Seeing that the carriage had already driven halfway out of sight, the man in black behind grew anxious. "My lord, if you can't bring yourself to do it, leave it to us. We guarantee it will be done flawlessly. If we keep standing here, the dog emperor will be returning to the palace. You've been planning this for so long, isn't it all for this moment? Are you really going to let this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity slip by?"

"Of course not. Do you think we have enough time to charge down from where we are?"

"Does the Lord have other plans?"

"You'll see when you see it."

"Yes, it was my fault for being anxious. Please forgive me, my lord."

"There's no need for forgiveness. Just be more calm in the future."

"yes."

The Lord's voice was gentle and magnetic, extremely pleasant to hear. His tone didn't sound like he was talking about murder, but rather like he was suggesting a better place for a picnic today.

On the official road, a dozen guards on horseback protected the carriage. There was not a sound inside the carriage, and the driver carefully drove the carriage very steadily.

Just then, a commotion suddenly came from the bushes on both sides of the road. A group of bandits dressed in rough and unrefined clothes rushed out and blocked the carriage. The leader shouted, "This mountain is mine, this road is mine. If you want to pass through here, leave your toll!"

The carriage suddenly braked, the noise of which immediately woke the two people inside.

Upon hearing the sounds of a robbery, Qiao Qiu chuckled.

"My lady, someone's robbing us, and you're still laughing." The emperor pretended to be aggrieved, which made Qiao Qiu even happier.

“Ordinary bandits should be easy to deal with. Just ask them to take care of them. Anyway, they have no money, but they'll take your life.” After saying that, Qiao Qiu yawned and lay down again.

The emperor chuckled, "You really make things easy for me. Alright, I'll do as my wife says. Wei Xu, do as your wife says."

"Yes," the coachman outside replied, looking up and saying, "I have no money, but you can take my life!"

When Qiao Qiu heard Wei Xu repeating her words in a serious tone, she couldn't help but laugh out loud. The laughter woke her up completely.

"You guys! You won't listen to reason, so come on, get on me!"

The coachman waved his hand, and several people rushed over, leaving four or five guarding the carriage.

Suddenly, swords flashed and blood and flesh flew everywhere.

Listening to the clanging of swords outside from inside the carriage, Qiao Qiu suddenly felt an itch in her hands. It had been a long time since she'd fought; the last time was probably in her previous life. Qiao Qiu squinted, recalling her martial arts training. From her initial stumbling and faltering attempts, to achieving some success, to gradually becoming proficient, to eventually becoming completely numb, through hundreds of reincarnations, she had spent at least two hundred lifetimes learning martial arts.

The smell of blood seeped into the carriage through the gaps, and Qiao Qiu frowned; she disliked the smell.

The emperor also smelled the odor, but he was already used to it. He was somewhat surprised to see that Qiao Qiu wasn't afraid, only frowned. In his eyes, Qiao Qiu was just a naive fifteen-year-old girl who had never seen the world. Even if she was usually calm and had a master to teach her martial arts, she wouldn't have killed anyone.

But she didn't feel scared because of killing. Was it because she was naturally calm, or... had she seen bloody scenes before?

The emperor was overthinking things because Qiao Qiu's reaction made him suspicious.

But so what? The emperor thought again, Qiao Qiu was already his woman. Since he had already started gambling, why not continue gambling and trust her?

The emperor held Qiao Qiu in his arms and kissed her chubby cheeks. "Qiu'er, just bear with it a little longer, it will pass soon."

"The main character hasn't arrived yet, so it probably won't be that soon." Qiao Qiu buried her head in his chest and took a deep breath of the ambergris on his body.

"Then how about I have Wei Xu send you back first?" The emperor felt a pang of heartache seeing her like this.

"No need, I just don't like the smell of blood, but I can still stand it." Qiao Qiu said while listening to the sounds outside, "Besides, if I go back first, can you go back unharmed?"

"So you don't trust my subordinates at all?"

"I could take down all your men with a single finger, wouldn't you say?"

The emperor chuckled. "My beloved concubine, tell me about yourself. I know nothing about you except that you are the prime minister's daughter, have a fiery temper, are skilled in martial arts, and are exceptionally talented."

Qiao Qiu raised an eyebrow at him, "You know so much, what else do you want to know? I only know a little bit of music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and a little bit of martial arts for self-defense. How old am I? I can only learn so much as I can."

"I know..."

"Master, all the criminals have been brought to justice." Wei Xu said from outside the carriage door, "I was afraid the journey would be turbulent, so I had to speed up the horse. The carriage may have been a bit bumpy. I apologize for the inconvenience to you and your wife."

After Wei Xu finished speaking, he drove the carriage away at breakneck speed, with the guards following closely behind on horseback.

The emperor did feel that the ride was much more bumpy, but it was still within a tolerable range.

Qiao Qiu laughed, "It's a matter of life and death. Look how nervous Wei Xu is, while you're still chatting and laughing, not afraid at all."

"I am the emperor, and I have seen countless bloody scenes. If I lose my composure over something like this, then I am not worthy of being the emperor." The emperor held her tightly and spoke slowly above her head.

Listening to his perfectly steady heartbeat, Qiao Qiu suddenly felt a sense of admiration for the emperor's composure. No wonder he was able to seize power from the Empress Dowager at such a young age. He not only possessed strategic acumen but also a calmness rarely seen in ordinary people.

"Yes, yes, you are the emperor."

After the carriage had gone for a while, as it passed through a canyon, many people who looked like bandits descended from the sky. This time, they didn't say a word and went straight for the horse.

Wei Xu and his men dealt with everyone this time as well, but they also lost two men and had three others injured.

The carriage continued on its way, and the atmosphere gradually became more oppressive.

The emperor did not bring many people with him this time. These so-called guards were actually secret agents brought by the emperor. They were highly skilled in martial arts, and one of them was no less than ten. However, the number of people to be assassinated this time was obviously more than that.

As expected, they hadn't gone far when they encountered another group of bandits.

After this massacre, the losses were even more severe, with only seven of the dozen or so guards remaining, and they became increasingly worried.

"Master, what should we do now?" In this situation, we cannot afford another assassination attempt.

"Let's continue on our journey."

"yes."

The emperor's face darkened. "The enemy is so cunning. Instead of attacking all at once, they've come one after another."

Qiao Qiu remained silent. The situation was clear: the people on the other side were trying to wear down their hope little by little, leading them into the abyss of despair. At this point, they had little will to resist, and another wave of bandits would easily wipe them out.

Does this situation seem familiar? It's the same thing the curse did to her: first wear down her will, then devour her.