chapter 16:ambush

The journey had been uneventful for most of the day, but peace was always an illusion.

As the convoy made its way through a narrow mountain pass, the air grew eerily still. The birds had gone silent. The wind, which had once whispered through the trees, now felt like a breath held in anticipation.

Xu Nuan sensed it first.

Her fingers curled against her lap as a cold prickle ran down her spine. Something was wrong.

Then—a sudden whistling in the air.

"AMBUSH!" A soldier's voice rang out just as the first arrow tore through the air, embedding itself into one of the wooden carts.

Chaos erupted.

From the rocky cliffs above, masked assailants in dark armor rained down arrows, while others surged forward from the trees, swords gleaming under the afternoon sun.

The guards reacted swiftly, forming a protective barrier around the Crown Prince's carriage. Horses reared and neighed in panic, the sound of clashing blades filling the once-tranquil pass.

Inside the carriage, Li Feng was already moving.

With a sharp kick, the door burst open, and he leapt out, drawing his sword in a single fluid motion. His cold gaze swept over the battlefield, quickly assessing the enemy's movements.

Xu Nuan followed, her expression eerily calm despite the bloodshed around them. She was no delicate noblewoman who needed sheltering.

One of the attackers rushed toward her, sword raised.

With a flick of her sleeve, she twisted aside, a concealed dagger slipping into her hand. In one precise motion, she struck—a clean, effortless slice across the man's wrist.

He screamed, dropping his weapon. Before he could recover, a silver needle embedded itself into his throat. Poisoned. He collapsed instantly.

Li Feng, who had just cut down an enemy, glanced her way. Their eyes met briefly—a flicker of recognition in his gaze.

This woman… was dangerous.

But there was no time for distraction. The attack was too coordinated, too precise to be mere bandits. Someone had planned this.

Li Feng turned to Lu Lan, who was cutting through enemies with his twin swords. "Find out who they are. We take at least one alive."

Just then, a shadow loomed behind Li Feng. A second too late, he realized—

A blade was descending toward his unguarded back.

Xu Nuan moved before she even thought.

Steel met steel as she intercepted the strike, her dagger deflecting the assassin's blade with a sharp clang. But the force threw her off balance, and before she could recover, the assassin aimed a second strike—this time at her.

Li Feng's sword sliced through the air.

In one precise motion, he cut the assassin down, the blade gleaming with fresh blood.

Xu Nuan exhaled slowly, feeling the rush of near-death still pulsing in her veins.

Li Feng turned to her, his expression unreadable. "I did not ask for your help."

She lifted an eyebrow, voice smooth. "And yet, you needed it."

His gaze darkened. Before he could retort, a dying assassin coughed out his final words.

"They… don't want you… in Lizhou…"

Then he went still.

Silence followed. The message was clear.

This was not a random ambush. Someone wanted them dead before they ever reached Lizhou.

Li Feng wiped the blood from his blade, eyes cold. "Then they will be disappointed."

Xu Nuan met his gaze, a knowing glint in her eyes.

Lizhou was already waiting for them. But so was the enemy lurking in the shadows

As the convoy resumed its journey after the ambush, tension coiled like a viper among them. The soldiers rode with swords drawn, their eyes scanning every shadow along the road.

Inside his carriage, Li Feng examined the corpse of one of the assassins, his fingers tightening over a scrap of black silk found hidden beneath the man's armor.

Xu Nuan, standing beside him, tilted her head thoughtfully. "A mercenary's mark. But this insignia—" she traced the pattern with her fingers "—it belongs to a faction long thought to be disbanded."*

Li Feng's expression darkened. "The Shadow Fang."

Xu Nuan's gaze sharpened. "An underground assassin group that only answers to the highest bidder. If someone was able to mobilize them…"

"Then our enemy is powerful," Li Feng finished grimly.

Lu Lan, standing by the carriage door, folded his arms. "This was an attempt to eliminate both of you before you reached Lizhou. Whoever hired them doesn't just want to destabilize the region—they want to ensure neither of you live to interfere."

Xu Nuan exchanged a glance with Li Feng. There were only a handful of people who could afford such an operation.

The court? A rival faction? Or someone already in Lizhou itself?

"We need to arrive as soon as possible," Li Feng said finally, crushing the fabric in his palm. "And we need to be ready for whoever is waiting."

By the time the convoy crossed the gates of Lizhou, the air was thick with unease.

The streets, once bustling with merchants and travelers, now carried an air of quiet desperation. Emaciated villagers lined the roads, their hollow gazes following the Crown Prince's procession. The scent of drought-stricken earth and rotting grain clung to the air.

Li Feng's jaw clenched. The reports had not exaggerated.

Xu Nuan's sharp eyes took in everything—the boarded-up shops, the wary soldiers stationed at every corner, the people's thin, trembling forms. Lizhou was suffocating, on the brink of collapse.

A low murmur started among the gathered crowd as they recognized the banners of the Crown Prince's arrival. Hope flickered in their eyes, mingling with fear.

But just as the royal procession neared the governor's residence, a stone suddenly flew through the air—

Crack.

It struck a soldier's shield, bouncing harmlessly to the ground. But the intent was clear.

Then, a voice rose from the restless crowd.

"You should have come sooner!"

Another joined in. "Where was the court when our children starved? When our homes burned?"

The murmurs grew into shouts of resentment. Tension crackled like a storm about to break.

Xu Nuan gripped the edge of the carriage window, her sharp eyes flicking to Li Feng.

The people were on the verge of revolt.

The real battle for Lizhou had just begun

The shouts of the crowd grew louder, fueled by desperation and anger. The tension was a beast with bared fangs, ready to strike at the first misstep.

Xu Nuan watched from the carriage window, her gaze sharp. If this was not contained quickly, a riot could break out.

Before Li Feng could give the order to push forward, she moved.

With calm, deliberate steps, Xu Nuan descended from the carriage, her pale robes a stark contrast to the dust-streaked streets. Silence fell, all eyes locking onto her.

Some expected her to retreat in fear, to cower behind the Crown Prince's authority. Instead, she walked forward, stopping before the angriest of the gathered people—a gaunt man, his eyes hollow with suffering.

"You are right to be angry," she said, her voice carrying across the square.

Murmurs swept through the crowd.

Xu Nuan knelt before the man, her gaze unwavering. "I will not ask for your forgiveness when no help has come before now."

The man stiffened, caught off guard by her directness.

"But I will not stand by while Lizhou burns," she continued, lifting a calloused hand—his hand. "The court may not have heard your cries before, but I hear them now."

A whisper spread through the people.

The Crown Princess—kneeling before a commoner?

She released the man's hand and turned, addressing them all.

"I did not come to Lizhou to watch you suffer."

She gestured to the soldiers, her tone firm. "We brought medicine, grain, and supplies. But that will not be enough unless you stand with us. If you wish to fight, then fight—not against us, but against the ones who let you starve."

The people stilled. The rage in their eyes flickered into something else—doubt, curiosity… hope.

Xu Nuan pressed on.

"Let us help you."

A long silence followed. Then—one voice, hesitant but clear.

"The Princess speaks truth."

Then another. "She is not like the others."

And finally, the gaunt man lowered his head. "If you mean what you say, then we will listen."

The tension eased—but the battle was not over.

Unbeknownst to Xu Nuan, hidden figures watched from the balconies of the governor's manor.

Among them was Governor jing yun a lean man with sharp fox-like features, his silk robes embroidered with golden cranes. Beside him, his advisor, Minister mu, sipped his tea with an amused smirk.

"The Crown Princess is more cunning than we thought," mu murmured.

Governor jing's fingers tapped against the wooden railing. "She is dangerous. If she wins the people's trust, our plans will crumble."

Behind them, a third figure sat in the shadows, his face obscured by the dim light. His voice was cold.

"Then we must act before she gains too much power."

Governor jing lips curled. "Let her believe she has won today. Soon, Lizhou will show her where she truly stands."

As Xu Nuan turned back toward Li Feng, her victory in the square felt like the first breath before a storm.