Phantom Shadow Demon Trace

Volume 2: Phantom Shadow Demon Trace, Chapter 21: The Attack

Because of this matter, Emperor Qu Peng also offered his apologies to Zuo Yanfei and Tang Ruowei with great embarrassment.

"Huh? What is this?" The first floor of the pleasure boat was decorated as a grand hall, while the second floor appeared to be a dining area. Zuo Yanfei and Tang Ruowei made their way up to the third floor, which was where the Crown Prince of Dingguo would spend the night on the boat—the very location Emperor Qu Peng suspected to be the crime scene.

"There is indeed something wrong here."

"Then many thanks, Your Majesty." Seeing this boat, Tang Ruowei sighed: "Such a fine boat, used by that Crown Prince as a mobile brothel."

The Dingguo official bowed to the two and departed, and Zuo Yanfei and Tang Ruowei boarded the pleasure boat.

"Hmph." This person's cultivation was slightly higher than Tang Ruowei's, and since he was launching a sneak attack and was a water-element cultivator, he truly held the Heavenly Timing and Earthly Advantage on this canal.

"Of course I know. That is the pleasure boat I bought for him as a gift for his tenth birthday."

With a soft whoosh, the Flying Sword was retracted, and at the same time, the windows on both sides of the room were smashed open simultaneously.

"Oh?" Before being struck, Tang Ruowei heard a cold sneer from his mouth.

A black Sword Light flashed by in an instant. The person attacking him let out a muffled groan and was sent flying backward out of the window.

On the hull of the ship, one could even see firing ports for soldiers to shoot arrows; in a critical situation, this pleasure boat could even transform into a warship.

"Since Emperor Qu Peng had his suspicions, it is impossible that he didn't send people to investigate here afterward. But those people found no issues; firstly, because this was the Crown Prince's pleasure boat and they dared not disturb anything, and secondly, someone must have come back to replace things during that time."

"Cultivators?"

"Ruowei! Look out!"

Even on the wide canal of the Dingguo capital, this pleasure boat was absolutely the most eye-catching one. It was about thirty to forty meters long, with a three-story structure. The hull was primarily vermilion, decorated with gold lacquer. The pillars and eaves were adorned with cloud patterns or dragons and phoenixes, displaying the noble status of the boat's owner.

"Someone has broken in through here, or broken out."

She and Tang Ruowei returned to the palace, bid farewell to Bai Qiuran, and immediately sought out Emperor Qu Peng. However, upon asking, they learned that the guards who had been protecting the Crown Prince that day had already been executed by the furious Emperor Qu Peng after being questioned for their incompetence.

Zuo Yanfei met the attack without fear, parrying with her spear to repel the masked man. She then combined the two short spears in her hands into a single silver spear. With a flash of cold light, the spear thrust out like a dragon, aiming straight for the fire-element cultivator.

"Let's look around to see if there are any other clues."

She then maintained this posture and opened her small mouth.

Emperor Qu Peng replied: "It should still be docked in the canal now. If you wish to go, I can send someone to escort you."

Zuo Yanfei's face turned red as she said: "Ruowei, let's go up and take a look first. Sir, sorry to trouble you with the escort; you may return now."

After apologizing, Emperor Qu Peng said this.

The thing Zuo Yanfei feared most had indeed happened.

Zuo Yanfei asked: "Your Majesty, why do you say that?"

Zuo Yanfei walked to the window and pushed it open; below lay the emerald water of the canal.

"Cough, cough."

Both of these people wore masks to hide their faces. One of them was holding the Flying Sword upside down, his body wreathed in tongues of fire, and he struck out with a palm toward Zuo Yanfei.

Zuo Yanfei's expression turned stern. She lifted her hem, and as her robes fluttered, two silver short spears appeared in her hands.

"According to my understanding of my son, perhaps the place where he died was not that restaurant, but somewhere else."

The fire dissipated, revealing a small red Flying Sword... but he had clearly miscalculated one thing.

Tang Ruowei and Zuo Yanfei ran to the window and saw the fire-element cultivator stepping on his Flying Sword, flying rapidly to the other side of the boat to catch the water-element cultivator. Then, without looking back, they ascended into the air and left the canal.

However, after searching, the sharp-eyed Tang Ruowei found a clue on the floor. It was a short, white hair, caught in the gaps of the wooden floorboards, which would be impossible to see without careful inspection.

After a few short clashes, the flames on the Flying Sword gradually diminished, and a patch of ice began to form on the blade, slowly spreading.

Zuo Yanfei's voice suddenly rang out. Tang Ruowei felt her collar being yanked, and immediately after, a flash of fire broke through the window from outside, scorching that section of the floor to a charred black.

Tang Ruowei followed the direction she pointed. Indeed, although that vermilion paper window looked no different from the window on the other side, if one observed closely, one could still detect a subtle difference.

Emperor Qu Peng hesitated for a moment and said: "My son was talented in both literature and martial arts, filial and steady—he was good at everything, except for being a bit lecherous. Of course, I don't think being lecherous is much of a flaw for someone who is to be Emperor. However, based on my son's habits, if nothing had gone wrong after watching a performance, he would definitely have sent someone to invite the members of the troupe he fancied to a place he had prepared for a night of passion."

Hearing this, Zuo Yanfei blushed slightly, but Tang Ruowei, who came from the imperial family, remained unmoved. After thinking for a moment, she pressed: "Does Your Majesty know where the Crown Prince usually liked to dally with women?"

As soon as she entered the room, Zuo Yanfei noticed something wrong. She pointed to the window on the left side of the room and said: "This window is too new."

"However, if you two ladies are investigating this matter, I do have a guess, though I don't know if it's reliable."

Seeing the opponent charging in with murderous intent, Tang Ruowei stopped holding back. Utilizing the evasion techniques she had practiced from years of tangling with the mother monkeys on the mountain, combined with the flexibility gained from the Fortune Body Forging Technique, Tang Ruowei bent her willow-like waist at an almost bone-breaking angle, dodging the attack by a hair's breadth.

The maiden crouched down, preparing to reach out and pluck that hair.

"No one knows a son like his father. I am the one who appointed him Crown Prince, so of course, I know him best."

The Flying Sword turned around and shot toward Zuo Yanfei and Tang Ruowei. The former snorted coldly, brandishing her two short spears, bringing with them a chill as she nimbly engaged the Flying Sword.

At the same time, the other masked man lunged at Tang Ruowei. His hands glowed with cold, damp mist; he appeared to be a water-element cultivator.

Led by an official, Zuo Yanfei and Tang Ruowei arrived at the canal and saw the pleasure boat owned by the Crown Prince of Dingguo.

Seeing this result, the fire-element cultivator on the other side was also taken aback. One careless move, and he was sent flying by a palm strike from Zuo Yanfei.

"What a pity."

The two searched the room again. It appeared that the place had been restored after the fact; whether it was the ornaments on the table or the bedding and mosquito nets on the bed, everything was neat and tidy, looking as if it were ready at any moment for the Crown Prince of Dingguo to bring someone back to stay.

Compared to other parts of the room, there was too little dust on it.

Tang Ruowei suggested.