Chapter 47 Second Assassination
The distance suddenly became chaotic, and the noise and commotion spread far away. Wen Yao could hear it.
But three or four men surrounded her, watching closely. Diela, holding a double-crescent scimitar in each hand, struck with unparalleled ferocity, aiming directly at Wen Yao's vital points. As soon as Wen Yao raised her head to glance in the emperor's direction, he seized the opportunity and slashed through the air.
Wen Yao raised her hand to block the powerful blow, and Die La followed suit with his right hand, slashing the blade towards her waist. The other Liao soldiers also surrounded her, stabbing at Wen Yao from all directions with their swords and knives.
Zhongli He was piercing the shoulder of the Liao warrior blocking his way with a sword. He drew his sword, two drops of blood splattering on his face, and raised his long leg to kick the man in the chest, sending him flying. Turning around and seeing such a dangerous scene, even though he knew Wen Yao's skills, his pupils narrowed slightly and he blurted out, "Be careful!"
Wen Yao's hand holding the Xingyi Sword was very steady, exactly the same as the look in her eyes.
With a slight twist of her waist, she soared into the air. The Xingyi Sword and the Dielan Crescent Blade rubbed against each other, making a sound that made one's gums ache. She raised her leg and kicked the other man's back. The Xingyi Sword shone coldly, and her internal energy was so powerful that she suddenly cut through one of the Dielan Crescent Blades with a single blow.
Wen Yao landed lightly and looked up again into the distance. Three steps in front of the emperor, the woman holding the long hairpin and confronting Song Mingde had her back to him. But even with just a silhouette, Wen Yao immediately recognized her.
She almost laughed out loud.
Great, impressive. She'd been avoiding him, sending him brothels every few days, and she'd thought he'd died down, but she'd been saving up her energy until today. Looking back, who could have assassinated the emperor twice in a month? That's a real honor for her.
The emperor's sudden assassination interrupted the progress at Lone Star Terrace. Whether at the lakeside or below the stage, people from various countries stopped and rushed back to protect their own envoys in the chaos to avoid being implicated.
Only Diela and others were still surrounding Wen Yao tightly.
Zhongli He subconsciously stopped in time as he was walking towards Wen Yao. He glanced at Wen Yao, then turned around and ran to rescue him.
This was the second time the Tianshui Dynasty officials had encountered such a scene. The previous time, it was on the street, but this time, they were surrounded by an open-air venue, empty and with nowhere to hide. They could only huddle together, trembling, completely losing the gentlemanly demeanor they had just shown in the Jiying Hall.
More and more palace maids and eunuchs tore off their human-skin masks, drew their weapons, and charged toward the center of the chaos. The concubines panicked, bamboo curtains were torn down, and fine wine spilled all over the floor. The generals wanted to rush to the emperor's aid, but they lacked swords and were at a disadvantage against the assassins with their bare hands. The stench of blood filled the air, and everyone was in a state of extreme distress.
Zhang Yun pulled his sleeves to cover his face, groaning, but he moved swiftly, squeezing past the others and hiding behind Zhao Xuanxu. He barely managed a sigh of relief. He was a scholar, weak and vulnerable. If he were kidnapped by an assassin or stabbed for no apparent reason, he would be in dire straits.
He wiped the sweat from his forehead and looked up at Zhao Xuanxu.
Zhao Xuanxu had already stood up, his deep black eyes fixed on Wen Yao, his right hand holding a silver chopstick, his fingers gently twisting it, his arm lines tense.
Zhang Yun was familiar with Zhao Xuanxu, and seeing his expression, he thought he was about to step forward to help Wen Yao. But Zhao Xuanxu didn't. He ignored the chaos around him, and didn't look at the emperor. His entire attention was on Wen Yao. He looked like he was ready to explode, but he didn't move or speak.
Zhang Yun's eyes darted around, he glanced at the emperor's side, then looked at Wen Yao who couldn't get away for the time being but would be fine. The sudden thought in his mind quickly faded away, and he stood aside calmly without saying a word.
It was Prince Xiang who spoke first among the few people.
His cheerful, good-natured Maitreya Buddha-like expression disappeared, and his face suddenly darkened, looking quite menacing at first glance: "What does Bei Liao mean by this?! Stop it now!"
Yelu Huishi stood firmly where he was, squinting his eyes at the crowd huddled before the imperial carriage. Admittedly, he hadn't expected someone to attempt an assassination on the Tianshui Emperor at this very moment. The imperial guards hadn't arrived yet, and the most formidable individual was being held back by Diela... Yelu Huishi pursed his lips and said hypocritically, "Prince Xiang, Diela is not one of my men. He won't stop until blood is shed. I can't stop him."
The people you brought out don't listen to you. Will anyone believe what you said?
The King of Qin immediately kicked the table, sending it crashing to the ground with a resounding thud. "You're talking so much nonsense and refusing to release them. Could it be that these assassins are colluding with Northern Liao?"
"Your Highness, Prince of Qin." Agu stood beside Yelu Huishi and warned, "Don't speak carelessly."
The King of Qin sneered: "A slave has no right to speak here!"
King Yong stood up.
He looked at Zhao Xuanxu, turned around, pushed away the palace maids blocking his way, strode towards Princess Yong, and held the pale Princess Yong tightly in his arms.
After a few brief arguments, Jiang Qiaosheng and Song Mingde were fighting again on the high platform in the distance.
Song Mingde's martial arts skills were indeed quite impressive, but compared to Jiang Qiaosheng, whose sole occupation was killing, he was still far behind. Jiang Qiaosheng's moves were mysterious and unpredictable, his internal energy as sinister and venomous as a venomous snake baring its fangs. If the Red Pavilion Master hadn't been so secretive, no one would have known which assassin had carried out the task. Jiang Qiaosheng would likely have been ranked high on Bai Xiaosheng's expert rankings.
And this time she really chose a very good time to take action.
Jiang Qiaosheng's round, upturned eyes gleamed with a smile. With her long hairpin, she poked Song Mingde's knife aside. With ghostly speed, she advanced and slapped him in the chest. Under the immense internal energy, Song Mingde's internal organs felt as if they were shattering. His throat felt hot, and sweet, fishy blood welled up around his lips, turning them a bright red.
He was distracted for a moment, and Jiang Qiaosheng's hairpin slipped out of his hand and was about to sink into the emperor's heart.
Zhongli He's heart was beating like a drum. He didn't have time to rush over, so he picked up a scattered candied fruit and hit it on the long hairpin with a flick of his finger.
The long hairpin shot towards the emperor with great force, but was only slightly deflected, grazed the emperor's heart, pierced his chest, and nailed to the jade screen behind the emperor with a trail of blood.
Under the real threat of death, the palace servants and eunuchs scattered in fear, leaving the emperor slumped on the bench, his hair crown askew, the sharp pain in his chest causing him to gasp for air, his face looking extremely grim.
Hairpins are worn on the head, so it is not easy to apply poison on them.
Jiang Qiaosheng frowned and sighed, feeling a pity. She showed no respect for the injured True Dragon Emperor, her supreme authority, and looked at him as if he were an animal waiting to be slaughtered. She took two steps forward and reached out, intending to twist the Emperor's head.
Song Mingde struggled to swallow the blood in his throat. At the same moment, Zhongli He arrived. Without a word, the two attacked Jiang Qiaosheng, forcing him to stop what he was doing and pull out another long hairpin from his bun to meet the two.
On Wen Yao's side, the crescent moon knife was destroyed. Die La was extremely angry and rushed towards Wen Yao with a roar.
Wen Yao withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Die La who was pouncing on him like a large beast, and he also lost his patience.
Now that the emperor has been assassinated, this pretentious friendly match should be over.
The Xingyi Sword no longer deliberately avoided Die La's vital point, its blade intent even more murderous than before. A cold shadow cast across Wen Yao's fierce features, and with one sharp strike, he severed Die La's left arm. Blood spurted from the scarlet cut, soaking half of Wen Yao's face.
Diela's eyes widened as he watched his arm fall to the ground. Before he could react, he felt a pain in his throat. The Xingyi Sword pierced through his flesh, twisting and turning, easily severing his head. Wen Yao turned again, seeing Jiang Qiaosheng surrounded. He took a deep breath, kicked a Liao soldier, and flew away from the Lone Star Terrace.
And even at this time, her Liao people still wanted to chase her.
The silver chopsticks Zhao Xuanxu had been holding flew out, piercing a bloody hole between one man's eyebrows. Wen Yao landed and swung his sword, sending petals flying from the winter-blooming flowers in the pots on the lakeside railing. Wen Yao gathered them in his palm and slapped them away.
With the influx of internal energy, the originally delicate petals became sharper than a blade, piercing the Liao people's bodies from every joint. With a muffled groan, they lost their strength and fell into the lake. Then, large clouds of blood mist floated in the lake.
Those who hadn't had time to catch up felt a sinking feeling in their hearts.
The most powerful martial artist in the world can hurt people with just a flying flower or a picked leaf.
"Take another step forward." Wen Yao's eyes fell on those people like knives, and his voice was cold and hard: "I will make you lose your heads."
The head of the person who had made the previous mistake was still on the ground, the blood still not coagulating. This threat was very effective when it came out of Wen Yao's mouth.
It was as if roots had grown on the feet of those Liao people, and they could no longer move forward.
Wen Yao let out a deep breath and turned around.
Between her and Zhao Xuanxu lay a tumble of tumbling tables and chairs and the chaotic scurrying of palace servants, but in that instant, her gaze was immediately captured by Zhao Xuanxu, who was staring at her without blinking. Their eyes met, and Wen Yao could clearly see Zhao Xuanxu's pupils.
He was far away from the center of the assassination chaos, and no one would kidnap the dangerous and uncertain Prince Yan, so he was undoubtedly safe.
After confirming this, Wen Yao felt relieved and walked towards Jiang Qiaosheng who was fighting with Song Mingde and Zhong Lihe with his sword in hand.
Jiang Qiaosheng could handle Song Mingde, but with Zhongli He as well, she wouldn't be able to kill the emperor anymore.
Jiang Qiaosheng saw Wen Yao rushing towards him angrily from the corner of his eye. He felt something was wrong and the smile on his face faded. As he turned his palm, a poisonous mist spread out.
This fog is strange and it feels like burning fire when it falls on people's skin.
Song Mingde and Zhong Lihe were the closest and were the first to be hit by the poisonous mist. Feeling excruciating pain in their eyes, mouths, and noses, they had no choice but to step back, covering their faces with their arms, to let Jiang Qiaosheng leave.
At some point, a stone door suddenly opened in the rockery shaded by wintersweets.
The stone gate was extremely secretive. Two Red Pavilion assassins stood in front, blades in hand. Jiang Qiaosheng passed them and entered the stone gate without looking back.
This seemed like a signal. The assassins on the field all withdrew their attacks and quickly rushed to the stone gate to file in. Only the assassins near Yelu Huishi were different. They did not follow their companions, but instead quietly and slowly approached Yelu Huishi.
No one noticed this change, and everyone's eyes were focused on the stone gate and the emperor.
At this moment, several assassins suddenly stepped forward and shot out arrows from their sleeves. The short arrows stained with poison came from all directions and pierced Yelu Huishi's body unexpectedly!
No one expected that the assassin who originally assassinated the Emperor of Tianshui would kill the Prince of Beiliao without any warning.
Before Yelu Huishi's expression could change, he collapsed with his eyes open and head tilted back. After a brief moment of shock, Agu shouted and rushed forward to catch Yelu Huishi's trembling body.
Yelu Huishi was struck by three arrows, and the wounds turned black at a speed visible to the naked eye. Agu was immediately extremely anxious and looked up and shouted, "Call a doctor!"
Zhao Xuanxu stood nearby, his skirt draped to the ground, still tall and graceful. He glanced at Yelu Huishi's pale lips, then turned and left without hesitation, surprisingly not caring at all.
The incident was so sudden that the King of Qin waited until Agu called out several times before reacting. His heart trembled, and he eyed the assassins warily. They ignored him, didn't come up to him, and instead, after quickly biting open the poison sac hidden in their teeth, they collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
The King of Qin gritted his teeth, glared at the person beside him and said, "What are you still standing there for? Go call the imperial physician!"
The situation between Tianshui and Northern Liao was already tense enough. Yelu Huishi could die, but he must not die in Tianshui.
His roar could be heard far away beside the rockery.
The two assassins guarding the stone gate flashed into the passage, and then a loud muffled sound came from the stone gate. A huge stone fell and blocked the door tightly, cutting off the pursuit.
Wen Yao was a step too late. She sheathed her sword, placed her palm on the boulder, poured her inner strength into it, and gave it a tentative push, but the boulder remained motionless.
Song Mingde strode over with his clothes fluttering. His face was pale and his lips were stained red with blood, which only highlighted the murderous look between his eyebrows. "Open it."
Wen Yao's mouth twitched: "I can't open it."
Song Mingde obviously didn't believe it: "Can't you break this stone?"
Wen Yao lied: "This is the bluestone from the tomb. By the time I open it, the assassins will have run away. You'd better use gunpowder to blow it up faster."
Song Mingde's face was uncertain, and he stared at Wen Yao as if he wanted to say something.
Before he could speak, Zhao Xuanxu came over from behind and grabbed Wen Yao's wrist as if no one was around.
He took a bath several times a day, and there was always a faint fragrance on his body and hair. As he got closer, this mellow scent immediately diluted the bloody smell in Wen Yao's nose.
Zhao Xuanxu glanced at Song Mingde and asked, "Aren't you going to see the emperor?"
Now that the assassins were gone, the palace maids and concubines dared to emerge again, rushing forward and weeping and surrounding the unconscious emperor on the chair. On the other side, the Liao people were also loud and powerful, and their momentum was no less than theirs.
The court banquet was completely ruined because it was so absurd that the scene at this moment even seemed weird and funny.
Song Mingde's forehead throbbed, his eyes fierce, and he left in a huff. Zhongli He glanced at Wen Yao deeply, then turned around and went to find Prince Yong.
The surroundings fell silent. Zhao Xuanxu reached out and carefully wiped away the blood on Wen Yao's face and neck with his warm fingertips. He whispered, "Yelü Huishi is dying. Friend Ayao is not here to kill the emperor, but to kill him."
Yelu Huishi's poison was fierce and effective quickly. Compared to him, the emperor, despite being injured and lying in a chair, was not poisoned. Once the imperial physician arrived, his chances of survival were greater than Yelu Huishi's.
Wen Yao paused, and in a flash, a guess exploded in her mind like thunder.
Her hands felt a little cold, and she suddenly recalled that day in front of the steaming wonton stall. She told Lou Chengyi that she would see her off when he left, but Lou Chengyi just looked at her without responding.
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