Chapter 24 exploded for the thirteenth time!

Chapter 24

The crucial arrow missed its mark, and the person on the opposite rooftop looked surprised. Before they could think further, they moved their crossbow and fired another arrow straight at Ye Xiren's abdomen!

Ma Shan was prepared. He swung his sickle to block the attack, pulled Ye Xiren behind him, curled his fingers, and whistled a short whistle.

If they fail to strike, the situation here will no longer be in the hands of the Northern Yan people!

Whoosh whoosh whoosh!

At the same time, a denser barrage of arrows rang out, coming from the rooftop behind Ye Xiren, but passing over her and heading towards Chi Zhanlan Ce on the opposite side.

A group of men in black appeared out of nowhere, or perhaps... they had arrived even earlier.

The Northern Yan people were all shocked. Mole shielded Chizhan Lanze behind him, gritting his teeth: "Your Highness, be careful!"

What happened?

Today's plan was sudden. His Highness only decided to ambush them after receiving news that Lu Qian had led men into the imperial prison to see Yan Danqing. Everything was a last-minute decision, including the ambush location... How could someone have laid an ambush beforehand?!

【Chi Zhanlan Ce is an extremely cautious man. The most difficult thing to do is to lure him out. His martial arts skills are average, so he usually stays in the courtyard guarded by numerous people, directing operations from behind the scenes, or hiding in that heavily guarded carriage. He won't come out unless it's absolutely safe. To assassinate him, you need the cooperation of the person from Yu Yin Lou to lure him out with bait. This is the fishing method.】

General Yan devised a comprehensive plan, taking into account Chi Zhanlan's temperament, and was very careful in every step.

Ye Xiren smiled. She didn't need the "spy" in the court to lure the person out. Chi Zhanlan Ce wanted to kill her, and the person was already out.

"Bang!"

"call out!"

The sounds of arrows clashing and swords clashing filled the air.

The men in black behind Ye Xiren entangled the Northern Yan people, preventing them from focusing on attacking and forcing them to defend themselves. Ma Shan protected them as they retreated, away from the battle zone.

Chi Zhanlan Ce's eyes were cold and sinister, his phoenix eyes, like those of a venomous snake, were fixed on Ye Xiren's movements. There was no one he couldn't win over, and this was the second one.

Protected by the Northern Yan people behind him, he aimed his crossbow at Ye Xiren again.

An arrow flew out; the crossbow was powerful, and even though Ma Shan blocked it with his knife, it still grazed Ye Xiren's head, shattering the veil on her hat and revealing a round shield.

Ye Xiren wanted to curse.

This person is being targeted by countless "assassins," why is he only thinking about killing her instead of trying to escape?

"Ma Shan, don't worry about me, go kill Chi Zhan Lan Ce!" Ye Xiren quickly ran to the corner of the stone wall, squatted down, and held the shield in front of him, shouting.

Bang!

Bang!

The dense barrage of arrows struck the shield, falling one by one to the ground before finally ceasing. After all, the number of arrows carried by the crossbows was limited, and this was the limit.

Ye Xiren peeked out and saw that the shield was covered with countless dents.

She gasped.

Images of key figures from the Liang Dynasty flashed through my mind, but none of them contained any record of this woman.

The moment their eyes met, Ye Xiren almost instinctively looked away, shielding herself and hiding behind the stone wall, showing no sign of toughness.

There was nothing she could do; she had never seen anything like it before.

Moreover, the look in Chi Zhanlan Ce's eyes was truly terrifying. Outside, countless arrows were being fired at each other, and people were constantly falling and dying, which made her legs go weak with fear.

Ye Xiren swallowed hard and peeked out again. Even though her legs were weak, she still checked the situation from time to time while holding up her shield.

So, in Chi Zhanlan Ce's eyes, it was the person he wanted to kill who had hidden himself and then peeked out to provoke him. When he looked over, the person was so frightened that he shrank back.

In less than two breaths, he poked his head out again, looking over furtively, back and forth.

Chi Zhanlan smiled.

Arrows rained down. Their operation was sudden, and they hadn't expected a girl to be so difficult to deal with. They hadn't brought many weapons, while the Yan family army on the other side was better prepared.

We can't play against each other up there anymore.

"Go down," he ordered.

Ye Xiren then saw the group of Northern Yan people deflecting arrows as they landed on the ground, right where she had been standing. They then used the stone walls of the houses to dodge the arrows from the men in black.

Most of the Northern Yan soldiers are cavalrymen, not skilled in face-to-face combat on the ground. If we force them onto the ground first, the Yan family army will have an opportunity to kill Chi Zhan Lan Ce.

After the Northern Yan people landed, Ma Shan's whistle changed tune, and the archers followed suit, bows and arrows hanging behind their backs. They drew long swords from their waists and charged forward, and the two sides became entangled.

Chi Zhanlan Ce was protected at the back, but he completely ignored his current disadvantage. He just stared at the corner where heads occasionally peeked out. When their eyes met, their gazes were cold:

"Who are you?"

Ye Xiren felt a chill run from her feet to her scalp. Some people are just that terrifying; just one glance from them is like being stared at by a venomous snake. She wasn't afraid of death, but she was afraid of snakes.

"The one who will kill you!"

[Chi Zhan Lan Ce's guards are well-trained; if necessary, they will retreat decisively, risking their lives to protect him as he leaves. However, Chi Zhan Lan Ce has a strength that is also a weakness: he will not give up until he achieves his goal.]

Yan Danqing's voice still seems to echo in my ears.

"Your Highness, let's go!" Moller pushed Chizhan Lanze aside.

The Northern Yan people immediately formed a formation, with layer upon layer of people protecting the Crown Prince as he retreated, escaping the encirclement of the Yan family army.

The best way to escape was through the southwest gate, but Chi Zhanlan Ce did not go that way. He turned around and retreated from Ye Xiren's side, each step seemingly filled with even more murderous intent.

Both sides in the conflict are also heading this way.

Ye Xiren, carrying her shield, got up and ran.

However, Chi Zhanlan Ce's target was her. His crossbow was out of arrows, so he reached out and came straight at her, his other hand already gripping a knife tightly, determined to kill her before retreating.

Ye Xiren turned pale with fright, her teeth chattering. She looked at Chi Zhanlan Ce in terror and retreated in a panic. Unfortunately, the shield was too heavy, and she almost tripped over the wooden frame behind her while holding it.

However, this delay allowed Chi Zhanlan to capture her.

He underestimates you; this is your chance!

Ye Xiren suddenly stopped, and a short figure leaped out from the wooden frame behind her. A female swordswoman slashed past Chi Zhanlan Ce, and with a flash of cold light, she cut open his neck and then stabbed him through the chest from behind!

The encirclement and slaughter are over.

The people of Northern Yan were incredulous and roared in disbelief.

Mole charged toward Chizhan Lanze, which gave Ma Shan the opportunity. He slashed heavily with his knife, then with a twist, he ended Mole's life.

The other Northern Yan people were also driven to despair, and Yan's army began to finish them off, killing them one by one.

Ye Xiren exhaled, shook her hair, and stood up straight. Since she had stayed on the "battlefield" to complete the assassination plan, the place where she was hiding must also be one of the battlefields!

Chi Zhanlan underestimated her.

Ye Xiren shook off Chi Zhanlan Ce's hand, but even after suffering two fatal blows, the other party's grip on her hand remained strong.

"Who are you……"

Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, and blood flowed continuously from his neck. A knife was stuck in his chest, yet he stared intently at Ye Xiren, demanding an answer.

They had actually met before. On the first day of the third lunar month, the carriages collided. Ye Xiren had lived through many first days of the third lunar month, and most of the time she would remember to remind the coachman to avoid Chi Zhanlan Ce's carriage.

But the last time she returned to the first day of the third month, her mind was filled with the thought that Ye Pei had led her whole family to their deaths. She was so focused on confronting Ye Pei that she forgot about what had happened on the way, and the carriage crashed again.

Later, they only returned to the third day of the third lunar month. Apart from Ye Xiren, the others retained her last memories of the first and second days of the third lunar month.

Ye Xiren knew the answer, but she didn't want to tell him. Let this Yan traitor die with his doubts!

She struggled fiercely with her hands.

At the same time, the swordsman drew his sword, and Chi Zhanlan fell straight down. Her hands were powerless, and she finally broke free. Her wrists were bruised and throbbing.

On the ground, Chi Zhanlan smiled. He was about to die, and this woman wanted to save Yan Danqing.

A Northern Yan man behind him saw Chi Zhanlan Ce fall to the ground, his eyes filled with hatred. He took two steps back, and a whistling arrow in his hand made a sound, sending the arrow soaring into the sky.

The next moment, the man was killed by Yan's army.

Ye Xiren frowned slightly, puzzled. "Are the Northern Yan people calling for reinforcements?"

But the battle here is over, and all the forces are about to arrive. They will soon leave the Imperial City Guard, so what use is there in transmitting signals now?

The thought had barely formed when an explosion rang out.

The dungeon where Yan Danqing was imprisoned collapsed with a roar, sending up dust and tremors through the ground.

The dungeon exploded!

Ye Xiren's pupils contracted in disbelief.

She leaned on her shield to keep her balance, her eyes fixed on the direction of the collapsed dungeon, a mix of emotions welling up at once: shock, confusion, horror, anger...

At this moment, all my previous doubts were answered.

The explosives that were painstakingly purchased from various merchants were not for self-defense or to attack the palace, but had long been buried in the dungeon to... kill Yan Danqing!

Even if Chi Zhanlan Ce dies, he will take Yan Danqing with him.

"General Yan!" Ma Shan's expression changed, and he rushed towards the dungeon with the others. However, the explosion started from where Yan Danqing was, and the dungeon collapsed. How could anyone be rescued now?

Ye Xiren swayed, and her vision blurred.

She seemed to see General Yan sitting in the dungeon in his white undergarment, whispering instructions through the iron bars, telling her to be careful, and then giving her a slight smile, his handsome features softened with laughter.

Ye Xiren suddenly looked at the person on the ground. Chi Zhanlan Ce was on the verge of death, and upon hearing the explosion, he revealed a madman's laugh.

Her blood boiled, and she rushed forward, kicking him. Her embroidered shoe stomped directly on the knife wound in his chest. She was so angry that her teeth chattered, and her voice trembled: "Are you... are you crazy? What grudge do you have against Yan Danqing? Why are you so determined to get rid of him?!"

That was someone she risked several lives to save.

He was taken away by Chi Zhan Lan Ce just like that!

Holding the blood-written letter in his hand, Ma Shan returned with red eyes and a hoarse voice: "This is the general's blood-written letter found above the collapsed stone slab. Miss Ye, the Imperial Guards are here. We must leave immediately."

The general did not want anyone to discover that Miss Ye was involved in the assassination of Chi Zhanlan Ce, so he had to leave with his men immediately.

Ye Xiren looked at the familiar blood-written letter, which was wrapped around a stone.

She couldn't imagine the immense pain Yan Danqing endured to throw the blood-written letter wrapped in stones at the moment the dungeon collapsed. He couldn't survive, but he had to keep the Yan family army from falling into chaos...

Ye Xiren closed her eyes, suppressing the wetness.

"Let's go!" She turned and left.

Ma Shan took the shield and, together with Yan Jiajun, escorted Ye Xiren. After General Yan died, they followed Ye Xiren's orders to protect her.

On the ground, Chi Zhanlan Ce's last consciousness watched her leave. Two fatal wounds, unable to hold on any longer, finally stopped breathing. The last memories flashed through his mind.

On the first day of the third lunar month, horse-drawn carriages collided.

He remembered...

This is Ye Pei's daughter, the second daughter of the Ye family.

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Author's note: Good news: Chi Zhan Lan Ce is dead!

Bad news: ...Yan Danqing is also dead :)

There are also red envelopes for comments on this chapter! I'll be updating around noon tomorrow as well, and then I'll resume my normal evening updates the day after tomorrow!