With just one glance, Fu Yu immediately understood Jiu Yue's intention and lunged toward Wen Shuang first.
Wen Shuang hadn’t taken Fu Yu seriously at all. He focused solely on defense, waiting for the perfect moment to deliver a fatal blow to Sima Qing.
But during a fleeting moment of evasion, he suddenly sensed an intense killing intent behind him. His body reacted faster than his mind.
Wen Shuang sidestepped several meters away, landing with a look of shock and confusion directed at Jiu Yue.
"You—"
"Audacious assassin! Take this!" Another figure emerged from the woods.
It was Si Shui.
Jiu Yue immediately glanced at Sima Qing, who gave a slight shake of his head. She seemed to grasp the situation—Si Shui was unaware of the plan.
So Jiu Yue moved back to Wen Shuang’s side.
"That was a mistake, pure accident," she offered a half-hearted explanation before shifting her gaze to Si Shui. "He’s a royal shadow guard. Don’t underestimate him."
Wen Shuang glared resentfully at Sima Qing, who stood just ahead.
The best opportunity for assassination had already slipped away.
Jiu Yue added, "The palace reinforcements will arrive soon. We’re running out of time… You distract the guard. I’ll deal with the one beside the regent."
Without waiting for Wen Shuang’s response, she clashed with Fu Yu.
Wen Shuang had no choice but to engage Si Shui in combat.
Si Shui wielded a whip, while Wen Shuang was unarmed—his dagger lost after Fu Yu knocked it away. Now, he had to fight barehanded.
Within just a few exchanges, he realized the gap between them. Continuing would only put him at a disadvantage.
Wen Shuang considered retreating.
But Jiu Yue had no intention of letting him go.
He was a liability. If left alive, a few words from him could shake Prince Ping’s already fragile trust in her, ruining the entire act.
Every time Si Shui tried to rescue Sima Qing, Jiu Yue forced him back, locking him in combat with Wen Shuang again.
Whenever Wen Shuang attempted to withdraw, either Fu Yu or Si Shui would be shoved toward him by Jiu Yue, cutting off his escape.
Finally, after taking a brutal strike from the whip, Wen Shuang staggered back in pain, leaving his back exposed to Jiu Yue.
Fu Yu immediately joined Si Shui to block his path.
But Wen Shuang’s sharp eyes locked onto the unprotected Sima Qing. "Now’s the chance—ugh!"
A short blade pierced straight through his chest.
His pupils contracted violently, reflecting Jiu Yue’s cold, shadowed expression.
Even Si Shui froze for a second, baffled by the sudden betrayal in their midst.
Fu Yu, however, silently exhaled in relief.
Jiu Yue wasted no time. She could already hear the approaching footsteps of reinforcements.
Without hesitation, she drove the blade into Wen Shuang’s throat, ensuring his death before kicking his corpse off the cliff.
Fu Yu seized the moment to launch another attack.
Si Shui was slower to react but quickly joined Fu Yu, lashing out with his whip.
When Prince Ping arrived, he saw Jiu Yue fighting two opponents at once. Her pale robes were stained crimson, a glaring testament to her disadvantage.
Sima Qing stood trapped between the two sides. Jiu Yue desperately lunged toward him, but Fu Yu and Si Shui always intercepted in time.
Prince Ping’s joy dimmed slightly as he instinctively scanned the surroundings, finding no sign of Wen Shuang.
Frowning, he still signaled his guards to encircle the scene.
Seeing the tide turn against her, Jiu Yue flicked a glance at Prince Ping before suddenly erupting with force, repelling both attackers and darting toward Sima Qing. She raised her dagger high above his head—
A show for the spectators behind her.
Jiu Yue had planned to quietly warn Sima Qing while their backs were turned, preparing him to be thrown off the cliff.
But instead, she found him staring at her blade with an inexplicable smile.
Then, the hand gripping hers abruptly surged with strength.
The dagger plunged straight into his chest.
Jiu Yue’s eyes widened in shock, while Fu Yu let out a piercing scream: "Your Highness—!"
The shift happened too fast. To onlookers, Jiu Yue’s assassination had succeeded.
The flickering torchlight reflected Prince Ping’s exhilaration. If he could, he would have laughed triumphantly—this was beyond satisfying!
But reason prevailed, and he swiftly masked his glee, shouting in feigned distress, "Uncle—! Capture that assassin at all costs!"
Instantly, guards swarmed forward, joined by hidden royal shadow guards.
Having held back during the fight, Jiu Yue’s injuries were real. Even if she abandoned Sima Qing now, escape was unlikely.
Time seemed to slow—Fu Yu’s desperate gaze urging her to flee, Si Shui’s whip lashing toward her, the guards closing in with raised blades…
Looking down at Sima Qing, whose lips were now stained with blood, Jiu Yue held her breath and cast one last heavy glance at Prince Ping.
Since things had come to this, she might as well give him one final performance!
As the whip lashed toward her face, Jiu Yue deliberately hesitated, dodging just enough to spare her face but leaving her leg ensnared.
Si Shui yanked hard, trying to reel her in. Jiu Yue resisted with equal force, but the whip didn’t pull her back—instead, the struggle tripped her, sending her stumbling backward.
Before falling, she made sure to drag Sima Qing with her, her expression one of grim resolve.
Together, they plummeted off the cliff.
...
The shouts from above were swallowed by the wind. Jiu Yue had no time to dwell on them.
Watching Sima Qing cough up blood like rain, she could only remain silent.
Fortunately, the cliff wasn’t bottomless. Jiu Yue tightened her grip on Sima Qing, shielding him as tree branches along the cliffside broke their fall. They hit three times before she finally lodged in a tree.
Sima Qing crashed onto the ground below.
Jiu Yue’s eye twitched. Ignoring her own throbbing pain, she gritted her teeth and dropped down—only to exhale in relief upon seeing Wen Shuang’s corpse cushioning Sima Qing’s landing.
At least he wouldn’t die from the fall.
She silently thanked Wen Shuang for his posthumous contribution before scooping Sima Qing up and vanishing into the woods.
