Chapter 40
The imperial palace loomed in the distance, its grandeur veiled by the pale light of the waning moon. Feng Jiao Xue moved like a shadow through the rooftops, her every step silent and precise. The wind carried whispers of the guards patrolling below, but she paid them no mind.
Huang Jin De hovered like a silent shadow, his expression calm but watchful.
"Why are we sneaking in? Isn’t the emperor himself aware of the visit?" he asked, his voice laced with concern.
She glanced at him, her lips curling into a faint smirk. "Would you rather I waltz in through the front gate and announce my presence to whoever poisoned Liang Feng? Whatever is going on in the impeial family, its best if we stay out. Let Liang Feng deal with his own enemies"
Before he could respond, she leaped silently to the next rooftop, her movements fluid and precise. Every step was calculated, avoiding the patrol routes she had memorized earlier. The imperial grounds were heavily guarded, but Feng Jiao Xue’s years of experience as an assassin and her natural stealth allowed her to slip past unnoticed.
When she reached the palace walls, she paused, drawing a talisman from her satchel. She whispered a short incantation, and the talisman glowed faintly before dispersing into thin air. A ripple of energy spread out, temporarily blinding any nearby surveillance formations.
"Magic never fails to amaze me" Huang Jin De remarked as they slipped through a hidden gap in the wall.
"It’s worth its steep prize at least." she murmured, her voice barely audible. "I’m so glad I didn’t freely squander money"
A faint glow enveloped her figure as she used another talisman to cloak her presence. The surveillance formations flickered briefly, and she slipped through an unnoticed crack in the defensive array.
"Stop, step to the left three times then continue" Huang Jin De guided her through the formations layered around the place. "The higher the position the more paranoid they get" he muses.
The secluded courtyard of Liang Feng’s estate lay just ahead. She skirted the shadows, evading the dim glow of lanterns hanging from ornate poles. At the estate’s back entrance, she tapped lightly three times—a signal she and the crown prince had agreed upon.