Chapter 17 – The Weight of Killing

In order to reach the Zhaoyang Temple, one has to get past three palaces: Han Yue palace, Qian Long Palace, and Ze Tian palace.

At this time, Gong Jue had crossed the river and arrived at Hanyue Palace. The melodic sound of strings rang faintly. Prince Jue rushed in that direction; he ran so quickly, so anxiously, that even his lungs felt like they burned with fire. However his heart continued to urge him, Hurry up……Faster!

A gust of wind roared as clouds shrouded the sky. A layer of rain began to fall. Hanyue Palace glowed brightly with it’s lanterns during the night. The palace was so large and magnificent that it appeared solemn and indifferent under the dark.

Gong Jue rushed in quickly, as if his life depended on it.

However, he was stopped again.

This time, the one who blocked his path was another palace guard. However, judging from the man’s calm eyes, Gong Jue secretly became vigilant. This was definitely not an ordinary guard!

“The Empress has sent a decree: all uninvited guests who intrude will be killed with no mercy!”

The cold words caused Gong Jue to seethe in anger! The Queen, he couldn’t believe that even she wanted to obstruct his path! The surrounding men must have been employed by her, so they plan deal with him mercilessly.

There were fifteen people on the enemy’s side; all were highly trained, and more than enough to deal with a child!

However, Gong Jue was no ordinary boy. He looked at the group in front of him and took a deep breath.

Without saying a word, he raised the sword in his hand. His body trembled slightly, as if he was very eager to quench his thirst for blood.

Come on, I’ll kill all those who hinder me!

When he was left defenseless for his first two years in the cold palace, his personality had become aloof and ruthless! In order to kill eight hundred, he doesn’t mind losing a thousand!**

(**translator’s note: this is a Chinese idiom so don’t take it literally)

With his adept hand-to-hand combat, he managed to fend off more than ten members of the elite team. For a while, no one could come close to his body!

The guards were secretly anxious; they had received the secret order of Liu Xian Fei to execute the Ninth prince right here!

Gong Jue originally wanted to venture carefully. However, the thought that Yi Mo was in grave danger had burdened him deeply. It caused to him fight even more like a madman, to the point that he could’t control himself!

His swordsmanship began to flow more smoothly, and his strikes were getting even more ruthless. The sensation of piercing through flesh and blood like silk was fascinating.

Within the commotion, the boy stared in the direction of a bright light in the distance. His ink-black eyes flashed with a faint chill!

Why was it that although they were all royalty, one prince can laugh and mingle in the Golden Zhaoyang Temple, while he and Sister Gong can only shrink in a corner of the Cold Palace! Instead of freely receiving help, they were forced to demand it!

At this time he leapt in the air. His white dress was heavily bloodstained; from afar, it looked as if red flowers had bloomed. Gong Jue originally appeared like a beautiful fairy child, blessed by the Goddess of Mercy. However at his time, his pair of devilish eyes were bloodshot and murderous — like a demon!

As he slashed down, his victim’s hot blood sprayed on his jade-like face. His originally tight lips raised into a smile.

If this bloody road is the only path to saving Gong Yi Mo, then he will certainly take it!

Someday in the future, whether it be a queen, or a prince, or even an emperor, Gong Jue will grasp the power to impose their punishment!

…..

Xin’er was hiding under the bed; no one paid attention to her when she escaped. The intruders thought that she was too useless to be taken hostage so they ignored her.

Meanwhile, three assassins had already died in the hands of the princess, while four remained standing after their battle.

Gong Yi Mo proudly stood her ground as she grasped a bloody longsword. She gazed at the single assassin before her, and raised her lips with a mocking smile.

“Seeing your skill, you must be highly praised by your employer. However, does your master know that you’re so weak, you would even call for backup to fight a child?”

Out of the four men, three had left to seek reinforcements while their leader stayed behind to deal with Gong Yi. But he wasn’t afraid. Others will soon be joining. His agenda now is to kill the princess, then join the others to assassinate the escaped prince!

On second thought, there was no need to worry about Gong Jue’s escape. If the Imperial Palace was too incompetent to deal with him, then the emperor would have already died a thousand times. Perhaps he didn’t need to use his own hand; the little prince can go ahead and offer himself to be slaughtered by the hands of those from the harem.

As the assassin looked at the little girl, Liu Mo felt a trace of admiration. At this time, the other party was drenched in blood, yet she still spoke with him in order to delay time.

Suddenly the sound of footsteps reverberated from a distance. Liu Mo sighed in relief. He smirked at the girl saying, “It seems that my men have arrived. You are destined to die today.”

In a moment, a team of twelve blackly dressed men slowly emerged from the darkness. They silently came forward and stood behind their leader.

“You still want to wait for the little prince to rescue you? That’s just wishful thinking. Perhaps you aren’t aware princess, but sending him to the inner palace is equivalent to giving him a death sentence. Judging by the time…..we can say that he’s long gone!”

Gong Yi Mo stared sharply at Liu Mo.

If that’s what you think, then you’ve underestimated Gong Jue.

Gong Yi Mo scrutinized the newly arrived men; they gave off a black murderous aura. Although she felt tired, she laughed mockingly at the assassins and challenged,

“Oh yeah? Then let us see which will come first: you killing me, or Gong Jue arriving with backup to save me!”

Liu Mo’s eyes narrowed in anger. “Kill!”

…..

A quarter of an hour later, besides Gong Jue, no other person was left standing at the Hanyue Palace. From the heavens came dense, heavy rain, mixing with blood, and dyeing the Palace River in red.

This shouldn’t have been possible. The entirety of the inner palace was guarded not only by numerous soldiers, but also royal guards and hidden forces. However at this section of the inner palace, no one could stop the onslaught of a desperate young boy.

Gong Jue’s heart was determined; his gaze turned towards Zhaoyang Temple with resolve. But as he took a step forward, his whole person fell to his knees while he braced his sword for support.

The pain and feeling of emptiness in his body meant that he had exhausted his strength. However, when he thought of Gong Yi Mo being left in the cold palace, Gong Jue gritted his teeth and stood up. His wet hair stuck to his forehead, unkempt. The boy’s dark eyes had a frightening glint.

He must meet his father!

After the Han Yue Palace, Gong Jue passed through the Qianlong Palace like a bloody demon, until he finally arrived at the doorstep of Ze Tian Palace. The little figure was already drenched in red.

At this time Gong Jue proudly held his ground, while staring daggers at a man who blocked his path.

Why are you stopping me? Why?

The eunuch who stood before him was someone he knew; it was the very first man who served him in his youth, Chang Xi.

At this time, the eunuch sighed solemnly and spoke as if to coax a disobedient child, “Let me ask you Prince Jue, why would you a dignified Ninth Prince, trespass the inner court?”

Gong Jue gently lowered his narrow sword, and dark red drops splashed on the ground! He hung on to his last breath, and was already at the end of his power. At this time, the red-eyed prince said with a husky voice, “I’m anxious to see Father! I hope Father Emperor can grant me permission! ”

Gong Jue looked at Chang Xi earnestly. There was no time. Hopefully the other party can let him pass! He believes that sending Chang Xi must be the result of his father’s gesture, so the emperor should see him right?

Surprisingly the eunuch shook his head, and sighed, “Please return to the cold palace Ninth Prince, His Majesty has issued a decree: Today is a day of celebration therefore the emperor pardons you for trespassing the palace capital. If there is a next time, there will be a penalty of death.”

Death Penalty.

These words were administered with a powerful internal force, causing the walls of Ze Tian Palace to tense under high pressure, and filling hearts with despair.