With vengeance burning in his chest, Li Nianlong's body trembled uncontrollably. However, to Long Zongheng, this appeared to be a sign of nervousness. Wearing a warm smile, Long Zongheng stepped forward and extended his hand. "Saint Seiya, hello."
Seeing the prince take the initiative to shake hands and speak in such a down-to-earth manner, the reporters were deeply moved. The prince was indeed very amiable.
Li Nianlong's body trembled even more. Long Zongheng was too close, so close that he could strike at any moment.
Observing Li Nianlong's 'excitement' that caused his entire body to shake, Long Zongheng's smile grew even warmer. He took the initiative to grasp Li Nianlong's hand. "Haha, no need to be nervous. I am just an ordinary person; we are all the same."
The reporters present were even more moved. The prince was truly so approachable, just like a brother to them.
Being held by Long Zongheng, a flash of disgust and anger appeared in Li Nianlong's eyes. His voice trembling, he said, "Prince, you... go to hell!"
With a roar, Li Nianlong thrust his sword forward. The reporters and bodyguards were stunned, and Long Zongheng felt a surge of mortal danger. In shock and anger, he released a burst of energy and sidestepped like lightning. Despite his quick reaction, the golden sword still pierced his right abdomen as they were too close.
"Ah..." A scream of agony escaped Long Zongheng as he fiercely pulled back his hand and retreated. "Protect the prince!"
The bodyguards, realizing the situation, immediately drew their guns and fired at Li Nianlong. Li Nianlong did not fear the bullets; they could not penetrate his golden armor. Switching the golden sword to his left hand and raising it high, Li Nianlong shouted, "Long Zongheng, meet your end! Sword Qi Unleashed!"
As his words fell, golden light burst from the sword, weaving a web of Qi swords with a ten-meter diameter that hurled towards Long Zongheng.
"Am I doomed?" Sensing the overwhelming Qi swords, Long Zongheng cried out in despair. Just as he was about to close his eyes and accept death, a figure rushed over, shouting, "Golden Dragon Shakes the Heavens!"
The man struck with a palm, and a small golden dragon appeared from his hand. The dragon, formed by profound internal energy, let out a majestic roar and flew out, smashing into the web of Qi swords. The web disintegrated instantly before the dragon. Simultaneously, Li Nianlong felt a sense of dread and quickly flashed away.
Just as he left, another small dragon struck where he had been, creating a two-meter wide, several-meter deep crater. Horrified, Li Nianlong knew he couldn't match such power and swiftly used stealth to escape. To others, he vanished like a ghost, leaving everyone in shock, including the man who had attacked. In that moment of surprise, Li Nianlong had fled far away.
Though unwilling to let Li Nianlong escape, the man didn't dare leave Long Zongheng unprotected. He immediately shielded Long Zongheng and shouted at the bodyguards, "Call the imperial physician!"
The bodyguards snapped out of their daze and quickly called for medical help. Long Zongheng, seeing the man, smiled weakly. "Grandfather."
The man was an elder in white training clothes, exuding an aura of wisdom and strength, with a face that defied age. He was none other than Long Jingtian, the former king of China.
"Zongheng, how are you?" Long Jingtian supported Long Zongheng in his arms and used his right finger to stop the bleeding.
Pale and weak, Long Zongheng smiled faintly. "I'm fine. I avoided the vital areas. With proper care, I should recover in about twenty days."
"That's good." Long Jingtian sighed in relief, then his anger flared. "Audacious assassin! How dare you attempt to kill Zongheng in the palace! I will have your head!"
A flash of hatred appeared in Long Zongheng's eyes. "Grandfather, Zhang Tianyuan has failed in his duty to oversee security. He should be retired."
Long Jingtian nodded. "No need to say more, Zongheng. Grandfather understands."
The imperial physician soon arrived and after a thorough examination and treatment, confirmed that with family martial arts techniques, Long Zongheng would indeed recover within twenty days.
Both Long Jingtian and Long Zongheng felt relieved, while the reporters remained terrified. The assassination attempt within the prince's palace left them unsure of their fate at the hands of the Dragon family, especially the young female reporter who was completely stunned. She never imagined the charming and humorous Saint Seiya would be an assassin. Grateful that she wasn't harmed, she shivered at the thought.
As Long Zongheng was wheeled away on a stretcher, Long Jingtian addressed the terrified reporters. "You may report what happened today, but you know what can and cannot be said, right?"
"Understood, understood." The reporters nodded repeatedly, knowing the nuances of their profession well.
"Good." Long Jingtian nodded. "Escort these reporters out."
Meanwhile, Li Nianlong, after escaping the prince's palace, saw many bodyguards rushing to the scene and had to retreat for now. He knew that missing this chance made future opportunities scarce.
Filled with hatred for the person who saved Long Zongheng, he seethed. If not for that sudden intervention, Long Zongheng would have died by his sword, not just suffered minor injuries.
Using his stealth ability with a short cooldown of seven minutes, Li Nianlong escaped the palace by nightfall, evading danger smoothly.
Li Nianlong considered kidnapping someone in the palace to threaten Long Zongheng but chose not to involve innocents unless they were equally guilty. Knowing Long Zongheng's mother was a world-renowned philanthropist and his father even more notable, he refrained.
Full of rage, Li Nianlong left the palace, transformed into a middle-aged man to avoid detection, and escaped danger easily.
That afternoon, news of Long Zongheng's stabbing shocked the world, broadcasted by Chinese television.
The United States, meanwhile, celebrated the news, though they lamented the assassin's failure.
In China, discussions erupted over who would dare attempt such a bold assassination.
During his overseas visit, Long Qingyun, upon hearing the news, was furious and immediately returned home, abandoning his important itinerary. Long Zongheng was the future of the Dragon family; any harm to him would spell trouble for the family.
In the Liu residence at Tianfu, Shao Meiyun was stunned to recognize the wanted assassin's face as one of the photos Li Nianlong had used for an ID. Not knowing it was a disguise, she thought it was one of Li Nianlong's men and was deeply worried. Calling Li Nianlong, she found his phone turned off, confirming her fears about his involvement. Conflicted, she wondered why he took such actions.
Meanwhile, the elderly Liu patriarch was puzzled, suspecting the Dragon family in past grievances but now questioning their involvement after the assassination attempt. He pondered if it was self-orchestrated to clear their name, leading to confusion.
In Dragon City, Li Nianlong waited for three days, using every tactic, even sneaking into the palace at night to assassinate Long Zongheng. Yet, with Long Jingtian constantly guarding and the palace's infrared warning system in place, he narrowly escaped.
Seeing no hope of killing Long Zongheng, Li Nianlong retreated to the mountains, retrieving Guan Shu's bones from their grave. Overcome with sorrow, he burned the remains and collected the ashes in an urn.
Holding the urn, Li Nianlong sat despondently in the forest, muttering, "Guan Shu, I thought I was strong, maybe even invincible, but I failed against one man. I could have avenged you."
"Guan Shu, I will train harder and come back stronger to avenge you."
His eyes regained clarity as he lovingly held the urn. "Let's go home, Guan Shu."
Leaving the mountains, he planned to catch a flight but remembered the Yue sisters, realizing it had been over a month since he last saw them. Feeling it was right to visit them, he called Yuexi from his hidden phone.
"Is it Big Brother?" Yuexi's familiar, eager voice answered.
Li Nianlong's eyes softened. "It's me, Xi Xi. What are you doing?"
"Nothing much, just playing a mobile game. I paused it when you called." Li Nianlong could imagine her cute, pouting face.
Li Nianlong chuckled. "My bad. I'll make it up to you."
"Hehe, no need for that. Your call is the best compensation." Yuexi replied cheerfully.