A Qiu fetched the brush, ink, paper, and inkstone. Bai Sheng sat by the long desk in the hall and began writing the recipes.
On the roof of the Prince Yu's mansion, several figures in black landed lightly, using the cover of the thick night to peer at everything within the mansion.
One figure in black, agile as a swallow, landed on the roof of the front hall and gently lifted a few black tiles.
In the front hall, Prince Yu reclined lazily on the main seat, with a man in brown standing beside him. Both of their gazes, seemingly absent yet present, were fixed on the two people in the hall.
By the long desk in the hall, a woman in a red dress, small in stature, was buried in writing something. As her head was wrapped in a scarf, obscuring her face, her features could not be seen.
The figure in black found the woman's silhouette unexpectedly familiar.
This feeling, appearing at this time and place, was rather peculiar.
Beside the woman stood a man in a moon-white robe, who was bending over to grind ink for her.
Neither of these two seemed to possess any martial arts skills.
"Master, be careful! There are four assassins on the roof outside the hall!" Bai Sheng was engrossed in writing the recipes when suddenly, a worried warning echoed in her mind from Hengheng.
Assassins? Bai Sheng was so startled she almost cried out. Her brush trembled, and a character was ruined.
But she couldn't act rashly. She was just an ordinary young woman with no martial arts skills, utterly incapable of foreseeing assassins!
She had to remain calm! Pretend to be completely unaware!
Prince Yu's mansion was surely teeming with hidden guards; the Prince should be fine.
Wen Zhi Mo noticed Bai Sheng's momentary pause and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
Bai Sheng chuckled lightly, "I forgot how to write a character. Let me think."
Wen Zhi Mo glanced at Bai Sheng's chicken-scratch handwriting, smiled, and continued grinding ink.
The figure in black gently replaced the tile.
This was a good opportunity to strike, with Prince Yu completely unprepared.
"Up!" the leader of the black-clad figures commanded in a hushed voice. The other figures, like phantoms, drifted into the Prince's mansion and landed silently outside the wall of the front hall.
With a clang, the door was violently kicked open. Simultaneously, a flying dart, five to six inches long, shot straight towards Prince Yu's face. The Prince, greatly alarmed, dodged aside. The dart grazed his shoulder, tearing his robes.
How close!
Immediately after, four masked figures in black burst in, all wielding gleaming swords and radiating murderous intent.
Everyone inside the hall turned pale with shock.
A Qiu drew his sword and swiftly moved to Prince Yu's side, shouting, "Assassins! Guards! Protect His Highness!"
In the blink of an eye, over a dozen hidden guards landed in front of Prince Yu, surrounding him layer by layer.
Although clearly outnumbered, the black-clad figures showed no fear, attacking towards Prince Yu like daredevils.
The leader of the black-clad figures, in particular, was highly skilled, his moves infused with unfathomable cunning. Several guards had already fallen beneath his sword.
In the brightly lit front hall, the "clangs, whooshes, and crashes" of swords colliding fiercely were sharp and piercing, punctuated by screams that struck terror into the heart.
Amidst the deadly exchanges, Bai Sheng had to shrink beneath the long desk. Peering through the gaps between the table and chairs, she frantically looked for a space where no one's legs were visible, hoping to seize an opportunity to dash out of the killing formation.
Until the very last moment, she would not reveal her spatial ability.
"Bai Sheng! Quickly!" Wen Zhi Mo rushed over, grabbed her sleeve, and accidentally pulled off her red headscarf.
Hearing the man in moon-white robes call out "Bai Sheng," the leader of the black-clad figures faltered almost imperceptibly. He suddenly turned his head and saw a familiar face.
How could this be! Why was she here?!
The moment he was distracted, a hidden guard wounded his left chest.
The figure in black grunted, immediately turned back, and with a sword stroke, dispatched that guard. Seemingly unwilling to waste more time, he leaped into the air, stepping on the heads of the fallen guards, and lunged towards Prince Yu like a leopard.
Unexpectedly, Prince Yu's gaze sharpened. He pushed aside the guards beside him, and from his sleeve, a short sword slid out, also thrusting fiercely at the figure in black.
Prince Yu actually knew martial arts! And his skills were extraordinary!
The leader of the black-clad figures cast a furtive glance at Bai Sheng, who was cowering and hiding, and commanded in a deep voice, "Withdraw!"
Instantly, the four black-clad figures abruptly halted their attack and retreated outside like arrows.
"Pursue!" Prince Yu commanded coldly. The hidden guards gave chase.
In the dark night sky, there was no trace of the black-clad figures, as if nothing had happened.
After pursuing for a distance with no success, Prince Yu had no choice but to lead his men back into the mansion.
"Master, are you injured?" A Qiu asked, walking up to Prince Yu with concern.
Prince Yu's brows were tightly furrowed. He shook his head. "The assassins tonight were exceptionally skilled, their moves very strange. Ah Bian!"
"Your subordinate is here!" A tall hidden guard stepped forward.
"Immediately seal the city gates and search for the person with the wound on their left chest! Also, take a group of men to search the entire city! I want these people found, even if it means turning the city upside down!"
"Yes!" Ah Bian responded and departed.
As the group returned to the front hall with their swords, Bai Sheng and Wen Zhi Mo stood huddled together, their hearts unsettled.
Seeing this, A Qiu immediately stepped forward and said, "Miss Bai, Young Master Wen, we sincerely apologize. The mansion was suddenly attacked tonight, and you two have been frightened. For your safety, please leave here quickly."
"Then… we will take our leave. Please take care," Wen Zhi Mo said, cupping his hands.
As the two were about to leave, A Qiu suddenly remembered something. He took something from his person and handed it to Bai Sheng, "Miss Bai, my Master asked me to give you this token. If you encounter any trouble in the future, you can use it to ward off danger."
Bai Sheng reached out and took the token. "Thank you, A Qiu, but the menu hasn't—"
"Brother Qiu, then we won't disturb you any further. We will visit again another day," Wen Zhi Mo interrupted Bai Sheng and pulled her towards the exit.
Prince Yu sat on the main seat in the hall, watching the retreating figures of the two from afar. His dark eyes narrowed slightly.
That leader of the black-clad figures clearly faltered for a moment. Otherwise, the mansion's hidden guards would not have been able to harm him at all. What had caused him to lose focus?
And, these assassins seemed to have the upper hand, so why did they retreat so suddenly?
What exactly had happened in between?
Could it be because he discovered he knew martial arts? But the leader of the black-clad figures was no less skilled than him. If the fight had continued, he might not have been able to escape successfully tonight.
Prince Yu leaned back against the chair, raised a hand to stroke his chin, meticulously sorting through everything that had just transpired.
Meanwhile, A Qiu ordered people to clean up the front hall. The injured hidden guards were sent for treatment, and the deceased were carried to the rear rooms to be buried with proper rites at a later date.