"Enemy attack!"
Wei Wuji immediately turned back to check the situation inside the carriage.
"Your Majesty, are you alright?"
Murong Shengrui reached out and touched his neck. An arrow had grazed his throat. While it hadn't hit him, the gust of wind it generated had torn his skin, drawing a faint trickle of blood.
"I am fine."
In a matter of moments, countless arrows rained down from all directions. Wei Wuji and the guards protected the carriage, while Murong Ziheng, seizing the chaos, slipped far away. Seeing that the assassins' primary target was Murong Shengrui's carriage and that no one was paying attention to him, he immediately planned to sneak away.
However, as he retreated, he bumped into something. Murong Ziheng instinctively struck out, but his arm was caught, and the sword in his hand was instantly disarmed.
"After all these years, you still haven't improved." A clear voice echoed from behind. Murong Ziheng turned his head sharply and saw a person standing there, clad in a black, red-trimmed tight-fitting outfit, wearing an exquisite Shura mask.
"Empress Dowager!"
Xiao Man released Murong Ziheng's arm and tossed his sword onto the ground. Murong Ziheng stared at the person before him in disbelief, rubbing his eyes vigorously, as if fearing it was a hallucination.
"You… you're still alive?"
"What do you mean, 'still alive'?" Xiao Man asked with a lingering tone.
"You… everyone said you were dead."
A mocking smile curved Xiao Man's lips: "Dugu Man is indeed dead."
Murong Ziheng felt his mind struggling to keep up. Dugu Man was dead, so who was standing before him? It was clearly Dugu Man, yet not quite. Although he hadn't seen her for many years, he remembered she looked just like this when she let him leave.
"Are you here to kill Murong Shengrui?"
Xiao Man didn't answer. She watched the dark guards attack the convoy, her only aim was to verify her suspicions, to see if Murong Shengrui was being deceived or willingly manipulated.
"Ziheng, do you want the throne?" Xiao Man asked abruptly.
Murong Ziheng nodded, then shook his head. He wanted the throne, but he also understood that even if he obtained it, he couldn't keep it. Yusheng harbored ambitions of conquering the world, the Empress of Blue Moon was scheming, and even Beirong was eager. Compared to these powers, he held no advantage. It was only a despicable person like Murong Shengrui who could stand on equal footing with them.
Though he hated to admit it, Murong Ziheng knew that as long as Murong Shengrui was present, Yunqi could remain temporarily stable. As for what would happen in the future, he didn't know, nor did he care. At least, Yunqi was peaceful now, and he couldn't even provide that fleeting peace!
Seeing that her dark guards were struggling to overcome Murong Shengrui's, Xiao Man let out a whistle. Several figures in crimson clothing identical to hers, the Rakshasa Guards, appeared, each wielding a cross sword. They charged into the fray. Su Dan Fiction Network.
"Shura Guards!" Wei Wuji's face contorted in shock. The Shura Guards were Dugu Man's personal retinues. Unlike the Crimson Feather Iron Cavalry, every Shura Guard was a master capable of fighting a hundred men. It was said that any single Shura Guard could easily defeat many martial arts heroes!
Wei Wuji was deeply stunned. Logically, the Shura Guards should have been wiped out by now. Yet, with so many of them appearing, it hardly seemed like they had suffered a heavy blow.
Inside the carriage, upon hearing the name "Shura Guards," Murong Shengrui's face lit up with joy: "Indeed, indeed, A'Man still cannot bear to part with me."
In the carriage, another person's expression turned cold. His handsome brows furrowed, as if the name Dugu Man made him uncomfortable, and Murong Shengrui's joy only added to his displeasure.
Wei Wuji scanned his surroundings. The Shura Guards' presence meant Dugu Man was nearby. They had to leave quickly, otherwise, given His Majesty's disposition, he would surely be at a disadvantage if he encountered Dugu Man!
Wei Wuji leaped onto a horse, grabbed the reins, and whipped its flank. The horse, feeling the sting, reared its hooves and galloped forward. The Shura Guards pursued relentlessly, keeping pace behind and occasionally launching sneak attacks with hidden weapons. Wei Wuji cursed them under his breath, finding it shameless that the dignified Shura Guards, with their formidable martial arts, would resort to such ambushes and assassinations!
Murong Ziheng watched Wei Wuji flee with the carriage, his expression a complex mix of emotions. Normally, Wei Wuji was unflappable even when faced with Mount Tai collapsing before him. Yet today, upon seeing the Shura Guards, he had been so terrified that he fled with His Majesty.
His gaze then shifted to the woman standing beside him. She was nocking an arrow, its tip loaded with a specially made firecracker that, upon impact, would explode and unleash a barrage of shrapnel, turning into a lethal weapon.
Murong Ziheng felt a pang of alarm: "Are you going to kill him?"
"Shouldn't I kill him?" Xiao Man retorted. As she spoke, the arrow left her bowstring, striking the fleeing carriage. It exploded instantly, blowing a large hole in its side and flinging out the person hidden within.
Murong Shengrui and another person escaped from the carriage, landing separately. Wei Wuji quickly rushed to Murong Shengrui's side, shielding him.
Murong Shengrui brushed him aside and took a few steps forward: "A'Man, are you reluctant to let me go?"
"Yes, I can't bear to part with you. I want you to leave your life behind." The cold, unfeeling voice sent shivers down one's spine, yet Murong Shengrui clapped his hands in childish delight.
"I knew it, A'Man, you love me the most."
Xiao Man raised her hand and gestured down. Countless assassins surged from all directions, each hell-bent on taking the lives of the two men.
Murong Ziheng stood beside Xiao Man, his eyes flashing with an unreadable light as he watched Murong Shengrui being surrounded: "Empress Dowager, are you returning to Yunqi?"
"I am the type of person who always rises from where they fall," Xiao Man said with a lingering tone. "Furthermore, I hold grudges. I will not let anyone who has wronged me escape."
Murong Ziheng looked at Xiao Man with suspicion. He had a feeling her words held deeper meaning, but he couldn't grasp the hidden secrets for a moment. After the initial shock, he had calmed down. So many years had passed; Dugu Man couldn't have remained unchanged. The person before him was not Dugu Man.
As Murong Ziheng made up his mind, the dagger hidden in his sleeve darted out. However, the blow failed to penetrate Xiao Man's body, only tearing through her outer garment and revealing the heavenly silkworm soft armor beneath.
Murong Ziheng's expression changed, and he immediately retreated. But his hand was seized by Xiao Man. Without exerting much force, Murong Ziheng cried out in agony as his dagger slipped from his grasp and fell to the ground.