Chapter 264: An Assassination Attempt

Chapter 264: An Assassination Attempt

Xie Yuan spoke, but Bai Li Hongxuan did not immediately respond.

He looked at Xie Yuan for a long moment before saying, "I am not at ease with you going alone to Liaobei."

Xie Yuan frowned, about to speak again, but Bai Li Hongxuan raised his hand. "I have a better plan."

Eunuch Fu and Xie Yuan both turned their attention to the emperor.

Several hours later, after they had finished discussing, Bai Li Hongxuan suddenly remembered something else. "The envoys from Dongrong Country will leave Great Shen's border tonight."

Upon hearing this, Xie Yuan bowed slightly. "Your Majesty, I have already instructed my men to proceed as planned."

Bai Li Hongxuan nodded. "If it does not work out, it is fine. Our greatest enemy right now is still Prince Rong..."

Exiting the palace hall, Eunuch Fu looked at Xie Yuan beside him. His tall figure was like a towering pine behind the majestic palace, unshakable. He thought to himself that with such a capable minister, the Emperor would surely achieve his vision.

The moon hung high in the sky, clear and cloudless. The endless sand dunes of the desert absorbed the moonlight, each grain shimmering, stretching for miles like an inverted Milky Way.

Amidst such beauty, a sudden burst of a thick, bloody scent erupted.

Tobag Chao violently pulled out the second arrow from his arm, almost spitting out a name filled with murderous intent: "Xie Yuan!"

Blood splattered onto the sand, making its glow eerie and alluring.

After shouting, he felt dizzy due to excessive blood loss.

Just as he was about to reach for medicine, he realized that his pouch containing the medicine had fallen off somewhere.

Tobag Chao gripped his curved knife tightly, wishing he could travel a thousand miles to Yanjing and kill Xie Yuan with his own hands!

At that moment, howls of wolves echoed in the distance.

Tobag Chao showed no fear and shouted toward the direction of the howls, "Xiao Yue!"

The howling abruptly stopped. After a brief silence, the sound of several animals' footsteps emerged from the other side of the dune. Twenty or so wolves appeared on the highest point of the dune, led by one particularly large wolf, nearly twice the size of the others.

As it emerged under the moonlight, its fur gleamed silver-white, reflecting the moon above.

Recognizing Tobag Chao, the pack rushed over, surrounding him affectionately without attacking.

The white wolf sniffed Tobag Chao's wound and then ran off into the distance. Soon, it returned with herbs in its mouth, dropping them beside Tobag Chao.

Relieved to see the herbs he needed, Tobag Chao patted Xiao Yue's head, crushed the herbs, and applied them to his wounds. Then, he began to review the assassination attempt.

Earlier that day, he had left with the Dongrong Country's entourage, just crossing the Great Shen border into the desert between the two countries.

By nightfall, he had separated from the group to fetch water when he was suddenly attacked by arrows. He had to dodge while leading the attackers away from the main group.

After all, Prince Bei was with the group, and he had to ensure his safety; otherwise, the Dongrong Emperor would not spare him.

Unexpectedly, even after running for a while, he heard no sounds from the main group. Instead, more pursuers kept coming. He finally realized that these people were targeting him, not Prince Bei.

Initially, Tobag Chao couldn't identify who these people were or why they were after him. But after engaging in combat with a few, he recognized their tactics as those of Great Shen, different from those of Dongrong, Nanlin, and the bandits of the unclaimed desert regions.

More importantly, some of their martial arts techniques were familiar to him—only seen in one person.

Xie Yuan!

Perhaps ordinary people couldn't discern the subtle differences in these martial arts, but Tobag Chao, a born martial genius, could.

Coupled with the fact that the attack happened just as they crossed the Great Shen border, Tobag Chao understood that Xie Yuan intended to kill him!

Had he not encountered Xiao Yue tonight, he might have died in this desolate place, his bones buried in the sand, forgotten.

Under the moonlight, Tobag Chao's blue-green eyes were eerier than a wolf's. Grinding his teeth, he suddenly sneered, "Xie Yuan! You wait..."

He thought only he feared Dongrong's experts and used such underhanded means?

Prince Bei must have arranged something too!

If Prince Bei's men succeeded, he would let it go, but if they failed, one day, he would make Xie Yuan beg for mercy!

The moon shone brightly over the desert, but by the time it reached Yanjing, a thousand miles away, it was only a faint circle in the sky.

Despite the dawn breaking, the moon remained, a pale white hanging overhead, barely noticeable unless closely observed.

Su Youyue walked around the courtyard several times that day, confirming that she could walk like a normal person. Her eyes sparkled with joy.

She even thought about going out for a stroll.

Ji Qingyan supported her idea. "You are fully recovered now. As long as you don't jump suddenly, there won't be any issues. Going out for a proper walk is certainly beneficial for your mind and body."

Su Youyue thought to herself that the aftereffects of her leg injury still lingered; she dared not even run, let alone jump.

Just as she finished thinking this, Xia Hua rushed in with news.

"Miss, it's bad. Minister Xie was attacked on his way back from court..."

"What?" Su Youyue was stunned, almost dropping the herb she held. "What happened? Is he hurt? How badly?"

She even started to move towards the door, intending to go directly to Xie Mansion.

Xia Hua, having run a long distance, swallowed hard before hurriedly saying, "I'm not sure about Minister Xie's condition, but they say he is seriously injured..."

For a moment, Su Youyue was filled with anxiety.

This assassination attempt had never been in her memory, but thinking about how several times in her previous life, Xie Yuan narrowly escaped death from similar attacks, she couldn't help but feel extremely worried.

"Divine Doctor Ji, let's go to the Xie Mansion!"

By now, she had been learning medicine from Ji Qingyan for some time and had picked up quite a bit. She had wanted to call him Master, but he strongly refused, so she could only address him as Divine Doctor Ji for now.

When Ji Qingyan first heard about Xie Yuan being attacked, he inwardly cursed that the boy deserved it. But upon hearing that Xie Yuan's injuries seemed severe, he furrowed his brows. Seeing Su Youyue speak up, he reluctantly said, "For your sake, I'll go with you to take a look."

As soon as she finished speaking, Su Youyue quickly walked out.

Ji Qingyan couldn't help but shake his head.

That someone didn't even want to acknowledge him as her fiancé before, yet now that she knows he's in trouble, she's practically on the verge of tears!