[Sifeng Inn]
The fights outside were getting intense but Qin Yan paid them no attention.
He Yan had been put off by Qin Yan's response and could only stand still and hope everything went well.
To be sure everything was going well, he decided to take a peek from the window. He shifted the curtain slightly to see what was going on.
The attackers were quite skilled but his escorts were not at a disadvantage either.
He relaxed slightly until he suddenly saw an arrow aimed at him. He immediately ducked down to dodge the arrow.
He ran and hid behind Qin Yan but that did not stop the arrows. The arrows kept flying at every corner of the room.
Qin Yan had to push He Yan out of the room to prevent him from holding him back while he went to observe the soldiers.
There were archers standing by both sides and their men did not seem to have any hope.
Another arrow flew through the room. He dodged it and left the room.
He Yan, on the other hand, had already reached down but he was cornered.
The Inn workers had already hidden and were nowhere to be found.
Qin Yan walked downstairs slowly and stealthily with his arms crossed over his sword as usual and saw six men who were advancing towards He Yan with swords. He Yan walked backwards slowly.
On seeing Qin Yan, he rushed off to him and pulled out Qin Yan's sword from his sheath.
Qin Yan was caught off guard by his actions.
He Yan put in effort to try and fight the six men off but the sword was quite heavy. He kept on fighting and was eventually running out of breath.
Four men were soon down but two men kept on fighting against him in full force.
He Yan struggled to defend himself against both men but Qin Yan did not seem impressed.
On the other hand, he felt irritated and even angry.
Luckily for He Yan, he kicked one man off but the other was now pressing against him.
The sword was pressing against his as he was leaning over the table struggling to hold the sword straight.
He Yan was seeing his life flash before his eyes.
He remembered promising Li Min to secure a place in the Northwest and gain a strong foothold in court.
He had not even reached the Northwest not to mention gaining control of it.
Was this how his life was going to end?
His hands trembled as the force of his opponent's sword pushed his own weapon back.
He closed his eyes, expecting the worst.
Just when he thought everything was over, he heard a loud groan.
Qin Yan had pierced the man's neck with chopsticks and he let out a loud scream before falling off.
He Yan heaved a sigh of relief, "Qin Yan....." he wanted to say, but what happened next almost removed his soul from his body.
Instead of helping him up, Qin Yan directly kicked the table He Yan was leaning on, causing the table to slide back and making He Yan's head strike the counter.
He winced and tried to sit up, "Qin Yan, you..."
Qin Yan reached him almost immediately and retrieved his sword without hesitation.
Before He Yan could fully understand what was going on, he saw Qin Yan's sword on his neck.
The sword shone but was not only very bright but also very sharp.
He prayed Qin Yan was playing a joke but Qin Yan's face did not seem like he was joking.
His heart pounded, "Qin Yan, what are you doing?" he stuttered trying to speak clearly.
There was no room to escape as he was behind the counter.
Qin Yan's sword pressed against his neck deepening the red mark that he got earlier. However, this time, fresh blood seeped onto the sword.
He Yan realized this was no joking matter.
"Qin Yan, let's talk this out. What did I do? I'll correct myself", this was the first time He Yan ever found himself begging.
Footsteps approached the room calmly and a calm yet authoritative voice rang in the room.
"Qin Yan, let him go", the voice said.
The voice didn't sound like a command but yet, it did not sound casual.
Other footsteps rushed in and pulled out their swords. Ming'an rushed in.
He was injured and his sword was covered in blood. He was startled by what he saw.
"Qin Yan, have you gone crazy? Let His Highness go", he shouted.
Qin Yan did not move. In fact, it did not seem like he was going to listen to anyone.
"Commander Mo, are you going to stand there and watch him kill Prince Cheng?" Ming'an asked turning to Mo Xiuyan.
That's right. The voice earlier belonged to Mo Xiuyan, the Commander of Imperial guards.
He walked towards Qin Yan and held his hand slowly, "let him go"
He Yan's heart was still thumping.
Would Qin Yan listen to Mo Xiuyan? Would he truly let him go?
Fortunately for him, Qin Yan listened and removed his sword from his neck.
Without a word, Qin Yan sheathed his sword and walked up the room.
Everyone watched silently as he walked up and disappeared out of sight.
"Are we... are we just going to let him go like that? He attacked an Imperial prince. That is a capital offense", Ming'an was baffled by Mo Xiuyan's indifference.
"What happened in this room stays in this room", Mo Xiuyan sounded as he handed a handkerchief to He Yan who was holding his neck to prevent more blood loss.
He Yan accepted it and used it to press his neck.
Mo Xiuyan turned to Ming'an and completed his words, "do you understand?"
Caught off guard by his gaze, Ming'an nodded and with a bow, answered, "I understand"
"Go help His Highness apply some medicine", Mo Xiuyan instructed.
Ming'an nodded and walked up to He Yan. He helped He Yan to his room to apply the medicine.
[Ningyan Hall]
He Rui watched as He Ming practiced his martial arts.
He Ming was skilled with the spear.
His moves were coordinated and filled with energy yet when he was done, he did not seem a bit tired.
"Brother, how did I do", He Ming asked as he finished his practice.
"Good, it's no wonder they say your martial arts is unmatched in the battlefield", He Rui answered.
"That's just an exaggeration. In this world, there are many who are better than me", He Ming responded as he struck his spear down and walked up to him.
He sat down next to He Rui and watched the open sky.
"Do you want to say something?" He Rui asked him.
"I want to ask – what kind of person is Lingxi?"
"Lingxi? You mean grandaunt?" He Rui asked for clarification.
"Yes. You've known her longer than I do. What is she like?" He Ming asked, looking at him.
"She is indeed different from others," He Rui said.
He Ming placed full attention to He Rui's words.
"When I first met her, she was very articulate and I began to know her as someone who was sharp-tongued and sly. However, during the PrimeMinister's case, I realized she was also smart, perhaps even smarter than I was. Anytime she walks into a room, you wouldn't notice, but when she speaks, there is a sense of superiority," He Rui explained.
He paused for a minute before continuing, "once I made a mistake that could have cost me a lot, but she decided to let it go. I saw her in a new light that day. She may not seem to care and may even avoid many things, but she does not seem like someone who would let someone get into trouble unintentionally and not help", He Rui finished.
He Ming thought for a while, "then why did you tell me to be wary of her in the beginning?"
He Rui let out a long sigh, "she may seem indifferent to things but once you cross her, you may not come out unscathed. If you don't believe me, you can take Concubine Yu as an example. She crossed her a few times and all of a sudden, fell from an empress to a concubine"
He Ming had heard of the case of Shen Ruihua. She was accused of poisoning Lingxi and was immediately demoted to a concubine. Everyone knew it.
"Why are you suddenly asking about her?" He Rui asked.
He Ming thought for a while before answering.
"Back then when I was being pursued, she was the one who saved my life", he answered in a simple way leaving out the part that she had walked away from him at first, even dumped him at a clinic and pretended nothing had happened when they met again.
"All I can say is that she is no simple woman. She even gave away her trusted guard to He Yan as a mentor. Even I can't guess what she's thinking", He Rui said.
"Her trusted guard?" He Ming was surprised.
Of course he remembered Qin Yan clearly. He was very skilled and adept at martial arts. It had been long since he saw such a good fighter.
"Yes. Whether she wants to control or know He Yan's movement, I don't know. I also don't know who will fill the gap of her guard"