Chapter 44 Princess: He is My Husband

Amidst his shock, a sudden doubt arose in Li Wenxuan's mind.

How did you know your name was Li Wenxuan?

Ever since he stepped in here, he had not uttered a single word about who he was!

However, the burly and imposing newcomer, resembling a reincarnated fierce bear demon, gave him no opportunity to ask any questions. With a whistling sound, a nine-ringed broadsword—thick and as long as a grown man's thigh—slashed horizontally through the air.

Li Wenxuan stood frozen on the spot.

Because this blade was actually not aimed at him?

The nine-ringed broadsword, broad as a door panel, cut through the air horizontally, its deep, rushing sound tearing at human livers, gallbladders, and souls alike!

The men in black who were charging out of the serving corridor were cut down, bodies and blades severed together.

In fact, six or seven of them were chopped straight in half at the waist by this terrifyingly unmatched nine-ringed broadsword. The scene was far more gruesome and tragic than the thirty-odd assassins Li Wenxuan had previously slaughtered.

The bear-like giant pulled back his blade and looked back, his eyes filled with such monstrous, towering hatred that Li Wenxuan felt a sudden, inexplicable jolt in his chest.

Was this fellow... here to save him, or to kill him?

Who would believe the Eastern Depot had no formidable masters?

Yet...

If a master had come, why would he look at him with such a gaze?

Those were unmistakably the eyes of someone wanting to hack him to pieces with a single slash!

Who on earth looks at their own people with eyes like that?

"Watch out!"

The giant moved. The nine-ringed broadsword in his hand roared toward him with a dull, ear-splitting howl of wind.

Without a moment of hesitation, Li Wenxuan swung his twin blades to meet the attack!

*Clang—!*

At the very first clash, his three-foot official saber snapped instantly!

That blade had already been battered with countless notched edges and chipped blades from his previous kills.

As for the dark iron saber, its texture was astonishing. Although it also bore a few chips, it managed to hold its ground against such a terrifying nine-ringed broadsword.

*Zheng—!*

On the back of the nine-ringed broadsword, all nine rings vibrated in unison, and that soul-shattering howl of the wind resounded once again.

This was a peculiar form of mental attack.

When ordinary people heard it, they would be overcome by the horrifying sensation of an evil ghost coming to claim their soul; their stances would fall into complete disarray, making them easy prey for a fatal blow.

The men in black earlier had all fallen victim to this very trick.

Li Wenxuan, however, remained entirely unaffected. As a former grandmaster of his generation, what had he not witnessed?

His fighting spirit had long since reached the realm of flawless perfection. Grasping his weapon with both hands, he pressed the attack.

*Bang—!*

The next moment!

Li Wenxuan was sent flying backward by the impact, smashing through a full six tables before he managed to steady his stance.

He glanced briefly at the burly giant standing like a wild ox in the middle of the room, his eyes blood-red and blazing with boundless hatred as he stared viciously at him. Li Wenxuan spat out a glob of bloody phlegm, shook his numb arms that were on the verge of losing all sensation, and lunged forward once again, roaring with both blades raised!

***

The bear-like giant seemed equally provoked by Li Wenxuan's relentless advance. With a wild roar, he swung his blade forward.

In an instant, all nine rings vibrated simultaneously!

*Boom—!*

The dark iron saber shattered, and Li Wenxuan was sent hurtling through the air, spitting blood on the spot.

Yet—

That nine-ringed broadsword, as long as a grown man's thigh and resembling a heavy door panel, did not fall to cleave him into pieces.

Instead, the giant strode forward, approaching Li Wenxuan, who had crashed heavily to the ground, skidded a distance away, and was now vomiting blood from his mouth and nose, completely unable to stand back up or even utter a single syllable.

The next moment...

The blind woman heard only the sound of rushing wind, swift to the extreme.

He was gone.

The bear-like giant had not killed Li Wenxuan, but within this tavern, Li Wenxuan's presence was entirely gone as well.

He had carried Li Wenxuan away by force.

A pale shade of white crossed the blind woman's face.

At that very moment, the roar of horseshoes, akin to an earthquake, echoed from the street outside.

The only thing capable of producing such a sound was military battle-steeds.

Armored warhorses, ridden by armored knights.

As they galloped, the horses moved in perfect coordination, causing their hooves to thunder against the earth with the momentum of mountains shaking and the ground splitting.

*Clatter, clatter, clatter—!*

Several swift horses charged into the building. Upon catching sight of the blind woman, the knights, completely encased in grim, dark iron armor, instantly vaulted off their saddles, dropped to one knee, cupped their fists in salute, and then fell into absolute, unmoving silence.

In the blink of an eye, the blind woman was surrounded by a tight circle of armored warriors.

These men uttered not a single word, standing as still as iron statues.

The blind woman sighed softly, reaching out her hand to pluck the broken strings of her pipa.

"My lord, you are truly going to be the death of this old servant!"

A delicate, feminine-sounding male voice laced with a crying tone drew close to the blind woman.

The blind woman let out a light sigh. "Wasn't this man a person from your Eastern Depot? Are you not going to manage him?"

"Ah, him? He has his own destiny. My lord, please return with this servant."

The person who had arrived was none other than Superintendent Li Jinzhong, the Grand Eunuch of the Eastern Depot.

Grand Eunuch Li cast a glance at the corpses strewn everywhere, as well as the thick, viscous pools of blood beneath his feet...

Good heavens!

This brat!

I truly owe you a debt in my past life!

"Was it someone from your Eastern Depot who took him away?"

"No." Grand Eunuch Li dared not lie in the presence of the princess.

The blind woman smiled faintly and said, "Hand me a handkerchief. I need to wipe my face."

***

Grand Eunuch Li cautiously drew a handkerchief from his sleeve, knelt on both knees, and presented it to the blind woman with both hands.

The blind woman's hands were unerring; she touched the handkerchief at once.

With her other hand, she released the pipa, felt for a wine flask, and with a gentle press of her thumb, popped open its stopper.

Rice wine moistened the handkerchief, and she began to wipe her face.

Once the blood and dirt were cleared away, a complexion as fair and delicate as jade was revealed.

There were, in truth, no pockmarks on her face, nor was her skin sallow; those had merely been petty tricks she used to escape the imperial palace.

"Eunuch Li?"

"This servant is here!" Grand Eunuch Li breathed a sigh of relief.

"Just now, I asked that man to marry me, and he agreed. Would you say he is now my imperial consort?"

Grand Eunuch Li nearly bit off his tongue. For a moment, chilled to the bone by fear, he had no idea what to reply.

Her Highness the Princess's train of thought was truly a match for His Majesty's own eccentric way of thinking!

"Or perhaps, am I no longer the Emperor's woman? Am I nothing more than a blind wretch?"

Grand Eunuch Li abruptly sensed that something was amiss. Raising his head, he saw a dagger already pressed against the blind woman's throat.
Even with his supreme martial arts, he dared not make the slightest rash movement at this moment.

If she suffered even a scratch, every head in this room would roll on the ground.

"With the Princess's precious and noble body, how could you possibly—"

"I do not wish to live; that is no secret to you either... When I fled the palace, I originally wanted to drown myself in the river, but when I touched the water, it was too cold. Then I thought I would just find some quiet little corner and starve myself to death, but the hunger became so unbearable..."

A look of awkwardness crossed the blind woman's face. "And then I heard people talking about this Chief Enforcer of your Eastern Depot..."

"This fellow is truly clever. He must have known that if he died here tonight, even if the Cui family didn't lose their heads, My Imperial Father would certainly use it as an excuse to purge a vast swath of officials. Completely stripping the Cui family of their power would likely become a settled matter."

The blind woman continued, "I am a useless person, but I know this much: the death of an Eastern Depot Chief Enforcer can strike a blow against the Second Miss of the Cui family, and even force Cui Yuanhai to step down from his post as Minister of War, but it is not enough to give My Imperial Father a foolproof excuse to eradicate the Cui clan root and branch, from top to bottom."

"In other words, his death can deal a heavy blow to the vitality of the Cui family, but it is not enough to uproot them completely."

"Since it is not enough to pull up the Cuis by their roots, I shall add another spark to the fire. What if a princess dies right here...?"

She paused, a smile blooming on her face. "According to the laws of the Great Wu Dynasty, the Cui clan would be executed down to their sixth generation of relations, wouldn't they?"

"I am a useless person, born blind, and a disgrace to My Imperial Father. Since that is the case, let my death add a magnificent and heavy stroke of ink to My Imperial Father's prosperous dynasty!"

The next moment, the dagger in the blind woman's hand unhesitatingly thrust toward her smooth and delicate neck.

"Your High—Emperor!"

A large hand caught the sharp blade without a moment's hesitation.

The Martial Emperor was enraged to the extent that heaven and earth lost their color.

He seemed entirely unaware that his palm had been sliced open by the dagger, the blood flowing from it as if it belonged to someone else.

His furious eyes burned with a blaze so intense it seemed they could spew crimson flames.

Li Jinzhong was frozen in shock on the spot for a moment—His Majesty was the one person in the world most terrified of pain!

"Rebellious wretch! Are you trying to hounded me to death?!"