In the rain, Xie Zhaoran stood alone on the official road.
The black iron spear pointed diagonally at the ground, and rainwater flowed down the tip of the spear in a thin stream.
In the distance, the sound of horses' hooves thundered as the Crown Prince led three thousand iron cavalrymen, kicking up mud as they charged in.
"Whoa—"
The prince reined in his horse and stopped; the bloodstains on his golden armor blurred in the rain.
He stared at the lone figure in the middle of the official road, and when he saw who it was, he suddenly burst into a shrill laugh: "Hahaha... Xie Zhaoran! I was just worried about not being able to find you, and you've delivered yourself to my doorstep!"
He suddenly drew his sword, its blade pointing straight at you: "Today I'll send you to the underworld to reunite with your short-lived parents!"
Through the rain, Xie Zhaoran slowly raised her head.
Rainwater slid down her brow bone, but it couldn't wash away the frost that had formed in her eyes.
She lifted the black iron spear with one hand, the tip of which sliced through the rain: "Then we'll see if you have the ability."
The voice was very soft, yet it made the prince unconsciously tense his back.
Before the last word had even fallen, Xie Zhaoran suddenly spurred his warhorse forward.
The black horse charged out like an arrow, its hooves kicking up mud that drew sharp arcs in the air.
"Fire the arrows! Fire them now!"
The crown prince roared, his voice trembling almost imperceptibly.
In an instant, the sound of something cutting through the air tore through the rain curtain.
However, before the arrows had even reached halfway, deafening shouts of battle suddenly erupted from the cliffs on both sides.
Countless torches lit up at the same time, illuminating the elite troops of Yanzhou who had been lying in ambush for a long time—they were wearing raincoats and their faces were covered with mud, looking like evil spirits crawling out of hell.
"Swish swish——"
The heavy crossbows on the watchtower fired simultaneously, and the specially made three-edged arrowheads easily pierced through the iron armor.
Before the prince's personal guards could even raise their shields, they were pinned down like hedgehogs.
A guard with three arrows stuck in his chest looked down in disbelief before collapsing to the ground with a thud.
Xie Zhaoran's figure had already broken into the enemy ranks.
The black iron spear was like a black dragon emerging from the abyss, each thrust precisely piercing the throat.
A cavalryman swung his sword at her, but she dodged to the side and swept her spear across, knocking him off his horse.
Before the cavalryman even landed, his chest was trampled to pieces by the warhorses behind him.
The prince watched as his personal guards fell like wheat being harvested, and the sinister smile on his face finally froze.
He turned his horse around to try to escape, only to find that his escape route was already blocked.
Xie Zhaoran rode his horse through the rain of arrows, his black iron spear drawing a sharp arc of light.
The prince hurriedly raised his sword to parry, but the spear tip suddenly changed direction and pierced through the neck of his mount.
The warhorse neighed and collapsed, and the prince tumbled into the mud in a sorry state.
Blood dripped from the tip of the black iron spear as Xie Zhaoran slowly walked toward the Crown Prince, who lay slumped in the mud.
The rain washed over the Xie family crest engraved on the gun, giving it a cold, metallic sheen.
"This shot is for my seven-year-old brother."
The spear swept across with a whooshing sound, striking the prince's left knee precisely.
With a sharp "crack," the prince's scream pierced the rain.
He was curled up, his magnificent brocade robe stained with mud, and his golden crown long since rolled away.
"This shot is for my mother."
Xie Zhaoran flicked his wrist, and the tip of the spear flashed like a venomous snake's tongue.
The prince's right arm flew off at shoulder height, leaving a trail of blood in the air. The severed arm landed in the mud, its five fingers still twitching spasmodically.
"Ah—!" The prince rolled in the mud, his screams gradually turning into sobs: "Spare me...I...I'll appoint you as a general...to command the three armies..."
Xie Zhaoran untied the hemp rope from the saddle; the rain had made the rope icy cold.
She knelt on one knee and gently wrapped the noose around the prince's neck, as if she were treating a lover.
From this angle, she could clearly see her reflection in the Crown Prince's eyes—disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes.
"Save your energy." Her fingers deftly tied a knot, her voice so soft that only the two of them could hear, "Make sure you scream louder later."
The knot suddenly tightened, "Let the soldiers of Youzhou City hear how their enemy is howling."
He mounted his horse and tightened the other end of the rope.
The black horse seemed to sense its master's murderous intent, and raised its front hooves high.
"drive!"
The warhorses neighed and charged north.
The rope taut instantly, and the prince's body bounced up on the official road, being dragged along like a rag.
For the first hundred li, heart-wrenching screams could still be heard; gradually, the sounds became intermittent; after thirty li, only a few scattered fragments of golden armor and blurred flesh remained in the bloodstains on the official road.
Xie Zhaoran never looked back.
Raindrops pattered on her straight back, trickling down the patterns on her armor.
Xie Zhaoran only stopped after dragging the man to his death behind the horse.
"Star Returns".
The guards stepped forward, and Xie Zhaoran flashed his sword, and the crown prince's head fell to the ground.
She casually tore off a tattered "Thank You" flag to cover her head, and as she handed it to her guards, the blood dripping from the corner of the flag created small craters in the muddy ground.
“Send him back to Kyoto and tell Gu Zhixing—” she wiped the blood from her face, “It’s time for him to clean up the mess.”
Gu Zhixing has matured a lot during this time and should know what to do.
Even if she doesn't know, it doesn't matter; it's enough that the eldest princess understands.
——
Outside the imperial city.
As dawn broke in the east, morning mist enveloped the city walls.
Gu Zhixing stood in front of the battlements, his black official robes damp with dew, but he was completely unaware.
The mangled corpse carried up by the guards was particularly glaring in the bluish-gray morning light—the once incomparably noble crown prince was now nothing but a blurry mass of flesh and blood, the severed neck jagged as if torn apart by some wild beast.
The wind carried the stench of blood, but Gu Zhixing didn't even flinch.
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