By the time Xiao Xingcang arrived at full speed, all he heard was the clash of blades—there was no one in sight.
“Where are they?” he demanded urgently as he dismounted and drew his bow.
Qi Heng had just finished arranging the archers and hurried back.
At the question, he pointed toward a distant mass that looked like a swarm of black insects.“Our men can’t get close. As soon as they do, they’re bitten by flying insects. Several have already been injured.”
Xiao Xingcang glanced at the Gu-repelling chain on his wrist, his gaze darkening as he thought for a moment.
He tossed the bow aside, drew the heavy blade from his saddle, and charged straight toward the black swarm.
“Your Highness—don’t!” Qi Heng chased after him and grabbed his arm, panic on his face.
He was the pillar holding them all together—he could not afford the slightest mishap.
Xiao Xingcang was just about to bark a reprimand when, suddenly, a loud bang erupted from within the swarm.
In the next instant, the black mass dissolved into a plume of greenish smoke and dispersed.
Only then did the figures locked in combat become visible.
The opponent wore a black cloak and veil, revealing only a pair of eyes. Nearby, a woman’s heavy mantle had been flung aside, and her tightly coiled hair had come loose during the fight.
Xiao Xingcang raised his blade and stepped forward.
“Stop!” Gu Qinglu shouted sharply.
Her tone allowed no argument. Her gaze pointed him toward a patch of green, viscous liquid on the ground.
Xiao Xingcang lowered his eyes and halted immediately—he had nearly stepped right into it.
A rush of wind struck. He snapped his head up just as arrows flew in from both sides.
Without hesitation, he hurled the blade in his hand, intercepting the arrows from the right, and shouted, “Left side!”
Gu Qinglu’s eyes narrowed.
She twisted her blade, slashing left and right in a fierce arc while deftly evading the incoming arrows.
Her opponent was no amateur. Blocking her strikes, he flicked his cloak aside with one hand and released another wave of Gu insects.
Gu Qinglu refused to be outdone.
As she swung her blade, she flicked Gu insects from beneath her fingernails.
Time dragged on, their methods repeating in a vicious cycle.
Her patience snapped.
She suddenly surged forward, sweeping her leg sideways and flipping her blade mid-strike.
The opponent took a hit at once.
She pressed the advantage relentlessly, giving him no chance to recover.
“Who dares fight in the streets? Stop at once!”Urgent hoofbeats and the clash of armor accompanied the furious shout.
Gu Qinglu glanced up—it was the deputy commander of the city patrol she had seen the day they left the city.
She sneered coldly, swung her blade horizontally, and struck him again under the arm.
After roughly half an hour, the black-clad man staggered backward, gasping, retreating until he was cornered at the edge of the street.
Gu Qinglu’s blade was already pressed against his throat.
The man swallowed hard. His hanging hand suddenly curled into a claw and lunged at her.
She had been ready.
She caught his wrist instantly, twisted it sharply, and he cried out in pain.
Leaning in, her brows heavy and her voice low, she said,“No one under my command is this incompetent. Next time you impersonate someone from Miao Territory, find someone with real skill.”
The eyes visible beneath the veil stared at her in shock.
Gu Qinglu swiftly drew a concealed needle from her sleeve and drove it into his armpit.
She turned, about to tell Xiao Xingcang to have men escort him away—only to see a group riding in fast from the direction of the city gates. The rider in front raised his hand sharply.
“Seize them all!”
In an instant, Gu Qinglu and the immobilized black-clad man were surrounded.
Qi Heng and Hu Wei immediately raised their hands as well. Archers drew their bows at once.
Qi Heng shouted angrily, “How dare you!”
The deputy commander of the patrol dismounted, sheathed his blade, and hurried forward to bow.“Prince Qin, there has been unrest in the city. Please do not obstruct the patrol in arresting those who fought openly in the streets.”
Xiao Xingcang said nothing, only casting the man a cold, cutting glance.
His thoughts raced. After those two volleys of arrows, everything had gone quiet—yet within half an hour, the city patrol arrived.
If he wasn’t mistaken, the arrest was merely a pretense. Protecting the black-clad man was the real goal.
Xiao Xingcang swung onto his horse and rode straight into the ring of soldiers.
The tight encirclement parted.
Gu Qinglu restrained the black-clad man and looked toward the tall figure astride the horse.
When he reached her, she said calmly, “I’m taking this man with me.”
Xiao Xingcang nodded once and gestured from horseback.
Soldiers immediately stepped forward to take custody.
With her hands free, Gu Qinglu bent to pick up her blade and tossed it toward a nearby guard.
As the guard came to receive it, he handed her the fallen cloak.
She spread it open and draped it over herself, concealing the torn fabric beneath.
Turning her head, she saw the man on horseback lean down toward her.“Get on.”
Before she could speak, his arm wrapped around her waist, lifting her effortlessly onto the horse.
She sat sideways in front of him. Xiao Xingcang pulled up the cloak’s hood, covering her completely.
Turning the horse around, he held the reins with one hand and kept the other wrapped firmly around her.
As they passed the patrol deputy commander, he looked down at him with cold disdain.“If you want the man, have your superior come to the Prince of Qin’s residence to ask.”
With that, he cast a glance at Qi Heng and spurred the horse forward.
Their eyes met—Qi Heng understood at once and raised his hand sharply.“Open your dog eyes wide. That was the lady of the Prince of Qin’s household. This matter is no concern of your paltry city patrol. Men—go tally the civilians’ losses.”
The implication was clear.
Today’s incident was to be treated as a private affair.
All damages would be borne by the Prince of Qin’s residence—not a single copper would come from the court.
The entire scene was observed by a pair of eyes hidden in an upstairs tavern on the main street.
Only after the fierce horse vanished down the long road did the window shut tight.
A figure cloaked in black turned around.“There’s no doubt—it’s someone from Miao Territory.”
In an elegant room, a six-panel screen reflected the silhouette of someone seated behind it.
A hoarse voice came from within.“Impossible. The Holy Sect of Miao Territory has strict rules—without an imperial summons, none may leave. Besides, that girl was arranged by you personally, and you planted the Gu in her. How could this be?”
The black-robed man took a few steps and stopped before the screen.“Believe it or not, my lord—there is no one in this world who can undo the Gu I placed except those of Miao Territory.”
Each generation’s Holy Maiden of Miao Territory swore a blood oath before her consecration, obeying the pact made a hundred years ago.
Without an emperor’s decree, they were forbidden to leave.
Yet when the girl was surrounded by Gu ants, what she used was unmistakably Miao Territory’s Gu solution.
The bat Gu last time had already made him suspect Miao Territory.
What he saw today confirmed it beyond doubt.
The voice behind the screen pressed urgently,“Can you still awaken the child Gu within that girl?”
Originally, the girl had been sent to assassinate the Prince of Qin—to ensure he didn’t die too quickly.
Who would have thought she’d slip out of control?
The black-robed man paused, then let out a long sigh.“When the host dies, the Gu dies with them.”
The moment the words fell, the sound of a cup shattering rang out behind the screen.
The hoarse voice roared in fury,“That girl is standing there alive and well! Are you blind?”
The black-robed man had no explanation for the girl’s resurrection either.
On the day of the Prince of Qin’s grand ceremony, he had clearly felt it—the child Gu was dead.
He had tried repeatedly since then to reconnect.
There had been no response at all.
After some thought, he concluded that if she could no longer be controlled, then she had to be eliminated.“Grant me some time, my lord. The Gu on that girl is dead—she has no value left. We can remove her along with him.”
“The Prince of Qin’s residence is heavily guarded now. How will you manage that?” the hoarse voice asked sharply.
The black-robed man cupped his hands toward the screen.“If we can’t get in, then we wait for him to come out. The matter of his Gu poisoning in the southern border has already been shifted toward Miao Territory. I don’t believe he won’t go. How he goes will depend on your people.”
The person behind the screen pondered for a long while.
It was already mid-winter.
The Prince of Qin had only just recovered, and his loyal ministers and deputy generals would never agree to him traveling south.
That meant waiting until after the New Year.
After a moment, the hoarse voice spoke again in warning,“Have your people leave the city overnight. Judging by today, the Prince of Qin will conduct a city-wide search. Lie low for now.”
The black-robed man bowed deeply.“As you command.”