AUBTN -Chapter 127 Something’s Fishy

Lu Yan stood firmly like a wall in front of the carriage carrying Su Hewan and Yu Qing, guarding it tightly.

However, this group of assassins was clearly well-trained, and their objective was extremely clear—they completely ignored Shen Jue and Lu Yan. Every attack was directed straight at Tuoba Yun!

Amid the chaos, the dull sound of a blade piercing flesh rang out clearly.

Everyone’s hearts tightened as they turned around in shock. Tuoba Yun had failed to dodge in time. A curved blade from one of the assassins had slashed across his chest, leaving a wound so deep that bone could be seen. Clutching his chest, he staggered and fell from his horse.

“Third Prince!”

Only then did the few Xifan guards protecting Tuoba Yun manage to break through the outer circle. They rushed forward in panic, shouting as they lunged toward him.

Seeing that the strike had succeeded, the leader of the assassins let out a sharp whistle. None of them lingered to fight. Like a receding tide, they retreated into the depths of the forest, disappearing without a trace in the blink of an eye.

The sun was setting, the crimson glow resembling blood.

On the maple-lined path, only a scene of devastation and the heavy smell of blood remained.

Tuoba Yun’s face was as pale as paper, blood constantly spilling from the corner of his mouth as he lay in a pool of it.

“This…”

Yu Qing covered her mouth in shock, her small face turning deathly pale.

Su Hewan had already rushed down from the carriage. She quickly tore a strip from the hem of her skirt, hurried forward, and crouched down to examine Tuoba Yun’s injuries, her brows tightly furrowed.

“The wound is on the right side of the chest—it avoided the heart. But it’s too deep, and he’s lost too much blood. We must stop the bleeding and treat him immediately!”

Lu Yan sheathed his blade and looked at the unconscious Tuoba Yun on the ground, his expression unusually grave.

“How could this happen?”

Shen Jue stood nearby, his narrow phoenix eyes slightly narrowed. A trace of deep doubt and coldness flashed in his gaze.

The First Prince was dead.

The Second Prince had confessed.

And now the Third Prince had been assassinated and seriously wounded right under the watchful eyes of the Imperial Guards and the Eastern Depot.

On the surface, it looked like a chain of massacres targeting the Xifan royal family.

Yet for some reason, as Shen Jue looked at Tuoba Yun’s pale face, Su Hewan’s earlier comment about him sowing discord echoed in his mind—along with his own judgment.

Could a man who had toyed with them so effortlessly really be assassinated so easily?

Or perhaps…

This strike was also a crucial move on his chessboard?

While the mantis stalks the cicada, the oriole waits behind.

In this tangled game, who was the cicada, who was the mantis… and who was the final oriole?

What they had thought was a case gradually becoming clear had, with this single strike, plunged once again into an even deeper fog.

“Return to the capital first,” Shen Jue said coldly, his voice betraying no emotion.

Inside the carriage, the nauseating smell of blood filled the air. Combined with the dizziness from the jolting ride, it made the already oppressive atmosphere stretch to its breaking point.

Su Hewan knelt on the floor of the carriage, currently treating the Third Prince’s wounds.

Tuoba Yun’s eyes were tightly shut, his face pale as paper. Though the vicious blade wound on his chest had been temporarily stopped from bleeding, the torn flesh still made for a horrifying sight.

“Scissors,” Su Hewan ordered coldly.

Beside her, Yu Qing hurriedly handed over a small pair of scissors. Her usually expressive face was now completely pale, clearly frightened by the scene.

Su Hewan leaned forward to wrap the final layer of bandage around Tuoba Yun.

Just then, the carriage jolted violently.

Her body swayed abruptly.

Her left hand instinctively pressed against Tuoba Yun’s waist.

Her fingertips lightly brushed against an exquisitely crafted dark-purple sachet embroidered with a Xifan totem.

Suddenly, an extremely faint, strange fragrance drifted into Su Hewan’s nose along her fingertips…

Su Hewan’s pupils suddenly contracted.

This smell…

Although it had been masked by layers of fragrances—mixed with sandalwood, musk, and even the faint scent of blood—the trace hidden at the very bottom, that sweet yet rotten undertone, could not escape Su Hewan’s nose.

This smell was extremely similar to the Drunken Dream Inducer used when the First Prince died.

But upon closer inspection, there was still a difference.

In this fragrance, there was an extra ingredient.

Qianji Yin.

A kind of slow-acting poison unique to Xifan. By itself it was harmless, but once it encountered a specific type of pollen, it would instantly turn into a deadly toxin.

Su Hewan’s heartbeat skipped half a beat.

【Well damn… carrying something like this around with him. Could it be that the Third Prince came here planning to be a suicidal poison master?】

Without changing her expression, she withdrew her hand into her sleeve. Using the motion of wiping sweat as cover, her fingertips lightly rubbed the inside of her cuff, brushing the faint powdery residue into a hidden pocket.

When she looked up, her gaze met Shen Jue’s probing phoenix eyes.

Shen Jue had been sitting in a corner of the carriage all along, idly playing with the blood-stained flexible sword in his hand. He looked absent-minded, yet in truth his eyes had never left Su Hewan’s movements.

The moment he heard Su Hewan’s inner thoughts, a bloodthirsty smile flashed across Shen Jue’s eyes.

Just as he expected.

Meeting Shen Jue’s gaze, Su Hewan gave an almost imperceptible shake of her head.

The meaning was clear: He’s not in danger. He won’t die.

Their eyes met for a brief instant—no words were needed.

The carriage galloped the whole way and finally rushed into the relay station before sunset.

What followed was utter chaos.

The head physician of the Imperial Medical Bureau rushed over with several imperial doctors in tow. The Xifan guards, each with a hand on the hilt of their curved sabers, were like startled birds, surrounding the relay station so tightly that even a fly could hardly get in.

Three days later.

The situation in the capital did not calm down because Tuoba Yun had survived. Instead, it exploded into turmoil.

The First Prince was dead.

The Second Prince—the supposed murderer—was still in prison crying that he had been wronged.

And now even the Third Prince, who appeared the most gentle and harmless, had been assassinated in the capital itself, his life hanging in the balance.

In the imperial court, the peace faction of officials wept bitterly, accusing the Jinyiwei and the Eastern Depot of failing in their protection. If the iron cavalry of Xifan were angered, the people along the border would once again suffer.

Meanwhile, the war faction slammed their tables and cursed the Xifan people for being cunning and deceitful, claiming this was clearly a staged self-injury scheme meant to extort Great Wei.

The young emperor sat upon the dragon throne, his small face tense, his head pounding from the endless arguments of the old ministers.

Naturally, all the pressure was pushed onto Shen Jue and Lu Yan.

Inside the relay station, the air was thick with the smell of medicine.

Shen Jue’s complexion was pale and cold. Beneath his delicate, handsome features lurked a vicious aura that made people shiver.

Lu Yan, meanwhile, still wore a grim and murderous expression.

One before the other, the two men stepped into Tuoba Yun’s bedchamber.

On the bed, Tuoba Yun lay with his eyes tightly shut. His face was still pale, his breathing faint.

He truly looked like someone gravely wounded and close to death.

“What did the imperial physicians say?” Lu Yan asked coldly to the guard beside him.

“Reporting to Lord Lu, the physicians say the Third Prince lost too much blood and his heart meridian was injured. Although his life was barely preserved, he remains unconscious. They fear that…” The guard lowered his head, his voice trembling.

Shen Jue let out a soft laugh. The sound was particularly abrupt in the quiet room.

He slowly walked to the bedside, looking down at the unconscious Tuoba Yun from above. His slender fingers lightly tapped the carved edge of the bed.

“The Third Prince truly has great fortune.”

Shen Jue’s voice wasn’t loud, but it carried a penetrating quality, as if it could drill straight into one’s ears.