His gaze sharpened, and with all his might, he attacked Ye Qianlong once more.
Ye Qianlong's gaze was calm. He lightly touched the ground with both feet, dodging the streaks of silver light, and stood steadily in the center of the room. He stretched out his arm and pressed down a long sword, engaging the guards in combat.
The guards' swordsmanship was fast, ruthless, and accurate, each move sharp and merciless. Ye Qianlong's martial arts were profound, and his internal strength was strong. He wielded his long sword so tightly that it was impenetrable, and each move was full of killing intent. Consort Shu stood at the door and watched the flashing silver light. Several guards had already been seriously injured by the sword or had fallen to the ground. A faint smell of blood permeated the air.
Consort Shu smiled faintly: Ye Qianlong's martial arts are indeed superb, but no matter how powerful his martial arts are, they can't beat the drug she used...
The incense burner in the corner of the room emitted wisps of fragrance. Ye Qianlong brandished his gleaming longsword, and amidst the splattering of blood, the ground was littered with the corpses of guards. The rich fragrance could not mask the intense stench of blood.
As the last guard fell, Ye Qianlong suddenly turned to look at Consort Shu. Half of his body was covered in blood, reflecting his cold gaze, making him look like a demon from hell. He parted his thin lips slightly and said, word by word, "Now it's your turn!"
As soon as he finished speaking, a flash of cold light appeared in the room, and Ye Qianlong's black figure instantly appeared in front of Consort Shu, his icy sword piercing straight towards her chest.
"I'm not so easy to die!" Consort Shu smiled slightly, her eyes bright, her slender figure like a leaf, drifting lightly and quickly backward.
Ye Qianlong's gaze was icy cold. Holding his long sword, he chased after her at top speed. The tip of his sword was only five centimeters away from Consort Shu's neck, always just five centimeters away...
A hint of shock flashed in the Emperor's weary eyes. He knew perfectly well how skilled Ye Qianlong was in martial arts. The mere five centimeters difference did not mean that Ye Qianlong and Consort Shu were evenly matched, but rather that Consort Shu was deliberately feigning weakness. Every move Ye Qianlong made was under her control, and her martial arts were far superior to Ye Qianlong's.
"Qianlong... hurry... run... you are no match for her..." the emperor shouted anxiously.
Ye Qianlong was taken aback, and looked up at Consort Shu, only to see a beautiful smile curving up on her lips: "The Emperor really understands his son. Unfortunately, it's too late. He can't leave even if he wants to!"
Consort Shu suddenly turned to the side, her right middle and index fingers gripping the hilt of the longsword tightly, while her left hand moved with lightning speed, striking fiercely at Ye Qianlong.
Unable to pull back his longsword, Ye Qianlong was startled and quickly retreated, barely avoiding Consort Shu's attack. After stopping, his body suddenly became weak and powerless, and his dantian was empty, unable to muster any internal energy.
What happened?
Before he could react, a fragrant breeze blew by, and Consort Shu's slender figure was right in front of him. Her soft palm strikes aimed hard at Ye Qianlong's chest.
Ye Qianlong lost all his internal energy and was unable to dodge. He flew back three or four meters and crashed heavily to the ground. His chest heaved with blood and qi, and he coughed heavily a few times, barely managing to hold back from spitting out blood.
"Tsk tsk, His Highness the Crown Prince truly possesses profound inner strength. He took a palm strike from me and didn't even cough up blood!" Consort Shu walked gracefully and slowly, looking at Ye Qianlong, who was pale-faced and lying heavily injured on the ground, and sighed softly: "The dignified Crown Prince of Xiliang Kingdom, the future ruler of the country, has actually fallen to such a sorry state. It's truly pitiful!"
"Mu Zixin, you vixen!" Ye Qianlong glared at Consort Shu, gritting his teeth.
Consort Shu smiled smugly, neither hurried nor angry: "You, the noble Crown Prince, have still been defeated by this vixen, me?"
Ye Qianlong looked at Consort Shu and smiled coldly: "Don't be so smug. This is the Ye family's palace. It's not your place to be arrogant!"
His internal energy completely dissipated. No matter how he tried to condense it, his dantian remained empty. His body felt like it had no bones, soft and limp, and he couldn't exert any strength. What on earth did that witch do?
Consort Shu raised an eyebrow, glanced at the emperor who was unable to move, and smirked: "Truly, they are father and son, their words are equally idiotic!"
Her small foot was raised high, and her beautiful embroidered shoe stomped heavily on Ye Qianlong's wrist, grinding it down viciously as if venting her anger.
"Ah!" A bone-crushing pain spread from his wrist. Ye Qianlong cried out in pain, his brows furrowing tightly. He then haphazardly struck Consort Shu's leg with his other hand.
Consort Shu sneered and kicked Ye Qianlong hard in the face first.
That kick was delivered with all its might, sending Ye Qianlong tumbling two or three times before finally coming to a stop. His jade crown, which bound his hair, was askew, half of his handsome face was swollen, and his clothes were disheveled, leaving him in a sorry state.
"Stop...stop now..." the emperor roared, trembling with rage. He swayed and fell off the bed, crashing heavily to the ground.
"Father!" Ye Qianlong exclaimed in surprise, trying to help the emperor up, but he had lost all his internal strength and could not get up even after several attempts. The jade crown that held his hair up fell to the ground, and his brocade-like black hair fell down in a mess.
"Hahaha." Consort Shu laughed triumphantly, "Look at you two, father and son. One is the most honorable emperor of Xiliang, and the other is the crown prince, second only to the emperor. Now you're both in a sorry state, tsk tsk..."
The Emperor looked at Consort Shu, his weary eyes filled with anger: "Mu Zixin, it was my order to try the Duke of Mu, and it was also my will to demote him to a commoner. If you want to kill or punish someone, come at me. Don't make things difficult for Qianlong. He has absolutely nothing to do with this matter!"
Consort Shu raised an eyebrow at the Emperor: "It seems Your Majesty still doesn't understand me. When I hate someone, I won't kill them directly. I'll make them watch helplessly as everything they care about is destroyed, and they'll slowly die in loneliness and despair..."
Consort Shu tortured Ye Qianlong in front of the Emperor, making him heartbroken, sad, angry, and desperate. Watching his beloved son being tortured to death, and being unable to save him, was a feeling that was worse than being killed.
"You are so cruel!" The emperor glared at Consort Shu, gritting his teeth in hatred.
"Your Majesty, I have something even more ruthless to do!" Consort Shu smiled faintly, then kicked Ye Qianlong hard in the chest.
Ye Qianlong's tall body crashed through the window and fell heavily onto the bluestone road outside. His bones felt like they were broken, and he was in unbearable pain. His chest felt heavy and uncomfortable, and he couldn't muster any strength.
"Mu Zixin!" The emperor's furious roar echoed throughout the imperial study.
Ignoring everything else, Consort Shu laughed triumphantly as her slender figure leaped out of the window, her palm, imbued with profound inner strength, slammed down on Ye Qianlong, who lay on the ground, utterly defenseless.
A cold, delicate voice rang out in the air: "Your Majesty, just wait to collect the corpse of your most beloved son!"
Ye Qianlong was injured and had lost all his internal energy. He was unable to dodge Consort Shu's powerful palm strike. Just as the strong wind was about to hit him, a snow-blue robe suddenly fluttered past his eyes and met Consort Shu's palm wind.
The two palms met, and with a loud "bang!", the powerful internal force shook the ground and the house.
Consort Shu's slender figure was jolted back five or six steps before she came to her senses. She looked up at the newcomer, her beautiful eyes suddenly narrowing: "It's you!"
Chapter 187: The Situation Turns, and Consort Shu is Severely Defeat
"I never imagined that the seemingly gentle and frail Consort Shu would actually be such a peerless master! She's truly a hidden talent!" Lu Jiangfeng looked in the direction of Consort Shu, his expression calm. His snow-blue robes fluttered in the wind, elegant and graceful, like a banished immortal.
"Thank you for the compliment!" During the palm strike, Consort Shu took several steps back, while Lu Jiangfeng stood firmly without moving. His internal strength was deeper than hers, so she should not make any rash moves.
A blind man who usually keeps a low profile, yet displays such high martial arts skills at a crucial moment, is truly a master of disguise.
"Qianlong!" Shen Lixue quickly walked to Ye Qianlong's side and took his arm.
"Li Xue!" Ye Qianlong was slightly taken aback when he saw Shen Li Xue. With her help, he stood up with difficulty. His dantian was empty, his body was weak, and he staggered, about to fall. "Why did you come to the palace?"
"Come save him!" Shen Lixue glanced at Consort Shu. She was indeed ruthless. Not only did she control the royal family, but she also wanted to exterminate them. If they had arrived a moment later, Ye Qianlong would have been dead without a doubt.
Consort Shu looked at Lu Jiangfeng and Shen Lixue, her beautiful brows furrowing tightly: "The Imperial Guards guard the palace like a fortress, not even a fly can get in. How could you sneak into the palace so quietly? You're quite capable!"