The Demon Prince

As the poetry and painting festival came to an end, the lights in Qinghe Garden were turned off one by one.

The wind carries a dampness; it's about to rain.

As Xiao Xingyue sat in the carriage, he could still hear someone calling Xiao Shixian's name in the distance, one call after another.

The guard driving the carriage sat on the shaft, grinning from ear to ear.

"Your Highness, you really made a name for yourself tonight. With all that shouting, the storytellers in the teahouses will have to change their lines tomorrow."

Xiao Xingyue leaned back on the cushion and lazily raised his hand:

"Keep a low profile."

Shen Yan sat opposite him, still not fully recovered from the events of the night.

The title of "elegant official," a fourth-rank honor, is not a fleeting honor, but rather a mountain to climb.

He came from humble beginnings, and what has brought him to where he is today is the companionship of pages of books, oil lamps, and his mother's hands mending old clothes on winter nights.

But tonight, Xiao Xingyue's words thrust him into the spotlight and pulled him out of Xie Yuheng's official arrogance.

Shen Yan's fingers rested on his knees, still looking slightly awkward. He looked up at Xiao Xingyue:

"Your Highness."

Xiao Xingyue lifted his eyelids slightly: "What?"

Shen Yan held his breath for a moment, then solemnly said:

"I am grateful for what happened today, but in the future, Your Highness, you don't need to offend Xie Yuheng too much because of me."

Xiao Xingyue sat up straighter.

Shen Yan continued:

"I come from a poor family. My only family member is my elderly mother. She is old and still lives in an old house in the suburbs of Beijing."

If I were alone, it wouldn't matter what, but I'm afraid of dragging her down with me.

As he said this, his Adam's apple bobbed.

Revealing this unspeakable secret was not a sign of retreat, but rather an exposure of one's vulnerability to Xiao Xingyue.

He didn't want the prince who had just protected him to get into unnecessary trouble because he was unaware of his situation.

Xiao Xingyue stared at him for a few moments:

"What you're saying...makes me lose face..."

Shen Yan was taken aback.

Xiao Xingyue raised his hand and knocked on the car wall:

"I chose you in front of so many people, and Consort Shu also nodded."

Now you're telling me not to offend Xie Yuheng too much because of you?

What will others think of me? Will they say that the people I, Xiao Xingyue, just protected are already afraid of trouble on the very first day?

"Then am I even allowed to continue living like this?"

Shen Yan, who was originally feeling heavy-hearted, was thrown off balance by Xiao Xingyue's domineering and bandit-like words:

"Your Highness, it's not that I'm afraid of trouble. I'm just worried that Your Highness might have some reservations, so I wanted to explain my situation."

He bowed respectfully:

"Shen Yan will do his utmost in matters concerning the elegant official."

If Gou Li dares to engage in a literary contest, Shen Yan will not allow the Great Xia culture to be disgraced, even if he exhausts all his knowledge.

Xiao Xingyue looked at him.

This scholar was thin and even a bit shabby, but when he spoke the last sentence, his back was straight, as straight as Xiao Xingyue himself, righteous and upright, with an unyielding spirit, unafraid of power, fearless of wind and rain, and shameless.

Xiao Xingyue nodded in agreement.

Just as he was about to speak, his ears suddenly twitched.

Before the rain even started, a soft sound was heard in the wind.

It's a hidden weapon!

Xiao Xingyue's gaze changed instantly. He kicked open the car door, pressed Shen Yan's head down, and shoved him to the side.

"Get down!"

Whoosh! The first crossbow bolt grazed the side of the carriage and entered the compartment, the arrowhead embedded in the wooden plank, the fletching still trembling!

If he had hesitated even for half a breath, the arrow would have pierced right through Shen Yan's brow.

Shen Yan's forehead slammed against the cushion as he was pressed down, and his heart tightened.

Assassination!

Someone is trying to assassinate him and the crown prince!

Dark figures leaped out one after another from under the eaves.

Seven people? More than that! There's one person blocking the road on each side of the street intersection.

There were people holding the line on the roof, and three others charged straight at the carriage.

Their teamwork was so seamless, without a single wasted word or the slightest hesitation.

This wasn't a street robbery and murder; it was a pre-planned killing spree.

Xiao Xingyue only brought Zhao Yuanbao and a horse-driving guard with him to the meeting.

The guards, sensing the assassination attempt, immediately stood in front of the carriage, swords and shields raised, shouting, "Your Highness, be careful!"

But no sooner had he finished speaking than another arrow flew by, striking the guard in the shoulder. He groaned and fell into the carriage.

Shen Yan had never seen such a scene before. Looking at the injured guard in front of him, his face turned pale.

"You stay here with him and lie still, don't come out," Xiao Xingyue ordered.

Shen Yangang nodded subconsciously and saw Xiao Xingyue flip out of the car. Then, a short stick hanging on the inner wall of the car flew out with him. The short stick quickly extended in the air and turned into a long spear, which Xiao Xingyue held in his hand.

The tip of the gun swept across the ground, igniting sparks in the dead of night.

After hearing the sound and pinpointing the location, Xiao Xingyue suddenly changed his gun's trajectory, stirring up the water on the ground and shooting it into the shadows.

A black-clad assassin suddenly flew out from the shadows.

Xiao Xingyue charged toward the assassin, his first shot sweeping across. The assassin raised his knife to block, and with a clang, his arms sank and he stumbled back three steps.

A look of surprise flashed across the assassin's eyes. The intelligence was wrong. Wasn't Xiao Xingyue a weakling who wasn't even qualified to go to the battlefield?

This strength is no less than that of a third-grade soldier!

"Everyone out! Let's attack!"

Two more assassins rushed out from behind!

Xiao Xingyue's eyes narrowed. "I was just worried about having no one to spar with after practicing for so long!"

The spear tip pressed down instantly, and with a backhand, he deflected the other man's short blade!

The raindrops finally started to fall, first a few sparse drops, then quickly forming a thick mass.

The lanterns along the street crackled and popped in the rain, and even the sounds of fighting seemed somewhat subdued in the rain.

Shen Yan propped himself up in the carriage, his face pale, his palms sweaty, and his legs weak.

But he didn't run around or scream in terror. He just gritted his teeth and looked out through the broken car door to observe the assassin's position.

The people blocking the road, the shadows under the eaves, and the roof ridge.

The roof ridge, on the left? Yes, there's another person on the left!

The man didn't move, remaining hidden in the shadows, holding a crossbow and aiming it at Xiao Xingyue!

Shen Yan's throat tightened, and he shouted:

"Your Highness! There's another person guarding the left side of the roof!"

Xiao Xingyue had just forced two assassins back with a single shot when he heard this, and he twisted the barrel of his gun sharply.

Without turning around, he kicked up a broken knife from the ground with his right foot, and the blade, wet with rain, flew towards the roof ridge on the left!

A muffled thud came from the shadows!

The assassin was forced to roll away, but before he could raise his crossbow properly again, Xiao Xingyue's spear shot out!

The spear tip pierces the rain in an instant!

With a bang, the assassin tumbled off the roof ridge to avoid the spear, crashing under the eaves, his crossbow shattering!

The spear pierced the eaves, but in the next instant, Xiao Xingyue leaped onto the spear, then stomped down, causing the spear to tumble in the air. Xiao Xingyue landed on the end of the spear, the tip pointing downwards, and it fell from the sky. The assassin couldn't dodge in time and was instantly pierced through the heart.

Everything happened in the blink of an eye. The three assassins in front looked up at Xiao Xingyue, who was standing on a spear, their eyes filled with shock.

The lead assassin suddenly raised his hand, and the others simultaneously took a half step back. The next moment, they bypassed Xiao Xingyue and rushed straight for the carriage!

The target has changed; it's now Shen Yan.

Xiao Xingyue's eyes turned cold. They're not here to kill me?

An assassin's knife had already reached the side of the car.

Shen Yan tried to back away, but he also had to protect the injured guard. His leg hit the corner of the carriage, and he fell down.

As three short blades came slashing down at him simultaneously, Shen Yan's life flashed before his eyes in an instant.

"Your children are unfilial, parents!"

At the critical moment, a long spear came from afar, blocking his way, and three short blades fell at the same time, slicing sparks from the spear!

"If you're not filial to your parents, then be filial to me." Xiao Xingyue flew over, grabbed the gun handle, his chest surged with energy, and he activated the Holy Dragon Technique, unleashing a powerful burst of energy that spread throughout the gun!

The three assassins' wrists went numb from the shock, and their blades almost slipped from their hands. One of them stared wide-eyed, clearly stunned by Xiao Xingyue's fierceness. But in the next instant, the spear had already pierced the man's chest.

The man was sent flying backward, crashing into a roadside stall and spitting out blood.

The other assassins were shocked once again; according to the intelligence they had received, Xiao Xingyue was not a threat at all!

But something's not right now, this is practically a god of war!

"Let's do it!"

Just as Xiao Xingyue was facing the other two assassins, a shadow suddenly emerged from the back of the carriage.

The short blade skimmed the raindrops and stabbed towards Xiao Xingyue's back. The angle was vicious, and the sound of the rain masked the attack perfectly.

Xiao Xingyue's back was wide open, but Shen Yan saw it. In that instant, nothing was left in his mind except the last words Xiao Xingyue had said.

Be filial to him!

So he rushed out, shouting, "Your Highness, be careful!"

puff--

The short blade pierced Shen Yan's abdomen, and his body trembled. Blood gushed from his blue robe, which was quickly diluted by the rain, but soon stained the area red again.

He gripped the assassin's wrist tightly: "Don't harm the prince!"

Shen Yan knelt in the rain, his face as white as paper, the scholarly air in his eyes gone, his hands gripping the assassin tightly, as if facing death.

The assassin tried to draw his sword, but Shen Yan used all his strength and refused to let go.

Xiao Xingyue took a step forward, the gun barrel slammed down, crack, the assassin's shoulder bone shattered, and the short blade fell to the ground.

Then, with another shot, the gun curved in the air, pinning the man to the cold, damp cobblestone path.

The spear tip pierced through the shoulder blade and penetrated three inches into the ground. Blood trickled from the assassin's mouth, a hoarse sound came from his throat, and his body stiffened, becoming still.

Xiao Xingyue's brows furrowed. Mission failed, so he committed suicide by poisoning himself. How ruthless!

Shen Yan collapsed behind him, his breath growing weaker and weaker.

Xiao Xingyue pressed on Shen Yan's wound. The blood was hot, and the edges had begun to turn black, indicating that the other party's knife was poisoned!

Shen Yan's eyelids felt heavy, but he still wanted to speak, though he ultimately lacked the strength.

Seeing that Shen Yan was seriously injured and Xiao Xingyue was distracted, the remaining assassins attacked at the same time. The remaining crossbowmen under the eaves also raised their arms, aiming at Shen Yan's throat.

The sound of rain suddenly intensified. Xiao Xingyue was blocked by two swords, and a poisoned arrow pierced through the rain!

In a split second, a long spear flew from the end of the street, its tip striking the poisoned arrow with pinpoint accuracy!

Clang! The poisoned arrow exploded, and fragments fell into the rain.

The spear continued its momentum, whistling through the night rain, and pinned the fleeing crossbowman to the wall!

The brick wall trembled, and dust fell in a flurry. The sound of horses' hooves followed closely from the end of the street, like war drums.

A black horse broke through the rain, carrying a woman whose cloak was billowing, whose long hair was tied up high, and whose armor plates gleamed in the rain.

Li Shunhua held the reins in one hand and the second short gun in the other.

Her pretty face was as cold as ice, her eyes sweeping over the blood and corpses in the street before finally settling on Xiao Xingyue and the heavily injured Shen Yan.

She dismounted, her boots splashing water as she stepped over the puddles. The remaining two assassins, upon seeing her, immediately retreated.

Li Shunhua raised her gun, her anger barely concealed between her brows, her killing intent undisguised:

"Who gave you the audacity to attempt an assassination in Kyoto!"