Chapter 47 – Prince Mo Lie Yun (Part 1)

Within a few seconds, the entire performance stage tipped forward dangerously. With a loud groan, it began collapsing. Debris and dust were scattered all over the place as the red scarlet figure flew toward the viewer's platform. On impulse, Jing Yun Sheng took two steps forward toward the railing and stretched his other hand out just in time to catch onto the boy's hand before he missed the platform and plunged to his death.

"Hold on tight!"

Jing Yun Sheng shouted over cacophony, as he tightened his grip on the small hand with half of his body leaning precariously over the railing.

Luckily, he had the foresight to grab onto the platform's curtain with his remaining free hand before he toppled over. The young lad was not very heavy, but due to the high height he had jumped from, it had created a strong downward momentum. If Jing Yun Sheng was not careful, he would have fallen to his death together with the young prince.

"Don't let go!" He ordered as he looked behind him, signalling for his soldier to help him.

The young prince looked at the ground that was far below him for a moment, before finally lifting his head up to see who was grabbing onto his hand. The pair of black obsidian eye flickered brightly as they looked directly into Jing Yun Sheng's eyes.

Jing Yun Sheng blinked in surprise, when the corner of the prince's exposed lips curled slowly into a beautiful smile.

"Thank you for your help, Prime Minister Jing."

Before he could register the meaning behind his words, the young boy gave a quick tug and swung himself up effortlessly. When Jing Yun Sheng looked up, the prince had already landed gracefully next to him.

"Prime Minister Jing, are you alright?" Prince Yin Long asked in concern after seeing how Jing Yun Sheng had rushed forward to help the young lad. Jing Yun Sheng shook his head in response, before turning his attention back to the petite figure in front of him. The young prince stood there with a small grin on his face, seemingly at ease. Before Jing Yun Sheng could say anything else, he heard the soldiers calling out urgently, "Duck! Arrows!"

A strong arm pulled Jing Yun Sheng back in the nick of time, just as an arrow flew past the place where he was standing previously. Putting himself in front of Jing Yun Sheng, Prince Yin Long unsheathed his sword from his waist and swung the blade around to deflect the incoming arrows skilfully. The scarlet red youth was also quick on his feet, as he rolled over and dodged behind a large pillar.

"There are too many of them! We won't be able to push our way out." Jing Yun Sheng said as he flipped a table over and ducked behind it. He swept a quick glance around before pulling out a small bamboo bottle from his sleeve. "I will call for reinforcement. Pass my order down. Form the Golden Lotus Formation and hold out for as long as we can!"

"Prince Yin Long, please stay within the formation. Your safety is our priority!" Whirling around, Jing Yun Sheng looked at the young prince who was crouched behind the pillar and called out, "Prince Lie Yun, you too!"

The soldiers that were guarding them immediately took on a defensive formation and held out their shields in front of them, as the arrows continued to fall upon them in a continuous barrage. With a quick movement, Jing Yun Sheng undid the opening on the bottle and fired the signal flare up into the sky. The flare burned brightly as it flew up and caught the attention of many people. Out of the blue, the arrows suddenly stopped coming at them.

"What in the world…?" Prince Yin Long breathed heavily as he retreated to the place where Jing Yun Sheng was hiding. However, he did not let his guard down and continued to hold his sword up defensively in front of him. Both of them exchanged glances, their heart beating loudly in their chest. The sudden silence was extremely unnerving, and the soldiers all looked at each other in befuddlement.

"Look out!"

With a whoosh, a few fire arrows lodged itself onto the curtains and table that Jing Yun Sheng was hiding behind.

"Despicable! They are trying to force us out!" Prince Yin Long cursed as he dodged another fire arrow aimed at him.

Most of the furniture started catching fire, especially the expensive silk pillows and carpets that adorned the viewing platform. The soldiers started coughing nonstop as the platform began to be covered in billowing thick smokes. The commander turned to Jing Yun Sheng and said urgently, "Prime Minister, we cannot continue to sit here and wait! We must push our way out forcefully!"

"No!" Jing Yun Sheng shouted amidst the noise, as he swept his eyes across the bottom of the platform. They were surrounded by enemy archers all over the place. "There are too many of them down there. If we go out now we'll be shot down by their archers."

Looking up, he said, "Retreat to the back of the platform and removed all curtains and flammable furniture to slow down the spread of the fire. Maintain the -"

His next order was caught in his throat when he looked back and caught sight of Prince Lie Yun standing on top of the railing at the end of the platform. A long red curtain was tied around his waist securely. His heart missed a beat when he realised the young prince's intention.

"Prime Minister Jing, there are too many of them. It will be difficult to hold out till the reinforcement is here! I will distract them so you can push out!"

"Ridiculous! Quickly come into the formation!" Jing Yun Sheng shouted back.

The scarlet red figure gave him one last look, a mischievous smile on his face before he leapt off. Without forethought, Jing Yun Sheng dashed out of his hiding place and leaned against the railing as he looked down to see where the young prince had disappeared to. His heart constricted in his chest when he saw the young boy cleverly swung himself to another viewing platform with the help of the long red curtain. He only breathed a sigh of relief when the red figure managed to land safely on the ground.

The assassins had also caught sight of the eye-catching red figure that had escaped from the platform, and as expected, half of the forces immediately went off to pursue the young prince. The young prince was extremely agile on his feet as he began to make a run in the opposite direction, diverting half of the assassins away from the platform. The arrows followed him, but the young prince was clever enough not to run in straight line as he kept ducking behind the tall structures.

Jing Yun Sheng knew there was nothing he could do to help the young prince now that it had come to this situation. His priority was to make sure the Yin ambassador escape without harm. Clenching his fist tightly, he turned around and quickly joined the formation again.

"Maintain the defensive formation. Attack when I give the signal. We only have one chance to surprise them."

It was extremely chaotic as the assassins kept shooting fire arrows at their surroundings. Although there were noticeably less arrows by now, but the situation was very unfavourable for them as most of the wooden pillars had caught fire and the platform's roof was on the verge of collapsing on them.

"Get ready." Jing Yun Sheng whispered as he put his hands on Prince Yin Long's arm. He eyed the creaking structure above him warily as he counted quietly in his heart. He had been counting ever since he released the signal flare into the sky. Prince Yin Long nodded in acknowledgement, his eyes full of trust as he looked at Jing Yun Sheng.

"The Jing clan reinforcement is here!"

The assassins looked behind them in surprise. A group of white clad people had suddenly swept in out of nowhere.

"Now!" Jing Yun Sheng gave the order while the enemy was still distracted by the appearance of the reinforcement.

The soldiers threw their shields away and rushed out of the platform like madmen, slashing and hacking at the enemies, followed closely by Jing Yun Sheng and Prince Yin Long. Coughing, they stumbled forward, away from the thickening smoke and collapsing platform.

The assassins on the other hand, were taken by surprise by the sudden attack on both sides. Some of them were taken down without much resistance, and since their numbers were lesser now, the soldiers were able to push them back easily. When they reached the ground safely, Jing Yun Sheng and Prince Yin collapsed onto the floor, coughing, and gasping for breath. Personal guards dressed in white robe immediately surrounded them in a protective circle.

The remaining assassins began to panic when the tables were turned on them. Now that their target had reunited with Jing Yun Sheng's personal guard, some of them began to flee in fear.

Jing Yun Sheng stood up and looked back at the platform. He saw that the platform's roof had already caved in and was now being devoured by the hungry flames.

"Master! Are you alright?" Young Lian Xi, who came with the reinforcement quickly rushed over to his side. She looked worriedly at his ash covered robe.

"Escort Prince Yin Long back to the manor safely… and capture the remaining assassins alive." Jing Yun Sheng coughed, before turning around. Lian Xi was surprised when she saw the look on his face. Agitation and fear danced in his eyes as he instructed hoarsely, "Quick! Go and help Prince Lie Yun!"