Chapter 688 - 689: Sending a Sheep into the Tiger’s Mouth

Chapter 688: Chapter 689: Sending a Sheep into the Tiger’s Mouth

The road from the city gate to the palace gate had long been cordoned off.

The long street was completely deserted, without a single pedestrian in sight.

Soldiers stood at the ready on both sides of the street.

Only the sound of hooves echoed through the silent street.

Though they far outnumbered the Regent King, not one of them dared to make a move.

Though their faces were fierce, deep down they were terrified of the man on horseback.

In a nearby teahouse, a figure stood by the window of a private room on the third floor, silently watching the scene unfold.

That person was none other than the young prince of the Western Liang Country, Ah Qi.

He had changed into the attire of Great Zhou, but his hair remained in the style of the West Liang people. Combined with his high-bridged nose, deep-set eyes, and foreign features, it gave him a uniquely mysterious air.

Behind him stood a tall, burly Western Liang General.

The general had also seen the Regent King’s entry into the city. He spoke in a gruff voice.

"These people are cowards. He’s delivered himself right to their doorstep, and they still don’t dare to act."

Ah Qi said slowly, "Since they don’t dare to act, we’ll give them a little help. Give me the bow."

At these words, the general immediately grew excited.

He took out a bow and presented it to the young prince with both hands.

Ah Qi drew the bowstring taut, aiming the arrowhead at the man on horseback.

A moment later, he relaxed his fingers.

The arrow shot forth, flying a great distance with a WHOOSH.

The general thought the arrow was meant for the Regent King, but it flew slightly off-target.

It hit the horse’s leg.

The horse let out a pained whinny. Its forelegs buckled, and it collapsed sideways.

The sudden development startled everyone. The soldiers’ already frayed nerves were stretched to the breaking point. Thinking it was a signal for the Regent King to attack, they panicked. Heedless of everything, they brandished their weapons and charged at the Regent King!

Li Ji’s reflexes were lightning-fast.

The moment he heard the arrow whistling through the air, he had already released the reins.

Before the horse even hit the ground, he vaulted into the air, narrowly avoiding the downward slash of the soldiers’ blades.

With a series of agile maneuvers, he landed lightly on the shoulder of a charging soldier, using the man as a springboard to leap again and land on a nearby rooftop.

Li Ji twisted around, his gaze fixed on the direction from which the arrow had flown.

His eyes met Ah Qi’s, who was standing by the window.

Li Ji hooked a roof tile with the toe of his boot, caught it, and flung it forward with all his might.

The tile shot out, spinning rapidly through the air as it flew straight toward Ah Qi!

Ah Qi slammed the window shut while simultaneously dodging to the side.

The tile shattered the window, grazed the tip of Ah Qi’s nose, and embedded itself deep into the wall.

The general gasped.

’What incredible force!’

He couldn’t help but glance at the young prince. If the prince hadn’t dodged so quickly, that tile would have gone straight through his head.

Ah Qi, of course, had realized the same thing, and his expression darkened.

’This Regent King is even harder to deal with than I expected.’

It is human nature to admire strength, especially for martial artists.

The general had a newfound respect for the Regent King’s power, and he couldn’t help but feel a sense of admiration for such a formidable expert.

He couldn’t help but ask, "The Regent King’s Xuanjia Army already has the absolute upper hand. He could breach the city walls with a single command. Why would he risk his life to enter Tianjing alone? Isn’t he just asking to be killed?"

Ah Qi casually placed the bow on the table, his voice flat.

"It’s probably because the Emperor of Great Zhou has some kind of leverage over him."

The general’s curiosity grew. "What kind of leverage could possibly make the Regent King give up an empire that’s within his grasp and willingly walk into the lion’s den?"

Ah Qi had no answer to this question.

The general quickly suppressed his urge to gossip and moved on to official business.

"Now that Great Zhou is in turmoil, their border defenses are surely lax. This is a great opportunity for us. Should we..."

He trailed off, but his meaning was obvious.

Xiliang had coveted the fertile lands of Great Zhou for a long, long time.

For the past few years, with the Regent King holding them in check, they hadn’t dared to make a move. Now that an opportunity had finally presented itself, there was no way they could let it pass.

Ah Qi said calmly, "I’ve already had a message secretly sent back to Xiliang. I imagine my imperial father has already begun preparations. As soon as I find what I’m looking for, we will leave Tianjing and return to Xiliang."

The general knew what the young prince was looking for. He frowned and said with frustration,

"We’ve searched the entire Regent Prince Mansion. Forget the Regent Queen’s body, we didn’t even see her memorial tablet. Do you think the Regent King could have hidden her somewhere else?"

Ah Qi’s tone was firm. "She must be hidden somewhere in the Regent Prince Mansion."

’If I were in his shoes, if I were the Regent King, I couldn’t bear to place my beloved’s body anywhere else. I would have to keep it right under my nose to be at ease.’

He said in a low voice, "Let’s go. We’ll search the Regent Prince Mansion again."

The general strode after him.

...

Once the soldiers below had calmed down, Li Ji leaped from the roof, landing steadily on the ground.

He looked at the disheveled Hua Dingzong and said calmly,

"Let’s go."

Li Ji had been too fast for the soldiers to even touch the hem of his robes. Hua Dingzong, however, hadn’t been so lucky. He had been knocked to the ground by the swarming soldiers, scared witless, and had nearly pissed his pants.

Even though the soldiers had let him go, he was still badly shaken.

Jumpy as a startled bird, Hua Dingzong glanced at the fallen horse and asked gingerly,

"Who shot that arrow just now?"

Li Ji had no intention of covering for Ah Qi. He said bluntly, "The West Liang people."

Hua Dingzong immediately barked an order at the soldiers.

"What are you waiting for? Go arrest that West Liang assassin who dared to attack the Regent King!"

But the soldiers didn’t move an inch.

Their orders were to watch the Regent King. Nothing else concerned them.

Seeing this, Hua Dingzong lost face. He was furious, but he didn’t dare argue with the soldiers. Humiliated, he could only follow the Regent King.

Now without a horse, the two of them had no choice but to walk.

As they approached the palace gate, Hua Dingzong couldn’t resist offering some advice.

"When you see the Saint, you must be respectful. Whatever you do, don’t clash with him head-on. The Saint is still just a half-grown boy. As long as you’re willing to humble yourself, admit you were wrong, and coax him a little, he should be merciful enough to spare your life."

Li Ji shot him a wry, unreadable smile.

That look made Hua Dingzong flush with shame and anger. He blustered,

"You don’t have to look at me like that! I may not have much backbone, but you’re Manman’s husband. That makes you half a son to me. I don’t want to watch you walk to your death."

Li Ji said, "If that’s the case, then why are you acting as Li Qiong’s mouthpiece?"

Hua Dingzong’s face was a mask of misery.

"Do you think I wanted to be his messenger? I had no choice! Defying a Holy Decree is a capital crime. Even if I don’t care about myself, I have to think of the more than two hundred people in the Zhong’an Bo Mansion."

Something seemed to occur to Li Ji. He suddenly smiled at Hua Dingzong and said meaningfully,

"Since we’re family, if I happen to run into any trouble later, I hope my father-in-law will be willing to lend a hand."

It was the first time Hua Dingzong had ever received such a compliment from his son-in-law, and he felt a little giddy.

"Haha, of course, of course!"