Chapter 1560: Regent Prince Dotes on Me Too Much, What Should I Do 29

Xie Zhiwei couldn't quickly summon the Dark Dragon Army stationed outside the traveling palace; these guards, aside from the few attending the emperor, were clearly no match for the assassins.

After just a few exchanges, Xie Zhiwei realized these people were the assassins who had ambushed outside the hunting grounds earlier.

To him, it was both new grudges and old scores combined.

"Your Majesty, wait here for me; don't act rashly."

Jin Chen nodded solemnly, clutching his life‑preserving dagger, staying seated on the dragon‑carved soft chair, firmly resolved to live off his spouse.

Among the officers present, including Mu Zhongzheng, it was the first time they saw Xie Zhiwei use so‑called peerless martial arts—each move killed the enemy, and they could barely see his figure, making it impossible to anticipate his next strike.

Moreover, it was excessively brutal; the close‑quarters assassins died in a gruesome, swift yet merciless manner.

Xie Zhiwei's cuff was stained with the assassins' blood; perhaps the smell of blood stimulated him, and he struck without restraint. The officers felt his overwhelming killing intent and dared not approach, fearing he would lose distinction between friend and foe.

What surprised Mu Zhongzheng even more was that this group of assassins, who seemed to appear out of nowhere, had techniques and movements unlike those of martial artists or imperial troops, yet gave him a feeling of déjà vu.

"Han Zhou, have you seen these people before?" Mu Zhongzheng asked, shielding Han Zhou behind him amid the chaos.

"…Prince Su." Han Zhou kept a firm grip on his dagger, "You once made things difficult for me in the frontier, Your Highness, and I remember."

"So it was him."

Mu Zhongzheng frowned; Prince Su had once contested the throne with the late emperor, and to this day he still harbored treacherous ambitions.

"Let him face the Regent Prince; the lord will reap the benefits like a fisherman." Han Zhou proposed.

"No way. Xie Zhiwei must die this month; the Immortal Abyss might have a solution."

Han Zhou fell silent suddenly, saying no more.

Mu Zhongzheng said, "But… we could let Xie Zhiwei know these people were sent by Prince Su."

But today that's clearly not possible.

Xie Zhiwei doesn't normally use this technique; he knows that practicing the fragmented scroll will surely cause problems, and even with blood‑red eyes he could hardly keep his mind clear.

But this group is truly slippery—like loaches, they avoid combat and only dodge, employing every dirty trick; no martial art in the world has seen such shameless fighting.

Worried for Jin Chen's safety and eager to finish off these little loaches, after the reaction came, the ground was littered with severed limbs and the assassins' corpse‑blood flowed into the lotus pond, dyeing more than half of it red.

Meanwhile, the guards who had just been fighting the assassins subtly shielded the officials and startled imperial relatives behind them, guarding against him.

Xie Zhiwei discarded the broken half of his sword, glanced back at the wary gazes of the crowd; a gloomy aura flickered in his eyes, yet he spoke no word.

He merely stood in the blood pool, his dark robe cold to the touch, in the midsummer heat feeling as icy as winter shards.

The young emperor, well protected and with not even a corner of his robes disturbed, suddenly rose, ignoring the guards' obstruction, and walked slowly toward Xie Zhiwei.

"Your…"

Liu Feng blocked the officer who tried to intervene, silently shaking his head; the officer could only swallow his words, hoping the Majesty wouldn't be harmed by this blood‑red‑eyed Regent Prince.

"You've won, why stand there foolishly?" Jin Chen, as if not seeing the depth of Xie Zhiwei's light‑less eyes, walked to his side and took hold of his sword‑hand.

"No wonder you're my Regent Prince; you're indeed formidable."

Xie Zhiwei's fingers twitched; he instinctively reversed his grip on Jin Chen's hand, having just barely suppressed the killing intent rising in his heart by biting his tongue, and it vanished completely upon meeting Jin Chen's gaze.

"They're afraid of me." Xie Zhiwei said softly.

"I'm not afraid; they don't matter."

"... I've killed many; that's why they fear me." Xie Zhiwei's icy gaze faded a little, his tone softening.

"You haven't slaughtered innocents indiscriminately; there's no reason to fear."

Jin Chen flicked away the drop of blood spattered on Xie Zhiwei's face with a finger, then pulled him into an embrace with no distance between them.

"I used to be so afraid, but now I'm not at all."

Xie Zhiwei's cheek pressed against Jin Chen's sandalwood‑scented robe; the sound of rubbing the fabric was lighter than a lotus petal falling, like the killing intent dissipating and his reason being recalled.

He lightly rubbed against him, then wrapped his arms around Jin Chen's waist, letting the officials still present react however they wished—whether shocked or deeming it improper.

The embrace in the blood pool, where no one dared to step forward to stop it, was like their repeated submissions—fearing Xie Zhiwei yet forced to compromise.

It was more like a warning, telling them they had never been qualified to be his opponent.

【Detected Villain Blackening Value -10, total 40!】

Mu Zhongzheng's expression darkened slightly as he watched this, and a vague unease finally rose in his heart.

Could he really… succeed in killing Xie Zhiwei?

The guards searched the assassins' corpses but found nothing to prove their identities; Jin Chen had the remaining officials withdraw temporarily, and the Dark Dragon Army conducted a thorough sweep of the traveling palace.

Xie Zhiwei's sole order was: upon discovering anyone with suspicious movements, rather let a mistake be made than let them escape.

Before leaving, Mu Zhongzheng deliberately left a subtle clue for Xie Zhiwei to discover that the mastermind was Prince Su; regardless of whether Xie Zhiwei believed it, Mu Zhongzheng knew that, given that person's suspicious nature, he would send someone to investigate Prince Su covertly.

——

Just past noon, Jin Chen, who had been resting and recuperating in the inner chamber, was awakened by footsteps; sitting up, he saw Xie Zhiwei approach in a changed outfit.

"How was it handled?" Jin Chen asked.

"Their identities are still under investigation, but I've discovered… this batch of assassins is the same as the ones who blocked the hunting grounds before."

Xie Zhiwei still had more to say, yet he did not lean into Jin Chen's embrace as he usually did.

"Huh?" Jin Chen went from bewildered to surprised, "The previous assassins weren't you…"

Could it be that I misunderstood the icy beauty!

Xie Zhiwei then dropped to his knees, eyes downcast, voice low: "I had earlier wanted to test you, but the assassins I arranged would certainly not harm you."

"In other words, they were intercepted midway by those assassins?"

Xie Zhiwei nodded, still not rising.

Jin Chen helplessly pulled him up, "All right, I've long forgotten this matter; why keep kneeling?"

Today the assassins came suddenly; even if Xie Zhiwei said nothing, Jin Chen knew his inner tension must be at its peak, his fingertips hooking to unfasten Xie Zhiwei's dark outer robe, pulling him into an embrace and onto the bed.

"You should have told me earlier; why explain only today?" Jin Chen rested his chin on Xie Zhiwei's shoulder; as he spoke, his voice seemed to vibrate in sync with his heartbeat, Xie Zhiwei's eyes flickering, his exquisite brows and eyes like a dark mountain dusted with light snow, hiding a tenderness only Jin Chen could see.

"I, like Your Majesty, have long forgotten that matter."

Xie Zhiwei lifted her gaze to look at him, a faint smile curving her lips, "I don't want to have any grudge with you, so I came specially to explain."

Such words, of course, should be saved for a better opportunity, so as to achieve twice the result with half the effort.

Whether it be pity or guilt, as long as it can increase his standing in Jin Chen's heart as the most important, what does it matter if there are a few more misunderstandings?