The moon is dim and the stars are sparse, and the late autumn night is particularly cold.
The lights in the small town were dim, and the distance was dark and silent. In the dead of night, the air seemed to have a hint of solemnity.
Outside the inn, under the eaves, Lin Qingqing leaned against the wall, holding a sword, her eyes gazing calmly into the distance. She looked lazy, but she was extremely sharp.
The whistling cold wind passed over her face, but she seemed not to notice it at all.
Not far from her, Lin Kong was sitting on the steps of the eaves, his head lowered, wondering what he was thinking about.
Lin Qingqing swept her cold eyes over him, then looked up at the dark night, where the stars dotted the sky.
"Qingqing."
After an unknown amount of time, Lin Kong suddenly raised his head.
Lin Qingqing glanced at him sideways: "What's the matter?"
Lin Kong was silent for a moment, hesitant to speak.
"Just say whatever you want to say." Lin Qingqing said expressionlessly.
Lin Kong was silent for a long time: "Have you discovered anything?"
Lin Kong looked into her eyes and suddenly said, "Your Highness, you seem to have changed a lot?"
Lin Qingqing's expression was a little unfriendly: "What do you want to say?"
Before Lin Kong could speak, he heard Lin Qingqing's cold voice: "Lin Kong, have you forgotten the lesson from last time?"
The voice was cold and contained a hint of warning.
Lin Kong had a wry smile on his face: "Of course I haven't forgotten."
As he spoke, he lowered his eyes: "But it is precisely because of this that I feel that His Highness has changed..."
His voice was somewhat uncertain, yet very doubtful.
"Before, I didn't like His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
Lin Kong spoke in a low voice, his tone very calm and frank.
Lin Qingqing's eyes were slightly cold, and she stared at him unkindly.
"Not just me, including you, even Miss Zhiyuan... everyone dislikes His Royal Highness the Crown Prince."
"Even though you don't admit it, I can see it."
Lin Kong continued to talk to himself, seemingly unaware of the coldness on Lin Qingqing's face. "The prince has spent his entire life in the military, making great military achievements. His reputation is known throughout the world. Who doesn't know him? Who doesn't respect him? But His Royal Highness..."
Lin Kong didn't continue speaking, but Lin Qingqing already knew what he wanted to say.
"But during this period, since entering the capital, His Highness seems to have become a different person..."
Lin Kong raised his eyes and looked at Lin Qingqing again: "Didn't you notice?"
Lin Qingqing remained silent.
Lin Kong saw something from her face and laughed: "You saw it, and you realized it, right?"
Lin Qingqing said expressionlessly: "Your Highness was ignorant before, but now you have grown up..."
"Yes, Your Highness has grown up!"
Lin Kong sighed softly.
Lin Qingqing stared at Lin Kong expressionlessly, "Lin Kong, you'd better not have any ulterior motives, otherwise, I will be the first one to not forgive you!"
Lin Kong smiled bitterly and shook his head slightly, "If Your Highness is like this, how could I have..."
"The Prince Lin's Mansion is the Prince's life's work. Although I am only a small guard in the palace, I don't want anything to happen to the Prince Lin's Mansion..."
"That's not something you need to think about."
Lin Qingqing interrupted him coldly: "Just do your job well."
Lin Kong stared at Lin Qingqing for a while, then shook his head and sighed: "You have learned too much from Miss Zhiyuan. You are no longer like yourself."
Lin Qingqing stopped talking and ignored him.
Lin Kong was still sitting on the steps, looking up at the night sky not far away. "In two days, we will reach the capital. Now we have already set foot in the capital. They should be unable to sit still..."
"Do you think they will come tonight?"
When this matter was mentioned, Lin Qingqing finally showed some reaction, and her cold eyes also looked at the night not far away.
"They don't want Your Highness to reach the capital alive, simply because they're afraid that Your Highness will disrupt their plot!"
"I'm afraid that Your Highness will grow up to be a person they fear and dread, just like the prince did back then!"
Lin Kong raised his head, as if he remembered something, and a hint of excitement appeared in his eyes.
That year, when he was only seven years old, he witnessed the prince's arrival in the capital. His aura was like that of a king, shaking the world with fear. Those high-ranking officials and dignitaries were all trembling with fear in the presence of the prince!
That scene was deeply engraved in his mind.
That year, the prince had just conquered the southern border countries, and was extremely powerful. He was crowned king by the emperor and enjoyed great glory!
It was also that year that he was taken in by the prince and entered the Linwang Palace. In the blink of an eye, more than ten years had passed.
"call out!"
A soft sound seemed to flash across the night sky, stunning the night sky.
Lin Qingqing and Lin Kong, who were standing under the eaves, suddenly looked up at the same time and looked towards the distance.
The night sky not far away was as black as ink. Beneath the inky blackness, several strange figures approached silently and swiftly.
Blink of an eye!
"They are coming."
Lin Kong's voice was very soft.
Lin Qingqing didn't say anything, but just gripped the sword tightly in her hand, took a step forward, and her figure disappeared from under the eaves.
…
“They’re coming!”
Inn, inside the room, in front of the window.
Lin Jiangnian glanced at the night scene outside the window and vaguely saw several black shadows flying towards him, like stars.
The air is filled with murderous intent!
"You were right!"
Lin Jiang laughed young and looked down at the girl in his arms.
Zhiyuan lowered her eyes, her fair face flushed red under the dim light, her body slightly stiff, as if she was not used to it. She glanced at the night view outside the window, her eyes calm.
It seemed like everything was within her expectations.
"It's time to get ready." Zhiyuan said softly.
"No rush."
Lin Jiangnian glanced out the window and chuckled, "The real boss hasn't shown up yet."
"Wait a little longer."
Under the cover of night, several dark shadows gathered towards the inn from all directions.
Their figures were strange, their footsteps were light, and they arrived in the blink of an eye.
Just as everyone was about to approach the inn, several figures suddenly appeared inside and outside the inn, which had been silent, and were about to fight.
The clash of swords and the sound of fighting resounded throughout the heavens and earth. The originally silent night was completely shattered!
The sharp screams were endless, and the inside and outside of the inn were like a hell on earth.
Inside the inn, inside the room, when the sound of fighting was heard outside the door, Shen Lingjun in the room suddenly sat up.
"What's going on?"
Hearing the sound outside the door, Shen Lingjun quickly put on his clothes, grabbed the sword on the table and walked out of the room, and ran into Xiao Zhu who looked panicked.
"Xiaozhu?"
"Sister Shen!"
Xiao Zhu looked a little panicked and nervous: "There's an assassination!"
"Another assassination?!"
Shen Lingjun immediately understood. Was he coming for Prince Lin again?
How many people has this bastard prince offended? !
I don’t know how many attacks I have encountered along the way in recent days. Even though Shen Lingjun has a good mental state, he was still a little upset.
Although Xiao Zhu was flustered, she wasn't completely panicked. During the time she had been with His Highness, she had gradually gotten used to this kind of life.
"Xiaozhu, follow me."
Listening to the sharp screams and the sound of swords clashing outside, this assassination seemed to be much more fierce than before. Shen Lingjun was naturally worried about Xiaozhu being alone.
"With me protecting you, no one can hurt you!"
“…”
Room, windowsill.
Lin Jiangnian and Zhiyuan remained motionless, their eyes fixed on the figures fighting in the dark outside the window.
"The people who came this time are quite skilled in martial arts."
Lin Jiangnian half-closed his eyes and chuckled.
Outside the inn, the prince's personal troops, who had been waiting for a long time, were blocking the way. However, the fact that these figures were still able to break into the inn was enough to prove that their martial arts were far more powerful than the assassins they had encountered before.
"It seems that they are planning to kill me tonight!"
Lin Jiang sighed young.
In the darkness of the night, the fighting outside the inn continued unabated. In the distance, figures continued to approach from all directions.
The murderous aura shrouded in the darkness was approaching without any concealment.
“No one has arrived yet.”
Zhiyuan glanced into the distance and spoke softly.
“Almost.”
Lin Jiangnian muttered to himself.
Those who attacked the inn at night were naturally not the real culprits.
The real enemy has not yet appeared.
“…”
The inn's lobby was already in chaos. Tables and chairs were shattered, and countless sword marks were etched on the walls. Outside the inn, a steady stream of expert assassins continued to pour in.
Lin Qingqing stood at the door of the lobby with a sword in her hand. The sword was already stained with blood. Her clothes, hands, and even her face were also stained with blood. She looked extremely embarrassed, but also increasingly cool and beautiful.
On the ground in front of her, there were already seven or eight dead bodies, blood dyed the ground red, and the air was filled with a strong smell of blood.
Lin Qingqing raised her head with cold eyes, looking at the figures outside the yard, her eyes becoming more murderous.
At this moment, a figure landed silently in the hall and looked Lin Qingqing up and down: "Are you the cold and beautiful maidservant beside Prince Lin? Tsk tsk..."
The person who appeared in the lobby was a man in a gray robe, about thirty years old, with sharp eyes and a hint of teasing and playfulness.
He looked Lin Qingqing up and down, then shook his head and said, "She looks okay, but she doesn't look like what you said..."
"Tsk tsk, happy for nothing!"
There seemed to be some regret on the visitor's face.
Lin Qingqing's eyes were cold: "Looking for death!"
As soon as she finished speaking, she raised her sword and stabbed at the opponent. Her speed was so fast that it reached the opponent's throat in the blink of an eye.
The other person still had a faint smile on his face, neither dodging nor avoiding. When Lin Qingqing approached, his figure suddenly disappeared from the spot.
Lin Qingqing's pupils shrank. Such a strange way of disappearing made her feel uneasy.
"Slow, too slow, this is the speed? I thought it was so powerful, but it's just this slow!"
A sigh and a contemptuous tone came from behind. Lin Qingqing's heart sank. She turned around suddenly and slashed down with the sword in her hand.
The sword missed!
The other party's figure disappeared again strangely. When Lin Qingqing came to her senses, she saw the other party suddenly stretched out two fingers and stabbed out suddenly.
Lin Qingqing's face changed and she raised her sword to block.
"bite!"
A crisp sound was heard, and the sword in Lin Qingqing's hand seemed to hit something hard.
“Crack!”
There was a sound of shattering.
Lin Qingqing took four or five steps back, her face pale and her whole body trembling.
He lowered his eyes and saw that the long sword in his hand was broken into two pieces!
Lin Qingqing's pupils suddenly shrank, and she looked up. The man not far away had a playful smile on his face and slowly retracted his fingers.
Lin Qingqing's heart was shocked.
The other party was able to break her sword with just his fingers?!
This level of martial arts skills is definitely far above hers!
etc……
Lin Qingqing seemed to remember something and stared at him intently: "Are you from the Sikong family?!"
The martial arts that the other party just used was very similar to the Sikong family's unique family skill, the Xuyang Finger. The strange body movements were also very similar to those of the Sikong family.
"Wow, that's pretty smart!"
The gray-robed man stood still, his eyes becoming more and more amused: "It seems that after all these years, there are still people who remember our Sikong family!"
Lin Qingqing's expression changed slightly, and her eyes grew colder. "Back then, the prince was soft-hearted and spared your Sikong family's lives. I never thought you would be so ambitious and repay kindness with hatred!"
"Forgive us?"
The gray-robed man suddenly sneered, "If it weren't for Lin Hengzhong, how could our Sikong family have fallen to this point? We, the Sikong family, will never forget this grudge!"
More than a decade ago, their Sikong family was a rising star in the martial arts world, a well-known family with a promising future.
However, all this was ruined by Lin Hengzhong!
"You, the Sikong family, are traitors. As a family of Jianghu nobility, you murder your fellow disciples. You are so cruel and ruthless that you deserve death!"
Lin Qingqing spoke coldly.
The grey-robed man sneered, "Who can tell the difference between justice and injustice in the martial arts world? But Lin Hengzhong killed my people, and my father died tragically at his hands. This debt must naturally be attributed to him!"
"Since Lin Hengzhong is hiding in Linzhou like a coward, I will kill his son!"
Lin Qingqing's face turned pale and expressionless: "As long as I'm here, you won't succeed!"
"Just you?"
The gray-robed man glanced at her with disdain: "Your martial arts skills are indeed good, but... you're still far from it!"
"The most powerful personal maidservant beside Prince Lin is only this good!"
The grey-robed man shook his head slightly, then raised his head and looked up at the inn, sneering, "Prince Lin, it's time to come out and die!"
The sound was loud and deafening.
There was no movement upstairs.
"Since you don't come out, I'll catch you!"
The gray-robed man sneered and walked upstairs to the inn.
"Stop him!"
Lin Qingqing's voice was cold, and the next second, several black-armored figures blocked his way.
"Prince Lin's personal army?"
The gray-robed man took a quick look and sneered, "Perfect! I'd like to see which is harder, your armor or my fingers!"
As soon as he finished speaking, the gray-robed man moved. His inner strength surged, and his eerie figure weaved through the crowd.
At the same time, the black-armored guards standing in front of the gray-robed man also moved. They coordinated their skillful and tacit martial arts to surround the gray-robed man. As soon as they met, the gray-robed man realized that he was a little careless.
The well-trained and coordinated offensive of his own troops actually made it difficult for him to escape for a while.
Sikong Li's Xu Yang Finger was indeed a Sikong family secret technique. His sharp finger strikes on the jet-black armor left a deep mark. Without the armor's protection, he would have been pierced right through.
But with the protection of armor, the power of Sikong Li's Xu Yang Finger was greatly reduced. At the same time, the black-armored guards' martial arts were not weak to begin with, and they cooperated with each other tacitly, as well as Lin Qingqing's harassment on the side, which made Sikong Li a little embarrassed. He retreated repeatedly and was trapped for a while.
"Tsk tsk, you can't even deal with a bunch of guards, Sikong Li, you are such a disgrace!"
At this moment, a cold laugh was heard.
Lin Qingqing's eyes suddenly focused. Is there someone else? !
At the same time, Sikong Li was forced to take a few steps back, gritting his teeth and cursing angrily towards the person behind him.
"Gu Chaosheng, stop talking nonsense and come out to help!"
“…”