Chapter 136 Assassin

"Bang!"

The guard had barely finished speaking when Xiao Jingheng suddenly raised his foot and kicked him in the chest, sending him flying in an arc into the courtyard. He crashed to the ground with a 'thud'.

But he dared not delay for a moment. He suppressed his surging blood and qi, quickly got up, and knelt down again.

"Speak! What happened!" Xiao Jingheng's gaze was like a knife, fixed on the guard.

The guards dared not conceal anything and quickly recounted the events of that day.

"Around noon, Miss Su left the manor unexpectedly. As usual, I secretly followed and protected her. However, someone attacked her on the way. Fearing that the thief would harm Miss Su, I followed him. That's how I fell into their trap."

Xiao Jingheng quickly grasped the key information in her words: "Why did she leave the manor unexpectedly?"

He clearly instructed his mother to assign Zhao Mama a heavy workload, enough to keep both mother and daughter firmly tied to the mansion.

Besides, given Zhao's mother's strictness, she probably wouldn't let Su Xiaoyu leave easily.

The guard lowered his head and continued to report: "I heard that Miss Su suddenly remembered her appointment with Miss Shen and said she wanted to stay at Ciyun Temple for two days. She... she persuaded Zhao Mama, and Zhao Mama agreed. Miss Su even took a bundle with her when she left the mansion."

Who is Xiao Jingheng?

From the few words spoken by the guards, the truth was quickly deduced.

His handsome face was so gloomy it seemed to drip water.

No wonder!

He said that he had been seemingly well-behaved and docile these past few days, but in reality, it was all to numb himself.

The promise with Shen Yuejiao and the trip to Ciyun Temple to relax were all excuses.

This audacious girl doesn't even know where she is. Without him protecting her, she might offend some important person and be silently killed without even knowing it.

Xiao Jingheng was both angry and furious. He was angry at Su Xiaoyu for being disobedient and acting on her own initiative, but he was even more angry at himself for being so careless and letting her take advantage of the situation.

"This is... outrageous." He squeezed out these words through gritted teeth.

He then ordered the kneeling guards, "Go find her! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, bring her back safely. If she's missing a single hair, bring me your head!"

"Yes! Your subordinate obeys!" The guard felt as if he had been granted a pardon, and despite his injuries, he got up to take his leave.

Xiao Jingheng followed closely behind, stepping out of the tent. Changfeng followed behind him, whispering:

"Your Highness, I will go with you to search..."

"No need!" Xiao Jingheng interrupted him, his voice regaining its usual coldness: "You stay here and stabilize the situation. If Father and Mother ask, tell them I have military affairs to attend to overnight. This matter must not be discovered by them, especially Mother."

Changfeng understood immediately: "Your subordinate understands."

However, the hunting grounds were so vast that the number of people who came to participate in the hunt, including officials of all ranks, their families, servants, and maids, totaled several thousand.

Furthermore, Su Xiaoyu deliberately disguised herself, making it difficult for Xiao Jingheng, with his extensive connections, to find her in a short period of time.

-

That night, to guard against any mischief by the Third Prince's men, Su Xiaoyu volunteered to keep watch with Xiao Zhuozi, focusing on the 'Night Watch' horse.

Xiao Zhuozi's eyes reddened with emotion. "Xiao Yuzi, you're so kind. I'll treat you to something delicious after this is over."

Su Xiaoyu responded absentmindedly, her mind entirely on guarding.

She brought a lot of good things with her this time, all in her casual bag. There was a sachet to keep herself awake, a container of irritating powder, pepper spray, a powder that would numb her limbs, and a sharp dagger tucked to the outside of her calf, within easy reach.

She took a short nap in the first half of the night. After 5 pm, the night grew darker and most of the camp became quiet, with only the sound of patrolling soldiers' footsteps echoing in the distance.

Su Xiaoyu perked up and warily surveyed her surroundings.

Normally, the best time for the Third Prince's men to make a move is in the latter half of the night.

Xiao Zhuozi went to the washroom halfway through, leaving only Su Xiaoyu and a few horses resting quietly in the stable.

The surroundings were unusually quiet, with only the occasional snorting and chewing of hay.

Suddenly, the candlelight flickered violently, and a gust of cold wind blew in through the ventilation window of the stable, causing the candlelight to sway erratically.

It's here!

Su Xiaoyu's heart pounded. She slowly moved her right hand into her sleeve and grasped the packet of medicine powder, but kept her body curled up and even deliberately made soft, even breathing sounds, as if she were fast asleep.

She was facing away from the direction of the airflow, her muscles tense, like a bowstring ready to be drawn.

A moment later, a very light footstep was heard, the steps were steady and the footsteps were silent.

This is definitely not the slow-moving Zhuozi!

Su Xiaoyu held her breath and silently counted in her mind:

three……

She could sense that the person was observing and confirming the environment.

two……

Footsteps were right behind her!

one!

Now!

Like a startled rabbit, Su Xiaoyu sprang to her feet. As she turned halfway around, she pulled out powder and pepper spray from her sleeve and, without even looking, fiercely threw them at the face of the dark figure behind her!

"Hmm!"

The newcomer clearly did not expect the seemingly 'sleeping' 'little eunuch' to react so quickly and viciously. He let out a muffled groan and subconsciously raised his hand to defend himself.

Although the sleeves covered most of the powder, a few pungent and irritating particles still splashed into my eyes.

But this person was a trained fighter, and his reaction was incredibly fast. The instant his eyes were stimulated, he quickly sensed the direction and, with his other hand like an iron clamp, precisely grabbed the dagger that Su Xiaoyu was thrusting at him.

Blood flowed from the other person's hand and dripped onto the hay, but the person seemed to feel no pain and did not loosen the grip in the slightest.

Su Xiaoyu was horrified. This person was so ruthless to her; he was no ordinary villain!

"Guards! Someone's here!"

Su Xiaoyu opened her mouth to shout, but before she could utter the word "assassin," the other party struck her on the back of the neck with a hand held together like a knife!

Su Xiaoyu's vision went black, and her body went limp as she collapsed.

Before she lost consciousness, she cursed in her heart!

[Damn it! What the hell? Is this the only move you ancient people knew?! Always hitting people on the back of the neck, did you learn this from some quack doctor?!]

[Fine! You win! I'll remember this, next time... I'll sew a layer of iron through your neck and then stick a few steel needles in there! Let's see who dares to hit me again! I guarantee they'll be crying for their parents, with a bloody hole in their hand!]

Just after Su Xiaoyu lost consciousness, the assassin had already drawn his dagger and was preparing to end her life when he heard a commotion.

It's Xiao Zhuozi who's back.

To avoid attracting attention, the assassin acted swiftly, enduring the pain in his palm, scooped up Su Xiaoyu, and hid her behind a haystack, hastily covering her with some scattered straw.

Having just finished all that, Xiao Zhuozi rubbed his sleepy eyes, pulled up his pants, and walked in.

"Little Yu? Little Yu?"

"Huh, where did everyone go?" Xiao Zhuozi scratched his head, looking at the empty spot, and muttered, "They were just here a moment ago. Did they go to the outhouse because they couldn't hold it in? Or did they sneak off to sleep?"

Xiao Zhuozi was simple-minded and didn't realize the danger. Out of a sense of responsibility, he carried the lantern and circled around the stable, calling out Su Xiaoyu's name all the while.

"Little Yu... Little Yu..."

However, in the brief moment that Xiao Zhuozi left, the assassin hidden in the darkness reappeared like a ghost.

This time, he walked straight up to 'Night Illumination' and took something out of his pocket.

The horse seemed to sense a threat and pawed at the ground uneasily, but the assassin was clearly a seasoned expert, swiftly tampering with the horse's body.

Xiao Zhuozi searched the area but didn't find anyone. He returned dejectedly, muttering to himself:

"That unreliable Xiao Yu, he even said he'd keep watch with me..."