Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

In the center of Beijing, Prince Yu's Mansion.

This is the private residence of the Second Prince, Wang Yu. It is heavily guarded, and ordinary people can hardly even get within three zhang (approximately 10 meters) of it.

At this moment, in a dark, airtight room in the back garden, the light was dim.

The second prince, Wang Yu, sat in the main seat, his face gloomy.

Three people stood to the left—Wang Wu, Zhao Liu, and Zhang San.

Sitting beside him was a man in a blue robe and a feather fan, with a calm demeanor. He was none other than Zhuge Yu, Wang Yu's most trusted confidant and strategist.

Several people sat around a table, on which lay a list of autopsy records sent by the government coroner, clearly stating:

Li Si suffered forty-eight knife wounds, each one avoiding vital organs like the heart. He died from excessive blood loss, clearly a result of deliberate torture.

Zhang San spoke first, lowering his voice:

"Li Si died on his way home, stabbed forty-eight times, none of which hit vital organs, and he bled to death."

Wang Wu's face turned pale, and he nodded:

"When the head constable of Jing Lei Detective Agency sent someone to deliver the document, he also said that this was not murder, but torture."

Zhao Liu gritted his teeth: "How dare they provoke His Highness's people in the Forbidden City? There's no way we wouldn't find out! If we catch this person, I'll have him skinned alive!"

The three men chatted amongst themselves, while the Second Prince, Wang Yu, lightly tapped his fingertips on the table, turning his head to look at Zhuge Yu: "Mr. Zhuge, what do you think?"

Zhuge Yu remained calm, gently closing his feather fan:

"Li Si was a genuine sixth-rank master. There were very few masters in the capital who could kill him so brutally, which shows that the killer's martial arts were extraordinary."

I heard that Your Highness once told Xie Xiaoyi about the Qingjiang City incident at Fuyu Mountain in the East Sea. This person is very likely the one who infiltrated the capital to seek revenge.

Upon hearing this, Zhang San, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu's expressions changed drastically, and they were so shocked that they took a half step back.

The three exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with horror.

They had personally witnessed Xie Xiaoyi, alone with his sword, at Fuyu Mountain in the East Sea.

They forcefully routed eight hundred elite armored soldiers, and even the Grand Eunuch Qin Huaiyu withstood a blow from his Heavenly Gang Boy Skill!

Moreover, he possesses genuine Starry Sky Profound Realm cultivation; if he truly intends to seek revenge, they simply cannot stop him.

Wang Yu's face remained expressionless, his eyes cold and indifferent, his fingertips still tapping the table slowly and deliberately.

Zhang San, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu stepped forward together, bowed, and clasped their hands in greeting:

"Your Highness! Xie Xiaoyi's martial arts are unfathomable. Now that he has entered the city to seek revenge, the three of us will surely be his next target."

"We are not afraid of dying, but we fear he might use this to go mad and threaten Your Highness's safety. Please advise us, Your Highness, what should we do next?"

The three spoke with righteous indignation, but in reality, they were in a state of panic. They were merely using the pretext of worrying about Wang Yu's safety.

He tied himself and the Second Prince together, begging Wang Yu to protect him from Xie Xiaoyi's wickedness.

Wang Yu finally stopped tapping his fingers on the table and looked up at Zhuge Yu: "Sir, what do you think we should do next?"

Zhuge Yu lightly touched his palm with his feather fan, pondered for a moment, and then said, "Your Highness, there is only one truly feasible path at the moment—to immediately inform His Majesty."

"Take Xie Xiaoyi for example. He's been a major concern for His Majesty. Now that he's trespassed in the capital and committed murder, we should report the whole story to the emperor."

Wang Yu nodded and smiled: "That's exactly what I wanted!"

He knew that Xie Xiaoyi was at the Starry Sky Profound Realm, and ordinary guards could not do anything to him. At that time, his father would definitely send Qin Huaiyu to take action.

Qin Huaiyu is at the Moon Ruins Breaking Dust Realm, and his cultivation level is definitely higher than that of the flower thief. As long as he makes a move, Xie Xiaoyi will definitely have no chance of escaping.

Although the Emperor did not blame him for failing to capture Xie Xiaoyi at Fuyu Mountain in the East Sea, his expression did show displeasure at the time.

If we can use the incident involving Fu Yaoqin in Qingjiang City to capture Xie Xiaoyi this time, it will be a way to make amends and vent our anger.

Thinking of this, Wang Yu slowly stood up, looked at Zhang San, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu, and gave the order in a deep voice:

"Immediately muster the troops of the Prince's Palace to escort me to the Zichen Palace to meet my father, the Emperor."

The three agreed, secretly letting out a sigh of relief.

......

In less than half an incense stick's time, Zhang San, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu had mustered all five hundred elite guards of the Feather King's Mansion.

These five hundred men were all carefully selected assassins and bodyguards by the Second Prince, each clad in iron armor and carrying a long sword at their waist.

Holding long iron shields, the ranks were perfectly aligned, their auras were as solid as mountains, and not a single person made a sound.

Five hundred guards formed the Black Tiger Guardian Formation, four rows in front and back, supporting each other on the left and right, their shields forming a wall, with a guard every three steps.

Every five steps, a sentry stood guard, protecting Wang Yu in the center, so tightly that not even a bird could get close.

Wang Yu was confident that everything was in order. The Xuanhu Formation was a secret defensive formation passed down in the army, which was both offensive and defensive. Even if it encountered an enemy several times stronger, it could remain as solid as a rock.

For a time, the entire team swaggered along the imperial road in the capital, displaying an awe-inspiring presence and showcasing the strictness and domineering nature of the prince's personal guards.

Zhang San, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu stood guard on the left, right, and rear of the carriage respectively, firmly protecting Wang Yu's carriage with vigilant eyes and full alertness.

Five hundred guards, one hundred of whom were armed with high-strength steel crossbows, with bolts nocked and ready to fire at any moment, were on high alert.

Wang Yu glanced indifferently at the surrounding situation through the gap in the carriage curtain, and sneered inwardly.

The formation of these five hundred guards was a killing formation that he had personally honed over six months. He practiced with one hundred fine steel armor-piercing crossbows day and night, and their arrows could pierce through fine iron shields.

His carriage was forged from black gold, so even the sword energy of an ordinary expert couldn't damage it in the slightest.

This trip to the Zichen Palace will surely be foolproof.

......

As the procession reached the halfway point of the Imperial Street, everyone's tense nerves relaxed slightly, and they all thought that the journey would be peaceful.

Just then, an incomparably sharp energy descended from the sky, striking directly at Wang Yu's black gold carriage!

Zhang San, Wang Wu, and Zhao Liu's expressions changed drastically. The three of them drew their swords at the same time, and three sword gusts of wind slashed out in the air, barely blocking the sword energy.

But the blade aura only lasted for a moment before it collapsed with a bang. The sword energy was only weakened by half a point, but it was still unstoppable and continued to slash at the carriage!

Before everyone could react, the three of them combined their strength and unleashed three more strikes, finally shattering the domineering sword energy.

Zhang San, the strongest of the four guards, had already sensed the impending storm and immediately raised his arm and shouted:

"Assassin in sight! All troops on high alert!"

The four hundred shield-bearers reacted instantly, raising their iron shields to form a wall of steel, their blades gleaming coldly as they emerged from between the shields.

A hundred armored crossbowmen simultaneously nocked their crossbow bolts, their black crossbow bolts pointing directly at both sides of the street, ready to fire a hundred arrows at once as soon as the assassin appeared.

The entire force instantly transformed from a marching posture into a menacing steel battle formation.

Wang Yu, who was usually calm and stern, couldn't help but feel cold sweat seeping from his palms while he was in the carriage.

Am I afraid?