The concubine was charming and alluring, and the ruthless prince coaxed her day and night.

Chapter 118 The villain dies in Zhang Duo

From the western suburban camp to the hunting grounds, it takes only a short time on horseback, but a long walk.

By the time Xu Jiaojiao arrived at the hunting grounds, it was already quite dark, and the forest was pitch black.

Xu Jiaojiao sized up the soldiers guarding the edge of the hunting ground.

These soldiers were arranged in an orderly fashion, with each one about thirty meters apart, so there were virtually no blind spots. Xu Jiaojiao's idea of ​​bypassing them and entering the hunting grounds was nothing short of a pipe dream.

After a moment's thought, Xu Jiaojiao glanced back slightly, then paced back and forth anxiously, sighing from time to time.

After a stalemate lasting about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Xu Jiaojiao gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, and prepared to turn back.

They had just set off when suddenly a group of people rushed toward the hunting grounds.

The night was dark, and Xu Jiaojiao couldn't see the faces of these people clearly. She could only tell that the group of people were guarding one person in the center, who was petite and slender and was obviously a woman.

Upon encountering the soldiers guarding the area, the leader of the group whispered a few words to one of them, and the soldiers immediately released the group.

Xu Jiaojiao smiled and followed the group of people after they went inside.

"who?!"

The soldiers guarding the town saw her from afar and stepped forward to stop her.

Xu Jiaojiao, slightly out of breath, pointed to the group of people who had long since disappeared into the woods: "Sir, I came with Miss. I can't ride a horse, so I had to run here!"

The soldier glanced at the hunting grounds, and after recalling what the group had just said, nodded slightly: "The hunting grounds are dangerous. Don't wander around once you're inside. If you don't find your young lady, come back here."

Xu Jiaojiao nodded hurriedly, "Thank you, sir!"

The soldier saw that she was a woman, and although she wore a veil, her beauty was still undeniable. So he gave her a whistle and told her to remember to blow it if she encountered any danger.

After entering the hunting grounds, Xu Jiaojiao glanced down at the whistle she was holding, a shrewd smile flashing in her eyes.

During this royal hunt, many people wanted Prince Chen dead, and quite a few people wanted her dead as well.

These people are all waiting, waiting for an opportunity to make their move.

Now that Prince Chen is in trouble, everyone's attention is focused on him, and they won't pay much attention to others, which is a perfect opportunity.

The camp was crowded and difficult to navigate, but the hunting grounds were a perfect place to kill and silence witnesses due to their complex environment.

No matter who was following her, no one would stand by and watch her come to the hunting grounds and then turn back, giving up such a great opportunity.

Sure enough, the man got anxious when he saw that she wanted to go back.

Xu Jiaojiao put the whistle into her sleeve pocket, her smile growing even stronger.

Since these people want her dead, she'll give them a chance. Whether they can seize it or not depends on their abilities…

Using the scattered moonlight filtering through the woods, Xu Jiaojiao walked deeper into the hunting grounds.

At this moment, another person arrived at the entrance to the hunting grounds.

"This servant is a servant of Prince Chen's residence. It is already night. This servant has been ordered by Princess Chen to bring some food to the guards in the residence who are searching for the prince's whereabouts."

The soldier routinely asked, "Do you have any proof?"

"Yes." The man took a token from the Prince Chen's residence from his waist and handed it to the soldier.

After the soldiers inspected the man, they released him into the hunting grounds.

Watching the figure disappear into the depths of the hunting grounds, the soldier murmured hesitantly, "That's strange. Why didn't they come looking for us at dawn, but now they're here after dark..."

Well, they're all people we can't afford to offend, so let them be.

The soldier shook his head and continued guarding the hunting grounds.

Deep in the hunting grounds, Xu Jiaojiao encountered several soldiers and imperial guards who were still searching for someone.

Three hours have passed since Prince Chen went missing. These people have been searching from dawn till dusk and are exhausted. Naturally, their movements are somewhat sluggish, and some have even found a safe place to lie down and rest.

This, in turn, makes things easier for many people with ulterior motives.

For example, right now...

Xu Jiaojiao walked to a flat area with relatively sparse vegetation. Just as she was about to sit down and rest, rubbing her legs which were starting to ache, a strange man walked out from behind her.

"Whose servant are you?"

The man stepped forward, looking down at Xu Jiaojiao with an air of superiority and interrogation.

Xu Jiaojiao made no attempt to hide the disdain in her eyes. She looked the man up and down twice, then sneered, "And who are you, servant of some family? You're quite the busybody."

The man choked, dumbfounded, never expecting the woman to reply like that.

After a brief silence, he chose to get straight to the point and quickly complete the task assigned by his master: "It's so late, and you're still wandering around the hunting grounds all by yourself. I'm afraid you're not meeting your lover, are you?"

Seeing that there was no way to rest, Xu Jiaojiao rolled her eyes at the man and said irritably, "And what about you? You're still wandering around the hunting grounds so late. Are you perhaps with your mistress?"

man:"……"

There was absolutely no conversation going on that day.

He asked a question, and the woman retorted with a sharp retort, giving him no chance to continue the conversation.

Seeing the woman turn to leave, the man drew his longsword and followed her: "His Highness Prince Chen has gone missing, so I was in the hunting grounds to find him!"

"Your behavior is suspicious. It's so late, and you're still sneaking around the hunting grounds like a ghost. I think you're definitely involved in His Highness Prince Chen's disappearance!"

With that, he flicked his wrist and thrust his sword at Xu Jiaojiao: "His Highness Prince Chen loves his country and people, guards the border for the Yan Dynasty, and is a hero in the hearts of the people of the Yan Dynasty! People like you who harm Prince Chen deserve to be killed by every citizen of the Yan Dynasty!"

The man spoke with such righteous indignation that anyone who didn't know better would think Xu Jiaojiao had committed some heinous crime.

Hearing the sound of weapons cutting through the air behind her, Xu Jiaojiao narrowed her eyes.

"call out--"

Just as the longsword was about to pierce Xu Jiaojiao, in a flash, Xu Jiaojiao turned her feet and nimbly sideways.

The sword tip deviated, failing to harm Xu Jiaojiao in the slightest.

The man frowned, turned around to try and stab again with his sword, but saw a fierce look in Xu Jiaojiao's eyes that was completely out of character for her.

"puff--"

The next second, the man felt a chill in his chest, followed by a sharp pain that spread from there.

He stared blankly, then looked down at his chest.

Upon seeing a short arrow lodged in his heart, the man's pupils dilated, and he looked up in disbelief.

Xu Jiaojiao held a crossbow in her hand, staring at him warily, and silently retreated.

Realizing he had been betrayed by the woman, the man was enraged and drew his sword, intending to take her down with him.

Before he could even begin, he felt a sweet taste in his throat and started vomiting large amounts of blood.

"Boom!"

The man staggered forward two steps before collapsing and convulsing. Xu Jiaojiao stepped forward, kicked the sword away from the man's hand, and squatted down to pick it up and hold it in her own hand.

She nudged the man's shoulder with her toe and scoffed, "If you want to kill, then kill. There's no one around. Who are you trying to convince with all this buildup? Don't you know villains die from talking too much?"

After saying that, Xu Jiaojiao turned and left without looking at him again.

The man was coughing up large amounts of blood, and it was clear that there was no way to save him.

He stared wide-eyed at Xu Jiaojiao's retreating figure, his eyes filled with resentment...