"Cough cough cough!" Dongfang Heng coughed a few times, his face and lips turning unnaturally pale.
Shen Lixue was taken aback: "What's wrong with you?"
"It's nothing, I'm probably just too tired!" Dongfang Heng said faintly, his voice revealing a hint of weakness.
"Dongfang Heng, the Prime Minister's residence is just ahead. You can stop here!" The night sky was dotted with stars, and it was pitch black all around. It was almost 1 a.m. (1 a.m. to 3 a.m.). Seeing that Dongfang Heng was not feeling well, Shen Lixue did not want to delay his rest any longer, so she stopped and politely asked him to return to the residence.
The Prime Minister's residence was about forty or fifty meters away from the street where they were standing. It was just a couple of turns away. Dongfang Heng wasn't worried about Shen Lixue getting into trouble, so he didn't insist anymore: "Be careful!"
"Be careful too, and get some rest when you get back to the manor!" Shen Lixue instructed Dongfang Heng before walking quickly forward.
Dongfang Heng stood steadily in the middle of the street, watching Shen Lixue disappear around the corner. His calm gaze instantly turned as deep as a pool, a cold light flashing in his eyes. He said in a cold voice, "You guys have quite the patience to lie in ambush here for most of the night!"
Dozens of men in black suddenly appeared from the empty surroundings, surrounding Dongfang Heng. A leader in black stepped forward, smiling at Dongfang Heng: "Prince An, we have been waiting here for a long time!"
"You think you can kill me?" Dongfang Heng's voice was cold, his expression slightly arrogant, and he didn't take these men in black seriously at all.
The leader in black chuckled softly: "Under normal circumstances, we certainly wouldn't be able to kill Prince An. However, judging from the prince's condition, he will soon have a relapse, and then..." Before he could finish speaking, Dongfang Heng understood his meaning: Dongfang Heng would be extremely weak from the relapse, and without anyone protecting him, the men in black could kill him with ease.
Dongfang Heng's sharp gaze, like a blade, shot towards the leader in black, and he said, word by word, "How did you know that I would have a relapse tonight?"
"Hehe, heavenly secrets cannot be revealed!" The leader of the black-clad figures chuckled softly, his expression unfathomable, a hint of mockery in his eyes: "The Prince's ten secret guards have all been transferred away. Summoning them to rescue the master will take some time..."
It's estimated that by the time they arrived, Dongfang Heng was already a corpse!
"I never rely on others for salvation!" Dongfang Heng coldly stared at the leader in black, his dark eyes as deep as pools, the sharp glint in them inspiring fear: "Have you ever heard that when I suffer a flare-up of my illness, I leave no survivors within fifty meters?"
The man in black felt a chill run down his spine at the sound of the calm tone. He steadied himself and feigned composure, saying, "Dongfang Heng, stop spreading alarmist rumors. We are assassins, we are not afraid of death!"
A person who is ill is extremely weak. Even if you get within fifty meters of him, what can he do?
The leader in black looked at the pitch-black sky, his gaze suddenly changed, and he shouted sharply, "Kill Prince An, and the reward is ten thousand taels of silver!"
"Yes!" the men in black replied in a low voice, their muffled tone conveying extreme repression, like wild beasts that had been suffocating for a long time and desperately needed to vent their bloodthirsty instincts.
The men in black surged forward like a tide, countless sharp swords raining down on Dongfang Heng.
"Overestimating yourselves!" Dongfang Heng's face was cold and full of disdain. He didn't even glance at the men in black. He unleashed a powerful palm strike at them, and instantly, five or six men in black were sent flying backward, coughing up blood and dying.
The man in black paused in surprise, but then resumed his previous ferocity, gripping his longsword and thrusting it fiercely at Dongfang Heng.
Dongfang Heng unleashed several more palm strikes, killing more than ten men in black. His powerful internal energy not only failed to repel the enemy, but also drove the other men in black even more mad. Their eyes flashed with a fierce, bloodthirsty light, and they thrust their long swords straight at him.
Watching the black-clad men surge forward like a tide, Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened, a mocking smile playing on his lips. He gathered his profound inner strength in his palm, about to unleash it, when suddenly a metallic taste rose in his throat. Instantly, most of his powerful inner strength dissipated, and a hint of weariness flickered in his deep eyes. His brows furrowed tightly. He had fallen ill!
"Dongfang Heng has had a relapse and is extremely weak. Take this opportunity to kill him!" The leader in black was the first to notice Dongfang Heng's abnormality. His eyes gleamed with a crazed look. The mighty Azure Flame War God was surrounded and trapped like a caged beast, struggling desperately in his death throes. Haha, with no one to save him, Dongfang Heng has only one path: death!
Roar! One stone stirs up a thousand waves. The words of the black-clad leader successfully made the black-clad men rush forward with howls. Who is Dongfang Heng? He is the Prince of Anjun of the royal family. His martial arts are superb. His name as the God of War of Qingyan is renowned throughout Qingyan. Looking at the world, nothing excites them more than killing him.
Hundreds of men in black were close at hand, but Dongfang Heng showed no fear. His eyes were sharp as he quietly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth. With a flick of his jade-like fingers, a long sword gleamed in the cold light and appeared in his hand. The thin blade trembled slightly, emitting a faint, cold glow in the dark night.
"The Azure Feather Soft Sword!" The black-clad leader's expression changed instantly. He looked at Dongfang Heng with undisguised shock. The Azure Feather Soft Sword was actually in his hands.
Dongfang Heng coldly stared at the leader in black, a sharp killing intent hidden in his deep eyes: "You know the Azure Feather Soft Sword, you're quite knowledgeable, but unfortunately..."
Dongfang Heng's white figure vanished from the black-clad leader's sight in an instant. The black-clad leader was shocked and realized something was wrong. Just as he was about to turn around to look for Dongfang Heng, a white garment suddenly flashed past his eye. The black-clad leader was instantly stunned. Accompanied by a faint scent of pine resin, a cold glint flashed past like lightning, too fast for anyone to see clearly.
The leader in black felt a sharp pain in his neck, and blood splattered before his eyes. He slowly looked down and saw blood flowing down his neck, soaking a large patch of his clothes. The thick stench of blood permeated the air. Dongfang Heng's cold, demonic voice rang in his ears: "If you want to kill me, you'd better think twice before deciding whether you have the ability!"
"Ha, Azure Flame War God, you truly live up to your name!" The black-clad leader mustered all his strength to force a hideous smile, then his body slumped to the side, and he collapsed to the ground, lifeless. Blood flowed from his neck, soaking the ground.
The moment their leader in black died, the men in black were stunned. In that instant of hesitation, Dongfang Heng's fierce sword strike arrived. No one saw how he made his move. The men in black only saw a white shadow flash past their eyes, followed by a flash of sword light. Then, their companion fell to the ground, eyes wide open, dying with unfinished business. To be more precise, they didn't even know how they died.
This was not a fight, but a massacre. Dongfang Heng single-handedly eliminated hundreds of men in black. You can't blame him for being ruthless and cruel. These men in black came to take his life. If he didn't kill them, they would kill him. Besides, he had already fallen ill and didn't have much time to waste. He had to finish the fight quickly!
After turning the corner, Shen Lixue slowed down and walked slowly towards the Prime Minister's residence. She had been walking quickly earlier because Dongfang Heng was watching her. He wouldn't leave until she disappeared. Now that she had turned into the alley, Dongfang Heng couldn't see her and must have already returned to the residence, so she no longer needed to walk quickly.
Judging from Dongfang Heng's appearance just now, he wasn't feeling well. However, his martial arts skills are very high, and there are soldiers on guard in the capital. He will definitely be able to return home safely...
Suddenly, a faint sound of fighting drifted on the wind. Shen Lixue was startled and stopped abruptly, listening intently. The fighting was so faint that it was almost imperceptible if one did not listen carefully.
Having experienced various trials in her past life, Shen Lixue was extremely sensitive to such matters. Her snowy eyes narrowed slightly. A fight in the dead of night must be an assassination, and the direction the sound came from was... the place she had just returned from!
"Dongfang Heng!" Shen Lixue was startled and, without thinking, quickly ran back.
A gentle breeze blew by, carrying a faint smell of blood. Shen Lixue's heart leaped into her throat, and a dark glint flashed in her cold eyes: Dongfang Heng, please don't let anything happen to you!
Turning the corner, Shen Lixue looked down at the street. Corpses were everywhere, blood flowed like a river, and a strong stench of blood permeated the air. Dongfang Heng stood among the black-clad corpses, holding a long sword. His white robes were spotless and fluttered in the wind. His handsome face and cold aura made him look like a god of war.
"Dongfang Heng!" Shen Lixue exclaimed and ran over quickly, her clear eyes filled with anxiety. Among so many black-clad assassins, was he injured?
Dongfang Heng seemed not to hear Shen Lixue's call. He held the soft sword in his hand, stood quietly, motionless, his face pale, his eyes slightly closed, lost in thought.
Strange, why isn't Dongfang Heng saying anything? Shen Lixue nudged Dongfang Heng's arm in confusion: "What's wrong with you?"
With a sway, Dongfang Heng's slender figure fell straight to the ground.
"Dongfang Heng!" Shen Lixue was startled and hurriedly reached out to grab Dongfang Heng's arm, gently helping him to slowly fall to the ground: He wasn't ignoring her, but had fainted. What exactly happened?
Dongfang Heng was a clean person, so Shen Lixue didn't put him on the ground. Instead, she sat down herself and let Dongfang Heng lean against her. She then took out silver needles and inserted them into several acupoints on his body.
A moment later, Dongfang Heng coughed lightly, his eyelashes trembled, and he slowly opened his eyes. His face and lips were pale and bloodless, and his sharp eyes showed a trace of fatigue.
"You're awake!" Shen Lixue breathed a sigh of relief, a hint of joy that she herself didn't realize flashed in her eyes.
Dongfang Heng was extremely weak and did not speak, but blinked as an answer. The unique fragrance of the woman wafted from beneath him. Dongfang Heng looked at Shen Lixue and realized that he was lying in her arms. A glint of light flashed in his sharp eyes!
Shen Lixue put away the silver needles and carefully helped Dongfang Heng sit up: "What just happened?"