After returning to the capital to farm, the abandoned concubine made a comeback.

A messenger from the palace conveyed the emperor's decree, ordering Zhu Ling and Lin Qin to immediately depart for the capital.

Once the imperial edict is issued, the emperor's command is inviolable.

Lin Qin and Zhu Ling packed their belongings quickly and, together with General Wu, led a small number of elite troops on their journey back to the capital.

Within half a day of leaving the disaster area, the surrounding scenery gradually transformed from desolate and bleak to dense jungle.

The towering trees blocked out the sun, allowing sunlight to filter through the gaps in the branches and leaves, creating dappled spots of light on the ground.

The air was filled with the damp scent of earth, mixed with the fragrance of unknown wildflowers, which made one feel a little uneasy.

"Uu——"

A sharp whistle shattered the tranquility of the forest, breaking the eerie harmony.

In the blink of an eye, countless men in black sprang out of the dense forest like ghosts, their gleaming swords reflecting a chilling light in the dim light.

"Protect the Prince and Princess!" General Wu roared, drawing his sword and leading the charge against the assassin.

The guards quickly formed a defensive formation, protecting Lin Qin and Zhu Ling in the center.

"Hmph, a mere trick." Zhu Ling snorted coldly, drawing his long sword from his waist. The sword's light was as white as snow, and its chilling aura was overwhelming.

He was agile and wielded a sharp sword, each swing taking several lives.

Lin Qin was not to be outdone. She pulled out a dagger for self-defense and, together with Zhu Ling, broke through the encirclement from both sides.

The assassins were well-trained and launched fierce attacks, wave after wave, like a tidal wave.

The guards were outnumbered and gradually began to struggle.

Lin Qin and Zhu Ling stood back to back, fighting back with all their might, only to find that the assassins' goal did not seem to be to take their lives, but rather to keep pushing them deeper into the dense forest.

"Your Highness, something's wrong!" Lin Qin said in a low voice while fending off the assassins' attacks. "Where are they trying to force us into?"

Zhu Ling's eyes sharpened, and he also sensed that something was wrong.

These assassins were highly skilled in martial arts, yet they hesitated to deliver the fatal blow, seemingly harboring ulterior motives...

"Your Highness, be careful!" Zhu Ling suddenly shouted, shoving Lin Qin away.

An arrow pierced the air, grazing Lin Qin's sleeve before embedding itself in the tree trunk behind her.

"Your Highness..." Lin Qin was still in shock when she saw the bloody gash on Zhu Ling's arm and felt a pang of pain in her heart.

Zhu Ling's face was pale, but she endured the pain and said in a deep voice, "It seems we've fallen into their trap..."

"Heh, Your Highness has a keen eye." A cold voice came from the depths of the dense forest, tinged with mockery. "It's just a pity that you've only discovered it now; it's too late..."

Lin Qin's eyes darted around, a glint of inspiration flashing in them.

She quickly surveyed the surrounding terrain and discovered that the dense forest was an ideal place to set up an ambush.

She whispered to Zhu Ling, "Your Highness, I feel that these people are leading us astray. We must do the opposite."

Zhu Ling's eyes lit up, and he nodded, saying, "Okay, as you say. But we can't go back directly; we must stall them first, and then look for an opportunity."

"I have a plan." Lin Qin quickly took out a few small pills from her bag and distributed them to the guards. "These are smoke bombs. Use them all when I give the order."

Upon hearing this, the guards nodded in agreement and gripped their weapons tightly.

Lin Qin looked around, already having made up her mind.

She shouted, "General Wu, take half the men and continue forward to draw their attention. The other half, come with me, we'll set up an ambush."

General Wu hesitated for a moment, but seeing the determination in Lin Qin's eyes, he nodded: "Yes, Your Highness." He turned to the soldiers around him and said: "On my command, disperse and proceed!"

Zhu Ling

Lin Qin smiled faintly, gripped the dagger tightly, and said with a firm look in her eyes, "As long as I can protect you, everything is worth it."

As General Wu led half of his men forward, the assassins were indeed drawn in and gave chase.

Lin Qin then led the other half of the group to search for a suitable ambush location deep in the dense forest.

She selected a densely wooded area and quickly set up a trap.

With camouflaged bushes and hidden tripwires in place, Lin Qin and Zhu Ling hid behind a tree, waiting for their chance.

As expected, the assassins filed in, only to fall into the trap one by one.

Tripwires tripped them, and thorns hidden in the camouflaged bushes pierced their bodies.

Seeing this, Lin Qin and Zhu Ling suddenly leaped out from behind the tree and quickly launched an attack.

"Your Highness, over here!" Lin Qin shouted, her dagger flashing like lightning, and an assassin fell to the ground.

Zhu Ling's sword flashed, each strike precise and accurate, swiftly eliminating one assassin after another.

Seeing this, the guards were greatly encouraged and rushed forward to help.

Screams echoed from the dense forest as the assassins suffered heavy casualties and scattered in all directions.

"Hmph, they really overestimate themselves." Lin Qin snorted coldly, put away her dagger, looked at the corpses around her, and felt confident.

Zhu Ling walked over, gently patted her shoulder, and smiled, "You're really amazing."

Lin Qin revealed a smug smile and turned to General Wu, saying, "General Wu, quickly lead your men to wipe out the remaining enemies. We can't linger here for too long."

General Wu saluted and quickly directed the soldiers to take action.

Lin Qin and Zhu Ling stood side by side, exchanged a smile, and felt a deep sense of warmth and understanding.

Suddenly, a low, cold laugh echoed from the depths of the dense forest: "Do you really think you can escape danger like this?"

Zhu Ling and Lin Qin's expressions changed. They exchanged a glance and quickly became wary.

Lin Qin gripped the dagger tightly, while Zhu Ling held her longsword firmly. The two stood back to back, their eyes resolute, ready to face a new round of challenges.

Lin Qin and Zhu Ling looked in the direction of the sound and saw a man dressed in a black robe with a sinister face slowly walking out from the depths of the dense forest.

He held a curved knife in his hand, the blade gleaming with a chilling light.

This man was the leader of the assassination attempt. He glanced at the corpses lying on the ground, a hint of contempt in his eyes.

"Your skills are nothing special," the man in black robes sneered, his tone full of mockery. "Today, none of you will leave here alive."

As soon as he finished speaking, he brandished his scimitar and launched another attack on Lin Qin and Zhu Ling.

The wind howled fiercely, accompanied by a piercing whistling sound, sending a chill down one's spine.

Lin Qin and Zhu Ling dared not be careless and quickly dodged while launching a counterattack.

Just as the two sides were locked in fierce combat, General Wu rushed forward to protect Lin Qin and blocked a deadly blade.

Blood spurted out, staining his clothes red.

General Wu groaned and knelt down on one knee, his face instantly turning ashen.

"General Wu!" Lin Qin exclaimed and rushed to General Wu's side.

She reached out and checked General Wu's breath, finding it very weak. Her heart sank, and a surge of immense sorrow and anger welled up within her.

"Your Highness, don't worry about me, protecting the Prince is the priority..." General Wu said with difficulty, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes began to glaze over.

"No, I won't let anything happen to you," Lin Qin said, her voice choked with sobs, her eyes reddening. She took out hemostatic medicine from her medicine box and tremblingly bandaged General Wu's wound.

However, General Wu's injuries were too severe, and the medicine had little effect.

Seeing this, Zhu Ling was enraged and swung his longsword even more fiercely, each strike carrying a strong killing intent.

He vowed to make those assassins pay!

After her initial grief, Lin Qin quickly calmed down.

She quickly scanned her surroundings and discovered that the man in black robes was directing the remaining assassins. They worked together seamlessly, making it difficult to find a breakthrough for the time being.

Lin Qin's mind raced. She noticed a young assassin among the group of assassins whose eyes seemed somewhat wavering.

"Hey kid, are you really willing to risk your life for them?" Lin Qin suddenly shouted at the young assassin. Her voice wasn't loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears.

Upon hearing this, the young assassin trembled slightly, and his sword paused for a moment.

Upon seeing this, the man in black robes' expression changed, and he shouted sharply, "What are you doing? Kill him now!"

The young assassin raised his head, glanced at his companion beside him, and then at General Wu lying on the ground.

"You're just pawns being used. Their goal is to kill us, and then what will they do to you?" Lin Qin continued, her tone slightly seductive. "Is it really worth risking your lives for them?"

These words caused whispers among the assassins, and some of them began to waver.

"You...you're talking nonsense!" the young assassin said somewhat flusteredly, but his tone was clearly not as firm as before.

"Don't believe me? Then look at him. Are you really willing to risk your life for someone who wants to kill you?" Lin Qin pointed at General Wu, who was lying on the ground, his life hanging in the balance, and questioned him loudly.

The young assassin's face turned pale, and the sword in his hand began to tremble.

He glanced at the man in black robes, then at Lin Qin.

"I..." The young assassin lowered his head, his voice weak but filled with determination, "I didn't want to! I was deceived by him!"

He abruptly dropped his sword and turned to charge at the man in black robes.

"You traitor!" the man in black roared, raising his scimitar to slash at the young assassin.

Just then, another voice came from the depths of the dense forest. The voice carried a hint of disdain and a hint of understanding, "Heh, as expected, people's hearts are fickle. What a show."

Upon hearing the sound, everyone's hearts skipped a beat, and they all looked in the direction from which the sound came.

The man in black robes roared, his curved blade slashing straight at the young assassin with a stench that seemed to carry a foul stench.

At the critical moment, Zhu Ling reacted swiftly, deflecting the curved blade with his sword and saving the young assassin.

"Your Highness, is this man trustworthy?" Lin Qin stepped forward quickly, worried about General Wu, but she had to remain vigilant at this moment.

"Keep it for now." Zhu Ling gave Lin Qin a look, signaling her to calm down.

At this moment, the man in black robes, enraged, shouted to the remaining assassins, "What are you all standing there for? Attack! Kill them!"

However, the assassins were already demoralized, and Lin Qin's verbal attack only made them more unwilling to fight.

Taking advantage of the moment, Lin Qin pulled out a handful of pebbles and with a few quick swipes, the assassins fell to the ground, clutching their acupoints and groaning in pain, just like ducks that had just been given anesthesia, walking unsteadily.

"That's it?" Lin Qin put her hands on her hips, looking disdainful. "Seriously, sir? With combat skills like yours, you dare to come out as assassins? I suggest you go back to the training camp and start over."

Seeing this, the man in the black robe knew that the situation was hopeless and turned to slip away.

Zhu Ling would not give him a chance; his longsword followed him like a shadow, aiming straight for his vital points.

The man in black robes dodged repeatedly, but Lin Qin had already circled behind him and kicked him in the back of the knee.

The man in the black robe stumbled and knelt on one knee.

Zhu Ling turned his sword and pressed it against his throat.

"Speak, who sent you?" Zhu Ling's tone was icy, filled with murderous intent.

Seeing that things were going badly, the man in black had no choice but to confess honestly: "It was...it was Master Luo..."

"Master Luo?" Lin Qin was taken aback. "Which Master Luo?"

"It's...it's the one who's always by Lord Li's side..."

When the truth came out, everyone suddenly realized that the mastermind behind it all was this seemingly insignificant advisor.

Anger spread through everyone's hearts. That bastard, he always bowed and scraped, but who would have thought he was so treacherous behind the scenes!

"Let's go back and settle accounts with Master Luo!" Zhu Ling said coldly, his eyes flashing with icy light.

The group rushed back to the capital without stopping. Before they could even catch their breath, the palace sent another messenger with an imperial decree that the emperor wanted to see them.

Lin Qin felt uneasy, sensing that things weren't so simple.

Sure enough, when Lin Qin and Zhu Ling arrived at the palace, they were told that the emperor was discussing important matters with his ministers and asked them to come to the palace later.

Upon hearing this, Lin Qin's heart skipped a beat, and an ominous premonition welled up in her mind.

She and Zhu Ling waited in the side hall, the atmosphere so oppressive it was hard to breathe.

Just as Lin Qin was about to speak, Zhu Ling made a shushing gesture.

"Wait and see, I have a feeling that things are about to change in the capital..." Zhu Ling said in a deep voice, his eyes profound, as if he could see through everything.