Chapter 15: What’s so simple?

Chapter 15: Simple? Really?

As a trusted confidant of Prince Duan, Zhou Jiamu had heard of Huo Ling’s feats from the prince more than once.

Yet Huo Ling’s sudden warning still caught Zhou Jiamu off guard.

Her hearing was razor-sharp, her archery deadly accurate.

He had also seen the arrow she shot and no longer hesitated, dispatching a team to the tailor’s shop to arrest the target.

Huo Ling still had fight left in her. She drew another arrow, aiming at the nearest black-clad assassin.

This wasn’t the first time Huo Ling had felt homicidal intent, but it was the first time she had taken a life with her own hands.

Blood sprayed as the arrow struck. Huo Ling glanced at it, confirmed the assassin was dead, and calmly sought her next target. The whole time, her breathing remained steady.

She’d known exactly what to expect today.

She’d steeled herself mentally.

In this kill-or-be-killed scenario, there was no room for hesitation.

She could crumble, she could panic—

—but only after this assassination attempt was over.

As Huo Ling let fly her third arrow, two short, mimicked wolf howls came from the direction of the tailor’s shop.

The surviving assassins, as if obeying some command, cut their losses and fled toward the tailor’s shop.

Zhou Jiamu immediately ordered his men to move in, while he himself stayed glued to Prince Duan’s side.

Huo Ling put away the fourth arrow, already nocked, and lowered her bow.

Seemingly noticing the burning stare beside her, she turned her head, her high ponytail swaying slightly with the movement. “Does my protection meet Your Highness’s standards?”

Prince Duan’s voice was low and measured, carrying admiration. “Perfect in every way.”

Huo Ling shot him a look. Zhou Jiamu was right there—did he have to add that first part?

Prince Duan remained unperturbed.

Zhou Jiamu kept his eyes downcast, pretending to be deaf.

Soon, however, their attention shifted to the battle at the tailor’s shop.

The assassins sent by the Qiang Rong were the cream of the crop, but Changlexian was the territory of Great Yan, and they had been ambushed. Even as the assassins fought desperately, they were all captured after lasting barely half an hour.

The Assassin Leader was brought forward.

He knelt on the ground, a broken arrow embedded in his left shoulder.

His mask had been torn off, revealing a young, defiant face.

Prince Duan looked down at him from horseback. “Who are you?”

The Assassin Leader curled his lip and closed his eyes, as if to say, “Get on with it.”

Prince Duan’s gaze shifted to Zhou Jiamu.

Zhou Jiamu knit his brows slightly, clearly trying to recall if he had seen the man before.

At this point, Sun Yucheng of the guard detail could no longer hold back.

"Your Highness, I know this man's identity."

Sun Yucheng glared at the Assassin Leader with hatred in his eyes. "That's the Qiang Rong officer who unhorsed our captain!"

Prince Duan then turned his gaze to Huo Ling.

Huo Ling looked equally surprised. She hadn’t expected that their 'spring the trap' plan would bring in one of their enemies.

However, her hatred for this Qiang Rong officer was nothing compared to her hatred for He Tai.

To put it bluntly, the officer and Huo Shiming were just serving different masters.

Though Huo Shiming had nearly died at his hands, on the battlefield, it was always about skill.

Unlike He Tai, who, despite being on the same side as Huo Shiming, had gone for the kill without hesitation.

Prince Duan asked, "What do you think?"

Huo Ling shook her head. "Don't let my feelings sway you, Your Highness. Do as you see fit."

Zhou Jiamu couldn’t help but glance at Huo Ling.

How long had Miss Huo even known His Highness? Her attitude already seemed to influence the prince’s decisions?

At this thought, Zhou Jiamu shot a smug look at He Tai, who stood nearby.

From the moment the assassination attempt began until now, He Tai had been standing there dumbstruck.

Where the hell had all these assassins come from?

Why had Zhou Jiamu directed the defense so smoothly, as if he had been prepared all along?

But what really chilled He Tai was the interaction between Prince Duan and Huo Ling.

Since when had Huo Shiming's daughter been so chummy with His Royal Highness Prince Duan?

Given their intimacy, would it affect the prince’s attitude toward him?

He Tai's mind raced with questions, leaving him unable to remain calm.

Prince Duan didn’t give He Tai more time to recover. After ordering the Assassin Leader to be taken away, he pinned He Tai with an icy glare.

"General He, how did these assassins infiltrate the city? And where did they obtain such fine bows and arrows? You'd better have a damn good explanation."

He Tai went pale. In panic, he nearly fell off his horse and knelt in apology. "Your Highness, please forgive me. I'll get to the bottom of this upon my return. I beg Your Highness to grant me some time."

Prince Duan’s voice was icy. "See that you do."

"General Zhou, securing the granary fell to you. Now that it has been burned, you and General He will work together to get to the truth of this mess."

Once the arrangements were made, Zhou Jiamu oversaw mopping up operations.

Prince Duan, Huo Ling, and the quartermaster and his men were escorted back to the county office.

Despite having just survived an assassination attempt, Prince Duan appeared completely unfazed. The elderly quartermaster, however, was still shaking and needed the prince's reassurance.

Huo Ling's one-day stint as a Royal Guard came to an end. She quietly slipped away from the formation, first taking the horse to the stable before shouldering her bow and arrows and returning to the western courtyard.

From a distance, Huo Ling spotted Wu Mo.

The little maid was sitting on a small stool, hugging a hand warmer at the courtyard gate, unfazed by the cold.

"Young Miss."

Wu Mo also noticed Huo Ling and sprang up excitedly, only to feel dizzy and her legs go numb from standing too quickly after sitting for so long.

Huo Ling walked up to her with a smile, raising her hands slightly and letting Wu Mo give her a once-over. "Don’t worry, I’m perfectly fine."

Wu Mo gave Huo Ling a quick once-over before finally relaxing. "I made warm dessert soup. I’ll go fetch some for you now. Young Miss, you should go inside and change out of this light armor—it must be heavy."

After removing the outer light armor, Huo Ling was left in a black riding outfit.

She wasn’t sure if it was her imagination, but a faint whiff of blood hung in the air.

Huo Ling stripped off the riding outfit as well.

By the time she changed clothes, Wu Mo had returned with a meal container.

The warm dessert soup warmed Huo Ling right up.

As she sipped the soup, Huo Ling recounted the day’s events to Wu Mo. Just as she mentioned how she had put an arrow clean through the Assassin Leader, a heavy thud came from the direction of the main house, as if something large had fallen to the ground.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting light onto the dark blue bed curtains.

***

Huo Shiming blinked his eyes open groggily, his head throbbing.

Instinctively, he pressed a hand to his forehead, only to jostle the wound on his abdomen as he lifted his arm.

The pain contorted his face.

But the pain also brought back his memories.

Huo Shiming remembered leading his trusted men, including Sun Yucheng, to manage to ambush the left flank of the Qiang Rong forces. Just as they were about to retreat, they ran into an elite Qiang Rong unit.

The young Qiang Rong general was ferociously skilled, his strength almost superhuman. After trading a dozen strikes, Huo Shiming was severely wounded by him.

After that…

After that, Sun Yucheng and the remaining brothers dragged him out of the battlefield.

Before passing out cold, Huo Shiming heard Sun Yucheng say he was going to confront He Tai. Before he could stop him, Huo Shiming lost consciousness completely…

At the thought of Sun Yucheng and He Tai, Huo Shiming abruptly sat up, once again pulling at his wound.

He hissed through his teeth, waiting for the pain in his abdomen to subside before carefully lifting the blanket—only to realize something wasn’t right.

The blanket, the bed curtains, and this room were clearly not his army barracks.

Where was he now? How long had he been unconscious?

What had happened to Sun Yucheng and the others?

Had He Tai pulled another stunt?

Huo Shiming was so anxious that sweat nearly broke out on his forehead, but having reopened his wound twice, he dared not move recklessly again. All he could do was reach out and push over the bronze basin and wooden stand by the bed to create some noise.

Footsteps soon approached from outside the door.

Someone pushed open the wooden door and stepped into the room, backlit by the doorway.

Peering hard, Huo Shiming saw the newcomer might be Sun Yucheng, or perhaps...

But when Huo Shiming finally made out the person’s face, his eyes widened in shock, and he breathed in disbelief, "A Ling!?"

Huo Ling smiled brightly, quickly walking to the bedside and dragging over a stool to sit. "Father, you’re finally awake."

Huo Shiming stammered, "This... what exactly is going on? Why are you here... No, where am I now... Where is Uncle Sun? Why hasn’t he come? Has... has something happened to him?"

"Father, don’t worry. Everyone is safe and sound," Huo Ling reassured, taking Huo Shiming’s hand. "We can talk about everything later. You’ve been unconscious for a long time—let’s get you cleaned up and fed first."

Mentioning food only made Huo Shiming acutely aware of his own weakness.

Hot water was boiling on the stove. Huo Ling mixed some cold water into the basin and helped Huo Shiming wash up.

With a belly full of questions, Huo Shiming ate the millet porridge Wu Mo had brought, one mouthful after another.

Setting down the spoon, he looked at Huo Ling solemnly. "A Ling, you can tell me now. I’ve prepared myself—don’t worry about me collapsing."

"He Tai has kept undermining me and even tried to kill me. If I had died, that would've been that. But since I’ve survived by some miracle, I must find a way to make He Tai pay!"

Wu Mo couldn’t help but laugh and stepped in to explain. "Master, the young lady isn’t lying. None of us are in danger. On the contrary, He Tai is about to be brought down."

Huo Shiming: ?

Huo Shiming remained silent for a long moment. "How long was I unconscious?"

Wu Mo: "Half a month."

Huo Shiming: ?

Had he really only been unconscious for half a month, and not half a year?

Before he fell into a coma from his severe injuries, He Tai had still been strutting around, wielding immense power. How could Wu Mo, just a maid, now confidently declare that He Tai was about to collapse?

He simply couldn’t believe it.

Looking at his eldest daughter, who stood by smiling mysteriously, Huo Shiming wiped his face and spoke solemnly. "A Ling, tell me exactly what happened during this time."

Huo Ling poured water for herself and Huo Shiming. "Then I’ll start with the big picture. If you want specifics, I’ll go deeper later."

Starting from Fang Jianbai’s return to Yong’an County, Huo Ling went through everything up to the assassination attempt that very morning.

She lifted her cup and took a sip to wet her throat. "That's the short version, Father. Is there anything else you’d like to know?"

Huo Shiming looked up, baffled.

Simple?

What was simple?

Was it simple that He Tai, who had nearly killed him, was now about to fall? Or that the Qiang Rong warrior who had nearly killed him had been captured?

Or perhaps that his own A Ling was involved with His Royal Highness Prince Duan?

Every single one of these events was so complex it had already gone over his head!