But then, another group of people came running over.
The two leading girls rode on the same horse. Their faces were haggard, but their beauty was still undeniable, and Prince Dan couldn't help but be captivated by their beauty.
He feigned composure and asked, "Isn't this the princess and Lady Luan? What brings you here so late at night?"
"Prince Dan, we don't want to die, please save us!" Zuo Baixuan's voice was nasal, and her face was streaked with tears.
Luan Yenan openly embraced Zuo Baixuan on horseback, and no one found it strange.
She glared at Prince Dan, but he saw right at her and laughed.
It seems that even if a woman is usually tough, she still can't handle this kind of sudden situation and wants to seek refuge with someone.
Princess Penglai cried so hard.
Tsk tsk tsk—
“Princess, don’t panic. Your crying really softens my heart. I can’t bear it. Let’s go. I’ve already spoken with my guards and we’ll break through the encirclement. Don’t worry, Princess, you can entrust your guards to me as well. We will be safe.” Prince Dan said, walking towards Zuo Baixuan and Luan Yenan’s horses.
"ah--"
"kill--"
A sudden burst of chaotic shouts rang out.
Prince Dan panicked. Fear overpowered his lust, and he hurriedly withdrew his leg, climbed onto the horse behind him, and ordered the guards: "Don't delay here! The lives of this prince and the princess are in your hands. When we return, you will surely promote them and grant them titles!"
With the support of five or six guards from the Dali Kingdom and the allure of high-ranking positions and generous salaries, the guards, now expanded to a team of twenty, were immediately in high spirits.
They led the prince and princess and charged towards the location closest to the canal.
Blood stained the grasslands along the way.
Luan Yenan covered Zuo Baixuan's eyes.
Zuo Baixuan pressed her hand down and placed it in front of her nose. She half-opened her eyes, barely able to see the scene in front of her, but she really couldn't stand the smell of blood all around her.
While taking care of Zuo Baixuan, Luan Yenan turned around and looked at another horse.
Gu Duo was riding a horse at full gallop with another palace maid, nodding to Luan Ye Nan.
Boom—
The rain, which had been suppressed all day, finally fell after another clap of thunder, accompanied by a strong wind, extinguishing the torches.
The stench of blood and the smell of burnt vegetation behind them were also suppressed by the rain.
Only five guards escaped from the camp, and they were all under the command of Prince Dan.
Half an hour later, after taking several detours, we finally arrived at the canal.
Facing the wind and rain, Prince Dan laughed heartily: "As expected, Heaven has not forsaken me."
Luan Yenan and Zuo Baixuan sat on their horses, calmly watching him.
The rain soaked them, and their heavy coats clung to their cold bodies. Only the spot where they leaned against each other still held the warmth of their shared body heat, offering each other comfort.
Zuo Baixuan turned around and looked at Luan Yenan.
Luan Yenan gently combed and tidied her messy bangs that were sticking to her face, and said with his head down, "Xuan'er, if you don't want to, you can let me do it."
Zuo Baixuan smiled and shook her head: "Sister Nan, let me do it. It's my way of doing something for myself."
He personally ended the marriage alliance that Emperor Li had ruthlessly arranged.
With the gentle smile that she only showed to Luan Yenan, Zuo Baixuan dismounted and slowly walked towards Prince Dan.
Luan Yenan and Gu Duo dismounted and followed.
Only another young palace maid was still confused and didn't know what to do. She stood the furthest away, but she slowly followed along.
The five guards, naturally unsuspecting of the women, smiled knowingly and moved a distance away to stand guard.
The rain was falling heavily, visibility was poor, and there was only a little light through the intermittent bursts of thunder and lightning.
With her face washed by the rain and her eyes half-closed, Zuo Baixuan walked up to Prince Dan and bowed, saying, "Thank you for saving me, Your Highness."
Prince Dan squinted at her.
She didn't seem downcast at all in the rain; instead, she exuded an air of purity, making him involuntarily swallow hard and walk towards Zuo Baixuan.
"Princess, you're too kind. We're engaged, so we're husband and wife. Don't you agree?" Prince Dan tried to gauge Zuo Baixuan's attitude.
Zuo Baixuan raised her head and smiled.
Lightning flashed, and the rain blurred the prince's vision. The fleeting smile on her face was completely different from the princess he remembered; instead, it seemed like…
Prince Dan glanced absentmindedly at Luan Yenan.
really.
The smiles of these two people seem to...
"It's not like that anymore." Zuo Baixuan's words were firm and powerful amidst the thunder, and a dagger was plunged into the chest of Prince Dan.
The pain surged, leaving him too weak to scream. The dagger was firmly embedded in his heart, and each twitch no longer brought life force, but instead sent warm blood out of his chest.
Before he set off, his unfavored mother warned him that the journey would be dangerous.
But he didn't listen. He thought that what could a woman raised in the deep palace by his father know? He happily set off with the guards his father had given him.
However, his personal guards, who were meant to protect him, were all beheaded by the men in black who rushed out of the forest after Luan Yenan gave a whistle.
Luan Yenan stepped forward, grabbed Zuo Baixuan's hand, and plunged the knife into the prince's chest.
He raised his foot and kicked.
It fell directly into the river.
The palace maid then realized what was happening and cried out in surprise, "Ah!"
But before he could finish shouting, he was interrupted.
"Noisy".
"What are you doing?!" Gu Duo was startled.
When she called the young palace maid out, she had already decided to let the ignorant maid know the truth, and let her choose whether to join the rebel army or leave this place of trouble and return to her hometown.
She was also a child with a tragic fate. Both her parents died, and because she was too poor, she was sold to the capital by her relatives. Because of her good looks, she was selected to enter the palace as the lowest-ranking palace maid.
"What are you doing! She's just a child!" Gu Duo looked at the masked man who had killed the person in astonishment. "General Xiao? How is it you?"
He was not Luan Yenan's spy at all.
Luan Yenan turned around and looked at the man who had removed his mask: "Xiao Xing, it really is you."
Xiao Xing laughed, wrinkling the scars on his face. He raised his hand and used the rainwater to wash his blood-stained sword.
She looked at Luan Yenan and said, "'As expected'? You knew all along that today was your death day?"
Luan Yenan looked coldly at Xiao Xing.
When Luan Yenan heard that the attackers were shouting the name of the "rebel army," he knew that Xiao Xing had set a trap to get rid of him.
He was the traitor who was secretly contacting the Southern Kingdom.
But he wasn't entirely betraying the uprising; he had always done despicable things, always seeking personal gain.
Informing the Southern Kingdom was also a way to achieve one's own goals. The plan was meticulously laid out, yet a loophole was deliberately left.
Because he had to complete both the rebel army's mission to kill Prince Dan and his own mission to kill Luan Yenan.
Xiao Xing licked the raindrops from his lips and looked at Zuo Baixuan with an unfriendly expression: "I really didn't expect this, Luan Yenan. It turns out that you rejected me back then because you liked women. But then again, with the princess's heavenly beauty, courage, and resourcefulness, it's indeed hard not to be attracted to her. It's just that pairing her with Luan Yenan is somewhat of a waste of her talent."
Xiao Xing finished speaking.
Luan Yenan had already rushed forward with a dagger in hand.
Xiao Xing raised his eyebrows slightly and effortlessly raised his sword, plunging it directly into Luan Yenan's abdomen.
Luan Yenan didn't dodge at all. She knew that her strength was still a bit behind Xiao Xing's, so she didn't even think about dodging when she attacked.
Xiao Xing paused with his sword, but could not stop Luan Yenan from continuing to approach.
Xiao Xing frowned, almost forgetting that Luan Yenan was a complete madman.
Back then, her master, the Taoist Wuwei, was besieged and killed. Only she, at a young age, escaped alone with Gu Duo. Covered in wounds and on the verge of death, she gritted her teeth and fought back, killing all her pursuers before fleeing back to the rebel army. Everyone knew she was ruthless and, deep down, a madwoman.
When she returned to the rebel army, the doctor shook his head and said she was on her last breath, but she persevered for half a month through sheer willpower.
The young commander, seeing Luan Yenan barely clinging to life, had no choice but to lie to her, saying she had a mission to infiltrate the palace.
Luan Yenan abandoned her desire for revenge and, relying on her last bit of strength, managed to run into the hunting grounds, where she was rescued by the renowned benevolent Empress Ren. Unexpectedly, thanks to the precious medicinal herbs available in the palace, she actually survived.
The commander then turned the tables and actually gave her a mission to infiltrate.
In a flash, many thoughts raced through Xiao Xing's mind. With a flick of his wrist, he slashed open the flesh of Luan Yenan's right arm.
The dagger in his right hand fell to the ground with a thud.
Xiao Xing was also prepared to draw his sword and kill them all.
But a smile appeared on Luan Yenan's face. The cold rain lashed against her face, but she was an assassin, an assassin who would never blink when killing.
Her eyes were fixed on Xiao Xing, as if she were looking at a dead man.
Left hand!
A flash of lightning streaked across the sky.
Suddenly, another dagger appeared in Luan Yenan's left hand. With a flash of cold light, it was already stabbing towards Xiao Xing.
Unlike that useless Prince Dan, Xiao Xing relied on his years of combat experience to dodge to the side.
The dagger missed its mark and only stabbed the arm.
But Xiao Xing didn't have time to laugh. As he raised his sword to send Luan Yenan on his way, the stinging pain and numbness brought back by his blood made it impossible for him to lift his hand.
"Poisonous?!" Xiao Xing was stunned.
Luan Yenan's face revealed a pale smile: "Xiao Xing, do you really think no one knows what happened back then? When you harmed my master, did you ever think of this day? Gu Duo, take revenge!"
"Senior sister?!" Gu Duo's eyes widened. Neither Luan Ye Nan's actions nor her words left her able to react.
Not only was Gu Duo stunned.
The other masked men were also stunned.