The hall doors were slammed open, and over a dozen black-clad Shadow Guards flooded in like phantoms. Each held a sharp blade, their auras bitingly cold.
The one in the lead was the Shadow Guard Vice Chief Censor, Soul Chaser Leng Suan. His Cultivation was at the Super Grade Initial Stage, and his eyes, like a hawk’s, were locked onto Qiu Ju.
"Take her down!" Leng Suan barked.
The Shadow Guards swarmed forward. Qiu Ju gritted her teeth, knowing escape was nearly impossible.
Suddenly, she raised a hand and ripped off the Disguise mask on her face, revealing not a peerless Palace Maid, but the face of a man.
He looked to be in his mid-thirties, with a resolute face and a vicious scar on his left cheek, though in reality, he was several hundred years old.
"You’re courting death!" he roared, no longer holding back. The Qi Blood in his body erupted, surging like a furious dragon from his Dragon Tiger Fist.
His Cultivation was at the Super Grade Initial Stage, not much different from Leng Suan’s.
He struck out with both fists. Phantom images of a dragon and a tiger appeared at their tips, forcibly blasting back the first few Shadow Guards who rushed him.
But the Shadow Guards were numerous and well-trained. They quickly formed a battle formation, trapping him in the center.
"A futile struggle!" Leng Suan snorted coldly and made his move personally.
His figure flashed like lightning, his five fingers forming a claw as he aimed straight for his opponent’s throat.
The wind from his claw strike was sharp, carrying an ear-piercing sound as it tore through the air. This was the Shadow Guards’ ultimate skill, the Soul-Seeking Claw, a Top Level Mortal Technique.
"Qiu Ju" raised his fists to meet the attack, his own moves incredibly fierce.
"CLANG!"
Fist met claw, and the explosive sound of striking metal rang out.
"Qiu Ju" stumbled back several steps, a trickle of blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
Although he was also a Super Grade Initial Stage Celestial Human, he was still a fair bit weaker than Leng Suan, and the other Shadow Guards around him were a constant distraction.
"Surrender now, and I’ll leave you a whole corpse!" Leng Suan said, pressing his advantage with every step.
A look of grim resolve flashed in "Qiu Ju’s" eyes. He knew the mission had failed.
But as a spy for Da Kuo, he could never be taken alive. Seeing that another Super Grade Celestial Human was about to arrive, he feared that if he delayed any longer, he wouldn’t even have the chance to kill himself.
He suddenly opened his mouth and crushed the poison sac hidden in his back molar.
"PFFT..."
Black blood spewed from his mouth. "Qiu Ju’s" body swayed and then collapsed heavily to the ground. His eyes were wide open, his breathing had ceased, and he was beyond saving.
"Took poison to kill himself?" Leng Suan frowned. He stepped forward to inspect the body and confirmed he was dead, with no possibility of resuscitation.
He turned and walked behind a pillar, addressing Xia Wuyang, who was still shivering uncontrollably. "Your Highness must be frightened. Do not worry, the assassin has been dealt with. He will not harm you again."
Xia Wuyang was helped shakily to his feet by Andrew, his face a deathly pale mask. His voice trembled as he spoke, "Who was that assassin? To not even spare a worthless man like me... that’s going too far. I just want to enjoy my life in peace."
"Rest assured, Your Highness. I have already assigned more men to guard Wenhua Hall. I will ensure an incident like this never happens again," Leng Suan said in a low voice, his tone devoid of any respect for Xia Wuyang.
"Good... good..." Xia Wuyang nodded, still looking thoroughly shaken. "Reward everyone who helped protect me! Reward them all!"
"Thank you, Your Highness." Leng Suan ordered his men to clean up the scene, carry away "Qiu Ju’s" body, and take the terrified Ning Xue, Zi Zu, and the others for questioning.
The hall soon returned to a state of calm, but the stench of blood and the feeling of terror lingered for a long time.
After everyone had withdrawn, Xia Wuyang sat back down on the soft couch.
The terror on his face vanished instantly, replaced by an icy, emotionless mask.
’Using the Soul Enchantment Technique to probe him, I found that he was a spy from Da Kuo. He even deliberately used the Dragon Tiger Fist to attack me.’ He muttered to himself, ’It seems someone wanted to kill me with a borrowed knife. My unexpected death would vacate the position of Crown Prince and intensify the struggle among the princes. Even if Da Kuo wasn’t to blame before, they are now.’
A truly vicious move.
If he were truly that deposed Crown Prince, he would have died today without a doubt. There would have been no chance of survival.
After his death, the Princes and Princesses who already coveted the throne would surely fight tooth and nail for the position. The internal strife of Great Xia would erupt completely. The Da Kuo spies could then stay out of the fray and fish in troubled waters.
Of course, that was all contingent on them not being caught. If their identities were discovered, not only would the plan fail, but they would also have to take the blame for the incident Xia Wuyang had previously set up for them.
’Too bad you miscalculated one thing. I’m no piece of trash.’ A cold smile tugged at the corner of Xia Wuyang’s mouth.
He turned his head to look at Su Ling’Er, who was still staring blankly at the Jade Pendant in her hands. He said gently, "Ling’Er, I have your Jade Talisman to thank for today. Otherwise, I fear I would not have escaped death. Come here, let me reward you properly."
Su Ling’Er finally snapped out of her daze. With reddened eyes, she walked over and threw herself into his arms. "Your Highness... you scared me to death..."
Besides being worried, she was also heartbroken. After all, she only had one Protective Spirit Talisman, and now a great deal of its energy had been used up.
"There, there. As long as I’m here, no one can hurt you." Xia Wuyang gently patted her back, but his gaze was fixed on the dark night sky outside the hall.
Su Ling’Er, nestled in his arms, rolled her eyes. ’When the assassination happened just now, the Crown Prince was probably the fastest one to flee.’
Xia Wuyang knew in his heart that this assassination was only the beginning.
Since Northern Desert Da Kuo had dared to deploy a spy who had been undercover for many years—and a Super Grade Celestial Human at that—it meant they were growing impatient and wanted to throw Great Xia into chaos as quickly as possible.
And those Princes and Princesses in the Imperial Court would probably seize this opportunity to make their own moves, making the situation even more chaotic.
Xia Wuyang murmured to himself, ’Let there be chaos. The more chaotic, the better. The more chaos there is, the more Xia Shengming will suffer, and the more opportunities I’ll have.’
Outside the window, the storm finally broke, pouring down in sheets as if the heavens had cracked open.
Flashes of lightning and peals of thunder illuminated the entire Imperial City as if it were day, but it was a ghastly, pale light.
And this rain seemed poised to wash away all the conspiracies, bloodshed, and hatred, exposing them between heaven and earth for all to see clearly.
「That day, the storm raged all through the night.」
The surface of Taiye Pool was battered by raindrops, creating countless ripples. The lotuses swayed forlornly in the wind and rain, looking as if they might collapse at any moment.
Most of the pink and white petals were beaten off, drifting along with the murky pool water until they piled up in the crevices of the rocks by the shore, where they slowly began to rot.
The water in the Palace Lanes was ankle-deep. Palace Attendants walked on tiptoe, holding up the hems of their robes, their faces filled with alarm. It was as if the night’s rain had washed away not just the moss at the base of the palace walls, but also something that held people’s hearts together. A sense of dread filled many.
「Just after 3:00 AM, long before dawn, the study in the Shadow Guard Commander’s Mansion was brightly lit.」
Zheng Zhicang sat at his desk, frowning deeply as he held a newly transcribed case file.
The file detailed the entire assassination incident at Wenhua Hall the previous night. After an investigation, they had already made a preliminary deduction about "Qiu Ju’s" identity: he was likely a spy from Northern Desert Da Kuo, and one of their highest-ranking ones at that.
His objective was to assassinate the elder Crown Prince, but he was thwarted by a Protective Spirit Talisman belonging to a Palace Maid named Su Ling’Er, and ultimately committed suicide by taking poison.
Normally, a case like this wouldn’t require his personal attention as the Shadow Guard Chief. However, this matter involved a spy from the Northern Desert, it involved the Crown Prince, and it even touched upon His Majesty’s recent, highly sensitive theories about foreign conspiracies. Most importantly, this spy was a Super Grade Celestial Human. He dared not be the least bit careless.
What weighed even more heavily on his mind was that after the incident last night, a voice had suddenly echoed in his thoughts—the voice of the Lord Emperor.

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