Chapter 162 Night Flight: Did She Kill Someone, or Was She Killed?

A dark figure flashed past in the alley corner. Mu Chenbi, startled, raised her phoenix-feather eyelashes and quickly chased after the figure, sword in hand. "Guan Ye, stay put and don't go anywhere. Wait for me to come back..."

Guan Ye also saw the dark figure at the corner of the alley. He must have been hiding there for a long time, watching Song Mian bleed to death, wondering how he was discovered and who... wanted to kill Song Mian?

He would die if he bled out. With blood everywhere, Song Mian couldn't possibly survive. Guan Ye pressed down on Song Mian's neck until she could no longer feel the blood seeping out, until his body began to cool down little by little, until the doors in the alley opened one by one, and more and more people gathered around with lanterns. The light focused on Guan Ye's bloodless face, freezing her sorrowful posture.

In the crowd, Wan Qixi stretched lazily and approached. The scene before him suddenly jolted him awake. Dead? Song Mian was fine during the day, how could he just die like that... And Guan Ye, who appeared here at night... Wan Qixi stared at Guan Ye, who was covered in blood, his brows furrowed in confusion.

The alley was winding and had many forks. Even in broad daylight, let alone at night, a newcomer would be confused by the various paths. Mu Chenbi concluded that the dark figure he was chasing was also a newcomer. He was moving very fast, but he didn't know how to move. Mu Chenbi had been chasing him for half an incense stick's time, and he still hadn't managed to escape to the main road. Judging from this, as long as he kept him in check, he would know who he was as soon as it got light.

Normally, Mu Chenbi's leg strength would never be inferior to this person's. The only problem was that he had drunk too much today. Although he was almost sober, his legs were still weak from overexertion. After chasing for a while, Mu Chenbi felt that he was running out of strength. He gritted his teeth and jumped onto the roof. After a few leaps, he was almost shoulder to shoulder with the person on the ground. The dark figure looked up, and Mu Chenbi shouted and jumped off the roof, holding his sword in front of the dark figure.

The moon was obscured by dark clouds, and the night was deep. The two were only half a zhang apart, but neither could see the other's face clearly. Mu Chenbi rubbed his eyes with the back of his hand. He could see that the man was tall and straight, holding a sword with a dignified posture. He looked like a martial arts expert. His face was covered with a black cloth, revealing only a pair of dark and bright eyes. He blended into the night and could not be seen clearly no matter how closely he looked.

"You killed someone and you think you can just run away?" Mu Chenbi blocked his path. "Why did you kill Song Er?"

Upon hearing the name "Song Er," the man in black's eyes flickered slightly, and he seemed poised to step forward with his sword. Before the man in black could make a move, Mu Chenbi had already swung his sword down. The man in black nimbly dodged, and the two swords clashed, sparks flying. The man in black glanced at Mu Chenbi's brow bone, bent his lower body, and slid several meters away. He then glanced at Mu Chenbi again, and with a burst of energy, he flipped onto the roof, seemingly unwilling to engage in a prolonged fight with him.

Mu Chenbi followed closely and leaped up, the two of them leaping across rooftops and chasing each other. The people surrounding the corpse heard the commotion and looked up to see what was happening. Guan Ye reluctantly released her grip on Song Mian's neck, saw Mu Chenbi's figure on the rooftop, and pushed through the crowd to chase after him.

The man in black sped across the rooftops, glancing back at Mu Chenbi who was relentlessly pursuing him. Mu Chenbi saw torches flickering in the distance, indicating that someone had already reported the matter to the authorities. Judging by the distance, he was not far from the East Market and was about to encircle him, leaving the man in black with no chance of escape.

Mu Chenbi gritted his teeth and followed closely. In a moment, another figure flashed out and reached the man in black behind him with a few light taps. He drew a horizontal sword with a whoosh, and the man in black blocked it with his backhand. The two exerted great force, and a large number of tiles under their feet were shattered.

"Wan Qixi?" Mu Chenbi exclaimed upon recognizing the person. "What are you doing here?"

"I live right here." Wan Qixi staggered back several meters, then flicked his nose at Mu Chenbi. "How dare you cause trouble in my place, and even killed one of my men! If I don't kill him, I'm not Wan Qixi!" He then swung his sword at the man in black again. The man in black dodged, his sword flashing like a dragon, the speed of his attacks leaving Wan Qixi momentarily unable to parry. In his dodge, Wan Qixi slipped and was about to fall from the roof. "Ouch, I'm going to fall!" Wan Qixi shouted, reaching out to Mu Chenbi, "Aren't you going to save me?"

Seeing Wan Qixi about to fall, Mu Chenbi grabbed his wrist with a quick grab and pulled him up. Wan Qixi picked up a piece of broken tile with his toe, caught it with two fingers, and flicked it at the man in black with all his might. The tile struck the man in black's right shoulder. The man's agile figure swayed slightly, but he regained his footing in a moment and was about to disappear into the darkness.

Mu Chenbi tried to let go and chase after the man in black, but Wan Qixi held on tightly, shouting that he was terrified of heights and that even if he saved someone, he had to care whether they lived or died. Seeing the man in black getting further and further away, Mu Chenbi used his sword to knock Wan Qixi's hand away and chased after the man in black's retreating figure.

In the deep alley, Guan Ye stared at the man in black on the rooftop. In the dark corner, his shadow flashed by in an instant, but it was already etched into Guan Ye's mind. This man's gait... was so familiar. She must have seen him somewhere before... Guan Ye gasped for blood. She wanted to know if he was the person she was thinking of.

The man in black moved nimbly, leaping over dozens of rooftops and disappearing over the East Market. He then turned and headed west. Mu Chenbi jumped off the rooftop to give chase, but a dozen constables holding torches surrounded him.

"Go after them!" Mu Chenbi was so anxious he almost stamped his foot. "They went that way."

The constable sized Mu Chenbi up and down, noticing the long sword in his hand, bloodstains on his clothes, and the strong smell of alcohol on his breath, clearly indicating he had been drinking heavily. The constable gave a signal, and several constables rushed forward and restrained Mu Chenbi. "You audacious scoundrel, daring to cry 'stop thief'? We're arresting you."

"Insolence!" Luo Yichen appeared on the street as if from nowhere, took out the fish-shaped token from his waist and held it close to the constable's dog eyes, "I am Luo Yichen, the leader of the Black Hawk Guard of the Eastern Palace. Why don't you kneel down and pay your respects to the Crown Prince?"

"The Crown Prince? The Crown Prince..." The constables looked at each other, hesitatingly lowering their weapons.

"Your Highness, I am late in coming to your rescue. Please forgive me." Seeing the bloodstains on Mu Chenbi's clothes, Luo Yichen was also alarmed. "Is Your Highness injured? Are you alright?"

"Hurry up and chase after them!" Mu Chenbi was so angry that he was about to throw his sword down. "Go west, hurry up!"

"Hurry up and go!"

Luo Yichen roared at the constables, and they quickly picked up their weapons and gave chase.

"Your Highness..." Luo Yichen leaned closer to examine the bloodstains, and only after confirming that it was not his Highness's blood did he feel relieved. "It's good that you are alright. If anything had happened to you, I would have been unforgivable."

"What are you doing here so late at night?" Mu Chenbi patted his chest. He had eaten and drunk too much that night and had run too fast and too hard. Now his throat was full of acid. It was only thanks to Luo Yichen that he appeared, otherwise... he was afraid he would have thrown up.

Luo Yichen supported Mu Chenbi's arm, glancing at his pale face, and said timidly, "Brother Black Hawk from the East Palace said you didn't go home last night, and no one dared to look for you openly, so I wandered around the streets trying to find you... I heard some commotion in the East Market and followed... Isn't this... a coincidence?" Luo Yichen looked towards the alley where the incident occurred, and said softly, "I heard there was a murder. Did Your Highness run into the murderer? And you even went to arrest him yourself?"

Mu Chenbi's expression darkened. "The murderer was just meters away from me, and I even fought with him. How could he escape? How can I possibly face him..." Face... Guan Ye... Right, where is Guan Ye? Mu Chenbi looked around. "Where is Guan Ye?"

"Miss Guan?" Luo Yichen scratched his head. "I just arrived and haven't seen Miss Guan yet. What's wrong?" Luo Yichen suddenly realized, "Your Highness, were you with Miss Guan late at night?"

"Guan girl is reckless, chasing after that murderer." Wan Qixi had also arrived at some point, carrying a sword on his shoulder and sniffling. He cupped his hands to Mu Chenbi and said, "So it's Your Highness. I thought it was Ajiu from Xingguo Ward on the roof. Thank you, Your Highness... for saving my life."

"Guan Ye went after the murderer?" Mu Chenbi felt like he was about to vomit blood. "Why aren't you chasing after him?!"

Midnight had passed, and the hustle and bustle of West Street had subsided, leaving only a few stall owners packing up their goods to go home. On the empty street, Guan Ye walked back with her head hanging low. Under the bright lights, Guan Ye was covered in blood, and blood dripped from between her drooping fingers. The stall owners saw her and exclaimed in shock, wondering whether she had killed someone or was about to be killed.

"—Guan Ye!" Upon recognizing Guan Ye, Mu Chenbi rushed forward, opening her arms to examine them closely. "Are you hurt?" Seeing Guan Ye looking dejected and silent, Mu Chenbi turned her head, brushed aside her stray hairs, and wiped the bloodstains from her face with his sleeve. "Where are you hurt?"

Wanqi Xi circled Guan Ye a few times. "Your Highness, Guan Ye is alright. The blood on her body is from other people. She must be... scared out of her wits."

Mu Chenbi felt slightly relieved. Ignoring the onlookers, he suddenly pulled Guan Ye into his arms. "I told you to stay put and not go anywhere. Why did you run off to chase after him? What if something happened to you…" Mu Chenbi raised his phoenix-feather eyelashes and then lowered them again, his trembling palms gently stroking Guan Ye's back. "What if something happened to you…"

Wanqi Xi found it too painful to look at, and quietly stepped forward to pull Guan Ye aside. "If anything happens to you, Ajiu will never let it go so easily, Guan Ye, Guan Ye?"

Guan Ye shifted slightly, and Mu Chenbi, realizing his lapse in composure, released her hand and said again, "That person..."

"They got away." Guan Ye bit her lip. "We couldn't catch them."

Mu Chenbi sighed, "It's good that you're alright. The murderer who killed Song Er won't escape. Once he's caught, we'll definitely give Song Er justice."

Wanqixi swaggered up to Mu Chenbi, pointed at himself, and said, "People die and no one knows what justice is. Just give me back. Song Er was my helper, and I also want to know who killed him." Then he looked at Guan Ye and said, "Guan girl, I know you are a loyal and righteous person. The Crown Prince said he would capture the person, so don't worry about it. It's past midnight, why aren't you going back to Xingguo Ward?" Wanqixi raised an eyebrow at Guan Ye as he spoke.

Guan Ye rubbed the bloodstains on her hands and dragged her heavy steps toward Xingguo Ward. Seeing that Mu Chenbi seemed to be following, Wan Qixi shoved Luo Yichen and shouted, "Chief Luo, a murder has occurred in Rongdu. The murderer, whom no one has caught, is hiding somewhere. Aren't you going to protect your prince? What? Do you really want to die a thousand times?"

Luo Yichen stopped Mu Chenbi, "Your Highness, tonight is dangerous. I must not leave your side for even a moment longer."

“That’s right.” Wanqixi gave Luo Yichen a thumbs up. “I will escort Guan back for Your Highness. Your Highness can rest assured. If anything happens to Guan…” Wanqixi made a beheading gesture, “I, Wanqixi, will bring you my head.”

Watching Guan Ye's departing figure, the warmth still lingering in his arms, Mu Chenbi felt a pang of melancholy as the beauty gradually disappeared into the distance. He looked down at the twin swords in his hand and unconsciously gripped them even tighter.