I stood inside the gate and saw Zuo Quan charging at me on horseback, his rampage unstoppable. The Great Opium Smoker, who had been locked in combat with Zuo Quan, was sent flying. After being caught by Old Ghost, the two of them then engaged Zuo Quan together.
Those who had come to register for the驸马 (fù mǎ - imperial son-in-law) recruitment also fled in all directions, scattering the guards. This made it impossible for the guards to quickly advance and assist Zuo Quan.
With Old Ghost joining the fray, Zuo Quan, who had previously held the upper hand, was now being overwhelmed by both the Great Opium Smoker and Old Ghost. Zuo Quan attempted to break free twice but failed to escape their protective circle. Instead, he was caught off guard and struck by a pipe from the Great Opium Smoker.
Seeing that Zuo Quan would not be able to break free from the Great Opium Smoker and Old Ghost’s obstruction for a while, I felt no urgency to enter the building to find the Fifth Princess that Old Ghost had mentioned. The square was already in chaos, and no one was paying attention to me. Moreover, my body was still aching from the fall, so I sat down behind the door, preparing to rest for a moment.
“Be careful.”
Just as I sat down, I heard Old Ghost’s voice.
I poked my head out and saw Zuo Quan flying through the air. He leaned back, gripping the middle-rear section of his long spear, adopting a shot-put stance.
“Damn it, he’s going to use me as a target.”
Ignoring the pain in my body, I bent my knees and rolled to the side. Sudan Novel Network.
“Bang…”
The bluestone slab where I had just been standing was shattered by the long spear. Fragments of stone struck my face, causing pain. Before I could even curse, I felt a warm liquid flowing down my face.
I instinctively touched it and felt something sticky in my hand.
Looking down, my hand was still covered in a crimson stain.
“Damn it, the stone chips drew blood.”
My first thought wasn't to stop the bleeding, but to look towards the square, wanting to see their reaction once they knew I was alive.
As I looked, I saw that the chaotic scene had frozen as if a movie had been paused. Everyone was fixed in place, their gazes all fixed on me.
They had looked like normal people moments ago, but now their eyes had turned green, making them appear like wolves that had been starved for an unknown duration.
Just then, Old Ghost’s voice rang out again, “Kid, what are you still looking at? Run!”
At the same time, Zuo Quan’s voice followed. However, unlike Old Ghost’s anxious tone, his was clearly filled with excitement.
“Brothers, we have live food! Whoever catches him claims him.”
As Zuo Quan shouted, the people in the square all displayed a look of hunger. Regardless of who they had been fighting with moments ago, they all sprinted towards me at a hundred-meter pace.
Looking at the pack of “hungry ghosts” before me, I knew I was like Tang Monk’s flesh, and being caught would only lead to one outcome: death.
“Damn it!”
I cursed loudly and quickly ran into the royal mansion.
Listening to the sound of footsteps behind me, like a “thousand horses galloping,” I entered through every door and jumped out of every window, not caring where I was running.
My only objective now was to get as far away from those “hungry wolves” with their red eyes as possible.
Initially, there were shouts from behind me, telling me to stop.
But after I passed the porch and went through a rock garden and a grove of trees, the chasing voices behind me actually diminished.
I didn’t have time to worry about that. I only stopped when I could no longer hear their shouts.
I didn’t know how long I had run or how far, but I felt a churning sensation in my stomach. I couldn’t help but stop, coughed twice, and then slumped to the ground.
“Grandma, I’m exhausted.”
Before I could even catch my breath, a startled voice reached my ears.
The voice sounded distant yet close, as if it were coming from right behind me.
Though my lungs felt like they were about to explode, I forced myself to stand up, enduring the discomfort, and quickly held the bone-penetrating nails from my bag across my chest.
I looked around, but saw no one speaking. Instead, I was astonished by the scene before me.
I never would have imagined that my aimless running would lead me to a pavilion. In the pavilion, a white figure sat in a chair with their back to me.
“Who? Who’s there?”
As soon as I asked, the figure before me vanished, and a voice came from behind me, “Who are you? How did you get here?”
I quickly turned around. After seeing the person’s attire, I asked with some surprise, “How is it you?”
I never expected that the woman who appeared before me would be the same woman from the painting.
She was still dressed in white, her face veiled by light gauze, her bright eyes filled with surprise as she looked at me.
“You know me?”
I was taken aback. What was wrong with her? Hadn’t I seen her in my dreams earlier today? Why didn’t she recognize me at night?
Although I had this doubt, I didn’t voice it. If I told her I had seen her in a dream, she would probably slap me to death. Thinking of the task Old Ghost had given me when he pushed me in.
“Are you the Fifth Princess?”
She nodded and asked, “Who are you?”
Upon hearing this, my heart soared. Heaven had been kind to me; I had found the Fifth Princess so quickly. As long as I handed the seal to her, I could get the jade pendant and leave this cursed place.
I had just reached into my chest, about to take out the seal, when I felt my vision shift horizontally. At the same time, the woman’s body transformed from standing before me to lying horizontally in front of my eyes.
Before I could comprehend what was happening, a numbness spread through my body, followed by an intense pain that almost brought tears to my eyes.
“How dare you harbor ill intentions towards this Princess? You are seeking death.”
I was half-crouching on the ground, looking up, and opening my mouth to explain. However, due to the pain, I could only let out muffled sounds.
At the same time, I was puzzled as to why her eyes had turned a deep blue.
I remembered her eyes were pitch black moments ago, like shining black gemstones. But now, her eyes had turned blue, and her voice was icy cold, as if she had transformed into a completely different person.
Seeing that I remained silent for a long time, she extended her foot and stomped on my shoulder. I went from a half-crouch to lying flat. Lying on the ground, my eyes couldn’t help but wander over her body. I wanted to see what was going on with her. Moments ago, she was a soft and cute loli, but in an instant, she had become a violent queen.
“If you keep staring, I’ll dig your eyes out.” Seeing my gaze fixed on her, her eyes flashed with anger. “Who are you? How did you get here?”
Seeing that her anger was genuine, I dared not conceal anything. I quickly recounted the fight between Old Ghost and Zuo Quan outside. As for how I got in, I lied and said I was thrown in.
It wasn’t that I intended to deceive her. Being thrown like this had extinguished my eagerness to get the jade pendant. Who knew what her identity was? If she wasn’t the Fifth Princess, wouldn’t I be doomed?
As soon as I finished speaking, the woman’s willow-leaf eyebrows immediately shot up.
“You are lying.”