465, Ashamed (5th Update)
Dugu Zhen arrived at the inn mentioned by Xie Zhinuan and found a place to nestle in. He was accustomed to wandering outside, to coming and going amidst the dark nights and cold winters. This lifestyle made him feel at ease and free of any guilt.
He toyed with the porcelain bottle in his hand and slowly smiled.
“Crack!”
A faint noise came, and Dugu Zhen opened his eyes.
In the darkness, his gaze was crystalline. Seeing the dark figure approach and sneak towards the room below him, Dugu Zhen couldn’t help but admire Xie Zhinuan’s scheming.
As expected, someone had been sent to assassinate him.
By killing the person in the room and then stealing the silver note, they planned to frame Xie Zhinuan.
As the assailant made their move, Dugu Zhen swiftly stepped forward to block the attack.
The shadow was taken aback. Regarding the suddenly appearing Dugu Zhen, the assailant felt apprehension and when he tried to stab the wooden figure on the bed once more, Dugu Zhen blocked him again and even pressed his pressure points, leaving him standing rooted to the spot, unable to move.
“Huh!” Dugu Zhen sneered coldly.
Sending such a useless fool, who were they underestimating?
He flipped onto the roof.
The man in black, holding a sword, stood there, sweating with anxiety as he was unable to move.
On the bed, Mr. Mu trembled slightly, not even having the courage to roll over and take a look.
He had some knowledge of martial arts, not enough to be impressive, but sometimes, as long as he wasn’t facing an especially powerful master, he could defend himself and fight back.
Mr. Mu did not know when Dugu Zhen entered the room, but he knew when the assassin came in; he was about to shout for help when someone appeared to block the attack.
While he breathed a sigh of relief, he wondered who could have sent such a formidable person to protect him. After considering it, he could only think of one person.
Xie Zhinuan.
Did she know something?
The more Mr. Mu thought about it, the more frightened he became, his heart in turmoil, as if it were tangled in a mess.
He and his daughter had been plotting, scheming to use her to establish a connection with Prince Han, not expecting that she would actually send someone to protect him.
For a moment, Mr. Mu felt a tinge of guilt.
“…”
When the dawn was about to break, Dugu Zhen quickly left the inn, making some noise as he departed.
Mr. Mu rose quickly, “My savior, thank you for saving my life!”
“I thought you were going to play dead all the way through, you coward!” Dugu Zhen cursed and leapt to the roof to leave.
Mr. Mu chased to the doorway, but there was no one in sight.
He turned back to look at the assassin. He took out a dagger and made a few gestures at the assassin’s throat, but thinking of the person behind the scenes, he couldn’t bring himself to do it.
“Who, who sent you?” Mr. Mu asked, his voice trembling.
But the assassin was not only made immobile by the pressure point, but also silenced by it, unable to speak.
“…”
Mr. Mu didn’t know and thought the assassin was unwilling to talk, so he simply went to fetch the innkeeper to help report to the authorities.
He also inquired if there were any martial artists staying at the inn, as he wanted to hire a few for protection.
The innkeeper said with a smile, “Indeed, there are!”
The innkeeper dared to open an inn on the outskirts of the city because he had some skills and connections. Mr. Mu offered money, and the innkeeper quickly found five robust men for him, each looking skilled in martial arts.
Even if they weren’t formidable, they were somewhat intimidating and could bluff their way through.
Mr. Mu was fairly polite to the men, thinking that if they were really capable, he would hire them on a permanent basis.
Silver was important, but so was his life.
When Dugu Zhen returned to the Xie Mansion, he immediately called for someone to prepare hot water for him. He wanted to bathe, burn incense, and take medicine.
“…”
The serving people were used to his difficulty and handled him with caution; even their master Xie Zhinuan gave him some leeway, so the servants dared not neglect him.
They went to prepare the hot water right away.
Dugu Zhen cleaned himself meticulously, and, looking at the porcelain bottle on the table, he carefully opened it, extracted a small medicine pill, and slowly placed it in his mouth.
Chapter 466