Lin Yanxi ran through the three floors, searching the Zhihai Tower, but found no trace of Meng'er.
Had she been tricked again?
Shen Yu blocked a fatal blow with his sword, his hand beginning to tremble. Seeing the black-clothed assailant's long saber about to fall on him, he shouted, "You dare kill even the esteemed Fifth Prince?"
It was a desperate cry, as he figured these attackers must be after their identities if they dared kill them. To his surprise, the assailant's descending saber halted mid-air upon hearing this. He then retracted his weapon and turned to strike Shen Muzhou.
Shen Yu was stunned. What was this situation? Was revealing his identity effective? Then what was the point of fighting?
Were these people not after their identities after all?
Seeing the attackers' blades swing towards Shen Muzhou, he quickly shouted as he had before, "He is the Ninth Prince, you dare kill him too?"
This time, the assailant's blade indeed paused in the air for a moment before he called out, "Go kill him, he's the Ninth Prince!"
Shen Muzhou: ...
With that declaration, dozens of glinting weapons rained down on Shen Muzhou from all directions!
"Little Jiu!"
With Shen Yu's low growl, the gazes of Little Six and Lin Yanxi turned to Shen Muzhou. He was caught in a pincer attack, with over a dozen black-clothed assailants swinging their sabers at him almost simultaneously.
Lin Yanxi still hadn't found Meng'er, and Shen Muzhou already bore several bleeding wounds on his body, with a dozen more cold blades lunging at him.
Shen Yu and Little Six fought desperately from the outer circle inwards, trying to support Shen Muzhou. Unfortunately, it was too late. The disadvantage in numbers left despair reflected in their eyes.
The black-clothed assailants exchanged glances, their razor-sharp cold blades dripping with blood.
Shen Muzhou was certain to die.
At that critical moment, Lin Yanxi rushed out from the Zhihai Tower. Seeing the group of black-clothed assailants brandishing their sabers, she shouted, "Shen Muzhou!"
Her small frame stood on the pale blue steps, her apricot eyes flashing with resolute ferocity. As she formed a hand seal, an inconspicuous ring in her hand emitted a faint purple glow.
Her voice was soft, yet carried an inexplicable killing intent. She roared, "Immobilization Talisman!"
Immediately, a small formation erupted beneath her feet, and an invisible tidal wave surged into everyone present like a whirlwind.
There were about thirty-odd black-clothed assailants present. The Immobilization Talisman took effect on about seven or eight of them. The assailants closest to Shen Muzhou, those posing the greatest threat to his life, were almost all affected by the spell.
Their hands, at the moment the small formation formed, froze in mid-air. Their feet felt as if they were nailed to the ground, unable to move, only their eyeballs swiveled in terror.
The formation beneath her feet slowly rotated. Invisible talismans split in the air into over a dozen yellow talismans, flying in the direction of Lin Yanxi's hand seals, binding the masked figures.
"Talisman Master? Impossible!"
"What is happening?"
They struggled with all their might, but it was in vain. Their bodies were like deadwood, unresponsive, only their eyes and mouths could move.
The remaining assailants watched this scene in astonishment. As their eyes met, even those unaffected by the talismans forgot about their fighting.
Shen Yu was the first to exclaim with surprise and admiration, "Talisman Master? You, you're actually a Talisman Master?"
Lin Yanxi's eyes also took on a faint purple hue, her brow furrowed slightly. She was bearing the immense power of the talismans within her body. She had never attempted to immobilize so many people at once. To her surprise, it had succeeded, even condensing into a small formation.
She looked with delight at the small formation beneath her feet. Only a superior Talisman Master could break through the intangible realm and condense a formation.
Shen Muzhou knew she couldn't hold on for long. With a swing of his sword, he spun lightly and broke free from the encirclement.
Simultaneously, his peripheral vision caught the fading glow of Lin Yanxi's soul ring. Her delicate face grew paler, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead. Just as she was about to collapse, the black-clothed assailants' feet began to falter, swaying left and right a few times.
Then, they all collapsed to the ground, their swords and sabers clattering noisily. Shen Muzhou looked towards the Zhihai Tower and saw, at a corner of the building, a half-open window. Meng'er stood there, holding an incense burner.
Lin Yanxi glanced back at Meng'er and curved her lips.
Seeing that everyone had succumbed to the sleeping incense, Meng'er gave Lin Yanxi a deep look before turning away from the window.
Shen Muzhou quickly strode forward and supported Lin Yanxi. After each use of her talisman arts, her body would be extremely weak and require time to recover.
He slightly bent his back, gesturing for Lin Yanxi to get on. Her eyes had returned to their normal brown-black hue. Her fair, delicate face seemed lost in thought.
Seeing his injuries, her heart sank. She stubbornly veered away from him, saying, "I can walk myself."
Little Six had known of her special identity from the beginning but had never witnessed talisman arts before today. He looked at Lin Yanxi a few more times and then reminded, "Your Highness, you should leave here first."
He then crouched down to examine the identities of the masked assailants. Their weapons were all engraved with the character 'Gui' (鬼). He also lifted their collars, but there were no tattoos or other distinguishing marks.
Shen Muzhou walked closely behind Lin Yanxi. Her small, slender body, holding herself up with great effort, took a few faltering steps, swaying as if about to fall at any moment.
Just a few steps out of the Zhihai Tower, she seemed to recall something. She stopped in her tracks, then slowly turned her head back. Her pale skin was devoid of color, and her clear, bright black eyes blinked.
Shen Muzhou followed her gaze. In front of the Zhihai Tower lay a row of corpses, their faces contorted in death. Blood flowed from their bodies, pooling into a dark, gruesome scene.
He presumed the young girl couldn't bear to see so many people die at once and attempted to comfort her, "They are already dead. You..."
Perhaps having witnessed too much life and death, he found himself at a loss for words and paused.
Lin Yanxi naturally picked up his sentence, "They deserved to die."
Her tone was calm, her eyes devoid of any pity. These people had abetted evil and deserved their fate.
Shen Muzhou's eyes held a hint of admiration. The Lin Yanxi he knew should indeed be like this.
Shen Yu followed behind them, his gaze fixed on Lin Yanxi. Her hair cascaded down her back, fine and soft like her person, making her appear delicate and frail. Her features were youthful and lively, possessing a beauty that was unaware of itself, yet the ruthlessness in her bones sent a chill down one's spine.
He caught up to them at the rear and whispered to Little Six, "Do you think Lin Yanxi resembles someone?"
Little Six shook his head, bewildered.
He cast a helpless glance at Little Six, "Her ferocity just now, it was so much like Little Jiu's."
Little Six remained silent. These were not matters he could discuss.
"I'll carry you," Shen Muzhou said, forcefully taking hold of Lin Yanxi.
She had almost fallen just moments ago. Her use of the soul ring's talisman arts had likely drained her energy, leaving her very weak.
Shen Yu, seeing that she remained silent, interjected, "Does Brother Yu want to carry you?"
Lin Yanxi gave him an even more disgusted look and said crisply, "No."
Little Six caught up and said to Shen Muzhou, "Your Highness, their weapons are all engraved with the character 'Gui'. There are no other clues to identify them."
Shen Yu's expression became complex as he looked at Shen Muzhou. "Those people earlier stopped their swords when they heard I was the Fifth Prince. It seems they were targeting you."
It wasn't strange that these people's target was Shen Muzhou; his enemies could be found throughout the Southern Min. What was strange was that they hadn't attacked Shen Yu. If they were ordinary assassins, who cared about who you were, and they dared to kill the Ninth Prince, would they hesitate to kill an unfavored Fifth Prince like him?
The answer was obvious. These people were likely the Crown Prince's men.
He lowered his gaze, a hint of guilt appearing on his face.
Shen Muzhou understood his thoughts and patted his shoulder, "It's good that you're not injured."
Shen Yu had never participated in these factional struggles, yet he was unaware that the conflict between his imperial brother and Little Jiu had reached such a point.
While they were talking, Lin Yanxi's gaze fell on Little Six, wanting him to carry her.
It didn't matter much to her, as she was petite and no heavier than two broad sabers. However, Shen Muzhou's expression was frighteningly grim.
Little Six's leg suddenly became lame. After walking a few steps, he limped, "Second Miss, my leg was injured during the fight just now."
Shen Muzhou no longer sought her permission. He directly scooped her up, then bent at the waist, slinging her onto his back. Lin Yanxi was startled and stopped struggling, her small hands tightly encircling his neck.
Shen Yu asked, "Where do we go next? Have we found any clues about the Pit Prison?"
Shen Muzhou shook his head. "Meng'er said we should go to the Pit Prison first to help her find her lover. Once found, she will introduce us to the楼主."
Shen Yu pondered for a moment, then looked with interest at Lin Yanxi, who was perched on his back. "Little beauty, you're really a Talisman Master? Isn't it said that the last Talisman Master of Yueyou, Jiang Qi, is already dead, and then Yueyou produced no more Talisman Masters?"
Lin Yanxi heard his words and slightly raised her eyelids. "That was my maternal grandfather."
Shen Yu excitedly mimicked her earlier hand seal, gesturing wildly as he asked, "So you did this, and then that, and you could use talisman arts? How are talisman arts cultivated? Why was there a strange colored aura around you just now?"
He asked too many questions at once. Shen Muzhou stopped and looked at him coldly. "She needs to rest now."
Shen Yu finally fell silent, still recalling the scene from earlier. His curious eyes occasionally fell on Lin Yanxi, wanting to ask more, but Shen Muzhou's possessive demeanor, like a mother hen protecting her chicks, made him give up.
Following Meng'er's directions, they passed a stall. Steaming buns and a rich aroma of meat wafted for miles, a stark contrast to the cold and gloom of the ghost market. The stall owner scooped a ladle of chicken broth with a long-handled wooden spoon. Noodles were already at the bottom of the bowl, and a bowl of chicken noodle soup sprinkled with green onions was served.
"What would you like to eat, esteemed guests?" the stall owner asked warmly, holding up a steaming bowl of chicken noodle soup.
Shen Muzhou felt Lin Yanxi's small head move against his shoulder.
Shen Yu, accustomed to the luxuries of the capital, had eaten and seen everything. However, he hadn't eaten properly since yesterday. In fact, what he had eaten yesterday wasn't food for the living, and his stomach had been empty for a long time.
He leaned close to Shen Muzhou's ear and said, "Little Jiu, let's go get something to eat. Maybe we can find out some information about the Pit Prison."