Goose-feather snow blanketed the sky. In just half an hour, the entire Imperial City was covered in a silver-white cloak.
Wei Ran stepped out of the palace gates under the dusky sky.
With a stern expression, Gao Ming lifted the carriage curtain. Once Wei Ran boarded, he cracked the reins and drove the carriage toward the residence.
Eight blade-wielding guards followed closely behind.
No one noticed that atop the eaves along the street, two figures moved like lightning.
Both were clad in white robes with bamboo hats and veiled faces, almost blending perfectly into the snowy surroundings.
“Master, when do we make our move?”
Lu Baishuang’s voice was cold and distant. The biting wind and snow lashed her delicate cheeks. She held her sword in her left hand, the right resting lightly on the hilt.
Yun Rou, mature and composed, pursed her lips. “No rush. I just scouted the area. Two li ahead in Chongren Ward, the patrols are thin. We’ll strike there.”
Lu Baishuang nodded without further comment.
Inside the carriage—
Gao Ming kept the horses steady, his voice hard and cold as it carried to the back.
“Li Baoshu, don’t you think what you did today went too far?”
His tone was laced with anger.
He was referring to what had happened earlier inside the White Tiger Gate.
“Too far?” Wei Ran’s voice drifted lazily from within the carriage, tinged with amusement. “In what way?”
“Hmph.” Gao Ming snorted. “Don’t play dumb with me. You knew exactly what you were doing today.”
“I warned you countless times not to stir up trouble. And yet, you went ahead and punched the Empress’s own brother.”
“Mark my words—this will be the talk of the city within three days. You’re making enemies at every turn. You’re walking a path to destruction.”
“If the Prince finds out what you’ve done, do you really think he’ll let you live?”
Wei Ran chuckled softly.
“That’s not necessarily true. Commander Gao, what do you think was Prince Min’s true reason for sending his son to the capital as a hostage?”
Gao Ming’s voice turned cold. “Stop trying to fish for information about His Highness. You’ll never guess his intentions.”
Wei Ran smacked his lips. “Tsk. Are all of Prince Min’s trusted men this brave but brainless?”
“If he surrounds himself with people like you, Li Qingtian, and Wang Runlian, then he won’t live long.”
“What did you say?!” Gao Ming exploded. “Do you believe I won’t skin you alive right now?!”
Wei Ran remained indifferent. “If you dared to kill me, you would’ve done it yesterday. Why wait till now?”
“If you won’t do it, don’t pretend you will. I don’t buy your act.”
“Gao Ming, quit pretending to be ignorant.”
“You all know the truth. Prince Min sent his son to the capital to lower the Emperor’s guard.”
“I may not know everything, but I’ve heard a few things. The Prince’s Heir had a terrible reputation in the northern territories—bullying men, harassing women, even forcing girls into prostitution.”
“You think he’d suddenly become a new man just because he arrived in the capital?”
“If he’s a notorious wastrel, then he should behave like one.”
“Otherwise, won’t people start wondering if the so-called Heir of Prince Min is a fake?” Enjoying the story? Read on at g.com.
Gao Ming’s expression shifted uncertainly.
Truth was, he knew all of this.
He was only angry because he couldn’t stand the idea of a fake prince acting so arrogant, treating even someone like him as beneath notice.
It all came down to one thing—resentment.
Wei Ran continued, “What I did today won’t damage the Prince’s plan. In fact, it will strengthen it.”
“People will simply think the Prince’s Heir is a brainless fool, a good-for-nothing who’s beyond saving.”
“The more I act like this, the more relieved the Emperor will be about Prince Min’s family.”
“Some people really hope the Prince has no competent heir. Surely, you understand the value of hiding one’s brilliance in decay?”
“Hmph,” Gao Ming snorted coldly. “You think you’re clever.”
“I’ll be writing to the Prince. Until his reply arrives, you’d best behave.”
“Hyah!”
He snapped the reins, picking up speed.
Wei Ran simply smiled and leaned back, not taking the threat to heart. He knew Gao Ming wouldn’t dare touch him. His outburst was nothing but a display of frustration at a chicken pretending to be a phoenix.
Meanwhile—
Chongren Ward.
In a snow-covered alley under the dusky sky.
“Escort Chief Liu, they’re here. That must be the carriage Young Master Shi described.”
Liu, leaning against a wall, perked up. Following the direction his subordinate pointed, he spotted a golden-carved carriage slowly approaching through the snow.
He gripped his cudgel tightly and grinned.
“Brothers, stay alert and wait for my signal.”
About twenty men stood hidden in the alley, each holding a five-foot-long iron cudgel.
As the carriage drew closer, Chief Liu grew visibly more excited.
Breaking one leg would earn him three thousand silver taels—more than two entire escort missions from Weiyuan Agency.
Just as he raised his hand to give the signal to swarm the carriage—
Two ghost-like white shadows leapt from the eaves and dove straight toward the carriage.
They moved with lightning speed.
The glazed tiles beneath their feet shattered as they launched forward.
In the blink of an eye, they were already upon the carriage.
As a seasoned martial artist, Gao Ming sensed danger before it struck. His entire body tensed, hairs standing on end, and he instinctively drew his blade.
At the same moment, he roared, “Assassins! Protect the Heir!”
CLANG!
A deafening crash of metal rang out. Gao Ming’s Yanling Blade was knocked from his hand, and he was thrown from the side of the carriage.
By the time he steadied himself, his face was pale with shock.
But before he could even catch his breath, the tip of a three-foot sword was already less than a foot from his throat.
Flustered, Gao Ming scrambled to dodge.
The eight guards finally snapped out of their daze and drew their weapons, forming a defensive circle around the carriage.
Sounds of battle rang out—clashing steel, shouts, grunts, and the occasional scream and wet slicing sound of blades cutting flesh.
Inside the carriage—
Wei Ran lifted the curtain with one hand, his other clenched into a fist. His expression was calm, but inwardly he was panicking.
He’d only been in this world for two days, and he was already being assassinated?
He was scared—but someone else was even more terrified.
In the alley—
Chief Liu’s face turned ghostly pale. He trembled and stammered, “D-did you… did you hear what that man just said?”
One of his escorts nervously replied, “Chief Liu, that man said—he said, ‘Assassins! Protect the Heir!'”
Chief Liu nearly blacked out, stumbling as if he’d faint on the spot.
“Chief Liu! Chief Liu! Hold on!”
Several men rushed forward to steady him.
Once he regained his footing, Chief Liu slapped his thigh hard.
“Damn it! This is a death trap!”
“That Shi Lingkuan is a complete bastard! Didn’t he say our target was just some merchant’s son who bought his way into office?”
“This—this isn’t some merchant’s son! This is a prince’s heir!”
“What do we do now, Chief Liu?!”
Chief Liu stomped anxiously, then gritted his teeth.
“What else can we do?! Run! Run for your lives!”
“Assassinating a prince’s heir is a capital crime! They’ll execute our entire clans!”
“No one says a word of this to anyone. Got it?”
“Get home, pack your things—we’re fleeing the city tonight!”
“Chief Liu, there’s a curfew. We won’t make it out.”
Chief Liu felt the world crashing down.
“Then we leave first thing tomorrow! Say we’re escorting a shipment—anything!”
“Go! Move!”
“Split up! Leave no trace!”
Now that they knew Wei Ran’s true identity, Chief Liu and his men were scared out of their minds. Who would dare stick around?