Nine dragons fight for the throne, I don't want to sit on this throne

The night in March was bitterly cold.

The drizzle was as fine as needles, dripping down and wetting the muddy official road outside Kyoto.

A black-painted carriage slowly drove out of the city gate, its wheels rolling over the wet stone slabs, making a dull rolling sound.

Around the carriage, dozens of imperial cavalrymen, wearing armor and holding sharp weapons, silently escorted the former emperor - Chu Huai.

Inside the carriage, Chu Huai sat with his eyes closed, tapping his knees lightly with his old fingers, his expression calm, as if he had already anticipated his own ending.

His hair was slightly loose, with a few strands of gray hair hanging down in front of his forehead, making him look even more aged.

"Grand Emperor, His Majesty has ordered us to leave the capital as soon as possible. Please sit tight." A guard spoke in a low voice, but didn't know what to say.

Chu Huai slowly opened his eyes, a hint of coldness flashing in his eyes: "Humph, do you still need to ask for my opinion on what you want to do?"

The imperial guards fell silent and dared not say anything more.

The carriage continued to move forward, its wheels rolling through the mud, splashing muddy water.

The night wind howled, stirring the branches and leaves in the forest, making a rustling sound that sounded like countless tiny ghost whispers.

The convoy traveled deep into a dense forest. Surrounded by shadows of trees, darkness surged in like a tide, and only sporadic torches illuminated the way ahead.

suddenly!

"Whoosh!"

A sharp arrow came through the air and instantly pierced the throat of an imperial guard!

"Enemy attack! Protect the emperor!" The captain of the imperial guards shouted loudly and drew his sword.

In an instant, arrows rained down from the forest. The dense arrows tore through the rain curtain and pierced into the armor of the imperial guards.

Screams rang out one after another, and blood splattered on the muddy ground, mixing with the rain to form a dark red color.

"Form a formation! Shield defense!" The imperial guards quickly contracted their formation and surrounded Chu Huai's carriage.

However, just as the rain of arrows stopped, dozens of assassins in black rushed out of the forest, holding long knives, and pounced on them like ghosts!

"kill!"

The knife flashed and blood splattered.

Although the imperial guards were elite, they were outnumbered and were quickly divided and surrounded by the men in black, falling one after another.

Chu Huai sat in the carriage, listening to the fighting outside, but his expression was unusually calm.

He slowly pulled out a dagger hidden in his sleeve, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force.

"Finally...it's here."

"boom!"

The carriage door was kicked open, and a guard covered in blood stumbled in. "Emperor! Move! They're coming!"

Before he could finish his words, a long knife stabbed into him from behind, and the tip of the knife pierced through his chest!

The imperial guard's eyes widened, blood oozing from his mouth, and he slowly fell down.

Chu Huai raised his eyes and looked outside the car.

In the rain, the men in black had killed all the imperial guards and were now approaching the carriage step by step.

The leader wore a black mask, revealing only a pair of cold eyes.

"Chu Ning sent you here?" Chu Huai sneered, slowly stood up and stepped out of the carriage.

The rain soaked his robe, and the cold touch made him frown slightly, but his back remained straight, as if he was still the emperor who looked down upon the world.

The leader of the men in black sneered and said, "Go to hell and ask the King of Hell!"

"kill!"

At the command, dozens of killers pounced at the same time!

A cold light flashed in Chu Huai's eyes, and he suddenly drew the sword from his waist. The sword tip drew a cold arc in the rain!

"Even if I die here tonight—" he shouted sternly, "You will pay the price!"

"clang!"

Swords collided and sparks flew!

Although Chu Huai is old, his swordsmanship is still sharp. He cuts off a killer's blade with one sword and pierces his throat with the backhand!

Blood splattered on his face, but he didn't even blink, and drew his sword to fight again!

"Surround and kill him!" the leader of the men in black shouted.

Several killers attacked from different directions, and the sword lights intertwined into a net, blocking Chu Huai's retreat.

"Humph!"

Chu Huai sneered, spun around suddenly, and swept his sword across, forcing several people to retreat.

However, he was outnumbered in the end, and a long knife slashed across his shoulder, and blood instantly soaked through his sleeves!

"puff!"

Another flash of knife light passed by, and Chu Huai was stabbed in the ribs. The severe pain made him groan, but he did not retreat but advanced instead, piercing the attacker's heart with a sword!

"Come again!" He roared, his voice like thunder, shocking the killers so much that they dared not move forward for a moment.

The rain washed away the blood, and the ground had already been dyed red.

Chu Huai was covered in blood and his breathing was heavy, but his eyes were still as sharp as a knife.

The leader of the men in black narrowed his eyes and finally took action himself!

His body was as fast as lightning, and he chopped at Chu Huai's head with a knife!

Chu Huai blocked with his sword, but was knocked back several steps by the knife, with a trace of blood flowing from the corner of his mouth.

"Chu Ning... is really cruel!" He sneered with gritted teeth.

The leader of the men in black did not answer, and the momentum of his sword changed again, attacking like a violent storm!

Chu Huai fought hard, but his injuries were too severe and his movements gradually became slower.

"Pfft!"

A long knife pierced his chest!

Chu Huai's body froze, and he looked down at the tip of the knife that pierced his chest, blood dripping down the blade.

"Heh..." He suddenly laughed, his laugh was desolate and sarcastic.

"Tell Chu Ning..."

He slowly raised his head, his eyes still filled with the majesty of an emperor: "This country...he can't sit still!"

Before he finished speaking, he suddenly rushed forward, allowing the long knife to pierce through him completely, and at the same time, the sharp sword in his hand fiercely stabbed into the throat of the leader of the men in black!

“Ugh——!” The leader of the men in black widened his eyes, covered his neck in disbelief, and staggered back.

The leader of the men in black never dreamed that Chu Huai, the usually weak emperor, would burst out with such powerful fighting power before his death.

Caught off guard, he was killed at the last moment!

The body fell to the ground amidst the splattering of blood. The last thing I saw was that equally pale face.

The last thought in my mind was: Mission accomplished!

Chu Huai slowly knelt down, blood gushing out of his mouth, but he still stared at the other person until the last moment of his life.

"thump!"

The former emperor fell heavily in a pool of blood.

The blood was washed away by the rain and seeped into the soil, as if it had never existed.

"I never thought that this would be my end!"

The last thought flashed through my mind, and I recalled the experiences of this life. In the end, my vision blurred and became a passing cloud.

The men in black were silent for a moment, then quickly cleaned up the battlefield, dragged away the bodies, and wiped away all traces.

Soon, the only sounds in the forest were the sound of rain and the lonely carriage.

At the same time, in Kyoto.

Chu Ning stood in front of the window of Lanxin Palace, looking at the dark night, frowning slightly.

"Your Majesty, it's late, it's time to rest." Feng Mulan reminded in a low voice.

Chu Ning was silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "The Emperor...should have left the city already, right?"

Feng Mulan was stunned for a moment, then lowered her head and said, "Your Majesty, according to our itinerary, we should have reached the Qinglin Mountain area by now."

Chu Ning's eyes were deep as he slowly said, "Qinglin Mountain... is a good place."

He said no more and turned to walk towards the inner hall.

Outside the window, the sound of raindrops seems to be telling something.

And deep in the distant mountains and forests, an unknown corpse was lying quietly in the mud.

The retired emperor Chu Huai passed away.