Assassination! System?
*
Xu Xiuran left Qingya Village under the cover of night. Before leaving, he left a jade pendant he kept close to his body in front of Lin Xiaoman's window—it was the only gift he could leave behind as a token of his gratitude.
He traveled eastward along the Nu River, through dense forests, and finally found the Weijia Army outpost stationed on the riverbank at dawn.
He revealed the insignia of the Duke of Wei's mansion on the broken half of the sword, and the sentry immediately knelt down and clasped his hands in greeting: "Second Young Master!"
That night, the remnants of Wei's army joined forces with the main force that marched south to quell the rebellion.
Xu Xiuran, clad in armor and sword in hand, stood before the sand table, his fingertip pointing to a canyon deep in the heart of Nanyue: "The main rebel force is hiding here, using the miasma as a shield. But when I fell into the river, I drifted downstream past their supply lines—"
"We can launch an underwater attack and burn their supplies."
Taking advantage of the darkness, Xu Xiuran led the Wei family army to climb up the cliff.
The moisture from the Nu River condenses into thick fog in the canyons, creating a miasma-filled atmosphere where poisonous insects lurk.
The South Vietnamese rebel camps were like ant nests entrenched at the bottom of the valley, and the torches of the patrolmen cast a crimson glow in the mist.
"Second Young Master, the Wei family army is in position." Deputy General Zhao Feng lowered his voice, and the dew that had condensed on his armor slid off.
Xu Xiuran squinted at the bottom of the valley—the Nan Yue people had stored their grain and fodder in a wooden fortress by the river, with bamboo rafts linked together to form a floating bridge, and the figures of crossbowmen on the watchtowers were faintly visible.
He slowly drew the short blade from his waist, the blade revealing an unhealed arrow wound on his brow bone.
"Pass the order—burn down the grain stockade as the signal, and hand over the crossbowmen to me."
*
At the third quarter of midnight, the Southern Vietnamese sentry was yawning when he suddenly saw more than a dozen clusters of eerie blue flames rise from the river.
Before he could even strike the gong, those "ghost fires" shot up the grain depot along the bamboo rafts—it turned out that the Wei family army had secretly swum over with oil sacks in their mouths, and the fire arrows immediately pierced the air!
"Enemy attack—!"
Before the scream had even faded, Xu Xiuran had already leaped off the cliff. He grabbed onto a vine and swung through the air, a flash of cold light from his short blade, and blood mist spurted from the throat of the crossbowman on the watchtower.
As the bodies plunged into the inferno, chaos erupted at the bottom of the valley. The Nanyue soldiers, barefoot, rushed out of their tents, only to be shredded to pieces by the Wei family army's Mo Dao (a type of long-handled sword).
Xu Xiuran charged towards the central command tent across the burning pontoon bridge. The Nan Yue King's personal guards formed a battle array, holding copper-plated shields, from which poisoned darts shot out.
He spun around and slashed down three poisoned darts, but the fourth one pierced his shoulder blade, the excruciating pain causing his vision to go black.
"kill--!"
The battle cries of the Wei family army came from the valley entrance.
A sharp sword pierced through the air and struck the guards of the King of Nanyue behind him.
"Young Master Wei, please forgive my lateness."
Wei San rushed to Xu Xiuran's side, drew the sword from the guard's body, and saluted.
A hint of surprise flashed in Xu Xiuran's eyes. Xiao Zhouyan's people...
Why help him?
He soon found out the answer.
*
In the days leading up to the wedding, the Duke of Wei's mansion was bustling with activity:
On the third day of the tenth lunar month, the entire courtyard was filled with vermilion lacquered gift boxes brought from the Zhenyuan Marquis's residence, along with a thoughtfully included gilded gift list.
Xiao Zhouyan personally delivered a pair of white geese, claiming, "The Book of Rites says: 'When the son-in-law holds a goose, he will not die for it.'"
On the fourth day of the tenth month, Xu Qingyao tried on her light green wedding dress in front of a gilded mirror with intertwined branches. The gold embroidery on the twelve-piece skirt flowed with her steps, revealing the twin lotus flowers adorned with pearls on the tips of her shoes.
Xiao Zhouyan was directing the Iron Falcon Guards to deploy defenses in the courtyard of the Duke of Wei's mansion. The Xuanjia soldiers even tied red silk ribbons all over the osmanthus trees—a custom in the northern frontier, meaning "protecting the flowers with iron and blood."
On the fifth day of the tenth lunar month, the Xu family ancestral hall was shrouded in smoke in the early morning.
Xu Qingyao knelt on the prayer mat, watching her father solemnly wipe the ancestral tablet, when her hand slipped—crash! The tablet fell onto the offering table.
Xu Zhiyuan stood aside and said coolly, "Father, are you paying a grand salute to our ancestors?"
Duke Wei's face flushed red, and he coughed twice: "My hand...my hand slipped..."
October 6th is an auspicious day for marriage.
The Duke of Wei's mansion was decorated with lanterns and colorful streamers.
Before dawn, Xu Qingyao was dragged out of bed by Granny Xi and forced to stand in front of the dressing table.
"Miss, close your eyes, this old servant will cut your noodles—"
"Hiss! Granny... your strength is already quite mature."
Xu Qingyao felt that her face was no better than if she had been slapped hundreds of times; she was now completely sober.
That old woman has incredible strength; she could probably earn more by performing bare-handed brick-breaking demonstrations.
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As the auspicious hour approached, Xiao Zhouyan, dressed in a crimson wedding gown, stood before the gate of the Duke of Wei's mansion, with twelve pairs of Xuanjia Iron Falcon Guards following in unison behind him.
This aura was even more menacing than wearing battle robes.
After overcoming a series of obstacles, including being blocked at the gate, when Xiao Zhouyan strode out carrying his bride, the pearls on Xu Qingyao's phoenix crown were jingling.
As the wedding procession arrived at Zhuque Street, the air was filled with the sounds of gongs and drums, and red ribbons fluttered in the wind.
Xiao Zhouyan rode Red Hare in front, followed by twelve pairs of Iron Falcon Guards in black armor and red robes, protecting the vermilion-lacquered and gold-painted wedding sedan chair. The people lined the streets to watch, and children scrambled for wedding candies, creating a festive atmosphere.
Sudden--
"Whoosh!"
A black-feathered arrow pierced the air and shot straight at the curtain of the jeweled carriage!
Xiao Zhouyan drew his sword with a backhand motion, and with a clang, the arrow was cleaved in two. His eyes darkened, and he shouted sharply:
"Protect the carriage!"
The Iron Falcon Guards instantly changed their demeanor, wielding their weapons to deflect the rain of arrows.
Xu Qingyao sat in the car, the bells hanging from the eaves jingling, and the red horse seemed somewhat glaring at the moment.
Under the barrage of arrows, the carriage was nearly riddled with holes.
More than twenty dark figures tumbled down from the eaves on both sides. They were dressed in night clothes, but their wrists were tied with conspicuous vermilion ropes. The leader crossed his two swords, the blades of which were etched with a dark blue hue, and aimed straight at the beaded curtain of the jeweled carriage.
"bite!"
A long-handled broadsword slashed down from the sky, its force so great that it severed both swords in two.
Xiao Zhouyan's crimson wedding robes were still fluttering as his longsword pierced the throat of the second assassin. Blood splattered onto his gilded crown, instantly staining the white jade beads crimson.
But the men in black seemed inexhaustible; as one group fell, another surged forward!
A suicide soldier broke through the encirclement and thrust his long sword straight into the sedan chair—
"Zheng—!"
A long sword came flying from the street corner, its blade piercing the assassin's throat and pinning him to the street!
Everyone turned around in astonishment, only to hear the thunderous sound of hooves as Xu Xiuran, his white robe stained with blood, galloped from the end of the long street.
His longsword was still sheathed, the pearl tassel on it soaked in blood. A cold smile played on his lips, but his eyes held a chilling murderous intent.
"Who gave you the audacity to touch anyone from the Duke of Wei's mansion!"
He dismounted, kicked an assassin away, and with a flash of sword light, severed three heads in an instant. Blood splattered on his jade-like face, making his phoenix eyes appear even more chilling.
"Have you asked my sword?"
*
Inside the carriage, Xu Qingyao was already preoccupied with her own problems.
[Beep—System connection in progress—]
What? The system?
Xu Qingyao's mind was buzzing.
[1%...99%...100%!]
[System connected - Activating -]
[99%...100%! Activation successful!]
Congratulations, host! You have successfully bound yourself to the "Strongest Escapee System". Please select whether to receive messages:
Select "Yes" and press [1].
If you select "No", please press [2]
What time is it?! Still receiving messages?!
She might survive to receive it, but she might not survive to digest it...
Two options appeared out of nowhere in front of her, and Xu Qingyao decisively pressed them [2].
Okay, the process schedule has been rescheduled for you. Since the host selected "No", the system will send a "force input information" command.
Xu Qingyao: !!
ber
She chose "No"!!!
A flood of information overwhelmed Xu Qingyao, causing her excruciating headache, and she eventually fainted.
*
Xu Qingyao's consciousness gradually returned.
She slowly opened her eyes, and what she saw was a blinding red—a large red curtain hung low, embroidered with intricate dragon and phoenix patterns, and a brocade wedding quilt was laid on the bed, cool to the touch.
A faint sandalwood scent filled the air, mixed with a sweet floral fragrance, making her feel as if she were still dreaming.
"This is……"
They went straight to the bridal chamber?
Shouldn't we go through the proper process?
She propped herself up, pressed her fingers against her temples, and mentally called out to the system:
"System? What's going on?"
[Congratulations, host, you have successfully received the message.]
Based on the host's question, the system will respond as follows: The host's brain overload due to receiving a large amount of information is the direct cause of the host's coma.
After the host fell into a coma, the system monitored the external environment, and the danger level dropped from four stars to half a star.
Xu Qingyao: ...
She probably understood.
In layman's terms: It's alright now.
"What happened next? What happened?"
Based on the actions of the key figure at the scene, "Xiao Zhouyan," he carried the host back to the bridal chamber prepared for the "bride and groom" at the "Zhenyuan Marquis's Mansion," and summoned the "Imperial Physician" to diagnose the host.
Xu Qingyao sighed, "This system is a damn human machine."
With a creak, the carved wooden door was gently pushed open.
"Miss is awake?" A clear female voice called out. Xu Qingyao looked up and saw a young girl in a pale yellow dress carrying a lacquer tray. She smiled and recognized her as her personal maid, Yuejian.
"Moon Viewing?"
Seeing that Yuejian was still alive and kicking, Xu Qingyao breathed a sigh of relief. It was good that she was alright.
When they were attacked, Tsukimi shielded her behind her without hesitation, even though they were the same age and just as afraid.
Yuejian placed the lacquer tray on the low table, on which was a bowl of steaming nuptial wine and several delicate pastries.
She curtsied and said in a light tone, "Miss, you're finally awake. The auspicious time is approaching, and the young master is already waiting in the hall. Please clear your throat first, and I will help you change your clothes and do your hair."
"Auspicious Time for the Young Master"
Xu Qingyao was stunned. She thought she had been unconscious for quite some time, but she was told that "the auspicious time is approaching"?
"Tsukimi," she gently tugged at the maid's wrist, lowering her voice, "what time is it now? How long have I been unconscious?"
Yuejian blinked. "Miss, you were only unconscious for half an hour. When the General personally brought you back, the imperial physician said you were just frightened and nothing serious." She leaned closer, covering her mouth with a soft laugh. "General Xiao even specifically instructed that we wait until you wake up before paying our respects. Everyone in the manor is praising his thoughtfulness..."
Xu Qingyao asked in confusion: System? I was only unconscious for half an hour?
[It wasn't just half an hour, but to give the host a complete experience of escaping the arranged marriage, the system paused time. Everyone will think the host was only unconscious for half an hour.]
Xu Qingyao: That's really advanced... It can even pause time.
She threw back the covers and was about to get out of bed when she saw Yuejian pull out a red silk ribbon embroidered with gold thread from under a lacquer tray, smiling as she said, "Miss, don't rush. According to the rules, you must first tie a 'love knot'..."
Xu Qingyao didn't understand, but she did as instructed.
She reached out and took the red silk, her fingertips gently tracing the gold thread embroidery, and said with a gentle smile, "Yuejian, help me with my hair and makeup."
“Yes, Miss!” Tsukimi replied cheerfully. “I will make sure you are the most beautiful bride.”
...
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