surveyed the area, confirming this angle couldn’t be targeted by snipers, before speaking methodically: “You don’t need to reveal your objectives, but I demand that after the matter succeeds, you let me leave here safely and send me back to my country.”
A series of sharp intakes of breath immediately rang out. Everyone in the great hall stared at Xiao Shi’s face as if seeing a monster, as if she were a zombie that had jumped out of an ancient tomb. Concubine Rou looked anxious and wanted to speak but seemed somewhat afraid, only looking toward her with worry.
Chu Li was stunned, then looked with amusement at this woman who seemed completely confident. A smile couldn’t help but escape from the corners of his mouth as he said lightly: “You might as well reveal your bargaining chips, and I can also consider whether it’s worth doing this business with you.”
“There’s hope!” Xiao Shi felt a surge of joy in her heart, but her face showed no emotion whatsoever. After thinking for a long time and taking a deep breath, she knew this was her final bargaining chip and the last escape route she’d prepared for herself over many years. Success or failure depended on this single move. Whether she could return alive to Shanghai to see Tang Yu depended on this gamble.
“I possess the blueprints for Iran’s HK48. If you carry enough weight, you should know what this means. The world’s most advanced fighter jet HK47 is currently in my boss’s hands, but no one knows that Dr. X51, before his death, also created the even more advanced HK48. It can complete more complex flight trajectories at high altitude, with agility comparable to small fighter jets. It has four fuel tanks and can simultaneously refuel four fighter jets. Additionally, it possesses the most advanced navigation system. What’s even more unimaginable is that it has an anti-missile positioning system and can truly be called an aircraft carrier of the skies…”
Xiao Shi’s voice grew quieter as she spoke. She saw everyone staring with wide eyes as if she were speaking in hieroglyphics. Even the previously profound and mysterious brocade-robed man was frowning. None showed the greedy, bright-eyed expression she’d expected. There was only one explanation for this: this group of people had absolutely no idea what she was talking about!
Not knowing about the HK48 was one thing, but in modern society, what kind of people wouldn’t know about aircraft carriers?
“Where is this place?” Xiao Shi suddenly realized the gravity of the situation. She stepped forward abruptly, looking directly into Chu Li’s eyes and demanding sternly.
“Audacious!” A nearby guard suddenly drew his sword nervously and shouted sternly: “How dare you show disrespect to His Highness!”
“Wait.” Chu Li calmly stopped the surrounding guards’ movements, looking at Xiao Shi with meaningful eyes as he said searchingly: “This is Southern Chu, bordered by the State of Qi to the east, Great Qin to the north, and facing Xichuan across the distance. Is this what you’re asking about?”
“Southern Chu? Great Qin?” Xiao Shi repeated quietly, racking her extensive geographical knowledge but finding not the slightest clue. Southern Chu, Great Qin, State of Qi, Xichuan—what continent in the 21st century had ever had such inexplicable places? What was going on? Were they filming “A Step into the Past”?
Could they be deceiving her? But it didn’t seem like it. Could she have somehow ended up in some mysterious foreign territory while unconscious?
No! A flash of insight suddenly struck Xiao Shi’s mind. She suddenly remembered that in life’s final moment, she had clearly seen the Navy Marine team member cut off her head. But why did she feel nothing now? When had any country’s medical technology become so advanced that they could reattach severed heads?
Xiao Shi suddenly looked up, staring directly into Chu Li’s eyes. Seeing her panic, Chu Li’s brow slowly furrowed, stormy waves surging in his eyes as he pondered unknown thoughts.
Xiao Shi looked around and suddenly caught sight of the long blade she’d thrown on the ground. The blade was chillingly cold and reflected light clearly. She suddenly crouched down, grabbed the long blade from the ground, and held it up to her face.
“Audacious! There’s an assassin! Protect His Highness!” Cold weapon light immediately filled the great hall. Countless soldiers in cold armor rushed in, long swords sliding from their sheaths with sharp sounds. But there weren’t the pistols Xiao Shi had imagined—countless gleaming silver arrows aimed at Xiao Shi’s head. But at this moment, she no longer cared about those potential dangers.
For the first time in her life, she was this afraid and terrified. Her hands trembling, she slowly raised the long blade in her hands to her face.
Black hair like cicada wings, moth eyebrows painted with dark pigment, bright eyes with flowing glances, vermillion lips and white teeth—except for still being pale, the person in the mirror was completely a graceful and beautiful woman with delicate features and gentle elegance!
In an instant, Xiao Shi felt her world turn upside down completely. She suddenly clutched her head tightly, vast darkness immediately appeared before her eyes, and her body instantly went limp.
“Ah!” A piercing scream escaped from Xiao Shi’s mouth. Her vision went black, the long blade clattered to the ground, and her body softly collapsed after it!
Chu Li moved quickly, stepping forward to catch her in his arms. Ignoring the confused looks of everyone around, he angrily shouted at the guards: “Why aren’t you summoning the imperial physician!”
The guards responded with a roar of acknowledgment. Amid panicked and chaotic shouting, the call for the imperial physician echoed throughout the entire Southern Chu palace!
Cold wind blew outside the window, sweeping across the heavy wooden window frames and leaving behind cold moisture. It was already November weather. Even Southern Chu, located in the south, was beginning to feel a hint of coolness. One wondered how the northern frontier Xiongnu people, who were rumored to have already lost large numbers of livestock to freezing, would endure this unbearable winter.