When the morning mist had yet to disperse, General Lǐ’s personal guards had already led three swift horses to the mouth of the alley by the deserted residence. As Qín Wǎnshuāng swung herself up into the saddle, her fingertips were still clutching the palm of Ye Fan’s hand, which had just been burned by the black banner. The warmth from his palm seeped through her coarse cloth glove, making her eyes sting with hot tears—as the Eldest Princess, who had grown up amidst the ruthless intrigues of the imperial harem, she had never known such panic over anyone before.
"Your Highness, this general will clear the way ahead." General Lǐ’s treasured saber quivered slightly in its scabbard, the tiger pattern on the guard gleaming wet with morning dew. Pulling back on the reins, his horse’s hooves struck the Blue Stone Slab with the crisp rattle of a sudden rain shower. Behind him, twenty personal guards immediately spread out in a wild-goose formation, the metallic friction of blades and spears sliding from their scabbards sounding like a sheet of fine ice shards piercing one's spine.
Seated behind Qín Wǎnshuāng, Ye Fan could clearly hear her hurried breathing. The tiny expanse within his Inner World was still trembling slightly, and just now, the cloud pattern on the black scabbard of the Iron-masked Man had pricked his Sea of Consciousness like a fine needle—that was the unique "Nine Heavens Cloud Pattern" belonging to the imperial family of Great Chu, found only on the key to the im…
Chapter 95