Chapter 64: The Gathering Storm 4

  It was already late at night, a figure sprang onto the rooftop and flew outwards with extreme speed. Outside the palace gates, a horse carriage had been waiting for a long time. On top of the surrounding wall, a figure jumped down and entered the carriage. The horse carriage slowly drove into the dark streets.

  "Hubby is really formidable." Nalan Yanran picked up the teapot on the small table in the carriage and poured herself a cup.

  "What? Why does the princess say this?" Zhao Song asked knowingly.

  Nalan Yanran drained the tea in her cup and smiled faintly. "I didn't expect that the Empress would be willing to risk her life for the Emperor, it's my first time seeing the Empress so flustered."

  "The princess didn't trust the slave after all."

  Nalan Yanran heard this and smiled lightly. "Isn't that what the Duke usually does? If the Duke trusted me, why would he need to stir up trouble like today, startling the snake from the grass? Now that Nangong Yan knows that Nalan Xian was killed by the Duke, she will definitely come looking for trouble with the Duke."

  Zhao Song's expression hesitated for a moment, and he naturally knew that this was also one of the reasons he had come looking for her today.

  Nalan Xixi had already made his move, but fortunately, he had left a trump card and secretly contacted some people along the way, which allowed him to narrowly escape with his life. Immediately after, Nangong Jin came to add another blow, if not for the Empress's intervention, he would have been in grave danger today.

  Now if Nan Gongyan wanted to kill him, he would be defenseless in this palace.

  "The princess said so, therefore, I came to find the princess today, wanting to discuss countermeasures with the princess."

  Nalan Yanran smiled lightly. "Your Excellency, I'm sure you're more aware of the current situation than I am."

  Zhao Song poured tea for Nalan Xiangxiang. "I don't know what you are referring to, Princess."

  Looking at Zhao Song's calm and unhurried appearance, Nalan Yanran sneered in her heart, indeed an old fox, so calm and composed, and also strict enough, she had to make it clear before he would do anything.

  Never mind, now is the time, it's time to show our cards.

  "As I said, the empress dowager can protect you for a while, but she cannot always do so. Moreover, Your Majesty must not forget that your trump card is not something that can be used frequently. If you push the empress dowager to desperation, even she will harbor murderous intentions towards you, and Your Majesty's life will truly be in danger."

  Zhao Song's heart sank at her words, she was right. This trump card was a risky move from the start. Moreover, the Empress Dowager already knew about his affair with Na Lan Xian Nu, and he had threatened her with this, so she would certainly want to get rid of him to silence him.

  In other words, he is lucky to be able to leave the palace today.

  Now, just staying in Luotian is an adventure. Unfortunately, he only realized now that he has nothing and is not qualified to discuss any conditions with Nalan Yanran, but instead, he still needs her protection.

  "What does Princess Nai think I should do?" Zhao Song asked respectfully with a bow of his head.

  Nalan Yanran's smile faded, and she paused for a moment before speaking in a soft voice: "Tomorrow, you will feign serious illness and submit your resignation to the Emperor. I will send someone to escort you out of Luotian. However, before that, you must complete one task."

  Zhao Song's expression turned solemn upon hearing this. "Please speak, Princess."

  "The grand ceremony of conferring titles must necessarily employ a large number of eunuchs to accompany the king in and out of various occasions, I'd like to trouble you, sir, to replace these people with my own."

  "Now... whether it's the Emperor or the Empress Dowager, they already have their guard up against me. I'm afraid this matter won't be possible for me to accomplish."

  Zhao Song lowered his head and pushed it away. Even if he could do such a thing, he couldn't do it. If he was labeled as a counter-revolutionary, he would be doomed wherever he went.

  "Lord Zhao." Nalan Yanran said coldly. "Don't forget, you have no choice now. If you don't do it, as soon as you step out the door tomorrow, Nan Gongjin's people will come and kill you. If you're willing to cooperate, I'll send someone to protect you and escort you safely out of the city. And if your lordship is really unwilling, then as soon as I get off my horse, your head will fall to the ground."

  Nowadays, Nalan Yanran doesn't care about face either. Nowadays, Zhao Song no longer has the qualification to discuss conditions with her, he is a rat crossing the street that everyone shouts and beats.

  Besides, this old fox would never let go and make a big move unless he was forced into a desperate situation.

  Zhao Song heard this and instead laughed. He thought that he had spent his whole life in the palace, walking on the tip of a knife's edge, a lifetime of servitude, being cautious and careful, but unexpectedly, in the end, he was defeated by a woman's hand.

  Seeing Zhao Song nodding, Nalan Yanran smiled lightly. "There is still a month before the imperial seal ceremony, as long as you handle this matter properly, I will definitely send someone to safely escort you out of the city and arrange for your residence, presenting you with a reward of 10,000 taels of silver, allowing you to live out your days in peace."

  Zhao Song nodded respectfully on the surface, but in his heart he was coldly laughing. Once this matter is settled, it should be settled, and he would also lose his life at her hands?

  It's nothing but a few words, yet there are not many people in this world who can easily stir up trouble with just a few words.

  Since we're on a dead-end road anyway, why not die with a bang?

  Qilin Mountain, since Dugu Qiu and Dugu Yan led the Qiang people away from here, Qilin Mountain became a secret base for Nalan Xinnuo and Nan Gongyu to train elite troops.

  Whether it was the White Silver Armor of the First Imperial Guard or the elite Dark Guard, all selections and training were conducted here. Within a month, Nalan Xianyu selected ten elites who stayed here for physical training.

  They were able to enter the Dark Guard Camp, which was already the best of the best, and their physical strength was absolutely no problem. However, for Nalan Xixi, their physical strength was still far from enough.

  In modern times, as a killer, more attention is paid to agility, and they are different, they all have internal skills, so as long as their physical strength is stronger than ordinary people, whether it's assassination or light work, can be upgraded by one level. As long as the physical strength can go up another level, other things are just a matter of course.

  It's best to come and go like a fleeting life, as swift as the wind, leaving no trace.

  The sky was slightly bright, and outside the camp of Qilin Mountain, a rustling sound came from all directions. Ten black-clothed men flew in from all sides, their figures flashing under the moonlight, making it hard to see them clearly.

  Quan Long went to Nalan Xixi's side and said in a low voice: "Master, everyone is here."

  Nalan Xixiao nodded, she raised her eyes, in the night, ten black-clad men stood in a row, their faces all covered with black veils, their eyes shining with sharp light under the moonlight, like nocturnal wolves.

  Nalan Xixi gently closed her eyes, and Quan Long, seeing this, nodded in understanding and turned around to say: "This is the second assessment. Those who fail will be eliminated."

  The words had just fallen, and the ten people looked at each other in dismay, but none of them spoke up. They hadn't expected that there would still be an elimination round.

  Quan Long didn't understand why, they were already the elite of Luotian, and even the entire Tianxia's crack troops. Even if they went out alone, each one was a master, but she insisted on conducting another round of screening.

  "Next, I will send ten hostages to you separately. You must take them and hide in the mountains. You only have one incense stick's time. After one incense stick, we will start searching and capturing. Those who are discovered and caught with the hostages will be considered as failing the assessment and must leave."

  Wei Long finished speaking, and beside him, He Xian led over ten people. The ten people saw the team of people behind He Xian and were all shocked.

  These people were all elderly women who could not run by themselves and were very troublesome. They would easily become exhausted, and if they wanted to keep these people safe and sound, they had to take care of all their needs.

  The hostages were sent down, and Huo Zhe lit a stick of incense without hesitation. "Begin."

  As soon as the words fell, there was no one in front of me.

  Nalan Xixi slightly curled up the corners of her mouth. This month's practice had indeed not been in vain, and her lightness skills had made some progress.

  Time passed quickly with a stick of incense, Quan Long and He Xian picked up their swords and walked to Nalan Xinnuo's side, but Huo Zhe didn't move.

  "Master! It's time, let's go!" He Xian said softly.

  Nalan Xixi nodded. "I'll go alone, you all stay here."

  "What?!" He Xian exclaimed. "There are ten of them!"

  Not to mention ten, they are all top-notch masters of the Luotianyi sect. Although he believed in Nalan Xixi's abilities, if he were to take on ten such elite individuals alone, it was still somewhat unbelievable.

  What he feared most was that if she couldn't win at that time, she would be looked down upon by those people and it wouldn't be easy to control them.

  Nalan Xixi ignored him and flew into the forest.

  He Xianzhen was about to chase after him, but was stopped by Huo. He Xianzhen anxiously said: "You rascal! Why are you stopping me?! Ah, quickly let go of me, absolutely cannot let Master lose face."

  Huo rolled his eyes and slapped He Xian on the back of the head. "When can you ever improve a bit!"

  He covered his occipital bone first, and then blew his beard at Huo Zhe with a glare. Huo Zhe gave him a white eye and said, "Do you think the master is someone who will lose face?"

  "The master is naturally the best in the world, but!" He Xian was still worried. "They are not easy to deal with either, and there are ten of them, while the master is alone! Last time, wasn't the master injured by Zhao Song's killer?"

  Huò's expression hesitated for a moment, but they didn't know that it was because Nalan Xian had been physically exhausted at the time. Huò thought for a moment and said: "But I believe that Master will not do anything without being confident, I think, on the contrary, Master will not only not lose face, but also make them convinced! I think this is also the reason why Master decided to go alone to test them."

  He heard the words and seemed to understand but didn't really comprehend. Despite his utmost efforts to stop him, he had no choice but to give up.

  The three of them had originally wanted to wait for a few more hours, but suddenly, several figures flew in from afar. They were puzzled as those people ran over, some with their veils removed, some with blood still flowing on their foreheads, and others hanging their heads in despair. They returned to their original positions, standing silently beside them, saying nothing.

  "What's wrong with you guys? Why are you back?"

  One of them nodded and said in a low voice: "Reporting to General, we have already fought with... the princess."

  He had wanted to call him Master, but he knew that not everyone was qualified to call that person Master, at least, he couldn't anymore.