As he rode out, the cold wind and snow blew against his face, startling many pedestrians. Just as he crossed a bridge, he felt something was amiss. There were no pedestrians on the bridge.
At that moment, Pei Zi Yun felt his hair stand on end. He turned around and hid under the horse. He heard several "pu pu" sounds as more than ten arrows hit the horse.
The horse neighed and fell down. Pei Zi Yun had already pounced forward and stuck to the ground. In a blink of an eye, he was in the midst of a group of black robed men.
As he neared, he did not have time to fire his crossbow. One of them let out a short whistle, and the ten of them split into two groups. The first group had five men, and all of a sudden, a lasso shot towards Pei Zi Yun.
This change was unexpected. The remaining five groups pulled out their swords, and the light from their swords gushed out.
"Wind Cloud Body!"
His shadow flashed, and his speed increased by a notch. All the lassos missed. With a "pu" sound, the nearest person fell to the ground, fresh blood spurting out from his right side.
Without hesitation, the swords slashed down fiercely. With a "zeng" sound, sparks flew. The sword blocked the blow, and the person who attacked the swords spat out a mouthful of blood. He did not advance, but instead retreated.
This was not to kill the enemy, but to block Pei Zi Yun's path. Behind him, three swords were released, and the entire space was sealed.
"I am invincible!" This was the sword technique of a soldier.
"Zeng zeng zeng" The shadows scattered in all directions.
Pei Zi Yun's eyes flashed coldly. He saw that his clothes had been torn open, and underneath was a layer of soft armor. The soft armor had been cut open, but miraculously, it did not break his skin. There was only a thin red line.
This was an injury caused by the sword's energy.
"Ugh …." The black robed guard opposite him fell to the ground, blood spurting out like a fountain.
The one on the right had lost his right leg, and was struggling on the ground. The left side of his head had been sliced off, and one could see the white blood underneath his skull.
In the next moment, Pei Zi Yun did not stop. He became one with his sword and pounced forward, not giving the black robed guard any time to recover. His movements were as smooth as flowing water.
Behind him, he threw away the lassos and pulled out his sword. Suddenly, Pei Zi Yun's shadow disappeared. No, he did not disappear. He changed his direction rapidly, and sank down. What followed was a merciless flash of his sword.
"Pu!" It looked like the leader of the black-robed guards had been stabbed in the forehead. The forehead was already very hard, but at this moment, it was as if the sword had pierced through tofu. There was not much blood in this area, and there was only a muffled sound. The leader subconsciously touched his forehead, but when his hand reached out halfway, he lost all strength and consciousness and fell straight down.
One of the black-robed guards suddenly shouted. He did not dodge or evade, allowing the sword to pierce through his chest and into his back. He desperately held onto the edge of the sword. "Kill me …"
The black-robed guard behind him stabbed forward with his two blades. With two "pu pu" sounds, the blades pierced into the black-robed guard's body and continued to stab forward with a fountain of blood.
The black-robed guards on the left and right roared angrily. At the same time, they crisscrossed their blades and slashed down.
"The only essence of military saber techniques is to surround and kill at all costs." In that instant, Pei Zi Yun could hear the sound of two long knives stabbing into the body of the black-robed guard in front of him.
The black-robed guard's eyes were wide open. He knew that he was going to die without a doubt. However, at this point, he was still alive. His eyes shone with the light of death.
Pei Zi Yun let out a muffled roar and pulled out his sword. With great strength, the black-robed guard's hand that was holding onto the sword was sliced apart like tofu. The blade of the sword left his body in an instant. His figure changed, creating a shadow. The tip of the sword twisted and sliced open the shoulder of one of the black-robed guards. His bones were broken, and he spat out a fountain of blood.
Now that the formation was broken, it was much easier. The sword flashed again, and the remaining three men fell down with a "pu pu pu" sound.
In the blink of an eye, all of the black-clothed guards had been killed. Only then did the black-clothed guard who was holding onto his sword see the change. He let out a long cry and fell down. "You're right."
Pei Zi Yun slowly walked forward and stabbed the black-robed guard. All he could hear was a series of "pu pu pu" sounds. The entire place was filled with the stench of blood. He threw his outer robe aside, and it was still clean.
At this point, there wasn't much time left. Seeing the grey clouds hanging low in the sky, and the sleet turning into snow, Pei Zi Yun turned around and ran out of the alley. As he walked along the streets, his eyes lit up.
It was a small inn. Inside, there were only five tables. The weather was cold and gloomy, and the lamps were lit. There were only two or three customers inside.
When the waiter saw Pei Zi Yun, he waved a towel and welcomed him, "Esteemed guest, please come in. The weather is cold. Drink some wine and you'll feel warm."
Even though he was pressed for time, Pei Zi Yun nodded his head and sat down at a table in the corner. He then instructed, "Bring me some wine and a few dishes!"
The waiter smiled and agreed. He then saw Pei Zi Yun's Crown Prince Mansion insignia. Although it was only for a second, the waiter was still taken aback. He then brought a tray over and shouted, "My restaurant's braised chicken is the best. I've also added a plate of spiced peanuts. I guarantee you'll taste good!"
"What else do you want, please order." He then walked closer to Pei Zi Yun.
Pei Zi Yun then whispered, "I am Pei Zi Yun, Top Scorer from Ying Prefecture. Quick, inform the higher-ups that the Crown Prince is in danger. I want to meet him when he passes by."
"Go quickly. If you delay the Crown Prince's plans, I will chop your head off!"
As he finished speaking, Pei Zi Yun then raised his voice, "Bring me another plate of mushrooms!"
The waiter's face turned pale as he replied, "Alright, please wait for a moment!"
Pei Zi Yun calmed himself down and started pouring wine and eating the meat. After some time, the waiter came back and signaled to him. Pei Zi Yun pretended to finish eating and walked out. Under the dim light, he could see several men dressed in raincoats approaching him.
"Is that Top Scorer Pei?" One of them looked at him and waved his hands as he spoke. Several men surrounded him to protect him.
Pei Zi Yun raised an eyebrow and said, "Are you the Crown Prince's secret guards? Can you contact the Crown Prince now? I shall bear all responsibility for this! "
The man's muscles twitched as he looked at Pei Zi Yun and said, "Yes, the Crown Prince is passing by. We can raise our flags and meet him from afar. You can approach that corner, but whether or not the Crown Prince wants to meet you, is up to him."
At this point, a sound could be heard. It was a carriage that was slightly inferior to the Emperor's. There were six riders at the front, and they were split into two groups. There were also two riders with crossbows.
There were twenty halberd-wielding soldiers on both sides of the carriage. There were eight armored soldiers following behind the carriage, and four imperial guards on both sides of the carriage. There were six riders at the back, and they were split into two groups.
At this point, someone was gesturing to the carriage. The imperial guard watched intently before entering the carriage to speak to the Crown Prince. When he came out, he signaled to the Crown Prince. The carriage didn't change at all, and continued moving forward.
The sky was gloomy, and the wind was howling. The snow was getting heavier, and a thin layer of snow had formed on the ground. As the carriage turned a corner, a shadow flashed past. It seemed like an illusion, as the surrounding imperial guards didn't move at all.
The carriage continued moving forward steadily. The Crown Prince was holding onto a stove and smiled, "Dao Master Qi Ning, why are you so anxious to see me? What happened?"
"Come, take a seat. Use a hot towel to wipe your face."
There was a serving maid inside. She then retrieved a towel and a silver bottle. She then poured a cup of tea and placed it in front of Pei Zi Yun.
"The Crown Prince is indeed calm even when faced with such a big problem!" Pei Zi Yun laughed when he heard these words. He then thought to himself, 'This is indeed the Crown Prince. Although he's not very talented, he's been in this position for a long time. This kind of temperament has been cultivated.'
However, when he looked around, he noticed that the Crown Prince's hands were trembling. He then laughed to himself and said, "Is the Crown Prince here to explain the matter regarding the concubine?"
The Crown Prince heaved a sigh of relief before taking a sip of wine. He then said, "That's a small matter. My Crown Prince's mansion doesn't lack women. This concubine isn't a heavenly beauty either. How could I have an affair with her?"
"I've already thought it through. This concubine has her own activities, and I wouldn't be able to meet her. Besides, every time I enter the palace, I have a record of when I enter and leave the palace. It's hard to be coincidental. If the Emperor were to ask, all I have to do is check the time and everything would be clear."
"If the Dao Master is here because of this matter, then I have to say, it's not a big deal."
He then gritted his teeth, "I already know who the servant is. He sold himself to bury his father. I pitied him and took him in. His monthly allowance was much higher than usual, and he was rewarded quite a lot. He didn't want to do such a thing. No matter how magnanimous I am, when I get back, I will skin him alive!"
Pei Zi Yun heard this and didn't speak. He then looked at the snowstorm and sighed, "What the Crown Prince says is right. This is obviously a slander from a vile character. But everyone knows this. Why would a vile character reveal this secret?"
The Crown Prince paused as he heard Pei Zi Yun continue, "Since there's a spy in your mansion, why can't there be a second one? For example, the Crown Prince has a love letter in his pocket for the concubine, or something else."
"Once we enter the palace, we'll discover it. Do you think the Emperor would believe us?"
The Crown Prince's face fell.
Before long, the carriage shook a little. The guard then asked, "Crown Prince, what's the matter?"
"Nothing much. I dropped a teacup. Let's continue." The Crown Prince's voice could be heard from within.
The carriage continued to move forward. Through the glass window (in ancient times, there were non-transparent glass windows), the Crown Prince's face was ashen, and his entire body was trembling. He then took out a bag of medicine. Within it were several pills the size of a longan fruit. They were made out of beeswax, and when he took a whiff, he could smell a strange fragrance.
"What's this? Poison? Someone is accusing me of poisoning someone? "
"Which traitor, who wants to kill his entire clan, secretly placed this in my pocket?"
"It might not be poison!" Pei Zi Yun picked up one of the pills and licked it. He then said, "I know a little about medicine. Looking at the effects of this pill, it seems to be an aphrodisiac."
When the Crown Prince heard this, his face turned even darker. This was an aphrodisiac. For the Crown Prince to enter the palace with an aphrodisiac, and at the time when there were rumors of him having an affair with a concubine, how could anyone believe this?
His lips trembled, and he was unable to speak.
"There's a turn nearby, I shall go down!" Pei Zi Yun heaved a sigh of relief before standing up and said, "This kind of trick can only be done when one isn't prepared. Once one is prepared, there's no way the Crown Prince would be able to take it!"
"Now that we're nearing the Imperial City, it's not appropriate for me to enter. I shall take my leave now."
The Crown Prince glanced at Pei Zi Yun before speaking slowly, "You've done a great deed this time. I shall remember this. You may leave now!"
As he spoke, he gave a few instructions before he turned a corner and disappeared. Seeing the man leave, the Crown Prince frowned, his face was so pale that there was no trace of blood in it. His eyes gleamed as he spat out, "Those traitors!"
His tone was filled with killing intent.
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