Pitted With Peril
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
When Long Chi came out of the lavatory for the fifteenth time, he was on the verge of collapsing from exhaustion.
Looking at the faint streaks of dawn in the sky, he gnashed his teeth in rage.
Not only did he fail to get a wink of sleep the whole night, but he had also been to the lavatory almost twenty times.
It was all thanks to Lu Liangwei.
He had underestimated this goddamn woman and fallen into her trap.
By "courtesy demands reciprocity", she meant giving him diarrhea.
Jiang Chong looked at him worriedly and asked, "Your Highness, about our plan…"
Long Chi supported himself against a tree, his gaze cold as ice. Gritting his teeth, he said, "Proceed as planned."
"Yes, Your Highness." Jiang Chong left swiftly to carry out his order.
At first light, everyone filed out of the temporary imperial residence, ready to return to the capital.
When they saw the Emperor and Lu Liangwei arrive, they immediately knelt to them in greeting.
Although Long Chi was lowering his head, he observed the Emperor’s every move from the corner of his eye.
He was only relieved when he saw him board his carriage.
"Move out." The Emperor’s voice came from inside the vehicle.
Only then did everyone stand up and get onto their horses or into their carriages.
After mounting his horse, Long Chi glanced at the Emperor’s carriage, the corners of his mouth turning up into an icy smile.
He had been glowering because of the previous night’s diarrhea incident, but now the gloom on his face had cleared.
The thought of having the throne and Lu Liangwei at his fingertips the moment his royal uncle died made his heart leap with joy.
After today, everything
Long Chi’s eyes narrowed in determination.
Crossing Eagle Pass was inevitable to return to the imperial capital from the Cool Mountains.
As there was a cliff right next to the trail, extra caution was necessary when taking it.
Although the party had crossed this pass on its way to the Cool Mountains, everyone was still wary as they trudged through it now.
The imperial guards were the first to make their way across, followed by the Emperor and the Empress’s carriage.
There were also imperial guards escorting the carriage on all sides.
Just then, an arrow shot out of nowhere, streaking through the quiet mountain road and toward the Emperor’s carriage, but the watchful guards immediately noticed it and knocked it down swiftly.
"Assassin alert! Protect the Emperor, quick!"
The next instant, the imperial guards’ yells penetrated everyone’s eardrums.
All the court officials following behind them jumped in shock.
At this moment, a rain of arrows pierced the air and shot toward the carriage.
Although the guards were vigilant enough and knocked down the arrows, they ended up missing two, which struck the pair of horses pulling the carriage.
The two horses let out a neigh, and all of a sudden, they threw off Zhao Qian and another coachman driving the carriage and dashed toward the cliff ahead in a fit of madness.
"Stop the horses!" Horrified, Zhao Qian ignored the pain on his body and hurriedly shouted an order.
Several imperial guards leading at the front were unable to dodge in time, and the impact sent them flying out of the way.
"Protect the Emperor!"
Zhao Qian scrambled up from the ground and bellowed.
Chaos descended upon the scene as everyone was startled before rushing to catch up to control the mad horses.
However, the horses were pulling the Emperor’s carriage at an unbelievable speed. When everyone finally came to their senses and raced after them, they were already approaching the cliff, dragging the carriage behind them.
Zhao Qian’s face drained of color. "Protect the Emperor…"
Long Chi immediately led the chase.
However, before he could get close to the carriage, a group of black-clad assailants emerged from the dense trees and blocked their path.
Battle instantly broke out between both parties.
The pass was already narrow, and now that it was blocked, the imperial guards at the back were also hindered from rushing forward to rescue the Emperor.
As Zhao Qian watched the mad horses pulling the Emperor’s carriage toward the cliff, he whipped out his saber and started slashing away, his eyes bloodshot with panic.
"Kill them all!"
All the imperial guards had sworn their loyalty to the Emperor. As they watched the carriage being dragged toward the cliff while they continued to be blocked here, they grew agitated and started attacking whoever was in their path.
The situation quickly escalated into complete mayhem.