The silver moonlight spread all over the bluestone street.
The disturbance had subsided, leaving only a saboteur in black standing in front of the bookstore, and not far away was a circular depression.
The silver moonlight covered the bluestone street, with only a saboteur in black and the circular depression not far away remaining.
The sudden encounter actually lasted for a very short time, adding up to no more than a dozen breaths in total.
It was only at this moment that some lights came on in the distant academy, and many figures walked out of the houses to check.
Yejingtang maintained the posture of being ready to draw his saber at any moment. It was only when there was no movement on the street at all that his sharp eyes converged.
Looking down, there was a circular hole poked in the robe at the heart position, revealing the golden pages inside. Moving the "Dragon and Elephant Diagram" aside, through the hole in the clothes, one could see that the pectoral muscle had been broken and skinned, with blood beads and bruises.
Blood Bodhi had misjudged the situation and suffered a loss, but he was indeed an old grandmaster in the martial world. The force contained in his swift and fierce strike was definitely not light.
The Minglong Diagram blocked the stab, and the force was evenly distributed to half of the left chest. It was still like being punched hard in the chest. The injury was not serious, but it really wasn't comfortable.
Dongfang Liren poked her head out from behind the counter and came to the door of the bookstore to take a look:
"Yejingtang, come in quickly. Are you injured?"
Yejingtang patted his chest, sat on the threshold, and casually raised his hand:
"I'm fine. Your Highness doesn't need to be afraid. The assassin has been dealt with by me..."
"Who's afraid?"
Dongfang Liren seemed to have forgotten the thing about hiding behind Yejingtang just now. She squatted halfway beside Yejingtang and tilted her head to check.
Because the jade hairpin on her head had been broken, her long hair like flowing water was scattered down. Her originally heroic appearance fully revealed her feminine charm. She was still wearing a form-fitting python robe, but there was no longer the solemn aura of a prince. She was more like a noble princess with bright red lips.
Finding that there was a hole in Yejingtang's chest robe and there was a dark bruise inside, Dongfang Liren raised her hand to tear his clothes.
Yejingtang quickly pressed his collar: "No need, no need. I'm really okay!"
Dongfang Liren was timid when encountering the assassin because as the target of the assassination, she had to focus on self-protection to avoid causing trouble for the guards.
But in front of Yejingtang, the imposing manner of the princess naturally returned, and her eyes narrowed slightly:
"Hmm?"
Facing the overbearing princess, Yejingtang was a bit helpless. He opened his collar himself, revealing half of his chest and shoulder:
"I'm really okay. It's just a minor injury."
Dongfang Liren saw Yejingtang's strong pectoral muscles and shoulders, and her eyes showed a slight difference as she carefully examined the injury.
"How did you get injured? Why does it feel like you were injured by a blunt weapon through a chest protector?"
"I didn't see clearly. It might be a unique hidden weapon."
Yejingtang casually explained and changed the topic:
"Who exactly are the Green Bandits?"
Dongfang Liren thought there was something wrong with the injury mark, but she didn't delve into it further. Her slender fingers pressed Yejingtang's chest and under his ribs to determine if there were any fractures:
"His Majesty ascended the throne as a woman, and there are more than a few people in the court and the public who have objections. Assassins enter the capital every now and then to assassinate His Majesty's die-hard loyalists and relatives. Most of the assassins, like Blood Bodhi, are fierce bandits in the green forest, so they are collectively called 'Green Bandits'. As for who is behind the scenes and whether they are from the same force, it hasn't been investigated clearly yet."
Yejingtang felt really strange about the princess touching his chest, and it wasn't appropriate to push her away. So he just regarded it as not being shy about seeking medical treatment and asked:
"Could it be the Pingtian Sect?"
"The Pingtian Sect is just a martial arts force. They hold on to a small mountain stronghold and wish that the court wouldn't notice them. They don't have such powerful means. In my opinion, behind the Green Bandits can only be feudal princes, aristocratic families, or the court of Beiliang."
Dongfang Liren talked for a while and suddenly remembered something. She scrutinized Yejingtang:
"Why do you know the Tianhe Saber Technique?"
Yejingtang was puzzled: "Your Highness asked me to learn the saber technique from Chou Tianhe. Is it strange that I know it?"
"You've only been learning it for a few days, and you can use it to deal with Blood Bodhi?"
"If I can't learn it in four or five days, what's the use of learning the saber?"
?!
Dongfang Liren detected the "contempt" in his words, and her eyes turned slightly cold:
"You mean I'm not worthy of using the saber?"
Hmm, you're simply wasting my saber...
That's what Yejingtang thought, but he didn't say it directly:
"Of course not. Your Highness actually learns very quickly. Among the young saboteurs I know, you are at least in the top two."
Upon hearing this compliment, a flash of surprise appeared in Dongfang Liren's eyes:
"Really?"
The only saboteur of the same generation that Yejingtang knew was Xiaoyunli.
According to his estimation, Dongfang Benben might not necessarily be more powerful than Xiaoyunli, but she was indeed in the top two. So he nodded sincerely:
"How could I joke with Your Highness?"
Flattered by Yejingtang's compliment, Dongfang Liren was clearly delighted. She carefully examined Yejingtang's chest bones and muscles:
"It seems you have some judgment, but you lack experience. The opportunity to assassinate me is fleeting. How could the Green Bandits leave people hidden in the dark? When you retreated just now, you missed a great opportunity."
Yejingtang naturally knew that he should have continued to strike at that time, but he needed a saber to do so. He only figured out the third move in the afternoon. What kind of consecutive moves could he use?
"The 'White Slash' I created myself. Currently, I can only use three moves. After using two moves, there are no follow-up moves. If I continue to strike, my true abilities will be revealed, so I retreated and pretended. If I encounter Blood Bodhi next time, he will surely die."
Dongfang Liren was taken aback and felt something was wrong:
"Didn't you only know one move of the White Slash?"
"I figured out the second move when I caught the Wingless Owl a couple of days ago. This afternoon, while waiting for Your Highness, it took too long and I was a bit bored, so I came up with another move..."
(⊙‿⊙)??
Are you even making sense?
In the time it took me to take a bath and put on makeup, you casually figured out such a powerful saber move?
Are you kidding me?
Dongfang Liren stared with an indescribable expression.
Through the reactions of several grandmasters, Yejingtang had already determined that he was a little smarter than ordinary martial artists.
Seeing that the princess was feeling frustrated, he softly comforted her:
"I'm learning quickly now because I've been practicing the saber since I was a child. I have enough accumulation and am reaping the benefits. When my past accumulation is exhausted, I should be about the same as an ordinary person..."
"..."
Dongfang Liren didn't know what to say, so she simply remained silent, buried herself in her thoughts, and carefully examined the injury.
After confirming that Yejingtang didn't have any fractures or internal bleeding, Dongfang Liren let out a sigh of relief. She raised her hands and lifted the long hair scattered over her shoulders.
Yejingtang originally thought that the princess was going to tie her hair, but after taking a closer look— Dongfang Liren wound her hands behind her head, untied the golden necklace, and pulled it out along the collar.
But the pendant seemed to be caught by something. She even moved the soft mass under the chubby-headed dragon through the python robe...
?!
Yejingtang quickly turned his head away and looked straight ahead.
Dongfang Liren's expression remained normal. She pulled out a small gourd from the collar.
The small gourd was made of pure gold and was about the size of a finger belly. After unscrewing it, there was a red medicinal pill inside.
The medicine that the princess carried around her neck was undoubtedly a miraculous medicine that could save one's life. Presumably, there was one less pill every time one was taken.
Yejingtang quickly raised his hand: "There's no need for Your Highness to go to such expense. I have medicine for my injury..."
Dongfang Liren's expression was rather serious. She pinched the vermilion pill and commanded in a regal tone:
"Just take it when I tell you to. Would I harm you? Open your mouth!"
Yejingtang didn't want to waste it, but Dongfang Benben was quite overbearing and tried to force it into his mouth by pinching his chin. So he had to raise his hand to take it and throw it into his mouth.
The pill melted as soon as it entered his mouth, and it also had a warm, milky taste. The texture was really hard to describe.
While they were talking, there was a sound in the sky. Niaoniao flew back from the riverside, landed in front of the door, and flapped its small wings and gestured:
"Jiji ji..."
"Blood Bodhi is very alert. He knew there was a bird scouting in the sky, so he escaped into the water and we lost track of him."
Dongfang Liren had just been wondering where Niaoniao had gone. Seeing this, she was a bit surprised and raised her hand to stroke Niaoniao: "You're quite smart."
Then she stood up and looked around in front of the door, waiting for the guards from the Black Yamen to come.
After Yejingtang took the pill, he found that his chest and abdomen felt as if they were soaked in hot water, and the dull pain disappeared instantly. But the price was that he felt a bit sleepy.
Afraid that he would fall asleep when the medicine took effect and the Minglong Diagram would be discovered, Yejingtang had to wrap the Minglong Diagram in a cloth and give Niaoniao a meaningful look, signaling Niaoniao to take it home when the opportunity arose.
"Your Highness."
"Your Highness..."
...
Soon, a dense and noisy sound came from the riverside.
Dongfang Liren went out the door. Taking the opportunity, Niaoniao grabbed the cloth bag and flew out through the back window. Yejingtang secretly heaved a sigh of relief. No longer trying to resist the drowsiness, he leaned against the bookshelf with his saber in his arms...