Chapter 162: An Invitation to a Trap

Xiao Li had just left the Prince Yanping Mansion when a guard reported, "Princess, Prince Yanping has just returned from outside the Capital City."

Xiao Li stroked Mo Jiang’s soft fur. "I’m aware."

Lou Yan took the reins from a guard and meticulously offered Xiao Li his hand, a gesture to help her mount her horse.

Holding Mo Jiang was indeed inconvenient, so Xiao Li placed her hand on his arm and used his strength to mount her horse.

Lou Yan mounted the horse behind her and rode up to her side. "Is the Princess planning to leave the city?"

Xiao Li replied, "Probably."

’This little wolf cub has some skills after all,’ she thought. ’Xiao Jingzhao came back from outside the city and actually saw Cen An. That should make the search much easier.’

Lou Yan’s deep gaze fell upon her, his eyes holding an inscrutable glimmer. "I must return to the palace to report, so I’m afraid I cannot accompany you, Princess. However, if the Princess commands it, I will naturally obey."

The subtext was clear: ’Please, Princess, you must command me to go with you!’

Xiao Li glanced over at him and chuckled. "It’s dangerous outside the city. Lord Seal Master, your martial arts are superb. Why don’t you accompany me?"

Lou Yan’s long, narrow eyes softened, and the corners of his lips lifted into a pronounced smile. "As you command!"

Xiao Li hadn’t even reached the city gates when one of Song Junzhan’s men arrived with a message: they had found Cen An.

Xiao Li cracked her whip. "Let’s go!"

Cen An hadn’t been taken far. He was in a mountain hollow less than thirty li outside the Capital City.

The hollow was a ravine nestled between two mountains. A residence had been built there, nestled against the mountainside. It wasn’t large, but it was distinctive, with ornate eaves and brackets. The design was meticulous and displayed unique craftsmanship.

However, its black pillars and dark gray tiles gave it a gloomy, oppressive atmosphere.

By the time Xiao Li arrived, Song Junzhan’s men were already engaged in a fight.

Song Junzhan, whose martial arts were lacking, stood watching from a distance under a tree. He was dressed in moon-white robes, and his face was just as pale. He had exhausted himself searching for Cen An. Given his already poor health, the ordeal had left him completely drained.

It helped that he was handsome. His hair was tied back with a blue silk ribbon, and a single tassel dangled by his ear, giving him a somewhat ethereal air.

When he saw Xiao Li arrive, he stepped forward. "Princess, Cen An is inside."

Xiao Li didn’t even have to raise a hand. With just a slight tilt of her head, Rong Qing was already leading his men in a charge.

Ziyue, looking exceptionally sharp in a suit of armor tailored specifically for him, saw Rong Qing make his move. He was about to join the charge with the others but was abruptly stopped by Song Junzhan.

"Young Master, why are you stopping me?"

Song Junzhan pushed him back. "It’s not your turn to do the killing."

Song Junzhan’s men and the black-clad guards in the courtyard had been locked in a stalemate, but as soon as Rong Qing and his men joined the fray, the tide turned.

The group pressed toward the main gate. A few slashes from their blades, followed by a powerful kick, and the gate crashed down.

The front of the residence was quickly seized by the men from the Princess Mansion, and the number of black-clad guards dwindled.

Song Junzhan stood on Xiao Li’s other side, his expression grave. "Princess, please be careful. I have a feeling this is all going too smoothly."

"Our men traced them here and happened to run into a porter who saw them pass by," he explained. "I didn’t intend to act immediately, but a group of their men suddenly appeared from outside and attacked without a word."

’When kidnappers take a hostage, don’t they usually hide them away, afraid of being found? This is strange. Their actions are those of kidnappers, yet they’ve left a clear trail, almost as if they were deliberately waiting to be found.’

Xiao Li looked up at the lay of the land. The villa was enclosed by the mountains on three sides, with only the front open.

"An invitation to a trap."

Xiao Li laughed and made to step forward, but Song Junzhan raised a hand to stop her, his eyes filled with worry. "Princess, it’s better if you wait here."

’This is connected to Prince Yanping. And with a setup like this... it’s self-evident who the trap is for.’

’This is a trap for Xiao Li.’

Gazing at the dark, menacing villa that seemed poised to devour anyone who entered, Xiao Li sneered. "Such theatrics."

"Since someone has gone to the trouble of setting the stage, how can I not go and see the show?" she said. "Besides, I’m also curious to know who’s so impatient..." ’...to get themselves reincarnated.’

With that, she strode toward the entrance. The moment she stepped through the gate, dozens of arrows rained down from above.

"Princess, look out!"

The surrounding guards instantly fell back into a defensive formation, using their own bodies as shields to block the volley of arrows.

This was where the power of their equipment became evident. The guards of the Princess Mansion needed no shields. Their armor *was* their Shield. Even a direct blow from a sword might not pierce it; the lethality of arrows from a distance was practically negligible.

The two guards closest to her weren’t holding swords. Instead, each carried an Iron Umbrella as thick as a man’s arm. The instant the arrows flew, they snapped them open. The two silver-gleaming Iron Umbrellas met overhead, forming an impenetrable roof. Between them and the armored guards, nothing could even graze Xiao Li.

Lou Yan had already raised his hand to act, but then he saw Xiao Li standing her ground without so much as a blink. There was no fear in her eyes. In fact, she was smiling.

She was like a predator that had finally caught the scent of blood, relishing the opportunity for a massacre.

An eyebrow arched on Lou Yan’s face, his expression one of unconcealed fascination. This was the side of her that he found most alluring.

Wave after wave of arrows rained down on the umbrellas. Aside from a cacophony of screeching metal and a few sparks, they had no effect whatsoever.

Lou Yan gave a slight bow. "Be careful, Princess. I will be right back."

Before his words had faded, he leaped onto the courtyard wall and then vaulted up toward the archers’ position.

Song Junzhan watched him go, his gaze deepening. He had never been inside the palace, so he didn’t recognize Lou Yan, but he recognized the uniform: it belonged to a Chief Eunuch.

And with that uniform, that age, that level of skill, and that grim, blood-soaked aura... it was hard not to think of the one person who fit the description: the Emperor’s notorious Chief Eunuch, famous for his brutal, malevolent presence.

He then turned his gaze back to Xiao Li, who was calmly walking deeper into the courtyard.

From behind, her figure was slender and tall, possessing a woman’s graceful elegance. Her back was ramrod straight, yet her steps were unhurried. She was strolling as if through a peaceful garden, completely unfazed by the storm of blood and steel around her.

Everyone knew that Princess Xuanyang had spent a fortune outfitting her guards with the finest armor, but it was impossible to truly grasp its quality without seeing it in person.

They were impervious to blades and spears, completely unharmed by arrows.

The protection was airtight, yet it didn’t hinder the guards’ ability to attack. While this was partly because the guards were all powerfully built, there was certainly no shortage of strong men in the army.

Ziyue had said the Princess designed the armor herself. To this day, the forging methods and materials remained a complete mystery.

Faced with equipment that could only be described as a Divine Weapon, factors like its exorbitant cost and the need for exceptionally strong soldiers to wear it seemed secondary.

’He hadn’t misjudged her. Princess Xuanyang was the most brilliant, dazzling, and indestructible pearl in the entire dynasty.’

’As for the Emperor’s Chief Eunuch obeying her every command and charging into the fray for her... that was no longer difficult to understand.’

After Princess Xuanyang’s men arrived, Manager Jiang had fallen back to protect Song Junzhan, and now watched the scene unfolding inside with him.

Overcome with shock, he couldn’t help but remark, "No wonder everyone says Princess Xuanyang is arrogant and vicious. Who wouldn’t be trembling in their boots after seeing a display like this?"

Ziyue, wearing the same type of armor, felt a swell of pride. The only problem was that not being allowed to charge in and fight alongside them was incredibly frustrating.