Chapter 308 - Easy Execution

One thing Chun Hai really liked about Bao Zhun was that he asked no questions, Chun Hai said Monk Du would teleport them here and there and Bao Zhun simply nodded. 

Chun Hai then continued on to say that they would drag the fallen guards outside and leave them in clear view. This way it would look as if Bao Zhun was the one who attacked them and set the fire to orchestrate his escape. 

This way, even if the fire was not enough, then the search for the missing hostage would be enough to occupy the men.

Bao Zhun frowned, "I don't think that will work. That Prince Houyi wants me gone, he actually sent for my father, he'll be here tomorrow to take me back...so I don't think he would care about me escaping-"

"Even better..." Chun Hai said with a little smirk, "Houyi hates people looking down on him more than anything. If he already informed your father that he has you, then he will have to provide you. His ego won't be able to stand you escaping his grasp. He can't stand what he can't control..."

This was honestly the true reason Chun Hai believed Prince Houyi and his sister could not work. Prince Houyi could not stand people who he would not control and his sister was probably the definition of headstrong, she was not one to put herself in the subordinate position that Prince Houyi now expected of all who surrounded him. 

It was alright when they were children as it was all fun then. But now, Prince Houyi could not stand that the Chun siblings had access to a power beyond his control and reach. Hence his acting out now with all these assassination missions he has been throwing their way. 

The plan was set and they were good to go. They set the fire, positioned the guards outside and Monk Du teleported them into the forest, just outside the residence for them to wait in safety until the coast was clear for Monk Du to teleport in, grab Chun Hua then teleport back to the other two and then a final teleportation out of here. 

Bao Zhun and Chun Hua watched Monk Du with bated breath as he closed his eyes and seemed to be scanning the residence and waiting for the right time to teleport in and grab Chun Hua. They heard the manor come to life with shouts and orders being loudly barked out as the fire raged on, it was all going as expected. 

But then after a few minutes, the noise from the manor suddenly died down, the fire was still raging but the shouts had oddly gone silent. 

Monk Du frowned and opened his eyes and Chun Hai and Bao Zhun immediately asked, "What happened?" in unison.

"It did not work..." Monk Du calmly said.

Inside the manor, Prince Houyi was now standing in the middle of the courtyard, in the center of a protective circle that was quickly growing as all the men in the residence flocked to it, with their swords drawn and eyes scanning for the enemy. while the fire raged unattended in the background. 

Prince Houyi had one arm wrapped around Chun Hua's chest with the other hand holding a sword to her neck with a smug smirk on his face as he began, "Do you really think I wouldn't have expected this?" He paused and scoffed, "Like I care what happens to a building, it is nothing but a minuscule sacrifice for a grand future...And here I thought you understood me the most, you have again proven yourself to be an utter disappointment." 

Prince Houyi waited but received no response, he then sighed and called out again, "I know you can hear me...You have ten seconds to come out and bring that Bao brat with you or she dies -"

Chun Hua stiffened, feeling lost and completely taken aback by that statement.

When the chaos had started outside, Prince Houyi had swiftly woken up and dragged her outside with him. The men quickly explained that there was a fire and that they were working hard to put it out. Prince Houyi nodded at first but then suddenly frowned and ordered that they ignore the fire and all the men were to come to protect him right this instant. 

He then turned to look at the confused and sleepy Chun Hua and told her they had a show to put on. Chun Hua did not need to be told that they were being attacked so she patiently stayed at his side and observed the surroundings waiting for the enemy's move.

But then Prince Houyi suddenly switched moves, grabbed her and put a sword to her neck and as soon as he began to speak she realized who this "enemy" was and it made her even more confused.

Why would her brother be attacking Prince Houyi? And what was this standoff for?

When Prince Houyi felt Chun Hua tense up, he quietly whispered into her ear, "Relax, I'm just trying to fish him out. I obviously won't kill you but your brother can't know that... He does not understand our grand visions. Do you know he had the chance to kill Rui but spared him? Now, who knows what else he has up his sleeves? We have to make him understand..." 

Chun Hua relaxed feeling reassured with Prince Houyi's words. She did not like the position since she was completely defenseless right now, she obviously had not had access to her poisons or to make any. But she was feeling more worried about her brother. What was he suddenly doing this?

With Chun Hua settled, Prince Houyi went back talking loudly "Do you really think I won't do it?..." 

No response or movement.

"Alright, try me...ten seconds, you have ten seconds." Prince Houyi said and then he ordered his men, "Countdown, all of you..."

The men promptly began to loudly count down in unison. Chun Hai and Bao Zhun no longer needed Monk Du to communicate the words being spoken in the manor, they could hear the countdown from where they stood, and panic began to set in.

"Can't you just teleport there and take her from him?" Bao Zhun asked with knit eyebrows. 

Chun Hai looked at Monk Du and went, "You can, right?" He should be able to do that just as he had done for Chun Hai earlier.

Chun Hai did not want Monk Du to expose his skills so publically in order to avoid him being targeted. This was why they went through all this trouble of setting a fire and all that hoping they could make a quiet escape. But since things were now like this, it seemed they had no choice but to proceed with the public show. 

"He has a sword to her neck. If I go to take her, he would come along and if he panicked, then she could die. Also, I have a blood pact with your siblings so taking you with me is the same as taking myself hence why it is was so easy for me to jump and take you in an instant. But with another party in the mix, it will throw things off so there will be a short delay as I have to adjust the energy to account for the other person on my return. .." Monk Du calmly explained with a frown. A one-way journey with others was not a problem but an instant two-way journey might be troublesome. 

If he still had one of those blue energy crystals his master had made for him, then an instant two-way journey would not have been a problem. 

A moment's hesitation there would mean death for Chun Hua and perhaps even Monk Du himself. Chun Hai also frowned, it was truly too risky. 

"4!"

"You're counting too quickly!" Bao Zhun exclaimed with frustration, "So what do we do?"

"We'll go, I just need a single opportunity and we can all leave." Monk Du calmly said and with that, Bao Zhun and Chun Hai found themselves at the side of the burning building. It was quite convenient that his own version of the teleportation did not include a light show, stealth was key. The trio wasted no time and quickly stepped out just as the men went "1" 

Chun Hai and Bao Zhun frowned as they saw blood dripping from Chun Hua's neck where the sword was placed. 

"You bastard, how dare you treat her like that?!" Bao Zhun instantly raged as he moved to storm over there to hurl Prince Houyi and punch him to oblivion, but Chun Hai quickly grabbed him and stopped him. 

He shared the opinion that Prince Houyi deserved to have his face stumped into the ground but they were not here for a battle. They were greatly outnumbered, moreover, if they got separated in the fray of battle, it would further complicate matters.

Prince Houyi turned to them with a smile, still holding onto to Chun Hua tightly with the sword still pressed against her neck. Chun Hua frowned as she looked over at Chun Hua and Monk Du, she was suddenly feeling on the wrong side of the line and was feeling bad about going along with Prince Houyi's plan to trap them.

"...I take it you failed again or did you change your mind and come over here to assassinate me instead?" Prince Houyi calmly asked as he narrowed his eyes at Chun Hai. 

"Assassinate?" Chun Hua repeated with a deepened frown, she tried turning her head to look at Prince Houyi, but the sword further dug into her skin, she winced and stopped.

Prince Houyi either did not notice her pain or did not care as he neither moved the sword or loosened his grip.

Prince Houyi fixed his eyes on Monk Du and his smile widened, "This must be the famed Monk Du...You haven't aged a day after all these years. I guess you have truly found the key to immortality, perhaps you would share it with the rest of us one day. " He said with a snicker and his men snickered along with him. 

His eyes then went back to Chun Hai and he frowned, "You greatly underestimate me, I knew you lied about not knowing his whereabouts. How could you be so selfish?! After everything I've done for you!" Prince Houyi said in anger. 

"You sent me on that suicide mission because you thought I was lying? I could have died today." Chun Hai said, taken aback. Now it all made sense, there was no reason he had to be the one to assassinate Prince Rui. Moreover, there was no reason for it to have been a solo suicide mission. Prince Houyi was simply giving him the chance to go contact Monk Du and bring him here to prove his point.

"You don't look dead to me...and your monk is right there to protect you. Ah, let me warn you. If you even so much as flicker, she dies..." He warned narrowing his eyes at Monk Du, "I grew up alongside these two so I consider them as close as siblings so I naturally don't want to hurt them but you must understand that sacrifice is necessary for one to attain glory. Huayan understands this and so she will be fine no matter what happens but I don' -"

"You bast-!"

"If you dar-!" 

Chun Hai and Bao Zhun both swallowed their angry words when Monk Du raised a hand up to silence them.

Monk Du then turned to Prince Houyi and said, "You speak the truth..."

Prince Houyi smiled, "As expected, you're a man with great wisdom...As I have said, I do not want to shed blood today. I'm sure Haiyan there has told you, all I want is for you to tell me how to use that technique..."

"In front of all these men?" Chun Hai asked with a raised eyebrow.

Prince Houyi frowned and hesitated for a moment, before finally saying, "I'll risk it...Talk."

When Monk Du knit his brows and seemed to be hesitating, so Prince Houyi became further irritated, "Do you want her to die? Wouldn't that be failing in your promise, Monk? Tell me or I will proceed to begin to end their bloodline..." He coldly threatened.

In the past, Chun Hua had told him all about Monk Du's relationship with them, of course, she held some things back. But Prince Houyi obviously pieced together the missing bits and Chun Hua was starting to feel like she was truly in danger here. 

This did not feel like an act anymore. Her getting slightly hurt was one thing but she knew Prince Houyi well enough to know that if he said something, then he would do it if put to the test. 

"...Ah, if it pleases you, you are free to disappear with Haiyan over there, but as you know, his sister is very precious to him. I wouldn't even need to hunt him down, he would eventually come to me himself seeking death...To save us all the trouble and unnecessary heartache, it's best you just start talking..." He finished, pressing the sword even more to Chun Hua's neck, causing even more blood to drip down to her collar.

Chun Hua swallowed and stared past the rows of guards and looked directly at her brother and Monk Du, reality mixed with other feelings suddenly set in.

{...What have I done?...}