Chapter 7: The First Encounter

  In the silent grand hall, everyone was carefully controlling their breathing, afraid that a slight mistake would provoke the poor woman who had already gone mad in their eyes.

  The imperial concubine fell to the ground, her bright red phoenix-embroidered dress contrasting with the golden luxurious floor, casting a strong and brilliant light. Even in such distress, this ruthless woman still maintained her dignity and stubbornness. The imperial concubine straightened her back, held her head high, and her snow-white neck under the cold blade had a breathtaking beauty. The broken wrist sent piercing pain from time to time, and large beads of sweat slowly seeped out from her forehead, but except for the first moment, no sound was heard from this woman again.

  Watching Dan Fei endure the pain, Rong Fei's gaze was complex, and she couldn't help but admire her. But at this moment, everything seemed less important. Rong Fei kept glancing outside the corridor, then turning back to look anxiously at the thin figure in the great hall, a thread of worry suddenly rising in her heart.

  "The Crown Prince has arrived!"

  The soft and delicate voice of the palace maid echoed in from afar, causing everyone's faces to change greatly as they all knelt down on the ground, paying their respects. The crimson carpet stretched out before them, with fragrant incense wafting through the air everywhere. The tranquil Lan Pavilion, usually so peaceful, was now bustling with activity. The sound of footsteps echoed at the entrance, and Chen Fei and De Fei quickly shed their previous listlessness, kneeling down on the ground with a thousand charms and a hundred allurements, their eyes brimming with tears, their breathing soft and faint, as they cried out in unison: "Welcome, Your Highness the Crown Prince!"

  The one called Qing Xia, Lan Fei's mouth twitched, a cold smile suddenly slipped away. She had to admit that no matter who was behind this, the show was already perfect. If it wasn't for their absurd idea, she might have really been deceived by them.

  Not bad, the current Lan Fei is an international number one agent who needs to be collectively assassinated by high-end military personnel from the Ministry of War's Marine Corps on the streets of Tokyo. Military Intelligence Section 9 Super Agent 003 - Tang Xiaoshi.

  She never could have imagined that the country would turn on her, and when she saw the large amount of C4 explosives installed in the lower level of the carriage, she already understood everything. The only ones who could see through her escape route and prepare explosives in the lifeboat were the Military Intelligence Agency and the Ministry of Defense.

  Li Yang is impossible, although he is a high-level leader of the 9th place, but after all, his political career is still shallow, and he can't bear to make such a ruthless decision. So there is only one possibility, that is, the military department's high-level intervention, obtaining the leadership right of the 9th place and the top-secret intelligence.

  Thinking of this, Tang Xiaoshi's mouth involuntarily curled up into a wry smile. Having served the country for so many years, he had seen too many cases where people were abandoned by the government after such actions.

  She still remembered the time she was sent to take out a 6th Bureau agent who had blown his cover in Bangkok. When that agent saw Xiaoshi appear, he also had the same expression, but he was more aware of the situation than Xiaoshi and shot himself instead. Unlike Xiaoshi, who exchanged fire with the Marine Corps troops.

  But when anything happens to oneself, it will be a different story.

  The first rule of a special agent: Everything is for the benefit of the country. This point is actually easy to understand, no matter what the country does, it's always right, even if it means taking your life, you must not frown or hesitate, sacrifice yourself generously, die heroically, and don't have any complaints.

  Unfortunately, everyone's life is only once, and no one will not cherish their own life. Those iron-blooded soldiers who are willing to sacrifice everything for the country are just roles played by actors in TV movies, and in real society, there is no one who is not afraid of death.

  From this point on, it's clear that Xiaoyu is not a qualified agent. However, it's precisely this point that gives her the courage to stand here now and allows her to have chips to face off against the arrogant forces behind the scenes. She firmly believes that as long as she can meet with the person in charge of the opposing side, she'll have the opportunity to negotiate terms and leave this place of right and wrong. In fact, if it weren't for the military department's group of unfeeling, cold-blooded killing machines executing the mission in Tokyo back then, but rather people from the Military Intelligence Bureau or National Security Bureau, she would absolutely have had a chance to escape. Because only people like them would understand what the things in her hands mean to a country.

  A pungent musky scent wafted through the grand hall, and a bright yellow color suddenly flashed before Xiaoshi's eyes. She glanced sideways, only to feel a sharp gaze shooting over, like ice and snow, filled with a chilling aura that froze the tension in the room, making the air seem to solidify in an instant, filling it with a sense of oppression.

  She slightly furrowed her brow, gazing towards the eastern part of the grand hall where sunlight poured in. The newcomer was resplendent in golden light, wearing a purple-gold dragon-embroidered robe, with a jade belt and black hair as smooth as silk. His sword-like eyebrows reached his temples, and his narrow, long phoenix eyes sparkled with a dazzling color in the air. His high nose bridge and thin lips made his entire face exude a sharp, chiseled quality.

  Xiaoshi's eyebrows slowly relaxed, it was good, she was most afraid of a useless wine bag, just looking at this person's momentum, she understood that he was not an ordinary person. As for the inexplicable tension and strong pressure on his body, Xiaoshi automatically ignored them. In her eight years as a special agent, how many times had she protected politicians and heads of state, assassinated terrorists? Her mental quality had already been strengthened to the extreme, if she were to be intimidated by just one glance from a man, how could she still be called the number one super spy of the military intelligence agency?

  Chu Li's eyebrows slightly furrowed, but she didn't speak. Her gaze swept around the room, briefly passing over the faces of Rong Fei, Chen Fei and a few others before finally coming to rest on Dan Fei's wrist. The corners of her eyebrows rose slightly, her inquiring intent clear without needing to be said.

  Dan Fei did not cry like Chen Fei, but swept away her previous strong and overbearing air, turned her head, gave a bleak smile, and said lightly: "I am incompetent, I have troubled Your Highness to take the trouble to come here, please punish me."

  Chu Li's face remained expressionless, but a glint of light flashed in his eyes. He nodded slightly and slowly turned to look at Xiao Shi, his gaze wandering slowly, scrutinizing her as if trying to see through her. Xiao Shi also felt no discomfort, calmly returning the gaze, sweeping a glance over the formation of hundreds of sword-wielding men surrounding them, and smiled coldly before tossing away the long knife in her hand.

  "With a 'clang', the long sword fell to the ground, and Dan Fei lost control. Her body, which had been tense for a long time, relaxed all at once, and she fell to the ground. Several attendants rushed over, shouting and calling out, and helped Dan Fei up. Rong Fei, who was standing beside her, couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief, patted her own chest with her hand, and carefully approached."

  "What are the conditions? What is the purpose? Who is behind this power? If you speak clearly, I can consider whether it's necessary for us to continue talking." Xiaoshi looked straight at the man in brocade clothes and said bluntly. However, her eyes were vigilant, scanning the surrounding crowd, paying attention to their waists, carefully guarding against them hiding weapons. Although everyone here seemed to be wearing ancient-style swords, she still had to guard against guns hidden at their waists. Before negotiations even began, real bullets might not be used, but tranquilizer darts would be enough to put Xiaoshi in a completely passive state. As a special agent, she deeply understood that it was much easier for a woman to open her mouth than to kill her.

  Chu's gaze suddenly turned cold, and he scrutinized the blue-clad woman who was as alert as a leopard. He racked his brains to recall the red-clad girl on their wedding day, who had been so gentle and submissive that even her smiles were cautious. In just one year, she had transformed from a sheep into a lioness. Was the imperial harem really a place where people were killed? Could it change someone so thoroughly?

  "Are you looking for someone to talk to, something that interests me, and we can make a deal?" Chu Li's voice was slightly hoarse, with a hint of low tone. He lightly raised his eyebrows, looking at the blue-clothed woman's cold eyes with interest, saying slowly.

  "Not bad," Xiaoshi smiled calmly, this scene was not the first time he had seen it.

  She still remembers the first time she carried out an assassination mission, she was seriously injured and after the operation, she was rescued by people from Country M. In order to get Xiao Shi's identity and evidence of our country assassinating their political leaders, they wanted to provoke a conflict between the two countries. The people from Country M cleverly laid out their plan, making Xiao Shi mistakenly believe that she was rescued by a kind-hearted battlefield doctor, and even used a "beautiful man" tactic on her. Unfortunately, from the very beginning, Xiao Shi knew that everything was just a trap. She nursed her wounds while pretending to be fooled, cleverly stole military secrets from the enemy, and even splashed dirty water on Country M's face. In the end, she left triumphantly, leaving the intelligence agency of Country M almost frantic. For five years, they listed Xiao Shi and several other dangerous terrorists from the base as the most wanted dangerous persons.

  Now, although everything seems suspicious, Xiaoshi hasn't found any flaws yet. However, the fact that everything is set up too perfectly is a flaw in itself. Xiaoshi focuses intently on the opponent's every move, calculating seriously in her heart, thinking about how many chances she would have to take down the man in brocade if negotiations fail and gain the most advantageous position. She carefully surveys her surroundings, making sure that this angle won't be sniped by a sniper, before slowly saying: "You can keep your purpose secret, but I demand that after we succeed, you let me leave safely and send me back to my country."

  A sudden, brief hissing sound rang out, and the people in the great hall all looked as if they had seen a ghost, staring intently at Xiaoshi's face. It was as if she were a zombie that had jumped out of an ancient tomb, Rongfei's face full of anxiety, wanting to speak but also somewhat fearful, could only look at her worriedly.

  Chu Li was taken aback for a moment, then looked at the woman with a thoughtful expression, a smile spreading across his face as he said calmly, "You might as well state your terms. I can consider whether or not it's worth doing business with you."

  "It's a chance!" Xiaoshi felt a thrill of excitement in her heart, but her face didn't reveal even a hint of emotion. After thinking for a long time, she took a deep breath and knew that this was her last trump card, also the last escape route she had been preparing for herself over the years. The outcome would be decided by this one move, whether she could survive and return to Shanghai to see Tang Yu or not.

  "I have the blueprints for Iran's HK48 in my hands, if you're worth your salt, you should know what that means. The world's most advanced fighter jet, the HK47, is currently in my boss's hands, but nobody knows that Dr. X51, before his death, had already created an even more advanced HK48. It can perform complex maneuvers at high altitudes and has the agility of a small fighter jet. With four fuel tanks, it can refuel four planes simultaneously, and it also has the most advanced navigation system. What's even more unimaginable is that it has an anti-missile positioning system, making it essentially an airborne aircraft carrier..."

  The voice of the little poem became smaller and smaller, only to see everyone staring with wide eyes, as if she was saying something heavenly. Even the man in brocade clothes who had a profound and mysterious expression earlier furrowed his brow. Not at all like the greedy appearance with shining eyes that Xiaoshi had imagined. There is only one explanation for this, which is that these people simply do not know what she is talking about!

  It's okay if you don't know about HK48, but in modern society, who doesn't know what an aircraft carrier is?

  "Where is this?" Xiaoshi suddenly realized the severity of the situation, she took a step forward, her eyes fixed on Chuli, and asked loudly.

  "How dare you!" The guard beside him suddenly tensed up and drew his sword, saying in a low voice: "Dare to be disrespectful to His Highness!"

  "Slow." Chu Li faintly stopped the movements of the surrounding guards, her eyes filled with deep meaning as she looked at Xiao Shi, inquiringly saying: "This is South Chu, adjacent to Qi State in the east, bordering Great Qin in the north, and looking afar at Western Shu. Are you asking about this?"

  "Southern Chu? Great Qin?" The little poem repeated in a low voice, rummaging through her rich geographical knowledge, but not a single clue was found. Southern Chu, Great Qin, Qi State, Western Sichuan, which continent had such an inexplicable place in the 21st century? What's going on? Is this a remake of "The Legend of Qin"?

  Are they deceiving themselves, yet it doesn't seem like it. Are they wandering in a daze and mistakenly entered some mysterious alien territory?

  No! A sharp light suddenly flashed into Xiaoshi's mind. She suddenly remembered that in the last moment of her life, she clearly saw a Marine cutting off her own head, but why did she not feel anything at all this time? Which country's medical skills had advanced to the point where even severed heads could be reattached?

  Xiaoshi suddenly lifted her head, her eyes staring straight into Chuli's. Chuli saw her so flustered, his eyebrows slowly furrowed, his eyes turbulent, unsure what he was thinking.

  Xiaoshi looked down and suddenly caught sight of the long knife she had thrown away on the ground. The long knife emitted a cold aura, its light dazzling to the eyes. She abruptly crouched down, picked up the long knife from the ground with one hand, and held it in front of her face.

  "Be bold! There are assassins! Protect the princess!" The cold light of weapons filled the great hall in an instant, countless soldiers clad in cold armor rushed in, long swords drawn from their scabbards, but none of the handguns that Xiaoshi had imagined. Countless silver arrows were aimed at Xiaoshi's head, but at this moment, she no longer cared about those potential dangers.

  For the first time in her life, she was so afraid and terrified. Her hands trembled as she slowly picked up the long knife on her hand and held it to her face.

  Her raven hair was combed back, her eyebrows were painted with a dark green pigment, her bright eyes sparkled with a hint of shyness, and her vermilion lips and pearly teeth gleamed. Apart from the pale complexion, the person in the mirror was a beautiful woman with a slender figure, gentle and elegant!

  In an instant, Xiaoshi felt her world turned upside down. She tightly hugged her head, and a vast darkness flashed before her eyes, her body suddenly going limp.

  "Ah!" A shrill cry of despair escaped Xiaoshi's lips, her vision went black, the long knife clattered to the ground, and her body also went limp and fell!

  Chu Li hastily stepped forward, embracing her in his arms, ignoring the puzzled gazes of the surrounding crowd. He shouted at the guards, "What are you waiting for? Go summon the imperial physician at once!"

  The guards roared in unison, and under the chaotic cries of panic and disorder, the voice of the imperial physician echoed throughout the Southern Chu Imperial Palace!