Chapter 130

Chapter 130

Although Han Zhang felt that since he was already married, Lord Chang Jiayou, for the Crown Prince's cause and reputation, shouldn't have designs on him.

But there was always the unexpected, and to avoid trouble, he had to be cautious.

So Han Zhang scrapped his plan to stand out at today's literary gathering and network.

With Lord Chang around, better to keep a low profile.

The other handsome students from modest families shared the same thoughts as Han Zhang, each huddling in the crowd like scared quails!

The academy's teachers were well aware of the students' behavior.

So, after the literary gathering began, they deliberately avoided calling on these students to answer questions.

Shen Huaizhi and the other three even went and sat in front of Han Zhang, trying to use their scrawny frames to block Han Zhang's six-foot-something stature.

No help for it—Brother Han was married, but he was so good-looking that hardly anyone at the gathering could compete. They couldn't be too careful.

Han Zhang watched their futile attempts to shield him... He was a little touched, but only a little!

Everyone was on their best behavior.

And Lord Chang had only come for a casual visit today, so he naturally stayed out of their gathering. The event went smoothly, which was a huge relief to everyone.

But today's "coincidence" was deliberately staged by the Fifth Prince, and Han Zhang could only dodge the bullet for so long.

So, in the middle of the gathering,

Han Zhang excused himself to go to the restroom. On his way back, as he passed through a grove of trees, he heard frantic cries for help up ahead:

"Help! Someone come quick! Assassins! Someone's trying to kill Lord Chang!"

There was Lord Chang Jiayou, hair a mess and robes rumpled, being shielded by two martial-arts-trained maids and a page boy as they fled in a panic.

Behind them, several black-clad assassins gave chase, their blades gleaming coldly, every swing meant to kill.

As the three fled in terror, they spotted Han Zhang up ahead and nearly wept with relief.

One of the maids immediately yelled: "Master Han, save us! Our master is Lord Chang—someone's trying to kill him! Please, Master Han, help!"

Thanks to his performance in the mounted archery exam at the Imperial Academy, Han Zhang's fighting skills were famous among the capital's elite.

He had also aligned himself with the Crown Prince and had recently earned great merit for him. As Lord Chang's trusted aide, the maidservant naturally recognized Han Zhang and knew how skilled he was.

"Lord Chang Jiayou of all people? Why is he being chased here?" And he had to stumble into this mess!

Seeing this scene, Han Zhang couldn't help cursing under his breath.

But there was no time to think. The cry for help had already been made, and setting aside the fact that this was the Crown Prince's own brother, the simple fact that he'd witnessed the assassination attempt meant the assassins would never let him walk away.

So—

Han Zhang hesitated for just a heartbeat, then scooped up a thick branch from the ground and charged at the black-clad men.

At the same time, he shouted to Jiayou and his servants: "Get going—I'll hold them off! Take the small path on the left; the retreat hall isn't far ahead!"

"Th-thanks!"

Jiayou, panting, thanked him and gritted his teeth as he bolted left, smart enough not to stay and get in the way.

But how could the assassins just let him run off?

One of them immediately blew a bamboo whistle:

"Fweee—!"

The shrill whistle sliced through the quiet of the mountain woods. Almost simultaneously, another group of assassins lying in wait surged out from the direction of the retreat hall, cutting off their escape.

"Ambush up ahead!"

"Master, fall back!"

The maid and page boy were terrified and could only shield Jiayou as they scrambled back.

Han Zhang saw this and his face darkened.

With this kind of setup, every escape route was probably blocked. The only way out was to fight their way through.

Realizing the situation, Han Zhang immediately called out to Jiayou and his three attendants:

"Your Highness, these men have set up an ambush—don't run. Please step back behind me and shout for help—I'll handle these bastards!"

With that, Han Zhang kicked up a fallen long blade from one of the assassins and stopped holding back.

His whole demeanor shifted abruptly, as if he were back facing the zombie horde in his past life. Murderous intent blazed in his eyes, and with each swing of his blade, he lopped off heads like chopping vegetables.

Blood sprayed wherever his blade passed.

Even a professional executioner wasn't this efficient!

Not only were Jiayou and his three attendants stunned, but even the assassins' eyes were filled with terror.

They'd heard Han Zhang was skilled in martial arts, but they never expected this. This wasn't some talented scholar versed in both letters and combat—this was a god of death forged from mountains of corpses and seas of blood!

"This is getting too loud—no more delays. Archers, fire!"

The lead assassin's eyes hardened, and without another moment's hesitation, he waved his hand in command.

Several archers behind him immediately nocked and drew, cold arrowheads all trained on the group trapped in the middle.

Han Zhang looked up at the dense rain of arrows and his face went pale.

Damn, how the hell was he supposed to dodge this?!

If it were just him, even twice as many archers wouldn't be a problem.

But now he had to protect a defenseless Lord Chang Jiayou, and he couldn't use his powers—even two fists couldn't beat four hands.

In desperation, Han Zhang's gaze landed on the cliff behind them—

An idea struck him.

Without a second thought, he ripped off his leather belt, rushed to Lord Chang Jiayou, and tied both ends tightly around their waists.

"W-what are you doing?"

Jiayou was startled and panicked.

Han Zhang had no time to explain, only gripping his wrist firmly:

"Hold tight!"

The next moment, he leapt off the cliff with the man in tow!

"Ah——"

The sensation of weightlessness engulfed them, and Lord Jiayou's scream rang through the desolate valley.

On the cliff above, the maidservant and young attendant shrieked in terror: "Master—!"

But the black-clad assassins, seeing this, revealed delight in their eyes. They immediately sheathed their blades and bows, retreating as swiftly as the tide.

So by the time the others at the training grounds heard the commotion and rushed over, they only found two frantic maidservants and a young attendant pointing toward the cliff and sobbing: "Lord Jiayou and Master Han... were driven off the cliff by assassins! Quick, get down there and save them!"

...

Meanwhile.

Since Han Zhang chose to leap off the cliff, he obviously wasn't trying to kill himself.

So, after jumping, while Jiayou screamed with his eyes shut, Han Zhang used his ability to instantly accelerate the growth of vines on the cliff face, then grabbed the vines and hung suspended in mid-air.

The wind howled through the mountains, and Jiayou was trembling all over with fear—only when he felt the falling stop did he dare to open his eyes, shaking.

He saw Han Zhang holding him with one hand while the other clenched the vine, and hundreds of feet below their feet lay a deep, unfathomable cold pool...

Jiayou had been raised in the lap of luxury—when had he ever been in such peril? Even when he'd rescued the Crown Prince before, it hadn't been this terrifying.

His voice trembled, barely forming words: "M-Master Han... what... what do we do now?"

Being suspended in mid-air was absolutely terrifying. His limbs had turned to jelly, and if not for the woven belt binding him tightly to Han Zhang, he would have surely lost strength and fallen.

But they couldn't keep this up. There was no telling when help would come from above, and they had to figure out a way to save themselves fast.

But Han Zhang had already thought it through and immediately reassured him:

"Your Highness, rest assured. I have practiced martial arts for years, with the arm strength of fifteen bow-draws—I can definitely get Your Highness back up the cliff. Please don't be alarmed, Your Highness—just hold on to me."

"What? Climb... climb back up?"

Jiayou's voice caught in his throat at the words.

It wasn't that he didn't believe Han Zhang, but they were at least two to three hundred meters from the cliff top, with mostly sheer, bare rock faces and only a few sparse clumps of withered vines.

Climbing up alone with bare hands would already be extremely hard, let alone with Jiayou tagging along as dead weight. Was this even possible?

Jiayou looked down at the deep pool below and, his voice trembling, made a suggestion: "Master Han, this cliff is too dangerous, and it's too hard for you to carry me. There's a deep pool down there... I-I know how to swim. Why don't we find a calm spot in the water and jump in—take a gamble?"

"If we run out of strength halfway up and fall, we won't have the energy to swim, and we'll have even less of a chance to survive."

It really was the most sensible plan.

But Han Zhang shook his head without hesitation. "No! We have to get back up as fast as we can. Those assassins were clearly well-prepared, yet they chased Your Highness for so long without making a move—but only now, here, do they go for the kill. There's definitely something off about this."

"This 'chance encounter' of ours, Your Highness, probably isn't a coincidence at all. I'm afraid... someone is using us to plot against the Crown Prince."

Jiayou didn't get it at first: "Wh-what do you mean, scheme?"

"I'm not sure. But the best move is to get back quickly and not play into their hands. Your Highness, don't worry—I know what I'm doing, and I won't do anything reckless."

With that, Han Zhang's arms tensed, and he started climbing.

He wasn't just making all that up; the assassins' attitude really had been a bit odd.

With all their numbers and preparation, why had they held back from killing, only to corner them here?

Something was definitely off, though he couldn't figure out exactly what it was yet.

But there was no way he was going to fall all the way down with Lord Jiayou.

If they fell down there and waited for a rescue party, it would be at least tomorrow before anyone showed up.

Two men alone out in the wild, all disheveled and spending the night together—who knows what kind of rumors that would start!