Chapter 5 This place, tonight, is under my control.

The side hall on the west side is a storeroom for storing old items and miscellaneous materials.

Three men dressed in black were pulling out drawers from a cabinet and scattering ledgers, fabrics, and ordinary porcelain on the floor, seemingly creating a chaotic scene after a theft.

One of them accidentally knocked over a celadon vase that was about half a person's height. The crisp sound of it shattering startled the patrolling guards in the mansion who had not yet been completely knocked out by the sleeping potion.

Upon hearing the commotion, Liu Zi rushed over and immediately engaged in combat with the man in black.

Having achieved their goal, the three men in black ceased their fighting and quickly fled towards the main hall's bathhouse where Jiang Fushi was.

Inside the bathroom, steam rose in abundance.

The medicinal bath required maintaining the water temperature, but Jiang Fushi sat quietly in the tub for a long time without Zisu or Qingdai coming in to add hot water to serve her.

She called out to the outer room a few times in confusion: "Perilla? Indigo?"

No one answered.

She stood up from the bathtub somewhat uneasily and reached for the nightgown on the rack.

Before he could even put his clothes on, the sound of clashing weapons suddenly rang out outside the window.

Several fierce black shadows and an even more ghostly gray shadow flashed and intertwined, the glint of swords and the shadows of blades clearly reflected on the window paper.

Jiang Fushi's pupils contracted sharply. She instinctively clutched her clothes and retreated, falling into the shadows beside the bathtub. She caught a whiff of the drug.

She has been exposed to medicine since childhood, which has given her a constitution that is almost immune to all poisons; ordinary poisons have no effect on her.

Who threw the sleeping gas here? Who are those people outside? Where is Liu Zi? Where are the guards? Were they all knocked out?

The battle continued, and the buzzing sound of swords cutting through the air could be heard.

Jiang Fushi quickly put on her clothes, carefully went to the window, and looked out through the gap in the window paper.

One of the men, wearing a silver mask and dark purple clothing, blocked the door to her bathroom. His long sword flashed with a chilling light, preventing the other three men in black from getting closer.

Whether she was hallucinating or not, she noticed a few snowflakes falling from the sky, melting as soon as they touched the ground.

The man in purple, sword in one hand, leaped from the attack of the men in black, planted his foot firmly on a pillar, and then used the momentum to rise up, his sword flashing down like a meteor.

Jiang Fushi watched with trepidation.

Who are these people? Why are they fighting here? Why are there no guards coming despite the loud noise?

Her heart sank.

Is she going to die here tonight?

Sudden.

The man in purple seemed to sense something. Without pausing his swordplay, he suddenly turned his head, his icy gaze piercing through the cracks in the window paper, precisely locking onto her peeping eyes.

Jiang Fushi's heart skipped a beat. She held her breath, hurriedly pulled her head back, pressed her back tightly against the wall, and her heart pounded.

What a terrifying look! Did he...did he spot her? Is he here to kill her?

The men in black were gradually losing ground. One of them, looking at the snowflakes falling from the sky, suddenly realized something, paused, and exclaimed in horror, "Condensed Qi into Frost... You, you are Han Ren?"

Upon hearing their companion's words, the remaining two also halted their attack, abruptly retreating several steps, their eyes filled with fear and disbelief.

The Qionghua Shadowless Killer strikes with sword energy that resembles winter blossoms when it is unleashed.

Legend has it that when one reaches the highest level of mastery, the chilling sword energy is like a blizzard crashing down. Those struck by it may appear unharmed on the surface, but their internal organs will be covered in ice crystals, causing them to freeze to death.

Such unpredictable swordsmanship can only be mastered by one person in the entire world.

He was none other than the most feared and infamous figure in the martial arts world, the number one assassin, Han Ren.

"Hanren, this matter has nothing to do with you, so why are you getting involved?" the leader of the men in black shouted at Zhan Xiao.

Zhan Xiao held the Jade Folding Sword, its tip pointing diagonally at the ground. His voice was as cold as ice, without a trace of emotion: "This place, tonight, is under my control."

The men in black exchanged a glance, their eyes hesitant, and then took a step toward Zhan Xiao with some hesitation.

Unfortunately, before they could even make a move, the cold white light transformed into a sharp sword aura, instantly piercing their throats. Blood gushed out, and the three of them collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Hiding in the shadows, Jiang Fushi heard only a few rapid, muffled thuds of people falling to the ground outside, before everything fell silent.

She had no idea what was happening outside; extreme fear left her with only one thought.

Someone is coming to kill her.

Zhan Xiao looked around.

His killer instincts compelled him to carefully examine the area for any other threats.

The palace doors were pushed open.

A tall, dark figure, reeking of blood, stepped into the inner room.

The heavy, slow footsteps sounded to Jiang Fushi's ears like the King of Hell tolling his death knell.

She huddled in the shadows behind the bathtub, holding her breath. The moment the footsteps stopped directly in front of her, she suddenly stood up against the wall and plunged the poisoned needle she had been holding tightly into the heart of the person who had just entered!

Zhan Xiao reacted quickly, gently deflecting her attack with his sword sheath, while simultaneously grabbing her slender wrist with his other hand and applying slight force.

"Ugh..." Jiang Fushi groaned in pain, the poison needle at her fingertip fell to the ground, and when she looked up, she was met with a pair of unfathomable eyes.

There was no emotion in his eyes, only absolute coldness and scrutiny.

Jiang Fushi struggled and shouted at Zhan Xiao, "Who are you? I am a princess! If you kill me, my father will never let you go, and there will be no place for you in the entire Dasheng!"

A fleeting doubt crossed Zhan Xiao's mind.

He carefully examined the girl's face, not missing a single subtle expression.

He realized that the look in her eyes was genuine; the intense fear, despair, and threat were instinctive, showing that she was truly unfamiliar with him and didn't recognize him at all.

Don't you remember?

Zhan Xiao frowned slightly, and the strength he had been holding her wrist unconsciously loosened a little.

His cold gaze swept over her slightly disheveled clothes before shifting away.

Jiang Fushi's rapid breathing gradually calmed down, and she began to carefully examine the man in front of her.

The bright moonlight slanted in through the doorway, illuminating the man's mask.

He was extremely tall, and she was forced to look up at him, only reaching his shoulder. The oppressive aura emanating from him almost suffocated her.

His fingertips were still stained with undried blood and carried a strong smell of rust, which mingled with the lingering, enchanting fragrance in her palace, creating an eerie and dangerous atmosphere.

"You..." Jiang Fushi tried to speak, but her voice was slightly hoarse: "Who...who are you? What is the reason for breaking into the princess's residence at night?"

Zhan Xiao didn't answer, but his eyes flickered slightly. He released her wrist and began searching the hall. His sharp gaze swept over the curtains, the boxes, and every possible hiding place.

Jiang Fushi stared at him with suspicion and uncertainty, not daring to step forward.

He had knocked away the poison needle she was using for self-defense, leaving her unarmed and like a lamb to the slaughter.

"W-What are you doing? What are you trying to do?" Jiang Fushi asked in a trembling voice, supporting herself against the wall.

A drop of crimson blood slid down the tip of the sword in the man's hand, and a pool of dark red blood spread at his feet, as if silently announcing the killing he had just committed.

Jiang Fushi was so frightened that her hands trembled, and she screamed, "Help! Help!"

Zhan Xiao turned his head to look at her, then sheathed his sword with a backhand motion, his voice extremely low: "Don't make a sound."

He had confirmed that the only assassins were the three outside the door, and there were no other ambushes at the scene.

Jiang Fushi grew increasingly terrified, her shoulders trembling uncontrollably. Just as she was about to rush out the door, she saw the man's figure move and appear in front of her in an instant, his dark shadow looming over her.

Zhan Xiao raised his hand and pointed, pressing on her sleeping acupoint.

In an instant, Jiang Fushi lost consciousness and slumped backward. Zhan Xiao stretched out his arm and steadily supported her sliding shoulders and back, placing her against the edge of the bathtub.

Clearly, the princess was quite frightened; even in her unconscious state, her long eyelashes trembled slightly, and a trace of tears betrayed her delicate eyes.

As he stepped out the door, the entire princess's residence was enveloped in an eerie, deathly silence.

In the courtyard, the bodies of wounded guards and men in black lay scattered about, their blood staining the bluestone steps.

He could have simply walked away.

However, this would allow the authorities to discover that a "third party" with unique swordsmanship and strength far surpassing that of the others had intervened in this fierce battle.

Although the chances are slim, there is still a certain probability that the trail leads to Wuyou Tavern, or to him.

One of the rules of an assassin is to avoid leaving any concrete trace that could be used to track down themselves or their employer.

Zhan Xiao decided to play along and began calmly setting up the scene.

They made a few scratches on the assassins' corpses to create the illusion that "two groups of thieves were fighting over the loot."

After doing all this, he found the unconscious Zisu and Qingdai in the outer side room and woke them up.

Upon waking, the two immediately panicked and called out for the princess, staggering towards the bathhouse.

Zhan Xiao watched from the shadows as the princess's residence gradually became noisy. Only after confirming that the princess had been discovered and properly protected by her maid and was out of danger in the short term did he quietly leave.