On the wedding day, my wife was abnormal

Ziquan Palace is located halfway up the mountain, nestled against the mountain and beside the water. It is brightly lit in the night, like a pearl inlaid on black jade.

The Observatory at the highest point of the palace is as bright as day tonight.

Dozens of huge palace lanterns were placed around the three-story terrace of the Observatory, illuminating the center in every detail.

The bright yellow kesi phoenix robe with a pattern of nine dragons and four phoenixes, together with the two-meter-long brocade train embroidered with a vast landscape of rivers and mountains, were carefully supported by a special sandalwood hanger and solemnly hung in the center of the terrace.

As the night wind blew, the golden threads and sparkling gems on the trail swayed slightly, and the scroll of mountains and rivers exuded a dazzling and almost sacred luster under the light, as if the miniature land of China was suspended in the night sky, overlooking all living beings.

This is an extremely ostentatious and provocative bait.

Murong Yan's order has been passed down: no one is allowed to approach the Stargazing Pavilion within a hundred steps, and all guards and sentries are deployed on the periphery, creating the illusion that the interior is empty and only tempted by gorgeous clothes.

In the bedroom of the palace, Murong Yan had changed into a nightgown. Although it was made of pure black fabric, the material was still exquisite and the cut was well-fitting, which made her figure look tall and straight.

Her black hair was tied tightly, and she wore no ornaments except for an ebony hairpin slanting diagonally in her hair. She was adjusting the cuffs of her sleeves in front of the mirror, her eyes as calm as a cold pond, without a trace of ripples.

Lin Zhen, also dressed in black, was buckling a soft sword at his waist. He walked behind Murong Yan and looked at her sharp features in the mirror. "Everything is arranged. The outer defenses may appear lax, but they are actually equipped with hidden crossbowmen and tripwires. Inside the Stargazing Pavilion, I've also stationed four top-notch secret guards in the shadows of the beams and pillars."

Murong Yan nodded slightly, picked up a finely crafted, cool-to-the-touch silver-white mask on the table, and covered her face with it, revealing only a pair of deep, sharp eyes.

"If they come, they must be top-notch fighters, difficult for ordinary guards to detect." Her voice, through the mask, carried a hint of cold metal. "I want to see with my own eyes who is this sacred person who is so obsessed with this country."

"I'll go with you." Lin Zhen's tone left no room for doubt.

Murong Yan turned to look at him, her eyes flickering beneath her mask. "Of course, my husband must go with me. Tonight, I am both the 'bait' and the 'hunter.'" She paused. "That phoenix robe is heavy, hanging high up, so it won't hinder my movements. If they wish to destroy it, they'll surely come close, and that will be their opportunity."

As midnight approaches, everything is silent, only the mountain breeze blowing through the pine forest brings waves of sobbing echoes.

On the terrace of the Observatory, the dangling phoenix robe stood quietly, dazzling and brilliant, as if silently waiting for something.

The bedroom window opened silently, and two ghostly black figures quietly swooped out, like nighthawks spreading their wings. After a few takeoffs and landings, they silently merged into the shadows of the bottom floor of the Observatory. Then they climbed up silently along the columns outside the pavilion, and finally hid behind the eaves in a blind spot under the terrace on the third floor.

From this angle, they could clearly see the hanging tail of the phoenix robe and any uninvited guests who might approach the terrace from any direction.

Time slipped by little by little. The mountain wind seemed to pick up speed, swaying the palace lanterns, causing the light and shadows to flicker, and the image of the mountains and rivers on the phoenix robe to flicker.

Lin Zhen held his breath, concentrating his mind, his inner energy flowing as he sensed every subtle movement around him. Murong Yan, like a stone sculpture, blended into the darkness, only her eyes, piercing through her mask, sharply scanning every possible direction.

suddenly!

Murong Yan's gaze suddenly locked onto the night sky in the northwest direction!

There was almost no sound, only the extremely subtle sound of clothes breaking through the air, which almost blended with the sound of the wind!

Several dark shadows, like bats flying at night, took advantage of the cover of the mountains and trees, and with an astonishing speed and superb lightness skills, quietly avoided all the light and dark sentries on the periphery and headed straight for the Observatory!

coming!

Lin Zhen's hand pressed on the hilt of the sword.

Murong Yan raised her hand slightly, signaling him to be patient.

She wanted to wait, wait until they completely stepped onto the terrace, wait until they got close to the phoenix robe!

Those men in black were obviously also extremely cautious veterans.

They did not step onto the terrace immediately, but instead clung to the outer wall of the Observatory like geckos, observing carefully for a while. After confirming that there was no one on the terrace except the hanging phoenix robe and there was no sign of an ambush around, they gestured to each other.

The leader was the first to climb onto the terrace and landed silently.

The rest of the people also jumped up one after another, fanning out, their movements as light as cats, their eyes scanning the surroundings vigilantly, and finally they all landed on the gorgeous and dazzling phoenix robe tail that was so close at hand.

Greed, excitement and a hint of ruthlessness flashed in his eyes.

One of them took out a flat copper box from his bosom, and the other pulled out a dagger with a green blade that was obviously poisonous. They walked straight towards the tail of the phoenix robe, with obvious intentions - either use the contents of the copper box to contaminate and destroy it, or directly use the poisonous blade to cut through the embroidered scroll!

It's now!

Just before the man in black holding the dagger stretched out his hand and was about to touch the tail -

"laugh!"

A subtle but sharp sound of breaking through the air was heard!

An ebony hairpin, wrapped in extremely condensed internal energy, shot out from behind the eaves where Murong Yan was hiding. It did not shoot at the man's vitals, but hit the wrist holding the dagger with incredible precision!

"Ugh!" The man in black groaned, his wrist hurt so much that the dagger fell out of his hand with a clang!

Almost at the same moment!

Murong Yan and Lin Zhen's figures were like two black lightning bolts, shooting out from their hiding place and heading straight for the terrace!

Murong Yan moved like smoke, heading straight for the leader of the black-clad men holding the copper box! While in mid-air, she released her palm power, sending a gentle yet fierce gust of wind towards the opponent's face!

Lin Zhen's sword light was like a waterfall. With a move called "Long River Sunset", the sword circle rippled and instantly enveloped the other two men in black who wanted to rush up to support him, forcing them to retreat again and again and unable to surround him!

The leader of the men in black was obviously also a master. He remained calm in the face of danger, threw away the copper box, and drew out a pair of strange weapons "Mother and Child Mandarin Duck Halberds" with his backhand. He crossed them and barely blocked Murong Yan's sudden palm!

"Oh!"

The collision of qi and force made a muffled sound!

The leader of the men in black felt an extremely cold and pure internal force coming through the axe, shocking his blood and making him retreat three steps in a row, with horror in his eyes: "Such a strong force, you are..."

Before he could finish his words, Murong Yan's second palm strike arrived. The shadow of her palm was elusive and unpredictable, directly targeting the major acupoints on his body! Although she didn't use any weapons, her pair of bare hands, infused with internal energy, were no less powerful than divine weapons!

On the other side, Lin Zhen's swordsmanship was unleashed like a gust of wind and rain, forcing the two men in black into danger. If it weren't for their strange movements and tacit cooperation, they would have been injured by the sword long ago.

When the remaining man in black saw his leader being entangled and his companions being suppressed, a fierce light flashed in his eyes. He desperately pounced on the tail of the phoenix robe again, pulling out a dagger from his boot, intending to destroy it forcibly!

Although Murong Yan was fighting fiercely with the leader, she was keeping an eye on all directions and would not let him succeed!

She forced the leader back with her left palm, and slashed the air with the fingertips of her right hand—

An invisible sword energy (actually it was still a highly condensed finger wind) broke through the air, and with a swish, it accurately cut across the calf of the man in black!

The man in black screamed miserably as his calf tendon had been severed by the invisible air sword. He fell to his knees and his dagger flew out.

During this moment of fighting, the four secret guards hiding behind the beams suddenly rushed out and joined the battle. Together with Lin Zhen, they completely separated and surrounded the remaining men in black.

On the terrace, there was a melee!

The flash of swords and the shadow of sabers, palm winds and energy crisscrossed!

The tail of the bright yellow phoenix robe was still hanging in the same place, swaying slightly in the fierce fighting air. The scroll of mountains and rivers on it looked even more strange and magnificent under the light of lights and swords.

Murong Yan and the leader of the men in black had been fighting for more than ten moves.

The opponent's martial arts style was extremely strange and brutal, and his internal strength was also strong, but in front of Murong Yan's exquisite Xuanbing Palm technique and deep internal strength, he gradually fell into a disadvantage.

Murong Yan spotted a flaw, knocked away his Mandarin Duck Axe with one palm, and hit his chest with the other palm!

The leader had no way to avoid it. He bit his tongue hard, spitting out a blood mist. He twisted his body strangely, avoiding the vital part, and shouted hoarsely: "Retreat!"

Before he finished speaking, the remaining men in black also used similar self-harm methods, bursting out with potential, forcibly breaking away from their opponents, and desperately retreating towards the edge of the terrace, intending to jump into the darkness below the mountain and escape!

"Want to leave?" Murong Yan snorted coldly, and caught up with the leader like a ghost, her five fingers like hooks, grabbing the vital points on his back!

The leader felt the sharp wind from behind him, and his soul was frightened, so he rushed forward desperately!

"Thorn--!"

Murong Yan's fingers failed to completely grasp his acupuncture points, but she tore off a large piece of clothes from his back, along with a hard object tied to his back!

The leader screamed, but used the force of the forward rush to jump off the Observatory without hesitation and disappeared into the night.

The other men in black also jumped down. The secret guards wanted to chase them, but Lin Zhen raised his hand to stop them - the situation at the foot of the mountain was unclear, so it was not advisable to chase after a desperate enemy.

The battle started suddenly and ended suddenly.

Only Murong Yan, Lin Zhen, four secret guards, a mess on the ground and the still intact tail of the phoenix robe were left on the terrace.

Murong Yan spread out her palms and looked at the thing that was torn off from the other person's back - it was not a hidden weapon, but a black iron token half the size of a palm. There was a ferocious ghost head pattern engraved on the token, and below the ghost head was a vigorous "shadow" character.

"Shadow Pavilion..." Lin Zhen walked over and looked at the token, frowning, "Are they really them?"

Murong Yan stroked the cold token with her fingertips, and her eyes under the mask were deep and unfathomable.

"No," she shook her head slowly, gripping the token tightly. "This token is too new, it looks like it was just carved not long ago."

She raised her head and looked towards the dark forest where the man in black had disappeared. Her voice was as cold as ice:

"Someone wants to completely disrupt this country."