Chapter 37: Slaughter Them All

Chapter 37: Kill Them All

He said it flatly, but for Li Zhiming, it caused an uproar.

"Damn, I got played!"

Li Zhiming slammed the table and shot up.

Sang Yu frowned slightly: "You're angry?"

He wouldn't allow his possessions to be affected by others' emotions. His belongings could only grovel at his feet, displaying all their emotions to him.

Li Zhiming didn't notice his displeasure and nodded indignantly: "Of course! You think it was easy for me to run back and forth? Nobody told me a damn thing."

"By the way, what about Li Zhixing? He didn't go back too, did he?"

Sang Yu shook his head: "No, only the Crown Prince returned. I heard he narrowly escaped death and suffered quite a bit. Your emperor is really worried about him."

"Screw that!"

Li Zhiming paced around anxiously, mulling over every little detail of the past few days, especially the Fourth Prince's words.

The top courtesan has to be useful.

But why?

All of a sudden, he looked at Sang Yu and said, "Since you came to save me, that means you're on my side. You don't want me to die either, right?"

"Hmm, you could say that." Sang Yu didn't seem fazed.

Well, that figured.

"Good."

Li Zhiming thought: Sang Yu was trapped in the Prime Minister's estate by him, and his old man had said the emperor probably meant the same thing. If he died, Sang Yu might end up in someone else's hands.

They definitely wouldn't treat him as well as he did. It made sense that Sang Yu didn't want him dead.

"Sang Yu, I've got a wild idea. Don't you dare tell anyone. I want to hear what you think. Can you keep it to yourself?"

Sang Yu looked at him with a raised eyebrow: "Go on."

"Alright, here's the thing. Since the Crown Prince has already gone back, I think he's definitely involved in this too. And the Fourth Prince is also in on it—looks like he's the one who planned it."

Then Li Zhiming told Sang Yu everything he knew, but he kept how he found out to himself, just saying Feng Yin had dug it up.

Sang Yu looked at him a little differently, but he didn't pry.

"You believe me? Bottom line, the Fourth Prince wants me dead. I think he might be working with the Second Prince. As for why, I have no idea."

"Brothers killing each other? Now that's interesting."

That excited glint slowly came back into Sang Yu's eyes.

"Next, I want to look into this angle. You snuck out, didn't you? Maybe you should head back for now?"

If you got caught, that'd be bad.

He thought Sang Yu would say no, but he agreed without hesitation, saying he'd head back first thing in the morning and crash here for the night.

Everything was calm until nightfall.

But in the dead of night, footsteps crept closer. Even someone as clueless as Li Zhiming could tell someone was coming—and they weren't here for anything good.

Looks like it was gonna be a rough night.

He was about to get up and hide when a hand beside him pressed him down.

"??"

Not running?

The enemy had already reached their doorstep, and he couldn't fight off that many people.

Sang Yu seemed to know what he was thinking and reminded him lazily: "There are too many of them. Running is no longer an option. Why not see who exactly has come?"

Li Zhiming thought for a moment.

"Fine."

If he really couldn't escape, at least he'd know who wanted him dead. That was something.

"Not scared anymore?"

"Not scared. You're right—since I can't run, being afraid is useless. You hide. I'll go out and take a look. Don't let anyone find you. You snuck out, and if the emperor finds out, he'll punish you."

"Heh."

Li Zhiming hastily shoved Sang Yu behind him to hide, then, before the door was kicked in, yanked it open with a bang.

The newcomers seemed startled that he came out on his own. The group froze for a moment before surrounding him.

And the leader—it was the Fourth Prince himself.

Li Zhiming asked directly: "Your Highness, who exactly made a deal with you to make you so determined to kill me? I really want to know."

The Fourth Prince was clearly caught off guard: "You know?"

Li Zhiming nodded calmly: "I do know. You told me yourself—in your sleep. Surely Your Highness hasn't forgotten?"

"Enough nonsense. You managed to escape my trap, so you're impressive. But this time, just go die. I don't have time to play with you."

Li Zhiming wanted to say more, but then he heard sounds of fighting coming from inside the room.

Damn it.

Forgetting the Fourth Prince, he turned and rushed back into the room. Sure enough, he saw a person in black clothes fighting with Sang Yu. In the moment he laid eyes on them—

The figure ran Sang Yu through the chest with a sword.

"Sang Yu!"

Li Zhiming shouted, grabbing a nearby chair and swinging it at the person's head, but it struck the sharp blade instead. He finally got a clear look at the face.

It was a woman—beautiful yet not vulgar, like a celestial maiden detached from the mortal world.

Seeing Li Zhiming burst in, the woman's eyes turned fierce.

Li Zhiming rolled to the side just in time to dodge the sword strike. Before he could catch his breath, the woman turned back around, determined to finish them both off.

In the time it took for this exchange, the Fourth Prince and several assassins had entered through the door.

"Miss Mu, leave the one in the back to me."

Mu? Li Zhiming echoed, puzzled.

He quietly edged backward, standing side by side with Sang Yu, staring at the woman in disbelief. "You're the top courtesan? Why are you trying to kill us?"

The courtesan said nothing, mechanically lifting her sword to attack them again.

"Move aside."

Sang Yu slipped behind her, and just before she could cleave Li Zhiming, sent her hurtling backward with a single palm strike. The courtesan spat out blood in several gushes, her gaze gradually shifting before she collapsed unconscious.

Having witnessed the entire scene, the Fourth Prince didn't show a trace of panic. Instead, he studied Sang Yu curiously and nodded in satisfaction.

"I knew it—how could the prince of Nanxun be some nobody just waiting to die? From now on, you'll follow me. What I have is far more than that useless fool ever had. Even if you want that kind of... you know..."

His gaze lewdly raked over Sang Yu, and he chuckled: "With looks like yours, even more beautiful than a woman, I'm not opposed either. And as for making you feel pleasures you can't even imagine, I can definitely..."

Before he could finish, his eyes bulged in shock, both hands flying to his throat.

Bright red blood gushed out relentlessly.

Even Li Zhiming was startled. A dart was stuck in the Fourth Prince's neck, piercing straight through his trachea. He made a gurgling sound a few times before going completely still.

He probably wanted to say, "I'm a prince—how dare you kill me?"

Sang Yu walked over calmly, paying no mind to the sword wound on his chest. Glancing at the people outside, he spoke in a cold, clear voice, "Kill them all."

The moment those words left his mouth, another group of people suddenly swarmed in from outside, and in an instant, the scene turned into a bloodbath.

Li Zhiming was stunned into silence, silently watching the sudden carnage, his hands and feet going ice cold.