Miyun
The curtains hung low, completely isolating the dark room from the noise of the outside world. Yin Li leaned against He Mo's chest, her rapid breathing gradually calming down, but the flush on her cheeks lingered for a long time.
The fleeting glimpse she had just caught outside the door was still making her heart pound in her chest, and her body felt weak.
He Mo gently stroked her long hair, his fingertips tracing across her delicate neck, causing her to tremble slightly.
He lowered his head and placed a gentle kiss on the top of her head, his voice slightly hoarse with laughter: "Are you still afraid?"
Yin Li buried her face in the crook of his neck and shook her head in a muffled voice: "With you here, I'm not afraid."
Even so, her fingers unconsciously clenched his clothes, as if she had grasped a lifeline.
He Mo chuckled softly, took her hand, and gently placed it on his heart: "Listen, how fast it beats for you."
Yin Li obediently pressed against his chest, clearly feeling his strong heartbeat, which gradually synchronized with her own, and the lingering fear in her heart finally dissipated.
Her fingertips gently caressed his warm chest, and suddenly she touched a rough, uneven surface.
Yin Li was slightly taken aback. She looked down in the dim light and saw a long scar below He Mo's collarbone, about the length of a finger joint, with jagged edges, clearly an old wound.
"This is..." Yin Li's voice carried a hint of curiosity, her fingertips carefully avoiding the scar, not daring to touch it.
She had known He Mo for many years, but had never seen this wound before.
He Mo's body stiffened almost imperceptibly for a moment, then he casually pressed her hand back to his heart, saying in a flat tone, "It was accidentally left when I was practicing swordsmanship in my early years. It's nothing to mention."
However, Yin Li keenly sensed the complex emotions that flashed across his eyes, emotions that could not be explained by a simple "accidental injury while practicing swordsmanship".
She wanted to ask more questions, but He Mo suddenly leaned in and kissed her, silencing her doubts.
This kiss was more passionate than before, carrying an undeniable possessiveness. Yin Li gradually became immersed in it, temporarily forgetting the mystery surrounding the scar.
He Mo's kiss was hot and lingering, and Yin Li almost drowned in it. But the hideous scar below her collarbone, like a fine thorn, remained stuck in her heart. She didn't respond, but gently turned her head away, avoiding his kiss.
"What's wrong?" He Mo's voice was hoarse with a hint of confusion.
Yin Li didn't look at him, but simply reached out her finger and touched the scar again, saying calmly, "This wasn't from practicing swordsmanship."
He Mo's body tensed instantly, and the tenderness in his eyes was replaced by a shadow of gloom. He grabbed Yin Li's hand with an unusually strong grip: "A Li, there are some things you don't need to know."
Just then, the oil lamp in the dark room crackled and popped, plunging the entire room into darkness.
A strong, pungent smell of blood suddenly filled the air.
Before Yin Li could react, He Mo suddenly tackled her to the ground. Immediately afterward, with a "whoosh," a cold arrow grazed the top of her head and embedded itself deeply in the wooden door behind her, the shaft still trembling.
"Someone's there!" He Mo shouted in a low voice, quickly shielding Yin Li with his body and drawing his sword from his waist.
In the darkness, several shadowy figures darted in like ghosts, their sharp blades gleaming coldly in the faint moonlight. Their target was clear: they were heading straight for He Mo.
With his exceptional hearing and reflexes, He Mo engaged in a fierce battle with the man in black in the darkness.
The clanging of weapons clashing and the muffled screams mingled together, creating a terrifying scene.
Yin Li huddled in the corner, her heart filled with fear and trepidation. She could sense that these men in black were extremely agile, clearly well-trained assassins.
Their target is He Mo, or... do they want to silence her too?
The fighting quickly subsided.
Someone had relit the oil lamp, and its dim light illuminated the messy room.
Three corpses of men in black lay on the ground, their blood staining the earth. He Mo stood beside the bodies, a blood-dripping longsword in his hand, his face terrifyingly grim.
“He sent them.” He Mo’s voice was icy cold, his eyes filled with murderous intent.
"Who is it?" Yin Li asked, trembling.
He Mo did not answer, but walked to one of the corpses and used his sword to remove the mask.
When Yin Li saw that face, her pupils shrank and she gasped.
It was an extremely beautiful face, with willow-leaf eyebrows and almond-shaped eyes, but unfortunately, it belonged to a man.
Yin Li covered her mouth to keep from gasping out. She recognized that face.
That was Xiao Luzi, the most trusted eunuch serving the current emperor.
A person who usually appears weak and frail, speaks softly, and wouldn't even step on an ant.
But now, he lay on the ground, his eyes wide open, his face still bearing the ferocity of his dying moments.
His black clothes were stained with blood, a stark contrast to his usual clean palace attire.
"How...how could it be him?" Yin Li's voice trembled uncontrollably. "Isn't he...isn't he the Emperor's man?"
He Mo's face grew even more somber. He squatted down and carefully examined Xiao Luzi's body.
A moment later, he pulled a thin silver needle from the corpse's hair bun. The needle tip was black, indicating that it had been poisoned.
“He is not only the Emperor’s man,” He Mo’s voice was as cold as ice, “he is also a member of the Shadow Pavilion.”
"Shadow Pavilion?" Yin Li was stunned. "What kind of place is that?"
“A killer organization that only cares about money and not people.” He Mo stood up, his sharp eyes scanning the surroundings as if searching for the next enemy. “But the fact that they can get the Shadow Pavilion to do this and have someone like Xiao Luzi personally take action means that the power behind them is probably greater than we imagined.”
Yin Li's heart sank to the bottom. The emperor's close attendant was an assassin—what did that mean?
This means that everyone in the palace could be an enemy, and even the emperor's safety could be threatened. Unbeknownst to them, they have been drawn into a massive vortex capable of swallowing everything.
"What should we do now?" Yin Li grabbed He Mo's arm as if it were her last lifeline.
He Mo grasped her hand, his eyes resolute: "We must leave here immediately, and we cannot let anyone know that Xiao Luzi died here." He paused, then added, "Especially the Crown Prince and Consort Li."
Just then, the door to the dark room was gently pushed open again.
This time, there were no guards or assassins outside the door. Only an old woman dressed in plain palace attire stood at the door, holding a food box, looking at them with a calm that was almost eerie.
She was Zhang Mama, an old nanny in the Empress Dowager's palace.
“Young Master He, Master Yin,” Zhang Mama’s voice was soft but clear, “The Empress Dowager requests your presence here, saying she has important matters to discuss.”
Yin Li and He Mo exchanged a glance, both seeing a strong sense of wariness in each other's eyes.
Now, at this juncture, is the Empress Dowager's sudden summons a blessing or a curse? Xiao Luzi has just died, and the Empress Dowager is already issuing this summons; could there be some connection between these events?
What made them even more uneasy was that when Granny Zhang's gaze swept over the corpses on the ground, there was no surprise or fear on her face, as if the corpses lying on the ground were just three insignificant ants.
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