He passed through the watergate successfully, but did not dare to relax. He quickly swam along the river and swam all the way into the Jiangchun River. He touched the shore in the darkness and went ashore at the edge of a deserted forest.
Only then did he turn around and see the general outline of Ning Tian Prefecture in the night.
“I’m out…”
Only then did Duan Yunfeng’s tense nerves relax. He felt his clothes stick to his body, wet and cold to the bone.
“Damn it, the reinforcements were too fast. This time, I didn’t kill that dog emperor and almost died inside…”
Duan Yunfeng gritted his teeth. He was both discouraged by his failure and angry at his failure. His emotions were complicated.
He took a deep breath and suppressed his emotions.
“Fortunately, I escaped whole this time. I can’t fail again…”
Although he had failed this time, he did not intend to give up on assassinating the Emperor just like that.
However, after this battle, the protection around the Emperor would definitely increase. He knew that he would not have a chance in a short period of time.
Duan Yunfeng’s original plan was to escape immediately if he missed, but at this moment, he did not know where to go.
“I’m masked and haven’t exposed my whereabouts, so I’m not worried about being wanted by the Imperial Court for the time being… But the world is huge. Where should I go now?”
Duan Yunfeng hesitated.
At this moment, he suddenly remembered the voices of the “chasers” he had heard through the water when he was hiding in a bridge cave.
“Death Beckoning Yama King Chen Feng… I’ve heard of this person’s name. He’s a good man. This person is in the Jiangchun area, and although he has committed many crimes, if he doesn’t come to Ning Tian Prefecture, the Imperial Court shouldn’t blame him for this. This matter will most likely not implicate him. Well, this Chen Feng has killed many evildoers along the way. It’s obvious that he hates the Imperial Court. Why don’t I go see him? If I can obtain this person’s help, it’s better than me assassinating the dog emperor alone…”
Duan Yunfeng’s eyes changed as he made a decision. He immediately stood up and dragged his fatigued body forward in the dark.
However, he did not know that Zhou Jing, who was flying in the sky, was watching his back from afar as he disappeared into the night.
“Seems like he’s actually quite capable…”
Zhou Jing retracted his gaze, having no intention of chasing after him.
He did not know this person’s identity and background, nor was he sure of the reason for this person’s assassination, but he did not want to capture this assassin now… No matter what the reason was, a warrior who dared to assassinate an incompetent ruler alone was more valuable alive than dead.
However, he did not intend to reveal anything when he met this person, nor did he want to take the risk to keep this person by his side. He had been quietly following him in the air, planning to act according to the situation.
If the assassin unfortunately encountered the palace guards while escaping, he would capture this assassin as a way to snatch credit.
However, if this assassin did not alarm the pursuers and quietly escaped, he would turn a blind eye and pretend not to notice.
After all, Zhou Jing did not really work for the Emperor.
Capturing the assassin was just the icing on the cake for him. The reason why he was favored was because of alchemy and support of the mystical arts. This was his competitive advantage in obtaining the favor of the Emperor. He would not lose favor just because he rushed over halfway to help but could not find the assassin… This was the duty of the Imperial Army, not his.
Moreover, the Emperor’s heart was unpredictable. If he really captured an assassin that even the palace guards could not do anything about, other than the reward, the Emperor might be even more afraid and suspicious.
Zhou Jing had the intention to instruct this assassin to look for Chen Feng, but because it was inconvenient to speak in person, he only pretended to mention it unintentionally and hinted at him to guide the person’s path. As for whether this person would go, it was unknown.
“If he goes to look for Chen Feng, I’ll be able to find out his background…”
All kinds of thoughts flashed through Zhou Jing’s mind as he pretended to continue flying around the city.
…
After a night, the sky gradually turned bright.
Because of the palace guards’ wanton search, the news of the Emperor’s assassination had already alarmed the entire Ning Tian Prefecture, especially the nobles.
Zhou Jing flew in the sky for the entire night, showing off his search all night in front of everyone. He only landed when the sky was bright and asked to meet the Emperor.
This time, the Emperor agreed to the summons and let the commander of the Imperial Guards go in with Zhou Jing to report.
In the hall, the Emperor was sitting upright in his dragon robe, watching the two of them enter and bow.
“Have you caught the assassin?”
The Emperor’s tone was solemn.
The commander of the palace guards swallowed a mouthful of saliva and stammered, “Your Majesty, the villain is cunning. We’ve searched for the entire night and haven’t found any traces of the person yet. I’ve already gotten someone to seal the city and search. We won’t let the assassin slip away.”
“You haven’t caught the person yet?”
The Emperor was furious. He suddenly stood up and pointed at the commander of the Imperial Guards.
“The assassin almost broke into my bedroom. You didn’t manage to kill this person and even let him hide in the city for the entire night. You’re really useless!”
“This subject knows his wrongs!”
The commander of the Imperial Guards knelt down in fear.
The Emperor ignored him and turned to look at Zhou Jing. He asked in a deep voice, “I wonder if you’ve discovered anything?”
Zhou Jing’s expression did not change, “I’m ashamed. I used the Wind Control Technique to patrol the sky for the entire night, but I still could not find this person’s whereabouts.”
The Emperor frowned, “Your abilities are remarkable. I thought you would definitely be able to capture him.”
Zhou Jing shook his head and said calmly,
“When the incident happened, I was not here. Later on, when I heard the news and rushed over, this assassin had already disappeared. I could only search in the dark. It was no different from finding a needle in a haystack. Unfortunately, I can’t always protect His Majesty. Otherwise, if the thief dared to assassinate me, I would have long captured him.”
When the Emperor heard this, he pondered for a moment and did not blame him further. He knew that he could not blame Perfected Master Windwalker for this matter going awry.
At this moment, Zhou Jing spoke again, “Your Majesty was frightened last night. I sent someone to send over a bottle of Heart Suppressing Pills. How does Your Majesty feel?”