Chapter 245: She Is Not Pei Suiwan

A distance of seven or eight steps, it seemed not far at all.....

Yet it's a step slow, each step slow; for a master, that can accomplish many things.

"Pei Suiwan, go die!"

"Hahaha!"

Zhang Sui unleashed his footwork, sprinting forward at extreme speed, gazing at the big red flower sedan just within arm's reach, unable to suppress a laugh.

If he can't kill Chen Yan, could he also fail to kill the lady he is about to marry?

Either way, the result achieved is the same!

"Feint to the east, strike to the west?"

Yuwen Ze watched the two assassins' movements, and for a moment guessed their intention in his mind, "Those two assassins are actually rushing toward the sister-in-law!"

Thinking of this, Yuwen Ze's heart couldn't help but rise in anxiety.....

"Fine tactics!"

"To think they would strike at Pei Suiwan..."

Li Tan narrowed his eyes slightly and said in a deep voice.

No one expected that the minds of these two assassins could be so agile, directly changing their assassination plan?

Either way, destroying the Marriage Alliance, causing Chen Yan to die, or causing Pei Suiwan to die, would turn the wedding into a funeral.....

Moreover, in front of the Governor's residence, under everyone's watchful eyes, once they succeed, it will surely ruin his elder brother's reputation!

Immediately, Li Tan's gaze turned to Chen Yan, yet he saw no abnormality, not even a hint of emotional fluctuation.....

"Clang!"

"Clang!"

The two sharp swords nearly simultaneously pierced the flower sedan, but not as expected with flesh and blood spraying, the beauty's scent fading and jade shattering....

Instead, two brief and loud metallic clangs!

Originally smug Zhang Sui and Yan Qingwu were blasted backward by a powerful force.

"You two are perhaps celebrating a bit too early, aren't you?"

At the same time, a cold sarcastic voice of a woman floated out from the flower sedan.

Zhang Sui: "Pei Suiwan knows martial arts?"

Yan Qingwu: "Isn't she the number one talented lady of Chang'an?"

The two stared at each other, each seeing astonishment and doubt in the other's eyes.

Such formidable inner strength must belong to a top‑tier master of the age, and its power is likely still above theirs.....

But how could Pei Suiwan, a young lady from a literary family, have cultivated it?

Immediately, from the big red flower sedan, a red‑clothed woman also wielding a sword flew out.....

"The woman I schemed to marry couldn't possibly be so active," Chen Yan observed the scene, a slight smile curling his lips, thinking to himself.

Pei Suiwan, the legitimate daughter of the He Dong Pei Clan, is the crucial link binding his Chen and the Guanzhong families tightly; how could he not care about her safety?

Any mishap would render all previous efforts wasted, wouldn't it?

"It's Hongye!"

Yuwen Ze recognized at a glance who the red‑clothed woman was and let out a sigh of relief, "All right, sister-in-law is safe....."

"Prince, is she really that formidable?" Li Tan asked, half believing, half doubting.

The young lady named Hongye has been shadowing his elder brother nonstop these days; Li Tan not recognizing her would be suspicious......

However, he has never seen her act, so he knows nothing of her background.

"Of course, I personally witnessed Hongye single‑handedly eliminate over a dozen members of the Jinghong Society without breaking a sweat....." Yuwen Ze's gaze hardened as he declared resolutely.

Wang Xiong, Dou Luling and others also nodded in agreement.

That lady could even battle the guards beside the Jin Crown Prince and retreat unscathed.....

"She isn't Pei Suiwan...."

Zhang Sui looked at Hongye's face, far different from the gentle woman in the portrait, and immediately formed a judgment.

After a pause: "Still a master!"

He said, his brows knit together.

Because even if they teamed up, he wasn't confident they could surpass this woman, especially with Chen Yan's elite under his command watching hungrily; time was running short.....

"All or nothing!"

Yan Qingwu decided on the spot, looked at Zhang Sui and shouted, "I'll hold her back, you go kill Pei Suiwan!"

"After securing the kill, split and retreat!"

The words hung in the air.

Yan Qingwu showed no hesitation, charging straight at Hongye.

"Hmm."

Zhang Sui understood, replied with a nod, and also unleashed his footwork, heading toward the faintly visible woman inside the big red flower sedan.

"The plan's ticking loudly...."

Hongye sized up the two, sneering, "I just don't know whether you have the ability to hold me back!"

"Just try, and you'll know?"

Yan Qingwu thrust a sword straight at Hongye's face.

"Bang!"

Hongye's figure flashed, effortlessly evading Yan Qingwu's attack, and simultaneously kicked Zhang Sui who tried to leap over her.

In those few breaths, Wen Run, Zhu Yi and a group of embroidered‑clad messenger masters arrived.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

Zhu Yi stood guard in front of the flower sedan, while the others joined the battle.

When did Chen Yan's command acquire such a female master…? Gradually his strength was insufficient, yet Zhang Sui, still fighting like a cornered beast, said in confusion.

If that red‑clothed woman hidden in the flower sedan hadn't been there, they would have succeeded and perhaps even escaped unscathed by now…

But there is no "if" in this world.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Ah!

Ah!

As Zhang Sui and Yan Qingwu grew weary confronting Wen Run and the others, and began to consider retreat, two sharp metallic sounds suddenly sliced the air.

It was Hongye who seized the chance, throwing two hair‑thin silver needles that, in an instant, pierced both of their backs and left arms.

"Your martial skill is so high, yet you still resort to hidden weapons for a sneak attack?" Zhang Sui, caught off guard, glared at Hongye and demanded.

He never imagined that a top‑ranked master of the world could stoop to such petty conduct.

"All warfare is based on deception!" Hongye's face remained unchanged as she calmly uttered four words.

"My internal force is gone; what have you coated on these hidden weapons?"

Yan Qingwu, still trying to resist, felt his muscles lose strength, his whole body becoming soft and limp, his limbs flaccid.

It was as if all his strength had been drained, turning him into a puddle of soft mud.

Zhang Sui, who was also hit, fared no better…

He exhibited the same symptoms.

"It's nothing…"

Hongye sheathed her sword behind her, pursed her lips in a light smile, and said calmly, "It's just a little Soft Sinew Powder!"

"Damned woman!"

"Your victory is unmartial…"

Hearing that, Zhang Sui's face turned deathly pale, and he could not help but curse.

Now he not only lacked the strength to stay upright, but even could not produce the poison pill hidden in his teeth…

"If it can effectively solve you, that's enough!"

Hongye, however, was unfazed, laughing, "Mere prisoners on the ground muttering these things is meaningless…"

What about the hidden weapons?

What about the sneak attack?

The victor is the king, the loser the bandit; anyone who can efficiently eliminate the problem is sufficient!

"Capture those two!"

"Take them back to the Mingjing Department for interrogation!"

Chen Yan waved his hand and ordered.

"As you command."

The surrounding embroidered envoys responded and moved.

Having cleared the poison from his teeth and being dragged up again, Zhang Sui suddenly shouted to the heavens, "Old Pillar‑General Zhao, we have fulfilled your great trust!"

"Did not kill that Pei Suiwan!"

His voice was loud enough to reach the surrounding onlookers—commoners, officials, and aristocratic youths.

"Old Pillar‑General Zhao is such an upright man!"

Chen Yan gave a sideways glance and loudly said, "You're on the brink of death and still try to slander Old Pillar‑General Zhao?"

"Take them back for severe torture!"

"Make sure they spit out the truth!"

"As you command." The group of embroidered envoys gagged Zhang and Yan's mouths and swiftly escorted them away.

"Throwing dirty water on Old Pillar‑General Zhao in public still shows a bit of sense…" Li Tan leaned against the pillar by the door, watched the scene, and chuckled inwardly.

Dragging Zhao Qian into the water publicly only inflames the conflict…

Whether the assassin was dispatched by him is no longer important; anyone with eyes can see it, though ordinary folk may not.

They are easy to deceive.

After all, three people saying a tiger makes it seem real!

"Madam is frightened!"

"Please lower the sedan!"

Chen Yan arrived before the flower sedan and gently lifted the curtain door.

"Hmm."

Pei Suiwan lightly responded, stepped out of the flower sedan.

Through the red cap, she gazed affectionately at her husband, her thoughts drifting back to the moment she rode the sedan at Pei Fu…