Chapter 272 Leaving the Palace
It was already dark, and this place was in the middle of nowhere with no one around.
Dong Mingchun walked quickly into the octagonal pavilion holding a lantern.
In the dim light of the lantern, he found an arrow mark on the pillar of the pavilion.
He hesitated for a moment, but decided to go in the direction of the arrow.
There is a small forest ahead.
It was pitch black in the woods and I couldn't see anything clearly. Occasionally, I could hear the sound of small animals running by.
Dong Mingchun walked forward cautiously. He was so frightened that his hands were shaking as he held the lantern.
At this moment, a man in black suddenly fell from the sky, and the blade in his hand slashed straight at Dong Mingchun!
Dong Mingchun learned the art of horse riding and archery when he was young, but after working as a civil servant for so many years, he had long forgotten all the skills. In addition, he was old, and his reaction ability was far less agile than when he was young.
He could feel a cold wind blowing above his head, and his instinct told him that there was danger and he had to get out of the way, but his body's reaction speed could not keep up with his brain.
He just stood there blankly.
Just as the blade was about to fall on his head, another sword light suddenly appeared and blocked the fatal blow from the man in black.
The weapons collided in mid-air, making a crisp sound.
Zhao Xian arrived in time with five Yulin Guards and protected Dong Mingchun.
After the man in black landed, he quickly retreated and blew a whistle.
The whistle attracted three more men in black.
The two sides fought a desperate battle.
Zhao Xian was agile and had great martial arts skills, but the four men in black were no pushovers either. They attacked with great ferocity, not even caring about their own life or death. They only wanted to kill each other, and every move was vicious and decisive.
Dong Mingchun looked at the flashing swords and shadows of knives in front of him and turned pale with fright.
He stepped back in a hurry, wanting to leave this dangerous place.
Zhao Xian was so focused on dealing with the men in black that he didn't notice that Dong Mingchun was getting farther and farther away from him. When he heard Dong Mingchun's screams, he discovered that Dong Mingchun's arm was cut and blood was gushing out.
The lantern in Dong Mingchun's hand fell to the ground and immediately caught fire.
He covered the wound on his arm and screamed in pain.
When masters fight, victory or defeat often takes a moment.
Zhao Xian's attention was attracted by Dong Mingchun's shouting, and a man in black took advantage of his weakness and chopped down his chest with the blade in his hand!
Just when he was about to be stabbed, he suddenly felt a heat in his chest.
Then the black-clothed man's knife was bounced away by an invisible force.
This sudden change shocked the man in black.
He had been in the martial arts world for many years and had killed countless innocent people with his sword, but he had never seen such a strange thing.
Zhao Xian reacted quickly. He took advantage of the opponent's moment of distraction and pierced his throat with a sword.
The man in black fell straight into a pool of blood without even closing his eyes, and the stunned expression on his face was frozen forever.
Zhao Xian rushed to Dong Mingchun as quickly as possible, protected Dong Mingchun behind him, and continued to fight with the other men in black.
Two of the four men in black were killed in succession. Seeing that the situation was not good, the remaining two immediately carried the bodies of their companions and retreated.
All six people on Zhao Xian's side were injured and their movements were restricted. In addition, Dong Mingchun fainted due to excessive blood loss. Zhao Xian decisively chose to give up the pursuit.
They escorted Dong Mingchun back to Shengjing City.
It was not until the next morning that Luo Qinghan learned that Dong Mingchun had been assassinated.
Zhao Xian recounted the entire incident truthfully and in detail.
Luo Qinghan asked: "Can you tell the origins of those four men in black?"
Zhao Xian had thought about this question all night last night and answered it without hesitation.
"From their decisive and efficient style of doing things, they seem to be professional assassins, especially the two who escaped. Their martial arts skills are very strong. If they are really assassins, they must be masters among assassins. I have a few friends in the martial arts world. I will ask them later to see if I can find any clues."
Luo Qinghan nodded: "I'll leave this matter to you."
"Yes."
Luo Qinghan then asked, "How is Dong Mingchun now?"
Zhao Xian: "Minister Dong's right arm was stabbed, the wound is a bit deep, and he lost a lot of blood. He is recuperating at home."
Luo Qinghan said: "Thank you for your hard work last night, go back and take care of your injuries."
"I obey your command."
He turned around and limped out of Minguang Palace.
While fighting with the killers last night, his right leg was accidentally cut. Fortunately, the wound was not deep and did not hurt his tendons and bones. He should be able to heal after a few days of rest.
In fact, he really wanted to ask about the amulet.
Last night he was nearly killed by a knife attack from a man in black, but at the critical moment the knife was deflected by an invisible force. Afterwards he checked his injuries and found that the amulet originally placed on his chest had turned black.
Zhao Xian guessed that the reason why he was lucky enough to escape the disaster was probably related to this amulet.
He really wanted to know where this amulet came from and why it had such a magical effect?
But reason told him that there were some things that were not within his control.
So he wisely chose to keep his mouth shut and not mention the amulet.
At noon, Luo Qinghan went to Qingge Palace.
He had lunch with Xiao Xixi.
Xiao Xixi gnawed on the duck neck with relish. The duck neck had been boiled in brine for a long time and was very flavorful and delicious.
Luo Qinghan looked at her expressionlessly.
How greedy this woman is for meat that she wouldn't even let go of the tiny bit of meat on the duck's neck.
Seeing that he was looking at her, Xiao Xixi thought that he wanted to eat too, so she pushed the plate of duck neck in front of her towards him and spoke enthusiastically.
"Your Highness, would you like to try it too? This duck neck is delicious."
Luo Qinghan refused.
He doesn't want to eat such dirty food!
After eating and drinking, Xiao Xixi was about to take a nap as usual, but was stopped by Luo Qinghan.
"Change your clothes and go out of the palace with me to do something."
Xiao Xixi was very surprised: "Why are you leaving the palace?"
"Dong Mingchun was injured in an assassination attempt last night. I want to go see him and learn about the details. Maybe I can use you there."
Xiao Xixi is still very dedicated in her work.
She reluctantly gave up her lunch break plan and nodded in agreement.
She changed into a light, lilac-colored skirt with narrow sleeves and followed the prince out of the palace, accompanied by two young eunuchs and a dozen Jade Lin Guards.
The group arrived at Dong's house safely.
Upon learning that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince was visiting, Dong Mingchun climbed out of bed with his injured arm and went out with his sons to welcome him.
The Dong family members knelt down at the door.
Dong Mingchun knelt in the front and said respectfully, "I didn't know that His Royal Highness the Crown Prince would come. I am sorry for not welcoming you. I hope Your Highness will forgive me."
Luo Qinghan said calmly: "No need to be polite, stand up and talk."
Dong Mingchun stood up with the help of his two sons.
Because of his injury, Dong Mingchun's face was extremely pale. He took a step back and moved aside to let the prince go first.
(End of this chapter)
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