I'm So Scared

The scent of wind drifted through the dark night. Snowflakes swept past Shen Tingjue's eyes as black-clad assassins stood with blades in hand, forming an encirclement amid the wind and snow.

The assassins exchanged glances, then sprang forward at once. Their blades sliced through the snow. Shen Tingjue's white robes billowed as he glanced at the Chancellor and said in a low voice, "Close your eyes and cover your ears."

Hearing the unmistakably commanding tone, the Chancellor obediently did as he was told.

Dark Seven desperately hacked through the obstruction before him, abandoning defense entirely as he charged toward Shen Tingjue. Then, before his eyes, crimson liquid suddenly sprayed several yards into the air. Blood splattered onto the snow with soft pats, blooming into vivid red flowers.

Heads that had been on the black-clad assassins' necks only moments ago were already flying through the air.

With a single move, he had taken several lives in an instant.

Dark Seven's fingertips trembled slightly, and he suddenly fell silent.

That was right.

He was his leader, the chief of the East Palace's three thousand hidden guards.

Accustomed to Shen Tingjue's pampered, noble appearance, Dark Seven had nearly forgotten that he was, in truth, a hidden guard leader who had endured seas of blood and mountains of blades, slept among corpses and rested against bones.

A few assassins were nothing to him.

Screams tore through the night sky as a mist of blood erupted into the air.

The Chancellor's Residence guards were stunned. Unsteady on their feet, they took a long time to recover. They could scarcely believe that the harmless-looking young master killed so swiftly. For one brief moment, they even wondered whether their eyes had deceived them.

Though the Chancellor had his ears covered and his eyes shut, his heart trembled violently. Curiosity drove him to crack open one eye, and his stomach immediately churned with painful spasms.

Ugh, he was going to throw up!

He was merely a refined scholar. Why did he have to witness a scene like this?

This was killing him.

The burly man who had just fought Dark Seven swept his blade sideways, its suppressed killing intent aimed at Shen Tingjue. In an instant, he was before him.

Sparks flew as blade met sword. A muffled sound escaped the burly man's throat as both arms sank heavily downward. Pain and numbness surged through him, and the force beneath his feet sent him staggering back again and again.

Though his memories had not fully returned, his body's muscle memory and inner strength remained. His moves followed instinct as sword and blade collided in midair, every strike aimed to kill.

Snow scattered in all directions. The more Shen Tingjue fought, the more excited he became. His presence turned savage and violent, as though he had finally found himself again. He seemed to see himself leaping before the Crown Prince to block an arrow, being wounded and falling from a cliff. His instinct for self-preservation grew ever stronger, and the killing intent in his eyes deepened as his cold blade traced a streak of blood.

Dark Seven guarded the Chancellor as he fought the remaining assassins. Between breaths, he saw several more black-clad, masked figures emerge from the darkness.

The Chancellor's Residence guard clutched his injured right arm, and his vision went dark.

More of them?

Dark Seven caught sight of the wolf-head embroidery on those black-clad men's chests. His taut nerves immediately loosened. His fingertips trembled, and he nearly burst into tears.

Wonderful, they were their own brothers!

The Imperial Guard Bureau patrol, following the sounds of battle, arrived breathlessly. They saw heads flying through the air, while their snow-white, noble Commander-in-Chief was killing with bloodshot eyes, like a hellish asura gone mad.

Terrifying.

The sounds of fighting were especially chilling in the snowy night. The nearby residents were all ordinary folk. At the first sign of trouble, they naturally sealed their doors and windows tight, hiding inside and trembling in fear.

They desperately wanted to open their doors and take a look, but blades had no eyes. Curiosity could be fatal.

The fierce, unrelenting sword aura had left the burly man nearly unable to breathe. Seeing that his opponent had reinforcements, he immediately ceased fighting and shouted, "Retreat!" to his remaining men. They pulled out smoke bombs and hurled them forcefully to the ground, blasting up a vast cloud of white mist and snow.

The surroundings gradually fell quiet, leaving only the mournful whistle of the wind. If not for the devastation scattered across the ground, no one would have known that a hair-raising assassination attempt had just taken place.

The Chancellor trembled all over, struggling to maintain a scholar's dignity and keep himself from collapsing into the snow. "C-can I open my eyes now?"

Dark Seven swept his gaze around and said, "You can, if you aren't afraid of vomiting or having nightmares."

The Chancellor immediately squeezed his eyes shut even tighter.

Then forget it.

Xiao Hanye had dispatched several hidden guards to watch Shen Tingjue long ago. On one hand, it was for his safety; on the other, it allowed Xiao Hanye to keep track of his movements at any time.

The moment the assassins appeared, a hidden guard hurried to the East Palace to report it. By the time Xiao Hanye arrived, the battle had already subsided. Seeing Shen Tingjue standing upright and unharmed, he could not help but let out a breath of relief.

The Imperial Guard Bureau officers knelt across the ground and saluted the Crown Prince.

Yuchi Sheng raised a hand and waved it before his nose. "The smell of blood is quite strong. Lin... cough, cough, was the young marquis injured?"

Shen Tingjue slowly turned his head. His robes fluttered, his hair slightly disheveled, and flecks of blood stained his cheeks. The scarlet killing intent in his eyes had yet to fully fade. He resembled a cold blade quenched in blood, his aura as a murderous fiend rushing straight at them. He was even more frightening than the standard illustrations in horror storybooks that could stop a child from crying.

Yuchi Sheng halted, not daring to approach any closer. Afraid Shen Tingjue might suddenly go mad and strike him, he quickly retreated behind the Crown Prince, his heart in his throat. "He hasn't gone mad from qi deviation, has he?"

Xiao Hanye's brows drew together sharply.

Everyone held their breath as they watched the Crown Prince walk toward Shen Tingjue.

Then, with a clang, the longsword in Shen Tingjue's hand fell to the ground. The intense killing aura dissipated, and his mind gradually cleared. His eyes reddened as he threw himself into the Crown Prince's arms, weak, pitiful, and helpless. "Sob... I'm so scared."

Xiao Hanye: "..."

Everyone else's expressions twisted.

Brother, were you serious?

The ones who should be scared were them.

Did he know how terrifying he had just been?

Hearing his son say he was afraid, the Chancellor's heart tightened. Like a blind man, he reached around in the air. "Where's Xiao Jue? Where are you? Don't be afraid, don't be afraid. Come to Father's side."

Everyone looked at him.

His son was in the Crown Prince's arms.

The Chancellor's Residence guard coughed and moved close to the Chancellor, supporting him with both hands. In a low voice, he said, "His Highness has arrived."

The Chancellor's beard quivered. So what if he has? He must have rushed over just to mock this old man for being attacked.

The guard added, "He's holding the young master."

The Chancellor's eyes flew open at once, his gaze turning hostile.

Xiao Hanye met his eyes, then suddenly tightened his hold on the person in his arms and gave him a provocative smile.

What was he looking at? Shen Tingjue had thrown himself into his arms. What else was he supposed to do?

Of course he was holding him.

The Chancellor rolled up his sleeves, his face clearly saying, Let go of me, I'll handle this, as he prepared to snatch his son back. Yet he discovered that his legs were so weak he could not move at all. Catching sight of the blood covering the ground from the corner of his eye, his face instantly turned pale. His stomach churned, and he bent over to dry heave.

The East Palace hidden guards all looked at him, their gazes seeming to say, Now this was awkward, wasn't it?

You were such a frail scholar. Their leader was scared, so naturally the Crown Prince's embrace felt safer.

The young Marquis Shen, who had been so ferocious moments ago and was now equally fragile, nestled in the Crown Prince's arms with the bearing of a sickly beauty, as though he might shatter at any moment. "My legs are weak from fright too. I can't walk. Your Highness, carry me back."

"..."

Xiao Hanye swore upon all the sages' books he had read that Shen Tingjue was definitely pretending.

Did he think Xiao Hanye had not seen how he had killed people just now?