"Is the Prince not back yet?" Xiao Qin asked calmly.
"Not yet."
"In this situation, we can only save one," Xiao Qin said, looking at the Chu Princess. "The Princess is already very weak. If we delay any longer, I fear neither can be saved."
"Save the Princess!" the wet nurse beside the Chu Princess said without hesitation. The child could be had again, but the Princess could not be lost.
"Save... the child!" The Chu Princess, though weak, was still conscious. She placed a hand on her swollen belly. "This is... my first child with him. Mr. Xiao... please... save the child."
"Princess, you cannot..."
"Wet nurse, listen to me, save the child. This is the Prince's first child! Mr. Xiao, I beg you."
"As the Princess wishes."
Xiao Man's dagger sliced cleanly through the assassin's throat. Blood splattered, staining her clothes.
Nangong Yu handled the assassins with ease. These assassins seemed to be trained imperial guards, but it was not easy to defeat the two of them. Moreover, Xiao Man was no longer what she used to be. The old monk Wuyou had passed on his profound internal energy to her. She appeared frail, but in reality, she was formidable.
"Can you still hold on?" Nangong Yu asked Xiao Man out of the corner of his eye.
"I can hold on. I'm just afraid Your Highness cannot."
Nangong Yu's eyes turned somewhat deep. "Xiao Man, has no one ever told you not to use 'cannot' to describe a man?"
"Someone is telling me now." Xiao Man stared straight ahead. A signal flare rose into the sky, seemingly in the direction of Xuanwu Street, where princes, royal descendants, and powerful officials resided.
"It seems something has also happened on Xuanwu Street," Xiao Man asked, puzzled. "Could it be the Crown Prince?"
"The Crown Prince should not have received the news yet. After all, Murong Sheng Rui's departure was a sudden decision. Anyone who can know the news so quickly must have an extraordinary intelligence network behind them," Nangong Yu said, slicing down an assassin. "But there are likely people who know about Yun Qi's predicament."
"On Xuanwu Street..."
"It's probably an accident."
Seeing the assassins attack them with renewed ferocity, Xiao Man remarked, "The person behind this is anxious. It seems the incident on Xuanwu Street has made him nervous."
"Tomorrow, we only need to inquire about which family had an incident on Xuanwu Street, and we can probably guess who it is." Nangong Yu already had a suspicion, but he needed evidence to corroborate it.
The person hidden in the dark frowned upon seeing the signal in the night sky. "A bunch of trash. If you can't take them down, so be it, but you can't even injure them?"
"Please forgive us, Master. Prince Qin's martial arts are exceptionally high, and Princess Yongning carries many hidden weapons, all of which are poisoned. Our men, let alone injuring them, could barely get close."
"Trash!" The man in black pushed aside the person blocking his path, snatched a bow and arrow, and shot at Xiao Man. If not for Xiao Man, he would have severely wounded Nangong Yu tonight!
Xiao Man's eyes lit up. This was what she was waiting for. Xiao Man immediately released a signal. The person hidden in the dark was startled. "The big fish is out!"
Several figures chased after the direction from which the cold arrow was shot. Dugu Luo led the charge, his great sword cleaving the air as he thrust towards the dark alley.
"Master, quick, dodge!"
A dark guard shielded the man, blocking the flying great sword. He was sent flying back, hitting the man behind him and only stopping against the wall.
The man spat out a mouthful of blood. Without even glancing at the dark guard who died blocking the sword for him, he turned to flee. He had come to hunt others, but he never expected others to hunt him!
"Trying to run? It's not that easy!" Yan Yuqing leaped forward to block his path. "You've made this Lord stand in the cold wind for so long. If I don't break your dog legs, I won't be worthy of the chill I've endured!"
"Master, you go first, we'll hold them off."
"Go?" Dongfang Wei's expression was cold. "Do you look down on me so much?"
"Indeed, you underestimated us a little," Dugu Mingyu drew his sword. "You attacked my Master. Have you thought about how you want to die?"
The man clutched his chest. If the dark guard hadn't blocked that sword strike, he would have died on the spot. Even so, he felt a surge of blood within him.
There were only four people opposite them, each guarding a direction, yet they exerted immense pressure. Especially Dugu Luo, who carried the great sword. He was truly like a Shura in the dark night. His great sword, with just a casual swing, felled several assassins. Su Dan Novel Network
"Let's see who takes down the thief's dog head first!"
As the words fell, four figures charged forward. Dugu Luo was exceptionally excited, wielding his great sword with the bravery of a lone guardian capable of holding off ten thousand enemies. The masked man's expression grew serious, and he kept retreating. However, people were also charging from behind him. He had nowhere to escape!
"His dog head is mine!" Yan Yuqing exclaimed excitedly, his sword sweeping towards the black-clothed man's neck, intending to decapitate him with a single stroke.
At this moment, a hidden weapon knocked away Yan Yuqing's sword. Dongfang Wei, who was mid-charge, was kicked flying by a sudden strike, crashing towards Dugu Luo's great sword.
Dugu Luo's expression changed drastically. He plunged his sword into the ground and caught the flying Dongfang Wei, but he couldn't stop himself and was pushed back over ten meters before coming to a halt.
Dugu Mingyu rushed forward, intending to intercept the person. However, the person grabbed the black-clothed man and escaped through the gap that had been torn open.
When Xiao Man arrived, she saw the two being rescued. She immediately raised her wrist and pressed the hidden weapon switch. Countless poisoned silver needles shot out like rain. Even though the two escaped, they were still hit by the needles.
Xiao Man rushed forward. "They ran quite fast."
"Someone suddenly appeared and ruined our plans."
"If they were caught that easily, it wouldn't be fun," Xiao Man said, lifting her arm and looking at the hidden weapon tied to it. "This is my specially formulated poison. No one else has the antidote. Although they escaped, they were hit by my hidden weapon. If they don't force out the 'bull-hair needles' from their bodies, they will die within ten days."
"Is your hidden weapon that powerful?" Yan Yuqing asked curiously.
"Do you want to try?" Xiao Man's lips curved into a sinister smile. "This was specially made for me by Mo Mo. I've been saving it, waiting for them."
"How do you force out these bull-hair needles?"
"Those with profound internal energy can force them out with their internal energy, but they need to use the correct method. Otherwise, they will force the bull-hair needles into their heart meridian, and then even an immortal couldn't save them." Xiao Man didn't check the bodies on the ground. These people were either death warriors or dark guards; no traces could be found. No matter who the opponent was, once they were poisoned by her unique secret poison, they would eventually reveal their tracks.