Chazi immediately stopped and stretched out her hand to block those Liaodong assassins with their arrogant and cold expressions.
Those black-clad men looked impatient and suspicious, still testing the waters by moving their feet. Chazi said, “Don’t!”
One person said, “The Great King has strictly ordered us to bring back the Young Master immediately!”
Chazi said, “A living Young Master! If anything happens to him, you will all die!”
The assassins finally silently retreated.
Murong Yi glanced at Mu Si, knowing in his heart that his guard must have been controlled by his father, and even the Embroidered Uniform Guards should have been controlled as well. Otherwise, despite his father setting up such a large scheme, their side had received no wind of it whatsoever.
He reached out, drew the blade from Mu Si’s waist, threw away the icicle, and leaning against the wall, turned to slowly walk back.
Walking toward the direction from which the pursuers came.
Chazi bit her teeth and followed him from a distance.
Murong Yi walked very slowly. His wounds had not yet been treated, his abdomen was practically a penetrating injury, and with each step, intermittent drops of fresh blood fell onto the snow, winding all the way.
After walking only a short distance and turning a corner, he came face to face with a dark mass of pursuers.
More and more people gathered—men and women, old and young. For some unknown reason, there were particularly many women.
Zhu Yi was just worrying about how to search for the assassins who had escaped into the southern city when he looked up and saw Murong Yi had actually returned on his own, filling him with wild joy.
However, seeing Murong Yi’s current state, he couldn’t help but be stunned.
How had he become so battered?
There had been no outsiders in Chongming Palace at the time—how could His Majesty alone have reduced Murong Yi to such a state?
Before he could give orders, someone angrily shouted, “Traitor, surrender your life!”
With a whistling sound, spinning a brilliant star-flower in the air, a flying knife shot straight at Murong Yi’s face.
Before Murong Yi could move, the sound of whistling wind pierced the cold air, black light flashed repeatedly, cries of alarm arose, and snow splattered around everyone’s feet as a neat row of crossbow bolts was embedded in the ground.
The black-clad Liaodong elites across from them coldly raised their hand crossbows, aiming at everyone.
The people retreated in shock.
Murong Yi never raised his eyes, leaning against walls, against trees, against anything that could support his body, concentrating on moving forward.
Moving toward Tie Ci’s direction.
One step, one step.
As he walked forward, the Liaodong elites unwillingly followed him from afar, wanting to wait for him to collapse so they could snatch him back at any moment.
With each step he took forward, the pursuing crowd instinctively took a step back.
Clearly he walked unsteadily, his whole body bathed in blood, his face pale as snow, every step tottering.
But anyone who looked into his eyes would instinctively feel their heart tremble.
He advanced, the people retreated, and in the small streets, a blank space always remained between him and the crowd.
But suddenly someone seemed unable to bear it and let out a loud cry, rushing out from the crowd.
It was actually a fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl.
From her dress and appearance, she looked like a young lady from an official’s family in the capital.
She rushed very quickly, her maid couldn’t react in time and fell into the snow in shock, frantically calling for her young lady.
The girl seemed not to hear, rushing toward Murong Yi. Before she even reached him, tears were already streaming down her face as she shouted, “Why! Why! What about the promised loyalty unto death and never betraying!”
As she rushed forward, the Liaodong elites all raised their hands.
Murong Yi also quickly raised his hand at this moment.
Chazi pressed down the hands of the black-clad men who wanted to protect their Young Master.
Murong Yi looked up.
He felt her face was vaguely familiar, seeming to be a member of the Wonderful Words Society he had once seen, or perhaps one of the girls from the academy who had urged him to be loyal to the Crown Princess.
But he could no longer see clearly.
In just the blink of an eye, the girl had rushed before Murong Yi, golden light flashing in her hand as she stabbed toward him, “For betraying her, go die!”
Murong Yi tilted his head slightly.
He did not dodge.
Blood splattered as the small golden scissors pierced his left shoulder.
The girl seemed not to have expected to actually strike successfully, and instead froze, standing dumbly before Murong Yi, staring blankly at his face. Only now did she notice that even his eyelashes were stained with blood, so that as if unable to bear the weight, his eyes remained downcast.
Downcast, so he need not look at this world frozen for ten thousand li, where spring winds no longer came.
He said, “Move aside.”
The girl stood there stupidly.
“Move aside,” Murong Yi said softly. “I did not betray her. Let me go back… please.”
The girl looked into his eyes in astonishment, instantly struck by the gaze of this man who was rumored to be arrogant beyond measure, and instinctively stepped back.
“Young Master!” Chazi ran over frantically, supporting Murong Yi with tears streaming down her face.
“Why must you… why must you… why must you do this!” Chazi gritted her teeth, supporting Murong Yi on her shoulder. “Young Master, let’s go back! The Great King has already deployed troops! The Great Qian is now beset by internal and external troubles and won’t live long! If you want Tie Ci, we’ll capture her alive and send her to you. Let’s go back!”
Murong Yi turned around abruptly.
He wasn’t looking at Chazi, but at Mu Si.
Mu Si lowered his eyes and after a long moment, nodded.
Murong Yi closed his eyes.
In this instant, only the girl closest to him saw the expression on his face.
Regret, reluctance, helplessness, despair… a thousand kinds of bitter pain flashed across that snow-white face, finally condensing into faint desolation and deep, lasting cold.
He pushed away Chazi, slowly straightened his back, reached out to pull out the small golden scissors, and looked at them.
He said, “Very courageous… very good.”
The girl looked up in astonishment, thinking he had been driven mad by the stabbing.
Murong Yi raised his hand, tossed the golden scissors back to the girl, and said softly, “Then, with such courage, continue to protect your Crown Princess well.”
Then he finally turned around.
The overjoyed Chazi immediately supported him, without a word placing him on her back.
The girl looked at the blood-stained golden scissors that had fallen at her feet, listening to his voice so faint it seemed about to drift away with the wind, watching that person’s back being surrounded by the crowd as they departed.
Thinking of how he would rather die than walk back.
Yet inexplicably decided to turn around resolutely.
She was suddenly struck by an inexplicable, overwhelming sadness.
She abruptly crouched down, hugged her knees, and buried her face against them.
Zhu Yi also stood there stunned. Seeing the black-clad men about to escape again, he finally snapped back to awareness.
Regardless of what the truth was, stopping Murong Yi was necessary.
Not only because of his master’s strict orders.
Murong Yi was now Prince Da’an’s only useful heir. Even for the future stability of the Great Qian, he absolutely had to be kept in the capital at this moment!
“Pursue them!”
A gust of wind rose, stirring up snow waves half a zhang high, blinding people’s eyes.
When they opened their eyes again, the black-clad figures were nowhere to be seen ahead.
Zhu Yi leaped onto a low building, looking at the continuous low shacks in the slums ahead. Finding people here would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.
But even if it was like finding a needle in a haystack, he had to search.
He turned back and saw that soldiers from the Five Cities Military Commissioner’s Office under the Five Armies Commander-in-Chief’s Office had arrived.
Zhu Yi breathed a sigh of relief, his throat hoarse as he pointed ahead and shouted, “Search!”
…
Di Yiwei led troops to rush to the city gates, Xia Houchun rushed back to the palace, Pingzong remained atop the palace walls to recuperate, Duanmu and Sang Ruo departed hand in hand to also find a place to recuperate. The palace guard commander was directing soldiers to hurriedly repair the city walls, with no time to clean up the mess in the square, quickly closing the palace gates first.
Suddenly there was a commotion in the corner tower, followed by a thunderous sound. Bricks and stones fell from the tower top as several dark lights pierced through the roof, shooting toward the sky.
Someone was attacking the corner tower! The ballistas were triggered!
The warning whistle was sharp and loud. Soldiers on the city walls all rushed toward the corner tower, but then heard several harsh cracking sounds—grating and grinding noises that made many people bend over clutching their chests in discomfort. Experienced veterans shouted, “Not good, the ballistas have been smashed!”
Everyone looked at each other in alarm.
Ballistas were heavy weapons, extremely expensive to make, requiring eight people just for normal firing. What kind of person could smash ballistas?
They had just seen off those two terrifying killing gods, and now where did all these masters emerge from?
Had all the masters in the world gathered in the capital?
Then everyone saw dozens of figures floating down from the corner tower, heading toward the inner palace.
Naturally, palace guards moved up to engage them, but that group was like tigers entering a flock of sheep—wherever they passed, blood splattered and they were unstoppable.
Soon they pierced through layer upon layer of formations like a sharp blade, protecting a cloaked figure as they headed toward Chongming Palace.
The palace was thrown into complete chaos.
Pingzong saw from far away atop the city wall, cursed her bad luck, and gave chase.
That group’s pace was actually no slower than hers, and in the blink of an eye they had broken through several lines of interception and entered the inner palace.
This group of people had varied appearances and ordinary clothing. There were old and young—white-haired elders, big-footed aunties, men who looked honest and simple, tall thin women carrying kitchen knives, women with cold expressions, and plump dark girls.
The young man in the center of the group wore a black cloak, his face handsome and pale.
If Tie Ci were here at this moment, she could clearly name each person.
Old Fisherman, Auntie Li, the Dongde couple, Lady Sun, Ah Hei… Li Zhi, Tong Rushi.
The villagers of Lingquan Village, and her former dormitory roommates.
At the very back of the group was a figure covered from head to toe in black cloth, walking with a somewhat twisted gait, being led by a shepherd boy holding his arm. Everyone seemed unwilling to get close to him, leaving a vacuum around him. Even the shepherd boy leading him looked disgusted, gripping his arm while keeping his body far away.
This person being supported had a very humble attitude, constantly nodding his thanks to the shepherd boy.
Only occasionally when his gaze wandered, those narrow eyes always seemed to hide some unsettling amusement.
Another former roommate.
As Tong Rushi walked, he looked at the surrounding scenery, his tone carrying faint melancholy as he said, “I’m told this is my old home.”
Li Zhi beside him said, “Does Young Master still have any memories?”
Tong Rushi said lightly, “I was still in swaddling clothes then, so naturally I don’t remember. But all imperial palaces in the world are the same—under every stone lie white bones, every inch of soil is soaked with fresh blood.”
Li Zhi said, “Congratulations, Young Master, you finally become master of this place today.”
Tong Rushi raised his eyes. Ahead was the tightly closed gate of Chongming Palace.
He suddenly said, “Do you think Tie Ci is really dead?”
Li Zhi said, “Didn’t they already send people out of the palace to announce the death? In a while when those high ministers arrive, if Young Master occupies Chongming Palace, obtains the imperial seal, and produces the imperial jade pendant proving descent from the Tang royal family, this Great Qian will be yours.”
Cui Shi caught up, laughing, “Exactly so. The Tie imperial family now has no direct descendants left. Currently, only you can inherit the throne. With you leading so many masters to control the forbidden palace, the Xiao family will respond from outside, and beyond the borders, Liaodong and Da Yan are also your allies. Who else in this world but you? Even if He Zi and that group oppose, as long as you say you can withdraw the Liaodong troops, those old fellows will definitely bow their heads in submission!”
…