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Join the ServerThe weather had grown somewhat overcast.
Gazing skyward, Su Mu noticed that the once azure expanse was now dotted with dark clouds, their ominous forms obscuring the sun’s brilliant glow.
“It feels like rain,” Su Mu murmured, involuntarily quickening his steps.
Bai Ji trailed obediently behind him, a faint smile gracing her lips. Her hands clutched the neatly packaged black dress tightly, a clear sign of her fondness for Su Mu’s gift.
The two had already re-entered the palace grounds.
As they walked along the familiar flower-lined path, Su Mu finally felt his guard drop completely.
In his mind, he accessed his attribute panel. It seemed the rewards for this particular choice hadn’t materialized yet. ‘Strange,’ he mused. ‘Could it be that they only settle once I’ve fully returned to my chambers?’
“Your Highness, be careful. Something is amiss.”
As Su Mu pondered, a sudden, chilling warning echoed in his ear, startling his consciousness back from its immersion in his thoughts.
“What is it, A’Bai?”
Bai Ji gripped Su Mu’s hand, her brows furrowed in a grave, tense expression.
Witnessing Bai Ji’s demeanor, a flicker of panic stirred within Su Mu. ‘Damn system, don’t tell me you’re messing with me again, trying to get me killed?’
He nervously scanned their surroundings, yet found nothing out of the ordinary.
Bai Ji offered no reply. She retreated a few steps, shielding Su Mu behind her, a crimson aura flaring around her body, poised for immediate action.
Suddenly, a shuriken shot out from behind a large tree.
The speed was astonishing. By the time Su Mu registered it, he could only perceive a fleeting afterimage right before his eyes.
But Bai Ji’s reaction was even swifter.
She drew the sword at her hip, positioning it defensively in front of Su Mu.
“Clang!”
A crisp sound of metal clashing rang out.
The longsword successfully parried the pure black shuriken, yet a hairline crack appeared on its blade.
Then, another shuriken, seemingly from nowhere, shot out from some hidden crevice.
Bai Ji subtly twisted her wrist, blocking it once more.
This time, however, the ringing sound was exceptionally sharp.
The longsword’s blade twisted backward, its crack widening until the taut steel snapped abruptly under the immense impact of the shuriken.
The shattered blade flew off, grazing past Su Mu’s face.
Hearing the whooshing sound of it cutting through the air, Su Mu stiffly turned his neck to look at the sword tip embedded in the tree trunk, sucking in a cold breath, his heart pounding with lingering fear.
Bai Ji’s expression turned grim, almost terrifying.
Her only weapon, her cherished sword, was now useless.
Should the hidden enemy hurl another shuriken of such formidable power, they would be completely defenseless.
Bai Ji steeled herself, ready to block the next attack with her own body if necessary.
However, to their surprise, the assailant did not use another hidden weapon. Instead, they stepped out directly, revealing themselves.
There were five individuals, all cloaked in black masks and tight-fitting attire, resembling ninjas.
Su Mu gazed at them, confused, still wondering who might be trying to kill him this time.
Bai Ji’s face darkened. She spoke in a cold voice, “They are the First Prince’s personal guards.”
“The First Prince’s people?”
Su Mu frowned. Could the First Prince truly wish him dead?
Naturally, a dramatic tale of royal power struggles played out in Su Mu’s mind.
Yet, he found it rather peculiar.
Logically speaking, his original self was such an incompetent, powerless, and witless waste that everyone in the capital knew the First Prince’s ascension to the throne was practically set in stone.
If anyone were to plot for power, it should be him contemplating assassinating the First Prince, not the other way around.
Why would his aloof brother go to such lengths to kill him? Su Mu couldn’t fathom it, but the immediate reality left no room for further deliberation.
The five black-clad figures held sharp blades, their bodies exuding a dark battle aura, somewhat akin to the crimson flames emanating from Bai Ji.
They clearly weren’t ordinary opponents.
Bai Ji stood firm, wielding her broken sword, utterly fearless, quietly awaiting her enemies’ first move.
The First Prince’s personal guards were renowned in the capital. Each possessed cultivation no weaker than a Sword King, along with unique coordinated killing formations, making their strength not to be underestimated.
Even as a Sword Saint, Bai Ji dared not act recklessly, especially now that she was disarmed. At this moment, she could only wait for their move and counter accordingly.
Su Mu obediently retreated further, trying his best not to interfere with Bai Ji.
The five black-clad figures encircled them in a V-formation, maintaining a safe distance from Bai Ji, effectively trapping her in the center.
They appeared resolved to annihilate their surrounded target at any cost.
This formation left Su Mu utterly bewildered. ‘Wait, guys, are you here to kill Bai Ji or me?’
‘I’m the main target, shivering right under your noses, yet you seem to ignore me completely and swarm my attendant instead?’
Su Mu scanned their surroundings but saw no other guards. ‘What exactly is their intention?’
Bai Ji, however, breathed a sigh of relief.
If these people had split up to assassinate the Prince, she wasn’t certain she could protect him.
But since they had all come to surround her, she could now fight without restraint.
Bai Ji took a deep breath, and the red aura around her surged with unparalleled fighting spirit.
Su Mu, having found a safe spot far away, settled in to enjoy the visually spectacular battle.
Watching the figures leap and twirl, swords clashing with sparks flying, Su Mu couldn’t help but click his tongue.
‘Good heavens, even special effects aren’t this explosive!’ He felt a surge of excitement.
Su Mu had no intention of quietly escaping.
If these assassins truly wanted him dead, he wouldn’t be able to escape anyway.
He might as well stay here, observe the situation, and await the outcome of this assassination.
If Bai Ji died, he wouldn’t survive.
If Bai Ji lived, he still held a sliver of hope.
Su Mu intently observed the tide of the battle.
Initially, Bai Ji seemed to hold a slight advantage, fighting one against five with a broken blade, engaging them back and forth, even suppressing her enemies.
However, once the five black-clad personal guards recovered, they quickly formed a battle array. The black mist around them immediately surged, greatly enhancing their power.
Under these circumstances, their strength and speed increased exponentially.
Bai Ji was instantly put on the defensive, struggling immensely. Several times, attacks from the guards merely grazed her body, tearing her clothes, as she narrowly evaded them.
The sight made Su Mu break out in a cold sweat. ‘Could even someone as strong as Bai Ji be defeated under their combined assault?’
Just as Su Mu worried for her, Bai Ji suddenly let out a furious roar and plunged her broken sword into her own chest.
Dense streams of blood immediately gushed from her body. Then, Bai Ji vanished from her spot, leaving only a faint afterimage.
“Bang—”
A dull thud.
One of the guards flew backward, a deep fist-print on his chest, almost piercing through his body.
He instantly lost all signs of life.
Su Mu stared, dumbfounded, subconsciously swallowing. ‘Good heavens, is she going berserk?’
‘She’s too fierce.’
Bai Ji moved like a wraith, circling the remaining guards, waiting for an opportunity.
The four remaining guards did not panic at this sudden turn of events. They quickly stood back-to-back, fully focused on defending themselves from all directions.
In this situation, Bai Ji found it difficult to strike, but she couldn’t wait. The power unleashed by stimulating her Sword Heart wouldn’t last much longer; she had to finish this quickly.
Her figure flickered past the guards, delivering a punch within the extremely brief flash. However, that instant was still caught by the four guards.
The moment Bai Ji’s fist plunged into one guard’s chest, he reacted instantly, grabbing her hand to delay her retraction.
Simultaneously, the other three moved like snakes, swarming forward.
Each sharp blade aimed at Bai Ji’s vital points, leaving her nowhere to dodge.
“Ssssh—”
The sound of blades piercing flesh, of blood spurting.
Bai Ji endured the pain, mustering her last reserves of strength. She seized the blade from the person impeding her and, in her final moments, unleashed her unique and exquisite sword skill:
“Butterfly Dance—”
As Bai Ji’s body spun, the blade in her hand moved like a butterfly flitting through flowers, slicing across the necks of the other three guards, leaving thin lines of blood.
The heads of the three fell, and Bai Ji, having expended her last ounce of strength, collapsed to the ground.
Su Mu watched, dumbfounded.
He had never imagined that this battle would conclude with such a tragic end.
Had he survived?
It seemed he had.
But Bai Ji was barely clinging to life, on the verge of death.
Su Mu rushed over and cradled the limp Bai Ji in his arms.
“A’Bai…”
Bai Ji’s clothes were tattered, and her body was drenched in blood.
“Your Highness…”
Blood trickled from the corners of Bai Ji’s faintly upturned lips.
“A’Bai, I’ll take you to the Holy Healing Sanctuary immediately!”
Su Mu reacted, moving as if to carry Bai Ji on his back.
Bai Ji pressed down on Su Mu’s hand, her voice uncharacteristically gentle: “No need, Your Highness. It’s beyond saving.”
Su Mu silently gazed at Bai Ji.
If Bai Ji herself said so, then it truly was beyond saving.
For some reason, at this moment, his heart was as calm as a clear spring, utterly undisturbed.
He looked at Bai Ji with a serene expression, awaiting her final words.
“Your Highness, may I ask one thing?”
Bai Ji’s voice was faint, yet her beautiful eyes grew increasingly bright.
“Speak.”
“Can you kiss me?”
Su Mu froze for a moment, gazing at Bai Ji’s pale but still beautiful face. He sighed inwardly, then unhesitatingly lowered his head and kissed her.
Bai Ji smiled blissfully, greedily savoring the kiss from her Prince.
A trace of blood was transferred from Bai Ji into Su Mu’s mouth.
Feeling the faint metallic taste, Su Mu did not recoil, still fulfilling Bai Ji’s final wish.
Bai Ji suddenly found a last burst of strength, reaching out to embrace Su Mu.
Su Mu felt a sharp pain on his lips.
His lip seemed to have been bitten by Bai Ji.
He suddenly widened his eyes, then resolutely pulled away from Bai Ji.
He looked down, only to see a sharp blade piercing through his chest.
Feeling the excruciating pain in his chest and the burning sensation from blood loss, Su Mu’s expression contorted with anger and bewilderment: “Wh-why?”
He could never have imagined that a situation he thought was a sure path to survival would ultimately end with him dying at the hands of his own person.
Bai Ji narrowed her eyes, greedily savoring the taste of Su Mu’s blood in her mouth.
“Your Highness, I love you, so I would never leave you to anyone else. Come with me to hell, Your Highness. I love you, I love you…”
With immense anger and resentment, Su Mu stared fixedly at the deranged Bai Ji, his vision gradually blurring. His body lost all life and vitality, finally collapsing onto Bai Ji’s.
He had forgotten, this woman, she was a madwoman…
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