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The new wave of assassins was larger in number. Gu Jiao counted them and found a total of six. Each person emitted a very strong aura, and Gu Jiao felt a faint sense of familiarity from them.
Three people and one bird concealed themselves on the lush branches. Gu Jiao and Gu Chengfeng focused on holding their breath. Gu Jiao covered Grandaunt's nose, not suffocating her but effectively muffling any sounds.
Upon seeing Gu Jiao cover herself, Little Nine darted its bird eyes around before spreading its wings and covering its own bird head.
Gu Chengfeng on the side: ...Uh, you're a bird. Why are you covering yourself?
The group of people below had no idea that Gu Jiao and the others were hiding on the tree. They assumed they had continued forward and used their qinggong to chase after them.
Once they were certain the pursuers had gone far, Gu Chengfeng spoke, "What do we do now?"
The carriage was gone, and the horses had run away. They couldn't possibly walk back to the capital on just their legs, could they?
It was quite a distance from here to the capital. Even with fast horses, it would take several hours. Walking all the way back would surely break their legs.
"Let's wait for daylight." Gu Jiao replied.
While it was easy to conceal their figures at night on the road, people suddenly appearing in the darkness would easily arouse suspicion. Even the slightest sound or movement from them would be invisibly magnified.
But during the day, there were more people on the roads and they could easily blend into the crowd.
"So... we just sit on the tree and wait?" Gu Chengfeng asked.
While the two were talking, a venomous snake approached them, its forked tongue flickering.
The snake was closest to Gu Jiao.
Just as it opened its mouth with sharp fangs, ready to bite Gu Jiao's neck, Little Nine flapped its wings and knocked it away!
Staying in the tree overnight was clearly not practical. Aside from the poisonous snakes and insects, there was also the danger of accidentally falling from the tree if they dozed off.
"Oh? There seems to be a cave over there." Gu Jiao said, looking towards the southern foot of the mountain. "Let's go and check it out!"
The three of them headed towards the southern foot of the forest, and indeed, there was a cave there.
"Someone has stayed here." Gu Jiao said, taking out a lighter and looking at the firewood and dry grass on the ground.
"People live in a place like this too?" Gu Chengfeng pursed his lips.
"It was a long time ago, and they probably just passed by." Gu Jiao said after briefly tidying up the cave, arranging the dry grass into a pile. She turned to Gu Chengfeng and said, "Let Grandaunt sit here."
The cave was cold, and Empress Dowager Zhuang, at her age, would catch a chill sitting directly on the ground. Fortunately, there were dried grasses left by the previous visitor.
"Oh." Gu Chengfeng gently placed the sleeping Empress Dowager Zhuang down and helped her sit on the grass pile. Gu Jiao sat next to her, allowing Grandaunt to lean against her shoulder.
As for Gu Chengfeng, this grown man had to make do with sitting on the ground. Although he was the top thief in the capital, he was a well-off thief. He experienced physical hardships, not hardships in daily life.
Therefore, this environment was somewhat torturous for him, but there was nothing he could do about it.
Little Nine perched on a large tree outside the cave, keeping watch.
Gu Jiao put away the fire and darkness enveloped the cave once again. The faint moonlight seeped in, casting a quiet stillness inside the cave.
Gu Chengfeng broke the silence in the cave. He picked up a dry twig from the ground and absentmindedly scratched at the ground, saying, "Say… Why do you think Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing did all this? Why is she targeting the Empress Dowager at every turn? Is it just because she couldn't become the Empress Dowager herself? But if she hadn't plotted against the Empress Dowager back then, wouldn't the Empress Dowager have given her a chance to become Empress Dowager?"
It wasn't uncommon for there to be two Empress Dowagers simultaneously—— one as the Emperor's birth mother and the other as the Emperor's legitimate mother. The founding dynasty had Empress Dowager Zhao and Empress Dowager Xun for example.
Gu Jiao pondered for a moment, "Maybe it's jealousy?"
Jealousy drove people mad, and one could never know what irrational actions a woman consumed by jealousy might take.
"Because of hatred." Empress Dowager Zhuang's calm voice suddenly spoke up.
Gu Jiao turned her head. "Grandaunt, you're awake?"
"Mm." Empress Dowager Zhuang slowly straightened her body. In the darkness, she closed her eyes briefly, and when she opened them, they were filled with chilling coldness, "She is a remnant of the previous dynasty."
Crack!
Gu Chengfeng exerted force, snapping the twig in his hand. He exclaimed in disbelief, "A remnant of the previous... previous dynasty?"
The previous dynasty, which had fallen two hundred years ago, still had remnants? This was terrifying!
"Grandaunt, did you already know?" Gu Jiao asked.
Empress Dowager Zhuang shook her head, "I just found out as well."
On the carriage, when Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing flaunted her bracelet, pulling up her sleeve slightly, Empress Dowager Zhuang inadvertently caught a glimpse of a pigeon blood tattoo on Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's arm.
There had always been a tattoo on her arm, originally thought to be a peony, but now she realized it was the symbol of the Crimson Flame.
Presumably, she had gotten the peony tattoo to conceal the Crimson Flame’s symbol. No wonder when Ning'an had injured her face, she immediately suggested covering the scar with a makeup of a begonia flower. It seemed to be her usual trick.
Empress Dowager Zhuang said, "That symbol is the mark of the death warriors of the previous dynasty, somewhat similar to the black tortoise tattoo on the faces of the Dragon Shadow Guards."
Although they were both death warriors, the death warriors of the previous dynasty were not like the Dragon Shadow Guards, who were merely killing tools. They were more like elite martial artists within the imperial palace, also serving as strategists and scouts.
Gu Jiao suddenly realized, "No wonder she's so skilled." So she was a death warrior.
Empress Dowager Zhuang continued, "The true death warriors of the previous dynasty no longer exist. Strictly speaking, they are descendants of the death warriors of the previous dynasty. The late Emperor originally bought death warriors from the State of Yan to train to be the Dragon Shadow Guards, with the initial purpose of hunting down the death warriors of the previous dynasty. After killing most of them, who would have expected that there was still a fish that slipped through the net."
Gu Chengfeng opened his mouth, "Then... Count Yong'en..."
The current Count Yong'en was Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's nephew.
Empress Dowager Zhuang snorted, "Do you think anyone is qualified to be a rebel? Count Yong'en, that fool, couldn't have caught the attention of the remnants of the previous dynasty. But Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's own elder brother is somewhat mysterious. Unfortunately, he died early due to illness."
Otherwise, who knows, the capital might have possibly produced a second Grand Preceptor Zhuang!
Gu Chengfeng was shocked beyond measure. If Empress Dowager hadn't personally revealed it, who could have imagined that behind the seemingly insignificant Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing were such terrifying interests and connections?
He could hardly believe it!
"So... is the reason she took Your Majesty to the border because there are remnants of the previous dynasty there too? Is she planning to join forces with them? Unable to endure staying in the palace any longer, she took the opportunity to make a timely exit. She... she intends to..."
Gu Chengfeng choked on the words "revolt."
He thought it’d be best for him not to meddle in politics.
Empress Dowager Zhuang didn't deliberately conceal anything, "We can assume that for now. The borderlands are a place of hardship, and the imperial court's control over that region is not strict. If one wants to raise an army, it is the most suitable place."
Gu Chengfeng suddenly heard insider information that even his grandfather and older brother were unaware of. His feelings were indescribable. "But, hasn't anyone suspected her all these years with her constant contact with the border? She..." Gu Chengfeng's words trailed off.
Right, he remembered that Princess Ning'an had married into the border.
He sighed, "She's truly cunning."
Princess Ning'an's marriage was planned by Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing from the beginning. The man whom Princess Ning'an fell in love with at first sight, the man who said to love her with his life, was also a pawn of Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing.
"How can someone be so heartless? Princess Ning'an is so pitiful." Gu Chengfeng didn't know what to say.
Empress Dowager Zhuang closed her eyes, a glistening of tears shimmering on her lashes.
Little Nine flapped its wings and flew over, landing on Gu Jiao's leg.
Gu Jiao understood and her gaze turned cold. She said, "They're coming!"
Gu Chengfeng's expression changed, "So soon!"
"Let's go!" Gu Jiao helped Grandaunt up.
Gu Chengfeng turned around, carrying Grandaunt on his back. In order to free up his hands, Gu Jiao used her waistband to secure Grandaunt to him.
Noticing there was something amiss with her posture, Gu Chengfeng frowned and asked, "What are you planning to do?"
Gu Jiao replied, "I'll lead them away while you take Grandaunt and escape!"
"No! If anyone were to lead them away, it should be..."
He wanted to say that he should be the one to lead them away, but before he could, Gu Jiao had already rushed out.
In fact, he understood that this was the best arrangement. He was agile and could carry people quickly, while Gu Jiao was skilled enough to delay the pursuers as much as possible.
Gu Chengfeng wasn’t an indecisive person. If he delayed any longer, no one among them would be able to escape.
With Grandaunt on his back, he utilized his qinggong technique and disappeared into the night in the opposite direction.
……
In the dense forest, Gu Jiao confronted the group of people.
She finally realized where that familiar feeling came from. Their techniques and killing intent were too similar to the Dragon Shadow Guards.
Gu Jiao fought fiercely against Imperial Concubine Dowager Jing's "Dragon Shadow Guards," a group she trained after obtaining the original Dragon Shadow Guards. She had them engage in duels with these people and secretly analyzed the techniques of the Dragon Shadow Guards, eventually forming her own version.
Although they were not on par with the real Dragon Shadow Guards, they were still far more formidable than ordinary imperial experts.
Gu Jiao quickly sustained injuries, and blood flowed down her arm.
Her objective wasn’t to engage in a life-or-death battle. After delaying them for so long, they should not be able to catch up to Gu Chengfeng.
Using a blast from the black gunpowder ball, Gu Jiao created a path of blood and dashed deep into the dense forest.
One of the black-clad individuals, enduring the pain, drew a bow and shot an arrow towards Gu Jiao's heart.
At that moment, Little Nine fluttered its wings and swiftly flew over, displaying the dominance and agility of the sky overlord. It snatched the arrow out of the air with one claw!
T/N: Bonus chapter will be tomorrow. Sorry guys, I really don't feel well today and only managed to Tl one chapter.
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