Chapter 17：Heroes

Under the time it took for a pot of water to boil, the heroes in black clothing finished off their opponents one by one.

"Ah'Heng, you're still wounded. What do you want to stand up for?!" A chastising voice was heard in the clearing.

"Rong'er, they're our saviors. We must properly thank them." Xia Yu Heng personally witnessed how great their skills were so he needed to make sure that they didn't have bad intentions for saving them.

"These seniors," Prince Chang properly cupped his fist to his other palm. "This one is surnamed Xia, named Yu Heng. I would like to show my gratitude to these seniors but as it is, our group is still devastated after the incident. May I know how can this one return the huge favor?"

Eloquence, manners and humility. Xia Yu Heng was the embodiment of those words. He didn't use his prince title to introduce himself and instead used his forbidden name. It was the appropriate attitude to show someone who saved your life.

Indeed, he was worthy of being the male lead. Who could hate such a person?

But the leader of the men donning black robes and mask did the most unthinkable thing.

He laughed like this: "Kekekeke~"

Then, he signaled to someone behind his back. That person, if one looked more closely, one would see that she was a female but from afar, these people all looked the same.

The female also cupped her hand back to Xia Yu Heng and unceremoniously tore his robes.

"Ah!" Bai Chen Rong, out of instinct, made a sound of resistance. Who would want their man be stripped by another person in front of them?

But she soon knew the reason. Seeing the black-clothed woman take out what looked to be medicine from her robes, she immediately ordered.

"Quick, take some blankets and help wang ye lie down. And fetch all the remaining water we have and boil it!" Chen Rong, after all wasn't an illogical jealous woman.

She knew her husband needed medical attention. The surviving mobile guards and Red Panthers immediately followed orders.

Xia Yu Heng was made to lie down and did so without complaints.

The wound was a stab but it grazed the sides of his waist, not too deep but not shallow either. It bled profusely but no internal organs were affected.

The woman cleaned the wound with clean cloth damped with wine. Xia Yu Heng merely hissed through the sting, his face paling. After disinfecting the wound, the masked woman stitched it with the needle she put on the boiling water earlier and then put poultice. Lastly, the wound was wrapped with gauze.

The masked man who laughed earlier in an unsettling manner, seeing that the treatment was over, came up again.

"This one and my comrades will accompany wang ye and wangfei the rest of your journey. Hoping his Highness won't mind." It was more of a statement than asking for permission.

Xia Yu Heng had no choice but to nod. Even though these people were unfamiliar, they did help after all and it wasn't good to push one's benefactors away.

The husband and wife boarded the carriage they brought and the travel to the supposedly vacation place was fraught with silence.

Six imperial guards and four Red Panthers died that day. Temporary tombs were dug by the surviving soldiers and the servants who only had minor injuries. The specialized soldiers earlier only focused on killing Xia Yu Heng and Bai Chen Rong so the eunuchs and maidservants had the chance to run for their lives.

It was evening when they arrived at the imperial family's villa. They couldn't go back to the imperial city because by the time they'd arrive, the gates would probably be closed.

Xia Yu Heng was given a sleeping concoction so he slept all the way here. Now, he had time to properly talk with their benefactors.

"These seniors are going already? Won't you stay for the night so you can rest first before you travel?"

"Yes, our household may be small but we still need to treat our saviors well." Bai Chen Rong also persuaded.

They were at the main hall of the villa.

"Your Highnesses, this one's job here is done. Our task is to specifically ensure wang ye and wangfei's safety in a moment of danger. Also, my mistress let this one deliver a single message: Can this be considered as being even?"

The two were perplexed at these words. They didn't just pass by and actually came with such a purpose?

The husband and wife felt their hearts tighten. Such a person who was willingly served by great martial masters, what relation did they have with that person? If that person wanted their lives, it could be so simple.

"Mi-mistress? May this prince ask the identity of senior's mistress?"

Zhao Gang smiled underneath his mask, sinisterly. He'd like to strangle this prince and his princess consort for hurting his mistress' heart. Yes, Zhao Gang was never a good person and had always been petty. He seemed to often disrespect Yin Hua Lei but he was also the first one who would kill for her even for the littlest of things.

It wasn't because of some romantic pursuits but because Yin Hua Lei was the master he'd sworn to protect and who picked him up during the darkest time of his life. His loyalty to Yin Hua Lei was even more than the loyalty he could give to the Emperor who was technically his true master because he was part of Xiu.

"This one's mistress is surnamed Yin." He dropped those words like a bomb and enjoyed how the husband and wife's faces contorted into part disbelief, part caution.

"Kekekeke, these next words this one needs to say on his own and has nothing to do with Mistress. But this one should tell your Highness, you have seen our capabilities. So your Highness should think well before acting out."

Any more words would fall on deaf ears so Zhao Gang decided to just disappear in a blink of an eye.

"Yin Hua Lei, that girl is this powerful?" Chen Rong couldn't believe even her own words.

Why did it seem that Yin Hua Lei was such a small fry before? Chen Rong eliminated the idea that she was only acting because she was a good judge of character.

When they first met, she already knew that Yin Hua Lei was merely a maiden in love and would be willing to use all the tricks she had up her sleeves to eradicate all the obstacles. If she had such people in her arsenal, why didn't she just use them before and kill Bai Chen Rong?

Why act now and even save them from danger?

Xia Yu Heng was also thinking along the same lines but there were other matters too.

"Is it possible that those specialized soldiers were also sent by her?" He asked and immediately felt it was a stupid question.

Raising specialized soldiers needed large resources and an even bigger network. It wasn't a simple feat. It was possible for the Yin clan to have specialized soldiers but sending fifty at once was truly irresponsible. Especially if it was for a selfish request like assassinating a past love interest and rival.

To send fifty specialized soldiers and then send a dozen of great martial artists to kill the other. No matter what, it was a foolish idea and would squander away a lifetime's worth of hidden military power.

In the end, no matter how apprehensive they were, they could only accept the masked man's words.

Can this be considered even?

Yin Hua Lei attempted to harm Bai Chen Rong multiple times in the past but failed every time. Now, she saved both husband and wife from the verge of entering hell's gates.

Their hearts were a bit reluctant but this really could be considered even. Even now, Bai Chen Rong remembered how helpless she felt when the blade attacked Xia Yu Heng. If not for the timely arrival, her husband and even she would be dead by now.

There was unwillingness on Chen Rong's part. She grew confident in her own power combined with her husband's and thought they were unmatched in all of Da Xia. They decided to sit back and watch the power struggle, looking on as all sides ruin themselves in the process. And if they wanted, they might snatch the prize away from all of them.

Now, she was reminded. There were skies above skies.

***

Back at the capital...

"Bi xia, the third prince is getting more and more daring."

It was evening and Yin Fang Qi secretly entered the palace into the Emperor's study.

"And I'm getting more and more like a beast. Watching my sons pit against each other." Xia Chun dropped all honorifics when he was alone with his sworn brother.

He knew that once he made a reason for the ninth prince to go out of the capital, the third prince would surely take advantage of it. That son of his badly wanted the throne.

Even Xia Yu Heng who didn't express any ambition was not spared only because Xia Chun looked favorably on his ninth child.

Xia Yu Sheng had always been a jealous son no matter how he hid it with his princely qualities.

"Elder brother, you knew that my daughter has someone watching over the ninth prince and consort. And he will at most, only get injured." Yin Fang Qi tried to offer comforting words.

Xia Chun sighed and tried to drop this matter. Immediately, he found a new topic.

"Oya, Fang Qi, do you know what your good daughter did?" He stared at the man only a few years younger than him.

Yin Fang Qi instantly felt that some bad news would be brought up. He pursed his lips while rigidly shaking his head.

"Hehehe, we're really getting old, ah~ The young'uns already sneakily left the nest without us knowing. This uncle of hers only knew of this recently. That stinky brat of yours can even hide a secret from me, the Emperor! By the gods, just how skillful could she be?!" Xia Chun slammed his desk.

Fang Qi's ominous feeling rose due to these words. Daughter, ah! You're really trying to get your father killed. Angering the Emperor to this degree, do you think the Yin family all had nine heads?

Xia Chun told his sworn brother of his findings and they both didn't sleep that night. Planning for the Emperor's future steps.

Before the first crack of dawn, Yin Fang Qi quietly left the palace. His qinggong was still the same as when he was young but when he landed inside the Yin fu, there was an obvious shaking of his limbs.

Even if Xia Chun was his sworn brother, he was still the scariest person he'd ever met.

That day, all the people in the Yin fu stirred for the eldest master was found kneeling and praying solemnly at the ancestral hall early in the morning.

When his wife asked, his reply was: "Praying for all of our souls, for Da Xia, for the generations to come..."

---

Little trivia: Zhao Gang is actually my favorite character in this book coz he's weird and I love him hahahaha (YHL: Don't mind this dumb author ????

ZG: Zhao Gang will now leave mistress and serve mistress author~

YHL: Go, this princess doesn't need a perverted weird person ????

ZG: Kekekeke, Zhao Gang is only joking, mistress. Who wants to serve a perverted weird author?

YHL: *smirks

Author: I'll kill both of you in the story!!!! I'm your MOTHER, ingrates!

YHL: If you don't want author to kill this princess, kindly leave some comments. This princess will be in your care ????)