These two women came to save Li Er, and now they have two choices. First, they can directly attack Shen Buqi, who could take Li Er’s life at any moment, and get Li Er out of danger first. Second, they can go for the leader to subdue the followers; if they can capture Shen Buqi’s master, who he obeys unconditionally, rescuing a mere Li Er wouldn’t be a problem.

No matter what they chose, Zhao Mian didn’t need to do anything. He stood motionless, calmly watching the two female assassins approach closer and closer, not even needing to say “Protect me.”

In the blink of an eye, the two assassins were already in front of Zhao Mian. They seemed to want to capture him first, gaining control of the situation. But when they were still dozens of steps away from Zhao Mian, two sharp blades suddenly block their path.

The two women were startled and used all their strength to steady themselves, luckily managing to stop in time. Their reactions were already considered fast, but at that critical moment, the tips of the blades still narrowly grazed their necks.

The shadow guards who had been protecting His Highness the Crown Prince from the shadows finally had a chance to reveal themselves. Zhao Mian ordered: “Capture them alive.”

Hearing this, the displeasure in Li Er’s eyes faded slightly, but his expression was still colder than when he was pretending to be a fishmonger. This was probably his true expression when facing someone who was neither friend nor foe.

Zhao Mian added, “Don’t get yourselves hurt.”

These shadow guards considered protecting his safety their sole purpose. If necessary, they’d sacrifice a thousand to kill a thousand and two. If he didn’t remind them, the Crown Prince’s palace would have to pay for their treatment if they were injured or crippled.

The shadow guards replied in unison, “Yes!”

The woman in blue looked at the added enemies. They were like an impenetrable wall, firmly standing around the noble young man wearing a veiled hat. Taking the head of the leader was good, but they couldn’t even see the “king” at all, only his extravagant long sleeves swaying in the wind.

The woman in blue bit her lip, making a decisive decision: “I’ll hold them off, you go save our master!”

The woman in red immediately turned her sword, and thrust it forcefully towards Shen Buqi. But two more young men in black suddenly appeared, shielding Shen Buqi.

They didn’t even have the right to engage Shen Buqi in combat.

The woman in red was frantic and exclaimed in frustration, “How many people did they bring!”

Shen Buqi is the Crown Prince’s personal guard. If it had come to the point where he had to take action, it meant the Crown Prince’s many shadow guards had seriously failed in their duty. Even if the Prince was ultimately safe and sound, they would be held accountable by the Prime Minister.

Compared to the woman in red, the one in blue seemed more composed: “Just stall for time.”

The woman in red probably wanted to stall for time and wait for reinforcements. Just like how he was hiding many shadow guards, Li Er wouldn’t only have two people at his disposal.

The Crown Prince’s four shadow guards against two assassins should have been a guaranteed victory. But because the Crown Prince wanted to capture them alive and forbade them from getting hurt, the shadow guards were inevitably constrained.

Furthermore, these two female assassins were indeed skilled. Their attacks seemed soft, but were actually swift and efficient, their steps were agile, and they were excellent at dodging. Such skill would stand out even in the Crown Prince’s palace. With their all-out, desperate effort, the two sides were unexpectedly evenly matched for a duration, making it difficult to determine who would win.

“Not bad,” Zhao Mian says casually. “Are they your people?”

“What, want to get to know them? Then let me introduce them to you.” Li Er nodded his chin towards the female assassins, “The one in blue is named Yun Yong, and the one in red is named Hua Ju.”

Zhao Mian glanced sideways at Li Er.

He stubbornly refused to reveal his real name, yet readily divulged the names of his subordinates. One could easily guess that these two women are insignificant figures, even knowing their names wouldn’t lead to any useful information.

While observing the battle, Zhao Mian was pondering another matter.

Both he and Li Er possessed considerable skills, yet Wan Huameng managed to plant a Gu poison within their bodies without anyone noticing. It could be said that if Wan Huameng so desired, he could easily eliminate high-ranking officials of a nation, or even the chosen heir of a country.

Wan Huameng… just what kind of ancient monster was he?

“My lord,” Shen Buqi’s voice pulled Zhao Mian back from his thoughts, “If we continue this stalemate, the enemy reinforcements will arrive which will be detrimental to us.”

Although Zhao Mian didn’t want to cause any fatalities, he wouldn’t allow himself to be at a disadvantage: “Then let them fight as they see fit.”

With those words, the shadow guards attacked without restraint, each move aimed directly at the assassins’ vital points. Under their fierce assault, Yun Yong and Hua Ju quickly became overwhelmed, struggling even to hold their swords. If things continued like this, they would not only fail to rescue their master but also lose their own lives.

Hua Ju was forced to retreat repeatedly, blocking with her sword. The taste of blood filling her mouth: “Master, what should we do now!”

“What can we do,” Li Er’s voice, devoid of its usual laughter was filled with eager excitement, “You’ve already come.”

Zhao Mian’s heart sank, sensing something amiss. Out of the corner of his eye, a black blur was rapidly approaching him. Just as it was about to touch him, Shen Buqi’s voice suddenly rang out: “Young Master, be careful!”

In a flash, Zhao Mian was shielded behind Shen Buqi, putting distance between him and Li Er. Li Er looked down at his empty hand with regret on his face: “Too bad, just a little bit more.”

Zhao Mian understood, glaring coldly at Shen Buqi: “And you said he doesn’t know martial arts?”

Shen Buqi said in a low voice, “This subordinate was mistaken.”

Li Er kicked up a branch from the ground and held it in his hand. He wasted no words at this moment, facing the wary gazes of Zhao Mian and Shen Buqi, master and servant, then simply said: “Come.”

Shen Buqi immediately stepped forward to engage him.

Li Er’s movements and footwork were similar to Yun Yong and Hua Ju, but far superior. Shen Buqi’s sword was fierce, the wind whistling where it passed. Li Er wouldn’t be foolish enough to use a tree branch to meet a blade head-on. To avoid the sharp edge, he did a backflip in the air. The large man landed silently and gracefully, without even raising a speck of dust.

The fishmonger was full of suspicious points, and Zhao Mian naturally suspected that he wasn’t actually ignorant of martial arts, but was deliberately hiding his skills.

However, he hadn’t expected Li Er to be on par with Shen Buqi, especially with only a tree branch as a weapon.

Shen Buqi was only twenty-four years old and considered one of the top young martial artists in Nanjing. For Li Er to be able to fight him to a standstill, his real age must be at least thirty… no, thirty-five or older.

Heh, old man.

Zhao Mian’s expression grew increasingly displeased as he watched, but fortunately, the other battlefield was nearing its end. Yun Yong and Hua Ju were both wounded and held captive by the shadow guards. Their swords were long gone, lost somewhere.

One of the shadow guards asked: “Young Master, what should we do with these two?”

“Not yet,” Zhao Mian said. “You all go help out first. Always attack in numbers if you can.”

Li Er hearing this couldn’t help but agree, “That makes perfect sense.”

Just as the shadow guards were about to lend Shen Buqi a hand, another unexpected turn occurred. The sound of approaching horses thundered from the depths of the jungle, judging by the sound, there were at least several.

In the blink of an eye, the figures of the newcomers came into view. Hua Ju recognized the leading man and was overjoyed, “What took you so long!”

Yun Yong, clutching her chest in pain, smiled at the sight, “Thankfully, it’s not too late.”

Li Er’s reinforcements had arrived. With the arrival of reinforcements, Li Er’s side suddenly had the upper hand, and the situation reversed in an instant.

Beneath his veiled hat, Zhao Mian’s face was tense, extremely displeased with his sudden disadvantage.

Initially, he only intended to lure Li Er out of hiding and to reveal his true identity, not to truly kill him and his companions. He and Li Er shared a common and formidable enemy, and their goal was the antidote to the dual Gu worms. Even if not friends, they weren’t necessarily enemies. He was certain that Li Er wouldn’t completely break ties with him or harm him at this point.

But even if it was just a tacit understanding of testing each other’s limits, he couldn’t afford to lose.

“Perfect timing,” Li Er said, rubbing his wrist and wiping away sweat, before pointing at Shen Buqi, “This guy’s a bit tricky, I’ll leave him to you. I’m going to settle a small score first.”

“Yes, Master.”

With that, Li Er suddenly sidestepped, his movements so bizarre that he vanished from Shen Buqi’s sight. Shen Buqi realized what was happening, and a look of anxiety and unease emerged over his usually composed face. He spun around, trying to intercept Li Er but was swarmed by enemies, unable to break free. He could only watch helplessly as Li Er approached the Crown Prince directly, “Young Master!”

Zhao Mian said calmly, “Don’t panic.”

With no one else between him and Li Er, he was ready to face Li Er head-on.

Although Nanjing valued scholarly pursuits, it also understood the importance of martial arts and horsemanship.

As the Crown Prince, Zhao Mian had trained with the renowned Great General Zhen Guo since childhood, one of the Four Grandmasters and equal in fame to Wan Huameng. While his skills might not match those of Shen Buqi, he was more than capable of dealing with some small fry.

But he forgot that he had someone else with him.

Zhou Huairang, who had been hiding in the carriage all along, suddenly jumped out, unhesitatingly placing himself in front of him, “Young Master, I’m here!”

Zhao Mian was stunned and scolded sharply, “Who told you to come down? Get back in the carriage!”

Even if it was just a light touch, swords and blades were merciless. How dare Zhou Huairang, a scholar who couldn’t even bring himself to kill a chicken, come out here?!

Zhou Huairang was panting but didn’t back down despite being scolded, clutching a sword tightly in his hands. “I… I’m here to give Young Master the sword!”

Zhao Mian loved vibrant and dazzling colors, but his sword was a pure white longsword. The hilt and scabbard were unadorned, elegant like frost, a slight departure from his usual style.

Among all weapons, he was most skilled with the bow and arrow, followed by the single-handed sword. He didn’t have a high chance of winning against Li Er with a sword, but it was all he had at the moment.

“Throw the sword over…” Zhao Mian saw the figure suddenly appearing behind Zhou Huairang, his face changed, “Behind you! Watch out!”

Zhou Huairang turned instinctively, abruptly realizing that a cold, gleaming dagger was held to his neck. He blinked first, and then—

“Ah!”

The frail scholar let out an earth-shattering shriek, then his eyes rolled back, and he collapsed straight down.

“… Xiao Rang?!” In his urgency, Zhao Mian didn’t even realize he’d used Zhou Huairang’s childhood nickname when they were little. He rushed to Zhou Huairang’s side, only to see Zhou Huairang lying stiffly, eyes tightly shut, breathing evenly, without a single wound on his body.

In other words, Zhou Huairang had fainted from fright.

Zhao Mian exhaled a long breath, a huge weight lifting from his heart. He raised his head, looking at the culprit, his eyes like knives: “Nice work.”

Li Er spread his hands, a little apologetic, but not much: “I didn’t know he was so easily frightened—do you have anyone else?”

Not for this moment. He had practiced martial arts since childhood, but this was the first time he had to personally deal with someone.

“To think I have to do this kind of petty thing myself.” Zhao Mian picked up his sword, slowly standing up, his tone was filled with arrogance, “A bunch of useless trash.”

Li Er looked at Zhao Mian in confusion: “You were so worried about him just now, and now you’re calling people useless trash. Listen to yourself, aren’t your words contradictory?”

Zhao Mian never wasted words before taking action.

He drew his long sword, casually tossing the scabbard aside. The snow-white blade, like a golden serpent, rippled in the setting sun as he lunged at Li Er. “There’s no contradiction!”

Li Er, with quick eyes and hands, blocked the attack with his dagger, then spun and slashed back with his blade. A flash of cold light passed before Zhao Mian’s eyes, followed by the sound of tearing fabric. A corner of his brocade robe had been sliced off.

Looking at the tattered cloth on the ground, Zhao Mian once again realized the gap between him and Li Er in martial arts skill. Not to mention himself, perhaps only Shen Buqi within the Crown Prince’s residence could stand a chance against Li Er.

Li Er casually twirled the dagger in his hand and said, “You can’t beat me.”

“So what.” Zhao Mian calmly said, “You wouldn’t dare hurt me.”

Li Er smiled: “So sure of yourself?”

Zhao Mian said: “You still want to use my power to deal with Wan Huameng, don’t you.”

Li Er generously admitted: “Yes. So I won’t hurt you, not that I ‘dare not’ hurt you.”

Zhao Mian sneered, raising his sword again: “As always, you talk too much nonsense.”

Just as Zhao Mian had expected, no matter how fiercely he attacked, Li Er only dodged and didn’t fight back. As long as he exploited this and dragged it out until Shen Buqi finished dealing with those small fry and came to help, Li Er would still be his prisoner.

Faced with Zhao Mian’s relentless offensive, Li Er dodged and weaved, weaved and dodged, growing increasingly impatient, muttering “Is this ever going to end?” before leaping into the nearby reed field.

It was golden autumn, and these reeds grew quite tall and thick, a vast expanse swaying like feathers in the air. Once inside, a person would be completely swallowed up.

Zhao Mian stood before the field, gazing at the boundless expanse of gold. After a moment of contemplation, he turned to leave.

He wasn’t going to chase after him; he couldn’t beat him anyway. He’d just let Shen Buqi and the others go after him later.

But just as he took a step, he felt a force hit the back of his neck, and he uncontrollably fell backwards, his vision filled with a brilliant golden hue.

All around were tall yet soft reeds, only something solid was against his back. Zhao Mian could hear the sounds of fighting outwards, but his line of sight was completely blocked by the reeds. Shen Buqi and the others probably couldn’t see what was happening on his side either.

Then, Li Er’s voice rang out from above him: “Trying to run away, huh?”

Li Er was holding him by the back of his collar, and he could feel Li Er’s scorching fingertips brushing against a small patch of his skin. In this humiliating position, his back was forced against the man’s chest, and he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anger and shame: “Let go!”

Li Er leisurely said, “To be honest, I’ve been holding back so much these past few days, it’s been suffocating me. And I have to say, you really love to play the part, don’t you, Young Master?”

Zhao Mian struggled, but Li Er pressed down even harder, making it impossible for him to move.

“Li Er,” Zhao Mian warned, enunciating each word clearly, “Don’t court death.”

Li Er scoffed, then said in a pretended tone of fright, “You’re so fierce, I’m so scared.”

As the last word “scared” left Li Er’s lips, Zhao Mian felt a sudden sharp pain in his knee. Before he could react, his shoulders were also forcefully pushed down –

Zhao Mian stared blankly, looking through the gauze veil of his hat, fixed on the dark, damp soil. His mind was a blank, with only the dull pain in his knee telling him of what had happened.

He had been forced to kneel in the dirt.

He was kneeling?

He was kneeling before someone other than his father, the Prime Minister, or his grandmother?

And in a foreign land, in a filthy reed field, being forced to kneel by a dark-skinned man?

…Li Er!!!

Zhao Mian’s whole body stiffened, as if he had been frozen in place, unmoving. Li Er sized him up, teasing, “Ah, I suddenly understand why you like to watch people kneel. Seeing you kneeling like this is really refreshing, even more interesting than watching the old ladies argue at the next stall – I like watching.”

When had Zhao Mian ever suffered such humiliation? After a brief moment of shock, he gradually regained his composure and found his voice. He was so angry that he gnashed his teeth, his chest felt like it was about to explode, and the tips of his fingers digging into his palms wished they could peel off Li Er’s dark skin with their own hands: “…Beast!

“So stubborn,” Li Er said, now completely devoid of the subservient fishmonger act he had put on before, he was like a complete villain enjoying the show, “Then keep kneeling. Kneel for ten days, eight days, let me enjoy it more.”

A violent rage began to rise in Zhao Mian’s eyes. He abruptly turned his head, glaring at Li Er with such hatred that it felt like he wanted to poke countless holes in his face.

Li Er must die, he had decided, not even the Jade Emperor could save him.

He would make Li Er kneel in every reed field, every mountain of knives, every market in both Nanjing and Beiyuan, as well as Dongling.

He wanted to wake up every day and see Li Er kneeling before him.

He wanted to make Li Er kneel to death!

Even through the veil of the hat, Li Er could sense the other’s overwhelming rage, which only further fueled the wickedness in his bones. Li Er increased the force in his hands, just about to say a mocking remark, when he heard the person beneath him groan softly, “It hurts…”

The Crown Prince, who had been pampered and cherished his entire life, had hardly suffered any physical hardship in his eighteen years. Although the Prime Minister was strict with him, he never resorted to corporal punishment. Even when he was practicing martial arts with the Great General of the Nation, the General was very fond of him, and would call the imperial physician for even the slightest bump or bruise.

But now, with his hands pinned behind him by Li Er and his shoulders being pressed down so forcefully, it really hurt too much for him to bear, and he couldn’t help but groan.

As soon as he groaned, he regretted it. What was his status? How could he cry out in pain in front of a fishmonger?

A scholar can be killed, but not humiliated. Blood debts must be repaid in blood.

Zhao Mian gritted his teeth, forcing himself to stop making any sounds.

Li Er raised an eyebrow: “Hurts?” His voice was laced with laughter, but the laughter held mockery, “Delicate.” As he spoke, he raised his hand again, reaching towards Zhao Mian’s face: “Come, come, let me see if you’re just as delicate in appear…”

Li Er’s hand lifted Zhao Mian’s veil.

The setting sun sank, the autumn wind was intoxicating. The young man knelt amidst layers of rippling reeds, his fair cheeks flushed with the a wine-red blush, whether from the afterglow of the setting sun or by his own anger, it was hard to say.

Noble and extravagant, a fleeting glimpse of wonder in the mortal world.

Li Er paused slightly, but still finished the last word: “…ance.”

Zhao Mian looked up and met his gaze.

Their eyes met unexpectedly in the brilliant twilight.