Chapter Nineteen: Assassination

Returning to the main topic, could the people who followed him just now be them?

It's impossible. Judging from the footsteps just now, there should be more than two people, could it be... 

Before Nan Xianyi could figure it out, dark shadows suddenly surrounded them. As the black mist dispersed, a group of black-clad figures surrounded them, each frozen in place as if immobilized.

Yufu stepped forward, arms crossed, her righteous aura palpable as she declared, "Do you know who I am? How dare you treat us like this? Who sent you? Speak up!"

Nan Xianyi could only shake his head helplessly, unable to interrupt her as she spoke.

Seeing her upright and righteous appearance, if it weren't for knowing Zisang first, he might have mistaken her for the princess of the demon clan.

The group of black-clad figures made way for a path, and a figure in red emerged from the darkness. With disheveled hair falling over his shoulders, a red hairband adorned his jet-black hair, while his thin lips curled seductively. His fair skin was somewhat pale against the red attire, yet it only served to enhance his strikingly handsome features.

And to someone like Yufu, who was infatuated, one moment she was exuding an aura of justice as if to rid the world of evil, and the next she was gazing at the red-clad man as if hoping he would take her away.

Ah, women, truly fickle creatures, one moment exuding righteousness, the next swooning over a man.

The red-clad man assessed them one by one, his gaze finally settling on Luyan. "A barrier on your body, interesting," he remarked with a smirk.

"What did you say?" Nan Xianyi seemed to question his words, puzzled. "Who are you, and what is the purpose of all this?" he asked, puzzled.

The red-clad man smirked seductively. "I am here for one thing and one thing only."

"What is it?"

The smile faded from the red-clad man's face, replaced by a serious expression. "Hand over the princess of the demon clan. Otherwise, this will be your burial ground."

"The princess of the demon clan? I-I-I am the princess of the demon clan. What do you want with me?" It's unclear why Yufu was so excited. Clearly, the man was here to take their lives, yet she acted as if she were saying, "You can take my life if you want." Please, get it straight, he's here to take your life, not to give you one.

Furthermore, he's looking for the 'princess of the demon clan,' which has nothing to do with you.

Just as Nan Xianyi was about to shake his head in resignation, Luyan stepped forward and pulled Yufu behind him. "Who are you? Why do you want to capture the princess of the demon clan?"

The red-clad man chuckled. "What makes you think I would tell you? But you..."

"Perhaps you should think carefully about whether this demon princess is worth saving."

After saying this, the red-clad man smirked and slowly backed away, followed by the departure of the black-clad figures. With a graceful wave of his fair hand, the black-clad men immediately raised their blades and charged towards them.

Despite their formidable skills, the three of them were outnumbered and at a disadvantage. Just as they were fully focused on resisting the black-clad assailants, the man in red suddenly lunged towards Nan Xianyi.

"Nan Xianyi, be careful!" he shouted, his body instinctively moving forward to shield him.

The blade pierced his chest, blood splattering everywhere, as Yufu gradually lost consciousness and fell into Nan Xianyi's arms.

Taking advantage of Nan Xianyi's momentary distraction, the man in red attacked again with lightning speed.

Nan Xianyi turned around, only to find the sword aimed at his forehead, but the swift sword also came to a halt.

Raising his eyes, Nan Xianyi saw the person in front of him dressed in black robes, completely shielding them from view, while his sword happened to be pointing at the man in red.

After a moment, the man in red suddenly turned and left swiftly, as if he had negotiated with the person in front of him. The group of black-clad men followed suit and departed.

"...Brother in Black." Danjun, carrying bags and parcels, hurriedly caught up.

"Didn't I tell you to stay there and not move? Why did you come out again?"

"You left suddenly, and no matter how I called you, you ignored me." Though Danjun didn't say it, she couldn't help but worry that he might leave her behind forever.

Maybe it was because they had spent some time together, but every time he left, she felt worried and reluctant.

"Sorry, it was urgent, and I couldn't explain it to you in detail." Wuchen's words sounded particularly unfamiliar, as if he were a stranger.

Though Danjun didn't say it, she could see it all too clearly. Her nature was simple, always thinking of others, and even when she felt wronged, she kept it to herself. Like her engagement, Danjun, as the daughter of the White Emperor of Qingqiu, had been betrothed to Mo Xuan, the son of the Heavenly Emperor, when she was born.

It should have been a joyous occasion, but shortly afterward, trouble arose in the heavens, and Mo Xuan was taken away by the demons.

The Heavenly Emperor had sent people to search, but the demon seemed to have evaporated from the Six Realms, leaving no trace.

Now that the wedding date had arrived and Mo Xuan had not been found, Danjun had become the laughingstock of Qingqiu. As the daughter of the White Emperor of Qingqiu, she was polite to others on the surface, but behind her back, she didn't know what dirty words were used to describe her.

For the first time in her life, Danjun, who had never left Qingqiu, had such a strong desire to leave. Rather than listening to the gossip and rumors every day, it was better to leave and be done with it.

Wuchen led them back to the thatched cottage, and along the way, Luyan explained. For the past five years that Nan Xianyi had been imprisoned in the Thunderfire Valley, it had been Wuchen who had been helping Zisang seek revenge for her father. And it was him whom Zisang had arranged to meet here.

Though it had always been Wuchen helping Zisang, for some reason, Nan Xianyi couldn't help but feel that he didn't like Wuchen. Now, having put Danjun in her place, Nan Xianyi could finally go and find Zisang.

Who knew that just as he was about to leave, he would be stopped again, and as always, Wuchen's face was cold as he said, "I'm going with you."

"What?" Nan Xianyi knew that Wuchen was eager to see Zisang now, yet he insisted on accompanying him on the road for a while longer.

Fortunately, Wuchen had patience, otherwise, they would have ended up fighting. When Nan Xianyi and Wuchen arrived, there was no sign of Zisang in the room, but they found an open note on the table with the words,

"Meet at the city outskirts at noon today to discuss matters." Signed by ― Nan Xianyi. 

Zisang arrived at the agreed-upon location, standing in the center of the woods with her arms crossed. "Hmph, how dare you call me out and then hide like a turtle?"

Then she shouted, "Come out," and as soon as she did, Chenrui and Hengsong appeared before her.

"Did you suspect the letter was suspicious from the beginning?" Of course, Zisang would not be foolish enough to believe that the letter was written by Nan Xianyi. If Nan Xianyi had something to say, he could have told her directly, so why write a letter to ask her to meet?

However, "I suppose Prince Chenrui and Prince Hengsong didn't put on this act just to capture me, did they?"

"You knew since the beginning, so you must also understand that this is where you'll meet your end." Chenrui was enraged to the point of bursting blood vessels, veins bulging.

"Since you know, then you should understand that this is where you'll meet your end," Chenrui charged at her like a wild beast, but Zisang agilely dodged his attack, barely avoiding his charge.

Next, Hengsong attacked from another direction, but Zisang lightly tapped her toe and floated in the air. It seemed they were intent on killing her this time, and Zisang didn't want to play along. She had come to teach them a lesson, after all.

Since they were intent on killing her, it was best to leave as soon as possible. Chenrui and Hengsong revealed their true forms and attacked Zisang one by one. As demons who had cultivated for thousands of years, their demon bodies were much larger than ordinary demons.

Although a larger body was advantageous for attacking, it was not convenient for finding the target's vital points. After a few rounds, Zisang was slightly injured.