Chapter 438: Dark Night Elf

Zu An inwardly sighed upon seeing the familiar figure. With such striking looks, he thought, even in coarse clothes, she hardly resembled an ordinary commoner at all. Both the alluring charm in her eyes and her prominent figure clearly betrayed her true identity.

Many men around her couldn't help but glance her way, and some, with ill intentions, even pretended to be pushed by the crowd, trying to brush against her. However, each time they got close, they seemed to be blocked by an invisible wall of energy, unable to touch her. Zu An knew this was because Pei Mianman didn't want to draw too much attention, so she had withdrawn her cultivation power. Otherwise, these men wouldn't be able to get within ten feet of her. If they were in the wilderness and she were in a bad mood, she could simply unleash a black flame, incinerating these lecherous men until nothing but ash remained.

Seeing that he had noticed her, Pei Mianman gave him a sweet smile. "I thought you'd be in a terrible state after being arrested, but I never expected you'd be sitting in such a luxurious carriage with a beauty by your side. How enviable!"

Zu An knew she was speaking to him through spiritual energy transmission, but unfortunately, his own spiritual energy was confined, preventing him from responding. So, he simply spoke aloud, "It would be even more perfect if Big Mianmian were here with me." Given her cultivation level, he presumed she could hear him.

As expected, Pei Mianman's face flushed slightly. "You're always giving people all sorts of strange nicknames. Chu Yan really should discipline you properly. Oh, I almost forgot, you two aren't husband and wife anymore."

Zu An was speechless. That woman, did she really need to sound so gloating? And she was Chu Yan's best friend, too.

"Big Mianmian? What's Big Mianmian?" Huang Huihong, outside the carriage, couldn't help but turn back and ask, evidently, Zu An's words hadn't escaped his notice.

Zu An was about to tell him it was none of his business when Pei Mianman's anxious warning suddenly rang in his ear: "Watch out!"

Out of the corner of his eye, Zu An saw a dark streak of light shoot out from the crowd. The dark light was so fast that it appeared before Zu An almost the instant he saw it launched. For a moment, he could even smell the metallic scent and murderous intent emanating from the dark light. He didn't know how to describe that killing intent; it was the kind that made one's entire body go cold, hair stand on end, as if death were imminent.

Startled, Zu An had no time for other reactions. He immediately summoned Great Wind and, with a teleportation, embraced Zheng Dan, moving about a foot away. The instant he moved, the dark light struck his previous afterimage, narrowly missing him by inches.

Zu An's heart pounded. Although he had faced death multiple times, this was the only instance where it came so suddenly, leaving him completely unprepared. Only then did he clearly see what the dark light was: a uniquely shaped arrow, now embedded in the carriage wall. It had pierced through the specially reinforced carriage, and its fletching was still trembling violently. It was clear that if he had been hit by that arrow, half his body would have exploded.

"A'Zu!" Zheng Dan reacted then, her pretty face pale with fright. She frantically reached out, touching him all over to check for injuries.

Just then, another dark light shot towards them, clearly giving him no chance to catch his breath. However, by this time, Huang Huihong had reacted. He had been momentarily distracted by questioning Zu An earlier, and someone had seized that brief opening. But now, he wouldn't let the assailant act so recklessly. With a roar, he pulled out his Soul-Hooking Chain and lashed it at the dark light.

With a sharp crack, the dark light shattered into pieces. Huang Huihong himself shuddered, clearly feeling uncomfortable from the immense force contained within it. At this point, the surrounding Embroidered Uniform Guards and Imperial Guards also reacted, rushing in pursuit of where the dark light had originated.

"Ah!" The onlookers, seeing an assassination attempt, screamed in terror and scattered in all directions. The street instantly dissolved into chaos.

Seeing that he was unharmed, Pei Mianman also smiled at him, then left with the crowd. Otherwise, being caught and interrogated by the Imperial Guards would be quite troublesome. "We'll meet again very soon." Before leaving, Pei Mianman transmitted this message via spiritual energy, her tone imbued with an indefinable, enigmatic meaning. It was such an ordinary remark, yet coupled with her tone, it inevitably led to wild speculation.

Zu An's expression was a little strange. That phrase felt familiar; Xue'er had said the same thing to him when her plot was exposed and she left the Chu clan. He wondered how Xue'er was doing in the capital now.

"What exactly happened?" Prince Liang and Liu Yao rushed over upon hearing the news, accompanied by Sun Buqi and others from Prince Wu's manor.

"Someone just tried to assassinate him, blending into the crowd..." Huang Huihong gave a rough description of what had just transpired. He was still feeling a chill of fear; he had been distracted for just an instant, and the assailant had seized the opportunity. If Zu An had truly been shot dead right under his nose, he would have been solely to blame.

"Where's the assassin?" Prince Liang's face was ashen. He had just been happily thinking of enjoying a hot spring in the city and then finding some compliant young maidens to dance and watch, but now this whole mess had erupted. Wouldn't all those plans be ruined again?

"My subordinates have gone in pursuit, but with the scene in such chaos, I'm afraid..." Huang Huihong hesitated.

Just then, the Embroidered Uniform Guards who had gone in pursuit returned. "The assassin's movement technique is extremely fast, and he blended into the crowd, quickly disappearing without a trace."

Sun Buqi, standing nearby, hurriedly said, "Immediately issue orders to seal the city gates! We must capture this damned assassin!"

Liu Yao sneered, "An assassin who can evade the Embroidered Uniform Guards and Imperial Guards—how could mere city gates stop him?"

Prince Liang nodded. "Indeed. There's no need to disturb the citizens over this; it would create a bad impression."

"Yes, as Your Highness commands." Sun Buqi had no choice but to call his men back.

Liu Yao, standing to the side, snorted, "This incident happened in your Jibei City. You must have an explanation, right? From my perspective, it looks a bit like you did it on purpose—sending you to stall us while dispatching an assassin to find an opportunity to strike."

Sun Buqi was greatly alarmed and quickly said, "General Liu, how can you say such a thing! Our Prince has always been loyal to His Majesty. How could he possibly commit such a heinous act of treason? Furthermore, if a prisoner under imperial escort were to suffer harm in our territory, Prince Wu would also be implicated. How could we be so foolish as to act on our own territory, and in broad daylight no less? In my opinion, someone is most likely deliberately trying to frame us and sow discord between Prince Wu and His Majesty."

Liu Yao couldn't help but remark, "The world says how remarkable Master Sun under Prince Wu is. Seeing you today, it's clear you're indeed eloquent and persuasive."

Sun Buqi gave a wry smile. "I'm not trying to twist words or argue cunningly; these are simply the facts. I hope Prince Liang will uphold justice."

Prince Liang remained silent. In truth, he also believed what Sun Buqi said. If this had been arranged by Prince Wu, how foolish would he have to be? Even Liu Yao probably knew that he was saying this purely to annoy the other party. However, the incident occurring here was an undeniable fact, and an explanation was still needed.

Just then, Huang Huihong's voice rang out: "The assassin is a Dark Elf." He held a strangely shaped arrow in his hand. Its fletching was black, and it was the very arrow that had just shot into the carriage.

"It really is a Dark Elf arrow, no wonder it came and went without a trace." Prince Liang took it, examined it, and couldn't help but curse, "These foreign tribes truly harbor malicious intentions."

"Dark Elves?" Zu An murmured to himself. He recalled what he had learned from Shang Liuyu at the academy: Dark Elves were a branch of the Elf race. Unlike ordinary elves who loved nature and peace, Dark Elves were highly warlike, fond of bloodshed and slaughter, and were considered the most skilled assassins in the world. Throughout the history of both foreign races and humans, countless prominent figures had fallen victim to their assassinations. He hadn't expected to have the "honor" of receiving such treatment himself.

At that moment, Prince Liang's voice suddenly rang out: "Dark Elves typically don't make a move unless they intend to draw blood. How did Zu An manage to evade that arrow just now?"