She smiled gently, raised her palm towards Lu Rui, and made a chopping motion with her hand. 

Lu Rui froze for a moment, then understood what the gesture meant. He felt as if his brain just exploded with a roar as cold sweat instantly soaked through his back. 

She had actually killed Empress Dowager Dong! 

Lu Rui mind went completely blank in an instant—- persuading the Regent to sacrifice Empress Dowager Dong and killing Empress Dowager Dong first are completely different in nature and consequences. The former still left room for maneuver, the latter is tantamount to directly challenging the most powerful person in the empire. As long as Yin Zhi Shu is still clear-headed, he would regard the other party as coming with hostile aggression and would surely throw everything in his power to wipe out his opponent! 

Lu Rui straightened his body, his mind still pondering whether he should immediately protect Gu Zhi Xiao and Consort Mi by making their retreat into the inner palace, then issue orders to summon the Jianrui Battalion stationed at West Mountain on the western outskirts of the capital. The commander of the Jianrui Battalion had just been transferred from the border and was an old associate of his. They had already made arrangements that in case anything happens, the army could march straight into the capital. As long as they could reach the palace before Longlie Battalion’s 15,000 troops, then there would still be time. 

He had just straightened up when he received a signal from a guard at the entrance of the hall— the Regent had entered the courtyard! 

The courtyard below the steps of the Grand Ceremonial Hall was bright and spacious. When sunlight shines on it, the white marble reflects a boundless white light. Looking from a distant vantage view, it seemed as though everyone was standing on misty clouds. 

Yin Zhi Shu, accompanied by two master fighters, made his way in. He appeared to be at ease, but in truth, he was carefully observing his surroundings as he walked. 

The Grand Hall was on the high ground, so he couldn’t see the scene inside. He carefully observed the guards on either side of the courtyard but found nothing unusual. The nearest guard was almost 30 meters away from him. At that distance, his two men behind him were enough to handle anything that could come at him in this world.

He had great confidence in them. 

Passing the courtyard without incident, the long jade staircase stood before him. At each step, a pair of guards stood facing each other. This time, the guards were a little closer to him, but he wasn’t too worried. These were the imperial guards under the direct command of Lu Rui. He had always been very satisfied with his brother-in-law’s careful nature and calm composure. He even hinted, not too long ago, that if Xiliang joined forces with Changning to wage war against Tiansheng, then he would appoint him as the commander-in-chief. Once he earned some military merits, then he could be granted the title of a duke or marquis. By that point, those old pedantic scholars wouldn’t be able to say anything more. 

He climbed the stairs with one of his men in front and the other behind. The one in front was examining the ground while the one in the back kept his eyes surveying the surroundings. One was a top-notch assassin and the other a top-notch protector who knew how to safeguard his master’s safety in any environment. 

A cool breeze swept down from the rooftop, refreshing and invigorating. Yum Zhi Shu squinted his eyes, tilted his head upward, enjoying the breeze. 

Then he saw a person suddenly appearing about 10 meters ahead. 

The man, dressed as a guard, stood on the steps 10 meters away, winking and twisting his eyes as he looked down at him from above. 

Although the man looked like a madman, Yin Zhi Shu still treated him as an assassin. The moment the man appeared, he abruptly jumped back. 

The one short and one thin expert fighters had already shifted their bodies with gliding movements, each instantly positioning Yin Zhi Shu between them, guarding him on both sides. At the same time, Yin Zhi Shu slipped a hand into his robe. 

The man on the steps suddenly turned, revealing the blood-soaked burlap sack behind him. He grabbed the sack and, with a lift of his arm, hurled it straight at the Yin Zhi Shu and the two with him. 

“Watch out for gunpowder weapons!” One of the two fighters reacted quickly and gave a low shout. One of them swiftly shielded Zhi Shu to retreat, while the other lightly flicked his finger, sending the large sack flying off. 

The sack spun once in mid-air before abruptly dropping to the ground. 

What dropped was a person! 

Or rather, a corpse— lavishly dressed, adorned with jewels. As it dropped, the face could not be clearly seen. Only a fleeting glimpse of a face covered with bloody holes. A terrifying sight to behold. 

From the way it fell with limp arms and legs, anyone skilled in martial arts, like Yin Zhi Shu and his two men, knew at once it could not be a living person. One of the expert fighters extended his palm out, his five fingers unusually long, and swept them rapidly over the body,(I am assuming he ran his internal energy over the corpse since at this point the corpse is still in the air), confirming there were no gunpowder or hidden weapons. In perfect coordination, the other fighter stepped forward and immediately raised his palm fiercely to strike at the corpse, unwilling to let it block his line of sight against the enemy. 

The man on the steps laughed, and with a single palm strike, a surge of air rose in mid-air, flipping the corpse over and sending it hurtling toward Yin Zhi Shu. 

“Get lost!” The tall expert fighter roared. A flash of black light flickered in his hand as he drew out a pair of black hooks, ready to tear the corpse in two with a single strike. 

“Don’t—!”

A sudden, heart-wrenching cry rang out, and it had come, astonishingly, from Yin Zhi Shu. 

The tall fighter turned around in shock and saw that Yin Zhi Shu’s face had drained of all color as he stared fixedly at the woman’s corpse falling toward him from midair. His lips trembled. Faintly, a single syllable escaped, “A….” 

The short fighter reached out to push the corpse aside, but Yin Zhi Shu flung his arm away. With a heavy thud, the body crashed right into Yin Zhi Shu’s arms. 

Falling from such a height with the force of gravity, the impact sent Yin Zhi Shu stumbling backward several steps. He looked down and saw a woman whose face was completely unrecognizable, save for her eyes that were still perfectly intact. Eyes that were staring right at him. 

In an instant, Yin Zhi Shu’s face turned ashen, and he suddenly raised his hand to push the corpse away. 

But it was already too late. 

His whole attention was focused on the corpse, which then slammed into him, causing him to stumble down the steps. The two expert fighters were focused on the assassin in front of them, the man who had thrown the corpse at them. There was no one to keep guard of what was behind Yin Zhi Shu. 

He was in a state of utter shock, his mind reeling and his composure lost. 

It was in this short, fleeting moment. 

He backed up. 

His heel touched the very bottom step. 

*Bang*

Suddenly, the white marble slab behind his feet burst open. A person enveloped in a beam of light shot up from under the ground. In mid-air, the light was dazzling like a rainbow, with layers of blue and white light spreading across the sky. Within the rainbow’s shadow, a blood-red pagoda glimmered in an instant before disappearing. 

The instant the blood-red pagoda appeared, a light abruptly flashed from the hand of the person basking in the light and shadow. The brilliant light instantly cut through the obscure space. The wind suddenly intensified, howling fiercely. Amidst the howling, a streak of deep red blood beads silently cut across the ashen white background, the contrast in color was dazzling. The phoenix-tail-like sword’s light slashed vertically, immediately followed by swiping horizontally. The light burst open, then receded right away. Like the mystical being who had opened its eyes, shocking the world with its fierce light for an instant, before closing its eyes and falling back into a peaceful slumber. 

An amazing sword strike. 

On the steps, the two expert fighters turned around in shock. 

Upon hearing the commotion, the crowd of ministers rushed out from the grand hall and then froze like wooden puppets. 


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