64 Grey-Robed Elder

To anyone else, Young Master Murong appeared to be talented in both civil and military matters. He was extraordinary in every way, very handsome, and is highly capable in martial arts. He is perfect in every woman’s eyes. However, in the eyes of Princess Ling Meng, he appeared extremely hypocritical. He always appeared to be ‘in love’, but she had no way of telling if this was true or not, given how she was constantly in the palace. Is he just wearing a mask? Or is he genuinely in love? How is his character actually like?

Princess Ling Meng did not even have the slightest clue for those questions.

Her other suitor was Li You Ran, the first heir of the Li Residence. He was also the most gifted scholar in Tian Xian Empire. Similarly, he did not give off a good vibe to Princess Ling Meng. Li You Ran was equally attractive, well-mannered, graceful, and humble, but he rarely showed himself. Most of the ladies in the capital were obsessed with him. Such a character earned him the reputation of being the most gentleman in Tian Xiang Empire.

Li You Ran always appeared calm and composed. He was always warm and graceful, never once showing impatience or tardiness. He gave the impression that everything was within his control. Yet, Princess Ling Meng did not believe that such a perfect person would exist in this world. He might actually be a horrifying and unpredictable person deep down. No one could possibly know what he was really thinking. Whenever Princess Ling Meng was around Li You Ran, she was always filled with an inexplicable amount of dread. Her gut feeling told her that the composed young man was actually an extremely dangerous person!

On the other hand, there was no facade for Jun Mo Xie. He was someone who had a rough edge to him and was not afraid to show it. Although he was a scoundrel and might be unbearable, at least he was showing his true self. He committed bad acts openly without trying to hide them. Thus, there was no need to fear that he may have any sinister motives.

At the thought of Jun Mo Xie, Princess Ling Meng suddenly remembered that this debauchee had been present at the scene and had even given her a warning. The warning might have been unintentional, but it was still a gesture of goodwill. However, there was a high chance that the assassins had got rid of him right from the start! At that, Princess Ling Meng quickly ordered, "Hurry! Find Third Young Master Jun and check if he is fine!"

Princess Ling Meng could not help but feel anxious. Her life might have been spared but Jun Mo Xie might not have been so lucky. Grandpa Jun would surely fly into a fit of rage if he knew! The chaos that followed would surely be worse than if she was the one that was killed. An ominous feeling would wash over the city and her three brothers might take advantage of the ensuing pandemonium caused by the infuriated Grandpa Jun. They might even cause further chaos within the kingdom.

Although she did not witness anything, Princess Ling Meng assumed that Jun Mo Xie had been killed by the assassins. After all, two of the assassins had appeared were Jun Mo Xie was, and he had already fallen to the ground. Would the assassins have left him alone if he did not die?

Several bodyguards were dispatched to search for Jun Xie, but they were unable to find him. That was because he was covered by the assassin’s corpse, who was lying perfectly on top of him. No one could tell that there was someone beneath the corpse. One of the bodyguards approached the princess and reported, "Princess, we are unable to find the corpse of Third Young Master Jun. Maybe his corpse stood up and ran away by itself."

As soon as she heard that, Princess Ling Meng became enraged and she nearly vomited blood! Utter nonsense! You could not find the corpse and you say that it may have stood up and run away by itself? How is that even possible?

Murong Qian Jun’s face was equally dark, "What on earth do you mean?"

Immediately, the guard started panicking and stammered, "I mean… I mean.. Third Young Master Jun’s corpse is nowhere to be seen… so maybe… uh… it left? No no… I mean…"

"Shut up! That’s enough!" bellowed Murong Qina Jun. "If there is no corpse, it means the person is not dead yet! Which means you can’t even call it a corpse! You should have said that the Third Young Master Jun’s BODY had disappeared! Do you understand?"

The bodyguards looked away and complained unhappily to themselves: You were the one that said he was dead just now! And you still can lecture us. You’re so despicable!

Helpless, Princess Ling Meng said, "Go and look again, carefully. If you manage to find Third Young Master Jun’s… body, send it to the Jun Family immediately." Under their influence, even Princess Ling Meng herself almost blurted out the word ‘corpse’.

However, a thorough search still did not bring up anything. Princess Ling Meng could only arrange for a bodyguard to report the situation to the Jun Family. Soon after the bodyguard had left on horseback, a figure clad in gray rushed towards them. It was a scrawny, withered looking old man.

Murong Qian Jun brandished his sword and asked sternly, "Who are you?"

"I am looking for someone," begged the scrawny old man. He was frantic and his eyes were scanning the area erratically. The anxious old man seemed not to have heard Murong Qian Jun’s question.

Murong Qian Jun was offended and screamed, "Take him!". Bearing in mind that someone had just attempted to kill the princess, the old man’s appearance was highly suspicious.

The soldiers started to surround the old man and were about to rush forward to pin him down when he let out a triumphant exclamation, "Finally! There you are! Haha! I dare you to run away now, you little bastard! Oh, there’s a sword piercing you down huh? Do you still dare to run away now?" gloated the old man.

The old man rushed towards the assassin’s corpse and started to pull out the sword that was keeping Jun Xie in place.

"He is in the loop with the assassins! Take him down!" screamed an overjoyed Murong Qian Jun. He could not believe that this old man was so stupid. All the assassins were already dead, but the old man still chose to enter the scene just to find a corpse. The whole place was currently swarming with army personnel too.

Surprisingly, the old man immediately flung away the sword after pulling it out. He then casually pushed away the assassin’s corpse without even looking at it. Bending down, the old man started to lift up a body covered in blood.

Hastily, Princess Ling Meng restrained Murong Qian Jun and analyzed the body carefully. It was Jun Mo Xie! His whole body was soaked in blood and he looked extremely lifeless. Suddenly, his eyes flickered and Princess Ling Meng jumped back in shock: Surprisingly, this bastard is still alive!

"Senior, may I ask who you are?" questioned Princess Ling Meng.

"There is no time to chat with you, little girl. I have to hurry and take care of this person’s injuries. If not, he may actually succumb to them,". In a flash, the old man appeared right before Murong Qian Jun, the injured Jun Mo Xie in his hands. Gazing straight at Murong Qian Jun, he chided, "Watch your language next time, you son of a bitch!" With that, the old man disappeared into thin air.

Murong Qian Jun did not even have the chance to retort back before the old man disappeared. He could only fume in anger. In addition, Princess Ling Meng was next to him, which meant that he had to compose himself and maintain his graceful image. Silently, Murong Qian Jun had already cursed the old man and all of his ancestors!

"Oh no! This is bad!" Princess Ling Meng exclaimed. "I have already sent someone to report to Senior General Jun. Now that Jun Mo Xie had been taken away, things may become even worse if the Senior General is angry!"

Murong Qian Jun stepped forward to comfort the princess, "Relax Princess, don’t worry too much. Just return to the palace. I will take care of this. I will arrange for someone to report to the Jun Family that the usele… that Jun Mo Xie is alive."

Relieved, Princess Ling Meng sighed, "That is wonderful of you." She looked away and noticed that there was a flying dagger embedded in the throat of the dead assassin leader. She could not help but welped in surprise: This senior had already helped to take care of this future problem, and I was unaware of it. She approached the corpse and pulled out the dagger. Turning it over in her hands, she concluded that the dagger was the same as the other two. Princess Ling Meng could not help but wonder: This senior is truly a remarkable and extremely powerful master. When would I have the chance to meet him in person to show my gratitude?

Princess Ling Meng turned back to face her bodyguards, who appeared miserable and pathetic in her eyes. She sighed: Given the events of today, how am I to go to the Dugu Residence? Ye Gu Han’s advice popped into her mind, and she announced, "Go back to the palace. List down the names of those who died, report it to the inner palace and make sure that their families receive a generous compensation."

Princess Ling Meng could no longer bear the gruesome sight of the carnage before her. She closed her eyes and slowly shed two drops of tears. These men were dead… all because of her!