The Princess and Her Rough-Rider Khan
Chapter 482: Scheme of Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain ( - 481) (Second Update)

Chapter 482: Scheme of Luring the Tiger Away from the Mountain (Chapter 481) (Second Update)

Murong Ce paid great attention to the matters concerning the Hall of Healing, taking personal charge and never delegating tasks to others.

"Nothing," Xu Sheng reported truthfully.

"Go to the White Horse Temple and see."

Having said that, Murong Ce walked out with swift, long strides.

Xu Sheng hurriedly followed.

As soon as Murong Ce emerged, the skilled fighters by his side immediately followed him.

The group mounted their horses and rode toward the White Horse Temple.

It was a black night with a bleak autumn wind, and Murong Ce’s cloak billowed with a loud rustle, his sleeves fluttering uncontrollably, highlighting his commanding and outstanding presence.

His features were handsome and his build strong yet not devoid of gentle, scholarly grace—like an exiled immortal.

They had just caught sight of the white walls of the White Horse Temple when the sounds of fighting and clashing swords came from within.

A smile curled the corner of Murong Ce’s mouth—it had finally begun.

Today would mark the day when Yelu Yan’s men would enter but never return!

Upon approaching the wall, Murong Ce stepped onto the stirrup and leaped into the air, where he saw the defending soldiers locked in close combat with a group of men in black.

Light as a swallow, Murong Ce leaped down from the wall top. As his folding fan snapped open, several hidden weapons shot out.

The hidden weapons were poisoned.

Many of the men in black were hit by the weapons, vomiting blood; in just a moment, they went from having the upper hand to being at a disadvantage.

Murong Ce’s martial arts prowess was not to be underestimated.

Xu Sheng and several other top fighters also leaped into the courtyard, engaging the men in black in combat.

However, those men in black had no desire to linger in battle; after a few exchanges, they tossed handfuls of poison powder at the soldiers while covering their mouths and noses.

Murong Ce, with his quick reflexes, shouted sternly, "Poison! Scatter!"

As he spoke, he instantly jumped to the periphery.

Xu Sheng and the several other top fighters, along with the skilled soldiers, also escaped from the powder.

Instantly, the inside of the wall became shrouded in fog, with Houliang’s soldiers bending over coughing, and as they coughed, they coughed up blood, falling into painful heaps in pools of their own blood.

The poison was viciously potent.

Those soldiers lucky enough to escape were left deeply shaken.

They had been so close to death; it was a narrow escape. Some of them had nearly missed seeing their parents, wives, and children again. Some unmarried soldiers even started to yearn for their sweethearts, resolving to be more intimate a few more times the next time they met.

As the smoke cleared, the ground was littered with dead bodies in a chaotic sprawl.

Murong Ce’s gaze was cool and distant.

These men in black were highly skilled and well-trained, their actions a fleeting moment’s work.

Not only were they skilled in martial arts, but they also wielded poisons, indicating that Yelu Yan’s men had already made contact with those of the Hall of Healing and coordinated their actions thoroughly.

With poison at their disposal, Yelu Yan’s men had become even more dangerous, invincible, unable to be matched by anyone.

Murong Ce clenched his teeth—Yelu Yan and Li Xianyun were indeed a pair!

His men had suffered setbacks at the hands of those from the Hall of Healing. Murong Ce had even ordered the development of poisons, but using them had proven difficult—the slightest error could harm themselves, a risk not worth taking.

Suddenly, Murong Ce’s eyes widened, rage seething within him.

If the trap at the White Horse Temple had been detected but they still chose to make a gesture there, there was only one reason—to lure him away, to preoccupy him elsewhere.

Cursed be it, he had fallen for the enemy’s stratagem of luring the tiger away from the mountain.

Murong Ce quickly remounted his horse, cracking his whip fiercely across the horse’s back and racing toward the Imperial Palace.

He hoped everything was still in time.

It turned out that Murong Ce had set several baits throughout the Capital City.

But the true location of the prisoners was known to few.

Since Murong Ce had last sent a letter to Li Xianyun, there had been no reply, like a stone sinking into the ocean.

Only if the people from the Hall of Healing were not rescued would he have the bargaining chip to negotiate with Li Xianyun.

Murong Ce was well aware of this.

Therefore, the people from the Hall of Healing absolutely could not be rescued!

As the saying goes, the most dangerous place is often the safest.

Murong Ce intended to keep the people from the Hall of Healing in a place no one would expect—the Imperial Palace.