Volume Two: An Abundance of Blossoms Always Feels Lonely
The Assassin Turmoil
A large wave of assassins is approaching
A great fire occurred on Qionglong Mountain, causing everything to wither and exhaust, and the grasslands between the mountains turned into clouds of smoke. Qin Junlan saw this scene of desolation, a lonely and vast bleakness. She raised her head and observed the blue mist signaling the clear sky, as if there was a wandering dragon in the red sea.
After the fire was extinguished, Qin Junlan focused her attention on transforming the land, planting crops in the form of terraced fields. The grain would be distributed by the Yuzhou government office. Before this, she intended to “cleanse” the Yuzhou officials.
Wei County is thirty kilometers from Yuzhou City and is the origin of the drought disaster. The second batch of disaster relief silver and grain is already en route, under Qin Junlan’s secret decree, transported by trusted agents to ensure nothing goes wrong. According to spy reports, the original transport official, Minister Liu of the Household Department, was captured by shadow guards during his overnight return to Jidu and was secretly detained.
It’s likely that Yi Hongchuan has already received news of the incident here. The matter of the great fire on Qionglong Mountain is sure to spread a thousand li in a day and become a hot topic in the entire court. Qin Junlan must quickly resolve the drought situation in Yuzhou; otherwise, even if she doesn’t return to the palace, the Empress Dowager’s decree will likely arrive soon.
The beautiful scenery along the road gradually disappeared. As they approached Yuzhou city, the air became increasingly thin and dry, and the land showed faint cracks, as if split open by an axe. This area lacked trees, and alongside the road was a dry, cracked river, where the river stones were still visible, yet there was not a drop of water flowing.
Qin Junlan dismounted to check, noticing that there were no flowers or grass beside the river, and the nearby pine forest was also withered and grey.
“The Feng River runs through ten counties of Yuzhou, with countless branches flowing between city and countryside. At some point, the river water began to dry up, and the waterfall upstream at Pingwang Mountain doesn’t even drip anymore, which is very strange.” Jiang Wei, familiar with the geographical and folk characteristics, accompanied Qin Junlan.
“According to what you say, the Feng River should be living water. If it’s living water, it should flow unceasingly year-round, with interconnected water flows. How could it dry up?” Qin Junlan pondered, considering that this region receives little rain and these past two years have been drought years. The river suddenly drying up at this time is indeed puzzling.
“Pingwang Mountain’s waterfall connects to the Duan River, and then converges into two large branch rivers. One is our dynasty’s Yuzhou Feng River, and the other is the Liu River of Qi County in the Yu Kingdom.”
“Qi County of Yu Kingdom?” Qin Junlan had originally suspected that this matter was related to Yu Kingdom. But to control the direction of such a large branch river, who could have such capability to accomplish this?
Qi County… Liu Qianxun suddenly recalled that Ling Yu had once told her that the disaster situation in Yuzhou was a “gift” she gave to Qin Junlan. At the time, she hadn’t taken those words to heart, but now, thinking back, could this matter really be Ling Yu’s doing? If it truly is, she is indeed a demon from hell, casually using small tricks that have harmed so many innocent lives.
Even the drought climate could be utilized, pretending to be a natural disaster to strike a country. Ling Yu’s scheming is terrifyingly deep. With just a slight gesture of guidance, she turned the ten counties of Yuzhou into a real Shura hell.
“Then why not just go to the mountain to check the source?” Bai Ruoxi hit the nail on the head with her words, and Qin Junlan slightly smiled, her fingertip lightly tapping Bai Ruoxi, “Xi’er, your words are exactly what I had in mind.”
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“Then brother, aren’t you going to praise me?” Bai Ruoxi took advantage and played cute. It was rare for Qin Junlan to praise her, so she naturally acted spoiled for a moment. Recently, she hadn’t been paying attention to Ye Ming, deliberately distancing herself, and throughout the journey, she hadn’t entangled with her again.
Ye Ming felt a bit quieted, yet she also felt that something was missing, and a sense of inexplicable loss rose in her heart.
“Young Master Bai’s wisdom is extraordinary, exceptional, and naturally, his heart is as clear as a bright mirror.” Liu Qianxun’s words of praise slipped out, and although Bai Ruoxi was always jealous of her, she truly envied her beauty and talent in her heart, just unwilling to admit it verbally.
“I can’t see how you’re quite good at speaking, but don’t think you can bribe me this way. I still don’t! like! you!” Bai Ruoxi’s confidence was clearly lacking, even her voice gradually weakened. It’s always hard to calmly go against one’s own heart; in reality, she didn’t dislike Liu Qianxun at all. She could even vaguely understand why her Sister Emperor, was fond of this woman.
She was just very annoyed by these cold and arrogant people. Liu Qianxun was born with this nature, and Ye Ming was always so indifferent. She endured the torment of not speaking to her daily, feeling more annoyed by Ye Ming’s wooden-like lack of reaction. Yet she constantly hoped Ye Ming would actively approach her to show goodwill.
Liu Qianxun smiled but said nothing. Bai Ruoxi repeatedly opposed her, but she never took it to heart, treating it as a child’s mischief. Besides, she was only jealous because she liked Ye Ming.
Ye Ming always silently stayed to one side. Although she looked around, she couldn’t help but linger a moment longer on Bai Ruoxi, yet she never let her notice.
Suddenly, there was movement all around. Liu Qianxun raised her eyes, slightly tilting her head, as the nearby pine forest seemed to stir. Ye Ming also sensed the danger in the air and immediately walked to Bai Ruoxi’s side, slightly raising her sword-wielding hand.
“What? You’re finally willing to come talk to me?” Bai Ruoxi, who didn’t understand martial arts, was completely unaware that they were currently in a dangerous situation.
“Master…” Li Yue quickly walked to Qin Junlan’s side, the sharp instincts of a martial artist allowing them to sense danger immediately. Qin Junlan reacted swiftly, taking a rapid step to Liu Qianxun’s side, wrapping her arm around her shoulder as they quickly moved away.
Almost simultaneously, Ye Ming picked up Bai Ruoxi to dodge an incoming arrow. Immediately after, a shower of crossbow arrows rained down on them.
“Protect the Master!” Li Yue shouted loudly, drawing her sword and spinning like a whirlwind to form a shield, blocking the danger.
Arrows rained down densely from the sky, continuously attacking. Ye Ming held Bai Ruoxi tightly in her arms, with her sword energy flowing like the wind, effortlessly deflecting the arrows. Bai Ruoxi seemed to forget that she was in a dangerous situation, simply leaning into Ye Ming’s warm embrace, as if she were in another world. Why did Ye Ming’s face look so good? Bai Ruoxi wrapped her arms around Ye Ming’s waist, gazing foolishly at her face.
After the wave of dense arrow attacks, a group of black-clad individuals emerged. Each held a sharp sword, their every move lethal, swearing to silence them all.
“Who are you people?” Jiang Wei shouted, raising his sword.
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“The ones who will kill you, attack!” The leader of the black-clad group waved his hand, and twenty or thirty people swarmed forward.
Blades and swords came towards them, Qin Junlan holding a folding fan in her left hand to block the wind, while her right hand lightly pinched her fingertips, using energy to control power. She pointed towards a black-clad person, who was sent flying several feet away. She protected Liu Qianxun, using the energy from her dantian to transfer internal force to her fingertips, transforming it into a weapon.
Two black-clad figures attacked from the side, aiming their swords at Liu Qianxun. Qin Junlan pulled her aside, leaping up and sweeping her legs to kick the two attackers away. Before she could react further, two more swordsmen attacked. Qin Junlan held Liu Qianxun by the waist, keeping her protected behind, positioning herself to face the attackers head-on.
Who sent these assassins? Could it be Ling Yu? Liu Qianxun’s mind raced through countless possibilities. The black-clad men surrounding her didn’t even catch her attention; she only felt that this wave of assassins was fierce, their sword strikes aimed directly at vital points, with Qin Junlan seeming to be their primary target.
Ling Yu shouldn’t want to kill Qin Junlan; if the beauty trap was already in play, why take this extra step? But how to explain that woman on Qionglong Mountain? Could Ling Yu have deliberately arranged the Shura Sect assassination to warn Qin Junlan about incoming assassins? Why would she act so kindly? Ling Yu is someone with strong motives, and every move she makes must benefit herself or the Yu Kingdom.
“Li Yue, come protect Xun’er!” Qin Junlan shouted, seeing the black-clad men swarming to attack them, fearing she couldn’t protect both. She called for Li Yue. But Li Yue, facing multiple opponents, also found it difficult to break free; these assassins were no ordinary foes, all skilled swordmasters.
Seeing the black-clad men rushing towards Qin Junlan and Liu Qianxun, Li Yue became anxious! “Master!” She spun her body, executing a Meteor Sword Technique with lightning speed, instantly killing two assailants. She then leaped forward, delivering a fatal blow to another two in an instant.
“Ah!!” Bai Ruoxi suddenly screamed as she saw the blood gushing from the body of the black-clad person who had fallen in front of her, Ye Ming’s sword piercing straight through the throat. The sight startled her, making her dizzy, as she felt the world spinning and her limbs growing weak.
“Hey, what’s wrong with you?” Ye Ming could clearly feel the person in her arms losing balance, her body gradually becoming heavier and sinking into her embrace.
“I… faint at the sight of blood…”
“Can’t you not faint right now?” Ye Ming was simply speechless, struggling to deal with the assassins, and with this Miss fainting, her combat ability was halved. She faced the enemy with one arm while supporting Bai Ruoxi’s heavy body. “Why are you so heavy?” Ye Ming couldn’t help but complain.
If Bai Ruoxi knew that after she fainted, Ye Ming said so many words, she would be overjoyed. Normally, Ye Ming wouldn’t speak voluntarily, and even during conversations, her responses were typically sparse and brief.
Liu Qianxun’s hand, hidden in her sleeve, slightly raised and then lowered again. She couldn’t make a move, or all her previous efforts to hide would be wasted. She had always pretended that her martial arts skills were average, sufficient to protect herself but difficult to contend with masters. But had Qin Junlan already guessed that her martial arts were actually profound? That day in the loquat forest, when Yi Qingyu deliberately tested her, wasn’t it under Qin Junlan’s instruction?
Leaves flew and stones rolled, sword energy turning into sharp winds, each strike a deadly move. Qin Junlan stubbornly resisted, fighting desperately to cut down more than a dozen assassins. The assassins were numerous, and seeing that a few people were highly skilled and always thwarted their attempts, the leader suddenly issued a new command.
“Kill that woman.”
Instantly, the assassins divided into two teams, attacking from all sides—one targeting Qin Junlan, the other directly pressing towards Liu Qianxun. The assassins appeared well-trained and organized, with main and auxiliary attacks coordinating to cover each other. If not for Qin Junlan’s own strong martial arts, escaping danger today would have been difficult.
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“Young Master Liu, be careful!” Jiang Wei stepped forward swiftly, shielding Liu Qianxun. Liu Qianxun saw that Jiang Wei’s arm had many scars, yet he remained fearless, protecting her, a stranger.
Why do they fight so desperately? Why do these people like to meddle so much, don’t they care about their own lives? Liu Qianxun’s gaze was as sharp as an eagle’s, and her entire being radiated killing intent. Jiang Wei felt a heavy, chilling killing intent emanating from behind his spine. When he turned back, he met Liu Qianxun’s deathly gaze, her eyes like sharp swords that seemed to pierce through him.
Jiang Wei was startled, unable to tell if the sweat was from holding his sword or the cold sweat from her piercing gaze. In fact, Liu Qianxun had been observing all along; these people’s skills didn’t seem to come from the Shura Sect, but rather from some martial arts sect in the jianghu. At this time, the only ones who would definitely want Qin Junlan dead, if not Ling Yu, could only be the Grand Chancellor Yi Hongchuan who discovered the clues.
Is Jidu about to change dramatically?! Liu Qianxun thought, lifting her gaze to find Qin Junlan, only to see her right in front of her. Her white robe was stained with blood, spots of red like blooming peonies, or like enchanting red irises, piercing to the eye.
“Yan’er…” Liu Qianxun murmured softly, never having moved even half a step away. She transformed her folding fan into a weapon, moving as swiftly as a meteor, the fan’s leaves like sharp swords. Wherever the fan landed, a breeze arose, and blood splattered onto the white clothes.
“Xun’er!” Qin Junlan saw a black-clad person attacking Liu Qianxun and flew forward with a swift strike. The fan’s body was pierced by a long sword, the sword tip grazing Qin Junlan’s cheek, long silk falling from the air. Liu Qianxun fearfully raised her hand, seeing that Qin Junlan was safe, her tightly clenched hands fell once more! Just in that moment, her gaze had followed the sword, already prepared to break its blade.