Chapter 24: A Rainy Night

Thunder rumbled and lightning flashed as rain poured down like a waterfall.

Qiao Tianya stood up, handing the blade to someone behind him. "Xiao Er was hit by an arrow; he can't escape."

Below the slope, Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan lay in the muddy water, holding their breaths.

Amidst the sea of Imperial Guards and unknown assassins lurking, it was nearly impossible for the two of them to flee. Yet, breaking through the encirclement was even more challenging. The most critical issue was Xiao Chiye, whose left arm, grazed by an arrow, had started to numb. In another half-hour, the poison would spread throughout his body, rendering him immobile.

Qiao Tianya delicately kicked aside the disarray of grass, revealing a trail of scattered footprints. He lifted his hand soundlessly, pointing downward the slope.

The brocaded guards emerged from behind, moving in a fluid line as they stooped and cautiously approached the sunken ditch.

Xiao Chiye tensed, listening to the approaching sound of footsteps in the mud. The hilt of the knife rested in the palm of his hand. Should anyone rashly jump down, he would pounce like a wolf and end them with a single strike.

The Embroidered Spring Knife had already swung toward the slope when Xiao Chiye was abruptly pulled back by Shen Zechuan's damp clothes. He turned his gaze and met Shen Zechuan's calm eyes.

At that moment, several figures leaped down from the forest, engaging the Imperial Guards in a fierce battle. Qiao Tianya drew his sword to confront them. Blades flashed, followed by the fall of several Guards. The opponents instantly surged forward with renewed vigor, their morale soaring.

Amidst the chaos, Shen Zechuan retracted his nearly spent blade. Xiao Chiye needed no further encouragement; he scrambled to his feet and rolled down the muddy slope into the grass on the other side.

"Capture them!" Qiao Tianya shouted.

The Imperial Guards sprang back. Xiao Chiye swung his arm around a tree trunk and flipped up onto it. By the time Shen Zechuan arrived below, the Imperial Guards were closing in from behind. Xiao Chiye descended like a fierce tiger, his ruthless saber stroke slicing through like bamboo, forcing the Imperial Guards to retreat in unison.

Qiao Tianya leaped from behind and swung his saber at Xiao Chiye, who suddenly ducked. The tip of Qiao Tianya's saber clashed against the scabbard with a loud thud.

Shen Zechuan pressed against the scabbard with his shoulder, stepped on Xiao Chiye's back, and was lifted up by Xiao Chiye's powerful surge, forcing him towards Qiao Tianya. With his other hand, he thrust a thin blade towards Qiao Tianya's eyes.

Qiao Tianya did not dodge, but the Imperial Guards on either side slashed their blades to block the attack.

Xiao Chiye was already on his feet, stomping hard on Qiao Tianya's chest. Both parties retreated. Qiao Tianya wiped the blood from his saber, his forehead now bare where Shen Zechuan's blade had severed his hair.

Xiao Chiye and Shen Zechuan took two steps back without a word and turned to run.

Fixing his gaze on their retreating figures, Qiao Tianya said, "Chase!"

Xiao Chiye reached out and grabbed Shen Zechuan. "Eastward!"

Shen Zechuan pushed aside the tangled branches and declared, "A man every five steps, a squad every ten. There's also the Turbid City garrison to the east!"

Xiao Chiye slowly retracted his arm and stated firmly, "East is our only chance at survival."

"Death lies right before us," Shen Zechuan countered, throwing his blade behind him. The ambushers in the trees immediately tumbled down. As Shen Zechuan passed by, he casually drew the embroidered spring saber from the fallen man.

Xiao Chiye gripped the hilt of the saber tightly, slashing through the dark night, blocking two steel blades in the rain. His left arm had already lost all sensation, and even his right fingers were beginning to stiffen.

This was a difficult battle to fight tonight!

Shen Zechuan swung his saber, taking a head and kicking the corpse over.

Xiao Chiye stumbled as he stepped forward but suddenly pressed his chest against Shen Zechuan's back, rolling with him down the bumpy grass into a stream.

The rain continued to pour down, and the icy water washed over their bodies. Xiao Chiye's heavy breathing was hot against Shen Zechuan's neck, creating an odd contrast of warmth and cold.

"There's no benefit in killing me," Xiao Chiye said, propping himself up on his ferocious saber. "So for the rest of this journey, it'll be up to you."

Shen Zechuan wiped his face with the streamwater and replied, "Saving you would be pointless."

"You're here for Prince Chu," Xiao Chiye said, pressing Shen Zechuan back down as he heard the question. "What now? The Imperial Guards won't be able to find him. Only I know where he is. Your timing is off; the Empress Dowager will certainly lose tonight! Be good to me, and I'll be your way out."

Shen Zechuan turned his head, their noses almost touching. He said coldly, "If I kill you, we can all die together."

"You went through so much trouble to come out," Xiao Chiye observed. "Just to die with me?"

"Your words might as well convince Qiao Tianya," Shen Zechuan said. His icy fingers closed around Xiao Chiye's hand, and in the next instant, the Wolf-Rending Blade slashed back, forcing the pursuers to retreat momentarily.

Seizing the opportunity, Shen Zechuan pushed Xiao Chiye away with his leg. He held the Embroidered Spring Blade in one hand and the Wolf-Rending Blade in the other, catching his breath from the sprint.

"I'll remember this favor," Shen Zechuan said as Qiao Tianya drew near. He tightened his grip on the blade. "After tonight, I'll be your master."

In the ink-black night, a flash of snow illuminated the scene. Shen Zechuan didn't give Qiao Tianya a chance to speak, striking down at him without hesitation.

Splashes of water rose with each step. Shen Zechuan's fatal blows left no room for mercy. As the blades clashed, the Embroidered Spring Blade's edge was dulled, and it was sent flying by Qiao Tianya.

The two separated instantly. Shen Zechuan's left hand, now empty, dipped into the stream, washing away the flowing blood.

"A beauty should stay hidden behind a screen," Qiao Tianya said as if he had caught a whiff of something. "Wielding a blade could hurt your hand. What if you cut yourself?"

Shen Zechuan weighed the Wolf-Raging Blade in his right hand. "Isn't it better to twist off their limbs and make them obedient?"

"Here's a type of person you can't afford to provoke," Qiao Tianya said. "Those who are ruthless even to themselves, like you."

Shen Zechuan stepped forward.

The Wolf-Raging Blade was heavy, and he found it difficult to wield. But there were advantages to its weight, as it allowed him to rely on the fierce techniques of the Ji family's saber art, leaving Qiao Tianya no chance to retaliate.

As Qiao Tianya retreated, he stumbled, nearly collapsing. However, as he approached the stream, he sensed danger. Sure enough, Shen Zechuan's injured left hand suddenly rose from the water, sending mud flying into Qiao Tianya's eyes, creating an opening. Then, Shen Zechuan delivered a devastating blow to his chest, kicking him back to the ground and into the stream.

Just as reinforcements arrived, Shen Zechuan took several steps back, refusing to engage further. He lifted Xiao Chiye to leave, but Xiao Chiye's height and long legs made it almost impossible for him to carry him.

The search grew more intense, and time seemed to crawl by.

All that was found in the entire forest were skilled assassins in disguise. Once captured by the Imperial Guards, they would bite their tongues to commit suicide, denying Ji Lei the chance to interrogate them.

Where was Prince Chu?

Only Xiao Chiye knew!

"Vile brat!" Ji Lei was exasperated as he stood up and looked around. "Order the Tuancheng garrison to search the hunting grounds!"

Shen Zechuan crawled out of the water, pulling Xiao Chiye with him. The slope was too steep, so he bit onto the back of Xiao Chiye's collar, dragging him up as well.

Blood continued to flow from Shen Zechuan's left arm wound. He tore off a piece of his clothing, rinsed it in the water, and bound it around the injury.

Xiao Chiye leaned against the moss-covered rock and said, "I have a handkerchief on me."

Shen Zechuan reached into Xiao Chiye's chest and pulled out a muddy handkerchief, squeezing all the mudwater right into his chest.

Xiao Chiye asked, "How long until the drug wears off?"

"It'll be over in two hours. It's almost there."

"Perching on a tree would be more concealed than staying in the water," Xiao Chiye observed, seeing that Shen Zechuan was drenched from head to toe, with his collar slightly open, and mud still on his neck, which made him appear particularly...

"The Imperial Guards have an animal training facility. The animals can smell blood," Shen Zechuan said as he lowered his head and gently sniffed his bloodied fingertips.

It was an incredibly alluring gesture.

Xiao Chiye looked at him.

How odd. This man had just been wielding a knife to kill someone. He didn't seem like a woman, so why would he think of such words?

He was really bewitched by Li Jianheng! Reciting it every day, every day, until he actually thought and saw things this way, like an old pervert in Jiahe.

"Your knife skills are impressive," Xiao Chiye said, as if his gaze could peel away Shen Zechuan's collar. "You must have practiced a lot in the temple, but it doesn't show on your body. Have you been using medicine on yourself?"

Shen Zechuan glanced at him and followed his gaze to touch the back of his neck. "How many times do you need to look at it? Is it that rare?"

With his tongue still tasting the remnants of blood, Xiao Chiye replied, "That's an ambiguous statement. It makes me sound like some lustful demon."

Shen Zechuan reached out and covered Xiao Chiye's face with the dirty handkerchief. "I thought you were just living your days drenched in makeup, but I never expected you to be interested in both men and women."

Xiao Chiye said, "Stop flirting. Second Young Master only wants you to wipe the dirt off your neck."

"Does he want me to wipe it off?" Shen Zechuan's fingertips lingered on Xiao Chiye's brow through the handkerchief. "Or does he want you to help me?"

Cold raindrops trickled down his fingers onto Xiao Chiye's brow, seemingly absorbing the allure there. They dripped down like water, seeping into the collar and causing a damp, itchy sensation.

Xiao Chiye was parched with thirst but also desired some distance from Shen Zechuan.

After a moment of silence, he chuckled and said, "Your skills are impressive."

"You're quite imaginative," Shen Zechuan remarked as he tightened his collar, hugged his saber, and fell quiet.

The rain gradually subsided.

Distant barks echoed from the woods, yet neither of them stirred. The rock by the stream was covered with shrubs, forming an unusually narrow hiding spot that could only accommodate one person.

Xiao Chiye waited for a while until he heard the approaching footsteps of the man with the dog. Shen Zechuan wedged his Wolfish Blade in midair and slithered underneath.

Suddenly, Xiao Chiye felt a weight on him as the man climbed up along his legs to his chest. Squeezed tightly together in this cramped space, Xiao Chiye could feel the warmth of their thighs brushing against each other as well as the man's breath against his temple.

With his eyes covered, Xiao Chiye could easily picture Shen Zechuan's posture in the darkness. That tender white neck lingered in his mind.

"I beg you," Xiao Chiye sighed. "Sit on my stomach, not down there."

Shen Zechuan didn't move since the rustling footsteps were drawing closer from above.

Xiao Chiye regulated his breathing, but in this position, a mere tilt of his head upward would brush against Shen Zechuan's chin, while a slight downward movement would graze the curve of his neck with the tip of his nose.

Shen Zechuan had been listening intently, but suddenly lifted Xiao Chiye's handkerchief to gaze at him without a word.

Xiao Chiye returned the gaze, unsure if it was the adrenaline from tonight's events or something else entirely, but their growing hardness was now causing discomfort between them. The wet fabric, clinging tightly to their bodies, created a sensation akin to being bare, as if any further movement would ignite deliberate friction.

The dog above them continued to sniff around.