Seeing her emerge, Qi Xuan raised his ornamental sword and immediately nodded.
"Your Highness, all the secret guards of the Prince's Mansion are here, at your command."
As he moved, the secret guards behind him all bowed their heads in unison.
"At your command, Your Highness!"
The commotion caused Feng Yin Wan to tremble, and she even felt a surge of nervousness.
Before she could speak, Qi Xuan handed her ornamental sword forward again.
"This journey will surely be perilous. I took the liberty of returning this sword to its rightful owner. Please issue your orders, Your Highness."
That night, Ye Ting Lan had angrily taken her sword back and immediately ordered it sealed in the storeroom. Now, Qi Xuan had quietly retrieved it for her.
As the sword entered her grasp, the familiar feeling surged back.
Feng Yin Wan tightened her grip on the scabbard and raised it directly. "Move out!"
The curfew had passed, and there were few people in the city.
They traveled all the way to the south of the city. Qi Xuan used the ink prince's mansion's waist token to open the city gate, and the group immediately rode their horses towards the outskirts.
...
The mountain breeze rustled. The pitch-black road was disturbed by the sound of hooves as a carriage sped past. The eaves of the carriage bore the emblem of the Ink Prince's Mansion.
Inside the carriage, Ye Ting Lan closed his eyes to rest, his cold, handsome profile showing no emotion.
"Whoa—"
With a long cry, the carriage swayed and stopped abruptly. The next moment, a guard's voice came from outside.
"Your Highness, the official road ahead is blocked by rubble. We may have to detour..."
Before the last word could be uttered, a silver needle had already pierced the guard's throat. The guard let out a muffled groan and fell straight to the ground.
The lantern hanging from the eaves extinguished, and the surroundings fell into complete darkness. In the silence, Ye Ting Lan's dark eyes slowly opened.
The next moment, the carriage curtain was suddenly slashed by a sharp blade. The attacker's blade did not waver and went straight for Ye Ting Lan's face.
After a moment of silence, the body of the black-clothed assailant was thrown out of the carriage and landed without a sound.
The mountain breeze swept through again. The full moon was swallowed by dark clouds. Almost at the same moment, countless cold lights descended from the sky towards the carriage, and the carriage instantly became a beehive of arrows.
"Bang—"
The carriage window shattered with a powerful force. As dust swirled, Ye Ting Lan burst out of the carriage, holding a specially made cold arrow from the Wu Xi Pavilion in his fingertips.
With a sweep of his wide sleeve, the cold arrow embedded itself into the ground.
"Show yourselves."
Several figures emerged from the surrounding dense forest. This formation was clearly much larger than before.
Ye Ting Lan's dark eyes swept silently across his surroundings, and his thin lips curled into a sharp, cold smile.
"Mobilizing the entire force. Wu Xi Pavilion truly thinks highly of me."
"Attack!"
Without further words, the black-clothed man in the lead raised his hand and waved. The group immediately surged forward.
In front of him, a cold glint flashed, and the long sword in Ye Ting Lan's hand appeared silently.
Under the moon hidden by dark clouds, this desperate battle was also concealed. When the moonlight reappeared, only a ground full of corpses remained.
Ye Ting Lan stood on the roof of the carriage, sword in hand. His fair, jade-like face was smudged with a few streaks of red, his breathing undisturbed.
"As expected of the God of War, renowned throughout the four seas, Prince Mo. Your martial prowess is truly admirable."
This voice was not rough like that of an ordinary man, but carried a hint of seduction. The black-clothed assailants immediately retreated in unison upon hearing it.
Ye Ting Lan narrowed his dark eyes and fixed his gaze on the figure that appeared behind the trees, his sternness spreading silently.
"Feng Wu Xi."
Having his name called out, Feng Wu Xi did not hide at all and even stepped forward with good cheer.
"It is a great honor to hear my name from Prince Mo's lips."
Ye Ting Lan's dark eyes deepened, and a chilling aura emanated from him.
"Those whose names have been spoken by me will never have a second chance to speak again."
"You have already obtained the purple ginseng. Why do you still pursue me relentlessly, Feng Wu Xi? Aren't you afraid I will raze the gates of Wu Xi Pavilion?"
A killing intent surged forward, and the cold pressure made the black-clothed men tremble in their palms.
Unexpectedly, Feng Wu Xi did not flinch. "I naturally would not dare to provoke Prince Mo's Cold Armor Iron Cavalry. However, the martial world has its own rules. Take money, and you must eliminate trouble for the giver."
Besides, he had taken not just money, but also the priceless hundred-year-old purple ginseng.
Upon hearing this, Ye Ting Lan said no more. He turned his long sword and pointed it directly at Feng Wu Xi's brow.
"Attack."
The black-clothed men surged forward again. Amidst the entanglement, Feng Wu Xi's eyes flashed, and he unleashed a hidden killing blow.
Ye Ting Lan met the palm strike from afar, and with a burst of strength, he sent the assailant flying. As he attempted to swing his sword again, a sweetness rose in his throat, and his internal qi stirred uncontrollably.
His brow furrowed coldly. He kicked aside a black-clothed man beside him, cut the reins with his sword, and immediately galloped away.
Seeing this, the black-clothed men tried to pursue, but Feng Wu Xi raised his hand to stop them.
"No need to chase. He has been struck by my Cold Light Art. Within three days, he will lose all his martial arts and become a cripple!"
He cast a hidden glance into the distance and then waved his hand. "Retreat."
It felt as though profound ice was falling within his body, generating on contact, a hundred times more potent than cold poison.
Ye Ting Lan forcefully used his true qi to protect his heart meridian, but his hand on the reins involuntarily lost its strength. His vision blurred, and he finally fainted on his horse.
...
Qi Xuan had not seen the Ink Prince's Mansion's carriage at all during their rapid journey, and he vaguely felt that something was wrong. He tightened his grip on the reins repeatedly.
"The Princess said that the Second Prince and the Fourth Prince are plotting in secret. Could they be trying to take advantage of this opportunity to make a move on His Highness?"
Ye Ting Yan's coveting of military power was not a new development. Although the Emperor had tested him with the military tally, the real power in the army was still in Ye Ting Lan's hands.
Feng Yin Wan pursed her lips and shook her head. "His Highness is a Prince, and he is highly regarded by the Emperor. No matter how impatient they are, they would not act within the capital."
Although she did not yet understand their motives, she was certain that they definitely intended to harm Ye Ting Lan.
Her beautiful eyes sharpened, and she curled her lips. "Qi Xuan, is there any other way to the military camp?"
Qi Xuan shook his head. "Only this single official road."
Feng Yin Wan nodded upon hearing this and was about to urge everyone to speed up when a strange sound came from the dense forest ahead.
As they heard the commotion, Qi Xuan's sword had already been drawn from its scabbard.
"Protect the Princess!"
The secret guards immediately formed a formation, shielding Feng Yin Wan in the center, ready to face any threat.
The next moment, a silver-gray figure flashed out of the dense forest. Qi Xuan stared intently at the horse and immediately exclaimed.
"It's His Highness!"
Ye Ting Lan?
Upon hearing this, Feng Yin Wan poked her head out from the group and caught a glimpse of the dark patterns on the black robe. Her beautiful eyes widened instantly.
The person on the horse was indeed Ye Ting Lan.
"Your Highness!"
Qi Xuan dismounted and was about to rush forward, but Feng Yin Wan stopped him before he could get close.
"Don't move, he seems to be poisoned!"
A poisoned person must not be moved rashly. Qi Xuan halted his steps and looked up to see Feng Yin Wan parting the secret guards and walking over.
"I'll do it."
She said, then cautiously approached. After carefully examining Ye Ting Lan's complexion, she was about to reach out to help him up when the person who had been unconscious on the horse suddenly sat up and tightly gripped her wrist with a hand as hard as iron.