Your Highness the Regent, Your Assassin Is a Bit Dense!

Chapter 48

The expired aphrodisiac was alarmingly potent.

Sima Qing could clearly feel his consciousness slipping away—this was a drug-induced haze he couldn’t fight. Resigned, he gave up struggling, then suddenly recalled that Prince Ping had once suffered a similar fate. The thought made him chuckle darkly.

The black-clad men watched him for a moment, confirming the drug had taken effect, before stepping forward to strip off Sima Qing’s outer robe and bind his limbs.

“Where’s the woman you arranged?” one of them asked.

“…Wasn’t that your job?” another replied with a strange expression.

The group fell into an awkward silence.

Remembering their employer’s demand to utterly ruin Sima Qing’s reputation, two of them volunteered after a pause, “You stay here and guard him. We’ll go grab a woman right now!”

Sima Qing listened hazily, his lips twitching again.

Prince Ping must be furious this time… to resort to such a cheap, underhanded tactic.

And now they were going to destroy his virtue.

Reputation was everything. If word spread to the capital, it wouldn’t be his virtue at stake—it’d be framed as him defiling some innocent woman. The sheer slander made him sick.

As the drug’s effects intensified, Sima Qing could only wait silently for Qiu Dongfang to rescue him.

…And then Qiu Dongfang was dragged in, captured as well.

“We got a woman! And she’s his personal cook!” one of the black-clad men crowed, as if luck had favored them. “She knows some martial arts, but she’s no match for us. Quick, throw her in!”

Sima Qing: “…”

Qiu Dongfang, however, brightened the moment he saw his lord. His first instinct was to assess Sima Qing’s condition—aside from disheveled clothes and a flushed face, he seemed unharmed.

Now, tossed beside Sima Qing as a makeshift “woman,” Qiu Dongfang seized the chance to get closer.

“Hah! Now that we’ve got the woman, and his condition’s ripe, untie him!” The black-clad men smirked triumphantly, loosening Sima Qing’s bonds.

Qiu Dongfang’s limbs were still bound, but hidden in his palm was a universal antidote pill.

Seizing the moment, he edged closer and slipped the pill into Sima Qing’s hand, using the blind spot to shield the action.

Sima Qing felt both weak and alarmingly energized… and worse, when Qiu Dongfang passed him the pill, all he could focus on was Qiu Dongfang’s hand.

Sima Qing: “…”

Expired aphrodisiacs were truly terrifying.

When the pill went unclaimed, Qiu Dongfang frowned, then turned—only to freeze at the sight of his lord’s glazed, feverish gaze.

His stomach dropped. Then, relief flooded him.

When Qiu Dongfang had first encountered the black-clad men, his instinct was to fight. But noticing only two opponents, he’d realized more must be guarding Sima Qing elsewhere.

These men had captured his lord undetected—their skills were no joke. So, after a split-second calculation, Qiu Dongfang had feigned weakness.

And now, seeing the situation, he was glad he’d let himself be caught. If these thugs had dragged some random woman in here, Sima Qing’s reputation would’ve been beyond saving.

“My lord, don’t worry. I can take it!” Qiu Dongfang declared with false bravado, pitching his voice higher.

Sima Qing’s temple throbbed: “…Shut up.”

He could still hold on a little longer.

Qiu Dongfang obediently clamped his mouth shut, then glared at the black-clad men lurking at the cave entrance, their leering gazes fixed on them. Disgusted, he spat, “You lot are sick!”

Jiu Yue was still trailing the dog, which zigzagged aimlessly.

At first, she’d been hopeful. Now, she had no idea where they were. She scooped up the dog, eyeing it skeptically. “Is your nose even working? How did Old Tao train you, huh?”

The dog only grumbled in response.

Suddenly, Jiu Yue caught the faint sound of footsteps to her left.

In an instant, she crouched, rolling behind a tree trunk and clamping the dog’s snout shut. She pressed a finger to her lips—the dog stayed quiet.

Peering toward the noise, she spotted shadowy figures in the distance.

What were they up to?

Narrowing her eyes, Jiu Yue’s expression turned razor-sharp. Without hesitation, she set the dog down and flung a volley of throwing daggers. The hidden men scrambled into view.

Not giving them time to react, she unsheathed her curved blade and lunged, swift as a ghost.

Whoever dared sabotage her mission wouldn’t be pushovers. Jiu Yue fought ruthlessly, holding nothing back.

After several clashes, the black-clad men regrouped, one nursing a mangled hand.

They exchanged uneasy glances.

“You—you’re that groom!” one hissed. “Damn it, sound the ala—”

His words cut off mid-syllable.

Blood sprayed. Jiu Yue’s lips pressed into a thin line as her mind raced. Sima Qing had to be where those distant figures were.

These men were skilled. If they ganged up on her, she’d be overwhelmed—especially with Sima Qing as their hostage.

So, she couldn’t let them raise the alarm.

Qiu Dongfang was convinced these men were deranged.

Even if their goal was to ruin Sima Qing’s virtue, shouldn’t they at least have the decency to look away?

Turn your backs, you creeps!

If they wanted a live show so badly, they should’ve gone to a brothel! Damn perverts!

“How long d’you think he can last?” one taunted, eyeing Sima Qing’s strained expression.

“Dunno… but with a woman right here, if he’s still holding back, maybe he’s just…” The man’s gaze dropped suggestively.

The others snickered. One suggested, “Let’s strip her naked. That’ll light his fuse!”

“Brilliant!”

Qiu Dongfang: “…”

Brilliant your ass!

Just as he opened his mouth to retort, his eyes flicked past them—and he froze, then grinned.

The black-clad men: “…”

“We’re about to strip you, and you’re smiling like that?” one muttered, unnerved.

Another, sensing something off, whirled around—only to see a slender figure charging toward them, a curved blade gleaming in hand.

“Ambush!” He yanked his companion aside.

Qiu Dongfang leapt up, shrilly yelling, “Jiu Yue! They called me creepy! Slice them to ribbons!”

A single, icy “Gladly” echoed back. The men’s blood ran cold.

“Where’s the rest of the team?!” their leader barked, dread sinking in.

“Probably dead,” another gritted out.

The newcomer was splattered with blood—yet moved without injury. Whose blood it was needed no explanation.

"How outrageous! Attack together! Avenge Old Tao and the others!" The leader's eyes burned crimson with rage. With a light tap of his toes, he charged straight at Jiu Yue.

The others swiftly followed suit.

With Qiu Dongfang guarding Sima Qing, Jiu Yue fought without restraint, her strikes growing fiercer.

Her movements were lightning-fast—dodging blows while simultaneously kicking a sneak attacker mid-air. Before the man even hit the ground, her crescent blade slashed upward, grievously wounding him while deflecting a descending slash from above.

The remaining assailants seized the chance to pin her down.

Yet Jiu Yue dropped low, dispersing their force while gathering her own. A twist of her wrist sent the crescent blade sweeping horizontally. Then, propelled by a explosive leap, she scattered the group with a spinning kick. In the blink of an eye, she closed in on one man.

Twin blades—drawn unnoticed from her waist—now glinted coldly. Meeting his terrified gaze, she drove them through his torso without hesitation, her expression merciless.

Turning, she faced the last three, a slow smile spreading across her blood-streaked lips. She looked every bit the reaper of death.

"Come at me together," she taunted.