Whoever can strike me hard will be rewarded handsomely.

If it were anyone else, Qin Ji would have suspected that they were part of an assassin group sent to silence him.

The person in my arms was still crying, as if trying to cry out all the fright they had suffered.

I don't know where this kid got the idea that someone was going to assassinate him, but he made this unexpected commotion.

He grabbed the person by the back of their collar and ripped them off, saying, "What are you doing here?"

The tone wasn't particularly friendly, but it wasn't particularly cold either.

Although Bian Yushu did not realize His Majesty's anger, he knew that he had cried somewhat out of line. After His Majesty tore his sleeve, he grabbed His Majesty's sleeve and gradually stopped crying, sobbing softly.

The comfort of having His Majesty standing right in front of him quickly stopped his sobs, leaving only red-rimmed eyes.

Before His Majesty could ask any questions, Bian Yushu began to recount everything that had happened in the past few hours, starting from when she hid in the tree hole.

Qin Ji frowned slightly upon hearing this.

This assassination attempt on Qin Ji was anticipated, and he had received intelligence in advance. He chased after the deer alone, intending to lure the snake out of its hole. There were countless hidden guards lurking in the woods behind him.

I just didn't expect that someone as useless as him could let Bian Yushu hear such an important matter.

Fortunately, the other party was so useless, otherwise Bian Yushu might have lost her life in that grove.

He wasn't very skilled, but he was incredibly brave. He dared to risk being killed by an assassin all by himself to find him. No one knew how he found this place, and he had brushed with death countless times.

Qin Ji couldn't say whether he was more annoyed or had some other subtle emotion, but seeing Bian Yushu's disheveled appearance and his reckless journey to find him, at least for the moment, Qin Ji didn't want to get angry at him.

The assassins have been mostly wiped out, and the survivors have also been killed by this kid. It seems that we can only have the secret guards work harder to search the hunting grounds for any remaining stragglers.

If that doesn't work, we can try other methods. Assassination is just the first step. Since the other side wants to kill him, they must have a backup plan. If he dies, who will succeed him?

If it weren't for the infighting among the late emperor's sons, which led to the depletion of his bloodline, the throne would not have been his.

The other party had very few bargaining chips, either the few remaining nephews of his cheap brothers, or distant relatives from distant branches of the imperial family.

In Qin Ji's view, the former is more likely. As long as he takes drastic measures, the person behind the scenes will not be able to stir up trouble.

As for who was behind the assassination, Qin Ji had a good idea; it all depended on who wanted him dead the most.

Shen Jiangliu was impeached and then assassinated.

Most likely, those people in Ning'an knew he was determined to take action against the Ning'an officialdom, so they had no choice but to take this risky and desperate measure.

If Qin Ji wanted to deal with them, why would he need one or two survivors? They were dead, so be it.

Bian Yushu spoke until his throat was dry, recounting in great detail how he was detained by Fu Lu, how he escaped from the camp, and how he found His Majesty. He described everything vividly and in great detail, ending with "the assassin used a hidden arrow."

After saying that, he opened his big, watery doe eyes, waiting for His Majesty to praise him for his meritorious service in protecting the emperor.

Qin Ji spoke calmly, "Why did you go to such a remote place to crawl through a tree hole?"

Bian Yushu: "………………"

Alas, Your Majesty, why ask about this instead of the assassin or Fu Lu's strange behavior?

Bian Yushu stammered, "I saw a squirrel, thought it was cute, so I chased after it."

Bian Yushu almost bumped his head on the ground.

Qin Ji didn't delve into it, but grabbed Bian Yushu's forearm and lifted his sleeve, saying, "You shot pretty accurately."

It would be best if His Majesty didn't delve into it. Bian Yushu quickly showed His Majesty the sleeve dart strapped to his forearm. "I made this myself to hunt rabbits. I added a side rod parallel to the arrow's trajectory to reduce the shaking after firing. I also put markings on the quiver to make it easier to align the arrowhead and aim at the target."

Qin Ji listened to his eloquent explanation and his heart stirred slightly.

It's a truly unexpected talent, so he's not entirely a complete waste of time.

Now was not the time to discuss this, and Qin Ji did not delve into the topic further.

On the contrary, Bian Yushu raised his sleeve dart, as if he had finally thought of something. His lips trembled, and he lowered his gaze slightly, focusing on the assassin whose throat he had pierced with an arrow.

Large swaths of bright red filled the field of vision, and a strong smell of rust seeped into the nostrils from the corpse.

Bian Yushu's face drained of all color. She took a step back and almost stepped into the stream, but Qin Ji grabbed her arm to prevent her from collapsing to the ground.

Bian Yushu tilted her head and gagged, "Ugh—"

He... he killed someone.

Just as his mind went blank, a warm, living creature was placed in his arms by the person next to him. Bian Yushu could feel the creature's strong heartbeat through its soft fur, and his vision finally focused.

The beautiful fawn has colorful fur that is distributed in a gradual, regular pattern. Despite the many colors, it doesn't look messy. It has a glossy, satin-like sheen, and a pair of small, adorable antlers on its head. Its eyes are as clear as a spring.

Bian Yushu didn't know what to do with his hands and feet. "A divine... divine deer?"