Lin Yanxi's shadow stretched long in the moonlight, behind her lay an endless alley, and blood dripped down to form a pool of crimson.
"Hand over the jade talisman, and we'll spare your life."
"This, isn't this the second young lady?"
"The second young lady from the Grand Tutor's manor?"
The guards, holding their long sabers, stopped in their tracks. If it were an ordinary person, killing them would be simple, but she was the legitimate daughter of the Grand Tutor's manor.
Killing her would be impossible to explain to the Grand Tutor. This young girl, dressed in blood-soaked clothes, looked delicate and pitiful, hardly like someone who would brutally murder guards from the main gate and steal a jade talisman.
Upon hearing the guards reveal her identity, she furrowed her brows, a smile of unknown meaning playing on her lips.
Now that they knew who she was, not one of them could be allowed to live.
Seeing her smile, the guards were somewhat perplexed.
While they were still pondering what to do with this young girl, she formed a hand seal, and streams of purple light coalesced around her hands. The next moment, she spread her arms, and seven or eight purple talismans flew directly towards them.
The moment they were touched by the purple talismans, the guards died instantly, their blood gushing out.
The remaining guards felt their hair stand on end. The hands holding their sabers no longer hesitated, and they swung them towards her.
Lin Yanxi could only weakly resist at first, "Urgh—"
A guard's long saber left a bloody gash on her abdomen. She clutched her stomach, every breath causing the wound to bleed more, trembling with pain.
Her footsteps grew unsteady, and after a stumble, she collapsed onto the ground. Then, seven or eight blades rained down upon her.
It seemed the jade talisman could not be brought back...
Just as she thought she was about to die, a black talisman flashed, and the guards, caught off guard, retreated several steps, creating some distance between them and Lin Yanxi.
Ignoring the wound on her abdomen, she picked up a discarded saber from the ground and prepared to counterattack.
"I'll do it!"
Jiang Mingsheng's voice, full of vigor, boomed. He leaped forward, shielding his young disciple behind him, and glared angrily at the men before him.
"You injured my disciple!"
Knowing they were outmatched, the guards hesitated, unsure whether to retreat or fight to the death.
Jiang Mingsheng casually drew a black talisman, pointed it in the direction of the guards, and trapped them.
He turned to look at the blood-covered Lin Yanxi, his heart aching. "Oh dear, my little disciple, how did you get so badly injured? So much blood."
"Why didn't you call for your master to come with you? If I hadn't sensed your talisman power and come to check, you would have died, you know? Is the injury serious?"
His hands trembled, wanting to support Lin Yanxi, but her body was covered in wounds, and he dared not touch her. He stamped his feet in distress, at a loss.
"Let's go, master will take you back to the manor to get bandaged. Let's see who dares to stop us."
Jiang Mingsheng gently took Lin Yanxi's elbow and started towards Prince Mu's manor, but she stood still.
Lin Yanxi's voice trembled with a fierce ruthlessness, "Kill them."
Her gaze, cold and dark, fell upon the guards trapped by the talismans.
Jiang Mingsheng paused. He hadn't killed anyone in decades since his imprisonment. Moreover, he had once sworn not to use his talisman arts to kill ordinary people again.
"This... Oh dear, my talisman arts do not kill mortals."
Lin Yanxi saw his hesitation, unwilling for anyone to stain their hands with blood for her. "Master, they cannot live."
Saying this, she brandished her saber and advanced towards the men. With a swift movement, their throats were slit, and they fell to the ground, twitching a few times before falling silent.
Her face was smeared with warm blood. She took out the short flute from her sleeve, examined it, and then threw it into the pile of guard corpses.
Jiang Mingsheng's gaze grew heavy as he watched her efficient movements, lost in thought.
Lin Yanxi placed the short flute into the hand of one of the men. Once everything was done, Jiang Mingsheng took her back to Prince Mu's manor.
---
The guards outside the manor's side gate saw Jiang Mingsheng cradling something that looked like a bloody mess. Upon closer inspection, they recognized it to be a girl.
Was it the second young lady?
After the guards identified the person in his arms, they quickly ran to inform the Prince.
"Your Highness, Your Highness! Something terrible has happened!"
A guard from the Dark Night Division knelt outside.
Xiao Liu opened the door and asked, "What's all the panic?"
The guard knelt in the courtyard and said, "That strange old man brought the second young lady back. Miss Lin Er is covered in blood, and she looks... she looks like she's about to die."
His voice trailed off. The Prince was usually cold, but everyone in the manor could see that since this woman arrived, the Prince had changed in many ways. He cared about this woman.
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Muzhou walked into the courtyard. He glanced down at the kneeling guard without a word and headed towards Moonfall Pavilion.
Xiao Liu's heart tightened. He knew Lin Yanxi was going to retrieve the jade talisman tonight, but he hadn't expected her to be injured.
"You may rise. How many people saw the second young lady injured?"
The guard replied, "The strange old man brought the second young lady back through the side gate, so not many. Only a few servants on night duty in the manor saw her."
Xiao Liu gave instructions, "You may go back. No one is to speak of what happened tonight. If even a single word leaks out, you will be held accountable."
Faint sobs could be heard from Moonfall Pavilion.
Li Zi, wiping her tears, held a damp cloth, wanting to clean her mistress. But with so much blood and so many wounds, she didn't know where to start.
Tang Chao cried out, "Who injured our young lady like this? I'll avenge her!"
Lin Yanxi lay on the bed, occasionally lifting her eyelids, until a figure in a dark robe caught her eye.
Seeing Shen Muzhou enter, everyone in the room quieted down.
Shen Muzhou turned slightly to Xiao Liu and said, "Hurry and summon the manor physician."
He took the damp cloth from Li Zi and said, "You may all leave now."
Li Zi cried, "I want to stay and take care of my lady."
Tang Chao tugged at Li Zi's sleeve and pulled her out. The room was left with only Lin Yanxi and Shen Muzhou.
The young girl on the bed was covered in injuries. The flesh around the cuts had turned outwards, and the wound was severe, especially the horizontal slash on her abdomen, which was still oozing blood.
Her breathing was weak, and her brows were knitted in pain.
Shen Muzhou sat beside her. His expression remained impassive, but his hands, as he wiped away the blood, were trembling.
"Who injured you like this?"
In truth, this was a rhetorical question. The moment he learned of her injury, he had guessed what she had been doing.
The girl did not answer, only curled up in pain on the bed. She moved her slender arm and, from within her clothes, produced a white jade token, unfurling it before him.
Despite the immense pain, she forced a smile and said, "I said I would save you."
Her small, pale hand, with its delicate fingers, held the jade talisman, which appeared large in her grasp, bigger than her palm. Her fingertips struggled to close around it as she tightly clutched the jade talisman and gently placed it into his broad palm.
Save him.
His tightly pursed lips trembled. His long lashes cast a shadow as he gazed into her eyes, his own burning.
He had never imagined that one day someone would risk their life to save him. His heart instantly softened, and the love in his eyes was almost impossible to conceal.
Lin Yanxi felt the atmosphere was somewhat strange. Did his peach blossom eyes always look at people with such deep affection? It made one misunderstand that he was in love with her.
She carefully broke the silence and asked, "If this is found, you won't be executed?"
However, regarding life and death, he couldn't even give her a promise.
Shen Muzhou clasped her hand in return. A jade talisman lay between their palms as their fingers intertwined. He leaned down slightly, his lips brushing against the back of her hand.
His kisses fell densely, yet restrained, lingering and unrestrained only on the back of her hand.
When the soft, cold touch landed on the back of her hand, the young girl visibly startled. Her small hand pulled back slightly but was held firmly by him.
"Wh-what are you doing?"
His face was buried in the back of her hand, so Lin Yanxi did not see the crystal-clear tear hidden in his eyes.
Lin Yanxi's voice was very weak, soft and delicate, like a cat purring, "You don't have to... worry, I killed them all."
"I left the short flute there."
When she said "killed," her voice became very calm, as if she were stating a mundane fact.
Shen Muzhou lifted his gaze to look at her. Lin Yanxi felt a little uncomfortable under his stare and explained, "They were the Crown Prince's men. I had suspected the connection between the Crown Prince and the black cloaks before. We obtained the short flute used by the black cloaks to communicate."
"But Master said that the spell on the short flute is like being locked, and there are thousands of keys. We don't have time to decipher it. I thought if the Crown Prince and the black cloaks were merely cooperating, then after I stole the jade talisman and left the short flute, it would surely make the Crown Prince suspect the black cloaks, causing internal conflict between them."
"The Crown Prince would definitely contact the black cloaks and demand the jade talisman back."
"But if the Crown Prince is the mastermind behind the black cloaks, he would see the short flute and assume there was an inside traitor, and quietly deal with it himself."
The young girl spoke with a serious expression, her little face set in concentration. However, because of her bright eyes and youthful features, she didn't appear overly stern.
She continued, "So, the Dark Night Division just needs to pretend to continue searching for the jade talisman for the next few days, and then find someone to keep a close watch on the Crown Prince's movements. We can then discern his relationship with the black cloaks."
Regardless, the jade talisman was back. If they could follow the trail of the Crown Prince to uncover the bigger fish, it would be ideal.
A knock sounded at the door. "The manor physician has arrived."
Shen Muzhou's eyes were incredibly gentle. He stroked her hair and said, "Get your injuries treated first. Leave the rest to me."
The young girl's hand clutched his robe, not wanting him to leave. However, with her injuries, she didn't have much strength and slowly released her grip.
He turned and left the room. He had already examined Lin Yanxi and found only external wounds, though the young girl would have to endure some suffering.
"My wife is afraid of pain. Please use some medicine that doesn't hurt," he said, bowing to the manor physician outside the door.
The manor physician had served Shen Muzhou for many years and had never seen such a Prince. He quickly returned the bow. "Your Highness, please rest assured."
With that, the manor physician, accompanied by Li Zi and Tang Chao, walked into the room.
The manor physician had never seen a woman with so many injuries, especially such a delicate young girl.
However, the rule of conduct within the manor was to not ask and not speak.
Shen Muzhou watched as the manor physician took out white bandages to treat her wounds, with most of the instructions being given to Li Zi.
After leaving the room, Shen Muzhou gave some instructions to Xiao Liu. He slowly closed the open wooden door, and through the gap, Lin Yanxi's round, blinking eyes could be seen looking outside, seemingly curious about their conversation.