The abstinent prince, practicing Buddhism, is seduced by a voluptuous beauty into breaking his vows.

Chapter 160 We're on a date!

"Have you heard? His Highness the Crown Prince knelt before the young lady to propose marriage!"

"Really? That's the Crown Prince! The future Emperor!"

"Absolutely true! My cousin's sister-in-law's niece works at the Marquis's residence and saw it with her own eyes!"

"Tsk tsk tsk...you must really like it..."

Outside the window, the prince's betrothal procession had long since passed, but the chatter on the street had not stopped.

Ashina Lie sat in a private room on the second floor of the restaurant, with three empty wine jugs in front of him.

He remembered that face, her dashing figure on horseback, and her smiling eyes crinkling as she leaned against the prince.

I poured myself another glass.

"The greatest warrior of the Northern Desert, ah."

He picked up his glass and drank it all in one gulp.

That woman didn't even glance at him. What kind of number one warrior was he?

"Another pot, please." He beckoned to the waiter.

No sooner had he finished speaking than a voice came from the table behind him.

"Another pot, please."

That voice sounds familiar.

Ashina Lie turned around.

Xie Yu was sitting at the table behind him, with several empty wine jugs in front of him.

He was dressed in a black outfit, his hair was slightly disheveled, and there were stubbles on his chin. He looked... a bit dejected.

The two looked at each other for a moment, then simultaneously raised their eyebrows.

"Oh, General Xie." Ashina Lie smirked.

"Why aren't you home late at night? Why are you out drinking alone?"

Xie Yu also twitched the corner of his mouth.

"Isn't the eldest prince the same? A distinguished guest from the Northern Desert, drinking alone in a restaurant, it would make people think that our Great Yong has neglected our distinguished guest."

Ashina Lie laughed.

"Quite sharp-tongued."

"Same to you."

Xie Yu snorted coldly, ignored him, and continued drinking his own beverage.

Ashina Lie looked at him like this and suddenly laughed.

"What's wrong? Is your sweetheart engaged and you feeling sad?"

Xie Yu paused, looked up and glared at him.

"Stop talking nonsense!"

"Is this nonsense?" Ashina Lie stood up, picked up his wine jug, walked over, and plopped down opposite him. "Then why are you drinking alone?"

Xie Yu looked at him, his face grim.

"Why are you drinking again?"

Ashina Lie choked.

The two stared at each other, wide-eyed.

After a long pause, Xie Yu spoke first.

"...The person I like got married."

Ashina Lie remained silent for a moment.

"……Me too."

The two looked at each other for a moment, then suddenly spoke at the same time.

"or--"

"Want to share a drink?"

"OK."

And so, the two disheartened men came together.

One pot, two pots, three pots.

After a few rounds of drinks, the atmosphere at the table had changed from tense to... arm in arm.

"You...you don't know!" Xie Yu slammed his hand on the table, his tongue practically slurring.

"I've known her long before that prince! She came to my house to play when we were kids, and I even picked flowers for her!"

Ashina Lie lay face down on the table, his face flushed.

"That's nothing! The moment I saw her, I felt like my head was going to explode! Like fireworks!"

"Back then, she still called me Brother Xie..."

"She didn't even look at me properly!"

The two of them talked back and forth, becoming more and more excited as they spoke.

"Tell me," Xie Yu said, resting his chin on his hand, his eyes already somewhat unfocused, "what makes me inferior to the Crown Prince?"

Ashina Lie thought about it carefully.

"She's not as good-looking as him."

Xie Yu: "..."

He slumped over the table, muttering, "Besides being good-looking, what's so great about him? Cold and aloof, never saying a word, how come..."

"Who knows? Maybe...maybe they're good at flirting."

"He knows how to flirt?" Xie Yu looked up. "Does he even know how to flirt?"

Ashina Lie thought for a moment and said seriously, "I heard from my sister that the Crown Prince treats Miss Su differently than he treats others."

Xie Yu fell silent.

After a long pause, he said sullenly, "That's true. He doesn't even acknowledge other people."

"And what about you?" he asked. "You're not bad either, so why didn't you get a chance?"

Ashina Lie picked up his wine cup and sighed.

The way she looked at me was like she was looking at a stone.

Xie Yu patted him on the shoulder.

"Brother, we're in the same boat."

"Dry!"

"Dry!"

They drank three more pots.

The shopkeeper next to him shook his head.

These two gentlemen are, one is the eldest prince of the Northern Desert, and the other is the young general of the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion...

What kind of celestial being could make these two exceptional individuals so dejected?

By the time the two of them came out of the restaurant, it was already completely dark.

Ashina Lie had his arm around Xie Yu's shoulder, and Xie Yu had his arm around Ashina Lie's waist. The two of them swayed as they walked down the street.

"Let me tell you," Ashina Lie slurred, "there isn't a single woman on the grassland like her..."

Xie Yu nodded, then shook his head.

"You should be grateful; at least you can still pursue her. I... I don't even have the right to pursue her..."

The two supported each other, swaying as they took each step.

"There seems to be someone over there?" Ashina Lie squinted and looked ahead.

Xie Yu also squinted.

"It looks like... Jiang Jingchen?"

-----

Half an hour ago.

Jiang Jingchen arrived at a secluded courtyard in the west of the city.

The courtyard was small, hidden deep in an alley, and the surroundings were eerily quiet.

He pushed open the door and saw Chu Qingzi sitting by the bed, changing the dressing of the woman on the couch.

The woman's face was as pale as paper, she was so thin she was skin and bones, her eyes were closed, and her breath was so weak it seemed she might stop breathing at any moment.

"Still not awake?" Jiang Jingchen walked over and lowered his voice.

Chu Qingzi shook her head.

"No." Her movements were very gentle. "I've been on an IV drip, but the doctor said..."

She paused.

"What did you say?"

"They say this woman had nearly half her blood drawn from her body." Chu Qingzi looked up, feeling a pang of pity. "It's a miracle she survived."

Jiang Jingchen's heart sank.

"Who could be so vicious!"

Chu Qingzi remained silent.

She put down the bandage, got up, walked to the door, and closed it tightly.

Jiang Jingchen looked at her.

Chu Qingzi leaned against the door and took a deep breath.

"She kept shouting while she was unconscious."

Her voice was very low, almost inaudible, "Say... 'Have mercy...'"

"Empress Dowager...please spare me..."

Jiang Jingchen's pupils contracted slightly.

Empress Dowager?

Chu Qingzi looked at him, her usually aloof eyes now churning with complex emotions.

"That's why I placed her here," she said. "My father is old and upright, and I don't want him to be in danger."

Jiang Jingchen remained silent for a moment.

"You believe me?"

Chu Qingzi looked at him, her gaze complex.

"You are her...her family, you will protect her..."

Just as he finished speaking, a series of footsteps suddenly came from outside.

Jiang Jingchen's expression changed.

"Someone's coming!"

He rushed to the window, opened a crack, and looked out—more than a dozen men in black, wielding sharp blades, were closing in on them!

"Walk!"

He pulled Chu Qingzi up and then looked back at the woman on the bed.

That's too late.

He gritted his teeth, picked up the woman, and pulled Chu Qingzi out through the back window.

The night wind howled, and footsteps followed closely behind.

Jiang Jingchen carried someone and ran, stumbling and falling.

Chu Qingzi stood beside him, her face pale, but she gritted her teeth and remained silent.

"Ahead! There's an alley ahead!"

The two turned into the alley and ran a few steps when Jiang Jingchen suddenly groaned.

A throwing knife was embedded in his shoulder.

"Jiang Jingchen!" Chu Qingzi exclaimed.

"Don't worry about me, just go!"

Before he could finish speaking, the man in black had already caught up with him.

Jiang Jingchen shoved the unconscious woman into Chu Qingzi's arms, drew his sword from his waist, and stood in front of her.

"Miss Chu," he lowered his voice, "I'll hold them off, you take her and run to the back—"

Chu Qingzi held the woman in her arms, her eyes red-rimmed.

"No! You'll die!"

Jiang Jingchen didn't say anything.

He knew he was going to die.

But we can't let her die.

"Walk!"

Jiang Jingchen roared and charged at the men in black.

The sound of swords clashing was deafening.

Jiang Jingchen was skilled in martial arts, but with his injuries and the need to protect the person behind him, he quickly found himself at a disadvantage.

A knife was about to strike him—

"Bang!"

A wine jar smashed onto the head of the man in black holding a knife.

The man in black fell to the ground.

Jiang Jingchen was stunned.

At the entrance of the alley, two figures stood swaying.

One was tall and robust, the other was slender and graceful.

Ashina Lie and Xie Yu.

The two men reeked of alcohol, yet their eyes shone with an unusual brightness.

"Hey," Xie Yu squinted at the group of men in black, "it's quite lively this late at night."

Ashina Lie let out a drunken burp.

"Fight?" He clenched his fist. "I've been looking for a way to vent my anger."

The men in black looked at each other in bewilderment.

Where did these two drunkards come from?

The leader of the men in black waved his hand: "Attack!"

In the next instant, Ashina Lie and Xie Yu had already rushed over.

Two drunken masters are more terrifying than usual.

Ashina Lie's fists, fueled by alcohol, struck one after another, knocking the men in black off balance.

Xie Yu's sword was as fast as the wind; as soon as the sword flashed, someone fell.

In less than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, more than a dozen men in black lay on the ground.

The leader of the men in black changed his expression when he saw that reinforcements had arrived.

"withdraw!"

Several figures climbed over the wall and quickly disappeared into the night.

Xie Yu was about to give chase when Jiang Jingchen stopped him.

"Stop chasing!" He clutched his bleeding wound, his face pale.

Ashina Lie and Xie Yu exchanged a glance and looked at him at the same time.

"Brother Chen?" Xie Yu frowned. "Are you injured?"

Ashina Lie's gaze fell on Chu Qingzi, then looked at the unconscious woman in her arms, and his brows furrowed even more.

"He's badly injured. What happened? Who are these people? What... what's going on with you?"

Jiang Jingchen opened his mouth, unsure how to explain.

He looked at the two men in front of him—one was the eldest prince of the Northern Desert, and the other was a young general from the Duke of Zhenguo's mansion.

This matter is too complicated; right now, the fewer people who know about it, the better.

How can one explain that in the middle of the night, a junior official of the Court of Judicial Review, a young lady from the Prime Minister's residence, and a woman who was unconscious appear in this place?

His mind raced.

"Well..." He coughed lightly, "Miss Chu and I...we're out tonight..."

Chu Qingzi instantly understood his meaning and immediately responded.

"Yes! We're on a date tonight!"

Xie Yu and Ashina Lie were both stunned.

Dating?

Jiang Jingchen and Chu Qingzi?

Jiang Jingchen's face flushed slightly, but he still nodded with a forced smile.

"Yes... I invited Miss Chu out... to admire the moon."

Xie Yu looked up at the sky—the sky was covered with dark clouds tonight, so where was the moon?

Ashina Lie looked at Jiang Jingchen, then at Chu Qingzi, and then at the unconscious woman on the ground.

"You two went on a date, and brought along someone who's unconscious?"

Jiang Jingchen choked.

Chu Qingzi suddenly spoke.

Her eyes reddened as she glared at Jiang Jingchen, her voice carrying three parts grievance, three parts anger, and four parts... something indescribable.

"Jinglang! You! You betrayed me?!"

Ashina Liejiang: "..."

Xie Yu: "..."

Jiang Jingchen: "???"

Jiang Jingchen's mind went blank.

Keiro?

Chu Qingzi scooped up the unconscious woman—it's unclear where she got the strength—and took two steps back.

"So what if I knocked this woman unconscious? I'll take her back and make her my maid! I'll make you furious!"

After saying that, she grabbed the woman and ran away in a flash.

Jiang Jingchen: "…………"

Xie Yu: "…………"

Ashina Lie: "…………"

The three people stood there, bewildered in the wind.

After a long silence, Xie Yu finally spoke.

"So...you two were arguing?"

Jiang Jingchen rubbed his forehead.

"……right."

Ashina Lie scratched his head and turned to Xie Yu.

"Did you understand?"

Xie Yu shook his head.

"I don't understand."

The two then looked at Jiang Jingchen.

Jiang Jingchen: "…………"

He didn't want to talk.

Xie Yu patted him on the shoulder.

"Alright, alright, at least you're alive. Let's go, let's take you back to get your injuries treated."

Ashina Lie also came over and lifted him up from both sides.

Both of them forgot to ask—who were those men in black? And why were they being chased?

Jiang Jingchen didn't bother to remind him.

Forget it.

Let's get back alive first.