Chapter 14

Chapter 14

Luo Qianyu turned around and stood still, detecting nothing out of the ordinary.

He hadn't expected Wen Yu, someone so aloof and steady, to own such a timid bird, startled by mere spring water. Luo Qianyu sat back down at the pool's edge, tossing his inner robe aside, loosened his hair, and closed his eyes to rest.

The red-tailed bird flapped its wings again, chirping twice. The person beneath it ignored it now, his eyelashes dampened by the steam, a wave of inexplicable drowsiness washing over him.

A few more bubbles surfaced, this time without a single sound.

Moments later, they began drifting slowly toward the young marquis.

A hand, as if made of nothing, reached directly for the pale ankle, about to seize it.

Just then, a moderate knock sounded from not far away.

The Young Marquis opened his eyes. "Who is it?"

"Brother, it's me."

It was Luo Shifu's voice.

What was his younger brother, the Imperial Guard who was never home day or night, doing here?

Suppressing his drowsiness with effort, Luo Qianyu rose from the water, casually draping an inner robe over himself without even drying off. With no servants around, he had to deal with his brother personally.

Luo Qianyu opened the door.

Having holed up in Jinlin Courtyard these past few days, he hadn't seen Luo Shifu for some time. Now, dressed in casual clothes instead of his stark black cap and Flying Fish Robe, the man seemed much softer.

Though Luo Qianyu didn't see any issue with his brother disturbing his bath, the Young Marquis's persona was firmly in place. Acting affectionate would only arouse suspicion. He crossed his arms, his tone unfriendly. "Luo Shifu, didn't Father say that without my permission, no one is allowed to barge into this bathing pool?"

The Young Marquis tightened his robe, his lips pursing from the chill brought in from outside. Drowsy and cold, he just wanted to send the man away quickly and return to the pool. He said without warmth, "Do you really think you're a member of the Luo family? So reckless, have you forgotten all the rules?"

Hearing those last words, Luo Shifu paused slightly, though his expression remained unchanged. He only said softly, "Elder Brother... didn't you send someone to look for me earlier? I was on night patrol duty and wasn't in the residence." He noticed Luo Qianyu was barefoot, his feet wet from the pool water, the droplets trailing all the way to where he stood, the trail gradually fading.

Luo Shifu bent down, took hold of his ankle, and helped him put on his shoes, one foot at a time.

"Later, when the servants reported it, I was concerned and came to ask what the matter was." He then removed his own outer robe and draped it over Luo Qianyu's shoulders, enveloping him in it.

His fingers hooked the ends, tying the robe's sash securely.

Luo Qianyu accepted this without a second thought, feeling warmth envelop him. He instinctively took a breath and, strangely, didn't smell even a hint of blood this time.

Now that he thought about it, there indeed had been such a matter.

Two nights ago, when the horses pulling his carriage were startled and he sprained his back being carried back to the residence by Wen Yu, he had been suspicious about that bloodstained short arrow. He had thought of asking his fourth brother, who frequented the imperial prison and was skilled in pursuit and interrogation, to see if any clues could be uncovered.

Luo Shifu hadn't been there at the time, and the Young Marquis hadn't paid it much mind, later forgetting about it entirely. He hadn't expected Luo Shifu to take the initiative to come find him personally. It seemed he still took his elder brother's words to heart.

"Take a look at this." The Young Marquis took out the bloodstained short arrow and handed it to him, describing that thrilling night lightly. "That day, I accidentally sprained my back while strolling the night market. Later, this hidden weapon was found on the horse's hindquarters."

Luo Shifu took it, his expression changing. He suddenly asked, "So, Elder Brother's horse being startled wasn't an accident?"

Luo Qianyu vaguely hummed in agreement, biting the tip of his tongue. The overwhelming drowsiness receded somewhat. "It's a three-stone crossbow bolt, about eight inches long, with a triangular arrowhead. Well? Have you seen this kind of short bolt before?"

Luo Shifu pondered for a moment. "I haven't seen it before."

The Young Marquis was somewhat disappointed. "Even you haven't seen it?"

"Luo Shifu." The Young Marquis suddenly leaned in. A drop of water slid from his damp hair, landing on the side of Luo Shifu's wrist. The flickering candlelight cast fine, shimmering gold in his eyes. "Look at this engraving. Doesn't it look like the character 'Zhou'?"

Luo Shifu glanced at the falling water droplet, stiffening without moving, his voice low. "Mm."

"Who does this character represent? Do you have any ideas?"

Luo Shifu took the hidden weapon, examined it carefully, but shook his head.

His questioning yielded no results, and the Young Marquis was completely disappointed. If even a professional interrogator who had dealt with countless cases had no leads, with only a single clue, where else could he find someone as knowledgeable and well-connected as Luo Shifu to help investigate secretly?

"However, this arrow is made of cold iron." Luo Shifu suddenly spoke up, his fingertips brushing over the arrow shaft. Dark crimson patterns were inlaid within, the grain naturally elegant and precious. "This iron is produced in very limited quantities. Last year, the Western Desert offered twenty carts as tribute—extremely rare. Even if artisans from the Armaments Directorate could forge it, it's priceless on the market. Only the imperial armory and the Chancellor's private foundry have the means to obtain it."

Mentioning only the material, yet it aligned with what Wen Yu had said.

Though brief, Luo Qianyu grasped the key point in his brother's words. That is to say, even if one found the artisan or the crossbowman, it wouldn't necessarily lead to this incident. Because arrows made of this material...

"Only the imperial palace and the Chancellor's residence have it?" His Adam's apple bobbed as Luo Qianyu murmured the latter half of the sentence.

"Mm."

Though his mind was still drowsy, his thoughts became exceptionally clear.

What motive would the Emperor have? The Emperor, above all others, could simply lift a finger if he disliked the Young Marquis, and his head would roll. Even punishing him with dozens of court rods would be enough to leave him paralyzed. Would he go to the trouble of a covert attack?

Luo Qianyu inwardly cursed himself for only thinking of other enemies and overlooking the most recent one.

The last time he encountered the Chancellor's carriage, he and Lou Xian had alighted to pay respects. The other party had been too impeccably dressed, causing him to forget that just recently, Quan Songcheng had issued threats at Zhaixian Tower, snarling that the Chancellor would not let him off, that this score would be settled sooner or later!

So, this was the so-called "settling of accounts" waiting for him.

A glaring crossbow bolt in the horse's hindquarters—if the Young Marquis made even a slight fuss about this matter or told the Marquis, following the clues would lead right to the source. It seemed Lin Jingyan didn't care whether the Young Marquis knew it was him or whether it would escalate into factional strife. With old and new grievances between both sides, now he couldn't even be bothered to conceal it.

Open attacks are easy to dodge, but hidden arrows are hard to guard against.

Chancellor Lin, you're not even pretending anymore.

This time, Wen Yu had stepped in to save him. If Wen Yu weren't here next time, without the original book's "Personal Guard" to protect him, could the Young Marquis truly remain unharmed and escape unscathed again?

Just as he was pondering this, Luo Shifu suddenly frowned, his gaze turning sharp and fierce, like a torch. He said in a low voice, "Elder Brother, there's someone in the hot spring."

Luo Qianyu's heart jolted. In his daze, before he could respond, Luo Shifu had already flung a throwing dart from his sleeve. With a *whoosh*, it shot straight into the pool.

Instantly, water erupted in the pool, droplets splashing everywhere like shattered pearls. A black shadow burst from the water, streaking like a sudden apparition into the distance.

Luo Shifu's eyes turned cold. With a tap of his foot, his figure shot forward like lightning, an arrow released from its bowstring, giving chase.

Everything happened in an instant.

Luo Qianyu moved to follow but felt his legs go weak. Only then did he realize the earlier drowsiness wasn't unfounded... but had grown heavier, so subtle one couldn't detect it, leading to lowered guard. By the time he came to his senses, he was already immobilized, at the mercy of others.

Luo Shifu, without his waist sword, shot darts from his sleeves one after another, each precisely aimed at the black shadow's vital points.

Yet the black-clad figure's movements were bizarre, evading the darts each time at the last possible moment, even countering by throwing a handful of fine powder that scattered with the wind.

Luo Qianyu's heart tightened. *This is bad*, he thought. That was probably the source of the drowsiness that had overcome him earlier!

But the powder was colorless and odorless. After falling into the water, it slowly released a faint, subtle fragrance.

Even from a distance, that faint, elusive scent, once inhaled, still made Luo Qianyu feel dizzy. His limbs grew even weaker than before. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to stay alert, quickened his pace, and kicked the door shut.

He was blocking the shadow's only way out.

"Brother, be careful!" Luo Shifu shouted a warning from behind him, but it was already too late. The shadow suddenly turned. A slender ribbon shot from its sleeve and wrapped around Luo Qianyu's ankle. Already dazed by the faint fragrance, Luo Qianyu failed to notice in time and was yanked forward, sprawling on the ground.

The shadow gave a soft chuckle at the sight. Just as it tightened its grip, a sharp pain shot through its shoulder—a dart had embedded itself deep into its flesh.

The figure grunted, its body stiffening for a moment as blood dripped from the wound and fell right onto Luo Qianyu's forehead.

Luo Qianyu only felt a warmth on his brow, mingling with the steam in the air, unaware it was blood.

At this, Luo Shifu's eyes blazed with renewed fury. He flung dagger after dagger, forcing the shadow to release the ribbon and bolt through the door, fleeing at full tilt.

Just as Luo Shifu was about to give chase, he saw the shadow leap onto a high wall and disappear over the rooftops in an instant.

The youth balled his hands into fists.

He then turned and hurried to Luo Qianyu's side. Crouching down, he helped the Young Marquis up and asked urgently, "Brother, are you alright?"

Luo Qianyu forced his eyes open and shook his head weakly, his voice faint. "I'm fine, but that fragrance... it feels strange."

Luo Shifu frowned, reaching out to check Luo Qianyu's pulse. Only after confirming he was unharmed did he let out a slight sigh of relief. He glanced around and bellowed, "Someone get in here! There's an assassin in the baths!"

Before long, servants and guards from the estate rushed in. Upon entering and seeing the flooded floor in disarray, along with specks of blood beside the Young Marquis, they were scared witless, staggering as their heads spun.

Luo Shifu gave brief instructions, ordering them to pursue the intruder. Once the crowd dispersed, he turned his attention back to his brother.

Dazed by the fragrance for so long, Luo Qianyu's alertness came and went in flashes. The drop of blood on his forehead remained vivid, like a dot of cinnabar.

He called softly, "Brother?"

There was no response from the person in his arms.

Luo Shifu reached out, gently wiping away the dot of cinnabar with his fingertip, and was about to lean closer when—

A plump bird slowly landed on the Young Marquis's shoulder.

It lifted its head, flapped its wings, and chirped at him twice.

Looking seriously pissed off.