After her mind was read, the spoiled brat became the darling of the whole group.

Someone is coming!

Xie Xing's expression changed slightly. She subconsciously tried to put out the fire in the cave, but Jun Lanjin stopped her.

He slightly raised his hand and said coldly, "Not an enemy."

If it were an assassin, their footsteps wouldn't be so disordered and heavy.

Judging from the varying depth of the voices, one must be injured and being carried by the other. Within this hunting area, the person must be either being chased by assassins or being an assassin themselves.

That's most likely one of our own.

However, this does not mean that Jun Lanjin is not vigilant.

He instructed Xie Xing to drag Xie Yuze a little further inside, casually grabbed a few pebbles from the ground, and gazed at the cave entrance with a cold and deep look.

"Your Majesty, there is a cave here. Let's hide here for a while." A familiar voice came from the cave.

Xie Xi's eyes lit up when he heard the voice.

It's my second brother!

When Xie Tongchen entered the cave, he was somewhat wary, standing protectively in front of the emperor, ready to deal with any wild beasts that might jump out from inside. But when he heard that familiar voice, his sword paused.

Xie Xing?

Walking a little further into the cave, they indeed saw several people inside who looked very disheveled.

Xie Tongchen's sharp gaze swept inside, but he froze when his eyes fell on Jun Lanjin and Xie Yuze, who was lying on the ground, seemingly lifeless.

"Second Brother!" A joyful voice came from inside.

Immediately afterwards, Xie Tongchen saw a little girl, covered in dirt, come close to him.

Xie Tongchen instinctively became alert and was about to use his sword to stop the person in front of him. Only when the little girl got closer did Xie Tongchen recognize Xie Xing.

His adopted sister.

Xie Tongchen sheathed his sword, frowned, and looked Xie Xing up and down: "How did you get yourself into this state?"

Xie Xing did not expect to run into Xie Tongchen and the others here.

She glanced behind Xie Tongchen and, sure enough, saw the emperor and Luo Hanfeng, whose clothes were somewhat disheveled.

When Xie Xing's gaze met Luo Hanfeng's, his eyes darted away for a moment before he completely avoided Luo Hanfeng's gaze.

What terrible luck! How did I end up running into him here?

"There are so many of you here, and the emperor is right here too. He can't possibly kill me in front of all this people, can he?"

Xie Xing's thoughts reached the ears of Jun Lanjin and Xie Tongchen.

Their eyes darkened slightly.

Who is he talking about?

Who wants to kill her?

Luo Hanfeng sneered inwardly.

Coward, now you know fear?

Where did the courage to provoke him go?

There is ample time.

Luo Hanfeng's lips curled up slightly as his gaze fell on Xie Xing. His eyes held a deep, almost imperceptible danger and interest, as if he were looking at prey about to be captured.

Jun Lanjin noticed Luo Hanfeng's gaze.

He leaned against the rock wall, his beautiful peach blossom eyes narrowed, his mind filled with countless thoughts.

Xie Xing quickly explained the whole story.

Upon hearing this, the emperor's face turned extremely ugly, and he was furious: "Those damned remnants of the previous dynasty!"

"I will definitely eradicate them completely!"

The emperor was angry and laid down millions of corpses.

The Emperor's power was terrifying. Xie Xing immediately shrank his head and quietly became a background figure, but he was not at peace with himself.

[The storyline probably doesn't include the scene where the second brother protects the emperor during this hunt, right?]

Xie Xing asked the system.

The system said: [No, that's why the plot has fallen apart.]

[Since the second brother protected the emperor, and the emperor later discovered that Xie Mingzhu was a remnant of the previous dynasty, would he still confiscate the Xie family's property?]

[Definitely.] The system's analysis was quite calm: [This assassination attempt nearly endangered the emperor's life. The emperor will surely be furious, suspecting an inside traitor, and will send people to thoroughly investigate.]

[If it were discovered that Xie Mingzhu was a princess of the previous dynasty, and that she was in the Zhenguo General's Mansion, which happened to hold considerable power, what would the emperor think?]

The system's words were like a wake-up call for Xie Tongchen.

The assassination attempt has already occurred. Whether Mingzhu's background is true or false is no longer important. What matters is that she can be anyone, but she cannot be a princess of the previous dynasty!

"Cough cough."

In the silence, Jun Lanjin coughed softly, clutching his chest.

Only then did the emperor notice Jun Lanjin.

His expression changed slightly, and he immediately went to Jun Lanjin's side. "Zhiheng?"

Zhiheng is Junlan Jin's courtesy name.

"What's wrong with you?"

Compared to others, the emperor's concern for Jun Lanjin was genuine.

Jun Lanjin was deeply favored by the emperor not only because of his talent, but also because the emperor genuinely loved him.

He even gave a large portion of his power to Jun Lanjin, a treatment that even the Crown Prince did not receive.

The ministers in the court didn't understand him at first and often impeached Jun Lanjin, but after Jun Lanjin fully matured to his current level, he became the Prince Jin whom no one dared to provoke.

Xie Tongchen took Jun Lanjin's pulse, his expression gradually becoming serious: "Your Majesty suffers from the Frost Palm."

"If you are struck by the Frost Palm and cannot recover within three days, you will surely die."

"What?!" The emperor's expression changed drastically.

Jun Lanjin's lips were pale as he said in a low voice, "Your Majesty need not worry, the Blood Fiend Guard will come looking for us."

He left his mark on his journey and carried special spices; the Blood Fiend Guards would find him within a day.

Before this, Jun Lanjin glanced at the seemingly innocent and harmless young man standing beside the emperor, chuckled, and said, "Among the assassins this time, there are not only remnants of the previous dynasty, but also assassins from the Underworld."

Xie Tongchen did not encounter any assassins from the Underworld along the way.

Upon hearing this, his expression darkened: "The Frost Palm is indeed a unique killing move of the assassins from the Underworld Palace. Could it be that those remnants of the previous dynasty also hired assassins from the martial arts world?"

"If the target is His Majesty, then surely you would have attacked His Majesty first?" Jun Lanjin was so badly injured, yet he could still smile. He smiled slightly and said slowly, "I'm afraid there are people in the court colluding with assassins from the martial arts world."

"As for whether the target is a prince, the crown prince, or a powerful minister in the court, who knows?"

A cryptic remark sent a chill through Luo Hanfeng's eyes.

He lowered his eyes, his long eyelashes concealing the thoughts in them.

Jun Lanjin…

Indeed, he was his biggest obstacle.

Xie Tongchen's heart skipped a beat.

If Xie Yuze and Xie Xing are in such a sorry state, what must their father, elder brother, and Mingzhu be like...?

Xie Tongchen frowned, somewhat worried.

"Second Brother." Just then, a soft, weak voice rang out.

Xie Tongchen was already irritated, and upon hearing this, he looked over impatiently: "What is it?"

He has never had much patience for Xie Xing.

Xie Xing pointed at his foot and whispered, "You stepped on Third Brother's hand."

Only after she mentioned it did Xie Tongchen notice Xie Yuze on the ground.

Xie Yuze lay on the ground with his eyes closed, his clothes tattered, his hair disheveled, and blood on his lips. To make matters worse, Xie Tongchen had stepped on his hand, causing him pain but leaving him unable to make a sound to warn him.

Even in his deep sleep, Xie Yuze's brows were tightly furrowed.

Xie Tongchen: "..."

He silently removed his foot from Xie Yuze's hand and warned Xie Xing again, "You don't need to tell him about this."