The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Live Off Her - Chapter 16

With a simultaneous turn, the dancers removed their pale-yellow gauze skirts and tossed them into the air.

Yellow silk filled the room and blocked everyone’s vision. A sharp sword tore through the fluttering fabric, its blade glittering with specks of starlight as it thrust straight toward Lian Liejin on the raised seat.

This assassin was already capable of releasing stellar power outside her body to injure others. Her stellar-power rank had to be at least Astrologer.

In truth, only after reaching the rank of Astrologer and gaining the ability to divine the movements of the stars could someone be considered a true inheritor of stellar power.

Many people remained trapped at the rank of Star Discerner for their entire lives, capable of nothing more than strengthening their bodies.

Before hiding beneath her seat, Lian Liejin found time to glance at the assassin. The woman had fair skin and delicate features, and the longsword made her appear unexpectedly petite and adorable.

Finding an opening, Lian Liejin crawled out from beneath the table, rolled across the floor, and hid behind a folding screen.

“Gao Jingxi, is hiding all a dignified princess knows how to do?”

The assassin’s soft voice contained clear frustration.

Lian Liejin suddenly understood. This female assassin had apparently mistaken her for Gao Jingxi.

“Your professional standards are appalling. You didn’t even bother recognizing your target’s face before attempting an assassination.”

Lian Liejin climbed to her feet and tried to run toward a more open area.

However, the assassin reacted extremely quickly. She followed with another thrust, cutting off Lian Liejin’s escape.

The sword was approximately four chi long. Its entire blade glowed green, and tiny patterns were engraved across its surface. On closer inspection, they resembled five-pointed stars.

That appeared to be the emblem of a jianghu organization called the Scattered Star Pavilion.

The Scattered Star Pavilion accepted nearly every kind of commission. However, its master had once sworn never to become involved with the imperial family.

Had this extremely unprofessional assassin secretly accepted the assignment on her own?

Lian Liejin pretended to trip over a table and avoided the sword behind her. She grabbed the nearby dishes and threw them at the assassin—

Splashing the woman from head to toe with chili oil and several tender green vegetable leaves.

The hall had already descended into complete chaos.

The assassin’s companions were highly skilled, and several scholars had already died beneath their swords.

The guards reacted slowly and only now poured in through the main entrance, becoming entangled in battle with the assassins.

Because Feng Zhi and Chen Yu had gone to the latrine, they had fortunately escaped the attack.

Among everyone else, only Chen Li knew martial arts. He wrapped stellar power around both fists and fought fiercely against the other assassins, leaving him no time to protect anyone else.

After finally pretending to stumble and crawl her way out of the hall, Lian Liejin had not even caught her breath when the assassin’s sword thrust over her right shoulder once again.

In the distance, Gao Jingxi and Lian Pingyou were walking toward the hall from a pavilion surrounded by blooming flowers. They were smiling and chatting happily.

“Lian Pingyou, I knew you were no good!”

Lian Liejin tilted her head to evade the sword and suddenly remembered a lyric—

Love is a ray of light, green enough to make you panic.

Hmph. Fortunately, there was no love between her and Gao Jingxi.

“Protect the princess!”

The moment A-You saw Gao Jingxi, she shouted loudly. Even more guards rushed in from outside and surrounded Gao Jingxi.

Seeing the petite assassin’s sword coming after her again, Lian Liejin suddenly devised a plan to shed her shell like a golden cicada.

She twisted aside to avoid the starlight covering the blade, pulled three silver needles from her robes, and swiftly pricked the joints of the assassin’s right hand twice.

Her movements were so fast that almost no one noticed them.

In the next instant, the assassin’s sword rested steadily against Lian Liejin’s neck.

Gao Jingxi had been about to rush forward and rescue her. Now, however, she was forced to stop ten paces away, her expression filled with anxiety.

“Princess Consort, you—”

“Princess Consort? You’re actually the Princess Consort?”

The female assassin exclaimed quietly beside Lian Liejin’s ear.

The sword in the assassin’s hand began trembling. Lian Liejin applied pressure with her fingers, making the woman grimace in pain.

“Stop making noise and obediently do as I say.”

On the surface, Lian Liejin had been taken hostage by the assassin.

In reality—

The assassin’s face had turned deathly pale, and cold sweat poured down her forehead.

“Painful, painful, painful! Please don’t press any harder.”

Lian Liejin remained expressionless.

“Hold the sword steadily. Move it closer to my neck so it looks convincing.”

The assassin: “…”

Lian Liejin continued, “Listen to me. In a moment, we will leave through the main entrance. Use qinggong to leap onto the roof to the east, then make several more jumps and we can escape through the city gates.”

The assassin nearly spat blood.

“Princess Consort, this one’s qinggong is honestly rather mediocre. And I would have to carry you as well. You are an entire head taller than me!”

“Princess Consort!”

Gao Jingxi looked close to tears, moving everyone present.

“Release the Princess Consort. I promise you will be allowed to withdraw unharmed.”

Seeing Gao Jingxi so worried and anxious made Lian Liejin feel slightly guilty.

However, she was already riding a tiger and could not dismount. She could only resolve to explain everything properly to the princess after she finished her business.

Once Lian Liejin made her decision, a complete plan quickly formed in her mind.

While the assassin was still stunned, Lian Liejin suddenly stepped on her foot and threatened her with a glance.

The assassin had no choice but to laugh viciously.

“With her as my hostage, I can naturally escape unharmed.”

Lian Pingyou stepped forward and supported Gao Jingxi’s swaying body. She also looked toward Lian Liejin with concern.

“Third Sister, are you all right?”

What kind of nonsense was Lian Pingyou saying?

She was being held hostage by an assassin. How could she possibly be all right?

Although it was technically Lian Liejin who was holding the assassin hostage, there was no way this situation could appear harmless from any angle.

Lian Liejin stared at the hand Lian Pingyou had placed on Gao Jingxi and increased the pressure beneath her foot.

Through clenched teeth, she whispered,

“Start moving. Once a larger force of guards arrives, you won’t escape even with wings.”

The assassin turned and saw her captured senior and junior sisters. Gritting her teeth, she dragged Lian Liejin toward the entrance.

The guards feared harming their own side. With the Princess Consort held hostage, none of them dared act recklessly.

Because the assassin was nervous, the sword’s edge brushed across Lian Liejin’s throat several times, gradually leaving several cuts.

The vivid blood formed a sharp contrast against her snow-white skin.

The sight frightened everyone so thoroughly that they hardly dared breathe, afraid that the assassin might accidentally kill the supposedly defenseless Lian Liejin.

The moment they passed through the entrance, they encountered snow nearly half a knee deep.

The stinging pain at her neck made Lian Liejin frown slightly.

“None of you are permitted to follow! If you take another step, I will kill the Princess Consort immediately!”

Gao Jingxi silently circulated her stellar power. It gradually condensed into a golden dagger in her palm.

The moment the assassin revealed an opening, she would release her stellar power and rescue the Princess Consort.

Unfortunately, the assassin was extremely clever. She kept Lian Liejin in front of her at all times, using the taller woman to shield her body completely.

No one had expected that despite the slippery snow and thin ice covering the roof, the assassin would leap onto it with ease.

After several consecutive bounds, the two disappeared from everyone’s sight.