Chapter Ninety: Assassination

A murderous shout rang out from the Prince of Chu, for he had never imagined that anyone would dare assassinate him.

At that instant, his spirit tightened to its utmost. His power churned within him in a thousand turns, gathering to shield the area around his body.

Yet almost at once he felt a chill sweep through both body and soul, and he knew his protective arts had been shattered.

Alarm surged through him. Black vapor erupted from every part of him, while countless dark filaments seemed to crawl up his arms, causing his muscles to swell fiber by fiber. Then, over the outside of his entire body, a massive carapace took shape.

It was pitch-black all over, and it even possessed a dreadful power that could lure an enemy straight into hell.

It was unmistakably a cursed treasure.

In that moment, by means of a special technique, the Prince of Chu drew upon his own meager reserve of power and forced the cursed treasure to manifest its might.

The carapace stood before him and effortlessly blocked the icy strike, then rebounded it with violent force, slamming it heavily into the assassin.

The assassin gave a muffled groan and spat out several mouthfuls of blood, clearly grievously wounded. With a twist of the body, sword in hand, the figure withdrew at great speed.

A single failed blow, and then instant retreat.

The Prince of Chu had never expected he would fail to seize the attacker, and hurriedly gave chase.

But the assassin’s movements were too swift and elusive; he could not catch up.

Enraged, he roared, “Search everywhere! That man is already badly wounded. Find him for me, and tear him to pieces!”

Then he returned to the study, his eyes blazing with fury.

He knew very well that the art he had just used was a secret technique that could never be revealed to outsiders.

It relied on a special immortal medicine to burn through the body’s latent potential and awaken the power within, forcing his cultivation to surge in an instant to the strength of ten years’ practice. Only then had he been able to wield the cursed treasure and unleash its malediction.

This was the very foundation upon which he had subdued the many underworld gangs of Yan Province. Yet now that secret had been stolen by an outsider.

He could not allow it to spread. That man must die. He must be torn apart by a thousand cuts.

The Prince of Chu’s gaze was filled with savagery.

Night deepened gradually.

In the new courtyard, Red Jade suddenly appeared from the darkness, clutching her chest, pain leaving her unable to speak.

Chu Youcai and Yun Cuixian were both startled at once and asked, “Red Jade, what happened?” They hastened to support her.

Red Jade’s face was pale. She shook her head and said softly, “I’m fine.”

But after saying that, her complexion only grew even paler.

Chu Youcai hurriedly gave her a dose of medicinal broth to drink, and only then did her breathing slowly recover.

“Don’t tell me you went looking for the Prince of Chu?” Chu Youcai said, somewhat dazed. “He has five years of cultivation, and his strength is greater than mine. Besides, they say the Dark Butcher, one of the three great gangs, has submitted to him. How could his residence be so easy to break into?”

Red Jade shook her head and said, “Brother Chu, don’t worry. I didn’t go looking for him. I entered the ghost realm.”

Chu Youcai froze, only then noticing that the whip in Red Jade’s hand seemed damaged, covered in many traces of blood, and at the tip there was not even a shadow of a little ghost left.

Red Jade went on, “I thought my power had improved, so I went to the outskirts of the ghost fortress to capture a fierce specter. But I never expected that in a single strike, the five newborn ghosts would all be killed by the fierce specter, and half my whip was seized by the other side! Then I felt my whole body turn icy cold, and I could not even move.”

Hearing this, Chu Youcai was alarmed. He knew the fierce specter was formidable, but he had not expected it to be strong to such a degree.

He could not help asking in concern, “And then?”

A thoughtful look appeared in Red Jade’s eyes as she said, “At that very moment, a man in red armor suddenly appeared in the ghost realm, holding a halberd, dressed like a general. As soon as he appeared, he scared the fierce specter away. Then my body returned to normal.”

Chu Youcai blurted out, “A ghost general?”

A ghost general was an existence of a higher rank than a fierce specter, yet it almost never appeared outside the ghost fortress. Why would one suddenly show up at the outskirts of the fortress? And it was said that ghost generals were filled with sinister ghostly aura; merely one glance from them could drain the vitality of a mortal, leaving the mortal’s essence to wither away. So how had Red Jade escaped alive?

Chu Youcai’s shock gave way to confusion.

Red Jade nodded and said, “That person should have been a ghost general. I thought he was going to kill me right away, but he only drove the fierce specter off and then vanished. And as I hurried back, I even felt as though that ghost general was protecting me all the way, right until I returned to the human world.”

“The ghost general protected you the whole time?” Chu Youcai was astonished. He had never heard of a ghost general protecting a human being.

Red Jade nodded, looking bewildered. “Yes, I found that strange too. What on earth is going on?”

Chu Youcai gently patted Red Jade on the back and said, “Since you made it back safely, that’s what matters. You’re injured this time, so don’t push yourself anymore. Rest well for a few days.”

Red Jade shook her head with determination. “Brother Chu and Sister Yun are working so hard. I can’t fall behind either. I’ll recover as quickly as I can!” She then returned to her room to rest.

At that moment, no one noticed that on the cocoon-like jade pendant at her chest, the place where Princess Lotus was sleeping, there seemed to be traces of cracking.

Looking at Red Jade’s retreating figure, Chu Youcai could not help but sigh softly. He felt more keenly than ever the heavy burden on his shoulders. Those around him all knew the pressure he faced, so each of them strove to improve, hoping to share his load.

They were all in the most beautiful years of their lives. Other girls at this age were savoring the sweetest tenderness, yet because he was too weak, he was the one bringing pressure upon them.

Seeing Chu Youcai sighing, Yun Cuixian suddenly said solemnly, “My lord, I believe Red Jade is happy in her heart. She is willing to give everything for my lord, just as all of us are. This is a responsibility, so please do not mistake responsibility for pressure.”

Chu Youcai was taken aback.

Then Yun Cuixian suddenly smiled and said, “What we are doing is merely to let my lord know that no matter what happens, we will support you. We are your backing. Even if one day my lord is condemned by all, even if you should become a demon, we will never leave you. So please, my lord, follow your own heart and do what you must.”

Hearing Yun Cuixian mention the word demon so suddenly, Chu Youcai’s heart stirred. Could she know something?

He could not help asking, “Cuixian, you...”

But before he could finish, a noise suddenly came from next door, as though someone had fallen from the wall.

At the same time, the old lady next door called out, “Who is it?”

Chu Youcai did not hesitate. Grasping Yun Cuixian’s hand, he leaped up and vaulted over the wall into the neighboring courtyard.

After such a long period of cultivation, his strength had improved greatly, and climbing over a wall nearly three zhang high was no longer difficult.

Only this time, when he saw the scene before him, he could not help but be greatly shocked.