Chapter 104: Warrior

Chu Danqing heard a cry of agony mixed within the commotion, and immediately went on alert.

Beside him, Da Bao suddenly stood up, shielding Chu Danqing behind him, a low growl rising in his throat.

The Crown Prince, seeing this sudden turn, grew tense.

Before he could ask what was happening, the main door was smashed open by a massive iron club.

Bang!

The thunderous crash came again—the iron club struck once more, and the entire door collapsed inward.

There stood a middle-aged man with a full beard, eyes glazed, saliva dripping from his lips, utterly motionless.

The iron club was caked with fresh blood and flesh.

At his feet lay a corpse, its skull crushed inward.

The “red-clad” man murmured something, then his unfocused gaze locked onto the Crown Prince.

The next instant, he raised the iron club and charged forward, feet kicking up wind, straight toward the Crown Prince in his red formal robes.

Chu Danqing sprang to his feet and yanked the Crown Prince over.

“Da Bao, stop him!” Chu Danqing shouted, then spun around and hoisted the Crown Prince onto his back.

The six thorn vines on the Green Vine Nine-Joint Staff lashed out, smashing a hole through the window, then carried the Crown Prince through it in a desperate sprint.

The seemingly mentally broken brute targeted the Crown Prince and would not relent—but Da Bao was no ordinary beast.

With a single rip of his claws, he launched into combat without hesitation.

Before leaving, Chu Danqing casually cast a Spirit Eye Technique on the madman to gather information.

【Mad Warrior】

【Attributes】

【HP: 85%】

【Qi: 220】

【Strength: 10】

【Agility: 9】

【Vitality: 10】

【Spirit: 3】

【Perception: 10】

【Skills】

【Cang River Scripture LV.39】

【Pi-Gua Staff Art LV.38】

【Little Saint Step LV.37】

【Melee Basics LV.MAX】

【Staff Basics LV.MAX】

Chu Danqing was certain this was a premeditated assassination.

“Master Chu, slow down—I can’t take this anymore,” the Crown Prince gasped.

Even though he wasn’t exerting any effort, the jolting motion of being carried was unbearable.

Chu Danqing could only find a temporarily safe spot to set the Crown Prince down so he could catch his breath, lest something go wrong.

“Your Highness, your physique is awfully weak,” Chu Danqing said, dumbfounded.

“I’ve been frail since childhood,” the Crown Prince said, steadying himself after touching ground, a faint vitality returning to his face.

Chu Danqing casually cast another Spirit Eye Technique on him—and found his five core attributes far below average, his Vitality merely 3.

This was strange. With the imperial family’s resources, how could his stats be so low?

As he pondered, Da Bao’s roar carried a cry: “Little Chu, run!”

“Bad news—the madman’s chasing us,” Chu Danqing said without delay, summoning the Zhanji Tiger. “You hold the rear.”

He hoisted the Crown Prince again and kept running.

The Crossbowmen, the Jiao, and the Heart Demon were unsuitable—they corresponded to archer, mage, and assassin roles, none as effective for rear guard as the Zhanji Tiger.

As for why he didn’t summon Guo Ming to resolve it quickly:

First, they were inside Donggong, with room to maneuver.

Second, frequently summoning him was troublesome, and he might as well conserve Paradise Points if he could handle it himself.

After running about fifty meters, Chu Danqing summoned his remaining summons.

“You two follow his orders,” Chu Danqing told the Jiao and the Heart Demon, pointing at the Crossbowmen.

The Jiao and the Heart Demon were skirmishers; the Crossbowmen, by contrast, had received formal military training.

Among the available, the Crossbowmen were the best choice to lead.

Once arranged, Chu Danqing abandoned concern for the rear and kept running.

“Master Chu is truly extraordinary—no wonder Grand Coordinator Xiong recommended you so strongly,” the Crown Prince thought, gradually calming.

He then guided Chu Danqing, leading him safely to a secure area.

Only then did he sigh and say, “I owe my life to your swift rescue, Master Chu.”

The Crown Prince’s favor toward Chu Danqing surged rapidly.

But Chu Danqing’s expression didn’t fully relax—he could see the battle log still active.

Moreover, his Perception had reached 8, sharpening his senses far beyond before.

Under his control, the thorn vines rooted in the Green Vine Nine-Joint Staff stirred.

The six vines twisted into a single thorn whip; in a flash, Chu Danqing raised the staff and lashed it out.

The iron club, having smashed through the door, flew toward them.

Fortunately, Chu Danqing had anticipated it—the six vines, fused into one, swiftly coiled around the club, while he condensed a Five Elements ball to form a precise buffer.

Then he swung the Green Vine Nine-Joint Staff with force, using the thorn whip to deflect the club’s trajectory.

The iron club whistled past Chu Danqing and the Crown Prince, embedding itself with a clang into the wall.

Simultaneously, the Five Elements ball shattered, and all six vines snapped.

The Crown Prince turned pale with terror—if Chu Danqing hadn’t shielded him, the iron club would have crushed him, leaving him either dead or barely alive.

“The red-clad one found you,” the madman muttered, his body riddled with crossbow bolts, covered in wounds and signs of poisoning.

Yet he still clung to life and pressed forward.

Da Bao, the Zhanji Tiger, and the others chased hard behind, but fell slightly behind.

Clearly, a high-level skill granted him exceptional mobility.

Seeing this, Chu Danqing cast another Spirit Eye Technique—the madman’s HP had dropped to 25%.

Da Bao and the remaining summons were close; if he could hold him for five seconds, it would be enough.

His mana plummeted as he rapidly grew six new thorn vines to bind the enemy, while countless Five Elements balls materialized and surged toward him.

Chu Danqing activated the three rings—Tiger Soul, Jiao Soul, and Heart Demon—in sequence.

The Tiger Roar, Jiao Entanglement, and Human Strike struck instantly.

The Heart Demon arrived first, leaping from the madman’s shadow, and, aided by the brief control from the thorn vines and the three rings, pierced straight through his heart.

The madman’s HP dropped to zero—he died instantly.

A chest appeared; the Heart Demon darted forward, snatched it, and handed it to Chu Danqing.

Da Bao arrived moments later, saw the madman dead, and exhaled in relief.

After all the commotion, Chu Danqing settled the shaken Crown Prince, and only then did Donggong’s guards arrive.

“Your Highness, this matter is suspicious,” Chu Danqing said. “Donggong is heavily guarded, with many experts stationed within.”

“How could this madman break through so easily? It’s highly questionable.”

The Crown Prince, having caught his breath, scanned the men who had come to rescue him.

He was frail and easily startled, yet he had held his ground against the Tai Chang Emperor’s Jishi Factory and the Qiu Tan Faction in court—he was no ordinary man.

Beyond Chu Danqing’s two remarks, there was also the issue of delayed rescue.

This was Donggong—his own stronghold as Crown Prince.

Yet his own men were so lax in vigilance and defense that they relied entirely on Chu Danqing, a newcomer, to shield and save him—barely escaping death.

“Order: Chu Danqing appointed Left Commander of the Zhangyu Guard, granted the Donghua Token, specially dispatched to investigate this case, authorized to act at his discretion.”

“Wu Da Bao appointed Right Commander of the Zhangyu Guard, awarded one Da Huan Treasure Pill, assisting in the investigation.” The Crown Prince spoke slowly. “The former Left and Right Commanders are dismissed pending investigation.”

“The Lüben, Zhidang, Jianmen, and Qianniu units remain under suspicion; investigate internal Donggong threats to redeem themselves.”

After this arrangement, the former Left and Right Commanders were dragged away, their official robes stripped off as they were hauled.

The Crown Prince knew many were negligent; now was not the time for mass punishment—only a warning to others.

He then issued further orders, and the madman’s corpse was taken for autopsy.

Anyone could see the madman was mentally deranged—his body required examination by a coroner.

Afterward, the Crown Prince took Chu Danqing and Da Bao, escorted by a retinue of guards, back to his study.

No sooner had he sat down than a palace maid arrived with a calming tea.

The Crown Prince had barely taken the cup when Da Bao’s stare made him deeply uneasy—especially Da Bao’s fixed, unblinking gaze.

“Cough—Right Commander Wu, do you want some too?” the Crown Prince asked awkwardly.

But Da Bao gave no response.

“Da Bao’s mind is simple, Your Highness—you must call him ‘Da Bao’ for him to understand,” Chu Danqing explained, then asked, “Da Bao, do you want some?”

“I don’t drink,” Da Bao shook his head. “Why do you drink dirty stuff?”

The Crown Prince glanced at the calming tea in his hand; it was brewed from numerous precious herbs, its color a murky black-yellow, strange-tasting and unpleasant.

“The medicine brewed here indeed lacks color, aroma, and flavor,” the Crown Prince smiled, thinking that despite Da Bao’s massive frame and fearsome face, he was still just a child at heart.

“Da Bao’s ‘dirty stuff’ means poison,” Chu Danqing translated.

Clearly, Da Bao had sensed the poison through his sense of smell, combined with instinct and intuition.

The Crown Prince’s face darkened instantly, filled with shock.

He immediately set the calming tea back on the table, feeling his Donggong had been infiltrated as thoroughly as a sieve.

“Investigate! Find out who’s behind this!” The Crown Prince’s anger finally burst free.

One assassination after another, one poisoning after another—his nerves were stretched to breaking.

“It might be a chain scheme,” Chu Danqing added another blow: “Even if the assassination fails, it still startles the imperial carriage—you’ll need calming tea anyway.”

“It’s not just the guard system that’s compromised; the kitchen and medicine room may be infiltrated too.”

“I suggest you eat and drink only under the watch of someone you trust,” Chu Danqing advised.

The Crown Prince cannot die—he’d only just joined this faction and hadn’t even had time to enjoy the shade yet.

“I understand the gravity of this matter,” the Crown Prince realized his lapse in composure and immediately regained control.

He accepted Chu Danqing’s advice.

“Send for my Master Tutors to come to Donggong and hold the line—I’m going to the palace to pay respects to His Majesty.” The Crown Prince knew this matter couldn’t end here; it had to be made public.

So he planned to go to the palace, but feared another plot might erupt in his absence.

He needed someone of weight to take his place, hold the line, and manage the aftermath.

(End of Chapter)