By the time the fourteenth man got up to keep watch, it was already past dawn. Xi Niu, along with him and a guard, were responsible for the pre-dawn vigil. Xi Niu yawned as she climbed out of the fuzzy blanket, rubbed her eyes, and looked around, saying, "Chief Constable, do you have enemies? Why are you taking turns keeping watch like this?"
"Our chief constable has arrested many bad guys, so it's inevitable that some people will try to cause trouble for him. Therefore, we cannot let our guard down," said Fourteen.
"Yes. Being a constable isn't easy. Sleeping outside at night, you have to worry about being targeted for revenge!" Xi Niu said.
Fourteen nodded. He thought that once they arrived in Zhili, he would tell Xiniu his true identity and could no longer keep it a secret.
After guarding for a while, the Fourteenth Prince and the guard began to feel sleepy. After all, they were both young and needed plenty of sleep, especially since they had to get up at this time. When the Fourteenth Prince was in his own residence, because he was a bald prince and didn't have to go to court, he would basically sleep until noon.
"Fourteen, go back to sleep for a while. I'll keep watch for you," Xiniu said considerately when she saw that Fourteen looked very sleepy.
Fourteen looked at the horizon; it seemed like dawn was approaching. He raised his hand, yawned, and asked, "Aren't you sleepy?"
Xi Niu said energetically, "I used to get up early in the morning with my dad to make lotus flowers all the time, I'm used to it."
Fourteen nodded, having grown accustomed to being served by the concubines in the mansion.
Fourth Master was still asleep, having a strange dream in which masked figures were gradually approaching. He was enveloped in a fog, surrounded by an indistinct white mist. He anxiously tried to warn his companions, but his voice had gone hoarse, and he couldn't utter a sound.
With a start, Fourth Master woke up from his dream. He raised his hand and touched his forehead, where a thin layer of sweat covered his skin.
Sizzle!!
In the stillness of the night, a strange sound suddenly rang out. Fourth Master, lying there, suddenly heard this sound. He knew it wasn't the sound of a bird, nor the rustling of leaves, but the sound of a knife slitting someone's throat.
Someone's neck has been slit!
When this thought suddenly appeared in Fourth Master's mind, he almost instinctively sprang to his feet and shouted, "Assassins!!"
As a result, he saw the guard in charge of protecting the body have his throat slit by a masked man and be placed on the ground.
At the Fourth Prince's roar, several people woke up and quickly jumped up to guard Kangxi's tent.
Because it was still dark and the fire had been deliberately extinguished, Fourth Master couldn't see anyone else clearly for a moment, only vaguely seeing several dark figures around him.
"Protect the old man!! There are assassins!" Fourth Master shouted again. Everyone woke up at this moment. But before they could get up, several gleaming broadswords suddenly rushed out from the black-clad figures.
Fourth Prince, Tenth Prince, and Cui Da and Cui Er immediately joined the fight, and the others who had just been preparing jumped up. Qin Gang, along with several guards, joined the battle. Fourth Prince, Tenth Prince, and Fourteenth Prince gradually retreated to the perimeter of Kangxi's tent, surrounding him.
"How could there be an assassin?" Fourteen asked loudly, looking incredulous.
"It seems we've been watched ever since we came out," Fourth Master said warily, holding his knife.
The number of assassins was increasing, and Qin Gang and his men were gradually finding it difficult to hold out. The Fourth Prince quickly turned to Kangxi inside the tent and said, "Your Majesty, let's leave quickly. Your son will protect you and leave immediately."
Left with no other choice, the Fourth Prince, the Tenth Prince, and the Fourteenth Prince protected Kangxi and Liang Jiugong as they retreated. However, because it was still dark and the forest was so dense that it was impossible to tell which way was which.
The group retreated rapidly to the north. The men in black pursued them relentlessly, keeping close behind Fourth Master and his companions. Fortunately, the sun gradually began to peek through the sky, and the daylight slowly brightened.
Fourth Master and his men could now see the road ahead and the number of assassins chasing after them.
"Fourteenth Prince, you protect Father and keep running. Tenth Prince and I will hold them off for a while!" Fourth Prince said, seeing that the assassins were getting closer and closer.
"No, you protect Father Emperor and go, I'll deal with them!" Fourteenth Prince hurriedly said.
"Stop, all of you. I haven't used this sword in a long time. Today, let it taste human blood," Kangxi suddenly said.
"No, Father Emperor, your body is of utmost importance. You cannot afford to suffer even the slightest injury. I fear that swords and spears are indiscriminate and might harm you," the Fourth Prince said anxiously.
"Although your imperial father has never personally fought the enemy, he is no pushover. Come, let's fight together!" Kangxi suddenly drew his sword from his waist. This sword was a flexible sword, usually worn like a belt at the waist. But when it was drawn, it instantly transformed into a sword that could cut through iron like mud.
Before they could say anything, the eight assassins had already caught up.
"Come on, let's take them both on ourselves and deal with them!" Kangxi's sudden burst of heroic spirit further inspired the Fourth Prince, Tenth Prince, and Fourteenth Prince. Liang Jiugong also hurriedly picked up a large rock from the ground, ready to join the battle at any moment.
In a short while, the four began to fight the eight men. They were all skilled in martial arts and not so easily defeated. The Fourteenth Prince killed one of them in one go, then turned around and began fighting the one who was entangled with Kangxi.
Fourth Master was struggling to handle two assassins alone, as they had four hands, and he couldn't hold them off by himself. Fortunately, Tenth Master was skilled and quickly dealt with the two, then helped Fourth Master kill one of them. Soon, only four of the eight assassins remained, making them evenly matched.
"Fourth Brother, you quickly protect Father and leave. We'll take them down. We'd better find a place to hide, otherwise who knows how many more of these people there are," said the Tenth Prince.
The Fourth Prince looked at Kangxi and saw that he was indeed getting old; he had already become somewhat exhausted after fighting with the two assassins for a while.
"Father, let's go!" The Fourth Prince took Kangxi's hand, and together with Liang Jiugong, they helped Kangxi away quickly.
The Tenth Prince and the Fourteenth Prince began to fight the four assassins, preventing them from chasing after Kangxi.
When the Fourth Prince and Liang Jiugong helped Kangxi escape to a slightly secluded place, he stopped and said, "It's hard to find a suitable place to hide here for the time being, so we might as well hide here. The enemy may think we've run far away, but we're actually right under their noses."
Kangxi nodded, and the three of them quietly walked back from the outer perimeter.
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