Chapter 27 The Yellow Bird Behind
The carriage bumped along the deep forest path, and the shafts made a creaking sound.
Two drivers in ordinary attire drove the carriage silently, seemingly ordinary, but if you look closely at the surroundings - in the windless dense forest, the shadows of the trees swayed, the grass rustled, and there were countless dark shadows moving through the bushes.
Yun Yuan lowered her eyes to look at the little princess in her arms. Her face was pale, and her soul seemed to have been taken away from her. She clutched her sleeve tightly, as if grasping her only support. Yun Yuan gently stroked her back, and her fingertips could feel her slightly trembling body.
Prince Langya sat beside her, holding a piece of cake in his hand and carefully handed it to her, but the princess didn't even look at it. She just stared blankly at the faint light coming through the gap in the curtain.
"Wanwan..." He whispered softly, his voice filled with soothing words, "His Majesty asked you to leave the palace because he was worried that you would be involved in this incident. You must not make him worry anymore."
The princess's eyelashes trembled slightly, and tears silently fell. Her voice was very soft, as if she was talking to herself: "Since Father knew everything... why didn't he stop the Crown Prince... why didn't he persuade Mother..."
Prince Langya didn't hear her words clearly, but he saw her tears falling again. He was suddenly at a loss and wished he could swallow back what he had just said.
Sunlight streamed through the carriage curtains, illuminating the princess's pale face. Yun Yuan's voice was soft, like a drop of water falling into a pool of dead silence: "Princess, do you believe that the Crown Prince will rebel?"
The princess's head shot up, and the pearl hairpin in her hair jingled against the carriage wall. "Impossible!" she shouted hoarsely.
"Then why would Her Majesty the Queen..." Before Yun Yuan could finish her words, the princess suddenly broke free from her arms, her eyes burning with terrifying rage.
"What do you mean?" The princess grabbed Yun Yuan by the collar, her nails almost digging into her flesh. "The Queen Mother was deceived by the traitor! How could she..." Her voice suddenly choked, and her whole body trembled like a leaf in the wind.
Yun Yuan did not dodge or evade, allowing the princess to grab her, and just gently held her trembling wrist: "Because of this, the Crown Prince and the Queen were both plotted against. Ordinary people's families will have rifts because of slander, let alone..." She paused and swallowed the four words "the royal family is ruthless".
The princess's chest heaved violently. "Once father is rescued, I will definitely catch that traitor and kill his entire clan..."
"Then Princess, you must take care of yourself." Yun Yuan suddenly picked up a piece of cake and offered it to her mouth. "How can you kill your enemy if you're hungry?"
The princess was stunned. Her tear-stained face flickered in the flickering light and shadow. Suddenly, she snatched the food box from Prince Langya's hand, grabbed the cakes, and stuffed them into her mouth, oblivious to the crumbs covering her hands.
"Slow down..." Yun Yuan tried to stop him but was pushed away by the princess.
The princess swallowed and said vaguely, "I must not... become a burden to my father..." She ate so quickly, as if she was not eating, but completing some kind of ritual.
Prince Langya looked at Yun Yuan, only to see her carefully wiping the residue from the princess' lips with a silk handkerchief, her eyes unspeakably gentle.
Outside the carriage window, the shadows of the trees swayed eerily. The carriage had already left the territory of Donghai County.
The three were discussing the route in a low voice when Prince Langya suddenly raised his hand to signal for silence.
"Brother Rui?" The princess blinked her almond-shaped eyes and lowered her voice very softly.
Prince Langya frowned: "There is an assassin!" He instinctively wanted to jump out of the carriage, but Yun Yuan grabbed his wrist.
"Your Majesty wishes to leave the princess in the car?"
Prince Langya paused, and slowly sat back in his original position, with his right hand on the hilt of the sword - indeed, protecting the princess was the top priority at this moment.
Prince Langya's face was tense: "I didn't expect Prince Zhao's men to arrive so quickly..."
Yun Yuan lifted a thread of the car curtain with her fingertips. In the distant forest, the shadows of the trees swayed eerily, and the faint sound of metal clashing could be heard. Several dark figures, like ghosts, darted through the woods, battling each other, the sounds of fighting drawing nearer.
Yun Yuan stared at the swaying tree shadows outside the window, frowning slightly.
The carriage suddenly shook violently and the three people collided heavily.
Through the shaking car curtain, I saw a masked man fighting with the two guards driving the car, and the blood-stained long sword gleamed coldly in the sunlight.
The veins on Prince Langya's hand holding the sword bulged, and just as he was about to rush out, Yun Yuan grabbed his sleeve.
"Your Highness, wait a minute." Her voice was extremely low, each word as cold as ice. "If the assassin seizes the carriage and flees while Your Highness is out fighting, can you be sure of catching up?"
Prince Langya was stunned.
"Look at those tree shadows—" Yun Yuan tapped the swaying shadows outside the car window with her fingertips. "The Feng family has at least thirty or forty people lying in ambush, almost as many as the assassins. The two sides will be fighting for a while. They will definitely break out after hijacking the carriage..." Her voice was very soft, but every word was clear. "Wait until the pursuing assassins are dispersed, and then the prince will surprise us—"
Before he finished speaking, the carriage suddenly sped forward.
It turned out that the two coachmen had been chopped off their horses. The man in black driving the carriage whipped the horse and the carriage rushed out of the encirclement like an arrow, leaving the fighting crowd behind.
Prince Langya watched the sword light getting farther and farther away - yes, a lone assassin was indeed easier to deal with, and he didn't have to worry about someone taking advantage of the opportunity to seize his carriage.
As the carriage escaped the encirclement, the Prince of Langya swooped out like a hawk. His unsheathed sword, a flash of silver light, struck the black-clad man driving the carriage at the throat. The assassin, startled, had evidently not expected a swordsman to wait so patiently inside the carriage. He lurched forward, narrowly avoiding the fatal blow. Before the Prince of Langya could react, he rolled over again, landing firmly on the right crossbar of the carriage, and with a backhanded sword, he parried the Prince's attack.
Zheng——
The two swords clashed, sparks flying. The two exchanged blows, each one fatal, yet each clung to the shafts, refusing to let go. The carriage shook violently as they grappled, the wheels screeching over gravel.
Suddenly a black shadow suddenly jumped out from under the car!
The man turned over like a monkey, and when he was riding on the horse's back, he swung his big sword with a whistling sound and slashed straight at the heart of the Queen of Langya.
"Prince, be careful!"
The Langya King dodged at the sound, the blade grazed his shoulder armor, tearing a hole in his brocade robe. This dodging gave the opponent an opportunity to take advantage, and the two assassins stabbed together, forcing the Langya King off the carriage.
The assassin on horseback laughed grimly and plunged the tip of his knife into the horse's buttocks. The fierce horse neighed in pain and rushed forward like crazy.
Another assassin took the opportunity to lift the carriage curtain, his face full of flesh looking particularly ferocious in the sunlight. As soon as he leaned halfway in, he saw the little princess was so frightened that her face turned pale, her eyes rolled back, and she fainted.
"Heh...this time there are really only two girls left!"
Suddenly, a soft laugh echoed from the corner. The assassin looked in the direction of the sound and saw the maid looking up at him with a strange smile on her lips.
"What are you laughing at?" The assassin subconsciously tightened his grip on the knife handle.
Yun Yuan slowly straightened her sleeves: "Laughing at you..." She suddenly raised her eyes, a cold glint flashing in them, "You're about to die without even realizing it."
"Varied--"
The assassin's words stopped abruptly.
A white blade flashed by in the sunlight, so fast it was almost invisible. His expression froze, and a line of blood slowly appeared on his neck. The next second, his head suddenly separated from his body, flying away with a gushing column of blood.
The headless body swayed and fell heavily from the carriage. A muffled "thump" sounded from outside, followed by the sound of rolling.
Prince Langya abruptly pulled open the carriage curtain, his fingertips still trembling from the intense battle. Only after taking in the situation inside the carriage—Yun Yuan safely embracing the unconscious princess, with not a speck of blood on the floorboards—did his tense shoulders relax slightly.
"Your Highness has great skills." Yun Yuan raised her eyes and smiled, her gaze sweeping across his blood-stained collar.
It turned out that after being forced off the carriage, the Prince of Langya hadn't hesitated—he tapped the ground with his toes for leverage, flipped over, and climbed back onto the shaft. The assassin on horseback was furious at this and swung his ring-handled sword at his neck.
At the critical moment, the Langya King suddenly stumbled, swaying with the force of his blade. The assassin couldn't stop himself, and the gleaming blade slashed towards his accomplice, who was lifting the curtain. With a snap, a head flew high into the air. But the Langya King's sword, like a venomous snake spitting its tongue, pierced the assassin's heart with pinpoint accuracy.
In this way, he sent the two people away by dodging and stabbing.
After confirming that the princess was safe, Prince Langya immediately turned to rein in the frightened horse. Just as the carriage was about to slow down, Yun Yuan suddenly shouted, "Roof!"
The young prince's entire body trembled, and he tapped his toes lightly on the horse's back, launching himself into the air. Almost instantly, a flash of cold light split the spot where he had stood, severing the shaft of the chariot in two.
He backhanded his sword to block, the sound of metal clashing deafening. Looking up, he saw dark shadows swarming on the road behind him—those who had escorted them had been completely wiped out! These assassins swarmed over the corpses, their swords flashing a dazzling cold light in the scorching sun.
Prince Langya gritted his teeth, his sword dancing in a flash of silver light. One assassin collapsed, clutching his throat, and another was pierced through the heart. But his arms began to tremble, and blood and sweat soaked through his brocade clothes.
"Come on!" he shouted, his sword slashing across the neck of the man in the lead. Warm blood splashed on his face, and then he saw three more people leap onto the roof at the same time.
The tip of Prince Langya's sword trembled slightly. Even if blood was spilled on the spot today, he would never let these thieves touch the princess! He took a deep breath, gripped the hilt tightly, and prepared for a final stand. In the mottled shadows of the setting sun, his figure cast a lonely shadow on the roof of the car.
Just as Prince Langya prepared to fight to the death, a sudden gust of wind swept through the forest, shaking the towering ancient trees violently and sending fallen leaves dancing like butterflies. In an instant, dozens of cold beams pierced the air—those assassins who had lunged at the carriage were still in mid-air when precisely struck by the flying knives, sending them plummeting like puppets with their strings cut.
Prince Langya looked up in astonishment, only to see a dark figure descend from the treetops. The figure, dressed in formal attire, knelt on one knee upon landing. "I'm late in protecting you, Your Highness. Please forgive me."
"Please get up!" Prince Langya hurriedly jumped off the carriage and reached out to help. His chest heaved violently, and he was about to say thank you: "Thanks to Master Hao..."
Before he could finish his words, the "guard" suddenly leaped up! A powerful punch, accompanied by a sharp gust of wind, struck the Langya Prince in the face. The young prince was caught off guard, and his vision went black. The last thing he knew was a flash of golden bird bone pattern on the man's sleeve—this was not a Feng family guard at all!
"Is the tail cleaned up?"
Yun Yuan's voice came faintly from the carriage.
The man in black lifted the curtains. "Even the sentries at Haofeng Court have been taken out. No one has pursued us here for now." He jumped onto the carriage, opened the curtains, and swept a sinister look over the sleeping princess. "It's hard to say what will happen later."
Yun Yuan was carefully wrapping the princess in a brocade quilt, her movements as gentle as if she were wrapping a fragile piece of porcelain. "The sleeping pills are enough to keep her asleep for two hours." When she looked up, a cold glint flashed in her eyes. "The carriage tracks are too conspicuous. The hounds of Haofeng Court will smell them sooner or later. Take her through the secret passage."
The man in black threw the princess's limp body over his shoulder.
"And you?"
"I'll stay." Yun Yuan slowly jumped off the carriage, "Wait for Prince Langya to wake up."
The man in black said nothing more and leaped into the dense forest. In a few leaps and falls, the princess's moon-white dress disappeared into the dark green shadows of the trees.
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