With danger approaching, Chu Yu’s mind instead became very calm and clear. Even though her heart already started hurting faintly from the nervousness, she still knew what she should do right now.
She reached out her hand, wanting to grab Huan Yuan and go hide together, but only found thin air. Turning her head to look, she realized that the human-form-poetry-producing machine Huan Yuan had already left the pavilion, and was now standing expressionlessly outside.
Chu Yu couldn’t help blanking for a moment.
Due to this momentary delay, and assassin already came up to Chu Yu. Knowing that she couldn’t escape, Chu Yu laughed bitterly.
She didn’t expect to die again now.
She had just gotten her life back; was she going to lose it again like this?
She was unresigned.
If she died again this time, would she travel through time again? Or was it that luck only occurred once, and if she died this time, she will really never again be conscious?
Forever?
She really didn’t want to die.
But the expected blade didn’t pierce into her body. When the assassin came to her, after a single glance, he actually turned away and hopped out of the pavilion to kill Huan Yuan.
Didn’t even bother to look at her again.
……
Chu Yu was completely shocked.
Huan Yuan was trying to dodge the assasin’s attacks while the person whose identity was the most valuable here was ignored in the pavilion. Although she had just picked her life back and wasn’t in danger anymore for now, which was good, Chu Yu still had a slight feeling of being insulted.
Hey hey hey, that’s not playing by the rules.
She knew that the people from this time period worshipped beauty ridiculously, and judged people by their appearances ridiculously, but even when assassinating, picking out the better-looking one to assassinate first, wasn’t that too much?
Where were their professional ethics!
……
Or was it that, these assassins weren’t targeting her from the beginning, but were targeting Huan Yuan?
But that didn’t seem plausible; since young, Huan Yuan had been under house arrest after house arrest, when did he have the time to go outside and offend people to the point that assassins must be deployed?
“You are going to assassinate the Princess?” Before, Mo Xiang held a go piece in his hand and was trying to see if there was still a way to win the game, but after hearing Rong Zhi’s words, he was so astonished the go piece in his hand dropped to the board, knocking into several other go pieces and making a series of crisp sounds.
“How could I do that?” Rong Zhi smiled indifferently, “There is an assassination, but not due to my intention, but was arranged by someone else.”
“Who?”
Rong Zhi bent down, and slowly picking up the black go pieces and putting them back into the go piece box, said softly: “Huan Yuan.”
Dodging left and right under the sword of the assassin, having been taught some by his family before and learned a little martial arts, although Huan Yuan wasn’t nearly as good as Yue Jiefei, and also much worse than Liusang, it was enough to protect himself for a while.
But right now he felt unable to use his energy like never before; his strength seemed to flow out of his body like a stream of water, and his movements were hard and slow like a dry riverbed. He suddenly remembered the wine Rong Zhi forced him to drink last night, and realization hit him.
It was only a moment before Huan Yuan was panting for breath and several more wounds decorated his body.
Seeing that Huan Yuan was in danger, Yue Jiefei suddenly swung his sword and forced the three surrounding him to back up while he ran to Huan Yuan’s rescue with the speed of an arrow and resolved the situation at the last second, pulling Huan Yuan away and blocking the assassin’s sword.
Under the one-to-one face off, the assassin immediately fell into a disadvantage. Yue Jiefei wounded the assassin and then returned to fighting the other three, slowly forcing the four people together to one spot and refusing to let any one of them leave.
Yue Jiefei pushed Huan Yuan towards the pavilion. Huan Yuan backed up a few steps, stopping only when his back was against a side pillar supporting the pavilion.
Liusang backed up as he fought, slowly backing up all the way to the pavilion. Not experienced enough, he would occasionally be busied by the small tricks the assassin played. The advantage he had at the beginning completely disappeared; instead, he kept being forced to back up.
Seeing that Liusang was about to reach her place, to prevent being accidentally injured, Chu Yu also stepped out of the railings of the pavilion and exited it.
Huan Yuan had just found his feet when he saw Chu Yu standing beside, and he subconsciously stepped in the opposite direction.
But he forgot that this was at the edge of a cliff, and he also forgot to check beneath his foot before stepping.
Stepping on a small pebble, Huan Yuan’s foot couldn’t find balance and he slipped.
If this was on flat ground, it would only be a minor fall.
If his strength hadn’t been depleted by the drug, then he would still be able to save himself.
“Actually, when Huan Yuan planned to leave to palace, he also prepared this last card of burning his own boat. Thinking himself a gentleman, he wouldn’t choose weapons or blood until the last moment. This last card, due to it criticalness, not many people know about it. And because himself being unfree, the person responsible for arranging all this, was Shen Guangzuo.” Rong Zhi smiled, “But Huan Yuan didn’t know, that what I can promise Shen Guangzuo, is much much more than what he can.”
Shen Guangzuo, being the first to jump sides and pledge loyalty to the princess, was arranged by Rong Zhi, too. Or why else would someone be so hasty, and come forward to tattle before anyone could even tell if it was a trap yet?
And because of this, Huan Yuan’s entire plan was also under his control.
Huan Yuan had kept a pigeon at his place, one specially bred and trained by Turning Sword Hall, a secret assassin organization. These pigeons were used to contact with the employer, but Huan Yuan hadn’t let it out, because until the last moment, he wouldn’t use violent means.
But the actions of Chu Yu a few days ago made him completely lose hope.
Yesterday, when Huan Yuan learned that Chu Yu was going to Pingding Mountain to attend the poetry banquet, he let this pigeon out.
Mo Xiang thought about it for a while, then asked: “Then, is Master planning to help Huan Yuan, or stop him?”
“Neither.” Finally cleaning up all the black go pieces, Rong Zhi stood up and smiled, “I plan to use this assassination. Even though my hand can’t reach too far, within the premises of the capital, Jiankang, I have my ways to get things done. I know a bit about Turning Sword Hall, so to make several assassins who have just come to Jiankang acquire a slightly off impression of their assassinating target isn’t too hard. I guided the rumors to say that the Princess is a woman of a broad frame, like a man, but her appearance is beautiful; and among the people that went with the Princess today, the person who fit this description the best, is Huan Yuan.”
He advised the Princess to bring Huan Yuan with her to the poetry banquet, forced Huan Yuan to drink the poisoned wine that depleted his energy and made him unable to do strenuous activities, and, before leaving, used drugs to cover up the Princess’ beauty; all these, had a purpose.
“By now, Huan Yuan probably figured out half of my intentions already.” Rong Zhi smiled in assurance, “I am going to plant the idea in his heart, that he can never succeed against me.” If not receiving a good remedy, the shadow from this unpleasant experience will probably follow Huan Yuan his entire life.
He will have mercy, but before that, he will also oppress.
Mo Xiang watched Rong Zhi, and also smiled.
No matter how many times he looked, Rong Zhi’s thoughts were still profound and unfathomable. Every time he thought he could touch Rong Zhi’s thoughts, he would still astonishingly realize, that what he touched, was only an illusion.
Never make this person an enemy.
Ever since the first time they met, the first time they conversed, two years ago, he had decided to follow Rong Zhi.
Never betray.
Never regret.