King Zhou Ling's eyes bulged with rage as his guards kicked open the door, revealing the scene inside the room.
The person being dragged by her hair and pinned to the ground was none other than his beloved niece, whom he had cherished since childhood!
And in this room, the once seemingly dignified and gentle younger generation of the Yuan royal family now wore a hideous, cruel, and twisted expression!
"You scoundrel!" King Zhou Ling stepped forward and kicked Yuan Kaizhi to the ground.
Yuan Kaizhi fell, his handsome phoenix eyes wide with shock.
"No... it's impossible..."
"King Zhou... how can he be here?"
"No, he couldn't possibly know about my plan..."
King Zhou Ling, already embarrassed at being deceived, became even more enraged upon hearing this. He kicked Yuan Kaizhi several more times. At first, Yuan Kaizhi protected his head and cried out in pain, but gradually he began to fight back!
Yuan Kaizhi looked at King Zhou Ling and the middle-aged attendant who had followed him into the room.
The wariness and fear in his eyes turned to ruthlessness and a resolve to see things through to the end.
"What audacious thieves dare to break into a private residence in broad daylight?"
"Old Xu," Yuan Kaizhi called out, "seize these two intruders!"
He had brought a team of skilled fighters with him into Jing Country and wasn't afraid of King Zhou Ling alone!
Whether the other party was traveling incognito or had some other reason for being there, it could only be considered King Zhou's bad luck. Who told him to be so careless as to come to this place of all the vast lands between heaven and earth, stumbling upon his devious plot!
"Intruders, according to the laws of Yuan State, those who break into private homes and commit murder can be killed in self-defense by the homeowner!"
Yuan Kaizhi gritted his teeth. At the prime age of thirty, he was stronger than the aging King Zhou Ling. Instead of dodging the king's kick, he caught his foot and pressed the king's neck to the ground.
The middle-aged guard behind King Zhou Ling rushed forward angrily but was quickly surrounded by five skilled fighters hidden in the dilapidated cottage.
"Uncle..." Princess Ronghua, lying on the ground, saw the scene and turned pale, "Flee quickly!"
"Haha, King Zhou, I didn't want it to be this way," Yuan Kaizhi narrowed his eyes, pressing on King Zhou Ling's neck, "But I have no choice. It's your own bad luck to come to Jing Country at such a time."
"And of all places, you had to come to Mao Family Village. Your luck really is terrible."
King Zhou Ling's eyes flickered, his heart suddenly turbulent.
Luck?
Pinned to the ground, he couldn't help but look towards the tightly closed door outside.
In his initial anger, he had forgotten to think carefully, but now Yuan Kaizhi's words reminded him that it was Xiao Yunzhou who had brought him here!
It was Xiao Yunzhou who suggested visiting the duck farming area, and it was Xiao Yunzhou who chose Mao Family Village, then came to inspect the duck shed.
And it was Xiao Yunzhou who said his younger generation was in 'mortal danger', using the opportunity of conversation to bring him outside this cottage!
King Zhou Ling's brow twitched involuntarily.
'There's a powerful fortune-teller in Jing Country who predicted my deadly crisis and helped me avoid disaster...' The words of the King of Chu suddenly surfaced in King Zhou Ling's mind.
'I didn't believe it at first, but everything has unfolded exactly as this Jing Country expert predicted.'
'Everything has developed according to the secret instructions Xiao Yunzhou gave me.'
'He accurately predicted two deadly crises without a single error!'
King Zhou Ling drew in a sharp breath. Did Jing Country really have such a powerful mystic?
Or did Jing Country have spies everywhere, allowing Xiao Yunzhou to know everything clearly, whether about Yuan Kaizhi or their entry into Jing Country's territory?
Whichever guess was correct, it proved that Jing Country was not to be underestimated!
For the first time, King Zhou Ling felt fortunate that he had come and learned all this. Otherwise, how could he have blindly helped Yuan State attack such a formidable Jing Country and hope to win?
"Yuan Kaizhi," King Zhou Ling closed his eyes, "I'll give you one more chance. If you release Princess Ronghua and me, and reveal all of Yuan State's plots, I'll spare your life."
"Haha, if I release you, will you really let me go?" Yuan Kaizhi laughed viciously, "Do you think I'm a fool? Get this straight, your life is in my hands now."
"I'll kill you first, then kill Ronghua," Yuan Kaizhi said in a low voice, "Then I'll report to the authorities in Jing Country that you killed my wife, and I accidentally killed you in self-defense."
"In Jing Country, any small yamen won't recognize your face, King Zhou. Whatever I say goes!"
Yuan Kaizhi became more excited as he thought about it, "When King Zhou disappears and doesn't return, Crown Prince Zhou Xing will ascend the throne. Then when someone reports to the new emperor that King Zhou died in Jing Country, hahaha, your Zhou Xing Kingdom will still help my Yuan State attack Jing!"
As he spoke, Yuan Kaizhi pulled out a dagger from his sleeve and was about to slit King Zhou's throat—but with a bang, the door was kicked open again.
"?!"
Yuan Kaizhi was shocked, his dagger moving recklessly to cut King Zhou's neck, but an arrow whistled through the air, hitting him directly in the arm holding the knife!
"Ah!" Yuan Kaizhi cried out in pain, his entire body thrown back by the powerful penetrating force of the flying arrow, pinning him to the wooden cabinet on the back wall of the room!
King Zhou Ling, who had been trapped by him, was knocked sideways to the ground.
"Who?" Yuan Kaizhi howled in pain and fear, looking up, "Old Xu, come quickly! Protect me, kill these intruders!"
But in the next moment, he saw more than a dozen strong men pour in from outside, subduing all his henchmen.
Soon after, a handsome man with a noble bearing, dressed in loose cloth that somewhat resembled a Taoist robe, walked in with his hands behind his back.
Behind him followed a beardless attendant with a fair complexion and an imposing elder with graying hair.
"Well, Brother Zhou, didn't I tell you? Your younger generation was indeed in mortal danger. Do you believe me now?" The noble-looking middle-aged handsome man smiled, "Brother Chu, thank you for following us to watch this drama."
King Zhou Ling's pupils dilated in shock.
Yuan Kaizhi's face, however, turned as white as a sheet.
'We'? What 'we'?
In Jing Country, who could address King Zhou as 'Brother Zhou' and refer to himself as 'we', except for one person!
How is this possible? How could the Emperor of Jing Country be here as well?
Yuan Kaizhi could hardly believe he wasn't dreaming. Why would the Emperor of Jing Country accompany King Zhou Ling to this small village, to the home of a fool? It made no sense!
"I couldn't have been exposed!" Before setting out, he had deceived Ronghua, saying he wanted to experience life as a common married couple with her. He had her dress as a village woman and kept their itinerary secret from her attendants and guards, departing in secret.
All along the way, they had acted like an ordinary farming couple, riding ox carts and staying in villages... Throughout the journey, they had only addressed each other as 'wife' and 'husband', never using their real names. How could their identities possibly have been exposed?
"Who exactly are you?!" Yuan Kaizhi's right arm was covered in blood, dripping onto the floor.
But Xiao Yunzhou merely smiled slightly, as if he hadn't heard, and looked earnestly at King Zhou Ling, who was helping his niece to her feet.
"Well, Brother Zhou?"
"When the snipe and the clam grapple, the fisherman profits. Do you see clearly now?"
King Zhou Ling narrowed his eyes, looking back at Yuan Kaizhi with bloodshot eyes, "The alliance between Zhou Xing Kingdom and Yuan Mu Country is hereby dissolved, effective immediately!"
Yuan Kaizhi stared in disbelief.
"The Yuan people have insulted my elder brother's daughter, as if killing my own flesh and blood. I will be enemies with Yuan for life!"
Xiao Yunzhou finally breathed a sigh of relief, "Then I'll leave these people for you to deal with, Brother Zhou."
King Zhou nodded gratefully and gave a look to his middle-aged attendant, who immediately pulled the screaming Yuan Kaizhi off the wooden cabinet and dragged him outside to be dealt with!
Xiao Yunzhou frowned and followed them out, not wanting his daughter to see such a gruesome scene.
But as soon as he stepped outside, he found his precious Chu Chu in the arms of a guard, fearfully covering her eyes with her small hands, yet peeking through a gap to watch Yuan Kaizhi's execution—
However, before she could see the blade fall, she exclaimed.
[Oh my, I see the Eight Trigrams on Yuan Kaizhi's body.]
[He actually knows the Yuan King's secret—goodness, the Yuan King is impotent!]
Xiao Yunzhou's eyes widened in shock.
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