Chapter 58 The facts prove that it works
Zhong Min quickly put on her clothes and went out to check, but saw Xie Feng and his men waiting in the yard, and soon Xiao Mingzheng also came out of the house.
"What happened?" Xiao Mingzheng asked Xie Feng who came over at this time.
"Your Highness, an assassin just tried to sneak into the palace. This person was extremely skilled in martial arts and bypassed the first two lines of defense. Fortunately, he was discovered in time by a high-ranking sentry in the dark." Xie Feng said immediately, "When he saw his tracks were exposed, he fled without a fight. The secret guards have already pursued him, but I am worried about your safety, so I rushed here to check on him."
"Are you sure there's only one person?" Xiao Mingzheng asked back. This was the first time in such a long time that someone came alone to kill him.
"I'm sure there's only one person," Xie Feng said confidently. "I even fought him. His martial arts skills are unfathomable. If he hadn't immediately retreated without any hesitation, he would have been able to force his way through the third line of defense and enter the inner courtyard."
As he was speaking, another secret guard hurried into the courtyard and came forward to report to Xiao Mingzheng: "Your Highness, I failed in my duties. I let that person escape shortly after leaving the palace. Please punish me, Your Highness."
The person who reported was one of the best martial artists among the secret guards. When Xiao Mingzheng heard that even he had lost the man so quickly, he couldn't help but frown slightly. It seemed that this person's martial arts skills were so powerful.
"Alright, you can go first." He waved his hand, signaling the secret guard to withdraw first, and did not blame him for this. Seeing this, the secret guard immediately accepted the order, thanked him, and quickly retreated.
"Xie Feng, did you see that person's appearance clearly?" Xiao Mingzheng turned to ask Xie Feng again.
Upon hearing this, Xie Feng immediately replied, "Your Highness, that man's face was covered, so I couldn't see him. However, he was tall and sturdy, and at most in his twenties. Also, his eyes were sharp, and one could tell at a glance that he possessed extraordinary internal strength. There aren't many people in the martial arts world who have achieved such accomplishments at such a young age. I think we could start by investigating from this aspect."
"No need, I already know who he is." Xiao Mingzheng shook his head slightly: "Okay, there's nothing to do here, you can take your men and leave."
"Yes!" Xie Feng didn't expect that Xiao Mingzheng had guessed the identity of the person who sneaked in tonight based on his previous few descriptions. He was very curious for a moment, but did not ask too much. Instead, he immediately took the order and retreated with the guards.
Zhong Min listened for a while and felt that the person Xie Feng had just described was somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember who it was. Just as she was thinking hard, she suddenly heard Xiao Mingzheng ask her, "What's the matter?"
She immediately came back to her senses, looked at Xiao Mingzheng, and said casually: "It's okay, I was just thinking about what happened just now."
"Even such a master was discovered so quickly. It seems you are quite good at this." Xiao Mingzheng said with a hint of meaning, "I am really curious where you learned all this."
"I'm curious too." Zhong Min smiled unnaturally. "If I ever think of it, I'll definitely tell His Majesty right away."
"Really? I'm actually even more curious about your selective amnesia." Xiao Mingzheng suddenly smiled unexpectedly, and then without saying anything else, he turned around and went back to the house.
Seeing Xiao Mingzheng's sinister expression, Zhong Min couldn't help but pout at his departing figure, thinking it would be better if people weren't so curious. Really, what kind of person is this? He's always trying to figure her out.
But who knew that Xiao Mingzheng seemed to have eyes on his back. He suddenly stopped and turned around, catching Zhong Min's action in the act.
Zhong Min had never expected such a surprise and was extremely embarrassed for a moment. Fortunately, she reacted quickly and patted her forehead. With a look of sudden enlightenment, she said to Xiao Mingzheng, "Your Highness, I remember who the night visitor was that Commander Xie mentioned just now."
"You know that too?" Xiao Mingzheng didn't point out Zhong Min's behavior when he saw this. He turned around suddenly because he wanted to tell her about this, but he didn't expect that she would take the initiative to draw attention to this aspect in a hurry.
Zhong Min nodded and said confidently, "From what Commander Xie said just now, it's clear this man isn't out to assassinate me. Furthermore, judging by Commander Xie's description of his build, age, and especially the characteristics of his eyes, I think he's most likely the masked man who came to see me in the middle of the night a few days ago. In other words..."
Having said that, she took a step forward and continued to speak to Xiao Mingzheng in a low voice: "In other words, this person should be looking for me, the former Li Jiner."
Xiao Mingzheng always felt a little strange about Zhong Min's description. What was the old Li Jin'er? It was as if they were two completely different people.
However, since she had already guessed it, there was no need to waste his breath. He nodded slightly and said, "Alright, I will handle this matter myself. You don't have to worry about it. Just take care of the trip to Lin County the day after tomorrow."
After saying this, Xiao Mingzheng did not linger any longer and turned back into the house. Seeing that he had already gone in, Zhong Min finally breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed that Xiao Mingzheng was just as she had guessed. The person who came to visit her at night must be the man in black who came to see her last time.
If the man in black couldn't contact her this time, he would definitely take other actions. Xiao Mingzheng said he would handle the matter, and she didn't know how it would develop. But no matter what, she hoped that this wouldn't cause her any unnecessary trouble.
She just wanted to be able to leave this troubled place quietly without any trouble when her deal with Xiao Mingzheng was perfectly concluded, and find a place where no one knew her, or knew Li Jiner, to start a new life.
The next morning, Zhong Min successfully obtained all the information and data she wanted from the intelligence personnel sent out, and then went to the small courtyard that had become her temporary office with Luo Jiaxing and Xie Feng to arrange security matters for the trip to Lin County.
This time, she designed two implementation plans, one for active use and one for backup, with detailed preparations made for every aspect. From departure to return, every conceivable step was carefully planned. After reviewing the details, Luo Jiaxing and Xie Feng felt there was nothing more to add.
"That's the specific arrangement, but some locations will require special measures." Zhong Min analyzed objectively, "I've already sent people to scout ahead of time. We'll be deploying personnel to control commanding heights wherever we need to stop along the way, to secure any possible hiding places for the assassin. Therefore, the most likely location for the assassin to attack is when the prince is interacting with the people of Lin County. At that time, with so many people present, it's impossible to search them all. The assassin could easily blend in with the crowd and launch a fatal attack. At that point, we'd be hard-pressed to defend ourselves."
"In this case, what should we do to absolutely guarantee the prince's safety?" Luo Jiaxing agreed with Zhong Min's analysis. Obviously, this was the most difficult part of the entire external defense. Since Zhong Min was able to find such a problem, she should have a way to solve it with her ability.
"Yes, sister, we have to be on guard even if it's hard to guard against it. Just tell me what to do. I promise to do as you say." Xie Feng was impatient and asked immediately.
Zhong Min was silent for a moment, then looked at Luo Jiaxing and Xie Feng and said affirmatively: "Since it is impossible to prevent it, we can only find and solve this hidden danger first."
"Find them out? You just said it. There will be so many people there, and a few assassins mixed in with the people. How can it be so easy to find them?" Xie Feng was even more anxious when he heard it. "We can't make any mistakes. If there is a mistake, no matter how much we do before, it will be useless."
"Commander Xie, don't be anxious. Let her finish what she is saying first." Luo Jiaxing understood Zhong Min's personality better after all, so he immediately spoke to comfort Xie Feng and signaled Zhong Min to finish what she was saying.
Zhong Min smiled slightly, then said in a deep voice, "Generally speaking, assassins can be divided into three categories. The first category is the average level. These individuals haven't received much professional training. Because they're concerned about something, they often exhibit unusual behavior when doing something like this, such as blushing, sweating, and slight tremors in their hands and feet. So, these individuals are easy to spot with careful observation."
"The second category is the expert level. These individuals generally undergo professional assassination training and possess exceptional mental fortitude and control, so they don't exhibit any unusual reactions before striking. However, they also have a fatal flaw: they appear overly calm and composed. A close look at their eyes reveals a resolute determination and fearlessness, ready to face death head-on. Therefore, these individuals can be identified with careful identification."
"As for the third category..." Zhong Min paused and shook his head slightly, obviously a little worried.
Seeing this, Luo Jiaxing couldn't help but frown, and then asked: "What about the third category?"
"The third category is the top-tier assassins who have reached the state of selflessness. These individuals not only possess all the necessary assassination skills and mental fortitude for a top-tier assassin, but also, for them, no matter how dangerous the assassination, is as commonplace as eating. Precisely because of these abilities and mentality, even after they succeed, they can act like ordinary people, completely unconcerned. They possess no weaknesses at all."
Zhong Min spoke frankly, "Theoretically, everyone has emotions and desires. No matter how strong a person is, they have weaknesses. It's not easy to truly achieve this level of selflessness and reach the pinnacle of assassinity. But human nature is strange. Some people are able to transcend themselves. While the probability of training a master of this level is low, just one such person can become the most deadly crisis."
"What if we really run into this kind of top-level killer?" Luo Jiaxing's heart tightened, and he blurted out the question that concerned him most.
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