RPAGF Chapter 522 Shen Yanzhou is arrested
Chapter 522 Shen Yanzhou is arrested
Shi Wanxia then realized that Zhou Wenbin had sided with Prince Rongyang for the sake of his family's power.
She was both angry and cold inside, and said sternly, "For the sake of power, you disregard the lives of the people? You burned down the granaries and caused unrest. Do you know how many people will go hungry because of you?"
"The lives of the common people?"
Zhou Wenbin burst into laughter as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world. "Miss Shi, you are still too naive."
"In this world, only power matters. What does it matter if a few people die if I can get what I want?"
His words sent a chill down Shi Wanxia's spine. She gripped her short dagger tightly, took a step back, and stared warily at the men in black around her: "Do you think you can succeed? His Highness the Crown Prince has already sent people over. You can't escape!"
"run?"
Zhou Wenbin shook his head, his eyes filled with malice. "I never intended to run away. I lured you here today to use you as bait to draw Shen Yanzhou over—"
"As long as I kill him, the position of Crown Prince will be vacant, and then the entire capital will be mine!"
After saying that, he gave a wink to the man in black beside him.
A tall man in black rushed forward, his knife aimed at Shi Wanxia's chest!
Shi Wanxia was prepared and dodged to the side, slashing her short dagger toward the man in black's arm.
But she was a woman after all, and not as strong as the man in black. The dagger only tore the man in black's sleeve, without causing much damage.
The man in black, feeling the pain, became even more frenzied, swinging his knife relentlessly at Shi Wanxia.
Shi Wanxia could only dodge while looking for an opportunity to fight back, and was soon forced into a corner of the dilapidated temple with nowhere to retreat.
Just then, the sound of rapid hoofbeats suddenly came from outside the dilapidated temple, followed by Cui Zhihao's anxious shout: "Wanwan! Are you alright?"
Shi Wanxia was overjoyed and shouted outside, "Brother Cui! I'm here! Be careful of Zhou Wenbin, he's 'Shadow'!"
Zhou Wenbin's expression changed; he hadn't expected Cui Zhihao to arrive so quickly.
He immediately said to the man in black beside him, "Quick! Kill Shi Wanxia first!"
Two men in black immediately rushed forward, their knives slashing at Shi Wanxia simultaneously.
Shi Wanxia closed her eyes, thinking that she was going to die this time, but the pain she expected did not come.
She opened her eyes and saw that Cui Zhihao had rushed in, his sword blocking her way and taking both blows!
"Brother Cui!" Shi Wanxia exclaimed excitedly, her eyes instantly reddening.
Choi Jiho turned and looked at her, his eyes full of heartache and worry: "I'm here, don't be afraid."
Although his martial arts skills were not high, he still did his best to protect Shi Wanxia, and his hand holding the sword trembled slightly from the force.
Zhou Wenbin looked at Cui Zhihao who suddenly rushed in, his face turning pale with anger: "Fine, since you two are both here, then let's die together!"
He shouted at the men in black, "Attack them! Kill them!"
A dozen or so men in black immediately surrounded Cui Zhihao and Shi Wanxia.
Cui Zhihao protected Shi Wanxia, constantly wielding his sword, but his wounds hadn't healed yet, and he soon became exhausted. He was cut on the arm, and blood instantly seeped out.
"Brother Cui! You're injured!"
Looking at the wound on his arm, Shi Wanxia felt anxious and pained. She quickly took out the medicine powder from her pocket and wanted to apply it to him.
"leave me alone!"
Cui Zhihao gritted his teeth and stood in front of Shi Wanxia, saying, "You should find a chance to get out of here and go find His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"I'm not leaving! If we have to leave, we'll leave together!"
Shi Wanxia said firmly, gripping the short dagger in her hand, ready to fight the men in black together with Cui Zhihao.
Just then, a series of orderly footsteps suddenly came from outside the dilapidated temple, followed by Shen Yanzhou's sharp shout: "Zhou Wenbin! Surrender now!"
Shen Yanzhou led the patrol soldiers in and rushed in. With a swing of his longsword, he pierced the chest of a man in black.
The patrol soldiers immediately sprang into action, brandishing their spears and thrusting them at the men in black, quickly routing them.
As more and more soldiers rushed in, Zhou Wenbin knew that his cause was doomed.
A ruthless glint flashed in his eyes, and he suddenly pulled a dagger from his pocket and stabbed at a soldier next to him.
Taking advantage of the soldiers' moment of distraction, he turned and ran towards the secret passage behind the ruined temple—a passage he had dug long ago, specifically for this situation.
"Don't let him get away!" Shen Yanzhou shouted and immediately gave chase.
Cui Zhihao wanted to follow, but Shi Wanxia stopped him: "Your wound is still bleeding, don't go, let His Highness the Crown Prince and the others go after them."
Choi Ji-ho looked at the wound on his arm, then at Shi Wan-xia's worried eyes, and nodded.
He helped Shi Wanxia walk slowly to the entrance of the dilapidated temple, and watched Shen Yanzhou and the soldiers chase after Zhou Wenbin as he ran into the distance. He breathed a sigh of relief.
"Fortunately you're okay."
Cui Zhihao looked at Shi Wanxia, his voice filled with lingering fear.
On the way here, he was worried that something might happen to Shi Wanxia, but now that he saw that she was safe and sound, he finally felt relieved.
Shi Wanxia smiled, reached out and touched the wound on his arm, and said softly, "It's good that you're alright."
"Don't be so impulsive again. If anything happens to you, I..."
She stopped abruptly halfway through her sentence, her cheeks flushing slightly.
Looking at her flushed cheeks, Cui Zhihao's heart stirred, and he took her hand: "Wanwan, actually I..."
Just as he was about to speak, a series of hurried footsteps suddenly came from outside the dilapidated temple. A soldier ran back in a panic and knelt down where Shen Yanzhou had just been standing.
He shouted loudly, "My lord! Something terrible has happened! Zhou Wenbin has released poisonous smoke in the secret passage, and many of our brothers have been poisoned! His Highness the Crown Prince is also... trapped inside!"
"what?"
Cui Zhihao and Shi Wanxia froze at the same time, their smiles vanishing instantly.
Cui Zhihao immediately released Shi Wanxia's hand, grabbed the sword from the ground, and ran towards the secret passage behind the dilapidated temple: "I'm going to save His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Brother Cui! Wait for me!"
Shi Wanxia immediately followed.
She knew the secret passage must be dangerous, but she couldn't let Choi Ji-ho go on the risk alone.
The two quickly reached the entrance to the secret passage, where a pungent fumes of poison wafted out, causing them to cough violently.
Cui Zhihao covered his mouth and nose, trying to rush inside, but Shi Wanxia stopped him: "No! The toxic fumes are too thick, we'll get poisoned if we go in!"
"What should we do? His Highness the Crown Prince is still inside!"
Cui Zhihao was so anxious that he paced back and forth, feeling flustered and confused.
Shi Wanxia looked around, then her eyes lit up. She said to Cui Zhihao, "I have a plan! You wait here, I'll go find some wet towels nearby. We'll cover our mouths and noses, then go in to rescue His Highness the Crown Prince!"
"Okay! Go and come back quickly!" Cui Zhihao nodded.
Shi Wanxia immediately turned around and ran towards the small river outside the dilapidated temple.
Cui Zhihao stood at the entrance of the secret passage, looking at the thick toxic smoke inside, praying in his heart that Shen Yanzhou would be alright.
Little did he know that deep within the secret passage, Zhou Wenbin held a knife to Shen Yanzhou's neck, sneering, "Shen Yanzhou, never thought you'd end up like this, did you? Once I kill you, the world will be ours!"
Shen Yanzhou was dizzy and lightheaded from the poisonous smoke, but he still forced himself to stand firm and said coldly, "Don't even dream about it! Even if you kill me, the people of Cangling will never submit to you!"
"so what?"
Zhou Wenbin's smile grew even more sinister. "Once you're dead, I'll take my men and seize control of the capital. Then, even if His Majesty is unwilling, well…!"
After saying that, he tightened his grip on the knife slightly, and the blade instantly sliced through Shen Yanzhou's neck, drawing out a trace of blood.
Shen Yanzhou closed his eyes and sighed inwardly—was he really going to fail here today?
Just then, footsteps suddenly came from the entrance of the secret passage, followed by Shi Wanxia's voice: "Zhou Wenbin! Release His Highness the Crown Prince!"