TPSC 10

Chapter 10

The horse let out a long, piercing neigh, and the pain only made it run faster.

Shen Yin gritted his teeth and yanked hard on the reins. Only when his hands were rubbed raw and bleeding did the carriage finally begin to slow down.

Up ahead, less than a li away, was a busier area with heavy foot traffic.

Shen Yin’s brows furrowed even deeper. He tightened his grip again. After another few hundred meters, the carriage finally came to a halt.

Chapter 8: (Untitled)

The horse pulling the carriage collapsed to the ground, lifeless.

Shen Yin flipped down from the carriage and immediately turned back, lifting the curtain.
“Your Highness, are you alright?”

As he spoke, he extended a hand, waiting for the person inside to take it. Without the horse, the carriage had tilted downward, making it difficult to step out.

Inside the carriage, Chu Moli held onto the window frame with one hand and steadied himself against the wall with the other.

At the sound of Shen Yin’s voice, he saw the hand reaching in.

That hand… was in terrible condition.

The skin on both sides of the palm had been worn away so badly that bone was faintly visible.

Just looking at it, Chu Moli could imagine how dangerous the situation had been.

At that moment, he couldn’t be bothered to disdain the blood covering Shen Yin’s hand. He reached out, took it, and stepped out of the carriage.

Chu Moli pulled out a small bottle of medicine from his robes and tossed it to Shen Yin.
“Apply it.”

Then he took out a silk handkerchief and carefully wiped the blood from his own hands.

Shen Yin clicked his tongue inwardly. Now you act disgusted? If it weren’t for me, you’d already be dead in that crash, you know.

Though he grumbled in his heart, outwardly he bowed respectfully.
“Thank you, Your Highness.”

With one hand, he pulled the stopper from the bottle and poured all the medicine onto the worst of his wounds.

Chu Moli couldn’t help twitching his eye.
“You’re ignoring the rest?”

“I see your other hand is injured as well. If you use it all at once, I don’t have a second bottle for you.”

Hearing this, Shen Yin bowed slightly again.
“Thank you for Your Highness’s concern. Those minor injuries are nothing—they’ll heal on their own in a couple of days.”

The real danger was the two wounds where bone was visible. If they weren’t treated quickly, the nerves might be damaged—and his hand could be ruined.

Chu Moli frowned, flicking open his folding fan and waving it lightly, his disdain obvious.
“As you wish. Hurry up.”

“Yes.”

Shen Yin quickened his movements, removed the binding from his sleeve, and swiftly wrapped the two severe wounds.

Just as he finished bandaging and stepped forward, about to reach out to support the Crown Prince—

The sound of approaching hoofbeats echoed from behind.

Along with it came a voice that instantly made one feel irritated—

“Crown Prince brother, don’t be in such a hurry to leave.”

At the sound, Chu Moli subtly stepped aside, and Shen Yin quietly lowered his hand.

The Crown Prince was out of favor. They absolutely could not let anyone discover that he kept shadow guards. Otherwise, by tomorrow morning—before dawn even broke—the entire palace would be buzzing with rumors that the Crown Prince was secretly raising assassins and plotting rebellion.

The hoofbeats came closer, then stopped behind them.

Chu Moli turned around, his narrow phoenix eyes lifting slightly as he looked at the man on horseback.
“What brings you here, Third Brother?”

Chu Yan circled them on horseback, the sneer on his face growing more obvious.
“I’ve come to see you off, Crown Prince brother.”

Then he guided his horse beside Shen Yin.
“I quite like this guard of yours. Why not give him to me?”

Chu Moli curled his lips into a cold smile.
“No.”

As he spoke, his gaze lowered slightly, concealing the ruthless glint in his eyes.

Completely unaware of the danger he was in, Chu Yan let out a cold laugh.
“In that case, don’t blame me.”

He rode to the side, raised his whip, and brought it down.
“Do it.”

At once, Shen Yin’s expression turned icy. With a sharp shing, the Guiyin Blade left its sheath.

He stared coldly at the four or five armed guards behind Chu Yan, then shifted slightly to the right, shielding Chu Moli completely behind him.

“Kill that guard. If I can’t have him, no one else can.”

A flicker passed through Shen Yin’s eyes. His grip shifted subtly, angling the blade. Then he suddenly ran a few steps to the left, appearing as though he was trying to flee in fear.

But after only a couple of steps, he was caught up by the guards.

“Hmph, now you’re afraid? If you want someone to blame, blame your master.”

On horseback, Chu Yan laughed wildly.

The sharp clang of weapons colliding rang out.

Surrounded by five guards, Shen Yin appeared overwhelmed—like two fists against many hands. At first, he could still exchange a few blows, but soon he was completely suppressed.

His peach blossom eyes darkened as he looked at them. Quietly, he diverted a thread of inner force, timing it carefully before forcing it toward his heart meridian.

Stab.

The sound of a blade piercing flesh.

Shen Yin’s eyes widened slightly in disbelief as he looked down at the blade embedded in his abdomen.

At the same time, that strand of inner force struck his heart.

He didn’t even have time to turn his head—he opened his mouth and spat out a mouthful of blood straight onto the guard in front of him.

“You—”

Before he could finish, Shen Yin collapsed backward.

The guard whose face was splattered with blood wiped it off, hesitating. Since when had he become this powerful?

The others looked at him with admiration.
“Fifth Brother, your skills have improved again.”

The blood-splattered guard immediately forgot his doubts and grinned widely.
“Of course.”

Meanwhile, Chu Yan looked at Shen Yin’s fallen body and gave a satisfied snort.
“Well done.”