When Prince Ching went downstairs, he saw a bunch of people lying lifeless on the floor.
He doesn't have to asked whats going on as he saw his men and the moon shadow scort service, lining up in the side waiting for him.
As soon as they saw him, they bent one of their knees pressed their fist on their palm and greet him in churus.
"Master!"
He nodded at them and made them stand.
"I'm sorry we are late.!"
The head of the service apologized to him. They said, as he sat on the chair like a king waiting to give his verdict upon his subject.
"Clean this up and burry them in the coldest place where there's no sun to shine upon them!"
His voice was dreadfull enough to send chill into his men.
"That in their next life they won't wish to be reborn as human!"
"Yes!"
They said in chorus, but as soon as he stood up, everything that surrounds him moves in motion and it was followed by a deafening sound.
When he woke up, it was already daylight. he found himself inside the carriage as it moves in haste. Again he felt his head spin in motion.
"What's going on?!"
His voice becomes harsh, as he pulled the drapes of the carriage's window to breath some fresh air.
"Your Highness— How do you feel?"
He furrowed his brow.
"What happened— Where are we going?"
"Were going back to the capital. You—"
There was uncertainty in Chunli's voice.
"What on earth happened?"
He suddenly raised his voice but he cough and cough in between.
"You were poison!"
"That bitch!"
He said angrily, clenching his hand tightly.
"Someone is messing up with us, he probably doesn't want us to know his dirty little tricks."
"How did you knew, she was fake?"
"From the very beggining!"
He said sourly. Thinking about that girl makes him want to beat the hell out of her. If it's not because of his respect to his mother, sister and Ye'er. She must have been dead by now!
"I also noticed it, though it was already late!"
Chunli scratch his head. He realized it a bit late that everything was strange and stage up from the very beginning.
"Even if, all the girls in the world, dress like her, talked like her, speak like her even if they all look like her. They could not fool me!"
He said furiously. There's bitterness in his heart, now he had to admit that he's going to be crazy, because of her sooner.
He bang his fist in the side that made Chunli jerked as he was startled.
That's probably what they called love!
He said to himself without realizing that he said it out loud.
"What did you just say?"
"Huh—" he was flushed. "I did not say anything, did I?"
One is a fool and another one is the psycho! they're probably the weirdest couple he had ever known and thinking about it made him chuckled.
"I never heard about the tigress befriend with lion. The tigress and the lion king? what a happy and interesting couple!"
He was laughing when he felt a fist bang right into his head.
"Something really funny—huh?"
Prince Ching looks at him grimly.
"Er. .I—"
Before Ma Chunli finished his sentence, he noticed that Prince Ching's face becomes pail. He suddenly lost his conciousness and the color of his nail was starting to become purple.
"Make it fast.!"
he shouted at the carriage driver.
"Hold on Your Highness!"
he was starting to panicked. The driver suddenly pulled the horse, stop. The carriage slammed forward as the two of them dashed in the floor because of the impact.
"What's going on?" Chunli asked angrily.
"Someone is blocking us!"
The driver shouted back. Chunli stick his head outside to take a look.
There he saw a man stood in the distance, he had a round hat in his head that covered his faced, he wore a black cape and a masked.
"Your Highness— someone is blocking us!"
Prince Ching smiled. He's sweat was dripping all over his face but yet he felt so cold.
"Just leaved me!"
He barely muttered his words as he was too weak to speak.
"They only wanted me and this peole is determined to finished their business with—"
He cough and cough.
"I won't leaved you—"
"You wont stand a chance to defeat him. This is the only way for you to survived!"
"No!"
Ma Chunli suddenly stood up and leaved Prince Ching inside the carriage. How would he knew that he won't stand a chance to defeat the man if he wont try?
It's better to try than to do nothing at all!
"I'm here!"
He said clutching his sword tightly in his waist.
"Guard His Highness!"
He commanded the driver who already stood in his guard.
"I don't have business with you!"
The man chuckled.
"Somebody pays 100 taels of silver to me, for one head. If I add you—that man, will be indebted one silver for your head!"
"How arrogant—come!"
Right after chunli finished the word "come" a man already passed in him. He just felt the rustling air that passed through him.
"I told you!"
"I'll pay you ten times for the head of the man who asked you for my head—"
Prince Ching suddenly spoke into the man, in a very low voice that almost sound like a whispered.
"Thats depend on how worthy you are!"
The carriage suddenly wrecked open and divided into two. Chunli gasped in horror as he realized that His highness was still inside.
"Not bad!" Tàizǐ muttered.
Though he was too weak to move but still he managed to escaped unscathed.
"I'm already tired" He smirked. "Since you come, let's be quick and be done with it!"
The man whistled and suddenly a bunch of men comes out from the forest.
There were too many of them. Too many to count, and Prince Ching had to admit that they won't stand a chance against them. He could no longer fight in full force as the poison is acting up inside his body.
He suddenly clutched his chest and bend his knee. The poison was acting up again and it's blocking his air passage.
His vision become unclear as he was starting to see random things and felt so numb. The man come to charged towards him, he waited as he could no longer move.
This is probably my end, It's pity!
Though he's already losing his senses, he felt as if someone pulled him backward. He heard the clashed of steel, as his vision was fading he saw someone stood infront of him, blocking the swords away from him.
"If you die in here—you idiot! I will never forgive you!"
Prince Ching heard someone angrily shouted at him. Though he could not see it properly he recognized her voice, her scent!
" Xiao Ye!"
He muttered and smiled before he passed out. Looking at the Crown Prince, Princess Ye'er suddenly felt guilty.
This idiot was probably dead by now if we come too late!
She sighed and face the man. Her eyes burnt with fury, the man suddenly step back when he saw the emotion in her face.
How dare you touched the man, I'm going to marry? She thought angrily. Thinking about it makes her want to cut the man in pieces.
In the other side eight prince, Xin'er and Ma Chunli was dealing with the assassins. Only the three of them come as they did not expect the situation would be like this.
As soon as eight prince recieved the message send by Ma Chunli the other night, eight prince rushed into the Yan's Mansion in secret and informed her that the Crown Prince was poisoned.
"I'm going to chop you in pieces if you dare to touch him!"
She said imperiously, she clenched her hands tightly to control her anger.
"Anger will slow you down!"
Her sifu shouted at her once when she lost her temper and end up being beaten by him.
The man smirked. "You surely had a guts to speak to me, little miss!"
"Of course!"
She said with both confidence and determination in her voice. This man is surely had an amazing skills but on the other side if
the Crown Prince managed to survived unscathed up to now even in his weakess. It means she will also had a chance to defeat him.
"Your Highness— you have to hold on!"
She said while taking a gazed on him. Looking at him in that state makes her heart break into pieces.
"I just want his head, adding you with him make me quite rich!"
The man laughed.
Princess Ye'er smirked. don't count the chicks before it hatch!
"Mind your head first!"
She said clenching her hand and made the first move. As what she observed the man has really skills that could not be understimated.
He's fast as a wind, a bare eyes could not see his move. She needs to use both of her ears and sense of sensitivity in order to dodge his attacked.
I need to test him! She though and attacked him, again.
Ye'er missed calculate her moved, as soon as she was nearly infront of him he switch his side at her back. Despite his quicked move she still managed to grab his shoulder in surprised.
She pushed him down to lift her body up to the other side but as soon as she faced him, He give a pushed in her chest that makes her flew backward, because of the impact.
Luckily his highness prevented her right on time from slamming further. He use his palm to stopped her, otherwise she'd be slammed in the tree.
Ye'er suddenly kneel down and spit blood.