CHAPTER 617: CHAPTER 511 TURBULENCE AT THE LANTERN FESTIVAL

The Crown Prince Mansion and the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion are not in the same direction.

Lu Yuan and Chen Long escorted Meng Qianqian back to the Thousand Mechanism Pavilion, while the others returned first to the Crown Prince Mansion.

"This bow..."

Meng Qianqian caressed the Houyi Bow, trying hard to recall, but the headache she expected didn’t arrive.

She shook her head and sighed, "Still can’t do it."

Chen Long asked softly, "You can’t remember?"

Meng Qianqian nodded slightly, "Not even a slight headache."

Lu Yuan frowned, "Does your memory always come back with a headache?"

Meng Qianqian blinked, "It’s not very painful either."

Lu Yuan grabbed the Houyi Bow from her hands, lifted the curtain of the carriage, and tossed it onto the roof.

Yu Zichuan’s sharp reflexes caught the Houyi Bow mid-air.

Chen Long asked him, "What do you think you’re doing?"

Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly, "Just a broken bow, forget it."

Meng Qianqian leaned closer to him, "Do you just not want me to get a headache?"

She thought he’d retort in his usual aloof, sharp-tongued manner, but instead, he raised his hand, pushing her head into his chest: "Yes."

Chen Long: I’m still on this carriage!!!

Meng Qianqian’s cheeks flushed, her heart raced, and she was about to pull away.

Lu Yuan’s hand gently patted her temple soothingly, "Ignore him."

Chen Long, after being force-fed this display of affection: Don’t tempt me to unsheathe my sword!

-

Liu Qingyun had been in the Imperial City for quite some time, but this was her first visit to the night market.

She loved lively places, and it just so happened that tonight, there was a lantern festival along the way.

"I thought only the Capital City in Great Zhou had lantern festivals."

She said this because lantern festivals were indeed rare in the Southwest and Miaojiang.

Lu Zhaoyan lifted the carriage curtain and gazed at the dazzling array of lanterns on the long street, resembling a glowing dragon. He murmured, "In all my years, I’ve only seen lantern festivals of this scale a handful of times."

Liu Qingyun said, "Let’s go and take a look!"

Lu Zhaoyan smiled, "Alright, as you wish, Xiao Bai. Cui Hu."

Cui Hu, who was driving the carriage, reluctantly replied, "Yes, Your Highness."

Cui Hu parked the carriage in a small alley.

Lu Zhaoyan helped Liu Qingyun off the carriage.

Ji Feng secretly followed them.

Liu Qingyun marveled as she wandered through the lanterns, "Ah Yan, these lanterns look just like the ones in the Capital City."

Lu Zhaoyan replied, "Do they?"

She admired the lanterns; he admired her.

The radiant lantern light illuminated her delicate face, making her seem like a celestial maiden who had descended to earth, breathtakingly beautiful.

As Liu Qingyun picked out a lantern, she turned her head and caught his ardent gaze: "What are you looking at me for? Look at the lanterns."

Lu Zhaoyan responded softly, "All these countless lanterns pale in comparison to your beauty."

Liu Qingyun: "Flatterer."

"Oh my! What’s that?"

Ahead, someone screamed in excitement.

Liu Qingyun followed the sound of the commotion and saw showers of spark and molten iron dancing like a fireworks display.

Her eyes lit up with delight, "It’s the iron flower show! The Imperial City is truly lively these days!"

King Qin’s ascension to the throne and the marriage of the Qilin to the Phoenix Girl—such a grand event naturally drew visitors from all over and brought much festivity.

Liu Qingyun turned to Lu Zhaoyan, "You’ve never seen an iron flower show before, have you?"

Lu Zhaoyan shook his head, "Never."

Liu Qingyun nonchalantly said, "Come, I’ll show you tonight."

Lu Zhaoyan readily agreed, "Alright."

He signaled to Ji Feng in the shadows with a glance.

Understanding instantly, Ji Feng blew a sharp whistle.

Several Imperial Guards hidden in the vicinity immediately emerged to surround Liu Qingyun and Lu Zhaoyan.

Cui Hu used his Qinggong to leap onto the rooftop where Ji Feng waited and asked, "Why the sudden signal? What’s going on?"

Ji Feng replied, "Madam wants to see the iron flower show."

Cui Hu was puzzled, "Then let her watch!"

Ji Feng scanned the bustling crowd, his expression serious: "Tonight’s long street is unusually crowded."

Cui Hu dismissed his concern, "The return of the Qilin, the people’s joy, and celebration—it’s bound to be lively, isn’t it?"

Ji Feng, however, remained stern, "Stay alert."

Cui Hu chuckled, "You worry too much. We’ve been guarding the Crown Prince for so long without any missteps. If you want someone to worry about, it should be the Imperial Grandson—he’s the one who’s always causing trouble..."

Boom!

"Wow—"

"Ahh—"

"So beautiful—the iron flowers are amazing!"

As molten iron was thrown high into the night sky, a stunning display of fiery flowers bloomed above the crowd.

For a moment, everyone’s eyes were filled with nothing but the dazzling iron flowers.

"Holy... it’s... truly spectacular..."

Cui Hu was utterly awestruck.

Ji Feng squinted, briefly blinded by the intense brilliance of the display.

He raised his hand to shield his eyes.

But in that fleeting moment, when he looked back toward the iron flower show’s location, Lu Zhaoyan and Liu Qingyun had vanished into the crowd.

He immediately stood up, switching the sword in his right hand to his left, his face grim: "His Highness and Madam are missing!"

Cui Hu snapped out of it and looked toward where the two had been standing.

Sure enough, only a cluster of commoners remained enjoying the show.

The remaining Imperial Guards protecting the Crown Prince and Madam were also nowhere to be seen.

"There!"

Cui Hu pointed toward an alley to the east.

A man dressed as a beggar was dragging a Hidden Guard from the Crown Prince Mansion into the alley.

His sharp eyes quickly scanned the area, spotting another Hidden Guard’s body lying motionless in the back courtyard of a nearby tavern to the west.

"Such swift moves!"

Not only were the attacks executed skillfully, but the aftermath was cleaned up just as efficiently.

Finally, Cui Hu believed Ji Feng’s caution wasn’t undue paranoia.

The evening’s commotion was a trap set for the Crown Prince and Madam!

"What about the others?"

He gritted his teeth.

Ji Feng replied calmly, "Forget about them. His Highness and Madam are missing. They left a few bodies behind to buy time. We must split up and give chase immediately!"

Cui Hu clenched his fist in frustration, "Got it!"

Ji Feng added, "I’ll make them pay."

Dying for their master was their destiny. That fate included himself and Cui Hu.

"Damn it! Let me find out who did this, and I’ll end them!"

Cui Hu performed Qinggong and disappeared.

Ji Feng pursued in the opposite direction, tracking their trail.

An inconspicuous carriage exited through the back gate of a gambling den, racing into the night.

Just as the carriage was turning a corner, Ji Feng descended from above, slicing through the reins with one clean motion.

The startled horses reared up and galloped away.

The carriage collapsed with a loud crash.

Ji Feng quickly climbed into the carriage, attempting to rescue the passengers, but was met with a knife swung by a man disguised as a beggar.

Ji Feng dodged backward a few steps, coldly staring at the attacker.

Moments later, several more beggars with murderous glares appeared behind the first one.

Ji Feng said icily, "You’re not from the Southwest."

The lead beggar retorted, "Do it yourself, and I’ll leave your corpse intact."

Ji Feng replied calmly, "Let’s see if you’re capable of that first!"

He leapt forward, engaging the "beggars" in a fierce fight.

The lead beggar barked, "Hold him off!"

"Yes!"

The group encircled Ji Feng completely.

Though Ji Feng’s martial arts were exceptional, he was vastly outnumbered, with more "beggars" constantly emerging from every direction.

No matter how many Ji Feng struck down, more would take their place—it was a never-ending battle!

Ji Feng fought with wild intensity.

The lead beggar dragged Lu Zhaoyan out of the carriage, slung him over his back, and darted into the night at full speed.

Unleashing his Qinggong to its fullest, the lead beggar leapt across rooftops.

However, just as he landed on one, a dark figure streaked in from the side like lightning, crashing into him with great force. The impact sent him flying, and Lu Zhaoyan was flung into the air.

The man in black caught Lu Zhaoyan.

Instead of engaging in a fight, he turned and swiftly disappeared.

The lead beggar rolled to a stop on the ground and steadied himself, gritting his teeth furiously, "After him! Don’t let him get away!"