Chapter 178

  Still a distance from the palace, Tang Yin tightened the reins and stopped.

  Cheng Jin and others did not understand what was going on, and they all leaned in towards him, asking: "Sir, what's wrong?"

  Tang Yin raised his head, closed his eyes for a moment, and said: "You can't follow me into the palace, and you can't get in either. Wait for me on the west side of the imperial palace, I'll slip out from there when I come out, and we'll meet up again then!"

  "Yes, sir!" Cheng Jin replied, then added: "Sir, you must be extra careful."

  "You too, don't get caught by the guards patrolling around the palace!"

  "I understand!"

  Tang Yin and Cheng Jin parted ways with each other, going alone on horseback to the main gate of the Wang Palace.

  Zhong Tian was a usurper who ascended to the throne, so he was afraid that he would suffer the same fate. Therefore, he attached great importance to the security of the palace. The entire palace was filled with guards and patrols, although not to the extent of preparing for a major enemy invasion, but still, there were sentries and scouts everywhere, and the patrol teams of the palace guards could be seen all over the place.

  Now Tang Yin's clone has transformed back into Zhong Sang's appearance, and after arriving at the palace, it was as if he had returned to his own home, swaggering inside with a carefree attitude.

  As soon as they approached the palace gate, someone on top of the palace wall shouted loudly: "Halt! Who goes there?"

  "It's me!" Zhong Sang raised his head with a proud expression, looking at the guards on the palace wall.

  The guards above poked their heads out to take a closer look, and immediately recognized his identity. The leading guard officer smiled and said: "So it's General Zhong! General Zhong entering the palace in the middle of the night, is there something urgent?"

  "Nonsense!" Zhong Sang scolded: "Nothing important, why am I staying up so late and running here? Open the door!"

  "Oh... General Zhong, let me report to His Majesty..."

  Before the guard officer finished speaking, Zhong Sang had already shouted in a flustered tone: "What am I here to report? You've delayed major business, I'll have your head!"

  The eunuch secretly stuck out his tongue and was so frightened that he did not dare to delay, personally climbed down the palace wall and ordered the gate guards below to open the palace gate.

  Even at night, the gates of the palace would not be closed, but Zhong Tian was guilty and afraid that some troops would suddenly rebel and rush into the palace.

  "General Zhong calmed down, and the little man also acted according to the rules." After opening the palace gate, the attendant officer came out from inside.

  Zhongsan dismounted and handed the reins of his warhorse to the guard, then walked into the palace without saying a word.

  Tang Yin had never been to the palace before when he was a battalion commander, but through Zhong Sang's memories, he had a general understanding of the structure of the palace.

  Where Mai was being held, he still didn't know. After entering the palace, a patrol of guards passed by him, Zhong Sang reached out to stop them and asked the leader: "Is Mai currently within the palace?"

  The squad leader saw that the newcomer was Zhong Sang, and didn't dare to be slow. He hastily bowed his head and replied respectfully: "Yes! Not long ago, the princess had already taken Miss Wu into the palace."

  "Where was she locked up?"

  "This... I don't know."

  Zhong Sang furrowed his brow and waved his hand, saying: "Go!"

  "Yes! General Zhong!"

  The team leader looked at him inexplicably and left, the matter of Zhong Tian wanting to marry Wu Mei was no longer a secret. He didn't understand what it meant for Zhong Sang to sneak into the palace in the middle of the night to find Wu Mei, but this was someone else's family affair, he didn't dare ask more questions.

  Don't look at Zhong Sang as just a battalion commander, but his identity is not ordinary. Walking in the palace, no one dares to block him. He asked three patrol teams in a row and finally found out that Wu Mei was taken into the rear palace, and it was even Zhong Tian's bedroom. No need to ask what it means to take her there.

  At this time, Tang Yin was even more anxious and hurried, striding towards the rear palace.

  Just as he was about to enter the imperial harem, he suddenly stopped in his tracks. The imperial harem was a forbidden place, and even if Zhong Sang was Zhong Tian's nephew, he couldn't just barge in. To enter the harem, he would have to change his identity again. Thinking this, he looked around and at that moment, a palace maid walked slowly by from a distance.

  His eyes lit up, and he quickly chased after her. As he approached the palace maid, he slowed down his pace, letting the patrolling guards pass by. Seeing that there was no one around, he suddenly used his Shadow Drift technique, instantly appearing behind the palace maid. The dark flames condensed in his palm, and his hand silently pressed against the back of the palace maid's neck.

  The palace maid didn't even have time to scream, and in an instant her eyes turned a dull gray, her body also went limp and fell to the ground. At this moment, Tang Yin's dark fire immediately changed from burning his soul to burning death, incinerating the palace maid's flesh, leaving only a bundle of clothes behind. Tang Yin picked up the clothes, casually bunched them up, and threw them behind an old tree. When he came out from behind the tree again, he had already transformed into the palace maid's appearance.

  Not only did she look exactly the same, but even her gait was elegant and refined. If one didn't use discerning eyes, from any angle, she looked just like an ordinary palace maid.

  After transforming into a palace maid, he finally headed towards the harem.

  As expected, the guards did not block or check the palace maidens at all, and did not even give them a second glance.

  With the memory of the palace maid, Tang Yin was even more familiar with the layout of the Wang Palace and didn't take any unnecessary detours, heading straight for Zhong Tian's bedroom.

  From a distance, one could see that the lamps in Zhong Tian's palace were all lit up, and from time to time, palace maids would enter and exit with trays.

  Seeing this, Tang Yin's mind moved and he did not walk in directly. Instead, he followed the departing palace maids, mixed in with them, and entered the rear kitchen of the palace. Like the other palace maids, he also picked up a tray, placed several plates of sliced fruit on it, and then followed the crowd of palace maids to Zhong Tian's bedroom.

  Tang Yin blended in with the crowd of women and smoothly entered the imperial harem.

  Zhong Tian's bedroom was originally the bedroom of Feng Wang Zhan Hua, with a vast space inside and decorated with gold and jade. At this time, Zhong Tian sat in the middle, and beside him was Tang Yan's long-lost Dancer Mei.

  Suppressing the excitement in his heart, Tang Yin still walked towards Zhong Tian at a steady pace, only his heart had already begun to beat faster.

  Through Zhong Sang's memory, he knew that apart from the many guards around him, the four people in casual clothes behind Zhong Tian were not simple. These four people, together with the two door guests guarding the gate of the Zhong Mansion, all came from Shen Chi, and the four people who stayed by Zhong Tian's side were also the best among the six.

  The palace maidens placed the trays one by one on the table in front of Zhong Tian, then bowed their heads and carefully backed out of the bedroom.

  Zhong Tian's attention was not on them, his eyes at this moment only had Wu Mei.

  Wu Mei is born with a seductive appearance, exuding a bewitching charm from the very marrow of her bones. If she were to be placed in modern times, anyone who saw her would suspect that she was the mistress of some high-ranking official or wealthy noble. She possesses a lethal attraction towards men, and even Zhong Tian, who is of the same generation as her father, cannot resist being drawn in by her charm and beauty.

  As for using marriage to win over the dancer and get her on his side, it had become secondary in Zhong Tian's eyes.

  Zhong Tian had a smile all over his face, sometimes toasting and making merry with the dancers, sometimes presenting her with rare dried fruits, fresh fruits, and pastries from the platter, almost as if he was going to feed her himself. This behavior of his was exactly like Zhong Sang's, just as the saying goes: "birds of a feather flock together".

  Her charming face was icy cold, without a hint of smile, her eyebrows were tightly furrowed, and she was secretly worried about what Zhong Tian would do to her next.

  At this time, it was the turn of Tang Yin's transformed palace maid to put down her tray. Now he and Zhong Tian were only a foot apart, with only one table separating them. To kill him would be just a wave of his hand, how could Tang Yin not be moved?

  Saving Wu Mei alone would expose his identity, killing Zhong Tian and then saving Wu Mei would also expose his identity. Since the outcome is the same, why should he miss this great opportunity? As long as Zhong Tian dies, his rebellious followers will no longer be a threat. Thinking of this, Tang Yin's mindset changed from simply rescuing to striking first and then rescuing.

  As soon as the mind moves, the intention to kill will naturally arise.

  At almost the same time, two of the four people behind Zhong Tian's body shook slightly, raised their eyes, and looked at Tang Yin with a strange glow in their eyes.

  Tang Yin's eyes were sharp, and he saw clearly. He secretly called out "bad luck", which was a technique of discernment. Before he could think carefully, the right palm holding the tray suddenly transformed into a long-handled knife without any warning. He swung the tray away, aimed at Zhong Tian's forehead, and stabbed it down fiercely.

  Zhong Tian didn't react at all, and didn't even know that Tang Yin's hand knife had reached the vicinity of his vital spot. Just then, a door guest behind him flashed to his side in an instant, with movements so fast they could rival those of a shadow drifting by. In his hand appeared a wide and long spiritual sword, which he swung at Tang Yin's hand knife, striking it head-on.

  All that could be heard was a crisp "ding" sound, Tang Yin's knife was deflected and almost grazed the temple of Zhong Tian.

  So fast! Such a high level of cultivation! A master's move is recognizable at once. A glimmer of surprise flashed in Tang Yin's eyes.

  It wasn't until then that Zhong Tian came to his senses and realized someone was trying to assassinate him. When he clearly saw a palace maid standing in front of him, her right hand transformed into a long knife, his instincts screamed out: "Monster!" As he spoke, his face turned pale, and his body continuously slid backward on the straw mat, while he shrilly cried out: "Assassin! There's an assassin!"

  "Whoa!" - With his cry, the inner and outer palace were in an uproar, palace maids ran out, guards rushed in, people crowded and collided with each other, order was extremely chaotic.

  At this time, another guest who was using Insight slowly walked out from behind Zhong Tian, blocking his way and staring straight at Tang Yan with an expressionless face. "Shadow Clone? If you have the guts to make a sneak attack, why don't you have the guts to show yourself?" As he spoke, a sword appeared in his hand, identical to his companion's, and with a flick of his shoulder, the sword transformed into a myriad of shimmering lights that stabbed towards Tang Yan from all directions.

  "I'll destroy your avatar, let's see where your true self is!"

  Tang Yin was secretly shocked, not because the opponent had used the powerful skill of Blood Soul Stab from the start, but because he had used it too casually. The Blood Soul Stab already belonged to the high-level skills of the Light Spirit Martial Arts, and ordinary cultivators would have to condense their spiritual energy before using this skill. However, this person had easily used it with just a wave of his hand, and his cultivation was likely not lower than Tang Yin's own, having also reached the Spiritual Heaven Realm.