Chapter 36: Citywide Martial Law

"Pfft!"

The thunderous arrow flew out, crashing into the antelope-drawn ancient carriage, piercing through the Eighth Prince's back.

The arrowhead exploded, transforming into a fist-sized thunderball. Bolts of lightning released from the thunderball, leaving a bowl-sized bloody hole in the Eighth Prince's back.

"Swish!"

A short, stout black shadow charged into the carriage. With a single flash of a blade, he severed the Eighth Prince's head and stuffed it into a beast-hide bag.

A sinister laugh escaped his lips as he carried the bag and rushed out of the antelope-drawn ancient carriage.

In an instant, he vanished into the hazy night.

Yun'er detected the unusual noise and immediately stopped the antelope-drawn ancient carriage. She called out, "Eighth Prince, what just happened? Eighth Prince!"

She cautiously lifted the carriage curtain, only to see a headless corpse sitting inside. The carriage was drenched in blood, a truly horrifying sight.

Yun'er let out a scream and fainted from shock.

...

Two black shadows, one tall and one short, darted swiftly through the royal city. Before long, they reached the bank of the moat.

Han Qingluo stood with her hands clasped behind her back. Her tall, slender figure cast a long shadow under the moonlight.

She stood beneath a willow tree by the riverbank, her gaze fixed on the full moon reflected in the water. She said calmly, "Is the mission complete?"

"Reporting to Miss Han, the mission was far easier than we imagined. A single strike succeeded; he didn't even have a chance to fight back," said the tall, thin black-clad man.

The short, stout black-clad man chuckled, "What prodigy? Utterly useless, a complete joke."

Han Qingluo nodded slightly. "Both of you are at the Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection, and professional assassins at that. Killing him indeed shouldn't have been difficult. Did you bring the head?"

"We did!"

The tall, thin black-clad man took out the beast-hide bag, placed it on the ground, and opened it, revealing a bloody head.

Han Qingluo looked at the head in the bag, her expression shifting. She said coldly, "Are you sure the person you killed was the Ninth Prince?"

The tall, thin and short, stout black-clad men looked at the head in the bag, their hearts jolting as they realized they had killed the wrong person.

They immediately knelt on the ground, trembling all over. "Miss Han, give us another chance. We will surely cut off the Ninth Prince's head and deliver it to you."

"You won't get another chance!"

Han Qingluo shook her head. "You didn't kill the Ninth Prince, but you killed the Eighth Prince. With such a grave mistake, even I will face severe punishment. Do you think you still have a chance to live?"

"Miss Han, spare us!"

Suddenly, the tall, thin and short, stout black-clad men simultaneously leaped up like lightning, striking at Han Qingluo with their fastest speed.

There was no choice. The mission had failed, and they had accidentally killed the Eighth Prince. With such a grave error, Han Qingluo would surely execute them.

Since death was certain, why not risk a desperate strike?

If they killed Han Qingluo, they could immediately flee the royal city. From then on, the world was vast. If they hid, no matter how powerful the Queen's forces were, they might not find them.

Han Qingluo was also only at the Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection. With the two of them joining forces and catching her off guard, they might just have a chance to kill her.

Han Qingluo let out a mocking laugh. Her five fingers curled into claws, her nails becoming razor-sharp.

"Pfft!"

Her claw pierced through the tall, thin black-clad man's chest, tearing out a bloody heart.

The tall, thin black-clad man watched helplessly as his heart was crushed in Han Qingluo's hand. A sharp pain shot through his chest, and he fell stiffly to the ground.

Then, Han Qingluo swiftly struck out with her palm, which was wrapped in a layer of icy cold true qi.

"Whoosh!"

Her palm swept through the air, sharper than a blade, directly severing the short, stout black-clad man's head.

Both were at the Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection, yet Han Qingluo was far stronger. Even if seven or eight Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artists joined forces, they might not be her match.

She specialized in killing techniques. Once she struck, blood was inevitable.

"The Eighth Prince's death will surely cause a massive upheaval in the royal city. There's no longer a chance to assassinate the Ninth Prince. I must return to the palace immediately and report this to the Queen, preparing countermeasures in advance."

Han Qingluo threw the two corpses into the moat, wiped the blood from her hands, turned into a green shadow, and swiftly returned to the palace.

...

Zhang Ruochen exchanged insights with Zuo En, learning a great deal about inscription patterns.

At the same time, Zuo En also imparted much knowledge about artifact forging, sparking Zhang Ruochen's interest in the craft.

Shan Xiangling stayed behind at the Inscription Masters Guild to continue learning artifact forging, while Zhang Ruochen left first.

Stepping out of the Inscription Masters Guild, Zhang Ruochen looked around and frowned slightly. "Where did Sister Yun'er go? She didn't return to the palace ahead of me, did she? That shouldn't be the case."

Zhang Ruochen didn't dwell on it. After all, they were in the Martial Market, where law and order were stable. Nothing serious should have happened. She probably had urgent business and left first.

Subsequently, he headed to the Medicine Market, intending to purchase some high-grade pills to aid his cultivation.

He arrived at Qingxuan Pavilion again.

As soon as he stepped through the door, Mo Hanlin immediately came out to greet him, his face full of smiles. "Ninth Prince, here to buy pills again? The proprietress has instructed that any pills purchased by the Ninth Prince will be at half price."

"Is the proprietress so generous?" Zhang Ruochen was slightly surprised.

Mo Hanlin squinted and smiled. "The proprietress isn't generous with just anyone. Only the Ninth Prince receives such treatment."

Zhang Ruochen asked, "How much is one Three Pure True Qi Pill?"

The Three Pure True Qi Pill was a second-grade pill with the same effect as the Qi-Gathering Pill, but its medicinal power was over ten times stronger. Moreover, the true qi cultivated by taking the Five Pure True Qi Pill was purer than that from the Qi-Gathering Pill.

"Five thousand silver coins per pill." Mo Hanlin raised five fingers and shook them at Zhang Ruochen.

So expensive!

Even the top talents of major families couldn't afford to take such pills daily. They probably received one every six months.

Artifact forgers and alchemists made far too much money.

Zhang Ruochen said, "I want to buy ten pills."

"Ten Three Pure True Qi Pills." Mo Hanlin noted it down and then asked, "Ninth Prince, do you need any other pills?"

"Give me another hundred second-grade Blood Pills," Zhang Ruochen said.

The Blood Pills he had bought last time were already used up, so he needed to restock.

Given his current martial arts cultivation, he could now absorb the blood energy of second-grade Blood Pills.

Most Yellow Extreme Realm Great Perfection martial artists only took first-grade Blood Pills. But Zhang Ruochen didn't mind spending more money. As long as his cultivation could improve quickly, any expense was worth it.

Although second-grade Blood Pills were much more expensive than first-grade ones, their benefits to the body were far greater.

First-grade Blood Pills provided enough blood energy for a martial artist for one day. But second-grade Blood Pills could provide energy for three days.

"Second-grade Blood Pills, thirty silver coins each. One hundred in total." Mo Hanlin noted it down again.

Zhang Ruochen continued browsing the counter. Suddenly, he spotted a third-grade pill used to help martial artists temper their bodies: the Celestial Phenomenon Crimson Fire Pill.

Zhang Ruochen's most urgent need right now was to enhance his physique. The stronger his physical body, the greater the help for his future cultivation.

Think of cultivation as building a structure. The most important part was the foundation. The more solid the foundation, the higher the structure could be built.

Cultivation at the Yellow Extreme Realm was about tempering the physical body and opening meridians, laying the groundwork for a martial artist's future path.

"How much is one Celestial Phenomenon Crimson Fire Pill?" Zhang Ruochen asked.

Mo Hanlin's eyes lit up. "The Celestial Phenomenon Crimson Fire Pill is a third-grade pill, refined from the marrow and blood of a Celestial Phenomenon beast, with Crimson Fire Lotus Seeds added. It's very expensive. Eighty thousand silver coins per pill."

No matter how expensive, Zhang Ruochen had to buy it.

Zhang Ruochen asked, "How many does Qingxuan Pavilion have in stock?"

"Seven in total," Mo Hanlin said.

"Good! I'll take them all," Zhang Ruochen said.

Afterward, Zhang Ruochen also bought twenty portions of Marrow-Washing Liquid and a bottle of healing pills.

Mo Hanlin tapped his abacus, calculating for a long time. "Ten Three Pure True Qi Pills: fifty thousand silver coins.
One hundred second-grade Blood Pills: three thousand silver coins.
Seven Celestial Phenomenon Crimson Fire Pills: five hundred sixty thousand silver coins.
Twenty portions of Marrow-Washing Liquid: four thousand silver coins.
Ten Saint Nirvana Pills: twenty thousand silver coins.
The total comes to... six hundred thirty-seven thousand silver coins. At half price, that's three hundred eighteen thousand five hundred silver coins."

Even though Zhang Ruochen had mentally prepared himself, he was still startled. He had spent over three hundred thousand silver coins. The seven Celestial Phenomenon Crimson Fire Pills were incredibly expensive. Fortunately, with the half-price discount, it was still within Zhang Ruochen's acceptable range.

"If I refine all seven Celestial Phenomenon Crimson Fire Pills, my physique should definitely reach the level of my previous life," Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.

After paying three hundred eighteen thousand five hundred silver coins to Qingxuan Pavilion, Zhang Ruochen's remaining assets were only eight hundred thousand silver coins, all deposited in the Martial Market Bank.

Just as Zhang Ruochen left Qingxuan Pavilion, he saw a squad of armored soldiers riding warhorses, charging down the main street, kicking up a cloud of dust.

A nearby martial artist, watching the soldiers rush past, sighed softly. "I wonder who was bold enough to kill the Eighth Prince. Now the entire city is under martial law, and even the entrances and exits of the Martial Market have been sealed."

"The Eighth Prince was killed?"

Zhang Ruochen clearly remembered seeing the Eighth Prince at the Inscription Masters Guild. How could he have been killed so soon?

"Rumble!"

A squad of soldiers charged over and knelt neatly before Zhang Ruochen. At the front was an old eunuch, who said respectfully, "Ninth Prince, the King summons you to return to the palace immediately!"

...

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