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Meng Fuyao squeezed herself between the slit of the door, watching as Shadow Blade raised his head to look at the cross dresser hanging above with a strange expression in his eyes and he looked as if he were slightly shaking his head. After that, he prepared to fly up.

”Don't go there!”

With a ”ping”, the stone door was pushed open, and a slender black silhouette came flying out, first kicking away the stepping stool hidden under cross dresser Xuanyuan Min's feet. Xuanyuan Min gave an astonished shout as he dangled for real this time, and Meng Fuyao had already flown outside and banged into Shadow Blade—”It's a trap!”

The force in which she had rushed forward was like a cannon, and Shadow Blade had his attention focused on Xuanyuan Min and was unguarded against her. As such, she had managed to launch herself into his chest, and he reached out instinctively to grab her shoulder but did not let go. In the flurry of events, he raised his head and glanced at the dangling Xuanyuan Min once again.

The two of them made eye contact, flashing in the dimness of the candlelight.

Still holding Meng Fuyao, Shadow Blade turned around and asked in a low voice, ”Why can't I go over?”

His voice was somewhat hoarse, as though he had suffered a voice-related injury before, but it was not unpleasant to hear. On the other hand, the raspy quality of his voice had a sort of magnetic effect, and each word uttered seemed to swirl around. There was a kind of touching quality to it, and Meng Fuyao listened to it drunkenly, thinking that every aspect of Shadow Blade was good, even the ”defect” in his voice turned out to be a blessing in disguise bestowed by the heavens.

”That guy is a trap,” Meng Fuyao said as she pointed at Xuanyuan Min. ”Everything on him is fake.”

Shadow Blade's eyes glinted as he replied, ”Oh?” Without a second word, he dragged Meng Fuyao along and left.

Still hanging from the punishment rack, Xuanyuan Min opened his mouth as if he wanted to shout something, but then he immediately closed it again as he watched the two figures leaving with a piercing expression. After a moment, a mysterious smile appeared on his lips.

He kicked his leg up lightly and undid the rope binding his left hand, and with a mid-air flip, the rope on his right hand came undone as well.

He landed on the ground and pressing his slender fingers against his lips, he smiled faintly.

Shadow Blade held onto Meng Fuyao's hand as they ran through the palace grounds in the darkness of the night.

The entire palace was already on alert, from the Regent King's manor to the imperial palace, and guards carrying torches were moving swiftly. Everyone was headed towards a specific direction, precisely the direction opposite from them. There was a group of men in black who were streaking about like lightning, constantly entering the vision of the pursuers.

This was probably the power that Shadow Blade had employed to divert the attention of the palace guards. Meng Fuyao watched from afar as a man in imperial golden robes ordered the guards to surround the men, his aura commanding and unhurried. From the looks of it, he was probably Xuanyuan Cheng, and Meng Fuyao looked at the black-clothed men worriedly. ”If they get caught, it will be very hard to save them,” she muttered under her breath.

Shadow Blade turned around and glanced at her with his glassy eyes. ”Why save them?” He asked, mildly.

”Ah?” Meng Fuyao gaped. ”If we don't save them…” She continued with great difficulty, ”Then what will happen to them?”

”Die.”

It was such a simple and honest answer without any malice, and Meng Fuyao was thoroughly stumped by the single-worded reply. After a moment, she shook her head and sighed noiselessly.

After sighing, she shook off Shadow Blade's hand from her own and turned to leave.

However, Shadow Blade suddenly reached out and grabbed her sleeve. Meng Fuyao's eyebrows scrounged together, and she turned around, ready to unleash her anger when Shadow Blade pressed her head down.

He pressed with such force that Meng Fuyao's face was planted in the ground as she thought of protecting the possibly squished-to-death Yuan Bao under her, but Shadow Blade refused to let go as he continued pressing her down.

Immediately, something began to glow in front of Meng Fuyao's eyes, and a huge ball of light lit up high above their heads. It was more than enough to light up the roofs of several houses around them and needless to say, Meng Fuyao and Shadow Blade's figures were well lit up for the guards to see.

From afar, Xuanyuan Cheng had also turned around. The middle-aged man in imperial golden robes raised a strange-shaped bow in front of him and calmly looked to their direction. He was able to discern that the fireball that forced them to reveal themselves was caused by him. Thereafter, Xuanyuan Cheng continued looking at them expressionlessly, and after focusing his energy, he released a powerful flaming arrow towards them. The flaming arrow looked like a shooting star, glowing brilliantly in the night sky and shining upon Meng Fuyao and Shadow Blade.

”Go!”