Dongfang Heng looked at Dongfang Zhan and sneered, "I will treat my guests well, but I disdain to associate with ruthless beasts who kill without blinking an eye!"
"You!" Dongfang Zhan stared coldly at Dongfang Heng, his eyes flashing with fierce light. He actually called him a beast.
"Show them out!" Ignoring Dongfang Zhan's angry eyes, Dongfang Heng gave the order again.
Dozens of guards appeared out of nowhere, their faces expressionless as they approached Dongfang Zhan step by step, seemingly intending to forcibly drive him out of the Holy King's Mansion.
"No need to see me off, I'll go by myself!" Dongfang Zhan glanced behind Dongfang Heng and only caught a glimpse of a sash of Xiangfei purple robes. A hint of disappointment flashed in his eyes. He turned around and strode out.
A chilling smile played on his lips, which provoked Dongfang Heng. He had achieved his goal, and leaving the Holy King's Mansion was no longer a problem.
If Dongfang Heng can't find Duke Wen, he will soon become his defeated opponent. At that time, he will definitely make Shen Lixue see clearly that he is stronger than Dongfang Heng!
"Has there been no news at all from Duke Wen?" After Dongfang Zhan left the Holy King's Mansion, the guards also withdrew. Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng's gloomy face and asked cautiously.
Dongfang Heng's gaze deepened: "His Majesty has already issued an arrest warrant for Su Lie, and I have also dispatched many guards to investigate both openly and secretly. After so many days of investigation, we have not found any clues. It must be Dongfang Zhan who is secretly causing trouble." Where exactly did he hide the Duke of Wen?
Shen Lixue frowned and said calmly, "The Duke of Wen was originally from a prestigious family, with a noble status and was respected by many. He lived a life of luxury. Now he has become a Qingyan fugitive, all thanks to Dongfang Zhan. He is old and suffering from a severe poison, so he certainly can't endure much suffering. The place he lives in must be a safe and comfortable place!"
Dongfang Heng's gaze darkened slightly: There are many places like this. Where exactly is the Duke of Wen?
“The streets and alleys of Qingyan are plastered with the Duke of Wen’s wanted posters. Now he’s like a rat crossing the street, hated by everyone. He certainly wouldn’t dare to wander around the streets in broad daylight!”
Seeing Dongfang Heng's gloomy face, Shen Lixue blinked and joked, "Do you think the Duke of Wen might disguise himself as a masked man in black and sneak into the Zhan Prince's mansion in the dead of night to find Dongfang Zhan?"
He took the blame for Dongfang Zhan's bad reputation and was scorned by the world. It was perfectly legitimate for him to come to Qingyan Capital to seek Dongfang Zhan's protection.
Dongfang Heng's secret guards have been monitoring Dongfang Zhan's every move, and so far they have not found him in contact with strangers. Duke Wen must not have met Dongfang Zhan yet.
“Dongfang Zhan never supports useless people. Duke Wen has already earned a bad reputation and can no longer appear in the open. Even if he wants to use Duke Wen, he will do so in secret.” Dongfang Heng looked at the bluestone path with a calm gaze. Where exactly is Duke Wen hiding? They have searched almost three feet into the ground around Lingzhou, but there is still no trace of him.
The capital city of Qingyan was filled with spies from the Holy King's Mansion, yet none of them discovered Duke Wen. He was truly clever in hiding.
Masked men, used in secret!
Shen Lixue's eyes suddenly lit up: "Dongfang Heng, do you remember when we escaped from the Zhan Prince's Mansion, there were several men in black who attacked us?"
Dongfang Heng's gaze sharpened: "You mean, there's something wrong with those men in black?"
"If I'm not mistaken, the man in black I repelled with my silver needles was Duke Wen!" Shen Lixue's gaze was solemn. She had always felt that the scream when that man fell was familiar, and now that she thought about it carefully, it was indeed Duke Wen.
Dongfang Heng's sharp eyes narrowed instantly: "Are you sure you haven't made a mistake?"
“Absolutely right. I’ve heard Duke Wen say this many times. I’m very familiar with his voice!” Shen Lixue looked at Dongfang Heng with a cold gaze and a firm tone.
No wonder Dongfang Zhan came to provoke him so brazenly. It's because Duke Wen had already secretly hidden himself by his side under another identity. He was certain that Dongfang Heng couldn't find Duke Wen and couldn't punish him, which is why he was so arrogant and reckless.
"When the men in black attacked us, Dongfang Zhan's arrows hadn't been discovered yet. Duke Wen should have been serving in Lingzhou, so how could he have appeared at Zhan Wang's residence as a secret guard?" Dongfang Heng frowned, completely baffled.
"I can't figure this out either!" Shen Lixue shook her head. She was 100% certain that the man in black was Duke Wen: "What do you plan to do?"
Dongfang Heng sneered: "If you want to capture Duke Wen, you'll have to go to Dongfang Zhan, who is serving as a secret guard in the Prince Zhan's mansion!"
After leaving the Holy King's Mansion, Dongfang Zhan thought of Dongfang Heng's gloomy face, and a slight smile appeared on his lips. He felt an indescribable sense of satisfaction. Heh, after so many years of fighting, he had finally beaten Dongfang Heng to a pulp, winning a beautiful and decisive victory.
This time it was Dongfang Xun, next time it will be Shen Lixue and the old prince. He wants to take away and destroy everything that Dongfang Heng owns!
Unbeknownst to him, Dongfang Zhan walked into a quiet alley.
"Whoosh whoosh whoosh!" Countless black feathered arrows flew towards him like locusts, densely packed together.
Dongfang Zhan stared at the dense rain of arrows, his gaze hardening. Who was so audacious as to dare to launch a sneak attack on him?
"Swish, swish, swish!" Dozens of guards appeared out of thin air, surrounding Dongfang Zhan, wielding longswords and quickly slashing down black feathered arrows.
Looking at the guards protecting him and desperately trying to deflect the arrows, and the black arrows flying incessantly, Dongfang Zhan's gaze was terrifyingly gloomy. Was the person who ambushed him Dongfang Heng? Unable to produce evidence to bring him to justice, he wanted to kill him by shooting him in this way.
"Swoosh!" A sharp arrow pierced the sky, bypassing numerous obstacles, and shot towards Dongfang Zhan.
"Your Highness, be careful!" A guard rushed forward and stood in front of Dongfang Zhan. The arrow pierced the guard's heart, and the guard fell to the ground dead.
Dongfang Zhan was startled. A similar scene suddenly flashed into his mind: at the foot of a beautiful mountain, a handsome man in a light blue robe was protected by his guards. One after another, black arrows were shot at him without mercy. The guards rushed forward one after another to block the deadly arrows for him until the last guard fell. Then, three arrows flashed with a cold light. He dodged two arrows, but not the third. He was shot in the heart and fell to the ground dead.
"Shoot, shoot, shoot!" One by one, the guards beside him were shot to death, their blood staining the ground red. Dongfang Zhan suddenly woke up. The current situation was exactly the same as that day at the foot of the mountain. It was Dongfang Heng. He had come to take revenge on him.
Dongfang Xun was shot to death by him, would he also be shot to death by Dongfang Heng? No, he was unwilling, unwilling.
Dongfang Zhan's eyes were bloodshot, and his large hands clenched tightly. He looked at the sharp arrow flying towards him, smiled coldly, and was about to leap up when a rapid sound of hooves came: "There's movement over there, hurry over and see!"
It was a patrolling guard! For the first time in his life, Dongfang Zhan realized that he hoped the patrolling guard would discover his dangerous situation sooner.
"Someone attacked us with arrows! Seize them!" the guards cried out, rushing over with their longswords in hand.
The arrows stopped abruptly, and hurried footsteps faded into the distance. The sky cleared, and the guards beside Dongfang Zhan breathed a sigh of relief, as if they had just escaped death.
"Third Imperial Brother!" The one who strode over was none other than Crown Prince Dongfang Hong. Behind him walked Dongfang Heng and Shen Lixue. The angry rebuke that was on the tip of his tongue could not be uttered.
If Dongfang Heng and Dongfang Hong are together, then the person who shot the arrow to kill him wasn't him? Then who wanted to assassinate him?
"Is Third Brother injured?" Dongfang Hong asked with concern, carefully examining Dongfang Zhan.
"It's nothing. Are you discussing something with my brother, Prince An?" Dongfang Zhan probed subtly. He always felt something was off about Dongfang Hong and Dongfang Heng walking together.
"We're discussing how to capture Su Lie..." Dongfang Hong sighed softly, "Su Lie is cunning and treacherous. We still can't find him, so he's very difficult to catch..."
“Indeed!” Dongfang Zhan’s lips curled into a slight smile. His sharp gaze swept over the guards beside him as if by accident, a cold smile flashing in his eyes. They had been searching for decades and still hadn’t been able to catch Duke Wen.
Shen Lixue followed his gaze and saw one of the guards. She smiled strangely, flicked her slender finger, and three silver needles grazed the guard's cheek, knocking off his black mask. Instantly, a familiar face appeared before everyone.