Chapter 4: Big Ice Cube—An Accomplice of the Assassin?

Any man who saw such a thin, bedraggled little girl would feel an impulse—to protect her. That is a man's protective instinct.

But upon hearing Qiyueban's words, the man in black froze for a moment.

Just now, he had clearly seen only this little girl, who looked exceptionally frail and about eight or nine years old, inside the room. He had assumed she was a lowly servant girl from Prince Jing's Manor. How come she was now saying there was a Princess Consort inside as well?

Then where was the Princess Consort?

The man in black glanced at Qiyueban. There was no time to think further now; escaping with his life was the priority.

He had failed to assassinate the Prince; going back, who knew how badly his comrades would mock him!

Qiyueban shrank her neck, trembling, her skinny little hands shaking as she inch by inch hid behind the group of guards.

That pitiful, wretched little appearance and bedraggled figure made the guards automatically and consciously move Qiyueban behind them. Then, every single one of them stood straight with an air of righteous indignation, glaring fiercely at the man in black standing in the middle of the courtyard.

Qiyueban quickly reached the very back of the crowd, right at the courtyard gate.

Through the gaps in her disheveled hair, Qiyueban saw everyone focused on the assassin in the center of the courtyard; no one was paying attention to her. She straightened up, bent her already short waist, and ran off in a specific direction.

Qiyueban was very fast. Although she was unfamiliar with the Prince's Manor, she believed running in one direction couldn't be wrong—no matter how big the manor, it had to have an end.

As long as she found the manor's perimeter wall, she would surely find a way to escape.

But what Qiyueban didn't know was that her new bridal chamber was located in the northeast corner of the vast Prince's Manor, while she was running toward the southwest corner.

Because Prince Jing, Xuan Yuan Wuchen, had illustrious military exploits, the Emperor had specially approved Prince Jing's Manor to be larger than the other princely manors in the Xuan Yuan Kingdom.

The manor was huge to begin with, Qiyueban ran the wrong way, and Li Wanyue's little body was exceptionally weak. So when Qiyueban had run for nearly half a double-hour (about an hour), she still hadn't seen the manor wall.

Exhausted and starving, Qiyueban squatted on the ground, limp and powerless, her left hand propping her up, her right hand pressing on her chest to calm the violent heaving caused by running too fast for too long.

The hatred in her heart! It was hatred for that assassin just now—she hated him so much that biting him to pieces wouldn't relieve her anger!

What was this for?

It was because that assassin had barged in earlier, and while fleeing, Qiyueban had tripped at the doorway. That fall had just so happened to knock the few pastries she had painstakingly hidden in her bosom onto the ground.

"Go check over there. Search carefully, don't miss a single dead corner."

"Yes!"

After the neat, unified reply, a rhythmic sound of footsteps approached Qiyueban's location.

Qiyueban squeezed her eyes shut, opened them, gritted her teeth, hunched her shoulders, and darted toward the inconspicuous-looking room on her right.

But the moment she entered the door, a dagger gleaming with cold light appeared before her.

"Speak. Who are you? What are you doing running in here?"

A male voice rang out. The timbre was extremely pleasant, the kind that easily bewitches and traps the listener.

Unfortunately, the voice was exceptionally cold, making one feel as if they had fallen into a thousand-year-old ice cellar, the whole body seeming to exude chill.

Qiyueban's body stiffened; she didn't dare move a muscle.

Having been extremely familiar with cold weapons in her past life, she knew from the bone-piercing chill emanating from the dagger at her throat that this was no ordinary blade.

She had transmigrated here less than twelve double-hours (24 hours) ago, and this was already her second brush with death. Qiyueban truly wanted to hold a moment of silence for her tragic fate.

"Hero, please, don't hurt me. I'm scared, wuu wuu wuu."

A weak voice sounded, thick with grief and fear, the kind that made one involuntarily feel a pang of pity.

"Lower your voice. Don't make noise. Make another sound and I'll kill you."

The icy voice held not a shred of pity, as if the person opposite him wasn't a frail child, but merely a stranger.

Hearing this emotionless voice, Qiyueban shut her mouth immediately.

Life is most important. That was Qiyueban's principle for living.

Although in her past life she had abandoned this principle just to see if the man she deeply loved would betray her, the result wasn't her being betrayed and blown to bits?

So Qiyueban had reclaimed her principle now.

But what Qiyueban didn't expect was that, seeing her fall silent and just stand there trembling, that big ice block actually withdrew the frigid dagger from her neck, turned around, and walked deeper into the room.

The room was very dark, so dark Qiyueban couldn't even make out the ice block's face before a towering, sturdy, broad back retreated further and further away. The silhouette radiated a freezing wind, devoid of any human warmth.

Qiyueban let out a breath of relief, secretly moving her fingers. A sharp-pointed golden hairpin appeared in her hand.

Although the ice block wasn't killing her now, who knew if he'd regret it later and want her dead?

Strike first to gain the upper hand. For her own little life, she could only wrong this ice block.

Seeing him hiding in this remote little room, he must be that assassin's accomplice, hiding here to evade the manor guards' pursuit.

Qiyueban looked at the tall, cold figure ahead, dressed in black with a black cloth masking his face, and thought as much.

She quietly followed the tall figure deeper into the room. Qiyueban sniffed, frowned, sniffed again.

Suddenly, Qiyueban's eyes lit up.

Haha, the heavens still looked out for her a little.

This really was a medicine storage room. With her keen sense of smell, Qiyueban had smelled it the moment she approached.

That was why she chose to hide in this medicine warehouse.

But she hadn't expected that this unremarkable place would hide the assassin's accomplice.

Seeing the tall black-clad ice block had no intention of harming her, Qiyueban relaxed as well.

Passing through a small door, Qiyueban's eyes brightened again.

It turned out that while the outer room looked unremarkable—not too large, with many herbs placed around the walls—Qiyueban circled around and disappointedly discovered that although the quantity of herbs here wasn't small and the medicinal scent was rich, there wasn't a single premium specimen, let alone the few life-saving spiritual herbs she wanted.

Somewhat disappointed, Qiyueban followed the assassin's accomplice further in.

They hadn't gone far when he opened a hidden door.

When Qiyueban stepped through the hidden door, the scene before her stunned her completely.