Chapter 71
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 71
Chapter Title: Gold
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Perhaps the sniper's realm had surpassed the late Pinnacle stage, reaching the Extreme Pinnacle level—a state just one step away from the Transcendent realm.
Of course, that single step would be as difficult as all his previous training combined, but even so, he was a martial artist worthy of being called a master anywhere in the Central Plains.
Moreover, for someone not from the main lineages who wielded a bow rather than a sword to reach such a height was quite rare.
In other words, he had survived battles against other martial artists who closed in at speeds beyond lightness skills or footwork.
"Hiyaaaaah!!!"
There was a way to intercept Moon Shadow as she flew toward him like a cannonball.
"Swift Strike, Rapid Fire, Tracking Arrows."
The moment he confirmed her approach, the arrows had already left the bowstring.
Unlike before, these weren't loaded with overwhelming power or weight; they were interception arrows focused solely on shooting down the incoming foe.
"-Th-this!"
A sense of crisis flashed across Moon Shadow's face.
At that moment, she was already struggling just to handle the momentum from So-hyang's throw and focus on landing safely.
There was no way she could block or dodge arrows targeting her mid-air.
"Hm, looks like I need to lend a hand with that one."
Unable to use sky-treading steps, she had no means to deflect the interception, so So-hyang decided to assist a little.
She raised her sword formula and elegantly traced patterns in the air with her fingers, like painting. Pure white slashes shot out along the trajectory.
The sharply flying arrows were all shattered by the even sharper sword strikes and fell to the ground.
"...What!?"
The sniper's composure wavered for an instant, and in that moment, Moon Shadow's figure dropped onto the rooftop where he stood.
Boom! Dust rose with the thunderous crash, and Moon Shadow gritted her teeth against the pain vibrating through every bone in her body, spitting out a curse.
"What the hell is this bullshit..."
But she had to set aside her bewilderment and frustration for now.
Since things had come to this, she needed to focus on fulfilling her duty as the princess's guard.
Just ten steps away—close range, now the swordsman's domain, not the archer's.
Moon Shadow steadied her breath, raised her sword qi, narrowed her eyes, and charged at the foe.
Floating Dragon Sword, Mad Wind Cradling Life.
True to its name, a sword as swift as a raging gale was upon him, seeking to devour the enemy.
"Variable confirmed. Relocating position."
Of course, no archer would let himself be helplessly cut down.
Paektu Bow Step, hasty retreat.
If the swordsman's footwork closed distance, the archer's widened it, so he lightly pivoted and pushed off the ground.
One side narrowed the gap to slash, the other widened it to loose arrows.
But with the distance already so narrow, victory leaned heavily toward Moon Shadow unless something drastic happened.
"Good, if she keeps this up, she'll win."
So-hyang nodded in satisfaction. She clearly had the skill, so why did she hate it so much?
-----
Even if they had neutralized the attackers' strongest asset—the Extreme Pinnacle archer—the threats to the princess weren't entirely eliminated.
No matter how precisely they'd scouted her movements and timed the most vulnerable moment, no one would think to assault an Imperial Scion with just a single sniper.
Besides the lead marksman, the attackers had deployed numerous archers around the perimeter.
And this was the result.
"Wow, what a sight."
Her vision filled with a rain of arrows, hundreds or thousands of arrowheads flying toward the inn from all directions.
They lacked the previous overwhelming power, relying purely on sheer numbers to overwhelm.
"Such a brute-force approach."
The busiest street in the city, packed with buildings like the Stormwind Inn—none of that mattered; they planned to flatten it all.
Yet the attackers hadn't acted without thought for the aftermath.
They had already spread sleeping incense to knock out everyone in the area and erected a formation enveloping a three-hundred-zhang radius (about 1km).
It appeared to be a type of illusionary formation that disguised the interior to look normal from outside, adjusting perceptions to hide any anomalies.
In effect, a perfectly isolated space where no disturbances inside would be noticed outside.
Thus, the attackers were confident.
Even if the target had an extra guard beyond their intel, what could she do against this much violence?
Even if she deployed a sword barrier to deflect arrows, she had only one body and one sword—how could she block the waves?
But So-hyang merely gently took the princess's hand, smiled quietly, and stepped forward.
"Ahaha, takes me back."
Blocking them? Understandable.
Deflecting with sword qi? Understandable.
Fleeing the area? Understandable.
But...
"...What is that?"
The arrows they loosed seemed mere background noise, parting around her as she moved at a leisurely pace—not too fast, not too slow—without even grazing her clothes.
The attackers' leader, bound by an assassin's vow of silence, couldn't help blurting out in shock.
-----
In her past life, So-hyang had been an eccentric who relished facing modern firearms with outdated cold weapons.
She was more familiar than anyone with dealing with projectiles.
The volley of arrows might seem like an impenetrable wave or wall at first glance.
But ultimately, they were just countless lines of fire, and even those were mere points in any given instant—a collection of attacks.
Between the seemingly densely crisscrossing arrows, there was always space for a person to slip through at every moment.
So So-hyang simply stepped through those gaps, and she didn't even need to be swift as the wind.
A casual stroll like any traveler was more than enough.
That was the main reason so many powers and tycoons in her past life coveted So-hyang: with her as a bodyguard, external threats to one's life were practically nonexistent.
Unless caught in an open-field bombardment covering a wide area without hitting her, she was invincible to any urban threat.
And it wasn't just herself; as now, leading the princess while dodging arrows, she could easily protect two or three.
No matter how much power or wealth one amassed, the human body was frail flesh—vulnerable to a mere brick from a passerby.
Everyone but So-hyang felt that inherent vulnerability, and some poured efforts into overcoming it.
Those drowning in money yet valuing their lives courted So-hyang with lavish offers.
"Hah, what manner of sorcery is this...?"
And the princess here felt much the same.
Zhu Yeonhwa, her arm held and gently led by So-hyang, stared dumbfounded as arrows from all directions veered away as if by prior agreement.
As an Imperial Princess, she had witnessed the marvels of countless martial artists, including Transcendent masters and even Transcendence realm transcendents.
Even the techniques her eldest brother, the Crown Prince, had shown while playing with his young siblings—ostensibly trivial—remained vividly etched in her memory for their grandeur.
Yet her friend's feat belonged nowhere among them; it was utterly bizarre.
Not deflecting arrows with inner force.
Not carrying her away from the target zone.
A technique comprehensible even to a third-rate martial artist—or an ordinary body—if one grasped the principle: an inscrutable mystery.
Like threading a camel through a needle's eye—an unfathomable pinnacle of precision.
Even later, when their arrows twisted trajectories into homing shots targeting Zhu Yeonhwa, So-hyang deflected them effortlessly.
"Guided shots aren't guaranteed hits. Just a slight twist in the line of fire, and the arrow loses power."
The same principle as dismantling the anti-personnel tracking missiles made to counter past-life So-hyang.
By the way, So-hyang added, tossing a question to Zhu Yeonhwa.
"Why are they targeting Your Highness?"
Assassins killed for commissions and collected their pay.
But within the empire, killing a numbered Imperial Scion was tantamount to treason.
Any assassin group taking such a job would be utter fools, single-celled idiots unaware of their place.
Yet here they were, isolating a vast bustling district with a barrier and drugging everyone inside to target the princess.
Given their capabilities, they didn't seem the type for such folly.
Of course, So-hyang knew people didn't always act rationally; madmen did mad things without reason.
The problem was, even that didn't fit—their actions were too peculiar.
They weren't ideological extremists or terrorists aiming for chaos via regicide.
Then there'd be no need to isolate the space and drug witnesses to erase evidence.
If the goal was spreading their message by killing a VIP and harming civilians, they wouldn't hide it.
Then a grudge-fueled killing for its own sake?
No.
So-hyang snatched one of the encircling arrows mid-flight and examined it.
"Light, huh."
The arrows flew fast, but their power was underwhelming by comparison.
They'd used lightness skill principles to reduce weight and boost speed.
Even on a hit, they'd barely pierce the skin, not reaching deep blood vessels—feeble force.
Their aim wasn't lethality from the start, but merely "inflicting wounds"—an odd assault.
So-hyang eyed the green liquid on the arrowhead with interest, then licked it off her tongue.
"-Wait, what are you doing!?"
Shocked at So-hyang casually licking an obviously poisoned arrowhead, Zhu Yeonhwa recoiled, but So-hyang just smacked her lips, gauging the toxin.
"Hm, similar to the sleeping incense from before. A sedative suppressing the central nervous system to induce unconsciousness—no intent to kill."
But that was odd too. Subduing and capturing an Imperial Scion—what use would that serve?
Not a hostage play; the empire never negotiated with such scum, and they knew it best.
They'd mobilize Transcendent masters and Transcendence experts for rescue but ignore demands.
As So-hyang pondered intriguingly, Zhu Yeonhwa provided the answer.
"...They're after my abilities, it seems."
-----
The empire's eldest prince was revered by all.
The second prince dominated all.
The Third Imperial Princess was beloved by all.
Why was that?
The eldest prince, the Crown Prince, was a Transcendence realm martial artist.
A living guardian deity who had defended against external threats for centuries.
The empire's greatest force after the emperor, revered in the martial world as the Dragon Sovereign.
Barring surprises, he'd smoothly become the next emperor—the confirmed heir apparent.
With such an overwhelming figure, imperial succession disputes seemed absurd from the start.
Exceptionally, however, the Crown Prince had renounced his claim, opting to remain the empire's protector, opening opportunities for his siblings.
Thus, two Imperial Scions now vied strongly for the throne.
The second prince and the Third Princess.
The second prince was said to dominate all.
Precisely, he commanded support from countless nobles and bureaucratic factions.
Leveraging his orthodox lineage from a legitimate consort, innate political acumen, eloquence, and talents across fields, he exuded ruler's charisma.
Through threats, persuasion, even dirty tactics, he recruited talent, buried foes, and built his faction.
What of the Third Princess?
Beloved by all.
Kindness and virtue alone couldn't win universal love or the throne—especially not for an Imperial Scion born to a nearly unparalleled mother among them, yet lacking standout backing.
Love required reason.
Ascending that high demanded commensurate ability.
Dragon blood's robust physique and stunning beauty?
Exceptional sorcery from spiritual intuition?
Those were mere starting lines for superior Imperial Scions.
She needed unique traits rivaling—or surpassing—her twenty-years-older brother.
The Third Princess Zhu Yeonhwa's ability was simple.
She was rich.
Precisely, innately gifted with merchant genius and astonishing luck.
Turning pocket change into business capital, investing in prospects, rolling and multiplying it.
After a mere decade-plus of commerce, she'd reached this point.
She commanded the Central Plains' top trade consortium, the Golden Intent Merchant Group, as overlord; owned seven-tenths of the capital Beiping's land as a magnate; became the shadow manipulating the realm's economy.
Not just rich.
Immensely, overwhelmingly, absurdly, unimaginably so.
Astronomical sums accrued per breath, per blink—practically infinite.
As the saying went: if money couldn't solve it, you just hadn't used enough. Bloodlines and power? Meaningless.
Power? Throw money.
Public sentiment? Throw money.
Talent? Throw money.
Just throw money.
Even her rival, the second prince, maintaining parity was impressive.
For a dragon-blooded genius, it bordered on cheat-level.
Had her talents leaned martial instead of mercantile, she'd have shattered Transcendent and beyond long ago.
"Hah, no wonder you entrusted a day's acquaintance with the Imperial Dragon Medallion."
I thought you generous, but it was like spending pocket change.
"Ahem, that's the inside story, not widely known."
Not even most high officials knew the princess was such a titan of wealth.
They imagined modest assets from some business savvy, not mistress of the empire's gold.
Natural for security and optics; she controlled media and rumors with her fortune—a true shadow power.
Yet not fully secret: rivals like the second prince, prime minister, martial alliance leader, beggars' clan, or underworld elders knew covertly.
"And it seems they found out too."
Kidnap the empire's gold mistress, brainwash her, seize the wealth—feasible with such drugs and sorcerers.
Astronomical costs for the barrier and assassin training, but chump change against regicide risk.
They'd risk it for infinite riches.
Failure meant clan extermination for treason; success, boundless gold.
"Hmm, well now."
So-hyang trailed off, incredulous.
"Spicier friends than I thought..."
This wasn't calculated assassination.
It was a soul-staked gamble, pure and simple.