met free Chapter 463
Chapter 463
"Oh, okay." Ye Yi responded and drew his sword swiftly. The sword flashed like a silver thread, severing the grass stem that Luo Shuiyao was holding tightly in her palm.
When they finally reunited with the others, the sun was already high in the sky.
It turned out that the guards and Xiao Yiwei took into consideration that Lu Zhaozhao and the third prince were seriously injured and their lives might be in danger if they delayed any further, so they decided to rush to Ning County, which was not far from here.
During this time, Luo Shuiyao slowly regained consciousness. After a careful examination, they found that apart from several bloody marks on her hands from being strangled by the grass stems and a few scattered scrapes on her body, she was otherwise fine.
Chun Xing had fainted due to anger, but now she had regained consciousness and was staying by Luo Shuiyao's side, pinching her sleeve and chattering to her.
"Miss, you're finally okay. You don't know how scared I was. My legs went limp."
Chun Xing's eyes were red, and her voice was filled with tears. Her fingertips tightly grasped the corner of Luo Shuiyao's clothes, as if she was afraid that she would disappear again if she let go. "Later, when I woke up, I heard from the guards that they said they couldn't find you anywhere in the mountains. I... I really thought I would never see you again..."
She was choking with sobs and couldn't continue speaking. Her shoulders were shaking violently. She was afraid of worrying Luo Shuiyao, so she quickly raised her sleeve and wiped her face. "Fortunately, you are a lucky person. Otherwise, I would not be alive."
Chun Xing used to be cheerful and carefree, but how could she be like this? Now her eyes were red and she was sobbing like a wronged rabbit.
Seeing her like this, Luo Shuiyao felt distressed. She patted the back of her hand gently and said softly, "It's my fault. I made you worry."
After hearing this, Chun Xing could no longer hold back and threw herself into her arms, crying even harder. Luo Shuiyao was helpless and sighed, but patted her back gently to comfort her.
.........
There were so many of them, and everyone was suffering from recent injuries, that it was inconvenient for them to stay in an inn. Fortunately, Xiao Yiwei was quick-witted and found a secluded courtyard to accommodate everyone as soon as they entered the city.
In the courtyard, the branches of the old locust trees are intertwined, and the mottled shadows fall on the blue bricks, but the atmosphere is so depressing that it makes people breathless.
After listening to the confession of the assassin, Luo Shuiyao was filled with doubts: "I have no grudge against the Third Prince, why would he want to kill me?"
As death warriors, they were naturally all very stubborn and kept their mouths shut, refusing to utter a single word. But when this death warrior woke up, he was surprised to find that the poison from the "Qingjiyin" that the Cheng family had given him had been cured.
This "Clear Muscle Drink" may sound elegant, but it's incredibly toxic—those poisoned appear normal, except for a faint "Clear Muscle Line" that appears on the palm of their hand. The antidote must be taken every three months, or they'll die.
He had never truly pledged allegiance to the Third Prince, but had merely been lurking by his side, following secret orders from above. When the Cheng family was in trouble, he had deliberately released this group of assassins, ordering them to serve the Third Prince and wait for an opportunity to overturn the verdict.
But the Cheng family seems to have forgotten one crucial thing: they haven't distributed the antidote to the "Clearing Muscle Drink." This deadly poison hangs like a sharp blade over their heads, striking them every three months. Only the Third Prince might hold a clue to the antidote.
Following the Third Prince, he shouldered a dual mission: First, the Third Prince was a key figure in the search for the medicine; if anything went wrong, the antidote to the Qingji Drink might disappear. Second, this pampered prince was powerless to protect himself; without someone to secretly protect him, he would quickly be discovered by the forces of Jingzhou. However, with his masterful disguise, he always managed to help the Third Prince escape danger and conceal his whereabouts.
As for the other companions, they claimed to be delaying the pursuing troops from the capital and complying with the ban, but in reality, they were using their duties as a pretext to secretly search for the antidote. However, their mission went far beyond this - along the way, they were followed closely by the Cheng family's former subordinates, so they had to quietly erase all traces, making it impossible for them to track them down. This way, the Third Prince naturally had no choice but to rely on them.
The Cheng family has a deep foundation, and given the Third Prince's background and abilities, even now he still has a very high chance of ascending to the throne, and he is definitely not without the potential for a comeback. If it weren't for their covert manipulation and maintenance, how could he have remained untargeted by political enemies until now, and even without any contact from his former subordinates?
But the third prince was completely unaware of this and naively believed that the assassins left behind by his mother and grandfather were loyal to him.
He had been carefully sheltered by Concubine Cheng since childhood. Although he was scheming, he lacked experience and possessed only ruthless tactics, but his ability to act was far from enough to support his ambitions. Such high aspirations but low skills were ultimately nothing but a vain hope.
This assassin had always followed orders from his superiors, but just now, he was surprised to find that the poison from the Qingji Drink had dissipated. He pondered over it, and the only possible explanation was the silver needle Luo Shuiyao had inserted into him earlier. Perhaps the special substance on the needle just happened to be able to counteract the poison.
Surprised and delighted, he kept the incident to himself. But thinking of his bond with his fellow warriors, and realizing he was no longer bound by the antidote, his defenses gradually weakened. So, when they approached him, he revealed everything he knew without hesitation.
Seeing Luo Shuiyao's expression of disbelief, he thought for a moment and then asked, "Do you know the young lady next to the Third Prince?"
Although Luo Shuiyao had never seen the woman beside the Third Prince in person, she knew that such a person existed. She shook her head and said firmly, "I don't know her."
After saying this, she hesitated for a moment, then asked, "You mean...was it that woman who decided to take my life?"
The assassin shook his head slightly, then nodded. Under the impatient gazes of the crowd, he hurriedly explained, "Although that woman didn't tell the Third Prince she wanted to kill you, everything she did hinted at that. If she hadn't bewitched him, why would the Third Prince have come after you?"
Ye Yunzhou had been standing quietly by the side, listening silently. Until this moment, he turned his eyes and looked at Luo Shuiyao: "Have you ever offended anyone?"
Luo Shuiyao shook her head slightly, a look of confusion on her face: "As far as I can remember, I've never had any grudges with anyone."
Ye Yunzhou nodded and turned his gaze to the assassin: "Do you know the name of that woman?"
The assassin frowned slightly, thought for a moment, and then said, "I only heard the Third Prince call her Zhao Zhao. I once suggested investigating her background, but he sternly refused."
"How did they know each other?" Ye Yunzhou asked immediately.
The assassin answered truthfully, "The Third Prince was injured when he was being pursued by the government, and it was that woman who saved his life."
As the two of them asked and answered each other, Luo Shuiyao kept her brows lowered in thought, murmuring repeatedly between her lips and teeth: "Zhao Zhao... Lu Zhao Zhao." Until she said the last word unconsciously, she was surprised to realize that everyone's eyes were on her.