Yun Shen had meant to keep his head down as he made his way closer to Wei Zhao. He had not expected his hood to be blown off along the way.
Now, gazing at Feng Chenyi's familiar face, no longer youthful but as upright as ever, Yun Shen felt waves surge through his previously calm heart.
He had thought that by staying away from Feng Chenyi all these years, he could gradually dim those memories of pain and happiness.
Only now did he realize it had all been in vain.
Seeing Feng Chenyi again brought every memory flooding back.
He even felt an urge to speak up and reveal who he was.
He wanted to apologize to Feng Chenyi for his ignorance, unreasonable behavior and cruelty that day...
But in the end, he was too timid. He did not have the courage.
Besides, he had an assassination to carry out today.
He could not let personal feelings interfere with the task at hand.
All these thoughts passed in the space of a moment.
Yun Shen had already looked away and pulled up his hood. He turned around, only to hear Feng Chenyi call from behind him, "Zhang Yunqian!"
Yun Shen's fingers instantly went rigid.
Half a second later, though, he casually settled his cloak back into place and left.
He did not spare Feng Chenyi another glance.
Only his reddened eyes beneath the hood betrayed his emotions.
It had been far too long since anyone had called him by that name.
Zhang Yunqian, son of Zhang Jingming, the minister of revenue at the time, had died on the road to exile.
The person standing here now was merely Young Master Yunshen, a lone soul in the mortal world with lowly status.
Feng Chenyi tightened his grip on the reins.
He did not give chase.
Only a wistful look appeared in his eyes.
The moment Yun Shen's hood fell, Feng Chenyi had seen a crescent-shaped birthmark behind his ear.
He still remembered how, when they were young, he and Yunqian often rode out together, played pitch-pot and practiced archery. When they grew tired, they would lie on the grass outside the city, and he only had to turn his head to see the birthmark behind Yunqian's ear.
Yunqian had said he had been born with it, and that if he ever got lost, Feng Chenyi could use the birthmark to find him.
Back then, less than half a year after Yunqian cut ties with him, news came that the relay station where Yunqian was staying had caught fire and that he had perished in the blaze.
Feng Chenyi had begged his father to take him to identify the body.
When they arrived, he found that the body had been burned beyond recognition. The birthmark was gone, and the boy's face could no longer be made out.
But all signs indicated that Yunqian was dead.
In the fifteen years since, he had been unable to find the slightest trace of him.
The birthmark today was probably just a coincidence...
After all...
If it really were Yunqian, how could he have shown no reaction to him or to that name?
At that thought, Feng Chenyi turned his horse around and rode in the opposite direction from Yun Shen, never looking back.
The sacrificial procession made its grand way through the streets.
The common people rarely had a chance to see the emperor's carriage, and now they could not help craning their necks for a look.
Some children even ran after the procession.
Even with the Patrol Camp soldiers maintaining order, the procession still moved slowly.
Wei Zhao did not mind the pace.
Instead, he opened the carriage window and drew back the curtain, giving the people a chance to gaze upon him.
He had always compared himself to the late emperor, believing that he had governed diligently for the people's benefit over the years and that they must all love and respect him.
But he did not know that his self-satisfied manner was a bitter irony in Yun Shen's eyes.
Seeing Wei Zhao's face again after so many years, Yun Shen still recalled his parents' heads falling at the execution ground, and the blood covering the platform after the rain had washed over it...
He wondered whether, in those fifteen years, Wei Zhao had ever remembered what happened back then, or thought of his parents and family who had died unjustly.
The hand hidden beneath his cloak tightened around the sword hilt at his waist.
Yun Shen's gaze pierced through the carriage window, fixed on Wei Zhao.
His jaw was taut, his eyes full of killing intent.
The next instant, the surrounding people heard a sword being drawn. A gust of wind swept up around them, and a figure leaped forward, stepping on the shoulders and necks of the commoners and soldiers.
He shouted, "Dog emperor, your life is mine!"
The sudden attack shocked everyone around them.
The Imperial Guards following directly behind Wei Zhao's carriage were the first to react.
They wore heavy armor and iron helmets.
Holding spears in one hand and shields in the other, they surrounded Wei Zhao's carriage as quickly as they could.
"What sort of petty thief dares to assassinate His Majesty?!"
With a shout, Zhao Junze drew his saber and spurred his horse toward Yun Shen.
But Yun Shen ignored him, circulating his inner force to its limit and severing the Imperial Guards' spears with one sweep of his sword.
Even when his shoulder was stabbed, he did not stop.
Another slash cut through the carriage shafts. The horses broke free, scattering the Imperial Guards, and the carriage tipped. Wei Zhao, Empress Feng and Noble Consort Shu cried out and nearly slid out of it.
By then, Yun Shen had cut down the carriage door. His gaze fell on Wei Zhao, his eyes blazing with intense hatred and killing intent.
Frightened by his expression, Wei Zhao shouted, "Protect me!!! Someone, protect me!!"
Empress Feng looked stunned.
She had heard of Zhou Ye's plan and knew someone would pretend to assassinate the emperor today to throw the situation into chaos.
But she had not expected the assassin to be so serious.
He had fought his way into the emperor's carriage and was surrounded by heavily armed troops. How was he supposed to escape afterward?
Could this assassin truly have some deep-seated grudge against Wei Zhao?
Outside the carriage, Zhou Ye had not expected the usually calm Yun Shen to go this far either.
But he still reacted as quickly as he could. Before Zhao Junze arrived, he slashed at Yun Shen and shouted, "Your Majesty, Your Highnesses, stand back! I will deal with him!"
The blow was so powerful that it drove Yun Shen back two steps.
Yun Shen stepped backward onto a horse's back and severed the spears the Imperial Guards thrust at him.
He met Zhou Ye's gaze.
Zhou Ye mouthed silently, "Go!!"
Yun Shen finally came to his senses.
After shooting Wei Zhao one last vicious glare, he coordinated with Zhou Ye, fighting as he retreated into the panicked, scattering crowd.
"Where do you think you're going, scoundrel?!" Zhao Junze arrived with the palace guards and moved to surround him.
But the Patrol Camp soldiers Feng Chenyi had brought scattered them all.
Feng Chenyi shouted, "Where is the assassin?" as he charged around recklessly.
The two groups of soldiers crashed into each other, hooves kicking up clouds of dust. Yun Shen had already torn off his clothes and human-skin mask, let down his hair and loosely pinned it up with a wooden hairpin.
Feng Chenyi rode his horse in front of him, concealing him from view.
Looking down, he saw Yun Shen's handsome profile and the crescent-shaped mark behind his ear.
He had never imagined that the assassin would be this man, who had the same birthmark as Yunqian.
Still less had he expected the face beneath the man's human-skin mask to be so stunning.
So stunning that it seemed somehow... familiar.
But no matter how many thoughts were running through his mind, this was no time for the two of them to talk.
"Young master, go quickly."
That was all Feng Chenyi said before leading his men toward Zhao Junze again. "The assassin has charged into our ranks! Nan Yu, surround this area! Don't let anyone escape!"