天空社区

Translator: 549690339

In this pitch-dark situation, inevitably something could go wrong. The Imperial City was entirely in darkness. Nobody knew what was happening, everything was carried out in absolute silence.

The Black Turtle and Ying Que were both intently watching. The surrounding Imperial Guards were shrouded in darkness. Only the lamplight by the emperor was casting light. The guards, due to the darkness, became more cautious and apprehensive.

The Emperor wanted to watch, as for how the Imperial Guards could react, their only option was to enhance the protective measures.

The shadow puppetry show was about to start. Delicate puppet figures were moving back and forth on the background fabric, manipulated expertly by experienced old masters from the back, making it exceedingly lifelike.

The common people underneath were watching intently. When the plot climaxed, deafening applause erupted.

Even Yu Daocheng couldn’t help but praise, “This shadow puppet dance is indeed excellent, so lifelike as if it was happening right before our eyes. The performance is outstanding, it is a feast for the eyes.”

“Excellent performance! Give them a reward!” Liu Longqing immediately acted as a messenger, loudly instructing the officials under his command.

The shadow puppets were performing well-known classical scenes of ‘Chang’e Flying to the Moon’ and ‘Hou Yi Shooting the Suns’.

Especially the figure of Hou Yi was made extremely realistically. It was the size of an infant and even the big bow used was made of excellent animal skin and carefully painted with lacquer. The parts made from wood were from utmost quality century-old trees. Everything was made of the best materials since the performance was held in the Emperor’s presence, it couldn’t be careless.

In the sky were ten suns. When Hou Yi arched backward, pulling on his bow, full of determination, it was as if he announced:

“One shining sun is enough.”

At a crucial moment, Hou Yi aimed the arrow to shoot at the sun. Everyone, pay attention!

All people held their breath. Suddenly, the figure of Hou Yi turned around, drawn an arc perfectly with his arrow, but aimed in an extraordinarily wrong direction!

With a “whoosh”, the arrow shot out at an astonishingly fast speed, like a shooting star.

Headed straight for the emperor in front of the castle!

Everyone at the banquet, including expert cultivators, high and low-ranking officials, common people, as well as Ying Que and Black Turtle, all had their hearts leaping, their faces showing shock.

This is bad!

Someone is trying to assassinate the Emperor!

No one expected that a small shadow puppet would suddenly come alive and try to assassinate the emperor. Even Ying Que and Black Turtle, both expert cultivators at Initiation Stage, were caught off guard.

By the time Ying Que reacted, the arrow had already reached the emperor.

The people around wanted to save him, but they were too late!

The bow wasn’t large and the arrow wasn’t thick, but the shot arrow carried an eerily fast speed exuding a dreadful aura.

This absolutely wasn’t shot by a commoner!

The presence of a cultivator at the pinnacle of the Initiation Stage was vaguely felt. But it wasn’t possible since Qin Hu had already checked everyone thoroughly!

At the crucial moment, the arrow was about to reach Yu Daocheng, potentially killing him.

Above the Royal City of Xia, an enormous silhouette of a dragon opened its eyes, dominating the capital city, shielding Emperor Xia.

This was the incarnation of the Fortune of the Xia, and the Xia dynasty was associated with fire. So it was a Red-eyed Golden Dragon.

The Red-eyed Golden Dragon roared towards the sky, disallowing any nearby demons or evil spirits.

The terrifying arrow collided with the dragon’s shadow and was immediately deflected, deviating from its path and penetrating an Imperial Guard’s skull, causing his head to explode.

No matter what, Xia was a unified dynasty in the Central State, dominating the nine states. The sovereign of the Xia had the protection of the national fortune and the Heavenly Mandate. Unless the nation was on the brink of collapse and turmoil, any feeble assassin trying to assassinate the Emperor of the Xia was merely dreaming!

“Protect the Emperor! Protect the Emperor!”

All the Imperial Guards and protectors reacted, immediately surrounding the Emperor while the fully armed guards encircled the central stage.

Yu Daocheng quickly recovered from his initial shock, standing up and shouting towards the stage, “I, the Emperor, am heaven-supported! How dare these assassins behave presumptuously?!”

At this moment, the two expert cultivators, the Black Turtle and Ying Que did not hesitate. They disappeared momentarily and re-appeared with axes and shields in their hands, aiming at the central assassin.

The old master on the stage, resentment burning in his gaze, screamed up to the sky:

“Damned Emperor! If I can’t take your life, Lord Crow Immortal can!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the evil curse mark of the Raven rose from his neck, promptly covering his entire face.

A tall phantom slowly rose, humanoid with a crow’s head, three heads and six arms, his gaze fierce gazing at the Red-eyed Golden Dragon.

The trident in his hand was abruptly thrust forward.

The Red-eyed Golden Dragon roared and lashed its tail in retaliation.

Yu Daocheng’s body trembled, his complexion turned pale.

The national fortune was shaking, the dragon image was in precarious situation.

An invisible battle unfolded, one that nobody could see or hear.Black Turtle and Ying Que stepped forward from the left and right respectively. The red bow pierced the assassin’s heart with a single arrow, and the large ax chopped off the assassin’s head.

“Long live Lord Crow Immortal!”

The assassin shouted wildly before he died.

Black Turtle approached the corpse, touched it, and exclaimed in surprise, “He was just a mortal.”

“Your Majesty, what’s wrong with you!”

At this time, the concubines and ministers on the city wall were all in panic.

Yu Daocheng spat out a mouthful of dragon’s blood with a ‘spurt’, his face turned deathly pale, his lips were devoid of any colour, he fainted, insensible to anything, regardless of how much people called him, his breath grew weaker and weaker.

The giant shadow of the Crow Immortal in the void disappeared slowly.

However, the dragon shadow of the Imperial City was completely dim and disappeared slowly.

In this battle, no one has won.

After all, the Xia country just established itself not long ago. This blow significantly impacted the already shaky national fortune, it would not be an exaggeration to say that its foundation was shaken.

If it were a golden age, it would be fine given that the national fortune would continuously replenish, and the dragon’s qi would never cease, thus it could be made up.

But now… Yu Daocheng might not be able to hold on for much longer.

“Arrest the assassins’ accomplices! Execute them all!”

Seeing the Emperor in this condition, the head of the Imperial Guards drew his treasured sword and roared with lead.

If the Emperor died after this battle, everyone involved in this banquet would not be able to escape responsibility, including the shadow puppetry troupe, the officials of the Ministry of Rites, the guards of the Imperial City, everyone was in danger!

“Shi, shi, shi!”

A troop of black-armored imperial guards moved forward with their spears, confining everyone in the field, including the officials in multicolored brocade.

They were all weeping bitterly, crying for injustice, and a lot of people were also cursing the assassin, daring to assassinate the Emperor at the sixtieth birthday banquet, you are not afraid of death, but we are!

It seemed that the members of the shadow puppetry troupe were kept in the dark, and with the assassin being apprehended, all these people could do was kneel on the ground, begging for mercy.

The Minister of Rites was so scared that he was directly paralyzed on the ground, let alone his official hat, he was even afraid that he had lost his life.

“Arrest them all!”

The head of the Imperial Guards did not have any sympathy for these officials and coldly ordered.

The Minister of Rites, staring blankly as if he had lost his soul, was arrested and taken away by the Imperial Guards without any resistance.

The officials and concubines on the city wall were also pale with fright, fearing that they too would be taken away. Thus, some fled, some slipped away, and some ministers went up front to check on the Emperor’s condition but were stopped by the Imperial Guards.

Minister of Revenue Liu Longqing’s eyes were flickering, his arms pressed down by the Imperial Guards on his left and right, but there was no panic in him, he just murmured from the corner of his mouth:

“It’s all in chaos, all in chaos.”

He was one of the organizing officials and would definitely be held accountable.

A perfectly fine sixtieth birthday celebration, where the whole nation was celebrating, had turned into a scene where everyone was crying and calling out for their relatives.

Pei Xiangyun watched the chaotic Imperial City without reacting.

Until the Emperor was assassinated, she was stunned, her mind blank.

When the Emperor vomited blood and fell to the ground later, she hadn’t had time to take a look before he was taken away by the court physician.

She was stuck with a single terrified idea.

If the Emperor dies, what will happen to Nia?

The lively crowd in the Imperial City scattered quickly, some left, some escaped, some were taken away.

The street quickly became deserted, a stark contrast to the happy scene an hour ago.

There were only various lanterns left, flickering in solitude.

For the Imperial City, tonight is destined to be a sleepless night.

A woman wearing a headscarf and veil walked into a deserted corner, swept a glance over the messy stage, looked at the piles of broken shadow puppets on the ground, and the dirty curtain, and slowly approached.

She picked up an unnoticed shadow puppet, and took out a neatly folded black charm from the back of the shadow puppet.

“We were a bit short but it’s enough. Although the crow charm can enhance a person’s strength, it demands a life. It’s a bit of a pity.”

She glanced at the desolate street and said lightly with a smile: “The national fortune has been drastically damaged, let’s see if you can survive tonight.”