Outside her father's tent, Mu Qing and Mu Bai were indeed fighting. Upon seeing Yun Xiao's arrival, they cried out in urgency, "Quick, the Prince is in danger!"
Murong Chong's wide white sleeves flowed like clouds as he flashed into the tent. Inside, his father had already woken up, the two attending military doctors murdered and lying in pools of blood.
An assassin, cloaked in black, was wielding a knife against him. His father, being a seasoned general, still possessed agility. Awakened by the earlier commotion, he was now locked in a struggle with the assassin.
Murong Chong's body darted forward, swift as an arrow, shooting directly towards them. In a blink, he landed beside the assailant.
He unleashed a palm strike, shattering the man's internal organs. The assassin turned, his eyes widening in disbelief, and collapsed onto the ground.
To his dying moment, he couldn't comprehend the speed and ferocity of this person's movements, skills he had never witnessed before. Where had he come from?
Yun Xiao had already rushed to Yun Mo's bedside, asking in a deep voice, "Is Father alright?"
Yun Mo gasped for breath, his voice trembling, "What is happening? And the sounds of fighting outside."
"It's the Xiliang army. This plague was also their poison. It's not a plague at all. Seeing that the plague was about to be resolved, they sent assassins to kill Father and these patients."
"So that's how it is," Yun Mo said with a heavy heart. He looked up at the masked figure standing with his back to him, "Who is he?"
Murong Chong slowly turned around. Under the lamplight, the silver mask on his face gleamed with a dazzling brilliance. His eyes held a cold, commanding aura.
The noble presence of a king, he stared deeply at Yun Mo. Suddenly, the tent's flap was lifted, and he vanished like a wisp of smoke, his agility astonishing.
The ones who rushed in were Mu Qing and Mu Bai. Having dealt with the other assassins, they stormed in. Seeing the Prince safe, they finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Yun Mo fell into deep thought. The sharp, blade-like intensity in those eyes, the kingly dominance – this person seemed born a strong one. Especially the familiar gleam in his dark pupils, what was truly going on?
"Father, are you alright?"
Yun Xiao turned back; Murong Chong was nowhere to be seen. She assumed he didn't wish to be seen. But why was her father's complexion so pale, devoid of color in the dim lamplight?
Could he have been frightened? Impossible. He was a veteran general who had endured countless battles, how could he be scared by this scene?
Then what was happening? Yun Xiao had no time to ponder further. The fighting outside had ceased, and people began to enter one after another.
Yun Zhen, Shangguan Lin, and others, seeing that Prince Yun was unharmed, were relieved. Shangguan Lin had been worried about Yun Xiao, and now that she was safe, the stone in his heart finally settled completely.
However, they were all disheveled. Their hair and clothes were drenched from the heavy rain, and the blood splattered during the fight, though diluted by the rain, was still clearly visible.
Yun Mo had recovered. He looked up at Yun Zhen and Shangguan Lin standing at the entrance. His dark eyes held a deep surprise as he asked, "When did the Prince arrive?"
"During the day, His Majesty sent him with imperial physicians to assist the military doctors in determining if this plague could be cured."
Yun Xiao said softly. Seeing Shangguan Lin, she truly feared her father might accidentally reveal something and expose her.
However, Yun Mo's greatest concern now was the situation outside. How many were injured, how many had died?
"What is the situation outside?"
Yun Zhen immediately stepped forward to report, "I didn't expect there to be over thirty Xiliang soldiers, and each of them was a skilled fighter. Some were even officers of the rank of參將 (Canzhang - Colonel) or higher. This indicates they had been lurking for some time."
"I didn't expect the Xiliang people to have planned this long ago."
Yun Mo's deep eyes filled with coldness. If this assassination failed, they would likely launch a desperate attack tomorrow.
But the city's current troop strength was not high. Before he arrived at Fengya Pass, half the men had casualties, and His Majesty had only given him fifty thousand troops.
Although the first battle was a victory, the Xiliang army had only retreated thirty li and then stopped. He had been puzzled by their actions, but now he understood. They were waiting for these infiltrators to make their move, waiting for the city's forces to crumble completely.
Then they would take the city in one fell swoop. However, an unexpected incident had occurred, prompting them to implement their second plan: assassination.
Unexpectedly, a torrential downpour had made arson impossible, and they were even prepared, completely annihilating these Xiliang soldiers.
Tomorrow, they would surely attack with all their might, while their forces were still recovering.
"I fear they will attack tomorrow."
Yun Mo looked up, not at anyone in particular, his gaze profound as he looked out of the tent, piercing through the curtain of rain and mist, almost seeing the enemy forces at the city gates tomorrow.
"Prince Yun, rest assured. His Majesty has issued a decree to mobilize fifty thousand troops from nearby cities. I believe they will arrive by tomorrow morning. Then, they will join with the surviving soldiers on the east city wall and fight the Xiliang army to the death."
Shangguan Lin spoke. However, Yun Mo knew the current battle situation well. Even with reinforcements, it would likely be a defeat. The soldiers in the city, though not infected by the plague, were exhausted and disheartened, their morale completely gone. They were likely no match for the enemy generals.
"The Prince must also be tired. Please go and rest. We will discuss tomorrow's matters tomorrow."
Yun Mo was somewhat weary, he said faintly. His complexion remained pale. The poison within him had not been completely cleared, only partially alleviated, and residual toxins remained in his body, making him very weak.
After struggling with the assassin for a while earlier, coupled with talking, his mind felt hazy.
Shangguan Lin, wearing his wet clothes, was already extremely uncomfortable. Moreover, it was very late into the night. Tomorrow, he would have to find a way to neutralize the poison and also face the Xiliang army's assault. Therefore, he nodded slightly, "Prince Yun, please rest well."
With that, he retreated outwards. As he reached the doorway, he looked back at Yun Xiao. Yun Xiao had already turned to face Prince Yun, so he could only see her slender back, bathed in the dim candlelight, unharmed.
A great weight finally lifted from his heart. He strode out.
The rain was still falling heavily, hitting the tents and the Qing River with a continuous rushing sound. Through the misty rain, many people in raincoats were clearing the scene.
Inside the tent, someone had already removed the two bodies, cleaned the area, and withdrawn. Yun Xiao and Yun Zhen surrounded Yun Mo. Seeing that his complexion had improved significantly, they felt much more relieved.
"Father, please lie down."
Yun Xiao reached out to help him lie down. Yun Mo recalled those sharp, commanding eyes and trembled. This tremble was not due to fear, but a sudden realization of the late Emperor, the one with whom he had sworn brotherhood, the chivalrous Emperor of the past.
His gaze was one he knew all too well, and the eyes of the person just now, hidden behind the mask, were so strikingly similar to the late Emperor's – sharp and commanding, as if the master of all things, powerful and mysterious.
Yun Mo quickly reached out and grabbed Yun Xiao.
"Xiao'er, tell me, who was that person? Who is he?"
In his agitation, he struggled to sit up, gasping for breath. Yun Xiao and Yun Zhen held his shoulders from either side.
"Father, he is just a friend of mine. Please don't think about it."
"A friend?" Yun Mo felt a sense of loss. Who exactly was this person? His mind was in a jumble, and he slowly drifted off to sleep. Throughout the night, his dreams were filled with the figure of the late Emperor, and the scenes of their sworn brotherhood and youthful adventures.