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Chapter 510: The Lantern Festival Incident
Chapter 510: The Lantern Festival Incident
The Prince's Manor and the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion were not in the same direction.
Lu Yuan and Chen Long escorted Meng Qianqian back to the Thousand Mechanisms Pavilion, while the others returned to the Prince's Manor first.
"This bow..."
Meng Qianqian stroked the Houyi Bow, trying hard to recall, but the headache she usually experienced did not come.
She sighed and shook her head. "It's no use."
Chen Long whispered, "Can't you remember?"
Meng Qianqian nodded. "My head doesn't hurt at all."
Lu Yuan furrowed his brows. "Every time you regain your memory, you get a headache?"
Meng Qianqian blinked. "Not really."
Lu Yuan took the Houyi Bow from her hands, lifted the carriage curtain, and tossed it onto the roof.
Yu Zichuan, quick on the draw, caught the bow.
Chen Long asked, "What are you doing?"
Lu Yuan said nonchalantly, "It's just an old bow. Don't think about it."
Meng Qianqian leaned closer to him. "Are you worried about my headache?"
She expected him to be aloof and deny it, but instead, he lifted his hand and gently pressed her head into his chest. "Mm."
Chen Long: I'm still in the carriage!!!
Meng Qianqian's cheeks turned red, and her heart felt warm. She was about to get up when Lu Yuan's hand comfortingly patted her temple. "Ignore him."
Chen Long, forced to watch this display of affection: Don't push me to draw my sword!
---
Liu Qingyun had never visited a night market in the Imperial City before, despite being there for a long time.
She loved the bustling atmosphere, and tonight, their route happened to pass by a lantern festival.
"I thought only the Capital City of Great Zhou had lantern festivals."
She said this because the Southwest and the Miao Frontier rarely had such events.
Lu Zhaoyan lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the colorful lanterns lining the main street, which looked like a glowing dragon. He murmured, "I haven't seen a lantern festival of this scale many times in my life."
Liu Qingyun said, "Let's go check it out!"
Lu Zhaoyan smiled. "Sure, let's listen to Xiaobai, Cui Hu."
Cui Hu, who was driving the carriage, responded helplessly, "Yes, Your Highness."
Cui Hu parked the carriage in a small alley.
Lu Zhaoyan and Liu Qingyun got out of the carriage.
Ji Feng followed them discreetly.
As they strolled through the lanterns, Liu Qingyun exclaimed, "A Yan, the lanterns here are just like those in the Capital City."
Lu Zhaoyan asked, "Really?"
She looked at the lanterns, and he looked at her.
The brilliant lights illuminated her exquisite face, making her look like a fairy descending from heaven, incomparably beautiful.
Liu Qingyun was selecting a lantern when she turned and met his intense gaze. "What are you looking at? Look at the lanterns."
Lu Zhaoyan whispered, "Among thousands of lights, none can match your beauty."
Liu Qingyun: "Flattery."
"Ah! What's that?"
Someone up ahead shouted in surprise.
Liu Qingyun followed the sound and saw a display of sparkling fireworks.
Her eyes lit up with excitement. "It's the Iron Flower Show! The Imperial City has been so lively lately!"
With the coronation of the Prince of Qin and the marriage of the Qilin and the Phoenix Maiden, the city was indeed bustling with visitors and festivities.
Liu Qingyun turned to Lu Zhaoyan. "You've never seen the Iron Flower Show, right?"
Lu Zhaoyan shook his head. "No, I haven't."
Liu Qingyun said softly, "Come on, I'll show you tonight."
Lu Zhaoyan readily agreed. "Sure."
He signaled to Ji Feng, who whistled.
Several Imperial Guards hiding in the shadows immediately appeared and formed a protective circle around Liu Qingyun and Lu Zhaoyan.
Cui Hu used his lightness skill to reach the rooftop where Ji Feng was standing and asked, "What's the emergency with the secret signal?"
Ji Feng replied, "Lady wants to watch the Iron Flower Show."
Cui Hu was puzzled, "So what if she wants to watch it?"
Ji Feng gazed at the bustling crowd, "The main street is too crowded tonight."
Cui Hu dismissed it, "The Qilin has returned, and the people are overjoyed. Isn't it natural to celebrate?"
Ji Feng's expression grew serious, "Stay vigilant."
Cui Hu laughed, "You're being too cautious. We've been guarding the Crown Prince for so long, and nothing has ever gone wrong. Compared to the Crown Prince, we should be more worried about Huang Changsun. That kid is a real troublemaker..."
Bang!
"Oooh—"
"Ah—"
"Such beautiful iron flowers—"
As molten iron was forcefully projected into the night sky, a brilliant display of iron flowers blossomed overhead.
For a moment, nothing else could be seen in the crowd's eyes.
"Damn, it's really... so beautiful..."
Cui Hu was deeply moved.
Ji Feng was momentarily blinded by the intense light of the iron flowers.
He raised his hand to shield his eyes.
In that brief moment, when he looked back at the Iron Flower Show, Lu Zhaoyan and Liu Qingyun were nowhere to be found.
He quickly got up, switching his sword to his left hand, and said gravely, "The Crown Prince and Lady are gone!"
Cui Hu immediately regained his senses and looked at where they had been standing.
Sure enough, only a group of commoners remained.
The other imperial guards protecting the Crown Prince and Lady were also missing.
"There!"
Cui Hu pointed to an alley to the east.
A man dressed as a beggar was dragging one of the Crown Prince's Mansion's secret guards into the alley.
His gaze quickly scanned the area and saw another fallen guard in the backyard of a tavern to the west.
"What incredible speed!"
Not only did they act quickly, but they also cleaned up even faster.
Cui Hu finally believed that Ji Feng wasn't being overly anxious.
Tonight's festivities were a setup for the Crown Prince and Lady!
"What about the others?"
He gritted his teeth.
Ji Feng calmly said, "Forget about them. The Lady and the Crown Prince are gone. They were left for us to find to delay us. We must split up and search immediately!"
Cui Hu nodded, "Got it!"
Ji Feng said, "I will avenge them."
To die for their master was their destiny, including his and Cui Hu's.
"Damn it! If I find out who did this, I'll kill them!"
Cui Hu used his lightness skill and left.
Ji Feng tracked in the opposite direction.
An unremarkable carriage emerged from the back door of a gambling den and quickly vanished into the night.
Just as the carriage was about to turn a corner, Ji Feng descended from the sky and severed the reins with a single sword strike.
The horses, startled, reared and galloped away.
The carriage crashed to the ground with a loud thud.
Ji Feng hurried to the carriage to rescue the occupants but was met with a knife-wielding beggar.
Ji Feng stepped back several paces, staring coldly at the man.
Moments later, several more beggars, eyes filled with murderous intent, emerged from behind.
Ji Feng said coldly, "You're not from the Southwest."
The lead beggar replied, "Do it yourself, and you'll die with a whole body."
Ji Feng retorted, "We'll see if you have the skill for that!"
He leaped up and engaged the "beggars" in combat.
The lead beggar commanded, "Hold him back!"
The others responded, "Yes, sir!"
They surrounded Ji Feng.
Despite his high martial arts prowess, they were too numerous, and more "beggars" kept pouring in from all directions.
Ji Feng had just taken down two when three or four more appeared, seemingly endless.
Ji Feng's eyes turned bloodshot with rage.
The lead beggar dragged Lu Zhaoyan out of the carriage, threw him over his shoulder, and quickly fled into the night.
He ran at full speed, pushing his lightness skill to its limits.
Just as he leaped onto a rooftop, a dark figure struck from the side, sending him flying. Lu Zhaoyan was thrown from his back.
The black-clad figure caught Lu Zhaoyan and immediately fled.
The lead beggar rolled to a stop and growled, "Get him! Pursue!"
(End of Chapter)
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