Chapter 390: 390. Unnoticed by gods or ghosts

Translator: 549690339

The night was pitch black, with stars sprinkled across the sky.

Duanmu Chen didn’t know that Gu Ling had been guarding him for two nights in a row. As soon as he heard the sounds of fighting outside, he immediately got up, took Chang’an, and hid in the secret chamber of the sleeping palace.

“Your Majesty, as Marquis Gu predicted, there are assassins.” Chang’an pricked up his ears, but the walls of the secret chamber were thick, and he couldn’t hear the commotion outside.

Duanmu Chen sat down, his eyes deep and dark, “It must be Situ Xie’s men. The battle is imminent, and he wants to kill me.”

At this time, Gu Ling, who was outside, had not yet revealed himself. He hid in a tall, ancient cypress tree, holding his breath and concentrating, quietly observing the assassins.

Initially, only two assassins appeared, blocked by four secret guards. Gu Ling knew that these guards were still from the batch trained by Duanmu Yi.

The assassins were very powerful, and the guards were not weak either, but the latter, even with their two-to-one advantage, could barely hold off the assassins.

Soon, two more secret guards appeared to reinforce them. This should have been Duanmu Chen’s strategy, not to show all his cards at once.

As a result, the number of assassins increased by one. Apparently, this assassination plan was meticulous and determined to succeed.

All of the assassins wore the same night-clothes and iron masks. Their figures seemed to blend in with the darkness, and from a distance, it looked like three masks floating and swaying in different positions.

Gu Ling quickly judged that all three assassins were of the “old demon” type, each of them more powerful than Old Mu and comparable to Old Bai.

In this case, Gu Ling suspected that these three might not necessarily be Situ Xie’s men but were more likely to be from that mysterious force.

So, whether Situ Xie or the mysterious power wanted to kill Duanmu Chen was in question.

Duanmu Chen’s guards continued to emerge, eventually totaling ten people. They formed groups of three, three and four, facing the three assassins.

About half a quarter of an hour later, the Forbidden Army gathered around Duanmu Chen’s sleeping palace. The archers in the front row took their positions, but the ten-odd people engaged in the battle were all masters, moving quickly and changing positions constantly, making it difficult for the archers to aim at the assassins.

Looking at the three floating iron masks in his line of sight, Gu Ling thought of the gray-robed old man who had come to the capital city last year to investigate him and Su Liang. When they had fought, the old man had used a hidden weapon similar to a hand grenade.

This made Gu Ling worry a bit at the moment. If these three powerful assassins were in league with the gray-robed old man and were determined to kill Duanmu Chen, would they just throw a hand grenade at Duanmu Chen’s sleeping palace?

However, if this were the case, they could have started by throwing a powerful weapon right away, and there would be no need for a fight… Gu Ling thought he could wait a little longer to see if there were any more assassins yet to reveal themselves.

Duanmu Chen’s secret guards were gradually injured, and even with a ten-to-three advantage, the battle remained difficult.

After four of the guards were injured, Gu Ling saw another iron mask flash by in the shadows and rush towards Duanmu Chen’s sleeping palace.

It seemed that the assassins’ group was also testing how many secret guards Duanmu Chen had. By now, there should be just about this many in the palace.

Gu Ling squinted his eyes, raised his right arm, and aimed his homemade nail gun at the “iron mask” about to enter Duanmu Chen’s sleeping palace. He adjusted the position and pulled the trigger.

The iron nail didn’t pierce the smooth iron mask, but quickly passed through the gap between the fighting masters and disappeared from Gu Ling’s sight.

The iron mask swayed, fell, and collided with the ground… Gu Ling had applied a paralyzing poison to the nail, so even if his shot missed, as long as the poison entered the body, it could quickly bring down the enemy.

The three assassins attracting firepower finally noticed the tree where Gu Ling was hiding.

One of the assassins broke out of the encirclement and leaped towards the ancient cypress.

This finally gave Lin Bojun, who had been brought to guard the palace the day before, an opportunity. He immediately ordered the archers to shoot!

The dense arrows all aimed at the nearest assassin to the old cypress, and even with his great skill, he had no choice but to block with his sword.

As the assassin moved, Gu Ling’s nail gun aimed at his sword-wielding right arm and fired again!

Of the four assassins, two were down.

The other two assassins saw the situation turn unfavorable and decided to retreat.

Gu Ling shot one with his nail gun and intentionally let the other one go.

Lin Bojun ordered another round of arrows to be released, but it failed to stop the fleeing assassin.

The ancient cypress tree swayed slightly, Lin Bojun did not see Gu Ling, but he had guessed as much. Although the assassination appeared to be over, the Forbidden Army did not retreat, but instead called in the Imperial Physician to treat the injured secret guards.

Lin Bojun reported the situation at the entrance of Duanmu Chen’s sleeping palace, Duanmu Chen heard, letting Chang’an go out to take a look while he remained inside.

Soon, after verifying the situation outside, Chang’an returned to inform Duanmu Chen.

“All three assassins were brought down by hidden weapons, I suspect it might be Marquis Chang Xin,” Chang’an said.

Duanmu Chen was stunned for a moment, “Is Gu Ling here too? Did he come specifically to protect me?”

“It’s just a guess. One of the assassins escaped, and if it really is Marquis Chang Xin, he must have gone to track down the assassin,” Chang’an said.

Duanmu Chen nodded, “I think it should be him too.” Thinking of Gu Ling’s presence, he suddenly felt much more at ease. From tonight’s situation, where ten secret guards could not withstand four assassins, if Gu Ling was not present, Duanmu Chen’s safety would be uncertain.

Recruiting top martial artists from the outside is a very cautious move for the Royal Family, fearing to let the wolves into the house. The higher the martial arts skills, the more absolutely loyal someone has to be, otherwise, they cannot be used.

As a result, most of the martial arts masters serving the Royal Family are cultivated by the Royal Family itself, with clear backgrounds and transparent life details. However, this also limits the strength of the secret guards.

True top-notch masters must possess both talent and strength; the vast majority are elderly, with their life’s accumulation required to become a presence that crushes the younger generation.

Gu Ling, who possesses such an outstanding martial arts skill at such a young age, is extremely rare.

Duanmu Chen planned to wait for Gu Ling to return before coming out of the secret chamber. He cherishes his life and is always cautious, but he would not have made such a meticulous arrangement this time if it hadn’t been for Gu Ling’s reminder. The terrifying thing is that even though he had made the most thorough arrangements, it seemed that he could not stop those assassins. Thankfully, Gu Ling was there.

Lin Bojun dragged the three unconscious, injured assassins together and watched over them outside the sleeping palace without doing anything else.

Gu Ling chased the assassin out of the palace for not long before another iron-masked man appeared.

Just as Gu Ling thought he was going to face a two-on-one situation, a thick smoke suddenly filled the air. To avoid the possibility of poison, he had to retreat.

In just a moment, the thick smoke was dispersed by the night wind, and the traces of the two iron-masked men disappeared completely.

Gu Ling returned to the imperial palace, and Lin Bojun recognized his expression when he took off his mask, “I knew it was you!”

Chang’an told Duanmu Chen that Gu Ling had returned.

Duanmu Chen immediately came out of the secret chamber, and the lights in the sleeping palace were quickly lit again.

Gu Ling entered, and Lin Bojun ordered the assassins to be dragged in as well.

Upon seeing Gu Ling, Duanmu Chen asked, “Have you been watching over me all this time? Were you here last night too?”

Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent, “I came to protect Chang’an.”

Chang’an was coming in with hot tea when he heard the words, nearly tripping and falling. He stuttered, “Marquis Chang Xin must be joking.”

Duanmu Chen snorted lightly, “You obviously care a lot about my safety.”

Gu Ling had already bent down to examine the three assassins and did not respond to Duanmu Chen’s words.

Lin Bojun: …Couldn’t help feeling that Duanmu Chen’s expression and tone just now seemed somewhat similar to Lian Shun’s…

Removing the iron masks, the assassins were old, just as Gu Ling had guessed. The three assassins did not carry any special items, nor did they have any tattoos or the like. Their clothes and masks were identical, their weapons were different, but there were no particularly famous weapons with obvious ownership.

“Are they Situ Xie’s men?” Duanmu Chen asked.

Gu Ling shook his head, “I don’t know.”

Gu Ling moved the assassins to a side palace, saying he wanted to conduct a separate interrogation. Duanmu Chen let him do as he pleased.

“Does Your Majesty want to rest?” Chang’an asked.

Duanmu Chen yawned but shook his head, “Let’s see what Gu Ling can find out.”

In the side palace, Gu Ling chose an assassin, tied him up, and fed him the antidote.

Before long, the assassin woke up, his eyes fixed on Gu Ling.

“Who sent you?” Gu Ling asked.

The assassin’s eyes cleared, and then he bled from his seven orifices and died!

Gu Ling’s eyes narrowed, and he pulled open the mouths of the other two assassins, finding a poison pill hidden deep within their lower left teeth. The one who had taken his own life must have bitten and broken the pill’s outer shell.

Gu Ling hadn’t expected that the martial arts master assassins would choose suicide over revealing secrets, just like death soldiers.

Gu Ling collected the poison pills, intending to study them with Su Liang later to determine the type of poison.

Then, he woke up the second assassin.

Gu Ling saw the assassin clench his teeth after waking up, and his expression changed abruptly.

“Your poison is in my hands.” Gu Ling’s face was expressionless, “As long as you confess honestly, I can spare your life.”

As a result, Gu Ling watched as the second assassin decisively bit his tongue and killed himself.

In just a short while, two of the three assassins were dead. Gu Ling didn’t wake up the last one but dragged him out of the side palace.

“How did it go?” Duanmu Chen asked.

Gu Ling shook his head, “They are death soldiers, and I couldn’t get any information out of them.”

Duanmu Chen frowned, “They’re death soldiers.”

“I’ll take this one back and let Su Liang figure it out.” Gu Ling said and walked away.

Duanmu Chen hurriedly spoke up, “The night isn’t over yet. What if the assassins return?”

Gu Ling looked back at Duanmu Chen, his gaze resting on the latter’s forehead for a moment before moving away and said indifferently, “The Emperor has great fortune and will be fine.”

Duanmu Chen was rendered speechless as Gu Ling’s figure disappeared at the doorway.

Su Liang was woken up by her daughter and saw Gu Ling holding Gu Xiaonuan in his arms, trying to soothe her.

Su Liang looked out the window; it was still pitch dark outside, “An assassin came? Has it been resolved?”

Gu Ling nodded, “They came. Let’s talk after dawn; you go back to sleep.”

Su Liang sat up, “We’re all awake, let’s sleep together later. What happened exactly?”

Gu Ling gently swayed Gu Xiaonuan to sleep and whispered the events that happened in the palace that night to Su Liang.

“Four old fellows, one escaped, two committed suicide?” Su Liang was also surprised, “Why didn’t the one who released the poisonous smoke attack you?”

Considering the overall strength of the assassins tonight, two against one would not necessarily mean a victory over Gu Ling – of course, excluding the influence of hidden weapons and poison.

“Perhaps their target was only Duanmu Chen, and they didn’t want any unnecessary complications. Or maybe, it was that group of people.” Gu Ling said, referring to the group that wanted to capture him alive.

“Is Duanmu Chen’s crisis resolved?” Su Liang asked. If there were still threats to Duanmu Chen’s life in the next three days, Gu Ling should be able to perceive them.

Gu Ling nodded, “He’s safe for now.”

“It seems that there are only those two left in the city. They won’t attack easily again. After all, masters like them aren’t cabbages, they aren’t abundantly available.” Su Liang sighed, “The one you brought back will surely try to commit suicide once he regains consciousness. It’s a pity that the ‘Emperor’s Heart Medicine’ mentioned earlier can’t be made.”

Previously, when Duanmu Chen tried to test Situ Yao, Gu Ling gave him a fake “Emperor’s Heart Medicine,” a psychological ploy.

Su Liang had asked Old Bai if there was a medicine that could control people’s minds. Old Bai said it was possible but he didn’t know how to make it and hoped that Su Liang could research it…

“Let’s keep it for now.” Gu Ling said.

Gu Xiaonuan refused to sleep no matter how she was coaxed and pointed at the outside.

Gu Ling and Su Liang decided to bring their precious daughter to the garden for a walk. Old Mu, who was sleeping in the study room, heard them and, upon confirming that Gu Ling had returned, didn’t bother with them any further.

During the darkest moment just before dawn, the stars in the sky still sparkled, and the wind was chilly.

Gu Xiaonuan wanted to go outside, but once she was out, she got sleepy again and fell asleep in Gu Ling’s arms.

Gu Ling and Su Liang strolled around the lake without speaking, each contemplating the dilemma they were facing.

It wasn’t until the morning light appeared that the family of three returned to Yuanming Pavilion.

Ji Xiaoshu and Zhengzheng got up early and quietly went downstairs, afraid of disturbing Gu Ling and Su Liang.

By midday, when Gu Ling and Su Liang woke up, had breakfast, and freshened up, Chang’an arrived, asking if Gu Ling had obtained any information from the captive he brought back the previous night.

Gu Ling shook his head, “No.”

Chang’an didn’t know what to say. He waved at Gu Xiaonuan and was about to leave when he suddenly remembered something, “His Majesty asked me to inquire if Marquis Gu will be coming to the palace tonight? If you are coming, His Majesty will prepare food and drinks and play chess with you.”

Gu Ling shook his head, “I’m not going.”

Chang’an refrained from commenting. Anyway, after the events of last night, Duanmu Chen was sure that Gu Ling was his good friend who cared about his safety.

Chang’an had just left when the high imperial physician arrived. He called Gu Ling to visit the Min family together, intending to apply acupuncture to Min Rui for half a month.

After Gu Ling left, Su Liang took out the two poison pills Gu Ling had brought back the night before and began researching their composition. As for Gu Xiaonuan, she was carried by Cen Man on the lake, having a great time. Su Liang sat by the window; she could see her daughter by looking up.

At the Min Family’s Ministry Mansion.

When Gu Ling saw Min Rui, Lady Min was not present, and Min Rou took care of him.

With a serious expression, Min Rou asked Gu Ling a question, “Is the medical skill of Marquis Changxin taught by the Divine Doctor Su or the other way around? Or are you originally divine doctors?”

Gu Ling’s expression was indifferent, “It’s none of your business.”

Min Rou’s face stiffened, and she silently left the room without noticing the airplane pattern on Gu Ling’s waist pouch.

Upon reaching the door, Min Rou muttered, “I was just curious, no need to get so angry…”

After Gu Ling finished applying acupuncture to Min Rui and left, he saw Lady Min approaching as he exited the mansion. His gaze momentarily rested on her forehead before withdrawing.

After leaving the Ministry Mansion, Gu Ling told the high imperial physician that he wanted to visit Old Master Qin at the Duke Mansion and they parted ways.

Gu Ling really did enter the Duke Mansion, but when Old Master Qin received the news and waited in vain for Gu Ling to arrive, the servants reported that Gu Ling had left halfway through without using the main entrance.

Old Master Qin was puzzled, “I was waiting for him to go fishing together, I’ll go alone this afternoon!”

At this time, Gu Ling had quietly returned to the Min Family’s Ministry Mansion, avoiding the servants’ eyes and approaching Min Rui’s room.

His hearing was exceptional. While an ordinary person wouldn’t be able to hear the conversation inside the room, he could.

“Old Master Qin likes fishing…When he’s fishing by the water, I’ll lead the servants away and push him into the lake…It will only be seen as an accident, undetected by gods and ghosts…”