Chapter 175 I must see him alive or dead.
However, things did not develop as Chen Yanqing had predicted.
The two tumbled down the steep cliff face, the thick snow acting like a soft cushion, absorbing most of the impact.
Tree branches along the way whipped against my body, making a crackling sound.
Finally, with two muffled thuds, the two fell one after the other into the knee-deep snow at the bottom of the cliff.
They rolled around in the snow a few times before stopping.
Chen Yanqing's vision went black for a moment, and his head was buzzing. It took him a while to regain his senses.
He immediately struggled to his feet, feeling as if his bones were falling apart. His wrists and knees ached from the pebbles and dead wood under the snow, but thankfully no vital organs were injured.
He disregarded his own safety and immediately scanned his surroundings. Soon, he saw Li Yuanzhao slowly standing up in the snow not far away, patting the snow off his robes.
Her outer robe was torn in several places by the thorns on the cliff face; it was unclear whether she was injured.
Chen Yanqing hurriedly staggered over, "Your Highness, are you alright?"
Li Yuanzhao shook his head and looked at the edge of the cliff top shrouded in clouds and mist.
The scale of that wave of assassins was even larger than the last assassination attempt by the Tibetans on the border. The arrows were dense and the attacks were ruthless, clearly indicating that they had made ample preparations.
If it weren't for her quick reflexes, her ability to maneuver in the dense forest, and the protection of Chen Yanqing, the "chosen one," she would probably have already perished under the arrows.
To be able to mobilize so many assassins and accurately track her movements, setting up such a tight net around the capital.
It seems someone is determined to prevent her from returning to the capital.
Meanwhile, on the cliff edge, masked assassins were peering down.
The clouds and mist surged and churned, so deep that nothing could be seen, let alone a human figure.
The group looked at each other, unsure of what to do.
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats came from behind.
A man rode up at breakneck speed, only to suddenly pull on the reins when he reached the edge of the cliff.
After nimbly dismounting, the man casually ripped off the veil covering his face.
It turned out to be Cao Dongyang.
One of them rushed forward to report, "Sir, they jumped down. This cliff is at least several tens of feet high, and the bottom is full of miscellaneous trees and rocks. I'm afraid... I'm afraid they're already dead."
Upon hearing this, Cao Dongyang's face darkened.
This assassination attempt was carried out on the secret orders of the Third Princess, who was determined to take the life of the Eldest Princess.
After Lu Lingfeng left that day, Li Yuanshu suddenly realized that this was a golden opportunity that "could not be missed and would not come again."
Li Yuanyou has already become a monk. If Li Yuanzhao also dies on the way back to the capital, then she will be the only candidate for the throne.
Why should she fight for it anymore?
She had actually spent most of her fortune long ago to secretly raise a group of assassins in the princess's residence.
The original intention was to leave a way out and protect oneself.
This time, in order to intercept and kill Li Yuanzhao, almost all of these assassins came out.
Because she knew that such an opportunity to surprise someone only came once!
So... no matter how high the risk, she was determined to take the plunge.
It is not difficult to find out the whereabouts of the army.
After all, a group of several thousand people would be too conspicuous, and the post stations along the way would be able to find out about it with a little inquiry.
However, Li Yuanzhao kept following the main army, so even with their thorough preparations, they had absolutely no chance of winning.
Cao Dongyang was already anxious, but he didn't expect that their spies would find out that Li Yuanzhao had only taken one person with him to the Da Ci'en Temple.
This is simply a stroke of luck!
Cao Dongyang immediately led his assassins to set up an ambush in the dense forest at the foot of the mountain, and launched a surprise attack at the right moment.
But who could have imagined that even with such a tight net, they still couldn't be killed on the spot and escaped.
The Third Princess issued a death order: Li Yuanzhao's body must be identified.
If it's just a matter of "I'm afraid," then if she were to survive by sheer luck, returning to the capital would be a catastrophe.
"Nothing to fear!" Cao Dongyang gritted his teeth and said, "We need to find them alive or dead! Keep chasing them, don't let them escape."
After saying that, he emphasized again, "The princess is highly skilled in martial arts. You have no chance of winning in close combat. Once you discover their whereabouts, you must send a message to the others and surround and kill them with a rain of arrows. Don't give them any chance."
The assassins immediately took a detour and headed down the mountain to encircle the area.
At the bottom of the cliff, Li Yuanzhao barely lingered, stepping through the snow and heading deeper into the dense forest.
Chen Yanqing quickly followed, "Your Highness, do you know the way?"
Li Yuanzhao didn't even turn his head. "I don't know."
Chen Yanqing couldn't help but ask curiously, "Where are we going?"
He looked around and saw only dense, impenetrable woods.
The branches were covered with snow, which fell in a rustling sound when the wind blew, obscuring even half a decent path, which inevitably added to his anxiety.
Li Yuanzhao turned his head and glanced at him. "What, are you going to stay here and wait for those people to come and collect your corpse?"
Chen Yanqing was taken aback by these words and immediately shut up.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com