Chapter 78 A Secret Maneuver
Upon hearing this, Xuan Yunzi stroked his beard and chuckled, his gaze seemingly sweeping over Yu Beichen as he slowly said, "Your Highness is very kind. However, my expertise lies in toxicology and medicinal properties, and I am not particularly skilled in treating external injuries caused by weapons or regulating internal energy."
“Although His Highness’s injuries are severe, his foundation is solid. Now that he has received careful treatment from a skilled physician,” he emphasized the word “skilled physician” with a hidden meaning, “it is only a matter of time before he recovers. I should not presume to do so.”
He paused, a rather amused smile appearing on his face, and lowered his voice: "Besides, some people might not like others interfering in such personal medical work. I'd better be sensible and avoid offending others, hehe."
Lou Jin glanced at his elder brother, Lou Yan, and saw that Lou Yan's expression was normal, but his eyes were subtly glancing at Yu Beichen beside him.
Upon hearing Xuan Yunzi's suggestive words, Yu Beichen's fingers tightened slightly as he gripped the strap of the medicine box.
Seeing this, Lou Jin understood and stopped insisting. He readily agreed and said to Xuan Yunzi, "The Imperial Preceptor has considered everything carefully. I was being presumptuous. In that case, I will trouble Mr. Yu to take care of my brother's injuries."
Yu Beichen nodded slightly in response, his cold voice devoid of emotion: "It's my duty."
This little incident did not affect the main business.
Lou Yan took over the conversation and said in a deep voice, "Now that the plan has been decided, let's split up and prepare. The army will set off tomorrow, and I will make all the arrangements. Third brother, you must be careful during your operation tonight."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty." Lou Jin nodded solemnly.
Once the agreement was reached, Lou Yan, supported by Yu Beichen, left first to arrange related matters.
As Lou Yan turned around, her arm seemed to inadvertently move closer to Yu Beichen's support. Although Yu Beichen remained expressionless, his hand supporting her was steady and firm, without the slightest resistance.
Only Lou Jin, Ye Xunyang, and Xuan Yunzi remained in the courtyard.
Xuan Yunzi looked at Ye Xunyang, whose legs were not quite steady, and then at Lou Jin, who was full of energy. He couldn't help but shake his head and chuckle, and reminded him meaningfully, "Your Highness, Your Highness, we still have to travel tonight. We should... conserve our energy and restrain ourselves."
After saying that, without waiting for the two to react, he chuckled and turned away.
Ye Xunyang wanted to crawl into a hole and disappear.
Lou Jin looked at him, his smile deepening. He reached out and put his arm around Ye Xunyang's waist, helping him up from the stone bench. He said in a low voice, "The Imperial Advisor is right, we need to travel tonight." His tone was slightly teasing. "So, the rest... we can make up for it slowly after things in the capital are settled."
The night was as dark as ink, quietly enveloping Qingquan Post Station.
The main force of the army remained stationed outside the post station, with campfires flickering and the patrolling soldiers' footsteps sounding regular and heavy; everything seemed calm and normal.
But near an inconspicuous side gate at the innermost part of the post station, several dark figures had quietly gathered.
Lou Jin changed into a dark blue outfit, with an inconspicuous gray cloak over it, the brim of the hood pulled low to cover most of his face.
Ye Xunyang, also dressed smartly with a sword at his waist, followed closely beside Lou Jin.
Behind them were eight secret guards carefully selected by Wushan.
Lou Yan, accompanied by Yu Beichen, personally came to see him off.
He patted Lou Jin on the shoulder, his voice low: "Be careful. If anything changes, follow the signal, and I will lead the army to provide support."
"Rest assured, Your Majesty, we'll meet again in the capital." Lou Jin nodded solemnly, his gaze meeting Lou Yan's. The unspoken trust and support between the brothers was palpable.
He then looked at Yu Beichen and nodded slightly: "Brother, I'll leave it to you, sir."
Yu Beichen's cool eyes appeared exceptionally deep in the night, and he responded with a faint sound.
Without much farewell, Lou Jin and his group, like water droplets blending into the night, silently exited through the side gate and quickly disappeared at the end of the rugged path outside the post station.
They chose a mountain path far from the official road, which was more secluded but also more difficult to traverse.
According to the plan, they would disguise themselves as merchants traveling to the capital to visit relatives, while Feng Bao would be disguised as a seriously ill old servant and mixed in with the group, guarded closely by two secret guards.
The mountain road was rugged, and the night wind was biting.
The group moved forward in silence, with only the rolling of gravel underfoot and the occasional chirping of insects to be heard.
Ye Xunyang always maintained a position half a step to the left and in front of Lou Jin. This angle allowed him to protect Lou Jin completely and deal with attacks from the flanks immediately.
Lou Jin followed behind. He took the pill given to him by Xuan Yunzi. His face looked pale in the night, and he deliberately walked with an unsteady gait, perfectly playing the role of a patient whose "old poison has relapsed".
After traveling for about an hour, they had penetrated deep into the heart of the mountains and forests.
The surroundings grew increasingly quiet, even the chirping of insects became sparse.
Suddenly, Ye Xunyang raised his hand and gripped the hilt of his sword. The entire team stopped instantly, and the guards silently dispersed, forming a defensive formation.
"There's movement." Ye Xunyang lowered his voice, his sharp eyes scanning a dense thicket of bushes to his left.
Lou Jin's eyes narrowed, and he quietly placed his hand on the soft sword at his waist.
Several whooshing sounds suddenly rang out, not from the front, but from the rear and the right side of the mountain forest they had just passed through!
"Enemy attack! Protect the master!" Wushan shouted in a low voice. The guards brandished their weapons and accurately deflected most of the crossbow bolts. The shield bearers quickly stepped forward to protect Lou Jin and Feng Bao, who was disguised as an old servant, in the core position.
Ye Xunyang drew his longsword, its light flashing like a bolt of lightning, and cut down all the crossbow bolts aimed at Lou Jin!
After the first wave of arrows, dozens of dark figures emerged from the surrounding woods like ghosts, wielding various weapons, and attacked without a word!
These people were swift and coordinated, their moves ruthless and aimed directly at vital points.
"Kill!" Ye Xunyang shouted, taking the lead in meeting the enemy.
Lou Jin did not make a move immediately. He maintained his sickly appearance and calmly surveyed the battlefield from within the guards' protective circle.
He was observing, searching for a potential leader, and more importantly, judging whether the other party's target was him or Feng Bao.
The battle was extremely fierce. Although the guards were all elite, they were outnumbered and were quickly tied up.
One of the assassins seemed to realize that Lou Jin was the core, and he broke through the defense line without regard for anything else, thrusting his poisoned dagger straight at Lou Jin's heart!
As the blade was about to strike, a cold glint flashed in Lou Jin's eyes, and he was about to make his move.
A longsword, arriving after the opponent, precisely blocked the short knife!
Ye Xunyang turned around to save the day, blocking the fatal blow, and then with a backhand strike, forced the assassin back.
"Your Highness, please don't move!" Ye Xunyang said urgently, then turned around again to face the other enemies.
Just then, a leader of the assassins hiding in the shadows locked his gaze on Feng Bao, who was being closely guarded.
He suddenly raised his hand, and a uniquely shaped hidden arrow silently shot towards Feng Bao.
This arrow was incredibly fast and shot at an extremely tricky angle.
"Watch out!" One of the guards responsible for watching over Feng Bao noticed in time and tried to push Feng Bao away, but it was too late!
Just as Feng Bao was about to be killed by an arrow, Lou Jin flicked his wrist, and a black iron caltrop pierced towards the hidden arrow.
"puff!"
The caltrops, though launched later, struck the hidden arrow with perfect precision.
The hidden arrow was deflected by the impact, grazing Feng Bao's neck before embedding itself deeply into the tree trunk behind him.
Upon seeing this, the leader of the assassins revealed an expression of disbelief, which then transformed into an even deeper killing intent.
He stared intently at Lou Jin for a moment, then let out a whistle. The remaining assassins immediately retreated and quickly disappeared into the dark forest.
The battle came quickly and went quickly.
The mountains and forests returned to silence, leaving only a mess and the corpses of several assassins.
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