Attack

The pavilion master held the exquisitely crafted phoenix hairpin in both hands and solemnly presented it, as though offering up a peerless treasure.

"Young master, this 'Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix' is yours! It is worthy of your poem!"

The surrounding crowd erupted in a clamor of discussion.

Envy, jealousy, shock.

Countless gazes, filled with a tangle of emotions, converged on the utterly ordinary guard.

He had actually done it.

With half a poem, he had taken the treasure that was not for sale.

"Young master, the second half... might you honor us with the second half of the poem?" The pavilion master was practically begging, his old face flushed red with longing for a masterpiece that would be passed down through the ages.

"Yes! Tell us the second half!"

"If the first half is so stunning, the lines that follow are sure to be passed down through the ages!"

The onlookers joined in the clamor, craning their necks, their faces full of anticipation.

Chen Fan paid them no heed.

He took the smooth, warm jade hairpin from the pavilion master, turned, and walked up to Li Rong'er.

Under everyone's astonished gazes, he bowed slightly and presented the phoenix hairpin with both hands.

"Your Highness, the item you wanted."

His manner was respectful yet distant, as though the poet who had stunned everyone moments ago had been a fleeting illusion, like a night-blooming flower.

Now, he had become the taciturn guard Lin Shou once more.

The entire Treasure Pavilion fell deathly silent again.

The wealthy young masters and scholars who had been jealous felt their faces burning.

It turned out he had not done it for himself at all.

He had composed the poem only to obtain the hairpin for his mistress.

What loyalty! What talent!

Li Rong'er stared blankly at the shimmering phoenix hairpin before her, then looked at the guard standing before her with his head lowered.

A complex feeling unlike any she had ever known surged within her, a mixture of embarrassment, a flutter of emotion, and a trace of sweetness.

She restrained herself as she reached out and accepted the phoenix hairpin, then nodded slowly and said in a calm voice, "Not bad."

Only the slight flush at the roots of her ears betrayed the turmoil in her heart.

Then the princess consort turned and left, her steps seemingly a little quicker.

Chen Fan silently followed behind, escorting her out of the Treasure Pavilion.

Behind them remained only the pavilion master's sighs as he beat his chest and stamped his feet, and the chatter of the guests throughout the building.

The carriage slowly set off again, joining the flow of people.

Inside, however, the atmosphere was entirely different from the journey there.

The two young maids kept stealing glances through a gap in the curtain at Chen Fan driving outside, chattering among themselves in low voices, their little faces flushed with excitement.

Li Rong'er, meanwhile, simply sat there quietly, stroking the "Phoenix Seeks the Phoenix" in her hand without a word.

She looked now at the phoenix hairpin in her hand, now at the straight-backed figure outside the window, and ripples spread, one after another, through her once-empty heart.

She did not know how much time had passed before she finally could not help speaking softly.

"Clouds brought her robes to mind, flowers her face; spring breezes brushed the railing, and dew lay thick in lustrous grace."

She recited the two lines under her breath, feeling that every word was a pearl, leaving a lingering fragrance on her lips.

"What is the second half?"

Her voice was soft, tinged with an anticipation and tenderness that even she had not noticed.

On the driver's seat, Chen Fan paused.

Should I tell her?

If I don't, it'll seem too deliberate.

Never mind. It's only a poem.

"If not upon a mountain crowned with jade, surely beneath the moon on a jeweled terrace she appeared."

His even voice passed through the curtain and reached the carriage clearly.

Boom!

Li Rong'er's body shuddered violently.

If not upon a mountain crowned with jade, surely beneath the moon on a jeweled terrace she appeared.

If he had not met her on an immortal mountain, then surely he had met her again beneath the moon on a jeweled terrace in an immortal palace.

This was no longer a description of beauty.

It was saying that she belonged among the immortals in the heavens!

How romantic, how... bold!

In an instant, Li Rong'er's cheeks burst into flame, so red they looked ready to drip blood.

At that moment, all sorts of thoughts occurred to her, leaving her mind in a jumble.

She clutched the phoenix hairpin tightly, her heart racing uncontrollably, as though it would leap out of her throat.

In all her twenty-odd years, she had never heard words of love so stirring.

No, these were not words of love.

It was only a guard answering her question.

But why did hearing them throw her heart into greater confusion than any vow of eternal love?

She took a deep breath and forcibly suppressed the flutter in her heart, then asked in as steady a voice as she could manage:

"This poem... am I the only one who knows it?"

"Yes."

Chen Fan's answer was simple and direct.

At that affirmative reply, an indescribable sense of satisfaction and joy welled up in Li Rong'er's heart.

This peerless poem belonged to her alone.

She looked at the figure outside the window. The outline that had once been utterly ordinary now seemed mysterious and full of allure in her eyes.

Just as this warm, intimate atmosphere was quietly taking hold inside the carriage-

Disaster struck without warning!

Bang!

With a tremendous crash, the entire carriage lurched violently, as though a wild bull had slammed into it!

"Ah!"

The two maids inside the carriage let out terrified screams and tumbled about.

The sudden impact sent Li Rong'er falling to one side as well.

Before they could react-

Rip!

A piercing sound of tearing fabric rang out.

A sharp blast of force had torn a huge opening clean through the sturdy wall of the carriage from outside!

A ghostly figure in black, like a hunting falcon, lunged through the opening with lightning speed, carrying a chilling murderous intent!

The target was the princess consort, Li Rong'er, in the middle of the carriage!

"Watch out!"

Chen Fan's shout rang out almost at the same instant!

He had no time to think. The moment the assassin broke through the window, he abandoned the reins, spun around, and flipped from the driver's seat into the carriage, drawing the saber at his waist in a flash!

Clang!

The saber flashed, precisely blocking the assassin's path.

The black-clad assassin clearly had not expected the driver to react so quickly. The short dagger in his hand, gleaming green, collided fiercely with Chen Fan's long saber.

Sparks flew!

A tremendous force traveled through the blade.

Chen Fan felt the web between his thumb and forefinger go numb, and the impact sent his Qi and Blood roiling. He staggered back three steps, his back slamming against the opposite wall of the carriage.

What powerful internal force!

Eighth Rank!

This was definitely an Eighth Rank martial artist!

Chen Fan's heart sank to the bottom of the valley.

His current body was only Ninth Grade.

With a whole major realm between them, he was no match at all!

Though the assassin's first strike had been blocked, his attack did not pause in the slightest. With a flick of his wrist, the short dagger traced a strange arc around Chen Fan's blade and stabbed once more at Li Rong'er behind him.

His techniques were vicious and cunning, every strike deadly!