Chapter 159

Within the Secluded Prefecture, travel was unimpeded and daytime marching speed was fast; at night they would set up camp using the tents they had saved from their missions, and just after leaving Secluded Prefecture City supplies were plentiful so they didn't need to eat dry rations.

Behind the Prince's entourage heading to the capital, there was actually also a caravan from the Prosperous Peace Trading House, dragging along fat sheep and fruit, as well as the pickled vegetables such as spicy cabbage that the Everlasting Peace Trading House intended to sell, and dried sea fish.

As soon as the Prince's party set up camp, it felt like a spring outing—ah, no, a summer outing. The sunlight in the Secluded Prefecture was still a bit scorching.

That evening they right beside the imperial highway found a spot near a water source to spend the night; not far away at the mountain's base there was also a patch of dense woods. The Prince, having eaten and drunk his fill, pulled Wei Shen along to aid digestion, slung on the Sun-Shooting Bow, and said, "Let's go hunting on the way."

Wei Shen also had no objection, since they were still within the Secluded Prefecture, which should still be safe. The mountain bandits of the Secluded Prefecture had been wiped clean by the Vulture Riders; the Prince, in order to have someone mine ore, had practically plowed the entire Secluded Prefecture, and the bandits were all rounded up to do hard labor in the mountains.

Upon entering the woods, the light instantly dimmed; the dense summer leaves blocked out the little moonlight that had just appeared, leaving everything pitch black and tranquil, and the atmosphere grew a bit tense.

The Prince gripped the Sun-Shooting Bow tightly, glanced back at the squad of Vulture Riders who had entered with him, and felt considerably reassured.

"Cousin, why is it so quiet here?"

"Yes, this kind of woods should have plenty of pheasants; there's hardly any human habitation left, game should still be abundant, yet it's too quiet here……"

"Forget pheasants, there's not even a birdcall!" the Prince complained after listening closely.

Wei Shen also grew tense, stepping in front of the Prince and saying, "Something feels off; don't leave me." The Vulture Riders immediately stepped forward a few paces, surrounding the Prince, and the squad leader said, "Your Highness, even the insect sounds are gone from this woods!"

Wei Shen suddenly grabbed the Prince's arm: "What do you mean? Is there an ambush?"

The Prince, being the least experienced, absentmindedly scratched his cheek and said, "I, I feel like something is watching me~"

Wei Shen drew his saber with a swish, tense and on guard; the next instant he felt the Prince poking his back, "Cousin, look at the branches of that big tree to the north……"

Wei Shen abruptly turned around, and the Vulture Riders' bows were all aimed northward……

Then the Prince drawled on: "……That bird perched there, doesn't it resemble our family's Skycover?"

The next instant the Prince was struck!

Wei Shen, annoyed, smacked the Prince with the back of his saber: "Let you catch your breath!"

Finally understanding why there were no birdcalls or insect sounds—a huge eagle was perched here, enough to scare even anything that panted away.

The Prince: ……

The Prince had incurred everyone's wrath, and his family's Skycover also perched on a branch, glaring at him fiercely!

After glaring enough, it flew over to hover before the Prince, one wing flapping while it pointed and shrieked at him, "You! You! Dare ditch me to come out and play?! What's your conscience?!"

The Prince: ……

Wei Shen gloated to the Vulture Riders nearby: "He must have cursed an old dirty one!"

The main force left at the camp saw the hunting party quickly emerge from the woods empty-handed—oh, not quite nothing, the Prince now had an anger-filled Cloud-Swirling Eagle perched on his shoulder.

This guy was just short of puffing up his feathers to express his fury!

Upon discovering the White Marsh lounging by the firepit watching the show, Skycover rushed over and unleashed a barrage on the White Marsh, and the Prince stayed as quiet as a chicken.

When Skycover didn't hold back and really put its weight on his shoulder, it was truly heavy, and the Prince's apologetic attitude was utterly obedient.

On the third day they left the Secluded Prefecture, and the whole troupe except the Prince grew tense.

Having left the Secluded Prefecture, they also lost the imperial highway, and everyone finally began to truly suffer the hardships of travel.

In the dry summer, even the cicadas' chirping was listless.

The Prince and Wei Shen had already retreated into the carriage, because yellow dust began to blow on the road.

The White Marsh was too big to fit in the Prince's carriage, so it had its own separate vehicle; now all day the carriage of the Prince holds just these two plus an eagle.

Bored on the road, the Prince took out the wildly popular checkers from Myriad Phenomena City to play; whoever lost would stick a slip of the Prince's practice copybook on their forehead.

The practice copybook sent by the Grand Tutor was put to use in a wholly new way.

When the Prince first lifted the carriage curtain with a face full of paper slips to get food or drink, the nearby palace attendants were startled, but later grew numb; the Prince would dismount to eat with the paper slips still stuck on his face, and everyone could simply ignore it and go about their business.

That day, after leaving the county seat and reaching a heavenly defile between two mountains, Ling Yin tapped on the carriage window, saying the atmosphere was unusual, and told the Prince to prepare.

The Prince, frustrated at losing quickly, flung his face full of paper slips and snapped: "No birdcalls again?! This time it's not Skycover's fault—don't tell me it's Winnie coming, humph!"

No sooner had his words fallen than a bunch of black-clad masked men leapt out ahead and clashed with the Vulture Riders forward……

The Prince, still holding up his face full of paper slips, stared blankly: "……What's going on?"

Wei Shen: "……Obviously not bandits; there's a hundred percent chance they came to kill you."

The Prince, feeling wronged: "On what basis?!"

The next instant, from among the black-clad men fighting the Vulture Riders, a whistle rang out and a hoarse voice shouted: "Kill the You Prince first!"

Wei Shen sincerely said: "Look, obviously it's one of your brothers who wants to take out an… easy target first?"

The Prince was very angry: "Is this, is this a bit disrespectful to me?" How am I just an easy target?!

Zhao Bao was terrified, lunging over and finding the Prince still angry about this, he personally shoved the Prince's head back: "My lord, you'd better duck quickly!"

The Prince still wouldn't yield: "I have the Fairy Mountain Sword—what does Ling Yin have to fear? I just want to see who dares to assassinate a feudal lord!"

Yes, the black-clad fighters ahead are no pushovers; their vicious strikes reveal specially honed killing techniques, yet among the Xiaoqi riders they gain no edge—it's a completely one‑sided, suspense‑free battle.

Lingyin rode alongside the king's carriage, calm and watchful, not even preparing to act, and Wei Shen's heart settled as well.

The battle ended quickly; Lingyin never got a chance to strike, and before the assassins could even reach the king's carriage they were almost all dead.

The Xiaoqi cavalry, hardened by the king's body‑forging art and ravaged by swordsman Lingyin, defeated the enemy with just the front hundred—no need to commit the rear hundred reserves. The few assassins left, seeing the situation lost, promptly bit their tongues and killed themselves, having been well trained; Wei Shen watched, clicking his tongue in amazement.

"What high standards! I've taken a new look at Prince You—who would go to such lengths for you, employing assassins of this caliber?!"

"Hmph!"

The Xiaoqi cavalry swept the battlefield, gathered nearby clues, and shortly reported that a total of two hundred had been slain, all of them executed.

As expected, there were no survivors, and the weapons gave no clue as to which faction they came from.

The king stepped out, glanced once, sighed, said only a single sentence, then climbed back onto the carriage.

"Two hundred lives—what's the point?"

Only when they later asked how to handle the corpses did everyone realize the king truly was a talent.

"Which county is nearest? Send someone to notify the magistrate to come clean up. We're still far from Chang'an; any later assassins will likely be of even higher caliber, so cheer up and keep moving."

Wei Shen exclaimed in shock: 'Why?'

Your Majesty: 'Handling it yourself wastes time—what shameful thing is it that I was assassinated in Wing Province? Even passing ants ought to know!'

Wei Shen: ……