Zhu Wuyang Takes the Blade

Zhu Wuyang had searched the surrounding area for most of the day, but there was still no sign of Di Qingyu.

Nearly a quarter of an hour had passed. Frowning, he flew up into a large tree again and watched the crowd from above for a long while, but he truly could not catch so much as a glimpse of Di Qingyu.

The bad feeling in his heart grew stronger. With a push of his foot, he used his qinggong to fly down from the tree, preparing to return to the porridge shed for help.

"Guard Zhu! Guard Zhu!" A woman's anxious voice suddenly reached his ears.

Zhu Wuyang looked toward the voice and saw Chunzhi hurrying over, her face pale.

"Guard Zhu, something terrible has happened! I heard that people have surrounded Mistress behind the Misty Rain House over there. Please hurry and take a look."

Zhu Wuyang's face darkened. "How did she end up at a brothel?"

The Misty Rain House was a brothel.

The situation was urgent, so he gave Chunzhi a direct order. "Hurry back and bring the other guards over first. I'll go there now."

"Ah, yes!"

Zhu Wuyang reached the vicinity of the Misty Rain House first, but he saw no sign of that familiar figure in white. He went straight to a nearby stallholder.

"Have you seen a young woman in a white dress, wearing a white veil?" He put down an ingot of silver.

"I have, I have! She was just here. Oh, right, a man who claimed to be the son of the minister of punishments was pestering her. The young woman left afterward, and those people seemed to follow her."

The stallholder's eyes lit up at once. He hurriedly accepted the silver, nodded, and pointed the way for him.

"Oh, she went that way." The young woman was so beautiful that anyone who had seen her would never forget her.

"Thank you."

At those words, Zhu Wuyang's gaze turned cold, and he immediately hurried in the direction the man had indicated. The son of the minister of punishments-how had they come to be entangled with each other?

When he reached a corner, the hilt of the sword in his hand shifted, and cold light flashed. Zhu Wuyang drew his sword and walked softly into the alley, his gaze sharp and his ears straining for sounds.

The farther in he went, the fewer people there were, and the lights faded into the dim corners.

"Get away! Don't touch me with your dirty hands! I'm a princess of the reigning dynasty. How many heads do you have for my imperial father to chop off? So what if your father is the minister of punishments? If you dare touch me, my imperial father won't spare any of you!"

All at once, a faint, cold rebuke reached him.

Zhu Wuyang's taut expression finally shifted. He immediately flew toward the sound, and as soon as he entered, he heard a scream.

"Ah!!"

"Brother Du!"

As soon as Zhu Wuyang got a clear look at the scene before him, his eyes darkened. Di Qingyu's veil had fallen to the ground, and her clothes were torn in several places. Fortunately, she was dressed warmly, so little of her skin was exposed.

"You think you're worthy..." came a barely audible murmur.

The next moment, Di Qingyu's gaze sharpened. She pulled out a hairpin and plunged it into Du Yutao's left eye, forcibly blinding it. Scarlet blood spurted out, and he howled in agony.

"Ah, you bitch! I want you dead!"

Du Yutao flew into a rage. His head was already muddled from drink, and his gaze grew even more vicious and icy. Covering his eye with one hand, he took the dagger hidden at his waist with the other and moved to stab Di Qingyu.

Seeing this, Zhu Wuyang gave it no further thought and charged straight at Du Yutao with his sword.

Clang!

Quick-eyed and quick-handed, he brought his sword in front of the dagger stabbing toward Di Qingyu. With a flick of his wrist, he sent the dagger flying.

"Making improper advances on Her Highness is a crime punishable by death!"

Zhu Wuyang's crimson-purple brocade robe fluttered in the cold wind. The young man's ink-black hair, bound by a jade crown, flew about him. With swordlike brows, starry eyes, and a sharp, resolute gaze, he stood directly in front of Di Qingyu, sword in hand, his unruly face showing ruthless decisiveness.

His tall, slender figure completely shielded Di Qingyu behind him, casting a shadow and blocking every danger.

"Zhu Wuyang..."

Behind him, Di Qingyu clutched her clothes, looking utterly fragile. She raised her eyes slightly to the figure before her, her gaze trembling with helplessness, her voice pleasantly surprised.

But no one could see the chilling curve of the bloodstained princess's lips.

Seeing that Zhu Wuyang was highly skilled in martial arts, the other young masters suddenly felt that things were going badly and hurried to persuade Du Yutao.

"Brother Du, go get treatment first. We shouldn't stay here now!"

"That's right. We'll take you to a physician at once. Your eye comes first!"

Having seen Zhu Wuyang's extraordinary skills, they had begun to half-believe Di Qingyu's claim about her identity. Besides, Du Yutao was already in this state, and they did not want to get the stink on themselves.

"Get away! I don't care who she is today! She's dying right here!"

But Du Yutao's eye was in excruciating pain, the kind that clawed at his heart and lungs. His whole body was wild with agitation, his pupil scarlet. Like an enraged beast, he cared for nothing else and slapped the friend trying to persuade him.

Smack!

"You two, get him! If you can't catch her, don't bother living either!" Du Yutao glared viciously at the two attendants beside him. His father had left them to him, and their martial arts were excellent.

Though the two attendants were worried, they could only obey.

"Yes, young master!"

The two steeled themselves, drew their swords, and began fighting Zhu Wuyang, who kept Di Qingyu protected behind him all the while.

Seeing that Du Yutao was stubbornly beyond reason, the young masters felt a chill in their hearts and no longer wanted to concern themselves with him. They exchanged glances and withdrew to the side to watch the fight first.

"You're courting death."

Zhu Wuyang had spent years tempering himself beyond the frontier, and his martial arts were beyond those of ordinary people. The two attendants soon fell into a disadvantage, and he was just about to subdue them when, unexpectedly-

Pfft!

Di Qingyu, who had been fine behind him, suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood for no apparent reason and collapsed unconscious in the corner. Her white dress was soaked with dark red blood, a horrifying sight.

"Watch out!"

Zhu Wuyang spared her a glance, and in that instant, his attention wavered.

Taking advantage of Di Qingyu's apparent loss of consciousness, Du Yutao went around Zhu Wuyang with the dagger from before and moved to stab her in the face.

"Bitch! Die!"

Zhu Wuyang noticed that something was wrong with Du Yutao's condition: he had fallen into a frenzy.

But his body moved faster than his mind. Ignoring the two attendants fighting him, he flew straight over and threw himself in front of Di Qingyu.

Puchi!

The blade went in white and came out red.

Di Qingyu, her eyes already closed, naturally did not see the young man take the blade for her. It stabbed directly into his back.

"Mm..."

Zhu Wuyang grunted, a sharp pain searing through his back. He raised his eyes and saw Di Qingyu's pale, bloodstained face, but he had no time to worry about himself. He swiftly turned sideways, raised a foot, and kicked hard behind him.

"Ah!"

Du Yutao was sent flying by the sudden kick.

"Young master!"

While the two attendants checked Du Yutao's injuries, Zhu Wuyang bent down and scooped Di Qingyu up. He leaped onto the surrounding wall as fast as he could, then moved lightly along it, hurrying toward the porridge shed.

The blood on the two of them drew the attention of the people watching the lanterns nearby.

"Ah, there are people up there! There's blood on them!"

"What happened? Are there criminals?!"

"Quick, report it and have the constables come!"

Seeing more and more people watching, Zhu Wuyang pulled off his outer robe and covered Di Qingyu's face with it, so that no one would see her and damage her reputation.

He looked back and saw that no one was following. He then jumped onto a shed and landed on the ground with Di Qingyu in his arms, disappearing into the crowd and leaving quickly.