Please call me Your Majesty!

Chapter 269: Ambushed by His Highness
Huo Qinghuang tapped her fingers lightly, and a trace of blood-red light appeared on her slender fingertips. The Blood Witch Compass on her waist suddenly flew out, drawing a blood-red arc in the air and making a sharp buzzing sound.

"Nothing filthy or evil can escape your eyes!" Huo Qinghuang shouted sternly.

He quickly formed seals with both hands, and his fingertips drew complex rune tracks in the air, each track flashing with a strange red light.

Buzz!
The Blood Witch Compass hovered over Feng Laosan's body, making a harsh vibration. The runes on the surface of the compass lit up one by one, projecting several blood-red beams that scanned the body from head to toe.

After circling twice, the light on the compass gradually dimmed, slowly flew back to Huo Qinghuang's waist, and hung quietly on her belt again.

Nothing happened. There was no black smoke around the body, and no abnormal reactions. It was unsettlingly calm.

"It seems that there is nothing wrong with the body?" Chu Shizhao asked with a smile.

But his eyes were still alert and wary of the corpse.

Huo Qinghuang nodded slowly, and her tense shoulders finally relaxed a little: "Please rest assured, young master. At least this corpse has not been cast with any witchcraft that can harm people by the Dark Night Cult."

"I guess the people of the Dark Night Cult didn't expect such an accident to happen."

Her voice became low and cold, "Otherwise, given their habits, they would definitely make a big fuss about this corpse."

Chu Shizhao nodded slightly, turned his gaze to Zhao Wenguang, and gave him an approving look.

His prudence and decisiveness are commendable.

It was precisely because of his timely decision that the body had been under strict guard from the time the incident occurred until now, and the people from the Dark Night Cult had no chance to take advantage of it.

Otherwise, so much time has passed since Feng Laosan's death, which is enough time for those guys from the Dark Night Cult to do something tricky.

Tampering with corpses and creating plagues or curses is exactly what the Dark Night Cult is best at.

As the saying goes, "it's darkest under the lamp." Since the people of the Dark Night Cult have infiltrated Xueyuan Pass like a sieve, how could there be no spies from them in the army?
You don't even need too many of these spies, just a dozen or so.

At critical moments, it can play a crucial role.

For example, Feng Laosan deliberately spread the rumor that he had abandoned the city and fled, inciting the soldiers of Xueyuan Pass to desert.

This psychological tactic is more terrifying than swords and can undermine the morale of an army without anyone noticing.

Fortunately, the Ice Wolf Riders discovered it in time.

Otherwise, the consequences will be disastrous.

Desertion is a thing that will happen once the first one happens. It is the most terrible infectious disease in the army.

Especially now that they were at a disadvantage, they were already panicking. The pressure of a hundred thousand cavalry outside the city was enough to shake even the bravest warriors.

Chu Shizhao looked over the city wall and towards the dark enemy camp in the distance.

The endless iron cavalry that almost dyed the earth black was truly despairing.

But soon, Chu Shizhao's frown relaxed. He took a deep breath and temporarily suppressed the worry in his heart.

Xueyuan Pass was turned into a living hell by the Dark Night Cult. After dealing with the thieves of the Dark Night Cult, before they had time to catch their breath, the Northern Di cavalry arrived.

He had no chance to carefully check every suspicious person in the army. Time was so tight that he didn't even have time to reorganize the defense, let alone other things.

There are more important things to deal with right now.

"We must find an opportunity to screen the army." Chu Shizhao secretly made up his mind.

There are thorns in the army, and they are ruthless and unscrupulous guys like the Dark Night Cult.

Letting those people stay in the army for one more day is a huge threat.

They are like lurking poisonous snakes, ready to deliver a fatal blow at any time.

It is still a bit far-fetched to think about this now. Right now, the Northern Di army outside the city has already formed its battle array, and the siege equipment has been pushed to the front.

The most urgent task was to solve the current trouble first. Chu Shizhao gathered his thoughts and refocused his attention on Feng Laosan's body.

He slowly walked past Huo Qinghuang and squatted in front of Feng Laosan.

I checked it carefully and didn't miss any suspicious traces.

Chu Shizhao already had an idea about Feng Laosan's situation.

A subtle discovery confirmed his guess, and a smile of understanding unconsciously appeared on the corner of his mouth.

"Huo Qinghuang, Zhao Wenguang, the two of you come with me." Chu Shizhao stood up, called them to his side, and whispered instructions to them.

He spoke at a moderate pace, and every word was clear. Huo Qinghuang and Zhao Wenguang were sometimes stunned, and sometimes showed a look of realization.

His actions left everyone around him confused.

The soldiers looked at each other, wondering what the prince was up to.

Aren’t we going to investigate the cause of Feng Laosan’s death?

How come you just flipped through it a few times and then ended it? Isn't that too sloppy?
Could it be that this prince was just like those officials they had met before, simply doing things perfunctorily?
Whispering in front of so many people, no one knew what secrets they were discussing. This mysterious behavior aroused the curiosity of more people.

After a brief exchange, Zhao Wenguang and Huo Qinghuang's expressions became serious.

Then Chu Shizhao suddenly turned around, facing all the soldiers, and said loudly: "I have found evidence that Feng Laosan is a thief of the Dark Night Cult."

His voice was loud and powerful, echoing on the city wall. This sentence was like a huge rock thrown into a calm lake, stirring up thousands of waves.

When the soldiers on the city wall heard this, they immediately became alert and waited with bated breath for the next words.

After all, this incident aroused the anger of so many people and almost caused an internal conflict among the originally united defenders.

One of the biggest reasons was that the Ice Wolf Riders mistook Feng Laosan for a thief from the Dark Night Cult and killed him without saying a word.

This brutal behavior is unacceptable to everyone.

Now there are results, and they are the conclusions drawn by their most respected Royal Highness the Prince, who personally conducted an investigation.

The soldiers of Xueyuan Pass on the city wall leaned forward unconsciously, for fear of missing any word.

At this moment, a sharp light suddenly flashed in Chu Shizhao's eyes.

He shook his wrist lightly, and a silver needle as thin as an ox hair slipped out from his sleeve, shining coldly in the sunlight.

Chu Shizhao's movements were as fast as lightning, making it almost impossible to see the trajectory of his movements.

The silver needle cut through the air, making a slight sound. The tip of the needle pointed directly at an ordinary Xueyuanguan soldier beside him.

Before the soldier could even react, the silver needle was already in front of him.

It wasn't just Chu Shizhao. Almost at the same moment, Huo Qinghuang and Zhao Wenguang also moved, and the three of them attacked at the same time as if they had telepathy.

Huo Qinghuang's spear was like a dragon emerging from a cave, and the tip of the spear drew a silver arc of light. Her movements were smooth and there was no hesitation at all.

The target was the person closest to her, a bearded old soldier standing there blankly.

Zhao Wenguang also suddenly drew his sword, and the tip of the sword drew a cold light in the air. Although his movements were not as sharp as Huo Qinghuang's, they were also clean and neat, and he swung his sword to slash at the guards around him.

Such an unexpected change made the air on the city wall seem to freeze. Everyone stared with wide eyes, unable to believe what was happening before their eyes. They were discussing Feng Laosan's matter one second ago, and suddenly they were fighting with weapons the next second?

What exactly is going on.

After all, no one expected that Chu Shizhao and the other two would suddenly attack at this critical moment.

The three of them suddenly attacked and hurt someone just because they had a disagreement. This was totally out of character and not like their usual style.

Li Batian was the first to react. His pupils suddenly contracted and he hurriedly stopped him: "Your Highness, don't!"

Li Batian's words had just fallen when the attacks of Chu Shizhao and the other two stopped at the same time.

Chu Shizhao's silver needle hit the target's breastplate, making a crisp tinkling sound.

The expressions of the people who were attacked changed from fear to confusion.

They all looked like they were grabbing weapons or brandishing their swords in defense.

The next moment, the legs of two of them went limp and they collapsed to the ground. Their armor collided with the ground, making a dull sound.

Only Zhao Wenguang's guards instinctively drew their swords to block at the critical moment.

The swords collided, and a string of sparks flew.

Even so, the guard's face was pale and the hand holding the knife was still shaking slightly.

Just now, if he had moved a little slower, he would have died on the spot.

The scene was so bizarre that everyone froze in place, and the air was filled with a suffocating tension.

Everyone's mind went blank, and they were completely unable to comprehend what was happening before their eyes. The sudden change was beyond their comprehension.

Why did Chu Shizhao and the other two suddenly take action?
Why stop at the last minute?
Why do they suddenly attack people around them?

These questions are on everyone's mind.

The most important thing is that the three people who were attacked looked like ordinary soldiers, nothing special about them.

With the strength of Chu Shizhao and his gang, if they really wanted to kill someone, the guys being attacked would have no chance of survival.

Could it be that……

Are those people also the Dark Night Cult thieves hiding in Xueyuan Pass?

This speculation gradually spread among the crowd.

The atmosphere on the city wall was broken, and the soldiers began to whisper and discuss.

A buzz of discussion sounded from the walls of Xueyuan Pass. Although the sound was not loud, it was exceptionally clear.

"What happened just now? I'm a little confused." A young soldier scratched his head, looking confused.

"I don't understand either. Your Highness, do they want to kill these people or not?" another soldier echoed.

"Nonsense, you all know how powerful His Highness and General Huo are. If they wanted to kill someone, they wouldn't be alive today." This statement made the people around nod thoughtfully.

"Could it be that these people are related to the Dark Night Cult and so they want to capture them alive?" Someone raised this possibility.

"It's absolutely impossible. There's a person in there who is from the same village as me. We grew up together. I can swear to God that he can't be a member of the Dark Night Cult." Someone assured confidently.

Just as everyone was looking at each other in confusion, Chu Shizhao's voice suddenly echoed on the city wall.

His voice was steady and powerful, instantly suppressing all whispers.

"Soldiers, I know you are confused now. But don't worry, I will tell you everything."

The soldiers at Xueyuan Pass held their breath, waiting for the explanation from His Royal Highness the Prince.

Chu Shizhao walked slowly to the corpse, pointed at Feng Laosan's body, and explained to everyone: "Have you noticed..." He paused deliberately to give everyone time to observe.

"The way Feng Laosan fell down is not right?"

They were all veterans who had fought in the battlefield and killed people. Many people had actually noticed the way Feng Laosan died. It was just that the situation was so chaotic that no one cared much about the posture of a dead person.

Now that Chu Shizhao had reminded them of this, many people's eyes became focused and they began to examine the corpse carefully.

Some experienced veterans actually saw the clues. Their brows gradually furrowed, and doubts flashed in their eyes.

"Huh? Something seems to be wrong?"

"From this perspective, this Feng Laosan is indeed a bit weird." Another soldier echoed, his fingers unconsciously stroking his chin.

Of course, there were many more people who looked confused and looked left and right but didn’t find anything unusual.

They were whispering to each other and talking in low voices.

"What's wrong? I didn't see it." A young soldier scratched his head, looking confused.

"It seems a little weird, but that doesn't mean anything, right?" His companion was also confused.

Faced with these straightforward soldiers, Chu Shizhao did not keep them in suspense.

He pointed out the problem directly. He turned and pointed at the three people they had just attacked, and raised his voice a few degrees.

"Most people would do this if they were attacked by surprise..." Chu Shizhao said as he demonstrated the corresponding actions.

"The first reaction is either to dodge or to use weapons to resist."

Speak clearly and concisely so that everyone can understand it immediately.

Those who were ambushed by Chu Shizhao and his men are still at the scene.

Zhao Wenguang's guards drew their swords to resist. This reaction was normal and was the instinct of every trained soldier.

Huo Qinghuang's opponents showed another common reaction.

Although he was quite frightened, he reacted quickly enough to dodge immediately, and subconsciously reached out to grab the spear next to him.

This is an instinctive reaction honed on the battlefield and is almost engraved in the bones.

Chu Shizhao's opponent also reacted completely differently. He looked confused, and his movements were too slow to be a soldier's.

He had no idea what was happening before he was hit by the silver needle.

Then he fell to the ground to avoid the attack, and the falling action looked very clumsy.

This was because everything happened so fast that he didn't have time to do anything and didn't realize what had happened until he was hit.

Chu Shizhao turned to Feng Laosan's body again, and his voice became serious: "But look at his movements again, aren't they quite strange?"

As he said this, he made the same move as Feng Laosan and reached out to touch his lower back.

(End of this chapter)