Sun Ningning refilled her tea twice, but after only a few bites of the snacks, she lost her appetite.
The System quietly accompanied her. For nearly an hour, it only occasionally spoke up to bicker with her.
【Hurry and wash those scenes from your mind—they’re an eyesore!】
【You have eyes? Aren’t you just a virtual AI?】
【This System’s IQ and EQ are extremely high—nothing like those dumb machines from your 2023!】
【Oh, well, it’s useless anyway. You can’t even eavesdrop properly.】
【I’ve told you, that’s personal privacy! Privacy! The main bureau doesn’t enable that feature!】
【Then when Xiao Ze and I get all lovey-dovey later and make some…unharmonious sounds, will you be listening?】
【Zzzzt】
The System, flushing red in its nonexistent face, emitted a burst of static before going offline.
Sun Ningning burst into laughter inside her mind.
Celestial Grade Room No. 1
A man in blue robes knelt trembling on the floor. Beside him lay two other men—one with his eyes gouged out, the other with both arms severed. Wooden plugs were stuffed into their mouths, leaving them gasping weakly on the ground, their faint breaths the only sign they were still alive.
Strangely, though their injuries clearly resulted from recent torture, only a thin layer of blood stained the floor. Anyone familiar with such methods would recognize it immediately: the limbs and eyes had been removed, life-preserving medicine forced down their throats, and expensive hemostatic agents applied to stop the bleeding. Any veteran of the blood-soaked world of martial arts who witnessed this scene would call it cruel.
Bai Ze, dressed in begonia red, stood before the trembling, kneeling man. His gaze swept over everything from a commanding height. Begonia red was a charming, vibrant hue, traditionally favored by imperial consorts. Yet on Bai Ze, it created a dazzlingly handsome effect that left no doubt about his gender. His thick, ink-black hair was tied up loosely with a single silver hairpin, fully revealing his exquisitely sharp, almost exotic features. Though clad in lazy, alluring casual robes, his aura was intensely aggressive.
His oppressive, almost demonic presence forced the kneeling man to bend lower and lower, his back nearly breaking under the pressure. Gasping for air, the man trembled like a sieve, head bowed as he pleaded, “Your Highness Prince Qin, I’ve told you everything I know!”
Yet his eyes kept darting unconsciously toward the window, his fists clenched so tightly they turned white. His entire body was taut, as if he might lunge forward at any moment to take his tormentor down with him.
Bai Ze took a step forward, lightly tapping the man’s shoulder with the tip of his shoe. The man gasped in muffled pain, collapsing to the floor in tremors.
“Your Highness, please calm your anger!”
Bai Ze took another step, extending his right hand and crooking his slender, well-defined fingers. Ling Shuang, her expression icy, promptly handed him a long goat-horn dagger.
Bai Ze gripped the dagger in a reverse hold, then bent one knee, crouching down halfway. He watched the man shiver in pain, his brow slightly furrowed as he remarked coolly:
“Calm my anger? But this prince feels no anger at all. I wonder if your master will be disappointed?”
No sooner had he spoken than he sliced off the man’s left ear with a single flick of the blade.
Ling Shuang moved just as swiftly, stuffing a soft wooden plug into the man’s mouth the instant he tried to cry out.
Bai Ze remained in his half-crouch, one leg forward, the other back, his hand resting casually on his knee as he idly twirled the dagger.
“This prince couldn’t care less about what any of you said.”
The man whimpered, the pain so intense he wished he could faint. But he had been force-fed top-grade medicine—not only had he barely bled, but his mind remained painfully clear.
Hearing Prince Qin’s words, he finally realized:
It appeared to be the master setting a trap, with Prince Qin walking right into it, but in reality, Prince Qin was the one lying in wait!
Too late! What to do? The message can’t be sent out!
Wait!
Prince Qin, he…
Does he also know about the upcoming assassination attempt?
So he’s stalling here with them?
Actually waiting for everyone to fall into his trap?
The man thought of his master’s plan not only falling apart but also being turned against them by Prince Qin…
He struggled desperately against the ropes, whimpering as if trying to say something.
Bai Ze smiled. Slowly rising to his feet, he lifted his leg.
A seemingly light kick sent the man flying back into the corner.
“Figured it out? Then sit back and enjoy the show.”
Bai Ze brushed off his robes and extended his hand.
This time, Feiyun immediately brought over a small basin of clear water.
Even though he hadn’t touched anything, Bai Ze meticulously washed his hands.
Settling back into the large armchair, he leaned his head back and closed his ink-black eyes.
As leisurely as someone dozing in autumn, his slender fingers tapped rhythmically on the table…
The slow, deliberate beats echoed like a prelude to death, filling the three half-dead men with utter despair.
It was too late.
Even if their comrades came now, it would only mean certain death.
…
Sure enough, a quarter of an hour later, over a dozen black-clad assassins burst through the windows.
Bai Ze pinched the bridge of his nose and looked up.
“They’re here, heh.”
In the previous life, it happened during a banquet.
This time, with just a slight manipulation, he couldn’t resist.
Bai Ze tilted his head to evade a flying dart, his begonia-red robes fluttering.
In the next instant, his figure ghostly appeared behind one of the assassins.
With a swift move, he twisted the assassin’s neck sideways with a sharp crack, and the attacker collapsed instantly, rigid.
Shifting his stance, Bai Ze drew a dagger and plunged it into another assassin’s chest, twisting it once before pulling it out.
He kicked the body toward the corner where the one-eared man lay.
“Keeping you company. You’re welcome.”
He flashed a cruel smile at the whimpering man, then swiftly slit the throat of an assassin attempting to ambush him from behind.
Blood sprayed, splattering slightly on Bai Ze’s cheek.
He wiped it away disdainfully.
“Too filthy.”
From then on, he grew more exhilarated with each kill.
Ling Shuang and Feiyun, familiar with their master’s temperament, kept a deliberate distance.
On occasions like this, their only duty was to handle the aftermath.
Bai Ze’s excitement showed in the faint crimson tinge at the corners of his eyes, and he occasionally let out a gleeful laugh.
Aside from Prince Qin’s subordinates, others only knew that the Second Prince was skilled in martial arts but physically frail.
Rumors claimed he could only hold his own for the duration of a cup of tea in a fight, and that three to five highly skilled assassins could easily take his life.
Thus, whether in court or the world of martial arts, there were many who sought his life daily.
Yet, every time, Prince Qin emerged unscathed.
Even when injured, it was only minor.
Only Prince Qin’s personal guards knew the truth: their master not only practiced lost arcane arts but also possessed unfathomably profound internal energy.
They had once speculated that it would take at least twenty rigorously trained death warriors to capture their master when he traveled alone.
As for ordinary martial arts assassins like today’s dozen, they were merely enough to tire their master out.
Bai Ze was clearly exhilarated by the slaughter, no longer toying with his opponents but ending them with ruthless efficiency.
He was savoring each death.
Another ten figures leaped in through the window. Breathing slightly heavily, Bai Ze chuckled:
“Ling Shuang, no need to spare any.”
Ling Shuang was like an emotionless killing machine, obeying only Bai Ze’s commands.
He immediately accepted the order, drew his sword, and charged forward.
The clashing of weapons grew increasingly loud, even splitting the door open.
This startled the ordinary tea drinkers on the second floor, who screamed in panic and fled in disarray.
Naturally, this disturbance reached Sun Ningning in the adjacent room.
Ten minutes earlier
Upon hearing the sound of shattering windows and fighting, Sun Ningning stood up excitedly.
“Is there… an assassin?”
Xiaoyue, terrified, rushed out the door and returned in a fluster within seconds, exclaiming urgently:
“Miss, didn’t you say Prince Qin is next door? There are assassins inside—so many of them! Everyone downstairs has already run off!”
“What should we do, miss? Let’s report this to the authorities!”
Xiaoyue paced anxiously back and forth, occasionally peeking outside.
Sun Ningning’s mind was racing: Wasn’t the assassination plot supposed to happen days from now?
Does Xiao Ze often face situations like this?
Since it’s insignificant, the book wouldn’t detail it?
[System, what do you see?]
[Host, it’s fine. The fight will be over before you even need to step in and take a blade for him.]
Sun Ningning knew Xiao Ze still had seven years to live and would be safe, but she couldn’t help worrying, afraid he might get injured.
Yet, rushing out herself could likely just cause more chaos.
[I haven’t even given him the gift yet, and now I have to watch Xiao Ze get assassinated? What terrible luck today!]
[Host, just be patient and wait a bit. Once it’s over, you can go over for a chance encounter and offer some comforting words.]
Sun Ningning forced herself to calm down for a while.
But when she heard the neighboring door being hacked apart, she was so frightened that she immediately crouched and slipped out.
With a clearer view, she could see everything inside the Celestial Grade room.
Bai Ze, gripping a dagger, fought in close combat, his movements elusive and his speed unnerving.
Sun Ningning’s eyes were glued to him, anxiously watching for any assassins attempting to ambush him from the sides.
The chaotic scene gradually settled.
Soon, all the assassins were eliminated.
Xiaoyue, terrified, covered her eyes and crouched in a corner, too scared to look.
Only Sun Ningning kept her eyes wide open, her body tucked behind a corridor pillar.
When she finally saw the room littered with bodies,
Sun Ningning fought back nausea from the blood, gritted her teeth, and, legs trembling, rushed over.
“Cousin! Are you alright? You’re not hurt, are you?”
Hearing that saccharine voice, Bai Ze’s still-agitated blood surged instantly.
In that moment, he considered: Should I just mistake her for an assassin and kill her by “accident”…