Situ Haonan’s usually careless eyes had never looked so grim. He knew perfectly well that he alone had no way of saving two people at once—and even if he somehow managed it, heaven only knew how many more blades awaited them outside!
These two—one gravely wounded, quite possibly unable to even walk; the other still not yet recovered from her shock.
Truthfully, he felt utterly powerless. But he couldn’t just stand by and watch them die, could he?
All he could do was hold on, wait, and try to buy as much time as possible!
Jun Beiyue had no shortage of forces within the capital, and the shadow guards of the Glass Pavilion were stationed here as well. Something of this magnitude was bound to draw their attention!
At the very least, Jun Beiyue would surely show up here—at the very least, some preparations would have already been made!
Situ Haonan swung his sword in a wide arc, supporting Jun Beiyue as he darted in front of Ziqing, only for Jun Beiyao to slash toward them with his sword!
Had Situ Haonan not shoved Ziqing roughly out of the way, the woman would have already lost her life.
“Han Ziqing, what are you still standing there dazed for? Do you want to die?”
Situ Haonan roared, fury blazing like a wild beast. It was only then that Ziqing finally snapped back to her senses, becoming aware of the danger surrounding her. Just as she moved to dodge, a pair of large hands suddenly pulled her back!
What—
She instinctively turned back, and saw that it was Jun Beiyue—one hand still supported by Situ Haonan, the other gripping her tightly!
Despite being so gravely wounded, he somehow still had the strength to pull her into his embrace in one swift motion. He then turned, breaking free from Situ Haonan’s support, and stood with his hands clasped behind his back, upright and unwavering amid the ring of blades surrounding them, his stern face set with an impenetrable coldness—yet his blood-soaked hand rested so tenderly, so protectively, on Han Ziqing’s shoulder.
At once, every drawn sword froze in place, and even Situ Haonan was struck with astonishment!
How could this be!
Anyone who practiced martial arts knew that a wound to the heart made it impossible to channel one’s internal energy—and besides, Situ Haonan had already sealed every major acupoint across this man’s body!
Where was he getting the strength from!
Amid the stunned silence, though blood still visibly seeped from the wound at his chest, he acted as though nothing had happened at all, turning to Situ Haonan with a stern, serious frown, scolding him displeasedly, “Who gave you permission to yell at her?”
Ziqing’s heart genuinely skipped several beats in a row. Was this man really all right? What had he just said?
Held tightly in his protective grip, she found herself turning to look at him unconsciously—studying his handsome profile, his stern, earnest expression—unable to say a word, simply staring at him.
Situ Haonan, at a loss for how to respond, murmured, “Beiyue, are you really all right?”
Jun Beiyue didn’t answer. Instead, he swept a cold gaze over the crowd advancing toward them, laughing coldly. “What, after hiding for so many years, can you not even wait a moment longer now?”
Jun Beiyao was hardly the only hypocrite scheming so relentlessly.
He alone had shouldered the burden of guarding Da Zhou’s realm—but how many others were there who wanted nothing more than to watch him fail, to wait for him to fall, to kick him while he was down?
No one answered. Facing Jun Beiyue’s piercing scrutiny, even though the situation still clearly favored them, everyone found themselves unconsciously uneasy.
Suddenly, Jun Beiyue said angrily, “Do you all really think this prince can be killed so easily?”
The moment he spoke, quite a few people retreated. Jun Beiyao said hurriedly, “This is just a last flare before death—don’t be fooled by him! Seize Han Ziqing first!”
The moment he spoke, he immediately swung his sword forward—only for Jun Beiyue to fling aside his dagger entirely, then abruptly yank the blade from his own chest and slash through the air in one swift motion!
He never came close to touching Jun Beiyao, and no visible blade-light appeared either. Yet that single strike, like a blade of wind, like a flash of sword-light, swept clean past Jun Beiyao’s sword out of nowhere—and instantly, every movement Jun Beiyao made froze completely.
In the silence, only the sound of shattering metal could be heard. Listening closely, everyone immediately turned to look at Jun Beiyao’s sword—and in that instant, the long sword shattered completely into pieces, even the hilt breaking apart, crumbling into fine metallic dust. What kind of overwhelming internal power could produce a blade-strike of such force?
At this point, who would still dare step forward? Everyone retreated at once. Jun Beiyao’s legs gave out beneath him, and he collapsed straight to the ground.
A brief moment of stillness passed, and then everyone present, even the guards at the door, turned to flee!
But the guards had barely taken a few steps out the door before being forced back!
Commander Ouyang had personally led the Thirteen Riders of Youyun to arrive, having already surrounded the Court of Judicial Review so completely that not even a fly could escape.
Meanwhile, the shadow guards of the Glass Pavilion appeared out of nowhere one after another, positioning themselves all around Jun Beiyue.
The hall grew crowded and utterly silent, everyone present growing cautious even in how they breathed.
Situ Haonan, brow furrowed, stared at Jun Beiyue’s wound, unable to conceal his worry. “Hasn’t Physician Gu arrived yet?” he asked in a low voice.
“Yingzi went to find him,” a shadow guard reported honestly.
Ziqing, meanwhile, still stood gazing up sideways at this man. How commanding he looked in this moment, how unyielding, like cold iron and blood!
Was this him?
The man who came without hesitation, who could sweep away every hardship with a single wave of his hand, resolve every trouble, and take her home—was this really him?
A sense of security she hadn’t felt in so long, the feeling of being taken under his protection, surged up within her heart.
But then suddenly, he gave a muffled grunt, and a mouthful of black blood spurted directly from his lips!
She could clearly feel the hand resting on her shoulder trembling. Even through the fabric of his robe, she could feel with perfect clarity just how icy cold that hand had become!
Seeing this, the wariness surrounding them turned once more to open hostility. Surely they too were hesitating, uncertain exactly what was wrong with this man!
Several stepped forward, the shadow guards advancing as well, the situation on the verge of erupting into violence at any moment.
Yet Jun Beiyue still didn’t move, his eyes blinking just as heavily as before. At once, more people closed in, and even Situ Haonan grew wary, shielding the pair in front of him.
If they could guarantee Jun Beiyue’s death, then no matter how great the cost of this battle, Emperor Tianhui and the others would gladly pay it.
Because once Jun Beiyue died, no matter how vast his forces, without a leader to command them, they couldn’t hold together for even a year or two—either internal chaos would tear them apart, or they’d scatter like birds once the tree fell.
The one who understood Jun Beiyue’s condition most clearly was Ziqing, pressed tightly against him. She was just about to speak when the grip of his hand suddenly tightened, silencing her, as he abruptly took a step forward toward Emperor Tianhui. He was holding on through sheer will alone!
Everyone couldn’t help but retreat slightly. Jun Beichen, unable to resist testing him, spoke up. “Old Four, you framed an innocent man through witchcraft and showed utter disregard for human life—tell us yourself, what punishment do you deserve!”
But then, the hand holding the dagger suddenly rose high, and without warning, Jun Beiyue struck Jun Beichen hard across the face in front of everyone—the blow sent him flying far across the hall. “Get out of my way. It’s not your place to pass judgment on this prince yet!”
At last, all the restless stirring in the room fell still. This man wasn’t going to die so easily after all.
In the silence, Jun Beiyue, still holding Ziqing close, walked step by step toward Emperor Tianhui.
Everyone instinctively cleared a path, no one daring to draw near. Only Ziqing knew—this man couldn’t hold on much longer.
Emperor Tianhui, his body rigid with tension, collapsed entirely back into his seat, his legs too weak to hold him up. Was Jun Beiyue about to force him from the throne?
No!
He immediately sprang up, crying out in alarm, “Beiyue, let’s talk this through calmly, we can discuss this properly! There must still be some doubtful points in this case, isn’t that right!”