Just as Chu Yuqin was preparing herself, a black-clad figure appeared on her right, thrusting a sword straight at her.
With a light push of her feet, Chu Yuqin's body soared into the air like a feather.
She spun midair and slashed at the assassin with her sword.
The assassin quickly retreated.
"As expected of a swordswoman trained by the Chu family! Your reflexes are impressive!"
Hearing this voice, Chu Yuqin finally got a clear look at the attackers' faces.
There were two of them, and neither was wearing a mask.
Judging by their aura, both were at least ninth-rank martial artists.
The lower-ranked assassins had concealed their faces, yet these two didn't bother.
What did that mean?
It meant they didn't care if their faces were seen.
Either they were confident they could silence all witnesses today...
Or the faces they were showing now weren't even their real ones—they had used disguise techniques.
Of course, none of that mattered right now. What mattered was how to deal with them.
Chu Yuqin then noticed a red crescent moon emblem on their clothing.
She immediately deduced their identity.
Her voice turned icy. "Does Blood Moon Tower even know what they're doing? The person inside that carriage is the Northern Prince. If His Majesty learns that Blood Moon Tower tried to assassinate him, your entire organization will be wiped out."
Hearing this, Liu Tong burst into laughter. "Lady Chu, you love to joke! If the Emperor had the power to destroy us, he would've done it long ago. Why wait until now?"
At this moment, Bai Hong, standing beside Liu Tong, said calmly, "Lady Chu, we have no intention of making an enemy of the Chu family. If you step aside, we won't harm you."
Chu Yuqin tightened her grip on her sword, her voice cold. "Touching the Northern Prince means making an enemy of the Chu family."
Liu Tong sneered. "Come on now, even the Emperor has abandoned this useless prince. He'll never inherit the throne. Why does your Chu family still support him?"
Bai Hong added, "Lady Chu, we're just doing a job. If you insist on stopping us, don't blame us for being ruthless."
Chu Yuqin swung her sword, sending a sharp wave of sword energy across the ground between them.
"This is the line. Cross it, and you die."
Seeing that she refused to back down, Bai Hong and Liu Tong had no choice but to fight.
To be honest, they didn't want to face Chu Yuqin head-on.
Even among ninth-rank warriors, there were significant differences in strength.
Despite being a woman, Chu Yuqin had extraordinary talent in swordsmanship—she was famous throughout the entire Great Xia Empire.
But since she wouldn't yield, there was no avoiding the battle.
Bai Hong quickly said to Liu Tong, "Elder Liu, keep her busy. I'll take care of that useless prince."
Liu Tong hefted his massive iron hammer and grinned. "Good, I've been wanting to test Lady Chu's swordsmanship. Let's see just how powerful the number one female swordsman of the Chu family really is!"
As he spoke, Liu Tong launched himself like a cannonball toward Chu Yuqin.
Chu Yuqin frowned, slashing her sword to release a wave of energy.
Her movements were light and agile, as if she were floating on air.
And because of that agility, her sword was frighteningly fast.
After just one exchange, Liu Tong barely dodged a strike that nearly pierced his body.
Noticing that a single stroke of Chu Yuqin's sword had cut off a lock of his hair, Liu Tong immediately shouted to Bai Hong, "Elder Bai, don't waste time!"
He hadn't expected her sword to be so fast—one move in and he had nearly lost his life.
Bai Hong also realized that Liu Tong might not be able to handle Chu Yuqin, so he dashed toward the convoy.
Seeing this, Chu Yuqin pushed off the ground and shot forward like an arrow.
She swung her sword at Bai Hong.
Bai Hong instantly turned his head and raised his own sword to block her attack.
He then called out to Liu Tong, "Elder Liu, I'll hold her off!"
Upon hearing this, Liu Tong vanished from sight, dashing straight toward Lu Chen's carriage.
Lu Chen's personal guards immediately rushed to intercept him.
But Liu Tong was a ninth-rank warrior—one swing of his hammer, and a guard was instantly crushed to death.
The personal guards were completely powerless against him.
Seeing this, Li Feng panicked.
This was bad!
He sprinted toward Lu Chen's carriage, but before he could take more than a few steps, the eighth-rank assassin blocked his path. "General Li, your opponent is me!"
Chu Yuqin also realized Lu Chen was in grave danger. She wildly slashed her sword, sending waves of energy tearing through the trees, reducing them to splinters.
But Bai Hong was no slouch—he kept dodging her attacks.
Though he wasn't as skilled as Chu Yuqin, as a fellow ninth-rank warrior, he was more than capable of keeping her occupied.
Chu Yuqin grew desperate.
Liu Tong was closing in on Lu Chen's carriage. If she continued being held back, Lu Chen's life would be in grave danger.
She had made a promise to Lu Chen's late mother to protect him.
If he died, how could she ever face her sworn sister in the afterlife?
She absolutely couldn't let anything happen to him!
Without caring about Bai Hong, she lunged toward Liu Tong.
Seeing her break away, Bai Hong immediately moved to block her.
At this point, Liu Tong had already reached the carriage. He didn't know which one Lu Chen was in, so he planned to check each one.
He swung his hammer. The carriage door shattered instantly.
Inside, Lu Chen sat calmly.
Liu Tong was stunned for a moment—he hadn't expected to find Lu Chen on his first try.
Then he laughed. "Hahaha! Looks like I got lucky!"
From a distance, Chu Yuqin's face went pale.
"It's over! Chen'er!"
Li Feng was equally terrified. He wanted to save Lu Chen, but his opponent was an eighth-rank warrior, while he was only seventh-rank—there was no way he could break free.
Everyone believed the Northern Prince was doomed.
Yet at that moment, Lu Chen suddenly smiled.
Liu Tong froze.
He frowned and asked, "Kid, why are you laughing?"
Lu Chen didn't answer.
He simply raised his hand and pulled the trigger.
Bang!
With a single gunshot, Liu Tong's body slowly collapsed backward.
His pupils shrank, his eyes wide with disbelief—as if he couldn't comprehend how he had just died.
Everyone who had been watching was stunned.
No one could react.
A moment ago, Lu Chen's death had seemed certain.
Yet with a mere flick of his hand, a ninth-rank warrior had fallen lifeless to the ground.
What was that sound just now?
What just happened?
Liu Tong's death sent a wave of fear through the assassins of Blood Moon Tower.
He had been a ninth-rank martial artist!
Yet he had died just from looking at the Northern Prince?!
Even Chu Yuqin was in shock.
She had been ready to sacrifice everything to avenge Lu Chen, but in an instant, the situation had completely reversed.
She quickly guessed how Liu Tong had died.
It had to do with that strange black object in Lu Chen's hand.
But she found it hard to believe—could that thing really kill a ninth-rank warrior in an instant?
At this moment, it was as if time had stopped.
Both sides momentarily forgot about the battle.