Just as Chu Yuqin had prepared herself, a black figure suddenly appeared on her right and lunged with a sword.
With a light tap of her feet, Chu Yuqin soared into the air like a drifting feather, her form graceful and swift. Mid-air, she spun and countered with a sharp slash of her sword.
The assassin quickly retreated.
"As expected of the Chu family's prized swordswoman. Her reaction speed is truly something," the man sneered.
As the moonlight fell across their faces, Chu Yuqin finally saw them clearly. Two men stood before her—neither wearing a mask.
Both exuded a strong and oppressive aura. At a glance, she could tell they were at least ninth-grade warriors.
The masked attackers from earlier had merely been third-rank warriors. These two, however, showed their faces proudly.
That could only mean one thing—they weren't afraid of being recognized.
Either they fully intended to kill everyone here and silence the witnesses, or they were using disguises.
But none of that mattered now.
What mattered was figuring out how to deal with these two threats.
Then, her sharp eyes caught a crimson moon insignia on their clothing.
Her heart turned cold.
Blood Moon Tower.
She instantly understood who they were.
Her voice was icy. "Does Blood Moon Tower even understand what it's doing? The one in that carriage is the Northern King! If His Majesty finds out that Blood Moon Tower tried to assassinate him, do you think your tower will survive the wrath of the empire?"
The man with the hammer—Liu Tong—burst out laughing. "Madam Chu, you jest. If Emperor Xia had the ability to destroy us, Blood Moon Tower would've been long gone."
His companion, Bai Hong, stepped forward, his voice calm and measured. "Madam Chu, we hold no grudge against the Chu family. As long as you step aside, we won't make things difficult for you."
Chu Yuqin's grip on her sword tightened. Her voice turned frigid. "If you dare touch the King of the North, you make yourself an enemy of the Chu family."
Liu Tong snorted. "Come now. That useless prince? Emperor Xia abandoned him long ago. He won't inherit anything. What reason do you have to protect him?"
Bai Hong added, "Madam Chu, we're just here to do our job. We're paid to act. But if you insist on standing in our way, don't blame our blades for being blind."
Chu Yuqin raised her sword and swung it through the air. A sharp stream of sword energy erupted forward, carving a line into the ground between them.
"This is my line. Cross it—and die."
Bai Hong and Liu Tong exchanged glances. They hadn't wanted to fight her. Despite both being ninth-rank, strength within a rank varied greatly.
Chu Yuqin wasn't just any ninth-rank. She was a renowned swordswoman across the capital.
But now, there was no other option.
Bai Hong turned to Liu Tong. "Elder Liu, hold her off. I'll take care of the prince."
Liu Tong grinned and hefted his massive iron hammer. "Fine by me. I've long wanted to see the sword of the Chu family's number one swordswoman!"
With that, he charged forward like a cannonball.
Chu Yuqin frowned and slashed. A sharp arc of sword energy flashed.
Her body moved with impossible lightness—graceful, floating, yet deadly fast.
In just one exchange, her sword nearly pierced Liu Tong's chest.
A few strands of his hair drifted to the ground.
Liu Tong's expression changed. "Elder Bai! Don't waste time!"
He hadn't expected Chu Yuqin's sword to be so terrifying. One move, and he had nearly lost his life.
Bai Hong understood immediately. Liu Tong couldn't hold her for long. He dashed straight toward the convoy.
Chu Yuqin's eyes narrowed. She launched herself forward like an arrow, her sword sweeping out toward Bai Hong.
But he turned, raised his hand, and blocked her attack.
"I'll keep her busy!" Bai Hong shouted.
Liu Tong vanished in an instant, headed straight for Lu Chen's carriage.
The moment Lu Chen's guards spotted him, they rushed in to block his path.
But Liu Tong was a ninth-grade warrior.
With one swing of his hammer, a guard was crushed to death on the spot.
The rest stood no chance.
From a distance, General Li Feng's face turned pale. This was bad—very bad.
He dashed forward, only to be stopped by an eighth-rank warrior.
"General Li," the man said coldly. "Your opponent is me."
Chu Yuqin's heart sank as she watched Lu Chen's guards fall. She slashed wildly, sword shadows tearing through the woods. Trees were shredded like paper.
But Bai Hong danced through her strikes with precision. Though not as skilled as Chu Yuqin, he was capable of holding her back.
She was growing desperate. Liu Tong was already near Lu Chen's carriage.
If she couldn't break away soon, Lu Chen would die.
She had made a promise to her sworn sister—the late empress—that she would protect her son.
If something happened to Lu Chen, how could she ever face her again?
No… she couldn't let anything happen to him!
Chu Yuqin suddenly changed direction, ignoring Bai Hong and charging straight for Liu Tong.
Bai Hong moved to block her.
Meanwhile, Liu Tong had already reached the carriage.
He didn't know which one held Lu Chen, so he decided to search them all.
With a thunderous boom, his hammer shattered the door of the first carriage.
Inside, Lu Chen sat calmly, back straight, as if awaiting him.
Liu Tong paused—stunned to see the prince so composed.
Then he laughed. "Hahaha! Seems my luck isn't bad today!"
From the distance, Chu Yuqin's face turned white.
"It's over… Chen'er!"
Li Feng, too, was panicking. He wanted to run to the prince, but his opponent was still holding him back. As a seventh-rank warrior, he stood no chance.
Everyone believed it was over.
That Lu Chen—the forgotten Northern King—was about to die.
But then, Lu Chen smiled.
Liu Tong's expression froze.
"…Boy, what are you laughing at?" he asked, puzzled.
Lu Chen said nothing.
He simply raised his hand—and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
The gunshot rang out like thunder.
Liu Tong's body staggered, then slowly collapsed backward.
His eyes widened in disbelief. His pupils contracted.
He couldn't understand—how did he die?
Everyone froze.
No one had time to react.
A moment ago, the Northern King had seemed like a doomed man.
And now, a ninth-grade warrior lay dead before him.
The Blood Moon Tower assassins were stunned.
Liu Tong was a powerhouse—a ninth-grade elite.
But in the blink of an eye, he had died at the hands of the young prince.
Even Chu Yuqin stared at Lu Chen in shock.
She had been ready to risk her life to avenge him.
But everything had changed in an instant.
She glanced at the black, rod-like object in Lu Chen's hand and quickly pieced it together.
Liu Tong's death was caused by that strange item.
But even with her experience, she found it hard to believe such a thing could kill a ninth-rank warrior so effortlessly.
For a moment, it felt like time itself had frozen.
Both sides stood still—utterly forgetting the battle they were in.
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