Chapter 641 You didn't see anyone dance

Upon hearing his roar, Shang Ruyi looked up again, and the fierce blade was already right in front of her.

But Yuwen Ye was still several feet away from him!

It’s over!

Although she had experienced danger before, she had never been so close to a knife, or rather, so close to death. Shang Ruyi gritted her teeth, but still held tightly to Cha Ci's hand, which he was trying to break free with his last bit of strength, and remained motionless in place!

Death may be imminent!

But at that moment, something faster than death came—a flash of cold light as fast as lightning. Then, a sharp whoosh rang in her ears, startling away the disheveled hair in front of Shang Ruyi.

Her eyes widened as the warrior who had rushed in front of her suddenly froze in place.

His hand remained raised high, and almost instantly, the gleaming broadsword was about to strike Shang Ruyi's head. But at this moment, he could no longer swing it; his bulging eyes widened as he looked down at his chest—

A bloody hole was clearly visible in his chest!

Shang Ruyi held her breath and looked behind him again. She saw a knife exactly the same as the one in the samurai's hand, stuck deep into the screen behind him. The exposed hilt was still swaying, and blood was slowly flowing down from the gap!

This is--

Shang Ruyi turned her head sharply and saw Yuwen Ye kneeling beside the corpse of the warrior whose neck he had smashed. One of his long arms was outstretched toward her, as if he had just thrown something. The sword in the warrior's hand was gone!

It's him!

It really is him!

Shang Ruyi was both surprised and delighted. Just as she was about to say something, she heard a series of crackling sounds behind her ears. She quickly turned around and saw that the warrior who had been stabbed in the chest had finally breathed his last. His tall body suddenly went limp and pressed down on Shang Ruyi.

"ah--!"

Shang Ruyi was terrified, not because she was afraid the body would fall and crush her, but because Chaci was beside her. If the samurai's body fell and crushed Chaci, wouldn't the birdcage next to him be damaged?

Just as she was filled with terror, Yuwen Ye suddenly stood up and rushed forward as swiftly as a leopard, smashing the warrior's corpse aside with a loud bang. The tall and burly warrior was sent flying and crashed into the screen behind the main seat.

The screen collapsed with a loud crash, and the gust of wind that followed startled Shang Ruyi once again.

A few drops of blood drifted in the wind and landed on her face.

but--

It's all finally over.

It's alright now.

It's alright...

She kept repeating the same words to herself, but for some reason, the more she repeated them, the more her heart pounded like thunder, deafeningly loud. Even though she could see the guests screaming and gasping in the lobby, she couldn't hear anything. Gradually, she couldn't even feel her own breathing and heartbeat anymore.

Until a warm, steady hand gently touched her shoulder.

That familiar scent and warmth instantly seeped from her palm through her thin clothes into her heart, as if struck hard. Shang Ruyi finally let out a low gasp from her throat—

"ah!"

This low gasp seemed more like the struggle of someone who had suddenly caught their breath after suffocating, and then a deep voice whispered in his ear, "It's alright now."

"..."

Shang Ruyi slowly turned her head. Yuwen Ye had already walked to her side at some point, squatted down, put one hand on her shoulder, and with the other hand, he went around from behind her and gently took the hand that was still tightly clasped on Cha Ci's shoulder—just now, because she was too nervous, her hand had almost dug into the other's flesh.

When I turned back, Chaci had already died.

A bloody gash was clearly visible on his throat. Blood spurted out and continued to gush out, completely staining the clothes in front of him red. It even flowed onto Shang Ruyi's body, turning her originally snow-white clothes into bloodstains.

It was I who killed this person!

The moment this thought entered her mind, it was as if something exploded in her brain, and she went blank for a moment. Shang Ruyi immediately let go of him.

The corpse swayed, but did not fall down; it simply sat stiffly cross-legged in the same spot.

In comparison, Shang Ruyi's actions were much more significant.

Her face, which had just been all smiles and even breathtakingly charming, was now filled with a numbness, yet also a look of terror. Looking at her hands, even though she was no longer tightly holding onto Chaci, they were still clenched into claws, her fingertips trembling and spasming.

Yuwen Ye's brows slowly furrowed.

Of course he knew that Shang Ruyi had killed people before. In the battle of Fufeng, she set fire to the plains with one arrow, burning thousands of Longxi soldiers to death. But the feeling of fighting on the battlefield and being so close, cutting open someone's throat with your own hands and letting the scalding blood splatter on your face, was still different.

Even though she insisted on taking matters into her own hands beforehand and unilaterally decided on every step of the plan.

It's true that they want to kill Chaci and take Qixian.

After taking another life, the fear and anxiety are real.

She is, after all, a human being.

Thinking of this, her heart, which had been as hard as iron just moments before, suddenly softened. The pent-up anger that had been building even with the force of beating the drum vanished in an instant. Yuwen Ye looked down at her, about to say something, when he saw Shang Ruyi's beautiful lips tremble slightly as she said to him, "Birdcage..."

Yuwen Ye looked down again and saw the birdcage hanging from Chaci's waist, with a lively little bird hopping and jumping inside.

He reached out and took the birdcage off.

His fingers were thick and large, enough to smash a samurai's neck with a single blow, yet the fragile birdcage landed in his hands without breaking a muscle. He glanced at the little bird, then gently placed it aside, before looking down at Shang Ruyi, his tone even lighter than the force of his fingertips—

"It's alright now."

"……oh."

It's true, everything's alright now!

Shang Ruyi felt as if half of the blood in her body had started flowing again. She caught her breath and heard a clang as the sword in her other hand fell to the ground.

This sound was like the gong signaling the end of a battle.

Soon, Lei Guo rushed in with a group of guards. They were all covered in blood, and some even carried a bloody human head. Shang Ruyi glanced at them and immediately turned pale, lowering her head.

Lei Guodao said, "Your Highness, the warriors brought by Chaci have all been executed!"

Yuwen Ye nodded, stepped aside to block Shang Ruyi's view, and said, "Move those heads and these corpses out. Don't dirty my place."

"yes!"

Upon seeing Shang Ruyi, who was cowering behind him with his head down, the group immediately understood what was happening. They hurriedly threw away the severed head they were holding, and several others came forward to carry the three gruesome corpses away.

After dealing with the dead, the next step is the living.

The powerful gentry in the hall also came to their senses at this moment, realizing what had happened. They also realized that the man in front of them, who was even more ferocious than the Turks, was none other than Yuwen Ye, the second son of Yuwen Yuan, who had ascended the throne in Guanzhong a few days ago. They hurriedly stepped forward to kneel and kowtow repeatedly, but Yuwen Ye had no intention of listening to what they had to say. He only said coldly, "You are forced by circumstances, and I do not want to pursue the matter."

The group immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

Yuwen Ye continued, "But if anyone reminds me of tonight's events, of how you went to great lengths to flatter this Turkic envoy and drank and made merry with him, then I can't let it go unpunished."

"..."

"So you'd better remember that you didn't go into the county office tonight to see this inspector."

"..."

"No, I didn't see anyone dancing."

Those kneeling on the ground exchanged glances, immediately understood, and repeatedly said, "Yes, we didn't see anything!"

"His Highness the King of Qin is wise and mighty!"

"We will never dare to have any disloyal thoughts again!"

Yuwen Ye then coldly waved his hand: "All of you, leave."

The men kowtowed again before getting up and stumbling out, supporting each other. However, as soon as they left, Yuwen Ye immediately whispered to Lei Guo, "Send men to keep an eye on these men's homes. Before we take Taiyuan, do not allow any of their people to leave the city, let alone step outside!"

Lei immediately understood.

He hurriedly nodded in agreement, then gave the order, and soon a dozen or so soldiers under his command followed him out.

In this way, the entire city of Zhaoyu was completely pacified.

Lei Guo walked to the main seat and said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, the major events in the city have been completely settled. Now we should—"

Yuwen Ye looked up at him and said, "Open the city gates and welcome my troops into the city."

As he spoke, he was about to stand up, seemingly intending to go over there himself. But as soon as he stood up, the soft little hand he was holding pulled his arm so hard that he immediately squatted down again and looked down at Shang Ruyi, whose face was still a little pale and whose eyes were somewhat unfocused and confused.

She didn't seem to have fully recovered from the shock and fright she had just experienced.

Yuwen Ye frowned and thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "You should go back and rest first."

"..."

"I'll come back to be with you after I've finished dealing with things outside."

"..."

"OK?"

Upon hearing the last three words, Shang Ruyi's breath hitched. She looked up at him, and her cold, murderous eyes, which had not yet completely faded, now held an irresistible tenderness.

This time, Shang Ruyi took a deep breath, then reached out and held onto the edge of the table, slowly standing up.

Her snow-white clothes were stained with crimson blood, clearly cruel and bloody, yet she exuded a tragic beauty.

She said, "I'll go with you."