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Edited on September 2, 2021.

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Not one voice echoed in the big, silent hall. Outside of the hall, many soldiers were on standby since morning to wait for the general's command to move.

The chubby person who's currently kneeling is the now-awake Li Mo Mo.

"Tell me everything you know. Spit them out now." Slender fingers were pinching the jade beads on his bracelet.

Xiao Zhi Zhi looked exhausted, his dark circles worsened, but his current expression was blank, like a calm before a storm.

"In...In response to General Xiao, this lowly one was ordered by Master Zhi to find Lady Chu and bring her here. Originally, everything was fine, but as we were walking in the courtyard, this lowly one suddenly felt sharp pain on my neck and I fainted."

Standing beside her, Officer Zhi started to tremble as soon as he heard his name in Li Mo Mo's testimony.

"Did you clearly see the person?"

His slender fingers were still pinching the jade beads, no one inside the hallway dared to breathe loudly.

"N-no... I didn't..."

*thud*

Li Mo Mo once again fainted because of fear, her chubby and elderly body couldn't handle the stress of the situation.

"Report!"

Military Officer Liu walked to the hall and knelt on the ground.

"This lowly one followed the scent of the Wen Xiang Cong, and we have discovered that Lady Chu is currently being held at the third courtyard villa."

Once he finished relaying the report, Officer Zhi was shocked.

"Th-The third courtyard of the villa... That is the imperial third prince's residence in Cong Zhou! Military Officer Liu, maybe you made a small mistake somewhere?"

"Is Officer Zhi doubting the Wen Xiang Cong?" Officer Liu taunted him.

The Wen Xiang Cong is an insect that is golden in color. After taking a person's blood, it can easily find the location of a person no matter where they are.

Of course, the person should be warned in advance to not put any strong scents on their body.

"I do not dare." Officer Zhi felt his palms sweat more.

Xiao Zhi Zhi's fingers stopped fiddling with the beads on his bracelet. He took a deep breath, opened his eyes, and commanded Officer Liu.

"Quickly prepare ten thousand soldiers and surround the third courtyard villa!"

"Yes!" Military Officer Liu received the command.

"Ge-General Xiao, surrounding the third prince's villa is a very serious matter. If the Emperor wants to blame us..." He won't be able to protect his head from falling out of his body.

Xiao Zhi Zhi disappeared even before Officer Zhi finished his words, not even his shadow can be found.

---

Inside the third courtyard villa, the third prince doubtfully looked at the fainted and tied up Chu Zhu Yu and asked,

"Is this the rumoured woman?"

"Yes, she is." The servant replied.

"So, which part of her attracted Xiao Zhi Zhi?"

"This servant doesn't know, but all the people in the Zhi's residence said that Xiao Zhi Zhi dotes on this woman."

The third prince pondered. When he agreed to capture this woman, he wanted to see her face because he thought that her appearance would be comparable or surpass the beauty of his Huang Mei. He never thought that....

"When you brought her here, did someone follow you?" The Third Prince asked the servant suspiciously.

"No one followed me."

Every soldier that guarded Chu Zhu Yu, including those who guarded her in secret, were knocked out.

"Very good." The third prince's mood lifted, but he was still a bit skeptical, could a single woman really be able to control Xiao Zhi Zhi?

"This is not good! Not good at all!"

A panicked voice shouted from outside of the room, "Mas...Master, this lowly one has something to report."

"What's with all the fuss?"

"General Xiao brought his army with him and surrounded the entire villa!" The servant who bowed outside of the room declared with a shaky voice.

"What?! How can that be, how did Xiao Zhi Zhi even know about this place!?"

The third prince panicked for a while. Since it was a secret that he owned a bandit hideout, only his closest servants knew that he is in this residence today.

If Xiao Zhi Zhi really infiltrates this villa and sees him, everyone will know that he (third prince) regularly visits Cong Zhou.

"Are you the one who brought him here?" He glared at the servant who captured Chu Zhu Yu.

"This servant would never leave any traces." The man hurriedly replied.

"Then how--"

The third prince glared at the unconscious Chu Zhu Yu, and when he noticed a golden insect flying closely above her hair, near her hair pin, he shouted,

"Blast it! Xiao Zhi Zhi unexpectedly used Wen Xiang Cong on this woman!"

The Wen Xiang Cong is an extremely rare and expensive insect. One insect could cost thousands of gold, and even the imperial palace that had raised only ten insects never made the insects drink human blood.

(E/R: I guess if the insect drinks a person's blood, it will be bound to their blood, causing the insect to trace only one person's scent forever.)

The third prince was shaking with anger. He grinded his teeth, raised his hand, and slapped Chu Zhu Yu.

Chu Zhu Yu instantly woke up and felt the pain from being slapped by a man. Blood was slightly dripping from the corners of her lips.

"Awake?"

The third prince continuously slapped Chu Zhu Yu's cheeks. "I never thought that Xiao Zhi Zhi was willing to use Wen Xiang Cong for you!"

Wen Xiang Cong?

Chu Zhu Yu was confused and bewildered by the situation.

Was I abducted?

"Who are you?" she asked, looking at the insect that was inside the third prince's hand.

She saw this golden insect before. On their first day in Cong Zhou, Xiao Zhi Zhi coaxed her to let the insect drink a very small amount of her blood.

~~~~~

"Why should we let the insect drink my blood? What exactly can it do?" she curiously asked him in the past.

"As long as it tasted someone's blood, this insect will remember the person's scent forever. That's why even if the person runs off to the edge of the world, this insect can still find that person." He gently strokes the golden bug, "That's why no matter where you are Zhu Yu, if we have this, I will be able to find you."

~~~~~

Find you... Find...

She did not allow her worry and fear to show on her face, but she wondered if he could really find her at a place like this.

"You do not have the right to know who I am!" The third prince ordered a servant to drag Chu Zhu Yu up.

"Since Xiao Zhi Zhi dared to surround my villa, I need to repay him. I wonder how he would act if I give him your dead body?"

People started fighting outside.

The shouts of the soldiers and the sound of the weapons banging against each other creates a terrifying sound of death.

"Lead all of their soldiers in here, if Xiao Zhi Zhi truly dares to attack my place, then I will give him no escape route!"

His promise to his Huang Mei will have to be tossed aside for now.

Chu Zhu Yu had long since noticed that the man wearing glamorous clothes in front of her was not an ordinary person.

Since he kept saying that this big house is his villa, he must be royalty, or someone with a similar position.

Is this person using her to destroy Xiao Zhi Zhi?

That beautiful man who cares about her, dotes on her, and tells her he loves her, what will happen to him?

Once she imagined Xiao Zhi Zhi getting seriously injured because of her, she felt as if her heart was being repeatedly stabbed by many sharp pins. It hurt so much.

Chu Zhu Yu was dragged outside by two large men. Outside of the villa, she watched as the ground turned into a red pool of blood.

There was so much blood, and on the land not far away from her, layed hundreds of corpses with terrifying wounds, blood still gushing from each fatal injury.

"A-are these really people?"

T-this is too scary.... I-I have to escape! S-since I can't stop this person, I have to get away from him!

---

"G-General Xiao, this is the third prince's villa, don't forget that the Emperor will blame you if anything happens he-- AGH!!"

Before the soldier even noticed what had happened, Xiao Zhi Zhi already stabbed his chest. After the soldier shouted in pain, he was silent.

In the midst of a chaotic battlefield, the most noticable person was the one who wore a black robe. He was the only one who looked different, because he did not wear bulky armor, unlike the other soldiers.

He is the only person who wore a jade hairpin on his head. What once was pure white jade was dyed to crimson red.

His long and slender fingers were originally gentle, but now it can only be called a terrifying weapon. He can directly stab a person's chest and kill him with only a single shot.

Whenever he moves, he determines the life and death of the people near him.

One by one, the dead piles up, lying near his feet. His feet are drenched in blood and mud, his left hand is coated in red. His body, his feet, and even his face is covered in blood.

Now it's not an exaggeration to call him the god of war, the grim reaper, or even the devil.

---

Seeing a one-sided massacre with his own eyes, even the third price who had experienced a lot of dangerous situations and saw many corpses in the past, felt nauseous.

Only Chu Zhu Yu looked absentmindedly at Xiao Zhi Zhi. She thought to herself,

She spends all of her time with him these days, but does she truly know him? He was familiar...but at the same time, he was like a stranger.

Clearly, he had the same face, but it was the first time she saw his terrifyingly cold expression as he eliminated people left and right.

It was a gruesome scene.

Every cell in his body was radiating with the need to kill, it made people shudder.

As though he noticed someone's gaze on him, he looked at her direction.

"Zhu Yu..."

Those two words choked him.

He looked at her body for any signs of injury, and when he was sure that Chu Zhu Yu was alive, Xiao Zhi Zhi took a deep breath and finally relaxed his stance.

The third prince woke up from his daze and shouted, "Xiao Zhi Zhi, if you want to see her alive, surrender to me."

Xiao Zhi Zhi walked closer to the third prince, step by step. No one in the villa dared to stop him. Some even subconsciously moved out of their way to let him pass.

"If I surrender, will you really let her go?"

"Of course. I, the child of the Emperor, would naturally speak every word truthfully. My words mean a thousand gold."

"Too bad." He calmly said, "I do not trust a single word."

"Aren't you afraid that I will kill her?" the third prince threatened him.

Two small sounds were heard, and suddenly the two men holding Chu Zhu Yu's arms fell to the ground, their foreheads were hit by jade beads.

He... He even used his jade bracelet as a weapon?! The third prince felt like vomitting. Crazy! This man is insane!

The Zen Master was the one who gave him his jade bracelet. Because it was passed down from generation to generation, it was considered as a national treasure.

But now, to rescue this woman, he...

Xiao Zhi Zhi jumped and instantly arrived at Chu Zhu Yu's side, he immediately cut the ropes that bound her hands.

"Are you okay?"

Xiao Zhi Zhi's first response after rescuing Chu Zhu Yu was to carefully pull her sleeves, to examine whether her hands were injured or not. He looked at her face and saw red slap marks.

"Were you hit?" his menacing, low voice sent shivers up people's spine.

Chu Zhu Yu didn't respond. She just blankly looked at Xiao Zhi Zhi up until he touched the wound on her face. She winced, "This is just a small wound."

Compared to the pile of corpses just outside the villa, her wounds really were just a "small wound".

"Does it hurt?" he asked.

"It hurt before. It doesn't hurt now."

Once he finished checking one arm, he checked the other arm.

"Zhu Yu, I still have some unfinished business to do, wait for me."

"What?"

Without waiting for Chu Zhu Yu to reply, Xiao Zhi Zhi picked her up and went to Officer Liu.

"Protect her."

"Yes." Officer Liu received the command.

In just a moment, Xiao Zhi Zhi was already six meters away from the third prince, his bloodlust was filling the area, and his eyes were as sharp as daggers, ready to kill.

"Are you the person who slapped her?"

Xiao Zhi Zhi's eyes were emotionless and dark, causing the person in front of him to break out in a cold sweat.

"Even if I was, what can you even do?"

He already planned everything in advance. Moreover, he gathered every soldier under his command. If Xiao Zhi Zhi really wanted to fight, he's confident that he won't lose.

"I am the imperial third prince, I have the right to teach this lowly woman a lesson."

Xiao Zhi Zhi was silent. His dark eyes were locked on the third prince's face. He calmly approached him step by step.

"Xiao Zhi Zhi, y-you...are you thinking of rebelling against the imperial court?!" The third prince screamed in panic.

"Rebel? The thought didn't even cross my mind. But I'm curious...Why is the third prince in Cong Zou when you are supposed to be in Luo Yang?"

"That is none of your business. This prince can go wherever he wants to."

"...I was actually supposed to reveal this later when things have gotten worse. But since you abducted her, I will reveal all my cards. Why don't you do the same, third prince? Or should I call you the mastermind of the bandit rebellion?"

The third prince was speechless. How did he find out? The third prince desperately tried to think of a loophole, but he couldn't think of an excuse.

"Foolishness! You are speaking nonsense!"

"Nonsense? I don't think so." Xiao Zhi Zhi stretched out his hand to grab the third prince.

"Hurry! Block him!"

The third prince shouted as he ran to hide behind his servants' backs.

Bam! Bam! Bam!

Xiao Zhi Zhi was unstoppable.

People were falling to the ground one by one. His hands were faster than his enemies, almost becoming a killing machine. He was more terrifying than before, almost as if he wants to vent out all of his anger. Blood was everywhere, even the third prince felt like fainting.

"You...will you really dare to touch me?! I am the Emperor's son! If you hurt me, you will face the worst punishment back at Luo Yang!" the third prince screamed in terror.

In the past, he only heard rumours about this 'scary' general.

Only today, can the third prince understand just how terrifying he is, and how fast Xiao Zhi Zhi could actually kill people.

"I will only report what happened to the Emperor." he spoke calmly.

The imperial military does not care about the status of their opponent, they will only do their job, and report what had happened, even if the opponent was one of the Emperor's children.

On the other side of the villa, Chu Zhu Yu worriedly stared at Xiao Zhi Zhi. His unfinished business was killing the third price?

"He... Will he actually kill the third prince?" she hesitantly asked Officer Liu.

"Yes." Officer Liu answered.

"That prince, is he really the third child of the current Emperor?"

"Yes."

"If that's true, then why is he continuously forcing that third prince into a corner?"

"It's probably because the general doesn't wish for his instant death."

Seeing the wrath of Xiao Zhi Zhi, Officer Liu concluded that he might want to make the third prince suffer first before finishing him off.

What?

"Would he really dare to kill a member of the imperial family?"

"Yes."

In fact, other than commit treason and betraying the emperor, Liu Shan was confident that there was nothing that the general wouldn't dare to do.

"...What is the punishment for killing a child of the Emperor?" Chu Zu Yu asked.

"It would be the death penalty, of course. Methods of death would include being dragged by five horses so that the criminal's limbs would pop out of their torso, beheading through a rusty guillotine, or being buried alive. If the Emperor was really angry, the possibility..." every time Liu Shan spoke, Chu Zhu Yu's face got paler and paler.

"However, if the general actually killed the third prince, the Emperor wouldn't give the general such a gruesome punishment."

Since the general has concrete evidence that the third prince orchestrated the rebellion, the third prince's destruction would only be a matter of time.

However, Chu Zhu Yu ran into the battlefield without hearing Liu Shan's last sentence. She only heard about the death penalty.

"Heavens!" Liu Shan screamed out of his lungs. The general commanded him to carefully watch Chu Zhu Yu just a moment ago.

Chu Zhu Yu couldn't understand how she could walk over hundreds of corpses, and rush into the battlefield without a single weapon. She didn't know where she got this amount of courage. As she ran towards the battlefield, the only thing in her mind was...

I don't want him to die!

Once she imagined the possibility that Xiao Zhi Zhi might die, her mind stopped functioning. Her body moved, and before she realized it, she was already running ahead.

She almost stumbled many times, but she kept on running. She used up all of her stamina just to get to where Xiao Zhi Zhi was faster.

Zippp!

Chu Zhu Yu arrived at Xiao Zhi Zhi's side and circled her arms tightly around his waist.

"What's going on?"

Xiao Zhi Zhi got confused. He lowered his head to look at the person who was holding him.

"This is a dangerous place, why didn't Officer Liu protect you?" He spoke while hugging her in his arms.

"Officer Liu hasn't done anything wrong. I was the one who ran off first." She explained, panting heavily.

"Oh? What's the matter?"

While holding her waist in one arm, he swinged his sword and defended them from an incoming sword.

"That... That..."

She was out of breath, but after a moment, she was finally able to speak, "Could you save the young master of the Zhi residence who was captured by the bandits?"

"Do you want me to save him?"

"Yes."

"Fine, I will tell my people to rescue him."

"And...And...There was a servant who couldn't go home for two months because of work, will you allow him to rest for half a day?"

What is she saying! These are not the words she should be telling him right now!

Chu Zhu Yu was worried about him to death, but her mouth just wouldn't say the right words! In her panic, she only spoke about trivial, unimportant events.

"Alright."

"That Wang Er who carelessly stepped on your clothes, will you forgive him?"

"Fine."

Please! What kind of conversation is this!

The soldiers who were protecting the third prince shaked their heads after hearing their trivial conversation.

(E/R: Zhu Yu, stop panicking!) (ಥ_ಥ)

"Xiao Zhi Zhi, are you really that arrogant to think that you and that woman could get out of here alive?"