Chapter 187: Night has Fallen

“There’s an assassin!”

After shouting, the two guards drew their swords and attacked Meng Qi from different directions. As personal guards, if the emperor was assassinated, they had to show their loyalty through desperate efforts to possibly avoid execution afterward.

Meng Qi’s meridians were nearly at their limit. If not for the Golden Bell Shield and the Eight Trigrams Primordial Art, both foundational techniques that strengthened his physical body and expanded his meridians to be exceptionally wide and robust, he would have exploded from the pressure long ago. After all, he couldn’t compare to the Evil Monarch, who had opened nine orifices and three treasures, nor could he match the emperor’s first coma, when the Right Chancellor, a Grandmaster, had suppressed and isolated the crisis. Meng Qi had to rely entirely on himself.

His skin showed signs of bulging, with faint glimpses of dark gold and qi moving like little mice beneath it. His breathing was heavy and scorching, as if trying to expel the internal pressure.

Meng Qi’s Ice Palace Sword slowly swung forward, not fast, but with a whistling sound. Because his qi was too abundant and uncontrollable, every movement released sword winds and palm winds no weaker than those of a master with seven or eight opened orifices, even showing signs of qi projection outside his body.

Though the sword moved slowly, like a heavy iron rod, its wind swept one guard sideways before the blade even arrived, slamming him into a pillar and shaking the house, already weakened from the clash between Meng Qi’s Evil Monarch and the heavenly thunder.

However, Meng Qi’s movements were too slow. After sweeping away the guard in front, he had no strength to change tactics. Helplessly, he watched as the other guard raised his blade and slashed downward.

Meng Qi barely turned his head, letting the blade strike his shoulder and neck side. Dark gold light erupted, violently repelling the guard backward, crashing him into a wall with a head wound.

From the consumption, Meng Qi’s internal pressure eased slightly, and he even wanted the two guards to keep attacking him!

This was almost begging for it, like shouting, “Hit me! Come on, hit me!” Meng Qi thought humorously amidst the pain, his mind calm, maintaining a composed and unflustered state, not overly concerned about the consequences of guards outside hearing and rushing in, since the two guards, now dusty and bruised, rose and shouted to each other, “He has protective hard qigong! Attack his vital points!”

Meng Qi held his sword across his body, waiting for the guards to attack again, while accelerating his absorption of essence.

The two guards were also experienced in combat. Noticing Meng Qi’s apparent difficulty in movement, they used their techniques, feinting and striking with full force.

Clang!

At this moment, a lute sound, sharp like sword and blade, rang out. A piercing gale shot in, breaking one guard’s sword and piercing his chest.

Ruan Yushu, holding a seven-stringed ancient lute in her left hand, descended gracefully in white robes. Her right hand lightly stroked, a string leapt up, emitting a shrill and disorienting sound, unleashing a gale that sliced open the remaining guard’s throat.

Born into a prestigious family, she had seen various techniques used by masters at the orifice-opening stage to project external scenes. She understood that whether through talismans, treasures, or other methods, they all consumed immense energy, unlikely to allow immediate follow-up attacks. Thus, upon seeing Meng Qi summoning heavenly thunder, she immediately came to assist, and the weakened rooftop guards couldn’t intercept her.

“Take me away!” Seeing Ruan Yushu descend like a fairy, Meng Qi was delighted.

Seeing Meng Qi’s condition seemed somewhat unusual, Ruan Yushu asked no questions, grabbing his left shoulder’s clothing. Her toes tapped the ground and pillars, soaring upward onto the rooftop, then leaping toward the opposite wall.

She noticed many guards rushing into the Taiji Hall, so she didn’t delay to carry Meng Qi, prioritizing escape first.

Just beyond the wall, on the other side, Meng Qi saw several experts approaching. They were all top-tier masters between six and seven opened orifices, while Ruan Yushu’s seven-stringed lute had only five strings left.

Ruan Yushu released Meng Qi’s hand and placed her right hand on the lute strings.

Crack!

One expert’s back snapped, flying backward and crashing into a wall, lifeless.

Luo Shengyi emerged from the nearby garden, his fists like dragons, unleashing the Seven Harm Fist, Great Demon Subduing Fist, Hundred Step Divine Punch, Stone-Splitting Fist, and Iron Fist. Some techniques were fully mastered, some nearly perfected, and others newly developed with their own unique essence. Within just a few moves, he had either severely injured or outright killed the remaining experts.

After defeating these experts, he quickly approached Meng Qi, grabbing his shoulder with his left hand, fleeing into the garden with Ruan Yushu.

While absorbing essence, Meng Qi asked in confusion, “Brother Luo, you didn’t leave?”

According to the original plan, Luo Shengyi would draw the guards’ attention, then circle toward the Diligent Governance Hall, using the clash between the two Grandmasters to escape the lower martial artists who were suppressed, then sneak out of the palace at night. He hadn’t expected Luo to return.

Luo Shengyi smiled faintly, saying, “Though I may be a bit domineering, I never abandon my companions.”

While Meng Qi summoned the heavenly thunder, Luo had already shaken off the pursuing guards using the heavy rain and thunder. But with such a commotion, he believed something had happened in the Taiji Hall, so he returned to see if he could help.

Meng Qi nodded slightly, remembering this, and said to Luo Shengyi and Ruan Yushu, “Shout loudly: ‘The Crown Prince assassinated the Emperor! The Left Chancellor poisoned him! The Emperor is dead!'”

The treacherous chancellor had sided with the Crown Prince. If the Crown Prince ascended, he certainly wouldn’t heavily rely on Lu Guan. In the vast empire, how many renowned generals capable of commanding troops remained?

Thus, Meng Qi wanted to disrupt the Crown Prince’s plans. Shouting this wouldn’t immediately convince anyone, and might even be seen as a ploy, but it would plant seeds of doubt in the neutral factions’ minds, causing hesitation when choosing sides. At least the Right Chancellor would reconsider the entire matter and consider alternatives.

For Confucian scholars, someone who killed his father or emperor was unforgivable and absolutely unfit to inherit the throne.

This was one aspect to address. After exiting the palace, there were other tasks. Meng Qi was striving to complete the main mission.

Luo Shengyi understood Meng Qi’s intention, shouting with a voice that shook the clouds, “The Crown Prince assassinated the Emperor! The Left Chancellor poisoned him! The Emperor is dead!”

Ruan Yushu didn’t join in, maintaining her aloof image. After all, someone else was shouting enough.

“The Crown Prince assassinated the Emperor! The Left Chancellor poisoned him! The Emperor is dead!” Luo Shengyi kept changing directions, his voice rolling through the torrential rain, reaching every corner.

Soon, the entire imperial city was in uproar. The emperor was dead, and was it truly the Crown Prince’s doing?

While running, Meng Qi frantically absorbed essence. His dark gold glow grew brighter. The sixth joint of the Golden Bell Shield was rapidly approaching perfection.

Meng Qi had a bit of strength left and began guiding the essence to open the orifices related to his nose.

“The Crown Prince assassinated the Emperor! The Left Chancellor poisoned him! The Emperor is dead!” At some point, the same cry echoed throughout the imperial city, reverberating everywhere.

Meng Qi guessed it was the eunuchs and guards bribed by the Third, Fourth, and Seventh Princes, creating chaos to seize opportunities for their masters.

The three increasingly deviated from the Diligent Governance Hall, rapidly approaching the outer city walls, seeing the three to four zhang high walls.

The guards on the walls mainly faced outward, and with many buildings inside, the three could hide and move, soon nearing the gate.

The remaining distance had no cover. Meng Qi temporarily couldn’t use the Shapeshifting Art, so Luo Shengyi inhaled deeply and charged straight into the gate, at full speed.

Ruan Yushu followed closely, her movements elegant like a fairy.

Their appearance immediately drew the guards’ attention on the walls. But before they could draw their bows, Luo Shengyi had already rushed into the gate, his right fist swinging, immense and mighty, like mountains and peaks, with nearly solidified force, smashing three guards’ chests inward, obviously beyond recovery.

Ruan Yushu quickly strummed the lute strings. With a twang, a string leapt, releasing a sharp gale that sliced two guards’ throats.

The guards inside the gate were quickly eliminated. Luo Shengyi shattered the iron lock, pushed aside the barrier, and opened the heavy gate.

As the gate opened, Ruan Yushu threw out a corpse. Swoosh! Swoosh! Countless arrows flew in, turning the corpse into a porcupine.

Each threw another corpse, and again countless arrows flew in.

Only then did Luo and Ruan dash out like lightning, heading toward the other side of the square.

Their speed was the fastest ever, quickly reaching the square’s end.

Only then did arrows finally catch up, but could no longer harm them.

Entering the long street, they moved forward, gradually slowing down.

Under the impact of pure essence, Meng Qi’s nose-related orifices were nearly all opened, while more essence kept flowing in.

Meng Qi had to use the essence to refine the orifices, slightly distracted, asking, “The Third Prince or the Fourth Prince?”

The Crown Prince was impossible, and the Seventh Prince had already left the capital. Only two princes remained.

Luo Shengyi hesitated, saying, “My main mission only requires assisting a prince to ascend, not specifying which. What’s your opinion?”

So the main mission indeed differed… Meng Qi confirmed his previous suspicion, whispering, “The Fourth Prince.”

“Why?” Luo Shengyi asked.

“First, according to Lu Huasheng’s information, the Fourth Prince is the least inclined toward peace talks. Second, the Demon Queen is locked in battle with the Right Chancellor, unable to intervene temporarily. What we need to do next requires a Grandmaster.” Meng Qi explained his thoughts.

At this moment, he couldn’t be entirely sure whether the Fourth Prince would appoint Lu Guan as the general, but he had no choice but to take the gamble. After all, he had merits to offset, and could even lend some to Ruan Yushu.

Luo Shengyi frowned slightly, asking, “What task?”

“Kill the Crown Prince!” Meng Qi said solemnly.

The emperor’s death had already been exposed; all factions would react accordingly. This night would be chaotic and bloody. By dawn, things would likely settle. They, unknown to court officials and generals, had neither time nor ability for alliances. The only option was to make the choice inevitable!

This was the power of experts to change the situation—simple, direct, and most effective!

“Fine.” Luo Shengyi understood Meng Qi’s plan, smirking coldly, “I’ll go back to report and kill the Third Prince!”

If not for the excessive investment in the Third Prince before, he would have long been intolerant of the prince’s attitude toward him.

He changed direction, heading back toward the Wanghou Lane. Meanwhile, essence kept flowing into Meng Qi’s palm, his nose-related orifices already refined.

If this continued, he would be literally “stuffed” to death… Meng Qi gritted his teeth, pulling out the “Heavenly Vision and Earthly Hearing Pill,” deciding to add fuel to the fire, breaking through his cultivation boundary to resolve the crisis!