Chapter Thirty-Five: Scared Witless

Chen Ying was no fool. After a brief moment of thought, he immediately understood what was going on. The precious armor that Gao Wanqing had used to frame him was known to only three people in the Chen household: himself, You Ziying, and Lan’er. You Ziying was currently a gate captain. Even if he betrayed Chen Ying, it would do him no good.

It must have been Gao Wanqing who told Li Xiaoguang about the armor. Somehow, Li Xiaoguang had managed to capture Lan’er and forced her to reveal the armor’s whereabouts. Judging by Li Xiaoguang’s intentions, he was determined to pin the crime of theft on Chen Ying.

If he fell into Li Xiaoguang’s hands, there would be no good end for him.

Since the true target was himself, Chen Ying reasoned that if he could fight his way out, he might still appeal to Princess Pingyang for justice.

“As long as the green hills remain, there’s no fear of running out of firewood,” Chen Ying whispered. “Wait for the right moment. Break out—if even one of us escapes, it’s a victory!”

“You think you can escape? Not a chance!” Li Xiaoguang’s face twisted with savagery as he shouted, eyes bulging, “If the thief dares to resist, kill him! Whoever kills the thief will be rewarded with ten strings of cash!”

Wherever there is reward, there will be brave men. The guards of Marquis Guangping’s household surged forward.

These guards were not weak, yet their real skills left much to be desired. In the Tang Dynasty, martial accomplishment was the path to merit—those truly skilled would never serve a useless marquis just for a meal; they’d win wealth and rank on the battlefield. Though Chen Ying, Liang Zan, Zhao Yuanqiao, and Li Chuqi were only four, the guards could not gain the upper hand in the melee.

Suddenly, as he fought, Chen Ying froze. He saw a blood-soaked figure lying in the courtyard.

It was some time before he recognized the person as Lan’er.

Once delicate and lovely, Lan’er now lay with disheveled hair and bloodstained body. Her slender, jade-like fingers were now mangled and twisted at unnatural angles.

Ten fingers are linked to the heart; seeing this, Chen Ying’s heart shattered. Poor Lan’er—how much she must have suffered.

Lan’er’s eyes, once clouded, lit up faintly upon seeing Chen Ying. In a hoarse, faltering voice, she stammered, “I… I couldn’t endure… I betrayed you, my lord…”

Chen Ying rushed forward and cradled her in his arms. In that instant, he understood everything. Lan’er must have fallen into Li Xiaoguang’s hands. A delicate beauty like her, unable to withstand torture, had divulged the secret of the hidden armor.

He noticed that not only were her fingers shattered, but her lower body was in ruin as well—a clear sign of the inhuman torment she had suffered through the night.

Chen Ying’s mind suddenly went blank.

What crime had he committed?

What crime had Lan’er committed?

Why did they have to endure such suffering?

Chen Ying saw Lan’er’s face contorted in agony, wracked by unbearable pain.

“It’s not your fault, Lan’er. You must get better. I will find the best physician to heal you…” Tears streamed uncontrollably down Chen Ying’s cheeks.

“My lord… I’m… sorry…” Lan’er’s bloodstained hand struggled to reach Chen Ying’s face. “To die in your arms… is… good… In the next life, I’ll serve you… pure and whole…”

Before she finished, Lan’er fainted from the pain.

Gently, Chen Ying laid her on the ground and rose slowly, his gaze locked on Li Xiaoguang. With a voice hoarse from rage and grief, he bellowed, “You bastard! This is an obvious frame-up! Can’t you see it?”

“So what if I see it? So what if I don’t?” Li Xiaoguang replied indifferently. “What can you do to me? Killing you is as easy as crushing an ant. This world belongs to the Li family. If I say you’re a thief, then you are—even if you aren’t!”

Chen Ying’s eyes turned crimson. He had once hoped to carve out a prosperous life in the Tang Dynasty, but now he saw the truth. Even as a fifth-rank General of Ningyuan, in the eyes of the powerful, he was still nothing but an insect, something to be trampled at will.

Li Xiaoguang suddenly noticed how strikingly handsome Chen Ying was—more beautiful even than the prettiest of his concubines. A wicked smile crept onto Li Xiaoguang’s face.

“It’s not so hard to stay alive, you know!”

“Oh?” Blood surged to Chen Ying’s head as fury blazed in his eyes. He fixed Li Xiaoguang with an unyielding stare.

Li Xiaoguang paid no heed to Chen Ying’s anger. Even if he noticed, he would not have cared.

“Fulfill three conditions and I’ll spare your life.”

Chen Ying laughed in his rage. “Let’s hear them.”

Li Xiaoguang pointed at Lvzhu and Hongxiu. “Hand over their indentures with your own hands.”

“And the second?” Chen Ying’s voice dripped with murderous intent.

“Serve me yourself. If you please me, I’ll spare you, like the dog you are. The third—”

“To hell with your marquis title! If you won’t let me live, I’ll make sure you don’t have it easy either!” Chen Ying reversed his grip on his saber and advanced on Li Xiaoguang step by step.

Chen Ying had killed before—more than once. The murderous aura radiating from him was so intense that not only a pampered marquis, but even a hardened veteran would have felt a chill.

Li Xiaoguang was so terrified he shuddered and nearly collapsed.

Chen Ying seemed to have returned to the battlefield at Jingyang, slipping once again into that mysterious, transcendent state.

His blade flashed like the wind—three guards fell in quick succession. As the guards of Marquis Changguang’s household closed in with swords and sabers, Chen Ying didn’t even glance at them. He neither dodged nor retreated, but charged straight in, aiming for their leader’s head.

It is said that those who are fierce fear the reckless, and the reckless fear those who fear nothing—not even death. Chen Ying fought like a madman, and soon the guards began to falter.

Seeing Chen Ying’s killing intent, Liang Zan shouted, “Yuanqiao, close the gate! Don’t let a single one escape—smash them all!”

Zhao Yuanqiao had barely reached the main gate when a large squad of county archers from Wannian streamed in.

A dozen archers burst into the courtyard, quickly seizing advantageous positions. Bows were drawn, arrows nocked, ready to fire.

Chen Ying seemed not to notice the archers, and continued to cut his way through his enemies.

Heads toppled like balls, rolling across the bluestone courtyard, staining it red with blood. In the blink of an eye, Chen Ying himself was covered in gore, as if he had bathed in blood. Every step left a crimson footprint behind.

“Don’t… don’t come any closer!” Li Xiaoguang stammered, seeing that in the time it took to burn half a stick of incense, more than a dozen of his guards had been slaughtered. The rest were either wounded or cowering in fear.

“Afraid now, are you?” Chen Ying roared. “Why didn’t you think of that before, you bastard!”

Just then, Gao Wanqing entered the Chen residence, only to see Chen Ying gripping Li Xiaoguang by the hair, the tip of his saber pressed to Li Xiaoguang’s throat. Gao Wanqing’s face turned ashen with fright. He screamed hysterically, “Stop!”

If a founding marquis were killed in front of him, the county magistrate of Wannian, his career would be over—he might even lose his head.

Suddenly, Chen Ying caught the stench of urine. Looking down, he saw that Li Xiaoguang had wet himself in terror.