Imperial Cultivation

Chapter 547: Chapter 544 Assassination

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As the two Imperial Guards and Zhou Ling departed, everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

”Alas...” Prince Song shook his head.

No matter what, Da Meng has lost face this time.

The Imperial Guard actually allowed two Evil Sect monsters to slip in.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Your Highness, there’s no need to blame yourself. These Evil Sect monsters are becoming more formidable. New secret techniques emerge one after another, making them impossible to guard against.”

”Is this a new secret technique?”

”It should be a new secret technique. If such techniques existed earlier, the Court might have been infiltrated long ago. But since it’s just now showing up, there’s still time to curb it.”

”A truly terrifying secret technique,” Prince Song said gravely.

This is a technique that can deceive a Grandmaster.

The Imperial Guard is responsible for protecting the Imperial Palace, though only its outer perimeter.

If these Evil Sect monsters can bypass a Grandmaster’s defenses and infiltrate the Imperial Guard, they can likely infiltrate the inner Imperial Guard as well.

Infiltrating the Imperial Guard means the Imperial Guard could also be infiltrated by monsters.

It means they could assassinate the Emperor; even if they can’t kill the Emperor, what about the Harem?

The Imperial Palace has the Emperor’s Sword to guard it, but the ladies of the Harem do not.

If they were to be assassinated or even devoured by monsters, it would be a scandal of monumental proportions.

The dignity of Da Meng would be utterly lost.

Such scandals have not occurred in Da Zhen or Da Jing, who are weaker in national power.

Being the strongest, if such a thing happened in Da Meng, people would inevitably question whether Da Meng is just a paper tiger.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed and said, ”Your Highness, by coming to Tianjing, I’ve brought trouble to Da Meng.”

”What do you mean by that?”

”I have exterminated too many Evil Sect monsters, each of whom wishes to drink my blood and eat my flesh.”

”I’ve heard a bit about this,” replied Prince Song.

Chu Zhiyuan continued, ”The monsters of Da Jing have been slaughtered by me to the point of fear; they hate me but dare not assassinate me. The monsters in Da Meng only know my name, bearing hatred but no fear, and will surely go mad trying to assassinate me.”

”Princely Heir, the Evil Sect monsters in Da Jing dare not kill you?”

”Now they no longer dare,” said Chu Zhiyuan. ”They only fear me killing them instead.”

”That is truly impressive,” Prince Song remarked in admiration. ”Only a Princely Heir could achieve such a feat.”

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, ”It’s just temporary carnage. After a while, once they’re recovered, they might continue trying to assassinate.”

”The Princely Heir’s boldness is indeed rare,” marveled Prince Song.

After reading Chu Zhiyuan’s dossier, he was left in awe.

The Evil Sect monsters act so bizarrely and are daring beyond measure; assassinating Princes or Princely Heirs is no difficult task for them.

In doing so, Chu Zhiyuan leaves himself no retreat, as he faces endless assassinations from the Evil Sect.

No one else would dare behave thusly, not even the Emperor.

Yet Yunshan acts boldly.

Is it his skill that emboldens him, or is he reckless and impulsive?

Such questions leave him puzzled.

Chu Zhiyuan gives him a very contradictory impression.

A composed, gentle demeanor suggests mastery and wisdom, yet his actions are rash and impulsive.

Chu Zhiyuan smiled and said, ”Your Highness, it’s not about courage, but about crossing the mental barrier. Only when these monsters are exterminated do I feel some comfort.”

”I see...” Prince Song came to a realization.

He had met some similar people before, those who insist on arranging everything neatly.

Chu Zhiyuan gestured with his hand.

The diplomatic mission began to move.

Chu Zhiyuan said, ”Your Highness, let us enter the city.”

”Please—!”

The two walked side by side, with Zou Fang following closely, along with the others.

Chu Zhiyuan moved forward and when he saw the officials welcoming them from Da Meng, he cupped his hands and with a smile, expressed his gratitude for their hard work.

The officials were courteous but somewhat aloof, with a hint of arrogance.

Being officials of Da Meng, they naturally had an air of superiority over the officials of Da Jing.

After all, Da Jing’s strength wasn’t equal to that of Da Meng, who could only defend against the Stepping Cloud Iron Cavalry without the ability to counter-attack.

This notion had been fostered over a thousand years and couldn’t be changed, especially as they were unaware of the changes in Da Jing.

Due to earlier incidents, their impression of Chu Zhiyuan was further diminished. Maintaining courtesy was already their utmost grace.

Chu Zhiyuan paid no mind to their attitude and walked into the city, chatting merrily with Prince Song.

No matter what, Prince Song was truly remarkable, well-suited for this position.

The two rode side by side, entering the city gates.

The spacious city gates even amplified the sound, making the horse hooves’ clatter particularly resonant.

Chu Zhiyuan glanced at the Imperial Guards inside the city, then at the crowd on the nearby street, shaking his head. ”Your Highness, there will be more assassinations later.”

”More?” Prince Song said in surprise, ”Wave after wave?”

”Yes,” Chu Zhiyuan chuckled, ”They see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, how could they let it slip by?”

Da Meng may be on alert, but not overly vigilant, as they are guarding Da Jing’s Princely Heir and diplomatic mission, not their own.

This kind of loosely-tightened vigilance is most conducive to attempts at assassination.

The Evil Sect detests him to the core, not allowing him to live another day.

The lack of assassination attempts along the journey had been quite unexpected for him.

Now it finally arrived.

He nodded to himself, thinking that’s the Evil Sect for you.

Prince Song laughed, ”As long as they aren’t mixed in with the Imperial Guards, there’s nothing to fear.”

”Better to be cautious,” Chu Zhiyuan said, ”They are prone to Jade and Stone Burning tactics; losing any Imperial Guards would be a shame.”

Prince Song stated, ”The Princely Heir underestimates my Imperial Guard.”

”Alright then, let’s see.” Chu Zhiyuan laughed.

The two continued their cheerful banter as they walked, with the entourage ahead opening the way.

Prince Song waved Hu Ping’an over, leaning in to give him some whispered instructions.

Hu Ping’an nodded gently, then retreated to fetch the leader of the Imperial Army.

He relayed Prince Song’s warning, urging the guards to stay alert to prevent assassination attempts.

There would surely be assassination attempts.

The Imperial Guard leader solemnly nodded, pulling back the defenses and adding two more layers of protection around the delegation from Da Jing.

Especially for the defense of Chu Zhiyuan and Prince Song, two additional layers were added on top of the original security.

This way, attackers would almost find it impossible to break through.

Unless a Great Grandmaster personally intervened with overwhelming force.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head with a smile.

These Imperial Guards are still too proud, underestimating the Evil Sect monsters.

His caution was meant to have them be wary of their own safety.

The diplomatic mission and officials from Da Meng’s Ministry of Rites moved ahead, following the main avenue as the crowd on either side grew livelier, advancing into the bustling area.

The Imperial Guards stayed tense, ready to defend against anyone who might erupt from the crowd.

”Boom, boom, boom, boom...” suddenly came the rattling sounds from a nearby street, followed by commotion and screams.

Chu Zhiyuan shook his head.

His Insight had long discovered the maddened horses on that street, throwing several people out of their way and crashing into a tavern.

The crowd immediately surged.

Even with City Guards within the crowd trying to stop it, the stampede led to people fleeing.

The surging crowd expanded outward, causing a wave of people to press against the Imperial Guards.

Seeing so many people surging forward, the Imperial Guards drew their swords high, their gleaming armor forming a formidable deterrent.

Yet the surge was overpowering; those at the front wanted to stop but were pushed forward by those behind, wanting but unable to halt.

The Imperial Guards, unwilling to harm civilians, merely pushed forward vigorously.

Shoulder to shoulder, over a dozen Imperial Guards tilted their bodies forward, channeling their Gang Qi to form a barrier and firmly stopping the wave of people.

They actually managed to hold back dozens of civilians from breaking through.

Though exerting all their effort, they then saw over a dozen experts leap over their heads, landing before Chu Zhiyuan and Prince Song and rushing toward them.

Chu Zhiyuan laughed, ”Your Highness, what do you think?”

Prince Song shook his head and sighed, ”Quite embarrassing.”

He acted as if he hadn’t noticed the dozen advancing assassins.

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