"Your Highness, be careful—"
Several dark figures appeared swiftly, like ghosts.
The leading Phoenix Guard was agile and wielded his long sword with deadly precision, sending the hidden arrow flying with a sharp whistling sound.
The arrow spun rapidly in the air before finally embedding itself deep into a thick tree trunk, leaving only a tuft of its tail feathers still trembling slightly.
Prince An was so frightened by this sudden turn of events that he turned pale, trembled uncontrollably, and cold sweat poured down his forehead as he stared in terror at the hidden arrow embedded in the tree trunk.
A moment later, a raging fire of anger erupted from the depths of his heart and instantly engulfed his entire body.
He whirled around, pointed a finger directly at Brahma in the distance, and roared furiously, "It must be you!"
"idiot!"
Brahma could not hold back any longer and blurted it out.
He quickly recited the Buddha's name, "Amitabha," to atone for his verbal transgression.
"How dare you insult me, the King!"
Prince An charged toward King Fan with his sword, startling the Imperial Guards who quickly tried to stop him. They secretly lamented, "What's going on? The deputy is fighting with the commander. What are we, the lowly soldiers, going to do?"
It would be better to go after someone with Commander Jiang.
"You're insane!"
Brahma's solemn, dignified, and otherworldly image could no longer be maintained.
In terms of wisdom and intelligence, King Brahma didn't take Prince An seriously at all.
However, to Brahma's utter surprise, Prince An acted so impulsively and foolishly that even with his myriad schemes and strategies, Brahma could not withstand the pressure and felt waves of excruciating headaches washing over him.
What kind of stupid thing did that vixen Cui Xiang raise?
"Come in with me!"
With a deep murmur, Brahma stepped into the mountain stronghold's main hall.
His gaze swept quickly around the room. The hall was empty and unusually clean. Apart from the heavy stone tables and benches that were too heavy to move, there was almost nothing left.
Clearly, the bandits had only been gone a short while.
The bandits probably already knew they were coming, so they packed their valuables and fled in advance.
But... how could this news spread so quickly? Isn't it a bit too far-reaching?
"What exactly are you trying to say?!"
With a roar, Prince An stormed into the house, his eyes wide with anger, staring warily at the person in front of him.
Brahma pointed to the empty hall and slowly said, "Look here—"
However, before he could finish speaking, he was rudely interrupted by Prince An.
"What are you looking at! This place is empty, what's there to see!"
Prince An glanced impatiently at the empty hall and grumbled irritably.
Upon hearing this, Brahma's face stiffened. What an idiot! Talking to such an idiot is exhausting.
Especially when he was being looked at by those clear, foolish big eyes, he... sigh, Amitabha, Amitabha.
It turns out that it's not just scholars who encounter soldiers who can't reason with each other.
He met Prince An, and he couldn't explain it; it was a sin, a sin.
"Did Prime Minister Cui give you any instructions on this trip?"
Brahma looked at Prince An expressionlessly, his tone calm yet carrying a hint of imperceptible authority, and slowly offered his reminder.
Upon hearing this, Prince An was first taken aback, then, like a cat whose tail had been stepped on, he instantly bristled, glaring angrily at Prince Fan, and roared, "You, Prince Fan, how dare you secretly eavesdrop on my conversation with Prime Minister Cui! Speak—who exactly did you place in Prime Minister Cui's residence? Who is so bold as to commit such a despicable act? I will tear them to pieces to vent my hatred!"
Brahma: "..."
Amitabha Buddha, Amitabha Buddha.
"Prime Minister Cui ordered you to obey my commands. Do you understand what that means?"
Brahma practically had "We're in this together" written all over his face.
Unfortunately... Prince An's mind suddenly returned!
He pointed at Brahma and roared, "Not only did you spy on me and Prime Minister Cui talking, but you also dared to sow discord!"
"Prime Minister Cui is my maternal grandfather, and I absolutely trust him! I won't let you sow discord. Fine, fine! I knew you were a monk, what were you doing in the capital? It turns out that Fifth Prince was afraid of my maternal grandfather's power and brought reinforcements here!"
"Hahaha—you're dreaming!"
"As long as my maternal grandfather is in power, he will not tolerate your arrogance in this court!"
Brahma: "..."
Let go of the desire to save others, Amitabha.
Seeing that King Brahma was speechless, Prince An became even more smug, actually trying to sow discord and deceive him. Humph! Luckily, he was smart and didn't fall for it!
When he got back, he was determined to give Prime Minister Cui a good talking-to.
"Your Highness, we have searched the entire mountain stronghold, but we haven't found a single bandit!"
The newly appointed deputy commander of the Imperial Guard rushed in to report that not only had they not found any bandits, but they hadn't even found a single copper coin or a grain of rice. These bandits were incredibly stingy.
Although the stronghold had been emptied, signs of bandit life could still be seen.
Therefore, it can only be that the bandits received the news and fled.
In that case...
The whereabouts of Prince Chen and the Princess are now difficult to find.
Now, the only hope is that Commander Jiang can capture those bandits and find out the whereabouts of Prince Chen and the Princess.
"Of course not! This is clearly a completely elaborate scam!"
Prince An's face was full of smugness.
Straightening his back, he continued indignantly, "Once I return to the capital, I will report this matter to my father in detail. The so-called bandit attacks along the way are completely fabricated. From beginning to end, it was all a conspiracy you devised! General Fan is your accomplice and henchman!"
Brahma: "..."
His mind is better off running away from home. Amitabha, Amitabha.
Hearing Prince An's confident words, the Imperial Guards were so embarrassed they wanted to disappear into the ground. They could only pitifully wait for the Brahma King's instructions.
"Go into the mountains and forests to search and find Commander Jiang."
After slowly uttering these words, Brahma closed his eyes tightly and began to turn the string of ancient Buddhist beads in his hands, refusing to say another word.
Upon seeing this, Prince An felt an inexplicable surge of anger, as if he had been punched hard into a soft ball of cotton.
Anger surged within my chest like a volcano about to erupt, yet I could find no suitable outlet to vent it.
Finally, Prince An could no longer contain his anxiety and anger, and suddenly turned around and rushed out of the mountain stronghold.
He roared at the Phoenix Guards following closely behind him, "Listen up, all of you! You must use every means at your disposal to find the person who dared to launch a sneak attack from behind! I'm going to make him a live target and have him pierced by a thousand arrows!"
How dare they shoot him in the back!
What audacity!
The guards reluctantly accepted the order. If it weren't for a life-or-death situation, they shouldn't have appeared, much less left Prince An to capture some archers. But alas... the Imperial Guards couldn't be relied on. Given Prince An's temperament, if they didn't go, he would have gone into the mountains to capture people himself.
The mountains and forests are deep and secluded; who knows what dangers lurk within?
It's safer inside the village.
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