Chapter 12: Stealing the Dragon and Turning the Phoenix

The palace maid brought tea and water, and a hot towel was gently placed on the bruise on her foot. After the swelling had subsided a bit, a little bit of potent medicinal wine was rubbed in with force. All of this was done by his own hands, with utmost familiarity.

Qingyuan looked coldly at him as he performed these servant-like tasks. At this moment, there was no one around, otherwise, she couldn't imagine how scandalous this scene would be to the world.

The war god who had killed enough people to build a city wall was now massaging the feet of a princess from a fallen kingdom?

Suddenly, she lightly laughed, "It seems that I am the first woman in the world to have the honor of having the Prince of Liewang massage my feet."

Suyutian paused, releasing her leg.

He looked at her with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes, "No matter what, the princess is someone I saved and must cherish. Otherwise, it would be a pity to die before achieving victory."

Qingyuan sneered and turned her face away. Then, suddenly, she felt a sharp pain as he grabbed her chin, forcing her to look at him.

Suyutian squinted his eyes and asked, "Who just came?"

Qingyuan looked at him with a sly smile, "Who dares to intrude into the renowned Eighteen Blood Guards, as if entering an uninhabited place. Doesn't the Prince know who it is?"

Suyutian smiled, his snow-white teeth shining in the darkness, "A woman who is too clever is never a good thing."

The inn was heavily guarded inside and out, not even a fly could get in. He knew who could come in and out, and how the fish that slipped through the net had entered. He understood it better than she did.

His question just now was just a test for her.

Qingyuan felt the pressure on her chin tighten slightly, and a sharp pain shot through her. She smiled coldly, her eyes icy, "Who else could it be? Xie Yuming."

"Oh," Suyutian let go of her, his expression unchanged, "What did he say to you?"

Qingyuan just sneered.

"Why should I tell the Prince?" She smiled coldly, "It was you who let Xie Yuming fall into this trap. This prey is already in your hands. Whether he lives or dies next, isn't it up to you?"

Suyutian looked at her for a long time, then smiled, "Tell me, what do you want in order to tell me the purpose of Xie Yuming's visit?"

Qingyuan remained silent, just staring at him.

At this moment, there was no one around, and the candlelight on the bronze deer candlestick cast flickering shadows on their faces. He had set up a trap so openly, and now he was waiting for her to hand over the answer.

Qingyuan had never seen a man who could do such a despicable thing as Suyutian did so openly.

"Since I'm in a good mood, I'll give you a chance. If you don't tell me, I'll still find out," he said with a very charming smile.

After a long time, she tightened her pale lips, "To know why Xie Yuming came here is easy. I want the Prince to erect a monument for my... my father, mother, and Qier, so they won't die without a burial place."

After speaking, her face lost all color. Suyutian slowly released her hand.

After a long time, he said lightly, "Even if you don't say it, I will do it."

"Thank you," her voice was dry, without a hint of gratitude.

Suyutian looked at her and said lightly, "No need to thank me. Although I didn't kill them with my own hands, they died because of me. You don't need to thank your enemy."

Qingyuan's lips trembled, and she slowly tightened her hands under her long sleeves. Her nails dug into her palms, as if only in this way could she hold onto her overwhelming hatred.

Yes, he was her enemy. If he hadn't led the army to attack the Tang Kingdom, she would still be the proud princess of the heavens, and her father, mother, and Qier would be safe.

But reason told her that it wasn't like that. If Suyutian hadn't come to attack the Tang Kingdom, someone else would have. As long as there was no emperor in the world, there would be enemies. Even if there was an emperor, there would be unseen enemies from within that would cause the empire to fall apart.

For thousands of years, this kind of thing was too common.

Suyutian seemed not to notice her expression and continued to ask, "What does Xie Yuming want from you? To persuade you to surrender? Or to kill you?"

Qingyuan came back to her senses and sneered, "If he wanted to kill me, the Prince would have collected my body by now."

"Then what does he want?" Suyutian stared at her intently.

...

At this moment, a figure dashed out of the inn and quickly turned back, flying into the woods on the left. Soon, a large group of soldiers came chasing after him, shouting and yelling.

"Chase! The assassin is injured! He's just ahead!" a soldier shouted, examining the traces along the way.

After a while, the noisy voices gradually faded away. The figure lifted himself from the woods. The moonlight shone on his face, revealing that it was Xie Yuming.

He took out a piece of meat that had been sealed beforehand from his chest, and it was covered in fresh blood, looking particularly terrifying.

"You despicable woman! You were so ruthless! If I hadn't been prepared, I would have been stabbed through the heart by you!" he cursed fiercely, his eyes becoming even more frightening.

It turned out that he had prepared everything in advance when he met Qingyuan. If she didn't stop him, he would have had to stage a fake injury. He just didn't expect that Qingyuan hated him so much that she would try to kill him herself.

If his martial arts skills weren't strong and he hadn't used his true energy to protect his heart, even with this piece of meat, he would have been stabbed in the chest.

After cursing, he reached for his body. Suddenly, his face changed, "Oh no!"

...

Under the candlelight, Suyutian calmly waited for Qingyuan's response.

Qingyuan coldly smiled in her heart, realizing that this whole play was actually for this purpose.

"The Black Dragon Token." Qingyuan's attendant casually pulled out a nondescript black object from his sleeve and tossed it into his arms.

Suyutian picked up the token and examined it closely in the candlelight with narrowed eyes. The token was nine inches long, completely black, with only a simple dragon coiled on top of it. The dragon's eyes were a deep red, barely discernible unless one looked closely.

The token appeared unremarkable, except for its weight. Despite being less than three inches thick, it felt heavy as if holding a stone. It seemed that the material of this Black Dragon Token was not ordinary iron.

"The Black Dragon Token?" Suyutian frowned. "What is this thing? And how did you manage to get it from Xie Yuming?"

Xie Yuming wouldn't have easily given her this, risking his life in the dead of night.

Qingyuan replied nonchalantly, "I stole it."

She had just thrown herself at Xie Yuming, making him think she was going to attack, but in reality, she had seized the opportunity to steal the token.

Ironically, this underhanded move was something Xie Yuming had taught her in a playful manner in the past.

Suyutian glanced at the congealed pool of blood on the ground and chuckled softly, "Such a grand spectacle, with blood and tokens. What kind of play is Xie Yuming staging? I'm quite curious."