"Swoosh!" The thick arrow pierced Zhuang Kexin's petite body instantly, blood gushing out. Zhuang Kexin stared in shock at the arrow in her chest, then slowly turned her head to gaze at Zhuang Weicheng. A cruel smile tugged at the corner of her mouth, blood spilling from the corner of her lips, and her bright eyes slowly turned a deathly gray...
"Ha, the dignified deputy commander of the Imperial Guard actually used his own weak younger sister as a shield, how incompetent!" Lei Hong put down his bow and arrow, and mocked coldly, his eyes full of disdain.
Zhuang Weicheng released his grip, and Zhuang Kexin's slender body fell to the ground like a rag doll, raising a small cloud of dust. She slowly raised her head, her eyes bloodshot, and her furious roar echoed through the sky: "Lei Hong, I will make you pay with your life for my whole family!"
Just as Lei Hong was about to mock him, Zhuang Weicheng suddenly disappeared. In surprise, a glimpse of a garment flashed in the corner of Lei Hong's eye. Startled, Lei Hong quickly turned to the side, and the long sword grazed his clothes, slicing a large gash in his waist, from which bright red blood instantly flowed out.
Lei Hong quickly dodged to safety, pointed at Zhuang Weicheng, and roared, "Kill him! Kill him!"
The guards drew their bows and fired arrows again, forcing Zhuang Weicheng behind bars. However, instead of foolishly trying to block the arrows alone, he slipped into the prison, took his sword, and hacked open one large iron lock after another. His eyes flashed with madness as he hacked and shouted, "You're free! Go!"
The prison was dark and damp, and no one wanted to stay there for long, especially the death row inmates who dreamed of being released every day. Now that their good fortune was within reach, they happily opened the iron gate and ran out quickly.
Unexpectedly, just as he reached the prison gate, countless black arrows flew towards him: "Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!" Instantly piercing him through...
Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow: "Zhuang Weicheng is quite clever. Knowing that he couldn't fight Lei Hong alone, he thought of releasing all the prisoners and taking advantage of the chaos to escape from the prison..."
"Hmm!" Dongfang Heng responded lightly, his sharp gaze still fixed on the injured Lei Hong.
"Dongfang Heng, why didn't you stop Lei Hong just now?" Lei Hong gave the order decisively, and the guards fired their arrows quickly, but Shen Lixue believed that as long as Dongfang Heng wanted to stop him, he could definitely save Minister Zhuang and the other three.
“The Zhuang family has committed a capital crime, there’s no need to save them!” Dongfang Heng shook his head slightly, his dark eyes unfathomable. “Besides, Grand Commandant Lei is very cautious. He’s probably already erased everything related to Minister Zhuang after he got into trouble. Even if he committed some serious crime, Minister Zhuang can’t find any evidence against him!”
"But at least, it will let the Emperor know that Grand Commandant Lei is plotting something treacherous!" Once the Emperor has become suspicious of Grand Commandant Lei, he can forget about causing any more trouble, and his days are numbered.
Dongfang Heng stared at Shen Lixue: "Do you think the Emperor never suspected him?"
Shen Lixue was taken aback, then realized that as an emperor, he was by nature the most suspicious person, and he could never fully trust any of his ministers.
"Ahhh..." A shrill scream broke the silence. Shen Lixue looked up and saw that at the prison gate, corpses riddled with arrows were piled up like a mountain, and death row inmates kept rushing out, desperately trying to find a chance to escape.
Zhuang Weicheng was trapped in the prison, unable to get out or escape, but Lei Hong's gaze outside the bars remained somewhat gloomy:
The prison was cramped, making it impossible for them to use their most advantageous weapon—the arrows. Zhuang Weicheng was highly skilled in martial arts and adept at ambushes, so he dared not rush in to arrest people. Wave after wave of death row inmates kept rushing out, and neither side could gain the upper hand. This stalemate was not a solution...
Lei Hong frowned and pondered for a moment, then suddenly looked up at a guard and said coldly, "Stop firing arrows. You take a team of men, swords in hand, into the prison, and lure Zhuang Weicheng out!"
Zhuang Weicheng knocked off the locks of many prisoners, who ran out and wrestled with the guards. Some death row inmates squatted at the cell door, staring at the arrow formation outside, looking for a chance to escape. The entire prison was in chaos.
Zhuang Weicheng stood in a secluded spot, holding a long sword, and laughed loudly. With the situation so chaotic, he wanted to see how Lei Hong would get past these death row inmates to arrest him.
"The arrows have stopped, and the guards are running this way!" A death row inmate squatting at the door exclaimed in surprise. Zhuang Weicheng's eyes narrowed, but before he could speak, the guards had already entered the prison and were slaughtering the swarming prisoners.
The guards were well-trained, dressed in armor, and wielded longswords. They were far more formidable than the prisoners who had never seen the sun. The prisoners barely struggled before dying by their swords.
As the number of prisoners dwindled and the guards drew closer, Zhuang Weicheng's eyes narrowed. He quietly gripped his sword, and with a light step, he was about to launch a sneak attack when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his back.
Zhuang Weicheng suddenly turned around to look at the person who had come in. His dark eyes flashed with a fierce light, as if he wanted to torture the person to death: "You actually ambushed me!"
"I...I..." The man who attacked him was filled with fear, his body trembling as he retreated, blood staining his fingers and slowly sliding down...
Zhuang Weicheng had a short sword stuck in his back, the guards' swords, with half of the blade embedded in his body, trembling slightly as he moved.
"Zhuang Weicheng is there! Grab him!" The guards shouted. Zhuang Weicheng's eyes turned cold, and he swung his long sword fiercely at the man. He would kill him first, and then deal with those annoying guards.
"Swoosh!" A slender figure suddenly darted out from behind Zhuang Weicheng, forcefully pressing the sword on his back down. The tip of the sword pierced through his body and protruded from his chest...
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... We've taken care of that lousy dealer, so please give us some votes as a reward!
Chapter 091: Strongly Opposing Promotion infuriates Lei Hong
The clatter of hooves and hurried footsteps sounded again. Shen Lixue glanced over indifferently and saw that Lord Yang of Shuntian Prefecture had arrived with his officials.
The air was thick with the stench of blood. Staring at the cold-faced Lei Hong, the armored guards, and the corpses scattered on the ground, Lord Yang was stunned for a long time before he came to his senses and asked in confusion, "Lord Lei, what happened?"
"Lord Yang, this is what happened..." Lei Hong briefly recounted what had just occurred. Seeing that Lord Yang was deep in thought and showed no sign of anger, Lei Hong pointed at Mu Zhengnan and Shen Caiyun: "It was this young man and this young lady who worked together to kill the crazed Zhuang Weicheng!"
Lei Hong's words carried a hint of admiration, and his gaze toward Mu Zhengnan also held a degree of appreciation.
Shen Lixue frowned slightly, her foot slipped, making a soft sound. Lei Hong's cold gaze suddenly turned towards her: "Who goes there?" Accompanied by a stern shout, a black feathered arrow flew swiftly towards Shen Lixue.
"It's me!" Shen Lixue dodged the arrows, gracefully landing on the tree. Her crimson robes traced a beautiful arc in the air, her ruby earrings swayed gently, and her beautiful face appeared even more radiant and captivating in the firelight!
"Who are you?" The moment Shen Lixue landed, Lei Hong drew his longsword with a whoosh, the tip pointing directly at Shen Lixue's slender neck.
"Clang!" An unidentified object flew over and knocked the longsword out of Lei Hong's hand. The powerful internal force made his arm go numb, his hand trembled slightly, and he felt unbearable pain in the tiger's mouth.
"Who attacked me?" Lei Hong roared, clutching his aching hand. He quickly looked around, but there were only trees, no suspicious figures in sight. His cold gaze returned to Shen Lixue, as if he wanted to vent all his anger on her: "Who exactly are you?"
“Shen Lixue!” Shen Lixue answered calmly, her cold gaze sweeping over the shocked Mu Zhengnan and Shen Caiyun.
Mu Zhengnan quickly turned his head to the side, his eyes flickering, seemingly lost in thought. Shen Caiyun lowered her head and whispered, "Big sister!"
Lei Hong was taken aback, his cold eyes narrowing instantly: Shen Lixue? Eldest sister? This woman and that female prisoner are family!
Shen Caiyun was wearing prison clothes, her hair was messy, and her eyes were haggard. In addition, she was a taciturn and invisible person when she was in the Prime Minister's residence, so Lei Hong did not recognize her just now.
“Lord Lei, this young lady is Miss Shen Lixue, the eldest daughter of the Prime Minister’s mansion, and this is Miss Shen Caiyun, the fourth daughter. You two are like family members who have been separated by a great flood, not recognizing each other!” Lord Yang looked at Lei Hong, then at Shen Lixue and Shen Caiyun, and explained softly. They are all relatives, and it would be bad for everyone if their relationship soured.
"What are you doing outside the Shuntian Prefecture prison in the dead of night, Miss? Why aren't you resting in the manor?" Lei Hong questioned coldly, feeling disappointed in Lord Yang's good intentions. Although this was his first time meeting Shen Lixue, he had already heard that she was extraordinary. The person who attacked him earlier must be related to her!
"I couldn't sleep, so I came out for a walk and ended up here by chance!" Shen Lixue replied calmly, her gaze cold.
"Walking from the Prime Minister's residence to the outskirts of the prison?" Lei Hong sneered, his eyes full of mockery. "The Zhuang family escaped from prison, you wouldn't happen to be here to help them out, would you?"
Shen Lixue stared coldly at Lei Hong: "I am just a weak woman traveling alone. How can I possibly contend with the heavily guarded guards? The idea of me helping prisoners is utter nonsense. On the contrary, Lord Lei, what exactly do you intend to do by appearing outside the prison in the middle of the night with so many guards?"