Chapter 3

Bao Qin went out to prepare the ingredients.

Xiao Xixi was still leisurely cracking sunflower seeds.

Everyone thought she had lost her mind, acting all mysterious in front of the Crown Prince for no reason, but only she knew that the Crown Prince was truly in danger of a bloody disaster.

She was originally a member of the mystic arts, learning divination and fortune-telling from her master since childhood. Last night, she observed the stars and discovered that the Imperial Star would soon be in peril.

If the Crown Prince were to meet with misfortune, according to the ancestral laws of the Da Sheng Dynasty, the concubines would have to be buried alive as sacrifices.

Xiao Xixi was still young; she was only sixteen and didn't want her promising life to be buried like this.

So, she made a protective amulet overnight and gave it to the Crown Prince to help him avoid the disaster.

Thinking about this, Xiao Xixi stroked her chin.

By her calculations, the Crown Prince's bloody disaster should be imminent.

She hoped he would be strong enough to get through this safely, so her efforts wouldn't be in vain.

Today, during the hunt, Luo Qinghan was riding his horse in the forest, chasing a stag.

For some reason, his horse suddenly went mad, galloping forward recklessly!

Luo Qinghan used his inner strength to pull the reins, trying to stop the horse.

Unfortunately, it was no use.

Ahead was a cliff, and if they continued, both he and the horse would fall off.

Luo Qinghan had to painfully abandon his beloved horse, which had been with him for many years. He released the reins and used his lightness skill to leap off the horse.

Just as he landed, a hidden arrow suddenly shot out from the trees, aiming straight for his chest!

The arrow came too suddenly and too fast for Luo Qinghan to dodge in time.

His pupils constricted, and his heart stopped.

In an instant, the arrow was right in front of him, the sharp tip just an inch away from his chest.

It seemed his heart was about to be pierced.

At the last moment,

He suddenly felt a warmth in his chest.

The arrow seemed to hit an invisible barrier, paused for a moment, and then was deflected, flying a distance before falling to the ground weakly.

Before Luo Qinghan could react to what had happened, several black-clothed assassins emerged from the trees, brandishing knives and swords as they rushed at him.

Fortunately, the guards had already arrived on horseback.

Seeing the assassins, they shouted, "Protect the Crown Prince!" and drew their swords, leaping off their horses to engage the assassins in battle.

After a flurry of sword clashes,

The guards, with their numerical advantage, quickly gained the upper hand.

The assassins, unable to resist, were either killed or injured.

Luo Qinghan had wanted to capture a couple of them alive, but it was too late.

The surviving assassins had already taken poison and committed suicide.

Luo Qinghan's gaze was as cold as ice.

His eyes swept over the bodies on the ground and finally landed on the arrow lying quietly on the grass.

The timing of the arrow's release had been calculated with extreme precision.

He had almost been killed on the spot.

If it weren't for that invisible barrier that deflected the arrow...

Thinking about this, Luo Qinghan involuntarily raised his hand and touched his chest, discovering something hidden inside his clothes.

Taking it out, he found it was a protective amulet!

Although the amulet was now black, as if it had been burned, he immediately recognized it—

It was the amulet given to him by Xiao Liangdi.

In an instant, Luo Qinghan understood the origin of the amulet.

Xiao Liangdi must have secretly slipped the amulet into his clothes while hugging his leg.

The amulet was small and light, almost imperceptible, which is why he hadn't noticed it.

What he couldn't understand was why the amulet had turned black.