Chapter 24 Falling into the Water

The final stage of the martial arts test is a duel between the two finalists.

The written test is over. Zhao Wenyao couldn't guess the last question and has already lost. Now, everyone is watching the two on the stage.

Zhao Yun's attacks were more orthodox, his punches were fierce, and every move he made was full of power. Lin Xiao, on the other hand, was more unpredictable. He was extremely fast. Every time Zhao Yun thought he had hit him, it was just an afterimage. The next moment, a strong force came from his back, and his body was sent flying. Zhao Yun hurriedly flipped in mid-air to make his fall less embarrassing.

This action is not very harmful, but it is extremely insulting.

Zhao Yun was furious, but Lin Xiao's movements were too fast. He couldn't catch him at all and could only passively endure the attack. The onlookers couldn't understand it and thought that Zhao Yun was standing still, like a fool, only knowing how to punch the air and then being countered. They immediately lost interest.

This year's martial arts competition was not exciting at all.

One of the finalists turned out to be an idiot.

It's pointless.

Zhao Wenyao, who had also practiced martial arts, could naturally see her younger brother's predicament; he was doomed to lose.

"Um..." Zhao Wenyao looked at Shen Panyan ingratiatingly, lowering her voice, "Princess, if my younger brother loses later, could you change the punishment? Anything is fine, just don't make him kneel and kowtow..."

If they really made her stupid brother kneel on the ground and kowtow to a guard, the General's Mansion would lose all face.

Shen Panyan pursed her lips, "But this bet wasn't proposed by Lin Xiao, it was proposed by General Zhao himself."

Zhao Wenyao blushed, inwardly wishing she could beat her stupid younger brother a hundred times over.

He provoked her, and now look what happened—she's too embarrassed to ask the princess for mercy after losing.

But no matter what, it concerns the reputation of the General's Mansion. No matter how powerful Lin Xiao is, he is just a mere guard. Zhao Yun is a member of the General's Mansion, a Lieutenant General appointed by His Majesty. Even if he loses, he will not kneel down and kowtow to Lin Xiao.

She sighed, "Princess, it's not that I don't want my foolish brother to apologize, it's just that kneeling and kowtowing is truly unacceptable; he's just a servant..."

Shen Panyan didn't really care about this matter. She knew that Zhao Yun would never actually kneel down and kowtow, but knowing it in her heart was one thing, and having Zhao Wenyao say it out loud was another.

"But he proposed this punishment method himself. Lin Xiao didn't want to compete with him in the first place. He was the one who deliberately provoked Lin Xiao. Since it was General Zhao who made the remarks, he should keep his word."

"Can....."

"Miss Zhao, let me ask you a question: if Lin Xiao had lost this competition, would you still have said the same thing?"

Zhao Wenyao was stunned for a moment, "If he's the one who loses, then kneeling down and kowtowing is fine..."

"Why should I?" Shen Panyan's eyes reddened instantly. "Young Master Zhao is from the General's Mansion, but Lin Xiao is also my guard. What do you mean by this? Have you ever respected me?"

"Of course we respect and love you, but he is just a servant..."

"So what if he's a servant? To me, he's not a servant."

There was no point in arguing; with red eyes, Shen Panyan didn't want to continue the conversation and angrily got up and left.

Why do they look down on Lin Xiao?

Lin Xiao is far more powerful than them, if it weren't for...

Suddenly, a burst of fireworks exploded in mid-air, dazzling and beautiful like a tree of fire and silver flowers, immediately attracting Shen Panyan's attention.

Almost instantly, a sharp arrow pierced the air and flew straight towards the sky.

Shen Panyan's pupils constricted sharply, "Lin Xiao!!"

Lin Xiao turned around and drew his soft sword from his waist, slicing through the arrows.

But what followed was an even greater barrage of arrows.

Lin Xiao quickly deflected the arrows, while Zhao Yun, unarmed, could only awkwardly dodge them.

"What did you do to deserve this? You hate me so much that you'd dare to kill someone in the middle of the street!" Zhao Yun gritted his teeth.

These arrows were aimed straight at him; they were clearly from his enemies.

Lin Xiao's expression turned cold and stern. "Shut up! I'll take the arrow; you go save the princess!"

As a secret guard, all those who knew his true identity were dead; how could he possibly have made enemies?

There is only one possibility: someone wants to harm the princess.

These arrows were meant to hold him back.

Thinking of this, Lin Xiao's hands moved even faster.

"ah!!!"

"Murder!!"

"!!"

This sudden turn of events caused panic among the onlookers, who rushed out in a panic.

There were already many people around, and the crowd was bustling. Shen Panyan was standing in front of her when, just as she was in a panic, a strong force suddenly came from behind her, and she was thrown uncontrollably into the crowd.

Shen Panyan was so frightened that tears welled up in her eyes. "Lin Xiao! Lin Xiao!!"

When Zhao Wenyao saw this, her heart skipped a beat. The princess couldn't be harmed, so she rushed towards her. Zhao Yun also knew the importance of the matter. Taking advantage of Lin Xiao blocking most of the arrows, he quickly left the arena to save the princess.

Lin Xiao moved faster and faster. He was already anxious, and when he heard the princess's tearful cries, he rushed towards her without thinking.

"Pfft!"

Caught off guard, an arrow struck his shoulder, momentarily halting his movements.

"Lin Xiao!!" Shen Panyan's tears flowed like a spring, and she hurriedly reached out to cover her mouth tightly, not letting herself cry out any more.

The situation is already chaotic enough; she can't afford to cause any more trouble for Lin Xiao.

There were too many people, and Shen Panyan was jostled around by the crowd, not knowing where she was. She was even stepped on several times, and the pain brought tears to her eyes. But she remembered that she didn't want to cause trouble for Lin Xiao, so she didn't cry out. She endured the pain, and her face turned pale.

Lin Xiao forcefully broke through the barrage of arrows, disregarding the fact that they were in a bustling city, and used his lightness skill to rush towards her...

When Shen Panyan saw him, her eyes lit up.

"Lin Xiao, I'm here..."

However, before she could finish speaking, Shen Panyan felt as if she had been shoved hard, and her body fell backward uncontrollably, crashing heavily into the lake.

Thump!

"Princess!!!"

The icy lake water surged in, soaking her mouth and nose, and seeping into her body. Her body sank uncontrollably. Just as Shen Panyan was about to struggle, a strong force came from her neck, darkness descended, and Shen Panyan immediately fainted.

——

The outskirts of Beijing.

A simple horse-drawn carriage was moving through the woods, leaving a clear trail of wheel tracks, quiet and silent.

Cold...so cold...Shen Panyan suddenly shivered uncontrollably.

Her eyelashes trembled, and a ray of light gradually entered her eyes. Shen Panyan slowly opened her eyes.

It's so cold!

She couldn't help but shiver. Before she could even see where she was, a familiar voice rang in her ears.

"Princess, you're awake."

Shen Panyan turned her head and her eyes widened suddenly, "Qiu... Qiu Shuang?!"

Qiu Shuang nodded. "It's me. It's been a long time, Princess."

"You..." Shen Panyan then realized that she was in a very cramped carriage, and her hands and feet were tightly bound with hemp ropes, making it impossible for her to move. Her heart sank to the bottom.

Looking back on everything that had happened, there was still something she didn't understand: "Who...who ordered you to do this?"

Tears welled up in her eyes as Shen Panyan stared intently at her. "Why did you betray me, Qiu Shuang?"

"I believe I have never mistreated you, so why did you betray me?"

"Does doing something like this need a reason?" Qiu Shuang poured herself a cup of tea, took a small sip, and her demeanor made her look more like a mistress than she did.

"Princess, you probably don't understand your current status." She pointed at the ropes binding her hands and feet, her voice laced with sarcasm. "Princess, you are now my prisoner. What right does a prisoner have to question me?"

Being kidnapped, and by someone she knew best, made Shen Panyan feel as if a huge rock was blocking her heart, causing her unbearable pain.

"Is the person behind you Consort Hui? Did Consort Hui instruct you to do this?" She did not give up asking.

The autumn frost remains silent.

Shen Panyan bit her lip, forcing back her tears, "Since I was ten years old, Qiushuang, you have always been by my side. After all these years, don't we have any master-servant relationship at all?"

"Master-servant relationship? Ha!" Qiu Shuang put down her teacup and finally looked at her properly.

"Princess, if you truly value the bond between us, then why don't you listen to me and obediently marry the Second Young Master Chu?"

Speaking of this, Qiu Shuang gritted her teeth in hatred, "If it weren't for your sudden change of heart, I wouldn't be in this situation today. I have nothing left, all because of you. You ruined me!!"

"You've listened to me for so many years, and now that you're about to die, why are you suddenly not listening to me anymore?!"

"Speak up, why won't you listen?!" Qiu Shuang grabbed her by the neck, her face contorted like a demon.

Shen Panyan's heart was pounding, she felt a wave of suffocation, and she couldn't stop coughing violently.

Suddenly, the sound of wood being knocked came from outside, and Qiu Shuang reluctantly released Chen Panyan.

She wiped her hands and looked at her with disgust. "Do you know what I hate most about you? I hate your cowardly and incompetent appearance."

"If you want to be cowardly, then stay cowardly. But for some reason, you suddenly became tough and insisted on refusing me, forcing me to take this path."

"You're the one who made me who I am today!"

"Hehe! Princess, don't worry, I will treat you well from now on."

"From now on, you'd better behave yourself, otherwise, I can't guarantee I won't do anything to you."

Qiu Shuang reached out and pinched her face hard, leaving two very obvious bright finger marks.

Shen Panyan was terrified, her eyes filled with tears, and she dared not move.

——

The commotion in the bustling city quickly alerted the authorities, but the news of Princess Mingyue falling into the water and disappearing could not be spread. If outsiders found out, her reputation would be ruined.

Everyone was terrified and no one noticed who had fallen into the water. Among those present, only Zhao Yun and Zhao Wenyao knew Shen Panyan's true identity.

The two stood on the shore, their faces filled with anxiety.

Lin Xiao jumped into the water and searched again and again, but still could not find any trace of the princess. The cold lake water dripped down his body, and his wounds turned white from being soaked.

Lin Xiao's face was ashen.

The moment the princess fell into the water, he jumped in without hesitation. But after entering the water, he not only couldn't find any trace of the princess, but he also couldn't find any signs of her struggling. It was impossible for her to sink to the bottom of the lake in such a short time.

There is only one possibility: she has been taken away.

From the appearance of the arrow rain to the crowd surge and the princess falling into the water, this was all a setup, a setup aimed at the princess.

Seeing the government officials arrive, Lin Xiao stopped insisting on going into the water and instead looked at Zhao Yun and Zhao Wenyao with a fierce gaze, "If you dare to reveal even the slightest bit of information about the princess, I will kill you right now."

Zhao Yun and Zhao Wenyao also looked unwell at this moment.

"We know without you reminding us."

Lin Xiao had no intention of letting them go. If Zhao Yun hadn't been so unreasonable, he would never have left the princess's side.

This matter arose because of Zhao Yun. The General's Mansion must do its best to find the princess. Otherwise, with his own strength, it is unknown when he will be able to find the princess.

The longer it drags on, the more dangerous it becomes for the princess.

Faced with Lin Xiao's threat, Zhao Wenyao and Zhao Yun had no choice but to agree. From any perspective, their general's mansion was implicated in the princess's disappearance, and if the Emperor found out and questioned them, the consequences were uncertain.

The general's mansion was already a target of trouble, and it was about to be hit by another storm.

Zhao Yun quickly gathered a team to search for the missing person, while Lin Xiao stayed on the shore, carefully investigating and looking for clues.

Geese leave their mark in flight; the princess could not have disappeared without a reason.

He will definitely find her.