Chapter 712 A Real Tragedy! (Second Update)

At 9:00 PM, at Linglong Pavilion, Canglan Women's Academy.

Little Jingkong sat in a small bathtub, taking a bath while singing loudly, his little hands occasionally splashing up tiny, exciting droplets of water.

"Come kick the dog~ Come kick the dog~ Let's see if your stepbrother loves you for nothing~"

"Come kick the dog~ Come kick the dog~ Tengmaibai~ I'll tear your ears apart~"

Xiao Heng, who was sitting behind his desk reading, couldn't help but twitch his lips when he heard this catchy little song. Is this how Jiao Jiao sings it?

"Come kick the dog~ la la la~"

"Oil dog~"

"Come kick the dog~ Come kick the dog~ Ooh~ Come kick the dog!"

After singing the last line in a pose full of enthusiasm, Xiao Jingkong stood still for three seconds, then ended the performance in a second, saying with a serious little face, "I'm done washing."

Have you finished singing?

Xiao Heng put down his book and walked over.

Xiao Jingkong started trying to take a bath on his own a few days ago, but he was still too young and didn't get very clean, so Xiao Heng would usually give him another bath.

"Why is it still so dark?" Xiao Heng said, rubbing his little body.

Xiao Jingkong, hands on hips: "Hmph! I'm so dark because I was on my way here. When it's sunny, you use me as an umbrella to shield yourself from the sun, and when it rains, you use me as an umbrella to block the rain! You hold me up on your head every day!"

Xiao Heng coughed lightly and said seriously, "Where is it?"

Xiao Jingkong turned his face away: "Hmph!"

Actually, Xiao Jingkong isn't that dark anymore; he's gotten quite fair. But life at the academy is so boring, teasing the kid and making him angry is just part of the daily routine.

After drying Xiao Jingkong's little body, Xiao Heng changed the towel and dried his hair.

Xiao Heng sighed, "You were cute when you were still a little bald guy."

Xiao Jingkong bluntly stated, "You're just too lazy to dry my hair, aren't you!"

You have at least some self-awareness.

This is a little monk who single-handedly drove the entire temple mad. Xiao Heng has managed to take him under his wing, raising him to be fair-skinned... uh, no, dark-skinned and chubby, enduring all his antics, and hasn't even thought about sending him back.

Honestly, it was incredibly difficult.

Even his own master couldn't do that.

Xiao Jingkong has boundless energy; he had already had a blast while taking a bath, and then had another blast after getting into bed.

One second Xiao Heng heard him laughing loudly, "Hahaha," and the next second, there was silence inside the mosquito net.

Xiao Heng walked over, lifted the mosquito net, and saw that the little guy was sleeping soundly, sprawled out on his back.

Luckily, they were staying in the room at the very end of the Linglong Pavilion, as the two rooms in front were unoccupied. Otherwise, with this little guy making such a ruckus every night, they would have been kicked out long ago after being complained about.

Xiao Heng held Xiao Jingkong and laid him upright, letting his little head rest on his special little pillow, but Xiao Jingkong would often fall asleep somewhere else.

After tying up the mosquito net, Xiao Heng returned to his desk and continued to bury himself in studying the book on divination and philosophy from the State of Yan.

This book is indeed amazing. No wonder it is regarded as one of the six great books of the state. He can imagine what kind of development it would bring to the Zhao Kingdom if he thoroughly understands it and applies its principles to the Zhao Kingdom.

If the principles of divination, one of the Six Books, are already so amazing, I wonder what the other five are like.

Xiao Heng was completely absorbed in watching.

Unbeknownst to them, a dark figure silently slipped into the academy in the darkness of night.

The assassination was carried out personally by Han Ye, who was dressed in black and masked, revealing only his eagle-like eyes.

He carried a gleaming sword on his back, a sword that, once drawn, would surely drink blood.

To deal with a weak scholar, I'm making a bit too much of a show of force.

After all, he wasn't the fake "Xiao Liulang".

But the other party's status is worthy of this respectability, and he will send him away with his own sword.

A patrol of guards passed by, and Han Ye lightly touched the ground with his toes and leaped onto the roof.

Once the guards had gone far away, he leaped down and traveled through the night to the outside of the Linglong Pavilion.

He had long ago sent people to keep an eye on this newly arrived beauty of the academy, but he did not expect that she was actually a man dressed as a woman and had such an amazing identity.

From this perspective, Prince Ming was truly blind; of all people to choose, he chose someone who was forever out of reach.

Han Ye leaped onto the wall of Linglong Pavilion.

The two old women guarding the gate were drinking together. The fruit wine was a gift from the students, the kind that doesn't make you drunk.

Han Ye walked over the wall and came to a big tree.

This tree offers an excellent view, providing a perfect vantage point to see Xiao Heng's house.

The lights were on in Xiao Heng's room, and his shadow was cast on the window paper by candlelight.

"It was just him and a little guy. Judging from his breathing, the little guy was already asleep. He was all alone."

Han Ye slowly raised his hand and grasped the hilt of the sword behind his back.

"Gurgle~"

A large bird flew over and landed on the same branch where he was perched.

Han Ye took a closer look.

It turned out to be a gyrfalcon.

What a beautiful gyrfalcon!

The gyrfalcon seemed to possess a spirit, swaggering over to his feet.

Han Ye: "..."

Why does it suddenly look like a chicken?

The chicken... no, the gyrfalcon, stopped at his feet and rubbed its head against his trouser leg.

Han Ye was slightly taken aback.

Is this gyrfalcon really that friendly?

Han Ye had captured several gyrfalcons, intending to tame them as his pets, but they were ferocious by nature and even more difficult to tame than the Black Wind Riders, so all attempts ended in failure.

But this gyrfalcon in front of us might be able to.

Han Ye reached out slightly, but was very cautious and did not immediately touch its head.

The gyrfalcon tilted its head, looking at it with an innocent expression, showing no sign of aggression.

Han Ye finally grew bolder and touched its head.

The gyrfalcon obediently let him touch it.

He chuckled contentedly.

It seems I'm destined to be with this gyrfalcon. Oh well, from now on you're mine.

Han Ye was thoroughly enjoying moving the birds.

Just then, something unexpected happened. The docile gyrfalcon suddenly opened its beak and pecked fiercely at his wrist!

If Han Ye hadn't pulled his hand away quickly enough, it would have severed his tendons!

Even so, it still succeeded, tearing a piece of flesh from his wrist!

Han Ye was completely dumbfounded!

What's going on? Are even birds this cunning nowadays?

Han Ye never expected that he, the number one expert of his generation in Shengdu, would one day be injured by a bird's beak.

Who would believe that if I told them?

Han Ye struck out with a palm.

But it was too late; Little Nine had already fluttered away, squealing as it flew: "Cluck-cluck-cluck!"

Han Ye almost fell off the tree.

Are you an eagle raised by chickens?

"There's movement over there!"

The guards patrolling nearby heard Xiao Jiu's cry.

Little Nine the eagle was quite famous in the academy's patrol team. Several thieves had broken into the academy, and each time Little Nine had spotted them. When Little Nine cried out, the guards would guess that another thief had sneaked into the academy.

Han Ye was furious. He had never expected that an eagle would ruin his plans.

He had no choice but to leave temporarily.

But tonight is still long, and he will eventually find an opportunity.

Han Ye waited until midnight.

On the other side, the king left the palace in a carriage.

He still only brought a driver and Zhang Dequan with him.

The carriage didn't move fast, since Shangguan Yan didn't have a horse and relied on her own two legs. In order not to alert her, the carriage followed at a distance.

The palace has five gates in total. That means you can enter through the main gate and then climb over the wall near the Cold Palace.

The king's face was very grim.

Zhang Dequan didn't dare to utter a sound. He had previously thought that the deposed crown princess was in the cold palace to mourn Empress Xuanyuan, but it turned out that she was just trying to sneak out of the palace through a dog hole.

Shangguan Yan wore civilian clothes brought from the imperial mausoleum. She had been imprisoned in the mausoleum for many years, and her food, clothing and daily necessities were no different from those of commoners, or even more meager.

Judging from her clothing, she was just an ordinary woman from the common people; she didn't even have a decent hairpin in her hair.

Her shoes were also broken; Zhang Dequan could see the hole in her heel.

Zhang Dequan felt heartbroken. It is easy to go from frugality to extravagance, but difficult to go from extravagance to frugality. The Crown Princess fell from grace, and the suffering and torment she endured were beyond the imagination of ordinary people.

Zhang Dequan secretly glanced at the king.

It is said that the imperial family is the most ruthless. He was not sure if the king had any fatherly affection for his daughter. He just watched as the king's face grew more and more unpleasant and his eyes grew colder and colder.

When there was no curfew in the inner city of Shengdu, the night scene was very prosperous, with shops on several streets staying open all night.

Shangguan Yan arrived at a fairly bustling street.

"It seems they went to the car dealership," Zhang Dequan said.

"Follow me," the king said in a deep voice.

The coachman drove the carriage over and stopped directly opposite the carriage shop.

The carriage was so inconspicuous that no one would guess that the emperor was sitting inside.

Shangguan Yan went in and came out a short while later, leading a fine horse.

The king frowned and said, "She even knows how to buy horses? Where did she get the money?"

When the Crown Princess was imprisoned in the imperial mausoleum, she was not allowed to take anything of value with her, not even the pearls on her shoes.

Zhang Dequan went to the shop and asked.

When he returned, his expression was indescribable.

"What's wrong?" the king asked in a deep voice.

Zhang Dequan tremblingly handed the redeemed gemstone to the king.

The king found the gemstone very familiar: "This is..."

Zhang Dequan said awkwardly, "It should be... a dragon eye that was pried off from the dragon pillar at the entrance of your palace."

The king was so angry he nearly fell backward!

Shangguan Yan, you're asking for death for gouging out the Emperor's eyes!

Zhang Dequan trembled: "Should we...should we bring Shangguan Yan back?"

The king struggled to suppress the urge to slap Shangguan Yan to death. He gritted his teeth and said, "Keep following her. I want to see what she's really up to!"

What can be done about Zhang Dequan?

Keep going.

Zhang Dequan silently clutched the quick-acting heart-saving pill from the Imperial Preceptor's Hall in his hand.

The group continued to follow, and before long, Shangguan Yan entered another auction house.

This is one of the most famous auction houses in Shengdu. Anything can be traded here. There is nothing they dare not buy or sell, only things that customers cannot afford.

This time, Shangguan Yan stayed inside for a longer period of time, and when she came out, she was accompanied by a black-clad assassin.

The king's face darkened: "She even hired assassins?!"

The Yan Kingdom does not prohibit the trade of assassins; Yan's best assassins are exported to the five kingdoms, but the strongest remain in the country.

"Why did she hire assassins? Is she trying to murder me?"

That being said, a suicide soldier is far more valuable than a horse.

The king sneered, "Go and see what she used to buy it this time."

If he finds out she's gouged out another dragon eye, he'll kill her!

"Yes." Zhang Dequan reluctantly entered the auction house.

He spent more time inside than at the car dealership this time, and when he came out, his expression was even more indescribable.

The king looked at him coldly: "Speak!"

Zhang Dequan took a deep breath, risking his life, closed his eyes, and pulled out a large piece of bright yellow cloth from behind him, saying with a death-defying air, "Your... underpants!"

monarch:"……!!"

A thunderous roar, like the cry of a dragon, echoed through the long street late at night.

"I will kill this wretched child—"

...

Han Ye lay in wait outside Canglan Women's Academy for a long time, and only after confirming that the crisis had been resolved did he sneak into Linglong Pavilion again.

Xiao Heng had already retired for the night.

Half-asleep, the door latch was pried open from the outside.

Xiao Heng suddenly woke up and sat up abruptly.

A dark figure flashed in, the long sword in his hand gleaming coldly, its reflection piercing the curtains.

Xiao Heng took out the black fire pearl from beside the bed.

In the blink of an eye, the man in black suddenly turned around, swung his sword, and blocked Han Ye's sudden attack.

Han Ye was startled.

Who is it?

The man in black forced Han Ye back with all his might, pulled Xiao Heng out from under the curtain, grabbed Xiao Heng's waist, and used his lightness skill to break through the window and escape.

Han Ye watched the two figures disappear into the distance, narrowing his eyes: "Death squad? Hmph, did you think you could escape like that? Tonight is your death night!"

Han Ye chased after him.

Han Ye had just launched an attack on Xiao Heng, but he hadn't even used 30% of his strength, so it wasn't surprising that the assassin blocked it.

At this moment, he increased his internal energy to 70%, and easily caught up with the two.

Han Ye descended from the sky, blocking their path. He turned around and looked at Xiao Heng with disdain: "Xiao Liulang, you can't escape! You'd better surrender obediently!"

Xiao Heng looked at the two men in black who had appeared out of nowhere with a strange expression. One was there to kill him, and the other was there to save him.

But it was clear that the man in black who wanted to kill him was more skilled in martial arts.

The assassins did not give up. While protecting Xiao Heng, they fought with Han Ye. Before long, the assassins were injured.

The assassins, no longer willing to fight, fled with Xiao Heng in their arms!

Han Ye scoffed, "Ha, think you can escape!"

Han Ye leaped into the air and thrust his sword at Xiao Heng!

Just as the assassin was about to strike, he suddenly spun around in mid-air and threw Xiao Heng into the carriage that was approaching from the side.

Han Ye's first sword strike missed, so he unleashed another!

This sword strike directly cleaved the carriage's canopy away. Not content with just cleaving the canopy, he then slashed through the air, splitting the carriage in two.

With a loud bang, the carriages tilted to the sides.

The carriage was now bare, revealing a bewildered Zhang Dequan and the king, whose head had been shaved bald by Han Ye's sword energy.

Who's the most ruthless? The Crown Princess is here to help.

(End of this chapter)