Chapter 122

Chapter 122

Su Yi grabbed the belt of the unconscious Shadow Guard with one hand, lifted him up, quickly found an open spot to set him down, and then swiftly left.

She moved so fast that her figure was nearly invisible, only a gust of wind passing by.

The little milk dragon stayed firmly perched on Su Yi's shoulder without falling off. Su Yi moved with a clear purpose, heading in a specific direction.

——

The young prince had been missing for a while, and suspecting something was amiss, he sent more people to search for him. However, they only found the corpses of maids, eunuchs, and guards strewn across the road.

The Shadow Guards tasked with protecting the prince had all fallen, with no survivors. The young prince was missing, and they had no choice but to report it to the Emperor.

Kangxi's face darkened upon hearing the news. Just as he was about to order people to continue the search, it was reported that Consort Rong had also vanished.

At this moment, with the young prince missing, Consort Rong had run off chasing a cat and disappeared, with no trace of her nearby.

"Bang!" Kangxi kicked a nearby object over, unable to suppress his anger any longer.

Yun Hua knelt silently, not daring to speak. At that time, Consort Rong had been right beside her, and she hadn’t been able to stop her from running off.

"I ordered you to watch over Consort Rong, and she was right beside you, yet you couldn't keep her in check."

"I failed in my duty," Yun Hua had no defense. If she had acted quickly and chased after her, Consort Rong and her companion wouldn't have gone missing.

"Go now..." Before Kangxi could finish his words, the ground started shaking violently.

It was an earthquake!

Yun Hua, still kneeling, jumped up to protect the Emperor.

"Protect the Emperor!"

"Guard His Majesty!"

Shouts like these rang out one after another.

——

The little milk dragon looked pale and terrified as he was swiftly carried off by a man in eunuch robes, his expression icy.

The person responsible for abducting the prince was now using his utmost skill, pushing his lightness technique to its limits, moving with a cold expression toward the destination.

He sped through the air with swift leaps, but he didn’t care if the young child in his grasp could handle it.

In his eyes, the young prince in his grasp was as good as dead.

This was the son of that cursed Emperor, and for the sake of his master's great cause, his death meant nothing.

When the assassin reached the destination, he stopped in front of a palace that wasn’t particularly impressive, located in a remote area compared to the palaces where the main consorts lived, looking old and rundown.

At this moment, the palace was already empty, as Kangxi had issued an order that everyone must leave the palace and not stay inside, all gathering in open areas. Anyone who delayed or caused trouble would be executed immediately.

Thus, the maids dared not delay, and even though they didn't understand the reason, they obeyed the Emperor's order without hesitation, quickly evacuating all the palaces and gathering in open areas.

Therefore, everyone here had left, and the rescuers arrived too late.

No one could have imagined that the little prince would ultimately be left without rescue, buried alive under the collapsed palace ruins, dying right here beneath the fallen palace.

The little prince fell into their hands; they could have simply strangled him directly, but their master insisted on this roundabout way for some reason, ensuring the little prince died in the earthquake.

Even though they didn’t understand why, they, loyal to their master, naturally followed through without hesitation, albeit with some extra effort.

The man ruthlessly tossed the scared, frozen little prince into the palace without a second thought.

Just as the assassin threw the little prince inside, the ground suddenly started to rumble and shake, like the world was spinning, the strong tremors occurring so abruptly!

The assassin was just a bit startled but quickly regained composure, seemingly ready for this sudden quake, showing no panic.

The assassin thought to himself how his master was indeed a master strategist, even able to predict the timing of the earthquake, and felt even more awe.

Then, like he was running from the devil, he quickly distanced himself from the palace that now symbolized death.

The little milk dragon was hurled into the palace, landing hard on the ground, so dazed he couldn’t snap out of it, wanting to cry from the pain, but at this moment, he refused to shed tears, as his father had said a real man doesn’t cry when things get tough.

However, raised in luxury and never knowing hardship, the little milk dragon, after such a harsh fall, was in so much pain he couldn’t move for a while, needing time to recover.

Worse, it felt like the sky was crashing down.

Tiles started raining down around him, fragments flying everywhere, objects inside the palace started to topple, and above the little milk dragon, a shaky beam was ready to come crashing down.

The little milk dragon had never experienced an earthquake before; he was like a clueless little kid, maliciously thrown into the most perilous environment to survive, likely facing death.

The ground shook violently; even with someone there, it’d be scary, let alone being alone in this teetering, collapsing palace.

He struggled to get up but failed, thrown back down by the violent shaking.

At this moment, the wooden pendant he always wore fell out of his clothes as he tumbled.

The little milk dragon quickly looked over; the pendant had a picture of him, smiling wide, just like Consort Rong saw him, who had personally carved it for him. He treasured it like crazy, careful not to damage it.

If Consort Rong hadn’t insisted he wear it, he would have locked it in a box to keep it safe, it was his treasure!

Hurt and scared, the little milk dragon fought to grab the pendant, wanting to protect it, as if holding onto his only comfort, hoping it could chase away his fear and hopelessness.

He was just a kid but already feeling this way.

The little milk dragon recalled Consort Rong’s gentle face as she personally placed the pendant around his neck, saying, 'This is a talisman for Baocheng, may Baocheng grow up safely.'

Just kidnapped by the assassin and terrified, the little milk dragon had held back his tears, but now, overcome with sadness, he sobbed, "Consort Rong..."

He was truly scared, he didn’t want to cry, but he might never see her again...

At this moment, the sound of the roof collapsing and breaking came from above.

The little milk dragon looked up just in time to see a large piece of the collapsing roof coming down towards him.

He was so scared he could only close his eyes, clutching the pendant tightly, about to be smashed to bits.

But at the critical moment, the pendant in his hand suddenly burned hot, glowing brightly, forming a small barrier that directly protected him, deflecting the falling beam to the side.

The little milk dragon, with his eyes closed, didn’t feel anything pressing down on him for a while, nor the violent shaking, as if things had returned to normal.

He cautiously opened his eyes; things were still falling around him, a large part of the roof had collapsed, creating a big hole.

He could see the white sky above.

Everything around was shaking violently, but where he stood was as stable as if it had been separated by an almost transparent barrier, isolating him from the outside world.

Even the falling objects were automatically deflected, ensuring they wouldn't hit him.

"What?" Little Milk Dragon couldn't help but reach out and touch, feeling something like a barrier.

The small wooden plaque in his hand was heating up. He glanced down at it, and the side with intricate carvings lit up, emitting a divine glow, no longer just an ordinary little wooden plaque.

What was once merely a decorative accessory now truly acted like a protective talisman, protecting him in a crucial moment.

It really was a protective talisman!

The assassin, enduring the earthquake, showed a satisfied expression upon seeing a large section of the palace collapse, assuming the young prince had been crushed to death.

Under such devastation, even if he still had a few breaths left, by the time rescuers arrived, the young prince would have already perished.

Even if someone discovered him now, no servant would dare risk their life to rush into a palace that could collapse at any moment to save a prince whose fate was uncertain, sacrificing their own life.

Certain of the prince's demise, the assassin finally felt at ease and prepared to leave.

But as he turned, danger suddenly loomed. Before his brain could react, his instincts kicked in, and he instinctively dodged.

While dodging, he wanted to see who was ambushing him and confront his attacker.

Although his body instinctively avoided the attack, his limbs were still severely injured at the same time, as though blades had sliced through his limbs, precisely severing his meridians!

The assassin's mind went blank for a moment before he realized he was injured.

After a brief numbness, the pain surged through him, spreading wildly from his limbs, forcing a scream of agony from him.

He plummeted from mid-air, crashing heavily to the ground. With his limbs crippled, he couldn't even muster his lightness skill or protect himself from the impact.

Like a bird with shattered wings, he struggled in vain, only to fall heavily.

After hitting the ground, he finally laid eyes on his assailant.

At the sight of the newcomer, the assassin's eyes widened in disbelief. He was stunned to see a palace lady as his attacker, dressed in court attire, with a small cat perched on her shoulder.

The newcomer appeared delicate and beautiful, even carrying a cat, appearing as one of those delicate palace ladies. Yet, she stood here, out of place and unexpected!

Apart from her, there was no one else. The assassin, though incredulous, had to believe it was her who had attacked.

Between her fingertips, she held a green... leaf! Apart from that, she held nothing else.

The assassin couldn't believe it and quickly looked at his wrist, where a leaf had embedded itself into his flesh, severing his meridians and instantly rendering him unable to control his limbs.

Who would believe a leaf could pierce his bones and tendons like a blade? When he was hit, he never imagined the weapon used would be a leaf!

How is this possible!

"Who... are you?" How could a master like her be in the palace, dressed as a lady no less!

Could she be a Shadow Guard, the dog emperor's hidden agent in the harem?!

After the assassin got a clear look at her, even though the earthquake hadn't stopped, her presence made the quaking earth seem still.

The chaos around her had no effect on her.

Su Yi, however, did not answer the assassin's question.

Though still some distance away, in the next moment, she was suddenly in front of him, an invisible pressure overwhelming him, filled with intense killing intent.

Her speed was ghostly, as terrifying as his master's!

"You want to leave?"

Su Yi's gentle voice rang out, soft as a spring breeze, yet it filled the assassin, who had experienced countless bloody battles and lived a life on the edge, with fear!