The sun had risen well past its third marking pole.
At the end of the Echun road, a horse convoy slowly approached—not many in number, about ten people in total. As the convoy gradually drew near, even before they had come very close, Tang Lici and Zhong Chunji could already smell a thick, pungent scent of blood.
The convoy advanced step by step. The teahouse owner sitting outside suddenly let out a great cry and scrambled behind the building, rolling and crawling in his haste. Those horses were all dripping something that fell to the ground in deep red—unmistakably blood. Zhong Chunji’s entire body began trembling uncontrollably. Every single horse… every single horse had human heads hanging from it—some carried one, others two. These were precisely the subordinates she had dispatched to assassinate Xue Xianzi.
The lead rider among the horses was terrifyingly disfigured, tall in stature—it was Yu Qifeng. Behind him, the horses carried Lady Hongchan and Master Qingxu. Following these three was a white carriage—needless to say, this matched the Fengliu Store’s usual preferences. The carriage contained an iron cage with a person imprisoned inside. A white-robed figure drove the white carriage, though it was unclear who this was. Behind the carriage were six more people in white robes with covered faces, waiting silently.
Zhong Chunji felt an indescribable despair in her heart. She had known that sending people to kill Xue Xianzi would likely fail nine times out of ten, but she had never imagined such a result. The forces Fengliu Store used to guard Xue Xianzi must certainly be elite, but she hadn’t expected them to be strong to this degree—these people were sufficient to wipe out any medium-sized gang in the martial world.
Tang Lici’s expression didn’t change in the slightest. Faced with Fengliu Store’s arrival with murderous intent, faced with those heads hanging from the horses’ sides, he seemed completely unsurprised. Seeing Yu Qifeng dismount, he too stood up. The thick scent of blood made him furrow his brow slightly. “Sword King Yu, I trust you’ve been well.”
“Hehe!” Yu Qifeng let out a cold laugh. “Where is the person for the exchange?”
Tang Lici’s gaze swept to Zhong Chunji beside him. “This Miss Zhong is both imperial nobility and Xue Xianzi’s senior disciple. Using her to exchange for Xue Xianzi should be of sufficient worth.”
Hearing this, Zhong Chunji trembled even more violently, her face turning deathly pale. Her attendants had never known what this princess was actually doing in all her comings and goings. Suddenly hearing about an “exchange,” they looked at each other in confusion. Fang Juan immediately shouted loudly, “Wait! You want to take the princess to exchange for what person? She is the Great Song’s dignified Princess Langya—how dare you be so insolent?”
Yu Qifeng flicked his horse whip, throwing two heads from his mount to the ground. The heads rolled like watermelons. “Princess Langya? This Princess of Great Song dispatched palace guards to assassinate her own master—truly what a noble golden branch and jade leaf, what imperial nobility! I have walked both righteous and evil paths in my life, yet even I don’t consider myself as vicious-hearted as this princess.” He sneered coldly. “Did you think that by killing Xue Xianzi, you could escape with your life from Tang Lici’s hands? That you wouldn’t have to fall into Fengliu Store’s grasp? Naive!”
“Princess…” Seeing the heads on the ground, Fang Juan’s face changed drastically. “Did you really…” She had only known that the princess dispatched seventeen skilled fighters to handle some business, but had no idea it was this kind of business.
Zhong Chunji’s face alternated between green and white. Her hand pressed on her sword hilt—she wanted nothing more than to kill Fang Juan with one stroke. Today everyone had heard about the foolish thing she’d done. How could she kill all these people around her one by one to maintain her usual appearance of kindness? Her appearance was wretched, but her heart was contemplating various possibilities for murder.
“Princess Langya, plus thirty-three imperial guards and one palace maid,” Tang Lici smiled faintly. “If Fengliu Store captures the princess, they’ll have enough leverage to manipulate the situation. Compared to Xue Xianzi, this princess is worth much more, isn’t that so?”
“Perhaps Yu Konghou calculated that you would use the princess for the exchange, which is why she left that old man with his life.” Yu Qifeng waved his hand, and the white-robed figure behind him lifted the carriage curtain, revealing the iron cage within.
Tang Lici and Zhong Chunji both looked into the iron cage. Inside sat a person cross-legged, with white hair covering his head, wearing loose white robes completely different from the embroidered white shirts he usually wore. Xue Xianzi’s features were still handsome, completely inconsistent with Yu Qifeng’s description of “old man,” but his complexion was haggard, with a dark aura floating between his brows.
Looking at Xue Xianzi, Zhong Chunji suddenly felt her heart ache for some unknown reason, and tears burst from her eyes. “Master…”
Tang Lici smiled slightly. “You’ll stay at Fengliu Store for a while. Don’t worry—it won’t be too long before I level Fengliu Store, rescue you, then skin Yu Konghou alive, dismember her, and scatter her corpse into ten thousand pieces.” He gently stroked her hair ornament and pushed her forward. “Go.”
Zhong Chunji walked toward the iron cage step by step, her face deathly pale. Fang Juan rushed up from behind. “Princess! Princess! You mustn’t let these villains manipulate you! Princess, we should return to Bianjing immediately. You absolutely cannot…”
Zhong Chunji’s thoughts raced like lightning. “Fang Juan, you’re right. I absolutely cannot be manipulated by others. You all protect me while we break out of here!” She drew her sword and assumed a fighting stance as if ready to risk her life.
Tang Lici smiled faintly. Yu Qifeng didn’t even spare a proper glance at these imperial soldiers. As Zhong Chunji drew her sword to break through, Lady Hongchan, Master Qingxu, and the white-masked figures immediately leaped down from their horses. Only sounds of screaming arose as blood splattered—thirty-three imperial guards lay dead in an instant. Fang Juan’s face turned deathly pale as Zhong Chunji sheathed her sword and bit her lip.
“You… you…” Fang Juan suddenly realized. “You… you were afraid news of assassinating your master would spread, so… you borrowed others’ hands to kill and silence witnesses…” She had never imagined that the master she served had such a vicious heart. “How could you be so…”
Zhong Chunji’s emotions were in turmoil. Hearing her accusations again and again, rage rose from her heart, and she thrust her sword toward Fang Juan with a swish. As Xue Xianzi’s senior disciple, her martial arts far exceeded Fang Juan’s. Fang Juan had no way to resist and closed her eyes waiting for death.
With a “snap,” Zhong Chunji’s sword was caught by Tang Lici. He pressed her pressure points, lifted her up, and tossed her toward the carriage. Yu Qifeng caught her, then opened the iron cage, carried Xue Xianzi out, and placed him on the ground. In a sinister, hoarse voice he said, “The transaction is complete. That old man is yours.” He locked Zhong Chunji into the iron prison. “Don’t say I didn’t warn you—when Yu Konghou returns Xue Xianzi to you, she certainly wouldn’t return a Xue Xianzi with intact limbs and not a hair harmed.”
“I understand.” Tang Lici smiled. Yu Qifeng turned his horse around, about to lead his team away, when Tang Lici suddenly smiled and said, “Actually—didn’t Yu Konghou think of using your superior numbers to set an ambush here and kill me?”
Yu Qifeng didn’t turn back, replying coldly, “Conflicting with you wouldn’t necessarily benefit us.”
“Sword King is too modest,” Tang Lici said gently. “Farewell then.”
“Until we meet again.” Yu Qifeng spurred his horse away. Lady Hongchan and Master Qingxu said not a word—clearly they had received deliberate instructions from Yu Konghou to prevent Tang Lici from sowing discord or probing for information. The group departed as efficiently as they had arrived.
Only two heads and corpses littered the ground remained.
Tang Lici turned back around. Fang Juan stood behind him looking at those two heads, breathing rapidly, her face still indescribably pale. When Zhong Chunji had raised her sword to kill her just moments ago, though she disliked this princess, she had been utterly loyal to her. In the end, her reward was the princess raising a sword against her.
“Fang Juan,” Tang Lici smiled. “Were you frightened?”
Fang Juan suddenly raised her head. She recognized this elegant and refined Young Master Tang. “Tang… National Uncle…”
Tang Lici nodded. “You are Second Princess’s maid?”
Fang Juan replied, “Yes, but I was bestowed by Second Princess to… bestowed to Princess Langya…” Speaking of Zhong Chunji, she couldn’t help but show a look of terror. “I never imagined that though the princess is young and beautiful, she could actually be… so terrifying.”
“Did Second Princess ever mention whether the missing Third Princess from years ago—does this Princess Langya have any identifying marks on her body? Or any recognizable tokens?” Tang Lici smiled. “Or perhaps some keepsake for recognition?”
Fang Juan was stunned. “Tokens?” She thought carefully. “There weren’t any tokens. The princess resembles Second Princess closely, and she was found in the same place where the princess had been adopted years ago. Could there be something false about this?”
“Appearance is sometimes just coincidence,” Tang Lici said. “When Princess Langya was buried years ago, she should have been interred with burial objects. Perhaps after growing to adulthood, she might still have these items. If Miss Zhong possesses such tokens, her identity as princess would be beyond doubt.” His explanation was strange. Having spent many years in the palace, Fang Juan knew he had hidden meanings—the implication being that Zhong Chunji might not actually be the princess. She had completely lost faith in this princess and sincerely hoped she wasn’t really royalty. Suddenly a flash of inspiration struck her mind. “When the princess was buried years ago, the palace must have kept records. What burial objects were interred would certainly be registered item by item. If I could return to the palace, I might be able to investigate.”
“Very good.” Tang Lici smiled. “But with the princess missing and you returning safely, I’m afraid Second Princess will hold you responsible. Here’s what we’ll do…” He lightly patted her body. “When you return to the palace, immediately ask the imperial physicians to treat you. This palm strike has injured your heart and lungs. Though you feel no pain now, it’s a fatal wound.” He said gently, “Go back immediately. The physicians will determine you’ve been severely injured, but this type of injury only requires dispersing the stagnant qi in your heart and lungs—it’s completely painless and easily treated. Returning with serious injuries should prevent Second Princess from blaming you.”
Fang Juan bowed gracefully. “Thank you, National Uncle.”
Tang Lici took out a gold ingot and a bottle of medicine from his robes. “These are pills for preserving vitality and regulating qi. If you feel unwell, you may take them freely.”
Fang Juan accepted the gold and pills. “Regarding the princess’s matter, once Fang Juan investigates clearly, I will certainly find a way to notify National Uncle.”
Tang Lici said gently, “When I have need, I’ll come ask you myself. For now, don’t let Second Princess know about this matter—she has deep sisterly affections and might be disappointed.”
Fang Juan nodded. “This servant understands.”
Tang Lici lifted up Xue Xianzi, who sat cross-legged like an old monk in meditation. At the post station, he purchased two carriages—one to send Fang Juan back to Bianjing, the other to take him back to Haoyun Mountain.