Feng Hua clenched his fists tightly upon hearing this, his voice filled with anger. "They are too despicable, drugging us and then ambushing us."
Bai Yin and Hei Yin walked over. Although they maintained expressionless faces, their pale complexions betrayed the injuries they had sustained.
"After today, I will request to be stationed at North Ridge Pass from His Highness the Jing King tomorrow," Song Jiang stated, each word deliberate.
Feng Hua and the others were taken aback. They knew this was their last resort, and it was a pity they couldn't wait for His Highness the Jing King's return.
"Yo yo, aren't these the famous shadow guards of His Highness the Jing King? What happened here? You're injured?"
"Yao Chen, you still have the nerve to ask? Drugging the food and then ambushing us, what kind of man are you?" Feng Hua retorted angrily.
Yao Chen tsked twice at the remark. "How would I have known that the famously arrogant shadow guards would be successfully drugged by me? Logically, shouldn't you have been able to discern it?"
"You..."
"Me what? Am I wrong? No wonder your His Highness the Jing King sent you to train among the troops. With the way you are, I think your His Highness the Jing King isn't far from death either," Yao Chen said smugly.
"Say that again." Song Jiang's gaze instantly turned icy. He stared coldly at Yao Chen, like a vengeful ghost seeking a life. Yao Chen instinctively took a step back. "You... what do you want? I'm not wrong, you're all short-lived..."
Before Yao Chen could finish, Song Jiang suddenly moved, lunging towards him.
Yao Chen was greatly alarmed and retreated repeatedly. Thinking about being drugged and ambushed, yet still possessing such agility, he truly believed this shadow guard was not human.
When Xue Zi Ning arrived at the training ground, she saw Song Jiang, the killing intent radiating from him. She had never seen Song Jiang like this before. She vaguely recalled that Song Jiang used to be the most taciturn, but now he seemed like an enraged beast, ready to tear apart the person in front of him.
As Yao Chen retreated, he kept looking behind him. Song Jiang could no longer care about anything else; his only thought was to kill Yao Chen.
However, Xue Zi Ning noticed something amiss with Yao Chen. At this moment, Yao Chen should have been focused on the fight, not looking around. Unless he had another scheme.
Another scheme? Xue Zi Ning frowned, her gaze shifting towards a haystack not far behind Yao Chen.
A haystack? Why would there be a haystack?
"Ye An, why is there a haystack here?" she asked, pointing at the haystack.
Ye An looked over and said, "That's not a haystack. During dinner, I heard it was grain distributed by the imperial court, and it was stored right there."
"I'm going to take a look." Xue Zi Ning, without waiting for Ye An and Huan'er, quickly ran towards the haystack. The spots she chose were somewhat dark, and her light body technique allowed her to move unseen for the moment.
Reaching the haystack, she saw that there was indeed grain underneath. But why would Yao Chen lure Song Jiang this way?
She stepped forward and touched the grain, finding nothing unusual. Suddenly, a somewhat pungent odor reached her. She saw a new recruit from not far away furtively carrying something towards them.
Her gaze paused slightly. After thinking for a moment, she walked forward, arrived behind the new recruit, and knocked him unconscious. She discovered his container was filled with white wine. She dragged the man behind the grain and searched his belongings, only to find that he was carrying a fire starter.
Grain, fire starter? Only then did she understand. If Song Jiang were to burn the grain, it would be a grave offense.
"Fire," Yao Chen suddenly shouted, pleased at the thought of the grain being burned and the imperial court blaming the shadow guards. But after waiting for a long time, he saw no fire, and he was stunned.
Song Jiang's great sword lunged towards him. Yao Chen cried out in shock, "Song... Song Jiang, don't... don't..."
As the sword was about to pierce Yao Chen's chest, Song Jiang felt something strike his tiger's mouth. His hand trembled, and the sword only managed to wound Yao Chen.
Song Jiang's gaze flickered. He looked up and met a pair of clear eyes. These eyes were familiar, but the pity in them angered him. He didn't need anyone's pity, not at all.
"Leader..." The imperial guards nearby quickly stepped forward to help Yao Chen up. Yao Chen felt a sense of having narrowly escaped death, but he wondered why his plan had failed.
"Song Jiang." Feng Hua placed a hand on Song Jiang, knowing that Song Jiang had used up his last bit of strength.
"Brother Feng, where did you go just now?" Huan'er and Ye An came to Xue Zi Ning's side.
"I suddenly felt the urge to relieve myself," Xue Zi Ning said.
She looked at Song Jiang, who was sitting on the ground not far away, knowing that Song Jiang and the others' immediate crisis had passed. However, how to approach them, and how to make them believe her and follow her, seemed rather difficult now.
Yao Chen, having lost, felt he had lost face. He used his injuries as an excuse and was taken away for bandaging.
Song Jiang sat on the ground, breathing a slight sigh of relief. His tiger's mouth still felt somewhat numb. To strike his tiger's mouth so accurately, the person's skill was unfathomable. However, he knew that person must be Yao Chen's subordinate; otherwise, it would have been possible to kill him.
"Song Jiang, it turns out Yao Chen was trying to lure you to the grain. I also found the smell of wine and a fire starter behind there," Feng Hua said.
Song Jiang nodded. "Someone helped me from the shadows."
Feng Hua blinked in surprise. "Helped us? This... how is this possible?"
Bai Yin beside him said, "Could it be His Highness the Jing King..."
"Impossible," Hei Yin directly refuted.
Bai Yin recalled some matters and said no more.
"If it wasn't someone from His Highness the Jing King's faction, then I don't know who it is. However, since they helped us, they must have some connection with His Highness the Jing King," Song Jiang said.
Mentioning His Highness the Jing King, Feng Hua and the others fell silent.
"Tomorrow, I will go find His Highness the Jing King," Song Jiang slowly said as he stood up.
"Song Jiang, His Highness the Jing King..."
"Don't worry. After all, we are his shadow guards. Even if he doesn't need us anymore, he shouldn't make things difficult for us." This was because he possessed something His Highness the Jing King desired.
Returning to their tents, Xue Zi Ning lay on her bed but couldn't sleep. Her mind was filled with Song Jiang's gaze from the training ground earlier.
Logically, even if Song Jiang and the others made mistakes, they shouldn't have been abandoned by the Jing King. After all, they were his shadow guards who had followed him almost personally. But why had they fallen to this state?
The imperial guards were directly subordinate to the Emperor. With the Emperor's health not being good, the court affairs were all presided over by His Highness the Jing King. Could it be that all this had His Highness the Jing King's approval?
If that were the case, she felt everything was truly terrifying.
She hoped it wasn't what she was thinking, otherwise, it would truly disappoint her.
The next morning, Xue Zi Ning heard some bad news: someone had attempted to assassinate His Highness the Jing King. The assassin had already been arrested and thrown into prison, awaiting judgment.