46: Chapter 46 Calculations, A Game Within a Game

On the street, there was a deathly silence, with only the sound of the wind and the screams of the crowd in the distance remaining.

The body of the assassin in black stiffened completely.

He could feel the tangible, iron-blooded Evil Qi behind him—cold, heavy, and pressing down on him so hard he could barely breathe.

Captain Li Zhong.

The assassin was horrified, but his expression showed not a trace of panic.

Captain Li Zhong ignored the assassin's horror; his sharp eyes passed over the assassin's shoulder and landed on Chen Fan, who had collapsed in a pool of blood in the distance, a flicker of imperceptible surprise flashing through them.

"You actually managed to discover me."

His words were soft, as if he were talking to himself.

Chen Fan lay on the ground, his consciousness already beginning to blur, but upon hearing these words, only a cold sneer remained in his heart.

Discover?

It wasn't that I discovered you; it was that I had long ago deduced that the Xiushan Princes Mansion would definitely be watching this place.

The Xiushan Princes Mansion had just lost a royal secret text, and now an assassin was lurking within the mansion; even he, a Ninth-grade Martial Artist, had discovered it, so how could the Xiushan Princes Mansion, teeming with experts, not have discovered it?

Therefore, the moment the Princess left the mansion, it was likely that the Xiushan Princes Mansion had already sent people to follow in secret.

It was just that Chen Fan had not expected why the people from the Xiushan Princes Mansion had delayed appearing, insisting on dragging it out until now?

He had his suspicions, and after glancing at the panicked Princess Li Ronger in the distance, he felt pity for her in his heart.

Captain Li Zhong's attention quickly returned; he pressed his hand against the hilt of his sword, his Aura rising steadily, firmly locking onto the assassin before him.

"Hand over the 'taizus record of ascension', and I will leave your corpse intact."

The assassin in black recovered from his initial shock, and suddenly, he let out a low, eerie laugh.

"Hehe... Hehehe..."

"Captain Li Zhong, do you think you are the hunter?"

Before his voice had even faded, he clapped his hands sharply.

The crisp sound of clapping was exceptionally jarring on the chaotic street.

The next moment, a sudden change occurred!

On the rooftops on both sides of the street and in the depths of the alleyways, black figures appeared silently like ghosts.

They held weapons in their hands, their presence chilling; in the blink of an eye, they formed a counter-encirclement, surrounding Captain Li Zhong and Princess Li Ronger and the others, who had not yet fled far.

There were as many as a dozen of them!

And on one of the rooftops, a woman dressed in simple, elegant green robes, holding a pipa, was standing there quietly.

It was the White Lotus Sect Saintess, Su Xin!

She looked down at Captain Li Zhong in the center of the street, a trace of cat-and-mouse playfulness on her delicate face.

"Great Captain Li Zhong, we have been waiting for you for a long time."

Looking at this formation, Captain Li Zhong's eternally icy face finally showed a hint of emotion.

He understood.

This was a trap.

A chain of schemes aimed at him, and even at the entire Xiushan Princes Mansion!

The assassination of the Princess was a ruse; luring him, this big fish, onto the hook was the truth!

Chen Fan lay on the ground, watching Su Xin on the rooftop, feeling the increasingly numerous and powerful Killing Intent surrounding him, his heart turning cold.

He had originally thought it was just a simple assassination mission; he hadn't expected the Xiushan Princes Mansion to become part of someone else's trap within a trap, and the Princess to be the cannon fodder used to light the fuse.

"A good scheme." Captain Li Zhong slowly drew the long sword at his waist, the blade reflecting a chilling light in the sunlight. "Using the assassination of the Princess as bait, and then using a doomed guard as the fuse to lure me into the trap. Su Xin, you White Lotus Sect members, what a grand display!"

Su Xin chuckled softly, but the laughter carried not a shred of warmth.

"To deal with the running dogs of the Xiushan Princes Mansion, one must naturally use some methods."

Her gaze drifted lightly onto the dying guard in the distance, as if looking at a disposable tool.

"This guard can be considered dutiful, but unfortunately, he followed the wrong master."

Captain Li Zhong did not waste any more words.

He merely snorted coldly, and suddenly, he also raised his hand toward the sky and waved it violently!

"Do you think this is the end?"

"White Lotus Sect heretics, since you have come, none of you are leaving!"

At his command, from the end of the street, came the sound of neat and heavy footsteps!

"Thud! Thud! Thud!"

A team of the Xiushan Princes Mansion's personal guards, also armored and armed, holding powerful bows and crossbows, appeared like a black iron gate, instantly sealing off the exit of the street!

Arrows were nocked, bows were drawn to full moon, and countless arrowheads glinting with cold light were aimed at all the White Lotus Sect members on the rooftops and in the alleys.

Reinforcements!

The Xiushan Princes Mansion had actually been prepared all along!

The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind!

Su Xin's smile finally froze on her face.

She had not expected Captain Li Zhong to be so cautious, having hidden a troop in the shadows.

"Kill!"

Captain Li Zhong did not give her any time to react; with a furious shout, his entire body turned into a black afterimage, charging straight at Su Xin on the rooftop!

The great battle was on the verge of breaking out!

"Release arrows!"

"Kill them all!"

On the street, the shouts of killing instantly shook the heavens.

Blades flashed and swords shimmered, and fierce energy shot in all directions.

Arrows pierced the air, emitting sharp whistles.

Screams, the clashing of weapons, and angry roars intertwined into a symphony of death.

The entire street had completely turned into a meat grinder.

Chen Fan lay on the ground, fresh blood constantly gushing from beneath him. His vision had become blurred, and he could only see chaotic shadows swaying before his eyes.

He felt his life slipping away rapidly.

This time, he was really going to die.

Just as his consciousness was about to sink into darkness, a pair of soft boots embroidered with gold silk cloud patterns stopped in front of him.

He struggled to lift his head and saw Princess Li Ronger's face, pale as paper and filled with complex emotions.

The chaotic battlefield and the bloody slaughter seemed to have become a distant background.

In her world, there remained only this dying guard before her, who had blocked the fatal blow for her.

"I..." Princess Li Ronger knelt down and reached out her hand, seemingly wanting to touch him, but hesitating. Her voice trembled, whether from fear or some other reason, "It was I who implicated you, wasn't it?"

She finally understood.

The Prince of Xiushan's coldness, Captain Li Zhong's appearance, the White Lotus Sect's trap.

Everything revolved around her, the "unchaste" Princess.

And he, this guard who had just made ripples in her heart with a poem, was merely a chess piece in this cruel game, sacrificed without hesitation.

Chen Fan looked at her and wanted to smile, but it aggravated his wounds, causing him to cough violently, and more blood gushed from his mouth.

"Cough, cough, this is this subordinate's duty..."

"Princess... please do not... worry..."

His voice grew weaker and weaker.

Being diligent and responsible—this was his final duty as the guard Lin Shou.

He did not want this pitiful woman to live on carrying guilt.

Although he was dead, he would live again.

But the pain of death was real and undeniable.

That familiar, excruciating pain that felt as if it would tear his Soul into fragments began to spread from the very depths of his being.

It hurts like hell...

Chen Fan exhaled his last breath, his head tilted to the side, and the light in his eyes faded completely.

The world returned to darkness.

Princess Li Ronger looked at his face, which had completely lost its vitality, and at those eyes that would never light up again, and she was completely stunned.

Her outstretched hand stopped in mid-air, trembling slightly.

A clear tear slid down her cheek, hitting the cold bluestone slab, and shattered.

[Substitution Reincarnation System activated]

[Host death detected]

[Searching for perpetrator...]

[Priority determination: Direct killer — White Lotus Sect assassin, Chen Jinzhong]

[Target locked, beginning Possession!]

...

"Boom!"

His dark consciousness was instantly blasted open by a violent force!

Chen Fan abruptly "opened" his eyes.

No, these were not his eyes.

This was a brand-new perspective.

He could feel a powerful and unfamiliar Internal Energy surging through the Meridians of this body.

The body was filled with power!

This was the power of an 8th Grade Martial Artist!

Finally back, this feeling.

He gripped a short dagger, its feel cold and familiar.

And before him, a fierce, unparalleled blade light, carrying the momentum to sever everything, was slashing straight toward his throat!

The person wielding the blade was none other than Captain Li Zhong!