Chapter 301

Chapter 301

Kangxi's eyes darkened as he suppressed all emotions. "Wait here—I'll return for you." Without further hesitation, he could only spare these words before swiftly withdrawing, mounting his horse under the escort of his guards.

Consort Ping, seeing this, hurriedly lowered her head to conceal the slight upward curl of her lips as she followed. She didn’t even bother to put her shoes back on. Indeed, in life-threatening situations, no amount of beauty or romance could compare to survival—especially for an Emperor.

No matter what, Noble Consort Rong would inevitably nurse resentment in her heart. After all, as women, they understood each other all too well.

Once a crack appeared, estrangement would take root, resurfacing time and again until it erupted at some critical moment. After enduring Noble Consort Rong's dominance for so long, Consort Ping could barely suppress the smirk threatening to break free. Just the thought of it brought her immense satisfaction!

Unburdened by having to protect anyone, Kangxi drew his bow with terrifying precision—each arrow piercing hearts or striking throats. His expression was chillingly composed, so much so that even Consort Ping, who had approached him, dared not speak a word.

Kangxi's intermittent glances toward her sent shivers down her spine, as if the next arrow might be aimed at her.

She knew this was probably retaliation for her earlier 'accidental' push. Still, at least he hadn’t abandoned her and brought her along during the retreat. Some resentment was to be expected. Consort Ping wisely kept silent, making herself inconspicuous as she waited.

Meanwhile, Su Yi, seeing that everyone had left, lightly leaped out of the pit. The ground lay strewn with corpses, their blood staining the earth in a gruesome display. Yet, not a speck of dust or drop of blood marred Su Yi’s pristine appearance, creating a stark contrast against the carnage.

She was the only one left breathing here. The assassins hadn’t even bothered to stay behind to finish her off.

Stepping lightly around the bloodstains, Su Yi moved with an almost ethereal grace, as if she were strolling through a flower-strewn field rather than a battlefield strewn with corpses.

Suddenly, she plucked a hairpin from her hair and swept it backward. A surge of energy sliced through the illusion, revealing the figure lurking behind. Su Yi’s smiling face now carried a hint of annoyance at the unwelcome intrusion.

"I don’t recall you being a dog, so why skulk around like one?" she mused, her rare moment of leisure now disrupted.

Too irritated for sarcasm, Su Yi dropped all pretense, her smile fading. Her alluring eyes held no warmth.

The tall, masked man clad in black robes remained unfazed by her hostility. "Aren’t you going to help him?"

His reference to 'him' was vague, but Su Yi responded cheerfully, "I believe he can handle it himself." Her tone was encouraging, but in reality, she had no intention of lifting a finger.

A little bloodshed wasn't fatal—as long as he didn’t die, it wasn’t a big deal. Su Yi remained unperturbed.

Of course, since it wasn’t her blood calamity, she could afford to be indifferent.

"He won’t let this opportunity slip. Yet you allow that pawn to be left behind willingly."

"Because it’s interesting. I want to see what happens." Su Yi’s smile was radiant, her anticipation undisguised. She simply wanted to see how things would unfold—her beguiling eyes, though seemingly tender, held no real feeling.

It mirrored a child's innocent cruelty in tearing off a butterfly’s wings—seen but never truly comprehended.

Finally, the black-robed man's longstanding suspicions were confirmed.

"A’nuo only temporarily used Li Ke to seal away your ‘sorrow.’ But you’ve lost more than just that, haven’t you?" Though phrased as a question, his tone was certain.

Lacking the seven emotions meant she could neither transcend nor survive the final thunder tribulation of ascension.

Originally, A’nuo’s method was only temporary. Li Ke’s seal would weaken over time and eventually dissipate, signaling Su Yi’s recovery. But during their last hurried encounter, he discovered the seal hadn’t weakened—instead, it had been reinforced, now inextricably bound to her.

Only one person could have done this.

"How touching that you still remember Li Ke," Su Yi's voice dripped sweetness, nearly giddy, as if delighted to share the news. "You should've said so earlier. No need for such dramatics last time. I've been taking excellent care of her all this time."

But when Su Yi expressed 'fondness' so sweetly, it was never to be taken at face value.

"Whenever you dodge a subject, you redirect with something else."

Su Yi's expression remained unchanged, but her words were anything but polite. "Since you already know, why are you still so obnoxious? Did our temporary truce recently give you the illusion that you can control me?" She had originally intended to watch the spectacle, but now she was stuck here—truly exasperating.

The invisible aura of killing intent shattered the fragile peace, turning the atmosphere at daggers drawn, a powder keg waiting to explode.

Over there, Consort Ping had planned to step forward at the critical moment. However, as more and more people died and assassins came in wave after wave, coupled with the Emperor's presence, the guards' priority for protection was naturally not her. As a result, she inevitably got banged up.

Compared to the wounded guards, her injuries were minor. But Consort Ping, who had never endured much hardship, couldn’t even handle a paper cut while peeling fruit—how could she tolerate this? Unconsciously, she began to shrink back.

When the system alerted her to the ambush arrow aimed at Kangxi, Consort Ping hesitated, unwilling to throw herself in front of it. But at this critical juncture, the system wouldn’t let her retreat. It immediately administered a jolt of electricity, forcing her to lurch uncontrollably and shield Kangxi with her body.

The arrow pierced straight through her, as if it had pierced her heart and lungs, the tip emerging from the other side—proof of the sheer force behind the shot.

The pain nearly made Consort Ping black out on the spot. Fortunately, the system, in a rare show of mercy, slightly numbed the pain, preventing her from fainting immediately. Still, she collapsed weakly into Kangxi’s arms.

Kangxi froze for a moment, seemingly taken aback that Consort Ping would take an arrow for him. His expression softened with emotion.

Seeing Kangxi’s moved expression, Consort Ping didn’t even have the energy to curse the system’s actions. She had always been sharp-witted—since the suffering was already done, she might as well make the most of it and reap the rewards.

Gritting through the pain, her eyes brimming with tears, she spoke in a faint whisper, "Your Majesty... as long as you’re unharmed, that’s all that matters." Then, as if finally at ease, she closed her eyes and lost consciousness.

What could be more touching than shielding someone with your own body, disregarding your own safety to prioritize theirs, even rejoicing that the injury was yours and not theirs—delighted at the thought of dying for them?

After delivering her feeble words, Consort Ping had the system render her unconscious. The rest was no longer her concern.

As soon as she passed out, reinforcements arrived, armed with newly developed muskets, instantly turning the tide. The assassins, realizing their defeat was inevitable, chose to crush the poison vials in their mouths rather than struggle pointlessly.

"Your Majesty, this subordinate failed to arrive in time to protect you. Please forgive this crime," the guard captain hurriedly knelt in apology, followed by a sea of prostrate figures behind him.

With one of the imperial consorts injured—her wounds clearly life-threatening—it was terrifying to imagine how much worse it could have been had they arrived any later. The assassins had struck with overwhelming force, coming out in full force after lying in wait for who knew how long before launching their attack at the end of the hunt.

Their infiltration into the hunting grounds was a grave oversight in security. Many would undoubtedly pay with their lives for this failure.

Meanwhile, the explosive tension between Su Yi and the black-robed man was abruptly interrupted by frantic screams in the distance. In that brief moment, the black-robed man slipped away, disappearing almost instantly.

How quick to flee.

Su Yi couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She nonchalantly pinned her hair back up, then turned and leaped back into the pit she had just left.

Standing at the very edge of the pit, she didn’t have to wait long before the noise grew louder—chaotic and clamorous. Then, the light above dimmed as dust billowed into the air.

A figure was hurled down from above, first slamming into the pit wall with a heavy thump, then rebounding to crash against the opposite side with another muffled impact before finally tumbling to the ground. But that wasn’t the worst of it.

As the figure rolled across the pit, they landed directly onto a bear trap, which clamped onto their calf with a sickening crunch. A scream tore through the sky.

The first unlucky one had been Consort Ping—Su Yi hadn’t made it in time for that. But as for the next victim...

Su Yi simply watched quietly as today’s second unlucky soul made their grand entrance.