sjar Chapter 738 The Madman on the Cliff
Chapter 738 The Madman on the Cliff
The light and shadows in the forest receded rapidly, and the cold wind, sharp as a knife, swept across Gu Qingchen's cheeks.
She lay prone on the horse's back, letting the black steed gallop freely through the rugged woodland, trying to use this extreme speed to completely shake off the haunting figure behind her.
However, the Akhal-Teke horse beneath Zhao Chen'an was, after all, a divine steed chosen from among thousands.
The sound of horses' hooves grew louder as they approached, like the urgent beat of a drum, relentlessly pursuing their goal.
Just before a secluded grove of red plum trees, a figure in dark robes suddenly rushed out from the side and abruptly blocked her path.
The black horse let out a long, dissatisfied neigh and was reared up, its front hooves pawing the air.
Gu Qingchen steadied himself, tightened the reins, and coldly stared at the person blocking his way.
"Does Your Highness have nothing better to do than chase after a lowly subject like me?"
Zhao Chen'an dismounted and casually tied the reins to a plum tree beside him.
He didn't answer her question, but just looked at her, his expression as complicated as a tangled mess.
“The first time I saw you was in my mother’s Changchun Palace,” he said abruptly, his voice low. “You stole my last piece of osmanthus cake, and when I caught you, you even pushed me with a sense of self-righteousness.”
Gu Qingchen was stunned, completely unexpected that he would say this.
Zhao Chen'an seemed lost in some kind of memory, and continued speaking to himself, "The second time, in the Imperial Garden, you used a slingshot to shoot down my favorite white jade bird."
"The third time, you lured me behind the artificial hill, but then released a swarm of wasps..."
He recounted all the times she had "bullied" him during his childhood, and instead of resentment, a nostalgic smile appeared in his eyes.
"Later, my mother told me that the willful and capricious little girl was Gu Qingchen from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion, and that she was my future Crown Princess. I was overjoyed for several days after hearing that."
Gu Qingchen was stunned.
She looked at Zhao Chen'an as if he were a monster, and after a long while, a sarcastic smile finally appeared on her lips.
"Zhao Chen'an, are you sick in the head?"
"There are so many gentle and virtuous noble ladies in the world, why do you prefer someone who steals your snacks and lays a hand on you? Could it be that you have a natural masochistic tendency?"
“Every year on your birthday, you send me a gift,” Zhao Chen’an said stubbornly, seemingly ignoring her sarcasm. “Each one is unique and completely different from the mundane gifts others give. If you have no feelings for me, why bother with all this effort?”
Now, Gu Qingchen finally understood where his logic was wrong.
She scoffed, a hint of pity in her laughter. "Isn't it normal for friends to exchange birthday gifts?"
“I will rack my brains to prepare a gift for Gun Gun’s birthday. Zhao Chen’an, if this has caused you to misunderstand, then I apologize. From now on, I promise I will never send you a gift for your birthday again.”
These words were like a sharp knife, stripping Zhao Chen'an of his last shred of dignity and illusions.
The smile on his face froze instantly, and the nostalgia in his eyes turned into icy anger.
Just as he was about to unleash his attack, a sharp whistling sound pierced the air!
"careful!"
Almost instinctively, Zhao Chen'an lunged at Gu Qingchen and pulled her off the horse.
The two men tumbled to the ground in a sorry state, an arrow gleaming with a cold, dark blue light deeply embedded in the saddle where they had just been.
Something unexpected happened!
Before they could even get their footing, several dark figures sprang up from the shadows of the forest like ghosts, their sharp blades gleaming coldly, exuding a chilling killing intent, aiming straight for the two men's lives!
These men in black moved with uncanny speed and coordinated perfectly; every move they made was a honed killing technique, clearly indicating that they were well-trained assassins.
In the face of this crisis, there is no room for any verbal disputes.
Zhao Chen'an stood up, drew his sword from his waist with a clang, the sword flashing like a dragon, and held it in front of him.
Gu Qingchen reacted quickly as well. She rolled over and pulled her soft whip from the leather pouch next to the saddle. With a crisp "snap," she forced back an assassin who was standing close to her.
Without even looking at each other, the two stood back to back in perfect unison, working together to resist the overwhelming onslaught.
The sword flashed fiercely, and the whip flickered wildly.
As Gu Qingchen brandished his long whip, he shouted at the group of masked men in black, "Hey! Have you figured out your target? Are you here to kill him or me?"
Her shout, full of energy, startled both sides who were locked in fierce combat.
Even the assassin's attack slowed down by half a beat, as if he was considering the logic of her question.
Seeing this, Gu Qingchen pressed on, saying, "If you want to kill him, go after him. Don't accidentally hurt our own troops!"
"I have absolutely nothing to do with him. I'd even applaud you for killing him!"
One of the assassins, probably never having seen anything like this before, paused for a moment, his hand holding the knife. He had only one thought in his mind: Is this woman out of her mind?
"Shut up!" Zhao Chen'an was both angry and amused. He flicked his longsword, deflecting two incoming steel blades, and shouted angrily in a low voice.
He had never seen anyone like this before. In the face of life and death, instead of thinking about how to escape, he actually thought about negotiating with the assassin to clear himself of all charges!
But it was precisely her composure in the face of danger, and even her ability to spout nonsense, that fueled the burning obsession deep within him.
The assassins quickly regained their senses and their attacks became even more ferocious.
To make matters worse, even more men in black emerged from the forest and surrounded the two of them.
Their stamina was rapidly depleting, and they gradually went from being able to handle things with ease to being struggling.
The defensive line formed by sword blades and whip shadows was gradually compressed.
"clang!"
Zhao Chenang blocked the fatal blow, but the impact made his hand go numb, and he was forced to take a step back.
Gu Qingchen's long whip wrapped around an assassin's ankle and pulled hard, but another assassin took the opportunity to slash the whip with his knife, sparks flying everywhere.
She was also pulled backward by this tremendous force.
One step, two steps.
When Gu Qingchen's heel stepped on a loose stone, and the stone rolled down with a "gurgle" but didn't make any sound when it hit the ground, her heart sank.
Behind them was a bottomless abyss, shrouded in mist and clouds.
The assassins' encirclement is tightening step by step.
"It seems that he is indeed your target."
Gu Qingchen lashed out with her soft whip in a sharp arc, forcing back an assassin from the side, but she still didn't hold back her words.
"You should have said so earlier! I would have helped you hold him down, and we could split the profits 30/70 after it's done."
Zhao Chen'an's temple throbbed violently. He stabbed an assassin through the shoulder blade with a backhand stroke and said angrily in a deep voice, "If you say another word, believe me, I'll throw you down first!"
"Go ahead and throw it!" Gu Qingchen retorted without backing down. "With His Highness the Crown Prince accompanying me on the road to the Yellow Springs, I won't be at a loss!"
Before the words were finished, an exceptionally tall assassin seized the moment during their argument and pounced like a tiger descending a mountain. His long sword whistled through the air as it aimed straight for Zhao Chen'an's head.
This strike was powerful and heavy, and there was no way to avoid it.
Zhao Chen'an's pupils contracted sharply, and he parried with his sword.
"clang!"
A loud bang made his arm go numb, and his hand split open instantly, blood staining the hilt of his sword.
The force of the impact sent him staggering backward, his heels dangling over the edge of the cliff.
Gu Qingchen's heart skipped a beat.
Before she could think, the long whip in her hand moved like a snake emerging from its hole, suddenly wrapping around Zhao Chen'an's waist and pulling him back sharply!
At the same time, another assassin's knife had already silently reached under her ribs.
In a flash, Zhao Chen'an used Gu Qingchen's pull to steady himself. He glanced at the bottomless cliff below, then at Gu Qingchen, who was now in danger because of him. A hint of madness and determination, never before seen, flashed in his eyes, which always contained gentleness and calculation.
Instead of fighting off the assassin, he suddenly grabbed Gu Qingchen's wrist.
"Hurry up!"
"What are you doing..."
Before Gu Qingchen could finish his question, he felt a tightness around his waist and was forcibly pulled by a tremendous force, slamming into a hard embrace that smelled of blood.
The next instant, the world spun around.
She watched helplessly as the assassins, the red plum grove, and the sky above them sped away from her sight.
The sense of solid ground beneath my feet has completely disappeared.
The feeling of weightlessness was like an invisible giant hand, seizing her heart.
The wind howled in my ears, stinging my cheeks.
"what--!"
An uncontrollable scream burst from Gu Qingchen's throat, only to be torn apart by the howling wind.
She was dragged off the cliff by this madman!
"Zhao Chen'an!" Gu Qingchen's scream turned into a curse. She struggled wildly in the air, roaring with all her might, "You madman! I don't want to die! You've dragged me down with you!"
"Even if I become a ghost, I won't let you go!"
Amidst the chaos and howling wind of the rapid descent, the man holding her showed no panic whatsoever; instead, a deep tremor emanated from his chest.
"rest assured."
"Can't die."