Chapter 96: Ambushed

The head constable was also startled. Although he did not know exactly what sort of princess Kangle was, a princess was still a princess, a member of the imperial clan. Compared one against the other, Wang Fu seemed considerably weaker.

"How is it? Do you have some other idea?" Zhao Huan's senses were keener than those of ordinary men. At that moment Wang Qiming's eyes betrayed his thoughts, and Zhao Huan felt a surge of killing intent from him. "You want to fight to the death?"

Wang Qiming stared at Zhao Huan in astonishment, unable to understand how he had guessed his thoughts. He turned to the leading constable and said in a low voice, "Old Qin, let's do it. We're dead either way."

The constable surnamed Qin opened his mouth in shock. Murdering a member of the imperial family was a capital offense.

"This... that won't do, will it?" he stammered, plainly frightened by Wang Qiming's audacity.

"It's death either way. But if we kill him, there may still be a sliver of hope." Wang Qiming lowered his voice. "If I am not mistaken, the man beside him is His Majesty the Emperor."

This time Qin Xi was even more startled.

"Killing the Emperor is treason of the highest order. It would condemn nine generations of our family!" Qin Xi's face was full of terror. Wang Qiming was simply far too bold.

"If you don't kill him now, you're still dead. You've already offended the reigning sovereign—what good end do you think awaits you? In the best case, your family may survive by sheer luck, but most likely you'll be exiled to the far south. How is that any different from death?" Wang Qiming analyzed.

After a pause, he went on, "But if we seize the chance and kill him in the chaos, the retired emperor is still alive. If he returns to power, we may yet have a chance of surviving."

Those words struck exactly at the heart of the matter. Qin Xi lifted his head and asked uncertainly, "Will it really work?"

"I heard my father speak of this that very night. The retired emperor has long been dissatisfied with the present sovereign. If we kill Zhao Huan, it will surely be a great merit." Seeing Qin Xi wavering, Wang Qiming immediately pressed his advantage.

"Listen to me, this chance comes only once. This is no time for hesitation. Miss it, and your whole life may be finished." Wang Qiming urged him on.

Qin Xi gritted his teeth, a ferocious light suddenly flashing in his eyes. He raised his head at once, ready to gamble everything.

"Men, attack!" Qin Xi said through clenched teeth.

The constables looked at one another and did not move. Clearly, Zhao Yan's identity still carried tremendous weight for ordinary people.

"Do not listen to this woman's lies. Princess Kangle has always lived in the palace. How could she possibly be here? And years ago, when I entered the palace with my father, I once saw Princess Kangle myself. This is absolutely not Princess Kangle. That woman has the audacity to impersonate her, and that is a crime deserving death. Whoever kills these people will earn great merit!" Wang Qiming shouted to the constables.

What he said was not entirely false. How could a princess simply walk out of the palace at will? These constables had been at their trade for many years; when had they ever seen a princess outside the palace? And even if she did go out, she would be carried in a sedan chair, her face hidden behind a veil. She would never appear like this, without even a proper guard or attendant at her side.

So the constables believed Wang Qiming and prepared to seize Zhao Huan and the others.

"Die!" At that moment, an unexpected change occurred. An old man with white hair and beard suddenly rushed out from the crowd of onlookers and charged straight toward the three of them.

Zhao Huan sensed danger instantly.

"Move!" He instinctively shoved Zhao Yan aside, then kicked out at the old man, trying to send him flying.

But the old man neither dodged nor retreated. He came on directly against Zhao Huan's kick.

That feeling of danger grew even more intense.

With a dull impact, Zhao Huan's foot struck the old man's body.

The old man's figure paused for a moment, but he did not stop. As though he felt no pain at all, he lunged at Zhao Huan again.

Zhang Xin also rushed over at that moment. Without a word, he drew the long sword from his hand and stabbed straight at the old man.

The old man showed no fear at all. With a wet tearing sound, the blade entered his body, and blood immediately ran down the sword, staining the old man's clothes red. Yet he took advantage of the moment and pressed forward. In fact, Zhao Huan could see that Zhang Xin's sword had been driven clean through the old man's body.

Zhang Xin had never imagined the old man would be this twisted. Caught off guard, he froze for an instant, and the sword in his hand was already seized by the old man. More precisely, the sword was stuck in the old man's body, and Zhang Xin could not pull it free in time.

With the sword still lodged in him, the old man once again launched himself at Zhao Huan. At such close range, Zhao Huan could clearly see the smug smile on the old man's face.

Something was wrong. This old man meant to drag himself down to death with him.

At the very instant that thought flashed through his mind, it was already too late. Everything had happened in a blink, and Zhao Huan had no chance to evade.

"Fifth Martial Uncle, lay down your butcher's knife and become a Buddha at once. At a time like this, do not harm anyone else!" At that moment, the cold beauty suddenly spoke. Her long sword blossomed like a flower as she thrust at the old man, trying to stop his charge.

The sword pierced the old man's throat.

Yet the old man only smiled with satisfaction.

Zhao Huan subconsciously seized the woman beside him and threw her to the ground.

"Rascal, what are you doing?"

When had that icy woman ever been so close to a man? She had never imagined that, in such a sudden moment, she would be taken advantage of by this stranger.

A tremendous explosion roared out, and the old man's body was blasted to pieces.

From such a short distance, Zhao Huan's body was hurled away like a kite with its string cut, carrying the cold and beautiful woman with him.

Everything happened too quickly. The people around them had no time to react. They could scarcely believe that a living old man had suddenly exploded. The nearby soldiers, in particular, were too close and were also caught in the blast, flung far away by the shockwave.

The one most severely affected was Zhang Xin. He had been closest to the old man and lacked Zhao Huan's keen sense of danger, so his injuries were even worse than Zhao Huan's.

"My lord, the Emperor!" Zhao Yan reacted at last and no longer bothered to conceal her identity. She ran desperately to Zhao Huan's side. When she saw that Zhao Huan had fallen unconscious, she could not hold herself back any longer and burst into tears.

"If anything happens to the Emperor, I will have every one of you buried with him!" Zhao Yan pointed at Wang Qiming and the constables, screaming in fury.