The most crucial arrow missed its mark. The person on the opposite rooftop showed a flicker of surprise in their eyes, but before they could think further, the crossbow moved again, and another arrow shot out, heading straight for Ye Xiren’s abdomen!
Ma Shan was already prepared. Swinging his sickle, he blocked the attack, pulling Ye Xiren behind him. He curled his fingers and blew a short, sharp whistle.
With one failed strike, the situation here was no longer under the control of the Bei Yan people!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
Even denser sounds of arrows rang out simultaneously, coming from the rooftop behind Ye Xiren. However, they flew past her, aimed at Chizhan Lan Ce on the opposite side.
A group of black-clad figures seemed to appear out of thin air—or perhaps… they had arrived even earlier.
The Bei Yan people were shaken at the same time. Mole shielded Chizhan Lan Ce behind him, gritting his teeth, “Your Highness, be careful!”
What was going on?
Today’s plan had been sudden to begin with. It was only after receiving news that Lu Qian had taken people into the Imperial Prison to see Yan Danqing that His Highness had decided to carry out the ambush. Everything had been improvised, including their chosen location for the attack… How could someone have set up an ambush in advance?!
[Chizhan Lan Ce is an extremely cautious person. The hardest part is luring him out. His martial skills are ordinary, so most of the time, he stays behind the scenes, directing operations from within heavily guarded courtyards or hiding in that carriage filled with countless mechanical devices. Unless it is absolutely safe, he will not emerge. To assassinate him, you will need the cooperation of that person from Yuyin Tower, using bait to lure him out first. This is the fishing method.]
General Yan had devised a thorough plan, carefully calculating every step based on Chizhan Lan Ce’s temperament.
The corners of Ye Xiren’s mouth lifted. She didn’t need that “mole” in the court to help lure him out. Chizhan Lan Ce wanted to kill her, and he had already emerged.
Bang!
Whoosh!
The sounds of arrows clashing and blades clanging continued incessantly.
The black-clad figures behind Ye Xiren entangled the Bei Yan people, preventing them from focusing on attacks and forcing them into a defensive stance. Ma Shan protected her as they retreated, moving away from the combat zone.
Chizhan Lan Ce’s eyes were icy cold, his phoenix eyes fixed venomously on Ye Xiren’s movements. He had never failed to capture anyone he targeted—this was the second time.
Shielded by the Bei Yan people, he aimed his crossbow at Ye Xiren once more.
An arrow flew out. The crossbow was powerful; even though Ma Shan blocked it with his blade, it still grazed past Ye Xiren’s head, shattering the veil on her hat and revealing a circular shield.
Ye Xiren wanted to curse.
With so many “assassins” targeting him, why wasn’t he thinking of escaping? Why was he still fixated on killing her?
“Ma Shan, don’t worry about me! Go and kill Chizhan Lan Ce!” Ye Xiren quickly ran to the corner of a stone wall, crouched down, and placed the shield in front of her, shouting urgently.
Thud!
Thud! Thud!
Dense arrows struck the shield, falling to the ground one after another until they finally ceased. After all, the crossbow’s arrows were limited, and this was the maximum it could carry.
Ye Xiren peeked out and saw the shield covered in countless dents.
She gasped sharply.
In her mind, the key figures of Daliang flashed by rapidly, but there was no record of this woman.
The moment their gazes met, Ye Xiren instinctively withdrew her line of sight, hiding behind the corner of the stone wall with her shield, showing no trace of bravery.
There was no other way—she had truly never seen such a scene before.
Moreover, Chizhan Lan Ce’s gaze was genuinely terrifying. Outside, arrows were flying densely, people were falling one after another, and death was everywhere. It was enough to make her legs go weak.
Ye Xiren swallowed hard and peeked out again. Even though her legs felt weak, she kept checking the situation while holding up her shield.
Thus, from Chizhan Lan Ce's perspective, the person he wanted to kill had hidden, only to pop back up and taunt him. When he looked over, that person would flinch and duck back down.
In less than two breaths, the head would reappear, peeking furtively in his direction, over and over again.
Chizhan Lan Ce laughed in anger.
Arrows rained down densely. Their operation had been sudden, and they hadn’t expected a young girl to be so difficult to deal with. They hadn’t brought many weapons, while the Yanjia Army on the other side was far better prepared.
They couldn’t keep fighting from above.
“Go down,” he ordered.
Thus, Ye Xiren watched as this group of Bei Yan men descended to the ground while fending off arrows, landing precisely where she had stood earlier. They then used houses and stone walls as cover to evade the arrows from the black-clad archers.
[Most Bei Yan soldiers are cavalrymen and are not adept at ground combat. Forcing them to the ground gives the Yanjia Army a chance to kill Chizhan Lan Ce.]
After the Bei Yan men landed, Ma Shan’s whistle changed its tune. The archers followed suit, descending and hanging their bows behind them before drawing long blades from their waists and charging forward. The two sides became entangled.
Chizhan Lan Ce was protected at the rear, yet he paid no heed to the disadvantage they were in. Instead, he kept his eyes fixed on the corner where someone kept peeking out. When their gazes met, his eyes turned icy cold:
“Who are you?”
Ye Xiren felt a chill shoot from her feet to the top of her head. Some people were just that terrifying—merely being looked at by them felt like being targeted by a venomous snake. She wasn’t afraid of death, but she was afraid of snakes.
“The one who will kill you!”
[Chizhan Lan Ce’s guards are well-trained. When necessary, they will retreat decisively, using their own lives to protect Chizhan Lan Ce’s escape. However, Chizhan Lan Ce has a trait that is both a strength and a weakness: he never gives up until he achieves his goal.]
Yan Danqing’s voice seemed to still echo in her ears.
“Your Highness, go now!” Mole pushed Chizhan Lan Ce aside.
The Bei Yan men immediately formed a formation, with layers of soldiers protecting the crown prince as they retreated, breaking free from the Yanjia Army’s encirclement.
The best escape route was the southwestern gate, but Chizhan Lan Ce did not head in that direction. Instead, he pivoted and retreated toward Ye Xiren’s location, each step seeming to intensify his killing intent.
The fighting also shifted in this direction.
Ye Xiren hoisted her shield, scrambled to her feet, and ran.
However, Chizhan Lan Ce’s target was her. With his crossbow out of arrows, he reached out directly toward her, his other hand gripping a blade tightly, determined to kill before withdrawing.
Ye Xiren’s face turned pale with fear, her teeth chattering as she stared in terror at Chizhan Lan Ce, stumbling backward in panic. Unfortunately, the shield was too heavy, and as she lifted it, she nearly tripped over a wooden frame behind her.
Just that brief delay was enough for Chizhan Lan Ce to seize her.
[He underestimates you. This is your chance!]
Ye Xiren suddenly stopped in her tracks. From behind the wooden frame, a short figure leaped out—a female swordsman who brushed past Chizhan Lan Ce. A flash of cold light swept across his neck, and with a backhanded strike, she pierced his chest from behind!
The ambush was over.
The Bei Yan men cried out in disbelief.
Mole rushed toward Chizhan Lan Ce, and this gave Ma Shan an opening. With a heavy swing of his blade, followed by a twist, he ended Mole’s life.
The other Bei Yan men also found themselves in dire straits. The Yanjia Army began mopping up, eliminating them one by one.
Ye Xiren let out a sigh of relief, shook her hair, and straightened up. Since she had stayed in the “battlefield” to carry out the assassination plan, the place she had hidden was inevitably part of the battlefield!
Chizhan Lan Ce had underestimated her.
Ye Xiren shook off Chizhan Lan Ce's hand, yet despite suffering two fatal wounds, his grip on her remained strong.
"You… who are you…"
Blood trickled from the corner of his mouth, fresh blood continuously flowed from his neck, and a knife was embedded in his chest, yet he stared intently at Ye Xiren, demanding an answer.
They had actually met before. On the first day of the third lunar month, their carriages collided. Ye Xiren had lived through many first days of the third month, and most of the time, she remembered to remind the coachman to avoid Chizhan Lan Ce's carriage.
But on the last time she returned to the first day of the third month, her mind was filled with the thought that Ye Pei had actually led the entire family to their deaths. Her sole focus was on confronting Ye Pei, and she forgot about the incident on the road, causing the carriages to collide once again.
Later, she only returned to the third day of the third month. Apart from Ye Xiren, everyone else retained the memories from her last first and second days of the third month.
Ye Xiren knew this but had no intention of telling him. Let this Bei Yan scoundrel die in confusion!
She struggled fiercely with her hands.
At the same time, the swordsman pulled out his blade. Chizhan Lan Ce collapsed stiffly, his grip finally loosening. She finally broke free, her wrist bruised and throbbing with pain.
On the ground, Chizhan Lan Ce curled his lips into a smile. He was dying, but this woman wanted to save Yan Danqing?
Behind them, a Bei Yan man saw Chizhan Lan Ce fall, his eyes filled with hatred. He took two steps back and fired a whistling arrow into the sky.
The next moment, this man was slain by the Yanjia Army.
Seeing this, Ye Xiren frowned in confusion. "Are the Bei Yan people calling for reinforcements?"
But the battle here was already over. Various forces were about to arrive, and they would soon leave the Imperial City Department. What use was sending a signal now?
As soon as the thought crossed her mind, an explosion rang out.
The Imperial Prison dungeon holding Yan Danqing collapsed with a deafening roar, dust and debris flying everywhere as the ground trembled.
The dungeon had exploded!
Ye Xiren's pupils contracted in disbelief.
Leaning on a shield to steady herself, she stared fixedly in the direction of the collapsed dungeon, overwhelmed by shock, confusion, horror, and anger… all at once.
In that moment, all her previous doubts were answered.
The explosives painstakingly purchased from various merchants were neither for self-preservation nor for attacking the palace. They had long been buried in the dungeon, intended to… kill Yan Danqing!
Even in death, Chizhan Lan Ce was determined to take Yan Danqing with him.
"General Yan!" Ma Shan's expression changed as he, along with others, rushed toward the dungeon. However, the explosion had originated from Yan Danqing's location, and with the dungeon collapsed, how could anyone possibly be rescued?
Ye Xiren swayed, her vision darkening.
She seemed to see General Yan again, sitting in the dungeon in his white undergarments, speaking softly through the iron bars, arranging plans and urging her to be careful. Then, he gave her a faint smile, his handsome features softening with warmth.
Ye Xiren abruptly turned her gaze to the man on the ground. Chizhan Lan Ce was on the verge of death, but upon hearing the explosion, he let out a maddened laugh.
Blood rushed to her head. She charged forward and kicked him, her embroidered shoe stomping directly on the knife wound in his chest. Trembling with rage, her voice shook. "You… you're insane! What grudge do you have against Yan Danqing? Why won't you let him go?!"
That was the person she had tried so hard to save, at the cost of several lives.
And just like that, Chizhan Lan Ce had taken him away!
Ma Shan returned, his eyes red, holding a blood-stained letter. His voice was hoarse. "This is the general's blood-written letter found on the collapsed stone slab. Miss Ye, the Imperial Guard is here. We must leave immediately."
The general did not want anyone to discover Miss Ye’s involvement in the assassination of Chizhan Lan Ce. He had to take her away immediately.
Ye Xiren stared at the familiar blood-stained letter wrapped around a stone.
She dared not imagine how much agony Yan Danqing must have endured in that moment when the dungeon collapsed, to wrap the blood-stained letter around a stone and throw it out. He knew he would not survive, but he had to ensure the Yanjia Army remained steady…
Ye Xiren closed her eyes, forcing back the tears.
“Let’s go!” She turned and left.
Ma Shan took up his shield and, together with the Yanjia Army, escorted Ye Xiren. With General Yan dead, they would now follow Ye Xiren’s orders and protect her.
On the ground, Chizhan Lan Ce’s fading consciousness watched her leave until the end. With two fatal wounds, he could hold on no longer and finally ceased breathing. The last memory flashed through his mind.
The first day of the third month, the carriage collision.
He remembered now…
This was Ye Pei’s daughter, the second young lady of the Ye family.