Hearing the voice, Shen Yue inwardly cursed “damn it” and swiftly dodged away.
She slipped through the grass, crossed the rockery, and arrived beneath a peach tree by the pond, carefully observing her surroundings.
“Forty-Nine, come back with me!”
A female assassin whispered, quickly approaching.
Seeing it was Code Eighty-Three, Shen Yue instantly relaxed her guard and responded softly:
“Going back is impossible. Have you forgotten how Thirty-Seven died?”
Two years ago, Thirty-Seven had left the hall without permission and was captured by Code Six. When the original owner saw his body, all his bones had been displaced, with flesh and bones messily piled in a corner—it could no longer be called a human form.
Eighty-Three had been present at the time, so how could she not know?
Yet if she didn’t capture Shen Yue and bring her back, only death awaited her as well.
“In that case, I must offend!”
As Eighty-Three spoke, her previously clear eyes instantly erupted with ferocity. The large blade in her hand swung up abruptly, swiftly slashing toward Shen Yue.
Shen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly but soon relaxed as if coming to terms with something.
Both she and the original owner had emerged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood—their hands stained with the blood of countless comrades.
Comrades might fight side by side or look out for each other, but when faced with life-and-death choices, they would never show mercy.
So, apologies were in order.
Between your death and mine, I choose yours.
A cold glint flashed—Eighty-Three’s blade hadn’t even neared its target before dropping powerlessly to the ground.
She raised a hand to cover the red line across her neck, blood instantly bursting forth like a runaway stallion.
The retreating figure holding the Triangular Blade grew increasingly faint, eventually vanishing into the darkness.
The battle in the front courtyard had also reached its climax.
Shen Yue observed carefully: though the shadow guards were still fighting vigorously, they deliberately avoided vital areas, clearly intending to take prisoners.
What a joke! With her here, if even one breathing enemy remained, she’d consider it her loss!
She moved behind the rockery, found the right angle, extended her right hand, and spun the Triangular Blade between her fingers several times before suddenly launching it!
Thump, thump, thump, thump…
Instantly, every assassin gained a red line across their necks.
Blood sprayed like blossoms.
Wherever the blade passed, assassins fell in waves.
Only after eliminating the last one did it spin directly toward a stone pillar, bouncing back into its owner’s hand in the blink of an eye.
The entire process took mere seconds, yet it was completely witnessed by Xiao Yuheng.
A flicker of surprise flashed in his eyes, lasting only a moment before returning to still-water calmness.
“Wasn’t it agreed to keep them alive? Who took action?”
Changfeng frowned, clear displeasure in his eyes.
The shadow guards glanced at each other, unanimously showing confusion. Only Xiao Yuheng turned his gaze toward the rockery.
Shen Yue clicked her tongue softly, quietly circled around the rockery, approached him, knelt, and kowtowed:
“Well… this subordinate didn’t hear the order earlier. I beg Your Highness for forgiveness!”
Xiao Yuheng frowned at the young shadow guard before him, remaining silent.
Knowing she was at fault, Shen Yue kept quiet too, only feeling a chill on the top of her head.
The shadow guards had already considerately begun moving corpses and washing the ground. Soon, the entire prince’s estate was restored to pristine condition, as if nothing had happened.
Kneeling had grown somewhat tiresome. Shen Yue tentatively raised her head to find the man still staring motionlessly at her.
“Which division are you from? Why has this prince never seen you before?”
“I am Shen Yue from the Second Division. Usually when I slack off… ahem, when I’m on duty, I’m stationed quite far from Your Highness, so it’s normal that you haven’t noticed me.”
“Mm.” Xiao Yuheng glanced at the Triangular Blade in her hand and coughed lightly. “Wait for me in the study.”
“Huh… what?” Shen Yue was somewhat surprised.
Either let her go or punish her directly – why the study?
Well, it’s just the study, not the bedchamber.
“Yes!” She accepted the order readily and stood up to leave.
Watching her retreating figure, Xiao Yuheng raised his phoenix eyes slightly, revealing a hint of curiosity.
Just then, Changfeng came to report: “Your Highness, Qiao Er has fallen in the line of duty.”
“Understood. Arrange his funeral and take care of his family.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
In the study, sandalwood smoke curled upwards. Shen Yue stood obediently for a while until, seeing that no one had arrived, she began to look around.
Compared to three months ago, there were two additional books on the bookshelf – “On Governance” and “The Diamond Sutra” – while two volumes of “Records of the Grand Historian” were missing. On the desk, there was now a plate of Peach Blossom Cakes, and the Duanshi Landscape Inkstone had been replaced with a Nine-Dragon Pattern Inkstone.
The painting “A Thousand Li of Rivers and Mountains” on the wall had shifted one centimeter to the right – it seemed Xiao Yuheng had visited the secret chamber.
She had known since her second day in the residence that there was a secret mechanism hidden behind this very painting.
The mechanism was extremely well-concealed, requiring simultaneous pressure on three specific points on the wall to activate. Even if ordinary people knew there was a mechanism behind the painting, they would find it difficult to open.
Shen Yue could open it, but she had no desire to work for the Netherworld Hall, so she had never attempted to enter.
Compared to Xiao Yuheng’s secrets, she was clearly more interested in the plate of Peach Blossom Cakes on the desk at the moment.
Pink and tender, they looked soft and glutinous – they must be delicious, right?
She waited listlessly, her gaze drifting unconsciously toward the Peach Blossom Cakes, feeling a growing emptiness in her stomach…
That bastard Qiao Er had interrupted her meal earlier, and she hadn’t eaten her fill. There were nine pieces of Peach Blossom Cake – if she ate just one, surely no one would notice?
As a prince, Xiao Yuheng was practically the local emperor within the territory of Sifang City. His entire life consisted of just four things – eating, sleeping, producing heirs, and waiting for death. With endless luxuries at his disposal, he certainly wouldn’t bother counting pieces of Peach Blossom Cake.
Thinking this, she silently extended her greedy claws toward the plate…
When Xiao Yuheng returned to the study, Shen Yue was kneeling obediently with her head bowed, inadvertently revealing her snow-white neck. Seeing this, Xiao Yuheng couldn’t help but frown.
For a man to have such a slender build and such fair, delicate skin was truly displeasing to the eye.
He walked to the blood-sandalwood armchair behind the desk and sat down, speaking in a deep voice:
“Qiao Er fell tonight, surrounded and killed by more than twenty assassins.”
“What?” Shen Yue showed surprise on her face.
“Our Director was such a good man! To die so tragically! Director, Director…”
She wore an expression of grief, completely unaware of how poorly she was acting.
The man before her frowned even more deeply:
“I heard you were planning to challenge Qiao Er today. What, do you want to be Director?”
Director, my foot.
If not for making the Shadow Guard Bureau and the Netherworld Hall destroy each other, she wouldn’t have even returned.
She only had three months to write her book, make money, and find someone to create the antidote. Wasting even a single day was disrespectful to life itself – how could she have time to be Director?
“Your Highness, I merely respected the Director and wanted to spar with him. I never thought about…”
“The Director’s monthly salary is thirty taels, are you certain?” The man lightly tapped the desk, interrupting him.
Thirty taels? That’s six times the current amount!
Earning twenty-five extra taels each month would be equivalent to selling five more Lewd Books. The Director doesn’t need to do much work, and the saved time could be used to write five more books. With this twofold advantage, he could earn fifty extra taels!
Thinking this, Shen Yue pursed his lips and immediately kowtowed: “Yes, this subordinate thanks Your Highness for the promotion!”
Xiao Yuheng: …Did I say I was promoting him?