Chapter 155: Reinforcements Have Arrived

Shen Shucheng grew equally anxious. A significant number of the Imperial Guards had entered the mountain to search during the night, yet very few had returned. The uniform excuse given was that the search was still ongoing, but what if all those who failed to return were...

This consequence caused Shen Shucheng to shudder. To achieve this level of execution indicated that the person targeting the Emperor possessed a much greater sphere of influence than even the Shen family!

Such a hidden danger was the last thing Shen Shucheng wanted to see.

Continuing onward, they soon discovered several more Imperial Guards. Having learned from their previous experience, upon capturing them, they immediately extracted the poison sacs from the men's mouths. Although a few still managed to swallow the poison and commit suicide before they could be stopped, they finally managed to capture six or seven alive!

"Speak! Where are the Emperor and the Consort?" Prince Ping demanded.

Yet the captives clenched their teeth tightly and refused to utter a word!

For such situations, the Imperial Guards had their own set of methods. After the men suffered a bit, one of them finally broke: "...We don't know..."

"You don't know?" Prince Ping frowned, narrowing his eyes. "Do you take this Prince for a fool?"

"We really don't know..." The Imperial Guardsman shook his head, speaking with his dying breath. "We were only responsible for guarding this area. As for the pursuit and assassination, it was handled by an organization from the pugilistic world. No reports have come from their side, which means they haven't found the Emperor and Consort Xian yet..."

Shen Shucheng's expression shifted drastically. "An assassination organization from the martial arts world has actually infiltrated this place unnoticed?"

"Yes... We let them in..." The man confessed honestly, spilling everything. "Our master said that Consort Xian has a playful nature and would certainly run off to amuse herself, telling us to follow them. Once they got far enough away, we were to strike..."

"It's just... we didn't expect the Emperor to accompany her... According to our master's intent... both were to be eliminated together..."

Shen Shucheng was stunned. Was this entire plot actually aimed at Shen Fuyu? The Emperor was merely a collateral target?

"Who is your master?" Prince Ping continued to question.

The man, however, refused to speak further. Seeing this, Shen Shucheng quickly said, "My Lord, it would be better to have someone lock them up for now. Finding the Emperor and the Consort is far more urgent!"

Thinking this made sense, Prince Ping had the captives bound before proceeding further. Qin Shitong's lead proved remarkably accurate, guiding them straight to the edge of a cliff.

"There is actually a sheer cliff here." Shen Shucheng was slightly startled.

"Woof!" Qin Shitong bit at the hem of Shen Shucheng's trousers, signaling him toward a stone path leading downward. *Mistress was right, this grandfather's brain doesn't work well! Big Brother is leading the way, hurry up and walk! Only after doing a good job can I hope to find a wife!*

Upon reaching this spot, the group had no choice but to dismount. However, since this meant descending a precipitous cliff, Prince Ping considered the situation and dispatched around a hundred men to follow him down.

Not long after descending, the Imperial Guards encountered assassins roaming about in all directions!

A few flustered Imperial Guards ran back to report: "My Lord! Official! Down below is swarming with assassins from the pugilistic world! There must be well over several dozen of them!"

Assassins, whose profession involved licking blood from their blades, were inherently a group of desperate men. Although the Imperial Guards possessed formidable martial arts skills, their movements were clearly not as ruthless and efficient as those of these killers!

"Hurry! You squads go down as well!" Hearing this, Prince Ping felt a rising sense of dread, though he still kept a reserve of Imperial Guards for personal protection. "Capture a few alive and interrogate them for the Emperor's whereabouts!"

"Stop sleeping."

Inside the spatial realm, Qin Shitong shook Shen Fuyu awake and pointed outward. "People are here."

"Mhm..." Shen Fuyu, who had only been dozing for a short while, rubbed her eyes, sat up, and let out a yawn. Seeing the Imperial Guards fighting fiercely with the assassins outside, she instantly peroused. "Wait, wait! We can't go out just yet!"

"Why?" Qin Shitong frowned.

"You probably forgot that all your injuries have already healed." Shen Fuyu glanced at him. "We've only spent one night in the mountain, not half a month. What kind of injuries can heal this fast?"

The two of them had jumped off a cliff. What miracle could allow both to emerge completely unscathed?

Moreover, they still needed to put on an act, prioritizing the concealment of the absurd fact that jumping off a cliff could somehow preserve an unborn child.

Thinking this was reasonable, Qin Shitong pulled down his trousers and said, "Do it."

After all, it was just a matter of recovering for a few months.

"...Your concubine has medicine here."

Shen Fuyu glanced at Qin Shitong's leg, then looked at the medicine in her hand. "There's no need to actually beat yourself up, but can I pluck a couple of hairs from your leg, Your Majesty?"

Qin Shitong: ...

"Is that a no?" Shen Fuyu asked with utmost sincerity.

Her hands were itching!

"No!" Qin Shitong pulled his trousers right back up!

What kind of person was she? First she plucked his hair, and now she wouldn't even spare his leg hair? It wasn't like the pain was on her body, was it?

She was going to infuriate him to death!

After taking Shen Fuyu's medicine, several places on his body instantly swelled up as if severely sprained, looking frighteningly red and swollen. Seeing this, Shen Fuyu reached out and scratched Qin Shitong a few times with her nails, instantly leaving several bloody trails!

"Hiss!" Qin Shitong looked at the oozing scratches. This woman played far too ruthlessly!

Shen Fuyu didn't spare herself either, scratching a few marks onto her own skin so they truly looked like victims who had tumbled down a cliff.

With everything in readiness, the two finally escaped the bitter sea of eating only peaches.

Qin Shitong practically looked incapable of walking and needed support. The medicine's efficacy was truly domineering; the entirety of his body's weight now had to rest upon Shen Fuyu.

The two landed and emerged from the cave. Out of the hundred-plus assassins, only a dozen or so remained, surrounding the area as they were cut down by the Imperial Guards. At that opportune moment, sounds echoed from within the cave, and Shen Fuyu and Qin Shitong walked out alive.

Seeing this, the assassin leader lunged forward, intending to seize a hostage to save his own life!

"Protect the Emperor!" The Imperial Guards rushed toward them as well!

Shen Fuyu tossed Qin Shitong aside, raised her leg, and kicked the assassin leader squarely in the chest, sending him flying several meters away.

The assassin leader was dumbfounded.

The assassins were stupefied.

The Imperial Guards were stunned.

Qin Shitong was enraged.

"What are you standing around for? Capture them!" Shen Fuyu slapped the nearest Imperial Guardsman right on the head. "Do you expect this Consort to do it herself?"

That single slap shocked the entire group of Imperial Guards back to their senses, and they swarmed forward to capture the remaining assassins alive!

Seeing that their plot was exposed, the assassins frantically bit down on the poison sacs hidden in their teeth to commit suicide. Shen Fuyu darted forward and delivered resounding slaps across the faces of several assassins, forcefully interrupting their suicide attempts!

"A pack of good-for-nothings. With almost everyone dead, how are we supposed to investigate?" Shen Fuyu glared at the thoroughly dead assassins on the ground, then at the few who were forced to stay alive thanks to the slaps she had administered, feeling utter contempt from the bottom of her heart. "The Emperor and I suffered such great grievances here, the moment you see them trying to take poison and kill themselves you should move fast—otherwise how are we supposed to find evidence?"

"Useless trash. You've finished dealing with them, yet no one even helps the Emperor up? Is Great Xun raising a bunch of pigs? Pigs can at least litter, what are you good for?"

The Imperial Guards were scolded into speechless silence, each lowering their heads without daring to utter a single sound.

Shen Fuyu's movements had been so blindingly fast that they could barely trace them. Such a formidable character was someone they could not afford to cross in any aspect!

Qin Shitong had been left abandoned on the ground for a long time before someone finally came forward to help him up.

If she wanted to fight, she should just go fight! Did she really have to toss him onto the ground like that?

Now his fake injuries were thoroughly mixed with real ones.