Upon receiving the message, Yinshan led his men out of the city ahead of schedule, camping overnight in the wilderness. Neither Shen Xihe nor Bu Shulin wished for the bloody conflict to unfold openly in the city, causing panic among the common people.
To avoid harming innocent bystanders during the confrontation and to prevent the situation from escalating—which could easily expose Bu Shulin’s whereabouts—they proceeded with caution. Fearing that layers of pursuers might include those she hadn’t detected, Bu Shulin decided to remain at a food stall within the city, quietly awaiting news, while only sending her Hidden Guard to follow Yinshan and Jinshan’s coordinated plan.
Under the cover of a moonless, windy night—ideal for killing—they dared not make too much noise to avoid drawing attention. After eliminating their targets, they had to cover their tracks, ensuring that no official notice was raised before they safely returned to Shunan, lest their route be exposed.
Subduing the enemy silently was no easy task, especially when the enemy outnumbered them. Fortunately, before departing, Shen Xihe had given Bu Shulin some treasures, which she had been idly toying with along the journey.
Yinshan lit a campfire, burying several wax pellets beneath the flames. As the fire grew, the pellets melted, releasing a faint fragrance. His men had already prepared by using nasal plugs soaked in medicinal herbs and dried.
The group sat around the fire in silence, while those hiding in the dense forest nearby, having not seen Bu Shulin, hesitated to act rashly for fear of alerting their prey. Gradually, they began to feel their limbs growing numb and weak. By the time they realized something was wrong, attempting to muster their strength only accelerated the spread of the inhaled smoke. Several of them saw darkness before their eyes and collapsed with a thud.
Such noises could not escape Yinshan and his men’s notice. Seizing the opportune moment, they drew their gleaming blades and charged forward, confronting pursuers who could barely put up a fight.
As Yinshan moved into action, Jinshan, following behind, also sprang into motion. However, the moment they moved, their own pursuers sensed something amiss and rushed ahead, blocking Jinshan’s path to join Yinshan.
These pursuers were highly skilled, striking with swift, fierce, and relentless force. As his comrades fell one by one, Jinshan’s expression tightened. He, too, was an elite selected from the Shunan Army, and he recognized all too well the iron-like, powerful physiques these men possessed—they were soldiers, trained in the army!
The realization sent a chill down his spine. At this point, the only military forces pursuing them in disguise, in his view, had to be sent by His Majesty. They had been discovered by the Emperor.
This thought filled him with anxiety for Bu Shulin, who remained in the city. Disregarding everything else, he tried to break free and rush back, but the men he led were no match for their opponents in skill and combat experience.
The tide of battle quickly turned against them. Jinshan himself was surrounded by three opponents whose martial prowess was no less than his own. Just as he found himself cornered, a flash of red soared into their midst.
With a nimble figure, swordplay swift as lightning, and speed agile as a swallow, this lone figure swiftly turned the tide of the battle.
The men following Jinshan were not sent by the Youning Emperor, but by Prince Jing Xiao Changyan. Like Xiao Huayong, Xiao Changyan had found Xiao Changmin’s behavior suspicious and had dispatched men to keep an eye on him, which led to this small team being sent to track them all the way.The one who came to Jinshan's aid was none other than Xiao Changying, who had lost track of Bu Shulin outside the capital. From the very beginning, he knew the Jialing River was a trap, so he did not pursue in that direction. Though he had initially searched in the wrong place, he had an elder brother in the capital assisting him.
Just as Xiao Huayong and Xiao Changyan could suspect Xiao Changmin, the Youning Emperor and Xiao Changqing were also capable of such suspicions. However, the Youning Emperor's men were diverted by Xiao Changqing, while Xiao Changqing promptly notified Xiao Changying, leading to this perilous rescue.
When Xiao Changyan's men realized the situation was turning against them, they immediately attempted to retreat. But Xiao Changying had no intention of letting them escape. If these men left, they would undoubtedly expose Bu Shulin's route completely. Moreover, he had not come alone.
Although Xiao Changying had not raised any private troops, Xiao Changqing had nurtured quite a few. In a real fight with blades and spears, they were no less capable than Xiao Changyan's forces.
Coupled with the fact that Xiao Changyan's men had been exhausted by Jinshan and his group, and with Xiao Changying leading the charge unexpectedly, not a single one of them was left alive.
After killing all the enemies and disposing of the bodies of Xiao Changmin's men ahead, Yinshan finally arrived to regroup. The two brothers looked at Xiao Changying, who was now in plain sight, but their wariness did not subside despite his assistance.
Xiao Changying ordered his men to clean up the mess left by Xiao Changyan's forces, then turned to Jinshan and his brother, pulling down his face covering. "Take me to see your master."
The two brothers bowed respectfully. Jinshan said, "This humble one offers deepest gratitude to Your Highness Prince Lie for your rescue. The Worldly Son and we did not travel together. Once I find the Worldly Son, I will faithfully relay your kindness, and the Worldly Son will surely repay you generously."
At this moment, for Jinshan and Yinshan, aside from the Crown Prince, no member of the imperial family could be trusted.
Xiao Changying crossed his arms and scrutinized them. "Do you know that the men just now were sent by Jing Wang? Those fighting your brother were dispatched by Zhao Wang. There were also men sent by His Majesty, whom my elder brother diverted. Otherwise, your master would already be surrounded on all sides.
If I intended harm to your master, a single signal flare right now could draw all parties here. I am certain Bu Shulin is within ten li of you. Or do you truly wish to wait until all my elder brothers confirm that Bu Shulin escaped this way before allowing me to see him?"
Jinshan was Bu Shulin's right-hand man and far from foolish. He had already deduced that Xiao Changying truly bore no ill will toward the Worldly Son—or perhaps he sought to earn a favor, hoping to form an alliance with him...
As if reading Jinshan's thoughts, Xiao Changying said gravely, "The reason your Worldly Son has gained my assistance is entirely because he aligned himself with the right person."
Had Bu Shulin not sided with Shen Xihe, even if he had pledged allegiance to the Eastern Palace or Xiao Huayong, Xiao Changying would not have gone to such lengths to protect him.
All these years, he had never opposed any of his elder brothers nor openly defied the Emperor.
This time, however, he had declared war on all of them.
Jinshan hesitated. "This humble one does not dare doubt Your Highness Prince Lie's words, but the Worldly Son is currently in no condition to..."
Bu Shulin was presently in her female form, and even pregnant.
Xiao Changying did not understand why she was unavailable and simply said, "Go ask Bu Shulin. If she is willing to see me, tomorrow at the town ahead—Ninth Master's residence."
With those words, Xiao Changying mounted his horse and galloped away.
Jinshan and Yinshan cautiously made their way back to find Bu Shulin, remaining vigilant the entire journey for any signs of being followed.
They detected nothing unusual by the time they reunited with Bu Shulin, and naturally, they recounted everything that had happened in detail.Bu Shulin actually let out a cynical laugh upon hearing this: "The imperial family is indeed romantic. I never imagined our Your Majesty would father so many sentimental souls. I'd love to see what expression Your Majesty wears upon learning of this."
Remember the first domain name of this book:
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