“Guan Ting, who exactly do you want to kill? Why don’t you tell this prince?”

Guan Ting was startled when he first saw Mo Xiu Yao emerge with his white hair. However, this time he wasn’t particularly afraid of Mo Xiu Yao. In Guan Ting’s mind, he was now a loyal minister of Great Chu and the Emperor’s confidant, while Mo Xiu Yao was nothing but a universally despised traitor. More importantly, there were at least three thousand elite soldiers inside and outside this small city, while Mo Xiu Yao had only a few dozen people. No matter how formidable the Mo Family Army might be, Guan Ting couldn’t imagine any reason for failure with such an overwhelming advantage. So, after the initial shock, Guan Ting’s expression toward Mo Xiu Yao became arrogant and fierce again, his eyes—which appeared even smaller due to the fat accumulated on his face from years of excessive eating and drinking—filled with venomous hatred and envy.

Indeed, it was envy. In this world, including Emperor Mo Jing Qi himself, there were probably few men who didn’t envy Mo Xiu Yao. He possessed both Prince Ding’s Manor and the Mo Family Army—two of the world’s most powerful forces, unparalleled martial arts skills, striking good looks, and an enviable wife and adorable son that any ambitious man would covet. People truly couldn’t find a reason not to envy Mo Xiu Yao.

But Guan Ting’s hatred for Mo Xiu Yao predated everyone else’s. When he was still serving beside the young prince Mo Jing Qi, the dashing young heir of Prince Ding’s Manor had already been the object of his admiration and jealousy. That day at the foot of the mountain during the bandit suppression, Mo Xiu Yao had arrived on horseback in his white robes and, without a word, severely whipped him, causing him to lose face in front of thousands of troops. From that moment on, Guan Ting developed a deep-seated hatred and venom toward Mo Xiu Yao. He hated Mo Xiu Yao’s background—if Mo Xiu Yao hadn’t been the heir of Prince Ding’s Manor, how would he have dared to whip him in front of so many people? If he hadn’t been Mo Lan Yun’s descendant and Mo Liu Fang’s son, how could he have possessed such excellent aptitude? Therefore, when Prince Ding’s Manor fell into misfortune, he was one of the happiest people.

“Di… Mo Xiu Yao, you treasonous rebel, you dare to set foot on Great Chu soil? Today this general will tear you to pieces to repay the Emperor’s grace!” Guan Ting pointed at Mo Xiu Yao and shouted with righteous indignation. Mo Xiu Yao cast a casual glance at Guan Ting and said indifferently, “Mo Jing Qi’s standards for choosing people have dropped. Letting a cripple command troops in the field—even if he’s not worried about you falling off your horse again, he should at least be concerned for the safety of the soldiers under your command.” Feng Zhi Yao waved his fan and added with a grin, “Isn’t that right? With General Guan’s admirable persistence despite his disability, he clearly can’t walk onto the battlefield. What if he falls off his horse and crushes the nearby soldiers? Tsk… the Emperor doesn’t know how to care for his troops.”

“You… you!” Guan Ting was so angry he was gasping for breath. He hated nothing more than people mentioning his leg. As a military commander, having a lame leg meant everything was over. Even for civil officials, the court wouldn’t allow a cripple to serve for the sake of maintaining appearances. It was only because the Emperor remembered their past relationship that he had been sent to command troops in the field. Though in reality, the title of commander was merely nominal—he would never actually lead troops in battle. While his life these past few years hadn’t been bad, how could the southwestern frontier compare to the prosperity of the capital? And all of this… was caused by the people of Prince Ding’s Manor! Although Guan Ting didn’t know that his leg had been broken by the horse as part of Prince Ding Manor’s plan to install Murong Shen as the commander of Sui Xue Pass, he still wholeheartedly blamed Prince Ding’s Manor. However, Guan Ting reasoned that since he was Mo Jing Qi’s confidant, Mo Xiu Yao had plotted to eliminate him. “I’ll kill you all! I’ll kill you all! Fire arrows! Shoot these rebels dead!” Guan Ting finally exploded in rage and shouted.

But his soldiers weren’t as obedient as he had imagined. After all, Prince Ding Manor’s prestige in Great Chu had continued for a hundred years and was an eternal legend among the military—something that Mo Jing Qi couldn’t destroy just because he wanted to. Given twenty or thirty years, Mo Jing Qi might have been able to completely erase Prince Ding Manor’s reputation in Great Chu, but five years was simply too short. Moreover, when the Northwest announced its break from Great Chu, that declaration to the world spread across the entire country. Common people and soldiers might not understand the grand principles, but they knew that the royal family had wronged Prince Ding’s Manor, not the other way around. The revenge for a murdered father and brother was an unforgivable debt, yet Prince Ding hadn’t immediately led the Mo Family Army to attack the capital for revenge—in the people’s eyes, this already showed Prince Ding’s magnanimity and consideration for the hundred-year tradition of protecting Great Chu. Now that Guan Ting was ordering these soldiers to immediately shoot Mo Xiu Yao’s group, even if the soldiers didn’t care about Prince Ding Manor’s reputation, they had to consider the mysterious Qilin Guard’s legendary abilities.

Mo Xiu Yao swept a meaningful glance over the soldiers surrounding the inn. The soldiers who had been hesitating with their bows involuntarily lowered their weapons after that calm look.

Seeing the soldiers disobeying his orders, Guan Ting’s face turned black with rage as he roared, “How dare you! Do you want to rebel too? Quickly execute these traitors!”

The soldiers below were naturally caught in a dilemma. They neither wanted nor were willing to oppose Prince Ding’s Manor, but Guan Ting was their superior—even if he wasn’t well-liked, they still had to follow his orders. Feng Zhi Yao walked out from the crowd with a smile, addressing everyone cheerfully, “Actually, there’s no need to worry. This problem has a simple solution.” Everyone was puzzled, wondering how this elegant young man in red planned to resolve the situation. They watched as Feng Zhi Yao flicked his sleeve, sending a long whip shooting out toward Guan Ting. In the blink of an eye, Guan Ting was tightly bound by the whip and dragged before Feng Zhi Yao. It was fortunate that after the cucumber incident, Guan Ting had ordered his men to spread out to make it easier for him to dodge, otherwise Feng Zhi Yao might not have been able to pull him out of the crowd so easily.

Looking down at the tightly bound Guan Ting, Feng Zhi Yao propped his chin on his fan and said with a pleasant smile, “Isn’t this problem solved now? We’ll take this Guan fellow with us, and you can report the truth when you return. Don’t worry, he won’t be coming back.”

The soldiers hesitated for a moment before finally clearing a path. Originally, Guan Ting had brought them here without the approval of General Jing Bian, the commander of the southwestern forces, acting instead on Mo Jing Qi’s secret orders. So if they returned to report that Guan Ting had been captured, General Jing Bian wouldn’t punish them. This way they could avoid confrontation with Prince Ding’s Manor—truly the best of both worlds. While the soldiers were satisfied with this arrangement, Guan Ting certainly wasn’t. He understood perfectly well what Feng Zhi Yao’s words meant—if he was truly captured by Prince Ding, his life was essentially over. “You dare! When this general returns, I will certainly report to the Emperor and have all of your entire clans executed!” These words only made the soldiers retreat faster. The vice commander who was last to leave even cupped his hands toward Feng Zhi Yao’s group and said, “This matter concerns the lives of thousands of soldiers and their families. Please, Your Highness, handle it with discretion.” Mo Xiu Yao narrowed his eyes slightly and replied calmly, “Rest assured, this prince won’t implicate you.” The vice commander was delighted, “Thank you, Your Highness.”

Watching the Great Chu soldiers withdraw, Feng Zhi Yao held onto Guan Ting and turned to ask, “Your Highness, shouldn’t we leave this place?” With thousands of soldiers entering the city, such a major event couldn’t be kept secret. They should leave as soon as possible.

Mo Xiu Yao nodded and said, “If everyone has finished their meal, let’s depart.”

The group left the city, dragging along Guan Ting who had been tied up like a rice dumpling. He had been cursing non-stop since they were at the inn, but Feng Zhi Yao, annoyed by his vulgar language, had casually grabbed a dishcloth from the table and stuffed it in his mouth. Guan Ting could only make muffled sounds as he rolled his eyes, nauseated by the greasy cloth.

Less than ten li outside the city, Qin Feng, who was leading the way, suddenly stopped. The others naturally halted as well, vigilantly watching their surroundings. Qin Feng let out a cold laugh and said, “Come out! You can’t even hide properly, yet you’re trying to ambush people?” Before his words had finished, several arrows whistled through the air toward him. Qin Feng didn’t even bother to dismount, simply leaning aside on horseback to avoid the arrows. Many black-clad, masked figures leaped out from the roadside slopes and trees. Feng Zhi Yao leaned against Zhuo Jing and muttered, “I knew this trip to Nanzhao wouldn’t be so smooth. But… is it okay to wear black clothes and masks for half a day?” In broad daylight, what color could be more conspicuous than black? Zhuo Jing’s mouth twitched as he moved away from Feng Zhi Yao in disdain, saying coolly, “Assassins generally prefer black clothes and masks.”

“Nonsense. Have you ever seen the assassins of Yan Wang Palace wearing black clothes and masks?” Feng Zhi Yao objected. Yan Wang Palace was known as the world’s premier assassin organization, but they never wore uniforms. This proved that standardized clothing was more harmful than beneficial for assassin organizations.

“Third-rate assassins,” Zhuo Jing stated calmly.

Feng Zhi Yao and Zhuo Jing’s back-and-forth mockery transformed what should have been a tense, deadly atmosphere into something strangely amusing. Though the faces of the black-masked assassins were hidden, their eyes blazing with fury were enough to reveal their anger. Feng Zhi Yao curved his lips into a smile as he looked at the assassins, saying carelessly, “Actually, besides third-rate assassins, there’s another type of person who must wear masks in broad daylight.”

Ye Li asked with a smile, “What kind of person?”

Feng Zhi Yao grinned, “People who can’t show their faces in public, like… Imperial Palace Guards!”

The assassins fell silent, though they couldn’t hide the shock in their eyes. Mo Xiu Yao stepped forward, hands behind his back, looking at the assassins surrounding them, and said with a faint smile, “Imperial Palace Guards? Mo Jing Qi’s attempt at concealment only makes things more obvious—truly unnecessary.” Feng Zhi Yao laughed, “Isn’t it? Our Prince Ding Manor has already severed ties with Great Chu. If Mo Jing Qi wants to kill our Prince, he could just send people directly. Wasn’t what happened in the city earlier good enough? Why all this sneaking around? However…”

Qin Feng said coldly, “It would be seen as Great Chu provoking the Mo Family Army.”

The assassins hesitated for a moment before their leader pointed his sword at Mo Xiu Yao and shouted, “Prince Ding, no need for further words. We’re here on orders—if we can’t return with your and the Princess’s heads, our heads will fall. Forgive us!” With that, he waved his sword, and everyone rushed at Mo Xiu Yao together. Mo Xiu Yao remained composed, merely flicking his sleeve, and the tangible force instantly threw two assassins aside. Once Mo Xiu Yao took action, the others naturally joined in, and the quiet official road erupted with the sounds of combat.

Several assassins failed in their attack on Mo Xiu Yao and, changing tactics, turned their attention to Ye Li, who had remained motionless in Mo Xiu Yao’s protective embrace. Four assassins launched a fierce joint attack with all their might to divert Mo Xiu Yao’s attention, while two others seized the opportunity to thrust their swords at Ye Li. With limited movement in Mo Xiu Yao’s embrace, it seemed the swords would pierce Ye Li, and the sword-wielding assassins felt a moment of triumph. Suddenly, their bodies froze as they felt a flash in their hearts. The Princess they’d been targeting had vanished from Mo Xiu Yao’s embrace, and instead, a gleaming dagger was buried in their chests. A delicate jade-like hand gripped the dagger’s hilt and pulled it out without hesitation. Blood sprayed as the falling assassin’s blurring vision caught the beautiful and graceful Princess—who appeared as elegant as any noble lady of the capital—holding the blood-stained dagger, spinning away from another incoming sword like a pale blue wind, leaving a thin red line across his companion’s throat…

After killing two people in an instant, Ye Li flicked the blood from her dagger with a slight frown. These years had left her lacking in practice; her movements weren’t as agile as before. Though she had learned qinggong and internal martial arts in this life, it seemed she might never recover the peak abilities of her previous life. However… looking up at Mo Xiu Yao, who had already cleared most of the nearby assassins, Ye Li smiled slightly. This life was different after all—perhaps it didn’t matter if she couldn’t fully recover her former peak abilities?

After clearing the area around himself and Ye Li, Mo Xiu Yao stopped fighting. The guards automatically formed a barrier between the assassins and the royal couple, making Ye Li and Mo Xiu Yao the most leisurely people present, only occasionally dealing with stragglers who broke through.

“They’re stalling for time,” Ye Li observed, frowning at the assassins engaging the guards. Mo Xiu Yao replied calmly, “They probably didn’t expect Guan Ting to be so useless as to let us leave that small city. Now that they’re short-handed, they can only buy time.” To deal with Prince Ding Manor’s guards, especially with the Qilin Guard present, they’d need at least three to five times more people. These hundred or so men weren’t even enough for a warm-up. Ye Li looked up at him and asked, “You plan to…”

Mo Xiu Yao smiled coldly, “Wait. Mo Jing Qi needs a lesson to learn how to stay quiet. Though we’re not afraid of him, too many mosquitoes and flies can be annoying.”

Seeing Mo Xiu Yao had his plans, Ye Li said no more. She leaned against a nearby horse to watch the fighting. Prince Ding Manor’s horses were all carefully selected war steeds—even with the battle raging on the road, the horses merely grazed quietly on the roadside grass, showing no sign of panic. Some even remained on the road, taking the opportunity to trample fallen black-clad assassins.

Though the assassins tried their best to stall, it took barely more than a quarter-hour before they all lay flat on the ground. The guards accompanying Mo Xiu Yao and Ye Li South had grown tired of being watched from the shadows wherever they went, and finally having a chance to stretch their muscles, they perhaps got a bit carried away. When they finally stopped, they still complained that the opponents were too weak.

Mo Xiu Yao naturally couldn’t stop waiting for more enemies to arrive, so the group had to continue their journey. As for the corpses on the official road, no one bothered with them—ordinary people didn’t use the official road anyway, so there was no worry about frightening anyone.

By the next day, as they approached Sui Xue Pass, still no one had caught up with them. Even if Mo Jing Qi’s people were inefficient, they couldn’t be this slow. Mo Xiu Yao frowned and waved his hand, ordering, “Several of you go back and bind all the vice commanders from every major garrison town along the way for this prince.” Several Qilin Guard members stepped forward upon hearing the order and asked, “Your Highness, kill them or not?” Mo Xiu Yao said flatly, “Bind them if you can, kill them if you can’t.”

“We obey!” How could the Qilin Guard ever fail a mission? They immediately decided they would definitely bind and bring back to the Northwest all the vice commanders from the eleven heavily garrisoned Great Chu cities they had passed. Though they were somewhat disappointed—why hadn’t the Prince ordered them to capture the main commanders? Vice commanders didn’t sound very challenging.

Hearing this, Feng Zhi Yao asked curiously, “Your Highness, haven’t they shown good sense by not pursuing us?” Mo Jing Qi certainly wouldn’t be satisfied with just sending one group of assassins, and since they hadn’t hidden their trail, the only explanation was that the garrison commanders were being deliberately negligent, never intending to pursue them.

Mo Xiu Yao’s lips curved slightly upward as he said coldly, “Making this prince wait in vain also has its price.”

Feng Zhi Yao couldn’t help but shiver—ultimately, wasn’t it Mo Jing Qi who had provoked the Prince? Imagining Mo Jing Qi’s expression when news reached the capital that all the vice commanders had suddenly been kidnapped made Feng Zhi Yao want to laugh. The ability to kidnap vice commanders naturally meant they could kidnap main commanders as well—surely their return journey from Nanzhao would be much smoother.

“Your Highness, Sui Xue Pass is ahead. Do you think General Murong will…”

Mo Xiu Yao shook his head, “General Murong is upright and principled—Mo Jing Qi would never give him such orders. Even if Mo Jing Qi’s people wanted to mobilize troops in Sui Xue Pass without authorization, it wouldn’t be easy.”

Feng Zhi Yao nodded, “That’s true.”

Mo Xiu Yao looked down at Ye Li and asked, “Shall we rest for a day in Yong Lin and leave the pass the day after tomorrow morning?”

Ye Li nodded, “Whatever you decide is fine. Brother should be waiting for us in Yong Lin.” Looking at the distant city coming into view, Ye Li couldn’t help but feel emotional. In the blink of an eye, five or six years had passed. Six years ago, she had been desperately protecting this small city, but now, it seemed to have no connection to them at all.