Crowned Consort in Golden Age-Chapter 49. Escaping danger, a night of many events in the Capital City
49. Escaping Danger, A Night of Trouble in the Capital City
By the edge of a quiet cliff, a crescent moon hung in the distant sky. A cool breeze blew across the clifftop. The one-eyed man, lying feebly on the cliff, gave a regretful, bitter smile. "Miss Ye, isn’t such a tactic too despicable?"
Ye Li sat languidly beside him, casually pulling off the cloth strip stained with rouge-colored medicine from her shoulder and flinging it off the cliff. She shrugged indifferently. "You aren’t exactly an honorable man yourself, so I don’t feel guilty." The means didn’t matter; the result did.
"Don’t move." A light yet sharp blade rested gently on the artery in the man’s neck. "I’d advise you not to act rashly without absolute certainty. If I thrust forward just half an inch more, not even the immortal gods could save you."
"Such an unusual poison. May I know what deadly poison you used to deal with your savior?" The man helplessly abandoned his attempt to circulate his inner force to temporarily suppress the poison’s effects. In fact, he couldn’t muster any inner force at all at that moment.
Ye Li shook her head. "That’s a secret. Besides, whether you’re my savior is debatable. By the way, my mood has been quite terrible lately."
"It’s an honor to hear the Capital City’s Number One Talented Woman voicing her grievances." The man laughed, though with his frightening appearance, it looked rather comical.
Ye Li frowned. "Since I was betrothed to Prince Ding, it seems all sorts of trouble have come knocking. Constant probing, surveillance, nitpicking, and of course, kidnapping."
"If it’s so troublesome, how about eloping with me?"
Ye Li’s long eyelashes fluttered. "I’m not interested in the dramas of young ladies of noble birth and talented scholars. And I bet those stories forgot to address what to do about the lady’s parents, relatives, sisters, and reputation. How would they survive? And what if the talented scholar elopes with another lady?"
The man looked at her gloomily and after a long pause, said, "You think too much. Don’t the stories always say that the talented scholar eventually becomes the Top Scholar and lives a life of glory and riches, that the young lady’s parents will forgive her, relatives will admire her, and sisters will envy her? Most importantly, don’t the talented scholar and the beautiful lady always live happily ever after, growing old together in mutual love?"
Ye Li shook her head. "The stories only say ’The End.’ The part about living happily ever after, growing old together in mutual love, is mostly people’s own imagination, isn’t it?"
After some thought, the man realized there really hadn’t been any story or play that continued to the part where the talented scholar and the beautiful lady lived to old age, surrounded by their children and grandchildren.
"Alright, Miss. What must I do for you to release me?" Understanding that beating around the bush with Ye Li was pointless, the man asked directly.
"Tell me who is plotting against me," Ye Li asked straightforwardly, not mincing words.
"What if I refuse?"
The cold blade slid lightly across his neck, raising goosebumps on his skin. "Don’t worry, I won’t stab you. I’ll... push you straight down." Ye Li glanced at the bottomless valley below and smiled.
Wouldn’t it be better if you just stabbed me? The man was exasperated. "No, I really can’t reveal that."
"You can."
"I made a promise. A man of his word stands by it. Even if you stab me to death, I won’t tell." The man affirmed.
Ye Li scrutinized him for a while, then raised an eyebrow and said, "Alright. In that case, let me see what kind of face is hidden beneath this mask."
"Miss Ye, if you release me now, I’ll owe you a favor. How about it?" the man bargained.
"That sounds somewhat familiar. However, do you think I would trust someone whose identity I don’t even know? Even if you owed me a hundred favors, if I can’t find you, they’re worthless." Ye Li held the dagger steady, pointing at the man’s carotid artery, while her other hand began to feel the twisted, ugly mask. "Miss Ye, I have twenty thousand taels of silver notes on me. Take them to calm your nerves. Let’s call it even after this, what do you say?"
Ye Li’s hand didn’t stop. She said coolly, "Do you think I’d risk my life for money, like you would? If we call it even this time, how do I know there won’t be a next time?"
The man fell silent for a moment, then said, "I don’t know if there will be a next time from her, but I can assure you that I will never trouble Miss Ye again. How about it?" Sensing Ye Li’s hand pause, he hastily added, "I promise I will never trouble Miss Ye again. You can tell Mo Xiuyao about this. He knows who I am and whether my word can be trusted."
The cold blade finally left his neck. Ye Li stood up. "I’ll choose to trust you for now."
"The antidote."
"I don’t have it. Qingyu gave me the medicine just now. Although it prevents you from using your inner force, you should be able to get down from here without using lightness skill, right?" Ye Li said with a smile.
The man gritted his teeth, but the sound of approaching footsteps in the distance left him no time to argue with Ye Li. He could only stand up and prepare to descend the valley in a way he had never used before. Unfortunately, he was a step too slow. A cold voice echoed from the other end of the path, "Han Mingyue—"
A young man in plain clothes, seated in a wheelchair, slowly appeared at the end of the path. Behind him, a taciturn, brown-clothed youth pushed the wheelchair steadily. Even on the uneven mountain top, he showed no signs of exertion. Mo Xiuyao, sitting in the wheelchair, had an impassive face, his gaze on the one-eyed man cold and profound. The one-eyed man felt his body stiffen under that gaze, as if frozen solid. He could only look at the cliff edge, less than two steps away, and smile bitterly.
"Ah-Li, are you alright?" Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li, his gaze slightly warming.
Ye Li calmly sheathed her dagger under his watch, walked up to him, and said with a somewhat apologetic smile, "I’m sorry for making you worry."
Mo Xiuyao’s eyes flickered, his brow furrowed slightly. In the end, he just sighed softly and said, "You’re tired. Let’s go back and talk."
Ye Li also felt the current environment wasn’t suitable for conversation, so she nodded in agreement. Among the people who had come up with Mo Xiuyao and Ah-Jin, a woman offered Ye Li a cloak. Ye Li smiled faintly; although she didn’t feel cold, she accepted it and put it on.
"Han Mingyue, can you tell this Prince why you are here?" Mo Xiuyao asked, his sharp eyes fixed on the man by the cliff edge.
"You can recognize me even like this?" The man sighed, felt his face for a moment, and then peeled off a leather mask, revealing an incredibly handsome but undeniably dejected face. When Ye Li heard Mo Xiuyao call out the name Han Mingyue, she had only raised an eyebrow. Now, seeing the man remove his mask and reveal his handsome features, she felt little surprise. This face was at least eighty percent similar to the Playboy she had encountered some days ago. However, while that Playboy’s face had an easy charm that could beguile hearts, this one was far more dignified. The same raised-eyebrow smile, on this face, conveyed a sense of dashing unconventionality.
"Hehe, Xiuyao, we haven’t seen each other for many years. It’s a bit... regrettable to meet again under such circumstances." The handsome man, even dressed in a bandit’s coarse attire, exuded the suave elegance of a young nobleman. However, the slightly fawning expression on his face at this moment was somewhat disconcerting. "As soon as I heard you were getting married, I traveled thousands of miles to congratulate you. It seems you’re still as unwelcoming to old friends as ever."
"Your congratulation is to kidnap my fiancée?" Mo Xiuyao’s voice was low and melodious. Ye Li, standing behind him, unconsciously pulled her cloak tighter.
"A misunderstanding," Han Mingyue said helplessly. "I didn’t know beforehand that the person to be kidnapped was your fiancée. But the job was already accepted; if I didn’t complete it, where would my reputation and face go? I’ve already minimized the damage as much as possible. Now, my business is done, and your fiancée is safe and sound." And she tricked me too! I’m the one who suffered, okay?
"Who paid for this?" Mo Xiuyao asked, staring at him.
"I can’t say," Han Mingyue replied with a wry smile.
Mo Xiuyao sneered. "Han Mingyue, apart from your brother, is there anything you wouldn’t sell for the right price?"
Han Mingyue sighed, his expression even more defeated. "There are still one or two things that can’t be sold, no matter what. Besides, Mingxi has suffered enough at your hands this time. Xiuyao, can we let this slide, for my sake? I promise there won’t be a next time." Mo Xiuyao’s face grew even darker. Han Mingyue stamped his foot. "I’ll give the Princess Consort one-tenth of Tianyi Pavilion’s profits this year as an apology!"
"Han Mingyue, you’re too nervous," Mo Xiuyao said quietly, raising a hand to lightly touch the mask on his own face.
A flash of annoyance crossed Han Mingyue’s face. How could I forget? Mo Xiuyao knows me too well. If I hadn’t acted so nervously, he wouldn’t have been so sure of the target. "Xiuyao, I’m begging you..."
"Get out." After staring deeply at Han Mingyue’s pleading face for a while, Mo Xiuyao finally uttered these two words.
Despite such disrespectful treatment, Han Mingyue looked visibly relieved. "I will definitely send the apology gifts to the Princess Consort’s residence within three days!"
Mo Xiuyao’s reply was a slight gesture backward with his hand. "Black Cloud Cavalry, release arrows!"
The men in black, who had been standing in a semicircle around them, clad in black with their heads covered by black scarves, had already nocked arrows to their bows at some point. Draw! Release—
Han Mingyue had no choice but to throw himself off the cliff. "Mo Xiuyao, you’re ruthless!"
Han Mingyue’s screams disappeared into the abyss. Ye Li blinked, looking down at Mo Xiuyao. She was unsure if Han Mingyue had been hiding his true strength; even in her peak condition, she wouldn’t have survived such a fall unscathed.
Seeming to sense her doubt, Mo Xiuyao explained, "Han Mingyue always likes to have a backup plan. He must have made preparations down there. He won’t die from the fall."
Ye Li frowned. So my earlier threat to throw him off was completely ineffective. Indeed, it’s easy to make mistakes if you don’t understand your enemy. Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will fight a hundred battles without danger. The Sage of War truly did not deceive me.
"Let’s go back," Mo Xiuyao said quietly, extending his hand.
"Alright."
「In the secluded courtyard of the Xu Mansion」
Having finally managed to see off her two uncles and five cousins, Ye Li felt both overwhelmed by dealing with so many people at once and an irrepressible warmth and joy from her family’s concern. Mo Xiuyao sat beside her, quietly watching the girl opposite him without a word. He suddenly realized he knew very little about his fiancée. Though not yet sixteen, she displayed surprising strength, decisiveness, and maturity. What had I been doing at her age? Mo Xiuyao rarely dwelled on the past, but watching the girl’s calm and smiling appearance before him, he found that recalling past events wasn’t actually that painful.
At fifteen or sixteen, he had been an ambitious and triumphant youth, galloping freely through the capital, reckless and insolent. Who in the world didn’t know of the young, talented heir of the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion? Who didn’t know of the young general who had swept through the Southern Border, his mastery of the Art of War legendary? Even on the bloodiest battlefields, he had been vibrant and uninhibited. But this girl, by fifteen, had already endured what most women wouldn’t experience in a lifetime: losing her mother at a young age, a broken engagement, schemes from her stepmother, a tarnished reputation, a marriage everyone avoided like the plague, ambushes, and kidnappings. Yet, she had never shown any signs of panic. Even today, after such an ordeal, she neither cried nor raged. She even smiled and apologized for making him worry. If our positions were swapped, I definitely couldn’t have maintained such composure at her age. Mo Xiuyao sighed softly in his heart.
"Ah-Li, I’m very sorry about what happened today," Mo Xiuyao said quietly after a long pause.
Ye Li looked up at him and gave a slight smile. "This wasn’t something you could control, and I was too careless. But... starting tomorrow, rumors will probably spread throughout the capital... I’m afraid it might harm the reputation of the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion."
Mo Xiuyao looked at her, his gaze deep and inscrutable. "In the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion, my word is law. As long as you have no regrets."
Ye Li blinked, instantly understanding his meaning. His word is law in the King of Ding Kingdom’s Mansion, so whatever happens to my reputation won’t affect our marriage. Is that it? Tilting her head in thought for a moment, Ye Li smiled helplessly. "I reckon if I were to regret it now... I probably wouldn’t be able to get married in this lifetime. So, I might as well... settle for this?"
A barely perceptible smile touched the corners of Mo Xiuyao’s lips. "That’s for the best. I also feel that if you were to regret it, I wouldn’t easily find another suitable Princess Consort in this lifetime."
Ye Li looked at him and laughed. "Since Your Highness doesn’t mind, then let’s just make do with each other."
Watching the girl by the window turn and smile at him, saying, "let’s just make do with each other," Mo Xiuyao suddenly felt his heart stir. Under the candlelight, the girl’s slightly pale face seemed to glow faintly, touching something within him. Mo Xiuyao quickly averted his gaze, resting his head on his hand. "In the next few days, Han Mingyue will probably send you some things. Just accept them all; don’t mind him."
Ye Li was surprised. "Will he really give me one-tenth of Tianyi Pavilion’s income?" Tianyi Pavilion was the largest intelligence organization in Great Chu; one-tenth of its annual income from selling information would be an absolutely staggering amount.
Mo Xiuyao nodded, looking at Ye Li, who seemed to want to say something but hesitated.
Ye Li laughed. "Let’s not talk about today’s events. Since you’ve already come to an understanding with Han Mingyue. Although I’m not entirely clear on the full strength of Tianyi Pavilion and Qingfeng Mingyue Tower, I don’t particularly wish to make an enemy of him either. However, this is a one-time thing. If that person tries anything again in the future and falls into my hands, I won’t accept any pleas for mercy."
"Of course." After a moment of silence, Mo Xiuyao looked at Ye Li seriously and promised, "Since Ah-Li has no regrets, then from now on, you and I are family. Anyone who wishes to harm Ah-Li is my enemy."
Ye Li nodded, smiling silently. Outside the window, the crescent moon gradually descended towards the roofline. The girl looked up at the waning moon in the sky, her beautiful face bathed in its serene, tranquil glow. Behind her, the young man in the wheelchair gazed intently at her slender figure, his gentle eyes filled with an enigmatic light.
「At a secret Tianyi Pavilion hideout somewhere in the Capital City」
Han Mingyue stumbled in, looking utterly disheveled and startling everyone in the room.
"Brother, what happened to you?" Han Mingxi, the infamous Playboy whom countless parents wished to flay alive and countless young maidens found captivating, hesitated for a moment, then rushed over to support his brother’s swaying body.
Han Mingyue waved his hand, allowing his younger brother to help him to a soft couch. He then smiled bitterly. "I ran afoul of a true menace." Although he was accustomed to making thorough preparations, leaping from a cliff still resulted in numerous internal and external injuries from protruding branches, no matter how careful he was. He held no resentment about this; everyone involved knew Mo Xiuyao had already shown mercy. Otherwise, with the Black Cloud Cavalry’s skill, none of their arrows would have missed a man completely devoid of inner force.
"Eh? Big brother, you’ve met Third Miss Ye?" Han Mingxi exclaimed in surprise after taking Han Mingyue’s pulse.
Han Mingyue forced himself to sit up, squinting at his brother. "How did you know? Don’t tell me you got into trouble with Mo Xiuyao in the Capital City because of this Miss Ye?"
Han Mingxi scratched his nose awkwardly and forced an apologetic smile. "Brother... well, I also fell into Ye Li’s hands last time. It was the same medicine... I owe her a favor. Could you not cause her trouble?"
Han Mingyue scoffed coldly. "You’re treating Tianyi Pavilion as a personal favor you owe?"
Han Mingxi looked down in shame, fiddling with his fingers. "Well... that woman is very clever. I didn’t say anything, and she already guessed the connection between Tianyi Pavilion and Qingfeng Mingyue Tower. She took my jade pendant; there was nothing I could do."
"That’s my jade pendant! Give it here. Who knows what trouble it might cause if you keep it." Han Mingyue held out his hand. Han Mingxi didn’t dare disobey and obediently handed over the pendant. He had no interest in Qingfeng Mingyue Tower or Tianyi Pavilion anyway; he only kept his brother’s pendant for fun. "Big brother, are your injuries serious? Should I call a doctor?"
Seeing his usually carefree younger brother’s worried face, Han Mingyue’s expression softened somewhat. He said lightly, "It’s nothing serious. I just can’t use my inner force. No need for a doctor. Do we have guests?"
Han Mingxi’s face darkened, and he snorted coldly. "Indeed. A woman came looking for you this afternoon. I chased her away."
"Mingxi..."
Han Mingxi paced agitatedly around the room. "Brother, let’s just go back to Jiangnan and stop meddling in these affairs, alright? Last time, I merely joked with Ye Li, and Mo Xiuyao nearly chopped off my leg and a hand. Even if you are the Lord of Tianyi Pavilion, don’t forget he’s the Prince of Ding Kingdom! If you don’t value your own life, do you want to drag Tianyi Pavilion down with you?" As Han Mingyue opened his mouth to speak, Han Mingxi cut him off. "Don’t say you’re friends! Nonsense! Even friends can’t touch another’s woman. Do you think I’m some rapist with no bottom line? Also, don’t forget what you all did to him back then! How dare you still provoke him?"
"Mingxi... you’ve grown up," Han Mingyue said softly, watching his agitated younger brother pace back and forth, his usual cynical and carefree demeanor gone.
Han Mingxi blushed, huffed, and turned to leave. "I’ll go call that woman over!"
As his brother’s figure disappeared through the doorway, Han Mingyue clutched his still-aching chest and frowned. Somehow, Han Mingxi’s earlier words, ’don’t forget what you all did to him back then,’ surfaced in his mind. Han Mingyue’s eyes darkened, and he sighed deeply. The apology gift to be sent tomorrow... let’s add another ten percent.
"How did you end up in this state?" A low female voice came from the doorway. Han Mingyue looked up to see a woman in a wide black cloak that concealed her graceful figure. Her face was also completely hidden by a black scarf, leaving only a pair of clear, cold eyes that glinted with a hint of iciness and displeasure.
"Haven’t you seen for yourself? Do you think Mo Xiuyao is that easy to deal with?" Han Mingyue said indifferently, sitting up.
The woman in black snorted coldly. "Did you accomplish the task I gave you?"
SMASH! The teacup in Han Mingyue’s hand shattered. Clear tea trickled between his fingers. "I am not your servant! Watch your tone!"
A flash of anger crossed the woman’s eyes, but she quickly suppressed it and said in a low voice, "I was wrong. Mingyue, about tonight’s matter..."
"What does it matter if it was accomplished or not? The news of Ye Li’s kidnapping is already out, isn’t it? Your objective has been achieved, more or less," Han Mingyue said.
"You didn’t do it!" the woman’s voice instantly became shrill. "I wanted you to ruin her!"
Han Mingyue absently touched his neck, a wry smile forming internally. Ruin her? Fortunately, I had no such intention; otherwise, I might have been the one ruined. That Third Miss Ye isn’t as harmless as she appears on the surface. For some reason, however, Han Mingyue had no intention of sharing this insight with the woman before him.
"Having you, the Lord of Tianyi Pavilion, the foremost handsome man in Jiangnan, act personally should have been a great honor for her. Why didn’t you do it?" the woman continued to complain, still dissatisfied.
"Enough!" Han Mingyue said coldly. "Why don’t you ask me how I got injured, or how severe my wounds are? Do you really think I could have made it back alive tonight if I had actually touched Ye Li?"
"I..." The woman’s breath hitched. Seemingly realizing her misstep, she glanced at him apologetically and said softly, "Why did you go alone? If you had taken more people, even if Mo Xiuyao had the Black Cloud Cavalry with him, they might not have been able to harm you. Given the current situation, he couldn’t possibly mobilize a large contingent of the Black Cloud Cavalry."
Han Mingyue’s icy expression softened somewhat at the woman’s gentle tone. He said faintly, "Because I cannot drag Tianyi Pavilion into this. This is a private matter between you and me, so naturally, I must resolve it myself. You should also look out for yourself. Don’t come to me about Ye Li’s affairs in the future; I will not help you again."
"Why?"
"Because next time, Xiuyao will definitely kill me. I am a businessman; I have no desire to challenge the Mo Family’s bottom line. You should leave now. Be careful." After speaking, Han Mingyue leaned back on the soft couch and closed his eyes, ignoring the woman in black at the door.
The woman in black clearly had more to say, but seeing the man on the couch, his face ashen and his entire being radiating rejection, she swallowed her words. Hmphing, she said, "Then rest well. I’ll take my leave."
Turning, she exited the room. Not far from the door, under a large tree, Han Mingxi, who bore a strong resemblance to his brother, stared at her with a gloomy expression. "You don’t need to come again. We’re returning to Jiangnan soon."
The woman in black turned sideways, her charming, coquettish eyes arching slightly with a hint of disdain. "If you have free time, go pick a few more flowers. Don’t meddle in other people’s business. I wouldn’t want Mingyue to tell me someday that he’s lost a younger brother."
Han Mingxi’s face darkened, then he chuckled coldly. "Fine, this young master wants to see exactly what kind of creature has bewitched my brother." Not many knew how skilled the Playboy was in martial arts, but his lightness skill was certainly not just an idle boast. With a light flick of his robes, the man who had been standing under the tree vanished instantly. In the blink of an eye, he was beside the woman in black, reaching out to snatch the black scarf from her face. "How dare you!"
"Mingxi, stop!" From the doorway, Han Mingyue glared at the two, who were in a tense standoff. "Let her go."
"Hmph!" Han Mingxi, full of resentment, flicked his hand and, swift as a startled swan, leaped away, disappearing over the rooftops.
Han Mingyue stared at the woman in black in the courtyard, his eyes carrying a warning. "Don’t provoke Mingxi."
"Hehe, as long as he doesn’t provoke me, why would I provoke him? Mingyue, he is your brother, after all. We’re friends, aren’t we?" the woman said with a soft laugh.
BANG! Han Mingyue took a step back and slammed the door heavily in her face.
"Han! Ming! Yue!" A look of shock flashed in the woman in black’s eyes as she resentfully called out his name. However, she saw the candlelight inside the house quickly extinguish; the person inside was clearly preparing for bed. Snorting lightly, she turned and left the quiet, dimly lit courtyard.
As the woman in black stepped out of the inconspicuous courtyard, several black-clad figures immediately approached her. "Miss."
The woman nodded and coldly responded, "Let’s go."
The leader of the black-clad figures, noticing the woman’s displeasure, dared not say much. With a wave of his hand, the group escorted the woman and swiftly departed into the night.
WHOOSH! An arrow tore through the air with immense force. The leading black-clad man swiftly drew his sword, intending to deflect it. However, the arrow wasn’t so easily thwarted. He felt a shock run down his sword, and his sword hand instantly went numb. The arrow whizzed past his blade, heading straight for the black-clad woman he was protecting.
"AH!"
"Miss!"
The arrow skimmed past the woman’s face and lodged firmly in a nearby roadside wall. The black-clad woman looked back at the arrow, embedded deep within the wooden wall, and her body went limp, nearly causing her to collapse. If the arrow had been just a fraction off, it would have either pierced her head or ruined her face.
"Miss." The man beside her rushed forward to support her. The woman waved him away and violently slapped the black-clad man’s face. "Useless fool!"
The black-clad man lowered his head, his eyes dim.
"Feng Zhiyao!" Clear laughter echoed from a nearby rooftop. The woman looked up to see Feng Zhiyao, dressed in flamboyant red, leisurely sitting on the roof, watching her pathetic state below. Feng Zhiyao’s handsome brows were raised, his left hand holding a bow, gesturing tauntingly towards her.
The woman gritted her teeth. "Feng Zhiyao, you have some nerve!"
"Oh my, this young master is so scared. It shouldn’t be illegal for me to shoot one or two suspicious individuals skulking in the dark in the middle of the night, should it? Perhaps Lord Qin might even be grateful to this young master for contributing to the Capital City’s public security. What do you think?"
"Kill him!" The woman pointed a slender finger at the rooftop, her voice filled with murderous intent. The mere thought of the arrow she had just narrowly dodged made her want to tear the arrogant man before her limb from limb.
"Tsk, trying to outnumber this young master? Am I supposed to be afraid of you?" Feng Zhiyao lazily signaled behind him. A group of black-clad figures silently appeared on the roof, their bows drawn, arrowheads aimed precisely at the narrow street below.
The woman was practically seething, grinding her teeth as she said haughtily, "Feng Zhiyao, do you dare to kill me?"
Feng Zhiyao shook his head regretfully. "I don’t dare."
Hearing his answer, the woman’s confidence visibly surged. With a slight lift of her chin, she commanded, "Since you don’t dare, then get out of my sight!"
Damn it! This young master detests arrogant women the most! A cold glint flashed in Feng Zhiyao’s mischievous phoenix eyes. He swiftly raised his hand, drew his bow, and released another arrow. It struck the ground at her feet, pinning the hem of her robe.
"Feng Zhiyao!"
Feng Zhiyao looked at her lazily, his gaze even more dismissive than hers. "Stop yelling. This young master won’t fall in love with you even if you keep shouting. Someone asked me to warn you: stop stirring up unnecessary trouble. Otherwise, tonight’s arrow definitely wouldn’t have hit the wall. Even if you don’t trust this young master’s archery, you shouldn’t doubt theirs." He pointed at the imposing, motionless black-clad men standing behind him and said faintly.
"No... it can’t be..." The black-clad woman stared incredulously at the figures behind Feng Zhiyao. How could he...
"Feng Zhiyao, how dare you mobilize the Black Cloud Cavalry on your own accord!"
"Tsk, such a self-deceiving woman," Feng Zhiyao said impatiently, sitting up straight. "Just remember this young master’s warning. Otherwise, next time you’re disfigured, don’t blame this young master for not relaying the message."
The woman in black lowered her head, silent. Feng Zhiyao, no longer in the mood to dally with her, said to his men, "Once you’ve finished what needs to be done, everyone disperse."
WHOOSH—WHOOSH—
With a few whooshes of air being cut, the men who had been protecting the woman collapsed one after another, leaving only the leader, who clutched his sword tightly, tense and on guard. However, he knew his hand lacked the strength to wield his sword due to the earlier arrow’s impact. If another came, he would be unable to block it or escape.
"Feng Zhiyao, aren’t you afraid the palace will find out you’ve recklessly deployed the Black Cloud Cavalry?" the woman in black finally spoke.
Feng Zhiyao waved his hand dismissively and sniggered. "You should first worry about how you’re going to explain the sudden disappearance of so many of your people."
In the end, the woman said nothing more. With her one remaining guard, she left the deserted street, seething with resentment. As soon as she departed, the black-clad figures on the roof quickly vanished into the night. Feng Zhiyao turned, leaped off the roof, and slipped smoothly into the house through a half-open window. He looked at the man sitting inside and asked casually, "Well? Was Eldest Young Master Xu satisfied?"
Xu Qingchen sat calmly by the window, a pot of wine and two cups before him. He poured wine into both cups, set down the pot, then looked up at Feng Zhiyao and smiled. "Please thank the Prince on my behalf."
