Chapter 19
Qi Mohan’s eyes darkened, and his usually refined, aloof air suddenly turned vicious.
Everyone exchanged glances, wondering what could have happened to make such a calm man so tense and anxious.
Qi Mohan curled his lips into a smile, as if the murderous aura he’d just shown had been nothing but an illusion.
He bowed to everyone. “Something urgent has come up. I’m sorry to leave you all like this.”
“Your Highness, if you have things to take care of, go ahead. We’ll enjoy ourselves here.”
“Exactly.”
The two wasted no time. They mounted their horses and immediately set off toward the Sheng residence.
Qi Mohan’s eyes were dark and fathomless as he asked coldly, “An Yi, what exactly happened?”
An Yi shook his head. “It was a distress signal from An Shi. The Empress left the palace today, so Her Majesty must be in trouble.”
Qi Mohan closed his eyes and let the cold wind buffet his face. “Go.”
By the time they arrived, the place was in complete disarray. Corpses littered the ground, blood seeping into the earth. The wind carried a choking stench of blood.
Qi Mohan glanced over the scene, his expression unreadable, though something terrifyingly deep stirred in his eyes.
An Yi immediately ran to inspect the carriage. In one corner, he found a maid curled up.
“You—are you Her Majesty’s personal maid?”
Chunwan looked up. The person before her was dressed all in black, indistinguishable from the assassins.
“Don’t come any closer! If you do, I’ll kill myself.” Calmly, she drew the dagger Sheng Yanhuan had given her and held it to her neck, her expression resolute.
“Hey—” An Yi jumped in fright and didn’t dare move.
He turned to look at the Prince Regent on horseback. “Your Highness, this is Her Majesty’s personal maid.”
Qi Mohan’s gaze shifted. He rode his horse up to the carriage.
“Where is she?”
Chunwan’s swollen eyes widened. She finally lowered the knife and climbed out.
“Your Highness?”
Qi Mohan repeated, “Where is she?”
Chunwan’s body relaxed, her back drenched in cold sweat. Only then did she realize how frightened she’d been.
Her lips trembling, she managed to answer, “Her Majesty was taken away by a woman in black. But she probably isn’t a bad person.”
Qi Mohan narrowed his eyes. “Which way did they go?”
“This servant doesn’t know...” Chunwan was anxious too. “There were so many assassins, and they all chased after them. Will Her Majesty be all right?”
Qi Mohan’s gaze was unfathomable. He gave an immediate order: “An Yi, An Er, An San, find more people and search with them.”
Someone high in the dark treetops answered quietly, “Yes.”
Someone in the forest answered, “Yes.”
The Prince Regent continued searching alone in the direction of the capital. An Shi had sent a distress signal, so An Shi would naturally be heading there to meet him—unless something had gone wrong.
Suddenly, he stopped and lowered his eyes.
A drop of blood stained a leaf. As he continued forward, the blood on the leaves grew more plentiful, until a corpse appeared before him...
Qi Mohan continued onward. The cuts on the corpse were unmistakably made by An Shi.
Suddenly, the faint sound of conversation drifted from ahead.
“Those women can really run.”
“I got scratched by a branch earlier. It hurts like hell. I’m going to rest for a while, then we can chase them again.”
“Right. I even got bitten by a snake, but luckily it wasn’t poisonous!”
“When I find those two bitches, I’ll fuck her to death before handing over the body.”
“Hahahaha! Then we can take turns?”
Qi Mohan slowly stepped out of the shadows, the corners of his mouth curling into an inscrutable smile.
“You two, repeat what you just said.”
The two assassins shuddered and jumped. How had this man appeared without making a sound?
They were considered skilled fighters, yet they hadn’t heard him approach at all.
Qi Mohan drew the soft blade from his waist, his expression calm. He repeated, “Say it again.”
As assassins, they weren’t completely blind to danger. This man was powerful; it was best not to provoke him.
“So those two young ladies are old friends of yours! We apologize. We’ll punish ourselves with a drink.”
“Yes, our apologies. We’re sorry.”
Qi Mohan’s expression didn’t change. “Too late.”
His eyes were bloodshot. Standing in the dead of night, he looked like a demon, his presence chilling to the bone.
The two exchanged a glance, then turned and ran.
They hadn’t gone far before they were cut cleanly in two, blood and body parts scattering across the ground.
“You think you have the right?”
＊＊
“Huff—” An Shi’s inner strength was nearly spent. Half the assassins behind them were gone, but several were still doggedly pursuing them.
Sheng Yanhuan knew that if they kept this up, they would be caught sooner or later.
“Find somewhere to hide.”
An Shi sneered. “Hide? You think they won’t find us?”
Sheng Yanhuan’s expression darkened. She knew this wasn’t the time to argue.
“Your mission is to protect me. Find somewhere to hide me. You’ll be able to move more easily on your own. I’m sure they’re exhausted too; they might not be able to catch up with you.”
An Shi frowned. Leave the Empress behind and run alone?
If An Shi went back, there’d probably be a whole lot of lashes waiting.
Sheng Yanhuan tugged at the corner of her mouth, as if scoffing.
“I’m only afraid I’ll die if I stay with you. Draw them away, and they won’t keep chasing me.”
An Shi hesitated. Face the fury over the Empress’s death, or the consequences of abandoning her...?
Then... better to risk it.
“When we get there, run up the mountain on the right. There’s a small cave. Take off your outer robe and toss it to one of the corpses. I’ll draw them away.”
Sheng Yanhuan lowered her eyelids, relieved.
“All right.”
If she hadn’t put it that way, this stubborn woman would probably have kept running until she dropped dead.
They ran around in circles a couple more times and returned to the place where the fighting had taken place. Sheng Yanhuan immediately took off her outer robe and got ready.
They worked together seamlessly. An Shi sped up and set her down, while Sheng Yanhuan tossed her outer robe over one of the smaller black-clad figures, then took off running toward the cave.
Sheng Yanhuan’s hair was disheveled as she hitched up her skirt and ran like mad.
Nothing mattered more than staying alive.