Shen Wei was too far away to rush over, so he could only watch helplessly as the saber descended towards Li Yue Shu.
At the critical moment, the falling saber suddenly changed direction, its hilt smashing hard into Li Yue Shu's neck.
Li Yue Shu stiffened, then immediately fainted to the ground.
Without time to think, Shen Wei channeled his inner strength and lunged at the black-clothed assailant.
The assailant was prepared and dodged instantly.
But Shen Wei was incredibly fast, and his palm carried a fatal internal force.
"Bang!"
The assailant took a solid blow, staggering back several steps before regaining his balance.
Shen Wei quickly helped Li Yue Shu up from the ground and breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing she had only fainted.
He turned to face the assailant. Though only the eyes were visible, they were filled with shock. In a hoarse voice, the assailant asked, "You... when did you recover?"
Shen Wei ignored him. After gently placing Li Yue Shu onto the carriage, he turned to face the assailant.
His expression was frigid, radiating a subtle killing intent.
With Li Yue Shu unconscious, there was no need to continue feigning ignorance. "Who sent you?"
The assailant clutched his injured shoulder and rose from the ground.
He met Shen Wei's gaze without a hint of fear. "Who do you think would be so desperate to take your life?"
Shen Wei was silent for a moment, his thin lips parting. "After losing over a dozen men not long ago, Qin Ye Xiu couldn't wait any longer?"
His demeanor was calm and indifferent, yet inexplicably conveyed a sense of disappointment.
The assailant's pupils contracted.
Qin Ye Xiu?
The Crown Prince of Chen Nan?
His face was completely hidden by the mask, so his emotions were unseen.
After a pause, the assailant spoke again in his hoarse voice, "If you were truly foolish, your master would not have let such a good opportunity pass. But to think you were faking. You won't be able to hide here peacefully anymore."
Shen Wei stared at him expressionlessly, his killing intent intensifying. "This King will not give you that chance."
The assailant's heart skipped a beat.
"This King?"
He was...
Unbeknownst to Shen Wei, as his words fell, Li Yue Shu, who had been lying on the carriage, opened her eyes and slowly stood up.
Li Yue Shu moved silently, and Shen Wei, facing away from her, naturally did not notice.
But the assailant did.
Seeing Shen Wei about to attack, his eyes darted. "Wait, Your Highness. They say paper cannot wrap fire. You cannot pretend to be foolish forever. Besides, now that you have recovered, why haven't you told your cheap wife yet? Are you suspicious of her?"
Shen Wei did not reply, but his fingers at his side unconsciously rubbed together.
Seeing this, the assailant spoke again. "There are countless people in this world who want Your Highness's life. With Li Yue Shu's intelligence, if she knew your value, do you think she would betray your information for personal gain?"
Shen Wei's eyes narrowed. His face remained devoid of expression, but his tone was resolute. "She would not."
Before, he might have suspected Li Yue Shu was a spy sent by certain individuals from Chong Zhou, with the ultimate goal of controlling the Hu Yuan Army behind him.
But ever since he learned she could conjure objects out of thin air, he knew that with her abilities and pride, she would never be a spy.
However, Shen Wei did not voice these thoughts.
Seeing his certainty, the assailant paused before saying, "Anything is possible. She works so hard to build her pharmacy and open restaurants, doesn't she just want a better life? Even a sliver from the fingertips of those powerful figures in Chong Zhou would be enough to offset all her efforts. Do you think she wouldn't be tempted?"
Shen Wei's expression remained calm, seemingly unperturbed by the assailant's words.
"My affairs do not require your concern. Even if that day comes, this King has plenty of ways to keep her quiet." Shen Wei slowly walked forward, his robes billowing as if in a breeze.
The assailant instantly became wary, instinctively taking half a step back. "You... you will surely regret saying that."
"This King never regrets."
As he spoke, Shen Wei lunged forward.
He had no weapon, but his formidable inner strength allowed him to transform qi into a sword, forcing the assailant to retreat repeatedly.
After dodging another fatal blow, the assailant became anxious. "Wait, listen to me..."
The assailant stopped deliberately distorting their voice, revealing themselves to be a woman, whose voice sounded somewhat familiar.
But Shen Wei showed no mercy, his attacks becoming even more ferocious.
"Clang—"
With a clear ringing sound, the assailant was sent flying backward, their saber shattering into several pieces.
Just as Shen Wei was about to strike the killing blow, the assailant quickly ripped off their mask. "No, no, no, it's me!"
Upon seeing the assailant's face, Shen Wei quickly redirected his attack, the fatal internal force narrowly missing the top of her head.
Hong Dai's heart leaped into her throat, her face draining of all color.
Shen Wei frowned, looking at her, then suddenly remembered something and turned around abruptly.
Li Yue Shu, who should have been lying on the carriage, had somehow woken up and was standing there, watching them with an expressionless face.
Shen Wei's pupils constricted. He instinctively took a step forward but hesitated to advance further.
In that instant, he felt a pang of guilt.
Li Yue Shu stared directly into his eyes, her cold gaze piercing.
"This commoner would like to ask, which Prince are you?" Li Yue Shu's expression was laced with sarcasm, her respectful tone filled with ice. "Now that I know your identity, are you going to kill me to silence me?"
"No, I..." Shen Wei denied it without thinking but found himself at a loss for words.
Li Yue Shu took a deep breath, suppressing her anger. "When did you recover?"
Under her gaze, Shen Wei felt inexplicably guilty. "After... after Shen Wang hired thugs to intercept you on the road, not long after..."
Li Yue Shu couldn't immediately recall how long ago that was.
She suddenly smiled. "Heh, it must have been difficult for Your Highness to act this play with me for so long."
Shen Wei frowned instinctively. "Let me explain..."
"Explain what?" Li Yue Shu cut him off coldly. "Explain that you had actually recovered long ago but pretended to be foolish? Or explain that you suspected I had known you were a Prince all along and was deliberately approaching you? Or perhaps explain that you were always prepared to kill me if you confirmed I was a spy?"
Shen Wei opened his mouth, but not a single word came out.
Li Yue Shu remained silent.
She didn't know what she was waiting for, only staring intently at him.
But after an unknown amount of time, Shen Wei still hadn't spoken.
He didn't know how to explain, because what she had said were all his genuine thoughts at some point.
Seeing his silence, Li Yue Shu's heart sank.
She said nothing and turned away.
"A Shu!"
Shen Wei instinctively followed, a hint of undisguised panic in his voice.
Hong Dai had been watching from the side. Seeing his expression, she suddenly felt that her injuries didn't hurt as much.
Li Yue Shu directly got onto the carriage and suddenly shouted, "Sister Hong Dai, come here!"
Hearing her call, Hong Dai immediately ran over and happily hopped onto the carriage.