Chapter 44 [Important Chapter, Subscription Recommended]...

Inside the tent, Ao Mu ripped off Jiang Fushi's veil, grinning maliciously as he pulled her roughly towards him: "You're already my woman, what are you hiding from!"

Jiang Fushi screamed as he threw her onto the bed, her hair disheveled and her phoenix crown rolling to the ground with a crisp sound.

"Sizzle!" A sharp sound pierced the air.

The two turned their heads sharply and saw that the heavy cowhide tent door had been neatly split in two and collapsed to both sides with a crash.

Amidst the fluttering fragments of the tent, a purple figure wearing a silver mask stepped into the tent. The longsword in her hand still hummed, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground, and drops of crimson blood slowly dripped down its blade.

Behind him, the bodies of two gatekeepers were slowly falling to the ground, blood still gushing from the wounds in their throats.

Ao Mu immediately released Jiang Fushi, his drunkenness instantly turning into shock and anger: "Who goes there!"

Jiang Fushi also struggled to curl up in the corner. The man's purple robe evoked a sense of familiarity in her, as if some forgotten memory was about to break through the soil. But at this moment, she could only look at the newcomer in terror.

The moonlight was deep, and all the guards outside the golden tent had been slaughtered. An eerie silence enveloped the area, so despite Ao Mu's repeated calls, no one answered. He grabbed the curved sword hanging on the tent wall, held it horizontally in front of him, stared intently at the intruder, and repeated, "Who are you?"

Zhan Xiao said calmly, "The person who killed you."

Ao Mu, who had roamed the grasslands his entire life, had never been provoked like this before. He roared in anger and swung his sword forward, shouting, "You're asking for death!"

Zhan Xiao slightly shifted his body, easily avoiding the sharp edge of the curved blade. Before Ao Mu could change his move, he exerted force in his wrist, and the longsword transformed into a cold light that pierced straight into the opponent's heart.

Although Ao Mu was known for his bravery and his swordsmanship was honed on the battlefield, he was utterly powerless against such ruthless swordsmanship. In just two exchanges, the tip of the sword had already penetrated three inches into his left chest.

He had seen many martial arts styles in the Central Plains, but he had never seen such a strange, fierce, and deadly sword technique before.

The excruciating pain only fueled Ao Mu's ferocity, and he roared as he lunged forward again. Zhan Xiao swung his sword horizontally in a backhand motion, and his body instantly condensed into scattered frost flowers. His sword energy surged suddenly, its chilling aura penetrating to the bone, as if winter was approaching, freezing Ao Mu's attack along with the air around him.

Ao Mu felt a numbness in his arm, and the scimitar almost slipped from his hand. He staggered back several steps, blood gushing from the wound on his chest. Finally, he could no longer hold on and collapsed heavily to the ground.

The splattered blood soaked through the wedding quilt on the bed.

Ao Mu's pupils gradually dilated, his eyes filled with shock and resentment. He never expected that after dominating the grasslands for half his life, he would be defeated by an unknown nobody!

He is not convinced! He is not convinced!

He asked that question again, blood and foam gushing from the corner of his mouth, his voice hoarse: "Who...who are you? Who ordered you to kill me?"

Seeing Ao Mu on the verge of death, Zhan Xiao ignored his question. Then, with a slight flick of his wrist, the sword pierced Ao Mu's heart without hesitation.

With swift and decisive movements, he didn't even glance at the corpse on the ground; instead, he turned his gaze to the person in the corner.

Jiang Fushi, who witnessed all of this, was trembling with fear, but her gaze was firmly drawn to the purple figure.

Although the newcomer was wearing a mask, the sword he held, the large piece of jade on the hilt, and the incredibly familiar gold-inlaid jeweled mirror hanging at his waist...

That was what she accidentally left behind when she escaped from the imperial tomb!

"You, you..." She stared at the mirror in disbelief, then at the figure holding the sword, as if a thunderclap had exploded in her mind.

Memories flooded my mind like a burst dam.

She remembered, she remembered everything.

It was him.

That day in Misty Valley, the person she met was him, the one hailed as the world's number one assassin, Han Ren.

He was the one who saved her from the jaws of death at the imperial mausoleum and silently escorted her back to the palace.

Even now, the one who deliberately disguised himself as an ordinary guard and accompanied her on the marriage alliance, but took the opportunity to kill the Khan of the Qiongle tribe, was also him.

Trust crumbled in an instant, and her heart felt as if it were being ripped apart. She looked at him, her eyes filled with shock and pain, tears silently streaming down her cheeks.

“It’s you…it’s all because of you…” Her voice choked with sobs, trembling with despair, “You’ve been lying to me all along.”

Zhan Xiao remained silent, all his surging emotions hidden behind his mask.

"You said... you wouldn't leave His Highness alone..." She spoke each word as if she were weeping blood, "but it was all for today, to take Ao Mu's life when he was off guard... wasn't it? All your promises to me were... just... manipulation?"

Tears blurred the figure before her, and Jiang Fushi abruptly stepped back, her elaborate wedding dress causing her to stumble. Without thinking, she turned to flee, but her wrist was suddenly tightened, held firmly by Zhan Xiao.

"Your Highness, it's dangerous outside."

Jiang Fushi ignored his words and struggled to shake off his hand.

"Let me go! Let me go! Get away!" she screamed desperately and heartbrokenly, even taking off her gorgeous wedding dress embroidered with golden phoenixes on the outside in an attempt to break free from his grip.

"Liar, complete liar!" With all her might, she struggled free and actually shook off his hand, then rushed into the darkness outside the tent without looking back.

She didn't know where to go, and just fled on instinct. She hadn't gone far from the tent when Zisu suddenly appeared out of nowhere, her voice urgent: "Your Highness, come with me quickly, it's safe here, I'll take you out!"

Jiang Fushi, her mind in turmoil, filled with shock and anger, grasped at a straw and, without thinking, let Zisu hold her hand.

It wasn't until she was a short distance outside the tent that she was shocked to find that the royal court, which should have been heavily guarded, was eerily quiet. There was a faint commotion in the distance, but no guards came to her aid.

Pulled along by Zisu, she stumbled and staggered towards a dilapidated leather tent that had long been abandoned and was far from the main tent.

"Your Highness, please wait here for a moment. This servant will go scout ahead." Zisu pushed her into the tent, said hurriedly, and then turned and left in a hurry.

Jiang Fushi looked around the dark tent, her mind still unsettled. Ao Mu was dead. As the Khan of the Qiongle tribe, he died on his wedding night. She, the princess sent for a political marriage, would inevitably become the target of public criticism and would be unable to defend herself.

Her head was buzzing, and she had no idea what to do next. Just as she was about to find a place to sit down, she noticed a person lying in the shadows in the corner. It was hard to see clearly in the dark, but as she got closer, she realized that it was Qingdai!

"Qingdai! Qingdai!" Jiang Fushi exclaimed in shock and quickly knelt down to help her. As soon as she felt her pulse, she was startled by the icy touch and withdrew her hand. Her body was cold, clearly indicating that she had been dead for a long time.

"How could this be? Qingdai!" she exclaimed in shock, only then realizing that a dagger was stuck in Qingdai's chest. The technique was clean and swift; such a close wound could only have been inflicted by someone close to her when she was off guard.

Jiang Fushi felt as if she had fallen into an ice cellar, a chill running from the soles of her feet straight to the top of her head.

Just then, the curtain was lifted again, and Zisu returned, followed by a man.

The man was dressed in ordinary kimono attire and had an unremarkable appearance, but Jiang Fushi recognized him at a glance as Zhao Quan, the chief steward of the imperial court.

Her pupils immediately contracted, and she staggered back until her shoulders hit the wall. Then, her voice trembling, she asked, "Eunuch Zhao? Why are you here? What happened? Who killed Qingdai?"

Zisu looked at her, a meaningful smile playing on her lips, her tone casual yet tinged with smugness: "Your Highness, don't you understand now?"

"Qingdai...of course I killed her."

She spoke lightly, as if she were talking about something trivial.

Jiang Fushi felt a chill run down her spine, shook her head in disbelief, and dug her fingertips into the wall.

"Why?" Her voice shattered. "Back then, you and Qingdai were both sent by the Imperial Household Department. Over the years, you two have become like sisters... How could you do such a cruel thing?"

Upon hearing this, Zisu's last shred of feigned respect vanished.

“Your Highness is wise, but this servant has always been His Majesty’s person.”

"When Your Highness returned to the palace from outside, His Majesty, just in case, specially ordered me to lie in wait by your side to secretly monitor your every move and be ready to serve you at any time."

"You are indeed very good at disguising yourself. For so many years, I have never realized that Your Highness is skilled in both medicine and poison. I once really thought that Your Highness was just a weak and obedient princess."

"However, because of that Zhan fellow, you have repeatedly made mistakes, and I have finally seen through your scheme."

"None of that matters anymore. Your Highness, your path in this life has come to an end."

Hearing her words, Jiang Fushi was already in tears without realizing it.

For six years, a full six years, she lived in a carefully woven web of lies and surveillance, completely unaware of it.

It turns out that from beginning to end, she was nothing more than a pawn that could be sacrificed at any time, and her father never showed her even the slightest fatherly affection.

She wiped away her tears and looked directly at the other person: "So what do you want to do by bringing me here now?"

Zhao Quan, who had been silent all along, slowly stepped forward, bowed, and said with a respectful smile, "This old servant has come by imperial decree to see Your Highness off on your journey, so as to ensure the eternal prosperity of our Sheng Dynasty."

Jiang Fushi's body went limp, and she slid down the wall to the ground. Tears blurred her vision, and her chest felt like it had been crushed by a boulder, the pain making it hard to breathe.

She understood.

Everything, from beginning to end, was a trap, including this marriage alliance and this assassination attempt.

In this plan, she had to die. If she didn't die, how could her father, in a fit of grief and indignation at 'avenging his daughter,' justifiably launch a war against Qiongle?

Similarly, Ao Mu must die. If he doesn't die, how can the Emperor take advantage of the Qiongle tribe's leaderless state to annex this grassland in one fell swoop?

At that time, Dasheng can declare to the world with righteous indignation: "Qiongle has broken his promise, causing my princess to be brutally murdered on her wedding night! This is an unforgivable disgrace! I will personally lead the royal army to trample the grasslands, to comfort my son's spirit in heaven, and to uphold the prestige of my Sheng Dynasty!"

What a perfect excuse.

It turns out that from the day the imperial decree was issued for the marriage alliance, the emperor never intended for her to return alive.

Looking at Zisu's cold face and the faintly gleaming dagger in Zhao Quan's hand, Jiang Fushi felt as if her whole world was collapsing. Despair overwhelmed her like a tidal wave, causing her to lose even the strength to cry, leaving only boundless chill and numbness.

Zhao Quan approached her and said coldly, "Your Highness, it's time for you to go. This old servant will see you off."

The chilling dagger was aimed straight at her vital point. Jiang Fushi closed her eyes and waited for death to come.

Just at this critical moment, a sharp sword aura burst out, forcing Zhao Quan to retreat three steps, and the dagger fell to the ground with a crisp sound.

A moment later, Zhao Quan steadied himself, dusted off his sleeves unharmed, turned to look at the newcomer, and then chuckled: "It's you, Han Ren."

Jiang Fushi opened her eyes abruptly upon hearing the sound, staring incredulously at the purple figure that had returned. He wore a silver mask, and the long sword in his hand reflected the flickering candlelight in the tent, its blade trembling slightly in the air currents, gleaming with a chilling, bone-piercing light.

Zhan Xiao was not surprised that Zhao Quan had revealed his identity; at this point, everything was out in the open.

From the moment he received the mission, he understood that the so-called 'master' was none other than the current emperor.

Recalling the powerful yet subtle aura he sensed in the imperial kitchen, he realized he was right. There really was a top-notch master hidden in the palace, none other than the unassuming chief eunuch before him.

Zhao Quan made no attempt to hide his true feelings, his aura suddenly changing, no longer showing any humility: "Since you've come, you must have guessed it."

"I am the last successor of the Tiangang Sect. Before entering the palace, I was known in the martial arts world as 'Shattering Star Hand'." He slowly raised his right hand, with a faint flow of energy in his palm. "Your Qionghua Shadowless Kill is strong, but it may not be able to defeat my forty years of pure internal energy."

"Oh? Is that so?" Zhan Xiao's tone was calm, without the slightest hint of emotion, but he had already slowly raised his long sword, the tip of which was pointing directly at Zhao Quan.

Seeing this, Zhao Quan smiled coldly: "It seems you're determined to die."

Jiang Fushi frowned. From their conversation, she vaguely sensed something, but she couldn't connect all the clues in a short time.

However, there was one cruel truth she understood all too well at that moment: not only would she die, but Zhan Xiao would also die. He knew too much; her father would never leave a top-tier assassin who knew all the conspiracies alive.

Therefore, he sent Zhao Quan, whose martial arts skills were unfathomable, to come in person.

This was to ensure that neither of them had any chance of survival.

Zhao Quan made the first move. He half-stanced a horse stance and slowly pushed out his palms in front of his chest. The powerful palm wind condensed into a tangible air wave. Even Jiang Fushi, who was far away in the corner, was forced to open her eyes by this gale. She barely managed to hold onto the wall to steady herself when Zhan Xiao leaped into the air, drew his sword horizontally, and surrounded by scattered frost flowers. The snow fluttered and gathered into an invisible blade, which slashed down at Zhao Quan's head!

Zhao Quan immediately raised both palms, condensing his powerful internal energy into a wall of qi to block the sword. Zhan Xiao changed his sword stance, somersaulted and leaped upwards, the tip of his sword piercing straight for Zhao Quan's vulnerable ribs, the chilling aura hitting him as if it were tangible.

The wind from the palms and the sword energy tore the tattered tent apart with a loud rustling sound. The tables, chairs, and furnishings inside were all overturned by the shockwave, and most of the candles were extinguished, leaving only a few flickering lamps that swayed in the wind, casting the figures of the two people in alternating light and shadow.

Zhanxiao's sword strikes were like a surging tide, each move faster than the last, forcing Zhao Quan to retreat step by step. Although Zhao Quan had profound internal strength, he gradually showed signs of weakness under the opponent's continuous killing moves, and he immediately realized that something was wrong.

The Qionghua Shadowless Killer lived up to its reputation. He had only heard a little about it from rumors in the martial arts world, but now that he had experienced it firsthand, he was horrified to discover that this martial art was extremely yin and cold, and unpredictable. Even if Han Ren was not an assassin, his martial arts skills alone would be enough to make him invincible in the martial arts world.

Taking advantage of the moment when Zhao Quan's old strength was exhausted and his new strength had not yet been generated, Zhan Xiao broke through his defense with a sword. Zhao Quan could not resist, and a deep wound that exposed bone was torn open in his chest by the sword energy. The huge impact made him stagger backward.

He staggered and grabbed a tent pole, clutching his bleeding chest, knowing that if he continued fighting, he would probably die. So he leaped out of the tent, and Zisu, seeing this, quickly followed him, fleeing in panic.

Jiang Fushi was still in shock, staring blankly at the tattered tent flap. Zhan Xiao had already walked up to her, grabbed her wrist, and said in a low voice, "This place is not safe to stay. Come with me."

The warm force from her wrist made her tremble violently. She raised her eyebrows to look at the man's profile. His mask was stained with splattered blood, and there were still undried bloodstains on his exposed neck. His dark purple robe was torn in several places, with dark red bloodstains clinging to the edges.

His fight with Zhao Quan just now was deadly, no acting whatsoever. If he were truly his father's man, he could have simply watched from the sidelines and been dead by Zhao Quan long ago.

"You..." Jiang Fushi's throat tightened, a thousand words stuck in her chest, but in the end, they only turned into one sentence, "Your injury..."

"It's alright." Zhan Xiao interrupted her, his gaze sweeping across the outside of the tent. The commotion and the sound of horses' hooves caused by the Khan's death suddenly drew closer, clearly indicating that a large number of guards were closing in on them.

"Walk!"

Zhan Xiao said no more, pulled her out of the tattered tent, and brought her to a black horse that had been prepared beforehand. He picked her up and lifted her onto his back, letting her rest firmly against his chest. Then, he spurred the horse's flanks, and the horse neighed loudly, breaking through the night.

Upon reaching the pass outside the royal court, they saw Zisu frantically running towards a fast horse, attempting to escape.

Jiang Fushi's eyes turned icy cold instantly, and she said angrily to Zhan Xiao, "Kill her! Kill her!"

Without hesitation, Zhan Xiao hurled his longsword, which pierced Zi Su's back with deadly precision. Zi Su didn't even have time to utter a cry of alarm before collapsing to the ground, dying instantly.

The two galloped across the grassland under the cover of night.

Jiang Fushi felt dizzy, with the whistling wind and the sound of horses' hooves crushing dry grass filling her ears. Her internal organs felt displaced from the jolting, and she could only barely steady herself by leaning against Zhan Xiao's chest.

In contrast, Zhan Xiao stood ramrod straight, seemingly very familiar with the paths in the heart of Qiongle, avoiding several patrolling sentries and checkpoints.

After an unknown amount of time, the two arrived at a remote town nestled in a mountain valley.

It was dawn, and a pale white light illuminated the sky. At the entrance of town, a courtyard with a sign that read "Yuelai Inn" was quiet and secluded, unlike the usual bustling inns. The courtyard walls were much higher than those of ordinary shops, giving it a sense of privacy.

Zhan Xiao reined in his horse, deftly dismounted, and then carefully helped Jiang Fushi down.

A middle-aged man dressed as a shopkeeper walked towards him, bowed respectfully to Zhan Xiao, and said in a low voice, "Master Zhan, you must be tired from your journey. The head of the family specifically instructed us to meet you here, and everything has been arranged."

Thank you.

Jiang Fushi was filled with surprise and doubt, but she saw that these people kept their eyes straight ahead, seemingly aware of their arrival and knowing her identity.

She was ushered to a spacious and clean room on the second floor. Two maids came forward to remove her wedding dress, which was stained with dust and blood, and changed her into comfortable plain clothes. They also brought her steaming soup and rice, their movements quick and respectful.

After a night of thrills and terror, the warmth of the room and the food finally relaxed her tense nerves, leaving her with immense exhaustion and confusion.

Three knocks, neither too loud nor too soft, came from outside the door.

"Please come in."

Just as she had expected, the person who came was Zhan Xiao.

He changed into a clean, dark blue casual suit, with no bloodstains, his hair slightly damp, and a refreshing mist around him.

"Your Highness."

Jiang Fushi shook her head wearily and asked, "Now, what's going on?"

Zhan Xiao walked to the table and stood still, looking back at her calmly: "This place is absolutely safe, Your Highness can rest assured."

Taking a deep breath, Jiang Fushi could no longer suppress the questions that had been building up in her heart: "Were you sent by my father to my side? Was it to monitor me, or did you come with the mission of assassinating Ao Mu from the very beginning?"

Zhan Xiao remained silent for a moment before slowly recounting the whole story.

"My initial mission was to protect His Highness. Assassinating Ao Mu was a secret order that came later."

"The Worry-Free Tavern in the capital is a secret operation of His Majesty. The innkeeper, Yunniang, is His Majesty's confidante. On the surface, she runs the tavern, but in reality, she is recruiting martial arts masters for His Majesty to handle matters that cannot be handled openly."

"Deceiving Your Highness is not my intention."

"Now that Ao Mu is dead, Da Sheng and Qiong Le are bound to fight. For this pretext of war, His Majesty will never allow His Highness to return to the capital alive. If I am not mistaken, right now, Da Sheng's Shadow Guards and Qiong Le's pursuers are frantically searching for His Highness's whereabouts."

Jiang Fushi understood his words perfectly well. From the moment she was betrothed to a foreign ruler, she had been a pawn. Now that the game was over, this discarded pawn had to be eliminated.

The reason the Emperor sent Zhan Xiao to protect her secretly was simply to ensure that she wouldn't die from any other accident before achieving her ultimate goal of being "killed." Now, she is of no value, only danger.

Thinking of this, the overwhelming sadness in her heart made her tremble almost all over, and her eyes instantly reddened.

Zhan Xiao took a few steps closer to her, softening his voice: "If Your Highness wishes to leave, I can arrange a safe place for you, ensuring your peace for the rest of your life..."

"Please, take me away..." she interrupted him, choking back tears.

Zhan Xiao's eyes flickered slightly as he gazed at her: "Does Your Highness know what it means to follow me?"

"Know."

Zhan Xiao lowered his eyes, suppressing his emotions: "But Your Highness's beloved is still waiting in the capital."

Jiang Fushi's eyes widened in astonishment: "What lover?"

Zhan Xiao turned his head, his voice inevitably cold and hard: "That day at the imperial mausoleum, Your Highness fled down the mountain in a hurry... Weren't you going to elope with your lover? It was only because you encountered a tiger on the way that Your Highness's plan was interrupted by a twist of fate."

Jiang Fushi was taken aback at first, then suddenly realized what was happening. She was both angry and anxious, and blurted out:

"I have no lover!" she said, her voice aggrieved, glaring at him reproachfully. "Never!"

She met Zhan Xiao's gaze, and his deep eyes seemed to hold a surge of emotions. Before she could say anything, he suddenly reached out and pressed her against the wall, then leaned down and kissed her without warning with his cool lips.