When normally having nightmares, Emperor Rui would quickly wake up, but this nightmare was too long. The feeling of suffocation and pain made him feel as if his soul and consciousness were being torn apart.
The night was dark, and two figures in black robes blended into it. Their movements were as fast as lightning, quickly disappearing into the boundless darkness, their figures no longer visible.
Huo Qiyuan had often entered the palace before, whether it was when the late emperor summoned him to play as a child, or when he was rewarded for military achievements. Coincidentally, the place he was most familiar with in the palace was also the place where the emperor often appeared.
Therefore, after entering the palace, they went directly to the vicinity of the Hall of Diligent Governance. This area was closest to the Imperial Study and the emperor's sleeping quarters. As long as Emperor Rui had not gone to the back palace tonight, whether he was handling state affairs or sleeping, they could find him.
Moreover, this place had always been the most heavily guarded and safest area for emperors throughout the dynasties. Conversely, for invaders like them, it was the most dangerous place!
After they had dodged several waves of patrolling soldiers, the two leaped onto the palace rooftops and quickly darted to a secluded spot to hide.
The Great Yu Dynasty was a long-standing nation. Su Muqing scanned the area roughly with her detector and found the palace defenses and guards to be incredibly strict.
Not only were there several teams of patrolling soldiers every few minutes, but there were also hidden guards lurking in the surrounding rooftops, trees, rockeries, and many nooks and crannies, making the area as secure as an iron bucket!
Whether it was a rule passed down by the royal family or Emperor Rui was truly so afraid of death, it was difficult for those without true skills to infiltrate. Even if they managed to sneak in, once discovered, it would not be easy to retreat safely!
As expected, the television shows were all fake! The palace was not that easy to break into!
Suddenly! Su Muqing felt someone approaching and quickly pulled Huo Qiyuan into her space. She then turned and stood guard in front of the Xuan Guang Mirror, observing the situation outside the space.
Almost at the same time, two men in black, wearing half-masks, flew past the spot where they had been standing. If Su Muqing had been a moment slower, they would definitely have been discovered by these two.
These two hidden guards were lurking in the big tree ten meters away. For a moment, they thought they saw a flash of silver light, and then the two quickly flew over to investigate.
Upon landing, the two men in black scanned their surroundings with sharp eyes. But the surroundings were dark and desolate; not to mention silver light or human figures, not even a single fly could be seen.
"No movement! They must have seen wrong!"
"Search more thoroughly, there must be no mistakes!"
After a brief exchange, the two men in black did not remain in place but dispersed in two different directions to continue searching for any anomalies.
Seeing them leave, Su Muqing and Huo Qiyuan did not come out immediately. Su Muqing guessed that the two men in black might return.
As expected! After a while, the two returned to the rooftop, observed the surroundings again, and only after confirming that there were truly no anomalies did they ascend and fly back to their hiding place.
It was at this moment that Su Muqing, dressed in black, emerged from the space alone and once again hid behind the cover on the rooftop. The most dangerous place was the safest place.
Huo Qiyuan was left in the space by Su Muqing. Although his skills were excellent, it was more convenient for one person to act alone, and the chance of being discovered was smaller.
With only Su Muqing left, she carefully observed the distribution of hidden guards on the detector and finally found a gap.
She cautiously slid down the slope of the rooftop. After the patrolling soldiers passed, she quickly flashed from the eaves, hooked herself under the eaves, and then hid herself extremely quickly.
Once steady, Su Muqing hung upside down and climbed along the eaves to another spot. Fortunately, the palace buildings were built very high, and as long as she didn't make any noise, the patrolling soldiers generally wouldn't look up.
Before Su Muqing could be happy for long, the space alarm suddenly sounded in her mind. She glanced at the detector and found that on the side around the corner of the eaves, a small red dot had suddenly appeared, and the red dot had already started to move.
Why was someone else coming?
Su Muqing guessed that perhaps because she had suddenly stopped, making a small noise, she had alarmed a hidden guard not far away.
Just as the red dot was about to turn the corner, she once again flashed into the space.
Outside the Xuan Guang Mirror, Su Muqing watched closely. A hidden guard, dressed identically to the previous ones, was now squatting on the crossbeam of a pillar, his eyes exceptionally bright and his gaze sharply scanning the surroundings.
These people were not tall and were quite agile. However, they all shared a common characteristic: their eyes, even in the darkness, appeared very bright.
Su Muqing pointed at the hidden guard and said, "I've found that their eyes are really quite amazing. Without any other auxiliary tools, they can see so clearly in the dark."
They all had to undergo modifications with the spirit spring water to achieve their current abilities. Ordinary people could not achieve this without the help of auxiliary tools.
Huo Qiyuan saw that Su Muqing was somewhat interested, so he quietly whispered in her ear to educate her.
"These people have undergone special training, especially their eyes. When they are selected as hidden guards, they begin to use medication. This is to ensure that their eyes can see without hindrance even in such darkness. However, this medicine is a slow-acting poison. Once their eyes start using it, they will become completely blind within twenty years at most!"
What Huo Qiyuan didn't say was that hidden guards were shadows living in darkness. Their identities were clandestine, and if their faces were ever seen, they would have no chance of survival.
They were trained from childhood to be emotionless killing tools. They killed others, and others killed them. Killing was the reason for their existence, and being killed was their mandatory course. Therefore, for them, how many years these eyes could be used truly didn't matter that much.
Although this was an ancient society where imperial power was supreme, where a minister had to die if the sovereign willed it, Su Muqing couldn't help but frown upon hearing this.
If it weren't for life's circumstances and pressures, would anyone willingly become such a cold-blooded and ruthless person?