t

That's right! Why? The target was clearly Jing Rong, so wouldn't they simply kill whoever was in the way? Why didn't the men in black kill her as well when she tried to block the blow, but instead diverted their blade away from her?

The atmosphere in the hall turned heavy and tense with suspicion at Ji Yunshu’s words

"They want to kill this prince but refuse to harm you - who could it be?" Jing Rong couldn't think of anyone other than Jing Yi, no matter how hard he racked his brain.

"Yes, it's pretty strange. These people are rather skilled at martial arts, but their fighting styles don't seem to belong to any particular sect. It's evident that they are not under Prince Yi or from the capital. Moreover, these people came with the determination to succeed or die and naturally would not leave behind any clues for us to follow. Further investigations would be difficult since they're already dead as well. The jianghu is too big." Mo Ruo ended his analysis, emphasizing his last sentence.

After hearing his analysis, a ripple ran across Jing Rong's calm expression and his hand clenched into such a tight fist on his knee that the tendons on the back of his hand stood out in sharp relief. His whole demeanor was that of an enraged lion coiled and ready to pounce out of its cage.

Jing Rong glanced sharply at Lang Po. "Convey this prince's order: the mastermind behind this attack must be caught and punished by dismemberment with five horses. No stone is to be left unturned!" [1]

Every single word that came out of his mouth dripped with a vengeful desire for blood. An inexplicable shiver ran down the spines of the crowd present.

Lang Po immediately bowed to acknowledge the order.

Just then, a guard hurried in and reported, "Your Highness, one person is still alive." What a pleasant surprise!

"So someone's still alive! Superb! Quickly question him to find out who was behind this attack! If he refuses to speak, then whip him savagely until he does!" Tang Si exclaimed loudly with gritted teeth.

But the next moment, the guard frowned and he hung his head as he continued softly, "That person may be alive, but he is severely injured and I'm afraid… won't last much longer." This addendum landed like a splash of cold water all over them.

Jing Rong frowned. He won't last?

Mo Ruo suddenly stood up. "Bring me there."

"Yes!"

The crowd followed along as well.

The man in black lay prone on the ground, his fingers still twitching.

Mo Ruo squatted down and gently turned the man over. There was a deep sword wound on his chest that had bled all over the ground, dying it a deep red. He was losing too much blood!

"He must not die." Jing Rong demanded coldly.

"He won't die with me around." Mo Ruo took out a pill and fed it to the man, then tapped a few acupuncture points on his chest. "Carry him into my room."

Two guards carefully lifted the man as ordered.

Mo Ruo dusted off his hands as he got up and told Jing Rong, "I can save his life but I can't stop him from committing suicide."

Assassins with the determination to succeed or die trying would certainly not hesitate to take their own life if they were captured alive. After all, by then, they were as good as dead already!

"Save him anyway." Jing Rong confirmed.

Mo Ruo nodded and left, with Tang Si following suit.

The bodies of the assassins were only cleared away about an hour later. However, the entire courtyard was still thickly blanketed with the nauseating stench of blood.

Ji Yunshu also moved to Jing Rong’s courtyard, hugging her two beloved sandalwood boxes. “Thankfully, these were not broken.”

Why are you still worried about mere boxes in such a situation?! “Do you know how dangerous it was just now?” Jing Rong reprimanded her sternly.

“I know.”

“If you knew, then why did you use your own body to shield this prince? Have you thought of the consequences?”

“Of course.” She put down the boxes and looked into his eyes earnestly. “If I didn’t block that blow, you would die. If I blocked that blow, we would die together.” She smiled. [2]

“Yunshu.” He held her icy fingers. “Listen up. If something like this happens again, you must leave when this prince commands you to do so, understand?”

“No…”

“You have no right to refuse. This is an order.” He insisted, frowning sternly.

She kept silent for a long while. But in the end, she knew she couldn’t out-stubborn this man and could only nod in agreement. When the arrangements were complete, Jing Rong commented, “Actually, this time, we have to thank Young Master Wen.”

At the mention of the youth, Ji Yunshu’s busy hands stopped moving. “ That’s right, we do owe him thanks. But I’ve always felt that he’s not simple at all, especially with his involvement in Miss Ye’er’s case. This person seems to be filled with hidden secrets.” If only it were possible to dissect a person’s mind. She would love to see just what he had hidden. Ji Yunshu shook her head at her own excessive thoughts.

Jing Rong agreed. “The entire Wen family are rather strange.”

Ji Yunshu nodded in agreement. “I really hope… that we are merely being paranoid.”

……

Middle of the night, in the Wen Textiles secret chamber.

Old Master Wen's thick black eyebrows were tightly pinched together, his eyes were slightly narrowed, and his lips were pressed into a single line. Every single feature on his face was filled with fury.

Wen Xian sat on the chair beside him. His expression was cool and calm, expressing not a single wisp of emotion. As always, his dizi was with him, its accompanying jade pendant cradled in one hand. He never let it go for a single second.

Although he was young and handsome with a mesmerising pair of eyes, his face was just a little paler than normal, as if he were ill.

Wen Xian had needed to take handfuls of pills regularly ever since he was a child. Thus, he had been sent into the mountains to study martial arts before he even turned ten. His constitution had greatly improved after five entire years, but he suddenly fell seriously ill less than a year after returning home.

From then on, his health continued fluctuating no matter how many physicians he consulted. Five or six years ago, his condition worsened and he almost lost his life. To this day, he never fully recovered from that illness.

Also because of his sickly constitution, he has never married and remains alone and carefree. Such a pity!

He looked worriedly towards the door of the secret chamber, then turned to his father. "Father, we can't entirely blame Vice-general Lin for this." Although his words seemed gentle and warm, his tone was cold and resolute.

Old Master Wen was entirely unmoved.

His full name was Wen Panshi, and right now, his face was just as stony and still as his name suggested. He was clearly furious. [3]

Suddenly, his hand landed heavily on the table with a loud slam. "As the vice-captain, how could we let him off lightly for privately issuing a kill order?"

"Father…"

"You shut up." He rebuked sharply.

Wen Xian's eyebrows dipped downwards as he swallowed down the litany he was about to let out of his mouth.

At that moment, the sound of iron-heeled boots on flagstone resounded in the passage outside the hidden chamber. The steps were confident and kept a steady rhythm, sounding almost like drum beats.

A tall and imposing shadow fell on the floor and crept forward in advance of the mysterious person. The shadow lengthened gradually as the person approached, until a foot finally stepped on the inky silhouette as the person entered the hidden chamber.

[1] This is a torture + execution method that involves ropes being attached to the criminal's four limbs and head, where each rope is tied to a horse that runs away from the criminal. Gory stuff.

[2] I can't take this terrible sweetness where is the tsundere.

[3] Both Pan and Shi in this guy's name are words that mean rock/boulder etc.

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