Chapter 901 : "Assassination (6)"
In between gasps of breaths, he heard Jun Wu Xie's words. The man could do nothing but lie on the ground motionless. Nobody would be able to fully understand how he was feeling at that moment, as everything that Jun Wu Xie said was true!
He had merely fallen onto the ground and the unimaginable pain had already made him feel like dying.
No one bothered with he did after that, and no one had asked him a single question either.
Jun Wu Xie and her companions carried on just as they had on any other day, sitting at the table to enjoy their sumptuous breakfast. The waiter who had been overly startled by the past night's events was jittery as he served up the dishes, his eyes only looking dead straight ahead, not daring to once look at the man who was lying flat upon the ground, completely motionless, just like a corpse.
As the man lay upon the ground not moving in the slightest, his limbs were fast becoming numb. It wasn't that he did not want to move, but it was because with the most minute of movement he made, it would bring him the most excruciating pain that tore him apart.
The torment, caused him to be unable to do anything but lie unmoving on the ground. But the cold floor itself was also wrecking endless torment on his nerves. The floor might just be slightly chilly, but he was feeling like he had been thrown mercilessly into a freezing lake in winter. His body that was touching the floor was feeling the bone biting chill, making him feel like he would freeze to death lying there.
While he lay there in helpless torture, Jun Wu Xie and her companions sat at the side, chatting merrily, enjoying their scrumptious meal.
Comparing the two situations at hand side by side, his circumstances were made all the more unbearable.
He wasn't afraid of killing himself. Although a cut across the neck might be a horrible death, but it would at least be quick. Now that he could not even see an end to this terrifying torture, which was a fate even worse than dying, it invariably pushed him into the pits of despair, unable to pull himself out from it.
"I'll talk..... I'll tell you everything....." The man's trembling voice finally rang out.
Qiao Chu and the others immediately raised their heads to look at Jun Wu Xie.
It had been barely just an hour, and the man was already willing to confess?
A man who wasn't even afraid to die, a man who would rather bite his own tongue to kill himself in order to keep the secret had succumbed under a single elixir from Jun Wu Xie? Even when she had not done a single thing more against him but had merely let him lie on the ground without even probing him with a single question? Just one elixir and the man had volunteered to confess?
The looks her several companions were giving her were filled with curiosity. They wanted so much to know just how horrifying the effects of the elixir that Jun Wu Xie had given the man could be, that it could break such a highly determined and resolute man to such a pitiable state in just less than an hour's time.
Jun Wu Xie slowly put down her bowl and chopsticks, her eyes turning to look at Ye Sha.
Ye Sha immediately picked the man up.
That one quick action, elicited a bout of heart rending screams from the man, the horrifying sounds, immediately causing the faces of the innkeeper and the waiter on the first floor to immediately turn pale.
"It's the Prime Minister..... The Prime Minister was the one who ordered us to come kill you." The man took a long while to recuperate, before saying in a trembling voice.
"Prime Minister?" Jun Wu Xie asked with an eyebrow raised.
"Ay? The Fire Country's Prime Minister, isn't he..... isn't he....." Qiao Chu seemed to have suddenly remembered something, as he winked at Jun Wu Xie repeatedly, trying very hard to hint at something.
Jun Wu Xie's eyes swept past Qiao Chu, completely ignoring him.
"Why does he want to kill me?" Jun Wu Xie asked.
"I really do not know the reason. I am only in charge of getting rid of people whom the Prime Minister wants eradicated. As to the reason behind it, I had never dared to ask, and the Prime Minister would not tell it to me." The man answered.
Jun Wu Xie nodded. She knew the man was not lying. Having gotten her answer, she nodded again at Ye Sha and Ye Sha immediately broke the man's neck without even blinking.
Chapter 902 : "Ring (1)"
As the last breath left his body, the man's face actually showed a faint smile of relief. Compared to death, Jun Wu Xie's elixir was one that made living more unbearable.
"Why is the Empress' lover after your life?" Qiao Chu asked looking at Jun Wu Xie. None of them have ever met the Prime Minister of the Fire Country but based on what Lei Chen had told them, they knew that the Fire Country's Prime Minister was in an illicit affair with the Empress and they had had a child who was the current Fourth Prince, Lei Fan.
Needless to say Jun Wu Xie had not ever met the Prime Minister, she had not even met the Empress herself. The closest link to them that she had had any interaction with was the Fourth Prince Lei Fan. So why was the Prime Minister suddenly seeking to take her life?
"Isn't the Fourth Prince's biological father coming after the wrong person? I still remember during the banquet last night, Lei Fan had been highly aggressive in trying to win you over and the only thing he had fell short of doing was to order you to submit yourself to him. Why is it that just after one night, his old man is sending assassins to kill you?" Qiao Chu was feeling more confused the more he thought about it.
"He wasn't going after the wrong person." Jun Wu Xie said calmly.
"No mistake?" Fan Zhuo asked, his eyebrow coming up. "You had left to go to the Imperial Garden with Lei Fan but when you returned, you appeared together with the Grand Adviser as Lei Fan had suddenly taken ill in the Imperial Garden. Seems like that had been all due to your efforts?"
Jun Wu Xie nodded. "I neutralized the Face Changing Technique used on him."
At that moment, the youths at the table were staring at Jun Wu Xie with wide incredulous eyes.
"Face Changing Technique? What does that mean?" Qiao Chu was getting a headache.
Fei Yan went on to explain: "Last night, I was just telling Little Xie that Lei Fan's countenance was rather strange. He was obviously the Empress' biological son but he instead looked almost exactly like the woman the Emperor held dear to his heart. I had thought that there was something more to it and I did not expect Little Xie to move so quickly that she was able to verify the truth of the matter the very same night."
"That explains everything." Fan Zhuo said with a laugh in spite of the circumstances. "Lei Fan must have realized that his real countenance had been seen through and although he had wanted to win you over to his side, but you had repeatedly rejected his advances. Moreover, you have been seen to be friendly to Lei Chen and in order to prevent you from revealing his secret to Lei Chen, he needed to have you silenced. The Prime Minister must have taken action tonight under the influence of both the Empress and Lei Fan."
Although Lei Chen knew Lei Fan's real identity, and thought that Lei Fan's looks was a matter that was rather strange, but he had not been able to discover the truth behind it and could only keep everything within himself.
Now that Jun Wu Xie had so easily neutralized Lei Fan's Face Changing Technique, then all they needed to do now was to drag Lei Fan to go before the Emperor and easily bring this mess up, and the Emperor's face would surely turn black as soot!
"It would seem that Lei Fan, the Empress and the Prime Minister will be going all out to take your life. After having failed today, they will still not spare your life in the days to come." Fan Zhuo said rubbing his chin, looking completely unworried for Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie suddenly added: "The people who are out to get me will not only be those three people."
"What? Who else could it be?" Qiao Chu's eyes widened up once more. Jun Wu Xie had in one single night offended the Fire Country's Empress, the most favoured Prince of the Emperor, and the head of the court officials, the Prime Minister. Her ability to incite such hatred was already unparalleled and she was actually telling them that there were more people who wanted to take her down?
Jun Wu Xie raised up her hand and showed the ring on her finger to everyone before her.
"Did any of you notice that the Emperor had shown great interest in this ring of mine?"
Everyone nodded. The ring was brought out from the bottom of the Heaven's End cliff and Jun Wu Xie had also managed to unravel the mystery behind the method to temporarily bring up one's spirit power level from the scribblings the original owner of the ring had left behind in the stone dwelling.
It could be said that the ring held special and extraordinary meaning to Jun Wu Xie.
Chapter 903 : "Ring (2)"
"Do you all still remember, within that stone dwelling, the words carved into the wall?" Jun Wu Xie asked, her eyes narrowed up.
Qiao Chu and the others immediately quieted their hearts and tried to recall. After awhile, Hua Yao was the first one to remember the subtle link the scribblings had mentioned and he suddenly raised up his head, his handsome eyes glinting with slight comprehension.
"You are saying that the man who had been trapped at the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff was linked to the Fire Country?"
Jun Wu Xie removed the ring from her finger and handed it over to Hua Yao and the others to inspect closely.
Hua Yao and his other companions quickly found the Chinese character for "Fire".
"I remember..... that the man had mentioned within those lines that he was the Emperor of a certain country. Don't tell me..... He was originally the Emperor of the Fire Country? Because he disappeared and that is why this current Emperor is on the throne?" Qiao Chu's eyes bulged once more. He had never once thought that the ring Jun Wu Xie had accidentally picked up at the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff would be so intricately linked to the Fire Country.
"No. Calculating based on the time that would have passed, the time when that man had gone down to the bottom of the Heaven's End Cliff would be closer to a hundred years ago or not too far away from that, and the current Emperor's age does not match that period of time." Hua Yao said immediately, shaking his head in disagreement.
"Even if it was the previous Emperor who had passed on, the link to the present Fire Country is still there." Fan Zhuo quipped.
Fei Yan's eyes narrowed up like he was thinking hard about something. A few moments later, his suddenly flared open.
"I remember it now!"
Fei Yan's face suddenly looked highly excited as he looked at Jun Wu Xie to say happily: "I had looked into the Fire Country previously and I had also gained a certain understanding after hearing some things about the Fire Country's past generations of rulers. The Fire Country's first Emperor of this bloodline, who is the current Emperor's grandfather, was once not the ruler of the Fire Country. The Emperor of the Fire Country had originally been his elder brother, but that elder brother had suddenly disappeared one day. The Fire Country had been thrown into some years of tumult after that and the first Emperor of the current line had only chosen to ascend to the throne to stabilise the political courts and government of the country. Based on the timing of the occurrences, the man in that stone dwelling could very well be the elder brother of the first Emperor of the current line, the original Emperor who had suddenly gone missing!"
"With the way you put it, it does sound rather plausible. But that had happened so long ago, so what does it have to do with the present?" Fan Zhuo asked, turning his head that was supported by his hand to look at Jun Wu Xie.
Jun Wu Xie told them: "Last night, when I met the Grand Adviser in the Imperial Garden, we had initially only exchanged a few perfunctory words of greetings. But when Wen Yu saw the ring on my finger, he hinted that I should leave the Fire Country quickly. He said that if I remained here, unpleasant things might happen. I had initially thought that he was talking about the Prime Minister's assassination attempt, but after thinking through it carefully, I concluded that Lei Fan wants to kill me because I saw his real face, and not because of this ring. But what Wen Yu was talking about has definitely got something to do with the ring."
It was obvious, that the dangers Wen Yu had mentioned was not about Lei Fan.
"That sounds really strange. Even if the ring is linked to the a certain generation of Emperor of the Fire Country, what could the ring really represent? How can it be that the Emperor is suddenly trying to kill you just because of a old and inconspicuous ring? Doesn't that sound too strange to be true? Even if he want to take the ring back, he could have very well just asked you directly couldn't he?" Qiao Chu still did not understand what kind of dangers could a single ring like that bring.
"On that point, I still do not have a full picture. But Wen Yu's words couldn't have been entirely baseless. He must know something or has reason to be guessing at something, and that was why he gave me that reminder." Jun Wu Xie said as she put the ring back onto her finger. Although she now knew where the ring had originated from, but she still could not fathom why Wen Yu had told her to quickly leave the Fire Country.
Chapter 904 : "Imperial Guards Army (1)"
Fei Yan thought about it for a long while but did not manage to link up the situation with any of the news that he had managed to gather. He had not been able to investigate into the Fire Country for that long a period and the information he had wasn't entirely complete. Having been able to have gained information about the Emperor who had gone missing before has already been a great feat.
As they continued to discuss, the skies had turned bright completely. The Imperial Capital was waking up and resuming to its usual hustle and bustle and when the Immortals' Loft's innkeeper asked Jun Wu Xie and the others whether they wanted to report the incident about the assassins to the Imperial Capital's Magistrate office, he was flatly rejected.
Ye Sha had, with a great bonfire, burnt the corpses to nothing.
No matter what kind of secrets were hidden behind the ring, it was now a certain fact that Lei Fan and the Emperor were looking to have Jun Wu Xie killed. They might have failed this time round, but they were certain that another attempt was sure to come.
However, as everyone was still thinking about how they were going to deal with the matter in regards to Lei Fan, a team of soldiers fully decked out in heavy armour had come charging out into the main street of the Imperial Capital, making a line straight towards the Immortals' Loft.
"What is happening here?" Outside the Immortals' Loft, it was suddenly abuzz with activity. The group of them who had been talking within immediately detected the flurry of activity outside and Qiao Chu immediately zipped to the window, seeing that the entire Immortals' Loft had been heavily surrounded by a troop of soldiers.
"There are many soldiers down there and they have surrounded the entire place." Qiao Chu immediately turned and reported to his companions.
"Could it possibly be Lei Fan again who had sent these soldiers here?" Fei Yan asked with a frown on his face. He went over to the window to see and quickly realised that his guess had been wrong.
"It is not the Prime Minister's men. It's the Imperial Guard Army!"
"Imperial Guards?"
The Fire Country's Imperial Guard Army was led by the Commander of the Imperial Guards. The Commander of the Imperial Guards only took orders from the Emperor himself and from nobody else. It was obvious that this sudden activation of the Imperial Guards had nothing to do with the Prime Minister but it could only have been under the direct orders of the Emperor himself.
"Why would the Emperor sent the Imperial Guards here? Don't tell me the words of the Grand Adviser had really come true as he had predicted? That old Emperor was really coming after Little Xie because of a inconspicuous little ring?" Rong Ruo immediately stood up, her brows deeply furrowed, her face rather puzzled.
The speed that the Imperial Guards had arrived at had been really quick. Since the banquet ended, it had only been a matter of hours and the Emperor had already sent out the Imperial Guard Army. With such impatience obvious from the enemy, it was really difficult for any of them to look at the situation in an optimistic light.
With even the Imperial Guards mobilised, it had not only made Jun Wu Xie and her companions to raise their guard, it had also attracted a lot of attention from many people in the Imperial Capital. The Imperial Guards were responsible for the security and safety of the Imperial Palace and they seldom appeared in other places within the Imperial Capital. With such a grand display today, it made for a rare sight for all the people.
Lots of people had their curiosity highly piqued when the saw the Imperial Guard Army having been mobilised, and the crowd had followed behind the Imperial Guards all the way before they all discovered that the destination that the Imperial Guards had been heading towards was the Immortals' Loft!
When talking about the Immortals' Loft, it might just be a regular inn and restaurant normally. But at that moment, the Immortals' Loft was currently housing the ultimate winners of this year's Spirit Battle Tournament from the Zephyr Academy. The six participants from the Zephyr Academy had incredibly achieved the top six ranks of the entire Spirit Battle Tournament and they had won immeasurable repute and endless glory. But besides that, the Immortals' Loft had also been a place plagued with many unfortunate incidents.
It was not too long ago just before the final deciding matches for the top ten ranks were about to begin. The Imperial Capital's constabulary had at that time sent guards to come take Jun Xie away from the Immortals' Loft. Although the incident was finally proved to have been a misunderstanding, it had nevertheless still made many people feel rather uncomfortable about the place.
And now, the Fire Country's Imperial Guard Army had even come, and judging from the aggressive demeanor from the guards, they couldn't have come here for anything pleasant.
Chapter 905 : "Imperial Guard Army (2)"
What was not known at that moment, was who within the Immortals' Loft had committed a crime, that even the Imperial Guard Army who was directly under the Emperor's throne was mobilised!
What was even more astonishing was that the leader for the team of Imperial Guards that had come was the Commander of the Imperial Guard Army himself, Yuan Biao!
With the appearance of Yuan Biao, it made everyone there realise, the severity of the matter on that day.
"By the Emperor's decree, the disciple of the Zephyr Academy, Jun Xie, had at the state banquet last night, during the period he was away from the banquet, injured the Fourth Prince in the Imperial Garden, and the Imperial Guard Army has received orders to come here today to arrest the criminal to answer for his crime!"
Yuan Biao jumped off his horse to read out the Imperial Edict, its content drafted undoubtedly pointing out that Jun Xie had attempted to kill Lei Fan!
At that moment, the curious onlookers crowded around were all greatly astounded.
The Fourth Prince was the most favoured among all the princes and he had not only won the favour of the Emperor himself, he received in no small measure the protection of the Empress as well. It could be said that besides the fact that he was not holding the title of the Crown Prince, the Fourth Prince was among the four princes, the most favoured and the one most doted upon. Who would have thought that someone would be so audacious to harm the Fourth Prince, and the deed was even committed within the Imperial Palace itself no less!
A wave of chatter quickly swept over the people crowding around the place.
Qiao Chu stood beside the second floor window, hearing clearly every single word that Yuan Biao read out. His eyes bulged in outrage and disbelief at what he heard as he turned to look at Jun Wu Xie.
"Did you really strike at Lei Fan?"
Last night at the banquet, Jun Wu Xie had indeed stepped away from the banquet but that had been under the decree of the Emperor then. After they stepped out from the banquet, she had gone to the Imperial Garden with Lei Fan but had returned alone in the end. They had heard from Jun Wu Xie herself that she had neutralized Lei Fan's Face Changing Technique disguise which had left Lei Fan with no other choice but to run away. But the details of the incident had not been made known to them.
Jun Wu Xie rolled her eyes at Qiao Chu and said: "I made Little Black splash the medicine on him and I did not touch him a single time from the beginning till the end."
Although she needed to unravel the mystery weighing on her mind, she had however still been conscious of what could be done and which lines should not be crossed.
"The Emperor is falsely accusing you?" Qiao Chu's eyes were still wide with shock. Once again! It's happening again! How many times had it been! The stars in the Fire Country must really been grossly misaligned and in conflict with Jun Wu Xie's!
Jun Wu Xie said: "That decree contains both true and false facts within it and they had been well twisted to pin the crime onto me."
Everyone at the banquet last night were all aware that she had gone to the Imperial Garden with Lei Fan, and they also knew that Lei Fan had not returned when Jun Xie came back. Wen Yu had said at the banquet that Lei Fan had not been feeling well..... if they all pieced all the facts together and looked at it from a certain perspective, everything seemed to fit perfectly with what the Emperor had claimed.
"The person who read out the decree, is the Commander of the Imperial Guard Army?" Hua Yao asked as his eyes swept over Yuan Biao who was standing in front of the troop of soldiers.
"Yes." Fei Yan replied.
"He is the same man who had approached Zhao Xun previously. That day back in the alley, this is the same guy who had wanted to kill me when I impersonated myself as Zhao Xun." Hua Yao said, his eyes narrowing up dangerously. That face of Yuan Biao's, was one that he still remembered vividly.
"As expected, the incident that tried to throw Lei Chen into disrepute was indeed done by the Emperor." Fei Yan said with a cold laugh.
"As of now, the Emperor seems determined to bring Little Xie away. He had even mobilised the Imperial Guard Army. Looking at the way things stand, we might very well have to defy the Imperial Decree." Fan Zhuo said as the corners of his mouth curled up. "Based on the circumstances before us here, I can just see. The moment that Little Xie is captured and brought away by them today, they will just kill her off right after viciously without mercy. A single ring. Just what is the secret behind it that it can cause the Emperor of the Fire Country to be driven to take such drastic action?"
Fan Zhuo drew in a deep breath and turned to look at Jun Wu Xie: "Little Xie, you need to leave here immediately. Regardless of the reason that the Emperor is coming after you, you must not fall into their hands this time. It's highly different this time. They will not give you anything to prepare yourself. The moment you are caught, the only fate you will face can only be certain death."
Chapter 906 : "Imperial Guard Army (3)"
Fan Zhuo's meaning was clear. Unless they fully intended to blatantly go against the Fire Country at that moment, they cannot afford to openly defy the Fire Country's Imperial Guards in front of so many people. And as they still have not gotten their hands upon the map, if they fought the Imperial Guard Army now, they were basically dissolving any chance or possibility for them to infiltrate into the Imperial Palace to retrieve the map in the future.
"I understand." Jun Wu Xie nodded slightly, but her eyes still glinted with a chilling light.
Having the son and the old man coming after her at the same time, one right after the other, really showed they were of the same mind. But she was however, not one to be easily trifled with as well and even if they were ready to shed all pretense of cordiality, she would only be too glad to answer back in kind with a "gift" in return.
"All of you must not retaliate against them directly." Jun Wu Xie reminded all her companions once more, before turning to depart.
Qiao Chu and the others stared after Jun Wu Xie's departing back and turned back to look outside at the Imperial Guards who were coming into the Immortals' Loft, as a glint of murder began to brew within their eyes.
The companions had not wanted to get involved with any incident with the Fire Country but the Fire Country;s Emperor and Prince were going overboard with their actions. Let them think they have the upper hand for a few days more! The debt owed must definitely be repaid!
Jun Wu Xie went back to her room and changed quickly into another set of clothes. She carried Lord Meh Meh in one arm and the little black cat in the other, before quietly slipping out a window at the back.
The Imperial Guards rushed into the Immortals' Loft the spears in their hands leveled at Qiao Chu and the companions. Fan Jin's face was one of utter shock. He had gotten himself drunk last night and had fallen unconscious in sleep within his room. He had just awoken and was forced to see such a scene that gave his heart a scare. But he knew very well at that moment it wasn't the best time for him to ask the others about it.
The Imperial Guards turned the inside and outside of the Immortals' Loft upside down, brash and unreasonable. But even after searching more a good part of the day, they still could not find a single sign of Jun Xie anyway, and they immediately dragged the innkeeper and the waiter of the Immortals' Loft out for questioning.
The innkeeper had already been highly terrified by the earlier incident with the assassins and when the Imperial Guards shouted at him harshly, he immediately fell to the ground in terror.
"I..... I do not know where Young Master Jun has gone..... He was still around earlier....."
Yuan Biao stared at the innkeeper with a frown on his face and turned on his heel to come towards Fei Yan who was dressed in female clothing. Compared to the rest of the youths in the Zephyr Academy, he believed that the pretty looking young girl would be the most timid one.
"You! Tell me where the criminal Jun Xie had gone to!" Yuan Biao pulled out the sharply honed sword from his hip, its point pressed against Fei Yan's neck. The sharp point quickly pierced Fei Yan's skin and a bright red drop of blood formed on a spot on his neck.
Fei Yan raised up his eyes and looked at the fierce and malevolent looking face of Yuan Biao's and his lips moved slightly. Suddenly! The expression on his face turned to become highly pitiful looking, a crystalline tear rolling down his face in the next instant.
"Boo hoo..... How would I know where that little brat had run off to? He was still around earlier but after all of you rushed in, before I knew what was happening, he suddenly dashed out the back door! I really don't know where he ran off to!"
Seeing such a pretty and gentle little beauty sobbing so pitifully, the frown on Yuan Biao's face still did not relax.
"Send some men to the back of the Immortals' Loft and pursue him through the back door!" After relaying his orders, Yuan Biao turned back to Fei Yan and said: "You better be telling the truth. Jun Xie injured the Fourth Prince and that is no small crime. If anyone of you dares to cover up for him, you will be charged as an accomplice under the same crime!"
"I do not dare! I do not dare!" Fei Yan said feigning helplessness with teary eyes as he looked at Yuan Biao, shrinking back with his head sunk between his shoulders, looking like an injured baby chick, looking extremely pitiful.....
Chapter 907 : "Imperial Guard Army (4)"
Yuan Biao looked on with satisfaction at Fei Yan who was cringing back in terror, before he slowly retracted his sword.
"Before Jun Xie is apprehended for his crime, none of you within the Immortals' Loft are allowed to leave this place! The Imperial Guards will be guarding this place day and night and if anyone of you thinks they can walk out unilaterally, do not blame us for being merciless!"
With those harsh words, Yuan Biao led the Imperial Guards to depart from the second level. When he came out of the Immortals' Loft, he instructed his men to completely surround the building inside and outside.
Qiao Chu and the others helped the "overly terrified" Fei Yan back to the room and when the door was shut tight, the teary eyed Fei Yan immediately shook off Qiao Chu's paws on him, stepping a foot on a chair and pointing out the window to curse at Yuan Biao: "Bastard, you actually dared to try intimidate me this little Lord here! I'll allow you to live in your self imagined glee for a few more days. When this entire episode had concluded, I'll make sure that I'll beat you so hard you'll cry out for mommy!"
Just a moment ago, he had looked completely like a weak and frail pretty little thing, the moment he opened his mouth, he had suddenly turned into a barbaric uncouth bandit!
"Little Yan, your acting skills have really evolved and getting a lot more exquisite!" Qiao Chu said as he looked at Fei Yan respectfully. Don't judge Fei Yan just by the femininely dressed sweet young thing. That guy's innate personality was one just like a despicable and shameless bandit. On this rare occasion that he had been able to witness Fei Yan portray himself as a weak and hapless little girl, he had been laughing deliriously in his heart all that time.
"Show a hint of a smile and you'll know! Do you believe one slap from me will take the life out of you! ?" Fei Yan shook his fist at them. He possessed the greatest strength among all of them there, and as his Ring Spirit was a humongous ape, Fei Yan arm power was something even Qiao Chu would not be able to stand up to.
Qiao Chu realised that it was time to pull back and he immediately shook his head.
"This Yuan Biao isn't as dumb as he looks. He knew to question the innkeeper first before interrogating us. He was quick witted enough to pick one who looked the most likely to "succumb to terror" from his threats. From the way things look, they will not give up without finding Little Xie. Having made a futile trip here at the Immortals' Loft, their next target would definitely be the Crown Prince's Residence." Fan Zhuo analysed as he rubbed at his chin in thought. He still had full confidence in Jun Wu Xie's capabilities, as her intricate and devious ploys were never something the average person could hope to unravel.
Moreover, Jun Wu Xie was accompanied by the little black cat, Lord Meh Meh, Drunk Lotus, and Ye Sha as her protectors, even if the entire Imperial Guard Army were to move against her, they could never dream of touching a single hair on her.
However.....
"I really cannot fathom the reason why the Emperor of the Fire Country would want to take Little Xie's life so desperately. Just what kind of secret is that ring holding?" No matter how hard he thought about it, Fan Zhuo was unable to unravel that mystery.
"In regards to that, I believe that Little Xie will gain an understanding after she sees Lei Chen. Lei Chen is the Crown Prince of the Fire Country afterall and the amount of things he knows about this place will definitely be more than what we have gathered." Fei Yan reasoned.
Fan Zhuo nodded.
"I am not worried about Little Xie's predicament. Even if the Emperor join hands with the others, they might still not be able to outwit Little Xie. I am instead highly curious to see how Little Xie is going to retaliate this time?" Qiao Chu was filled to the brim with confidence in Jun Wu Xie's capabilities and he really could not wait to see, pitted against the Emperor, the Fourth Prince, the Empress, and the Prime Minister's attacks from all sides, just what kind of a astounding ingenuity would come out from the little head of Jun Wu Xie, to bring them all down, one after the other.
"I seriously think the Emperor is going to deeply regret, that he did not manage to capture Little Xie today." Fan Zhuo said with a laugh filled with sarcasm.
At that same moment, the Imperial Guard Army were searching everywhere throughout the Imperial Capital for any traces of Jun Xie. The entire Imperial Capital was alarmed by the brash actions of the Imperial Guards and the chatter and debates among the people spread and grew. And as the Imperial Guards were turning the Imperial City topsy turvy.....
A petite tiny figure, had silently arrived at the back door of the Crown Prince's Residence. With a light tap of her feet, she slipped right inside!
Chapter 908 : "Imperial Guard Army (5)"
"What? Father really sent Yuan Biao out to capture Jun Xie?" Lei Chen asked, his eyes wide with incredulity, as he looked at the guard who had brought him the news.
"Then, where is little brother Jun now? Has he been captured by Yuan Biao?"
"The Immortals' Loft is now heavily surrounded by the Imperial Guard Army, prohibiting anyone from going in or getting out. Your subordinate could only observe for outside but I did not see Young Master Jun being brought out by the Commander of the Imperial Guards. When the Commander left the Immortals' Loft, he had been alone and judging from the situation, your subordinate is guessing that Young Master Jun had not been at the Immortals' Loft and Yuan Biao had failed to capture Young Master Jun." The guard reported.
Lei Chen finally heaved a great sigh of relief. It had only been several hours since last night when he had first gotten to know that Jun Xie was holding the Ring of Imperial Fire within his hands and he had just been planning what steps he could take next when the Emperor had unexpectedly moved so fast where he had immediately mobilised the Imperial Guard Army right at the break of dawn.
"Looking at the way he is going about it, Father is seriously seeking to take little brother Jun's life." Lei Chen said, clenching his jaw tight. Thinking back to what Wen Yu had said to him before, he could not help but start to feel that he had looked at things from too simple a perspective then.
Wen Yu must have guessed that the Emperor would do this and that was why he had been so anxious to get Jun Xie to leave this place of turmoil.
"Your Highness. Should we send our own men out to try to locate Young Master Jun's whereabouts?" The guard continued on to ask.
Lei Chen shook his head immediately. "Little brother Jun is highly quick witted and he would definitely have his own ways of avoiding Yuan Biao. Since Yuan Biao had not been able to find him at the Immortals' Loft, he will undoubtedly set his sights on my Crown Prince's Residence next. He knows that I am on rather good terms with little brother Jun, and with him coming up empty handed at the Immortals' Loft, he will in moments surely arrive here to search. If I am to rashly go search for little brother Jun now, the Imperial Guards are sure to discover it and it will only cause little brother Jun unnecessary trouble."
Lei Chen calmed his heart down. The situation had suddenly gotten rather terse and he had not had time to make any preparations. The Emperor had taken lightning quick action and mobilised the Imperial Guard Army which just told him that that Emperor was not going to give Jun Xie anyway out of this!
As he had predicted, not too long after Lei Chen had received the news, Yuan Biao arrived at the Crown Prince's Residence with a team of men.
"By Imperial Decree, your subject is currently in pursuit of the escaped fugitive Jun Xie. I would implore that Your Highness allow your loyal subject to carry out his duties." Yuan Biao had come to the gates of the Crown Prince's Residence with a large team of men.
Lei Chen had come to the main doors to confront him.
"What Commander Yuan is saying sounds really strange. You want to arrest Jun Xie, so why have you come all the way here to my Crown Prince's Residence?" Lei Chen retorted with a cold laugh.
Yuan Biao was highly indifferent. "Your Highness has been known to be on very close terms with Jun Xie before this and Jun Xie has escaped leaving no trace behind. Your subject is just following His Majesty's decree and I hope that Your Highness will not make things difficult for your humble servant."
Lei Chen then said: "You want to search my Crown Prince's Residence? Because you say so?"
Yuan Biao did not want to waste his breath any longer and he pulled out an Imperial Edict.
"Your subject holds here the Imperial Edict personally drafted by His Majesty himself, where I have been granted permission to search for the escaped fugitive in the Crown Prince's Residence. Does Your Highness really want to defy the Imperial Decree from His Majesty?"
Lei Chen gritted his teeth discreetly. The Imperial Edict must have been on Yuan Biao's body even before he had stepped out from the palace this morning. It was obvious that the Emperor had thought of the possibility that Jun Xie might very well run away, and he had this prepared well beforehand.
However highly displeased Lei Chen was feeling towards Yuan Biao's actions, with the Imperial Edict placed before his eyes, and added to the fact that Jun Xie had indeed not come to the Crown Prince's Residence, he would naturally not resist against Yuan Biao too strongly in this instance.
"Since it is by my Father's decree, then Commander Yuan, please carry on." Lei Chen face showed a mirthless smile as he took a step back, opening up the path he was blocking at the doors of the Crown Prince's Residence.
Yuan Biao nodded slightly in a perfunctory gesture of acknowledgement, and immediately led his men to rush into the Crown Prince's Residence!
Chapter 909 : "Imperial Guard Army (6)"
The Imperial Guards were meticulous and efficient as they immediately spread out to all parts of the Crown Prince's Residence, searching for anything suspicious. Lei Chen stood in the middle of the main hall and looked on as the Imperial Guards speedily carried out their duties, laughing coldly in his heart.
Yuan Biao stood on one side, secretly observing Lei Chen's reactions. When he did not find any sign of Jun Xie in the Immortals' Loft, the first place he had immediately thought of was the Crown Prince's Residence. Jun Xie had no friends or family in the Fire Country's Imperial Capital and was completely unfamiliar with this place. Besides the Immortals' Loft, the only place he could go to would only be the Crown Prince's Residence.
But what Yuan Biao found strange was when the Imperial Guard Army was searching through the Crown Prince's Residence, besides an expression showing great displeasure, Lei Chen's face had not revealed a single trace of worry or guilt. If it was not Lei Chen putting on a great act, then it could only mean that Jun Xie was truly not within the Crown Prince's Residence.
Very soon, the Imperial Guards who had turned the Crown Prince's Residence upside down gathered in the main hall. They had not found any signs of Jun Xie in the entire Crown Prince's Residence.
Yuan Biao's brows creased up and Lei Chen had a cold sneer plastered on his face: "So, is the Commander satisfied now?"
Yuan Biao answered: "Can I request for Your HIghness to gather everyone within the residence to come here? The escaped convict is sly and full of tricks. Your subject is worried that he will disguise himself as a servant in the mansion to escape arrest."
Lei Chen then said in a cold derisive tone: "Commander Yuan is such a meticulous man. Are you so sure that Jun Xie will hide within my residence? Alright! Guards, go gather everyone within the residence here to let the Commander investigate throughly."
With Lei Chen's order, everyone within the Crown Prince's Residence began to shuffle into the main hall from all parts of the mansion. The Imperial Guards had even specially gone to all the rooms to check, making sure that no one was hiding in any of them before they were satisfied.
There were several tens of servants working within the Crown Prince's Residence, male and female, old and young.
Yuan Biao had even personally walked before all of them, his steely gaze sweeping over each and everyone of them, not willing to miss anything that might seem even remotely suspicious.
Lei Chen was not feeling worried in the least as Jun Xie had not come to look for him at all. So, how could he even be able to hide him from them? He swung his eyes around following Yuan Biao as he gazed at all the people gathered here from within his own residence. And when his eyes swept over an old hunchbacked servant, a tinge of doubt came into his eyes.
Although there were many servants working within the mansion, but they had all served him for many years. It could be said that he was familiar with the faces of every single one of them. However, that old man's countenance was a stranger to him.
But as Yuan Biao was present at the moment, Lei Chen did not give it another thought and quickly swung his eyes away.
Yuan Biao finally finished inspecting the several tens of people and he paid particular attention to several of the young serving boys and maids. After ensuring that they were not in any form of disguise, he finally walked away from them with a frown on his face.
"Did Commander Yuan manage to find the person you are looking for?" Lei Chen jeered with a cold laugh.
Yuan Biao shook his head and clasped his hand over his fist before him to say: "I seek for Your Highness' understanding for having disturbed the peace in the Crown Prince's Residence today. But as the fugitive Jun Xie had injured the Fourth Prince, it was an affront to the prestige of the Imperial Family, and your subject had to carry out my duties impartially."
Lei Chen glanced at Yuan Biao and with a wide mirthless smile, he said: "How would I dare to lay blame on Commander Yuan? But since you have not found any signs of the fugitive being here, can you then return to me the sanctity of my residence?"
Yuan Biao immediately replied: "Naturally."
Right after that, Yuan Biao led his Imperial Guards out to depart from the Crown Prince Residence and the servants dispersed one after another as well.
Very soon, the guards from the Crown Prince's Residence brought news that although Yuan Biao had left, he had secretly dispatched a team of Imperial Guards to watch the outside the Crown Prince's Residence, all prepared to wait to arrest Jun Xie.
Chapter 910 : "Intricate Plot (1)"
"Let them wait if they wish to. How can little brother Jun not be wise to their intentions? He will definitely not come here." Lei Chen said confidently, having complete trust in Jun Xie's highly intelligent mind.
"Seeing that His Highness has such great confidence in me, I think I might have disappointed Your Highness this time."
Suddenly, a highly familiar voice rang out from behind Lei Chen.
Lei Chen turned his head back in surprise and confusion, suddenly finding Jun Xie walking out from the back of the main hall, a set servant's clothes from the Crown Prince's Residence held within his hands.
"I apologise, I borrowed a set of clothes without asking." Jun Xie said calmly as he walked to come before Lei Chen, tossing the clothes within his hands towards the flabbergasted guard standing at the side.
The guard stared at Jun Xie with wide unblinking eyes, finding it hard to believe that he had not even felt Jun Xie approach them.
"You....." Lei Chen stared at Jun Xie, still highly confused, the face of an unfamiliar old man flashing through his mind. "The old man earlier was you in disguise?"
Jun Wu Xie nodded. "Yuan Biao had been careful and highly meticulous. He knew to check thoroughly on those servant boys and girls whose age was similar to me."
Lei Chen then said: "But he had not thought that you would disguise yourself as a hunchbacked old man. You had even managed to fool me!" After saying that, Lei Chen immediately looked outside the doors and quickly ordered the guard standing at the side: "Get our men out there to stand guard. Do not allow any of the Imperial Guards to secretly sneak into the mansion."
"Yes!" The guard immediately departed and when he went out the door, he turned to shut them tightly.
"When did you come here?" Without anyone else in the room, Lei Chen immediately went to stand beside Jun Xie and surveyed the still clean and neat Jun Xie up and down.
"Before the Imperial Guards came." After Jun Wu Xie left the Immortals' Loft, she had immediately rushed over to the Crown Prince's Residence, and had gotten here a step earlier than the Imperial Guards.
'Tap tap tap.'
A series of clear steps sounded out and Lei Chen was startled where he immediately turned to the source of the noise, only to see a tiny round spherical shaped sheep currently walked out proudly from the back of the main hall, its four hooves tapping unhurriedly in approach. Towards Lei Chen's baffled gaze, it completely ignored it as it came to a rest beside Jun Xie's feet.
"This is....." Lei Chen looked highly puzzled as he stared at the little thing, and for no reason, he found that the sheep's gaze was looking a little strangely at him.
"My pet." Jun Wu Xie said, her face just as expressionless as she carried Lord Meh Meh into her arms, and went to sit down on a chair at the side.
"This is really brazenly bold of you. You knew very well that they would come here to find you and you still dared to come here." Lei Chen said, staring helplessly at Jun Xie. That fearlessness, was really incomparable to that of most people, and Jun Xie had even fooled him completely as well.
"I came here because I have something I want to ask Your Highness." Jun Wu Xie asked calmly.
Lei Chen was surprised and he paused a moment before he said: "You mean to ask me why my Father wants to have you killed?"
Jun Wu Xie answered: "Both yes and no."
Lei Chen was suddenly rather confused.
Jun Wu Xie raised her hand and showed the ring on her finger before Lei Chen's eyes.
"Does Your Highness know where this originated from?"
Upon seeing the Ring of Imperial Fire, Lei Chen's eyes suddenly burned with a scorching flame!
"That is the Ring of Imperial Fire!" Lei Chen's voice was almost trembling, laced with an excited fervour.
"Oh?" Jun Wu Xie intoned, her eyebrow lifting. Seems like her guess had been right.
"Past generations of the Fire Country's rulers would take that ring that would be handed down from their predecessors and reforge it into their own spirit rings. It can be said that this Ring of Imperial Fire is symbolic of the Fire Country's ruler itself. Only the true ruler of the Fire Country has possession of it!" Lei Chen's eyes continued to look at Jun Xie, his eyes still burning fervently.