Chapter 194: You’re a Goddamn Lingering Ghost

Xiao Li was leading her people back through the rain. They were only halfway there when the thunderstorm suddenly ceased, and the sky began to clear.

Feeling the murderous aura surging from Xiao Li, Mu Yunzhu was so terrified she didn’t dare utter a single word. By now, she had experienced Princess Xuanyang’s ruthlessness firsthand.

Suddenly, a group of strangely dressed, masked figures blocked their path and swiftly attacked.

Yang Jun and his men formed a protective circle around Xiao Li, but their opponents simply smashed through the formation with their bodies and charged in.

In the ensuing melee, a white-haired figure rushed forward and tackled Xiao Li straight off her horse.

"Xuanyang!"

Mu Yunzhu hit the ground, snatched up a fallen blade, and rushed in front of Xiao Li, blocking the unknown creature’s attack with a single strike.

It was a white-haired man in a mask, but there was something profoundly strange about him.

Mu Yunzhu clashed with the figure for a moment before realizing with a shock that her blade couldn’t pierce its flesh. "Xuanyang, what the hell is this thing? It’s impervious to weapons! Hurry up and help me!"

’What help could she give? She was in deep trouble herself.’

Three Corpse Puppets were already surrounding her, forcing her back step by step. And now, drawn by Mu Yunzhu’s cry, the white-haired, masked figure pounced toward Xiao Li as well.

Xiao Li whipped out her pistol and unloaded a volley of bullets into him, but the creature took them head-on without even flinching. Xiao Li was so infuriated she wanted to just throw the useless gun away.

SHRED!

A chunk of Xiao Li’s sleeve was ripped away. The figure’s metal glove had raked across her arm, tearing away flesh and sending blood flying.

"Princess!"

Yang Jun threw himself in front of Xiao Li, but his martial skill was woefully inadequate for this fight.

The white-haired figure forced him into a steady retreat. It was only thanks to the help of others that he avoided having his heart torn from his chest.

Fending off the Corpse Puppets, Mu Yunzhu retreated to Xiao Li’s side. They stood back-to-back, and Mu Yunzhu, still shaken, asked, "Xuanyang, what in the world did you get tangled up with?"

Xiao Li let out a dry laugh. "That’s a good question. I’d like to know what I’ve gotten tangled up with, too."

The white-haired figure pounced at Mu Yunzhu. Xiao Li grabbed her by the waist and yanked her aside. With a twirl of her long blade, she launched herself at the attacker.

Pouring every ounce of her strength into the blow, she finally forced him back three steps.

The ground was a muddy mess, and she was in a sorry state herself. She held her blade in one hand, blood trickling down her wrist to stain its steel crimson.

Xiao Li stared at the masked man and let out a cold, bitter laugh. "Lu Yanzhi, you just won’t fucking stay dead, will you!"

’Plot repair?’

’Am I really destined to die at the hands of this bastard?’

’What a fucking joke!’

She tightened her grip on her blade, using it to block his sweeping palm. Her eyes burned with undisguised bloodlust and madness.

"I killed you once, and I can do it again! I’ll grind your bones to dust!"

With a swift slash, Xiao Li finally struck off his mask.

The ashen, corpselike face was finally revealed. Just as she’d expected, it was none other than Lu Yanzhi, who should have been nothing but a pile of bones by now.

His eyes were wide open, his unfocused pupils fixed on her with a chilling, eerie emptiness.

As a Corpse Puppet, Lu Yanzhi was incredibly powerful—far stronger than Xiao Li could handle on her own. It was only by coordinating their attacks that she and Mu Yunzhu were able to hold him off.

Strike after strike rained down, and even on the body of a Corpse Puppet, cracks finally began to appear on Lu Yanzhi.

They focused their attacks on his limbs until, finally, Xiao Li severed one of his arms with a single, brutal slash.

Just then, the piercing whistle of a flute sounded again.

Without a moment’s hesitation, the Corpse Puppet Lu Yanzhi retreated, vanishing in the blink of an eye and leaving only his severed arm behind on the ground.

Xiao Li staggered back, leaning against Chi Yan for support. Her gaze swept over the scene: many of her guards were dead or wounded, though they had managed to take down a dozen of the Corpse Puppets.

’But this is far from over.’

’Getting out of this alive today is going to be tough.’

Yang Jun knelt on the ground to bandage Xiao Li’s arm. His brow was furrowed, his lips pressed into a thin, white line. Seeing the Princess hurt was worse than being injured himself.

’He hated his own powerlessness. If Rong Qing had been here, he never would have let the Princess get injured.’

Mu Yunzhu stared at the ghastly wound on Xiao Li’s arm, then at Xiao Li’s face, which showed not a flicker of pain. In that moment, she made a silent vow: she would never, ever make an enemy of this woman.

’As for her cousin’s plot to seize the throne, he could deal with that himself.’

She helped Xiao Li to her feet and waited for her to mount her horse before getting on her own and following.

The troop had just returned to the main road and hadn’t gone far when they came upon two factions locked in a bloody battle.

The side on the verge of being wiped out looked to be the men Lu Chengzhi had brought with him. They had clearly been trying to flee but were intercepted and slaughtered here.

Xiao Li was stunned when she got a clear look at the man leading the charge, cutting a bloody swath through his enemies. "Manager Jiang?"

A figure dashed toward her. "Princess!"

It was Ziyue.

"What are you doing here?"

Ziyue let out a huge sigh of relief when he saw Xiao Li was alright. "We came looking for you! The Young Master is here, too."

Lu Chengzhi’s men were finally all dealt with. As Xiao Li rode past, she saw Lu Chengzhi’s corpse. His men must have been trying to protect his body and take it to Lu Ye, but now they had all joined him in death.

Song Junzhan was on the other side of the clearing. As Xiao Li approached, she saw the man who had always seemed so frail now standing with a sword in hand, his clothes spattered with blood. He had clearly been in the fight.

Xiao Li felt a faint stir in her heart and urged her horse forward. Song Junzhan saw her and looked up. Their eyes met, but neither of them spoke.

Song Junzhan vaulted onto his horse and, with his men, fell in behind Xiao Li’s group to head back.

Less than an hour had passed between setting out for the horse race and returning. And yet, it wasn’t just Xiao Li who had faced mortal danger; back at the Military Department, all hell had broken loose.

Xiao Li had anticipated they would make a move on the Emperor. She also knew how much her enemies hated her. By having her participate in the horse race, the Emperor had given them the perfect opportunity to strike, and they would never pass up a chance to catch her isolated.

So Xiao Li had decided to beat them at their own game, using herself as bait to draw off their forces while Yang Jun prepared an ambush to kill any who came for her.

While she was locked in a bloody battle for her life, the assassination attempt on the Emperor began.

First, the horses suddenly went into a frenzy, stampeding wildly. Then, in the ensuing chaos, assassins emerged from the ranks of the Palace Attendants and charged directly at the Emperor.

The Emperor had Lou Yan and his other guards by his side, and they swiftly cut down the assassins.

But the assassins were merely a diversion. The true attempt on his life was poison in his wine. Fortunately, the Emperor hadn’t drunk much, or he would have died on the spot.

In a shocking twist, upon seeing that the poison had failed, the head of the Imperial Guards suddenly turned traitor, swinging his blade at the Emperor.

He was too close, and no one had anticipated his betrayal. Even with Lou Yan’s lightning-fast reaction, he only managed to deflect the blade slightly. The Emperor was wounded.

In the aftermath, the men of the Imperial Army stood in disbelief as Vice General Liu and Rong Qing gathered a loyal contingent to escort the wounded Emperor back to the palace.

He had been brought back to the palace, but Xiao Li suspected the Emperor wouldn’t survive.

’In the end, the throne was going to change hands after all.’