Zhan Feng's face was far from looking good either. He nervously glanced at his master.
After all, the warriors of Ke Ke Qin were not just reputed for nothing. One could tell as much from the fifth warrior who had overpowered all the others earlier.
It was obvious that Ke Ke Qin had initially hidden their true strength. Who knew what powerful characters they still had up their sleeves.
In the past, his prince might have been able to handle the situation with ease. But now, with the lingering poison in his body and his health not fully recovered, his physical strength had significantly declined.
Two fists couldn't fight off so many hands. Facing so many threats simultaneously and rushing into the battle like this was simply too risky!
But things had come to this point, and he had no way to stop it.
He couldn't possibly defy the imperial edict in public!
As the emperor's voice faded, the entire arena almost erupted in excitement.
The officials who had been dejected after being outperformed by Ke Ke Qin were now unable to contain their excitement and began cheering for Qi Rong.
In an instant, everyone's hopes were pinned on Qi Rong. For a moment, they even forgot how ruthless he was on a daily basis!
Carrying everyone's expectations, Qi Rong slowly stepped onto the arena. On the opposite side, six Ke Ke Qin warriors were already waiting.
Seeing Qi Rong on the stage, they immediately dispersed and changed their formation, quickly surrounding him.
Each of them held a sharp weapon and stared at Qi Rong with a menacing look in their eyes, full of killing intent. They were like venomous snakes hiding in the shadows, ready to strike at any moment!
Looking at their skillful cooperation, a sneer curled up on Qi Rong's lips.
"You've been waiting for this moment for a long time, haven't you?"
Then, his eyes darkened, and he said in a deep voice,
"In that case, save my time. Come at me all at once!"
Before Qi Rong finished speaking, the Ke Ke Qin warriors rushed forward, aiming at his vital parts!
The moment they attacked, they intended to kill him!
Watching the flashing swords and daggers on the arena, Yun Xi stared intently at Qi Rong without blinking. Her heart felt as if it was being tightly grasped by a fist, and even breathing became difficult.
At first, facing the airtight offensive of the warriors, Qi Rong seemed to be handling it with ease. In a very short period of time, he had knocked down two Ke Ke Qin warriors in succession. Then came the third and the fourth...
Amidst the cheers of the crowd, just as victory seemed within reach, Yun Xi suddenly smelled a strange fragrance. It seemed to be coming from the arena and was already very faint by the time it reached her.
If it weren't for her extreme sensitivity to smells, she might not have noticed it at all.
What surprised Yun Xi was that as she walked along, the surroundings were shaded by green trees, and she hadn't seen a single flower tree or flowerbed.
This fragrance was very strange.
But before she could think further, she saw Qi Rong on the arena stagger and take a step backward.
The Ke Ke Qin warriors who had been "seriously injured" in the previous matches then jumped onto the arena one after another. Along with them was Yuan Zhen, the third prince of Ke Ke Qin.
Including those who had been knocked unconscious by Qi Rong earlier, there were a total of eleven people on the stage!
"How despicable! Is this how Ke Ke Qin conducts themselves?"
"Ganging up on one person is unworthy of victory!"
"..."
As the warriors were frantically surrounding and attacking Qi Rong, angry curses erupted from the stands. Even the emperor on the high platform couldn't help but frown.
At this moment, Yuan Zhen, the third prince of Ke Ke Qin, placed his right hand on his heart, bowed deeply to the emperor on the high platform, and said loudly,
"I've long heard that His Highness the Prince of Xian is valiant and mighty. Seeing him today, he truly lives up to his reputation. The outcome of today's match is clear. We of Ke Ke Qin are convinced of our defeat!"
Yuan Zhen paused for a moment, then continued,
"As the saying goes, heroes respect heroes. Such an opportunity is rare. All the warriors of Ke Ke Qin wish to learn martial arts from the Prince of Xian. I hope Your Majesty will grant this request!"
The result had been very obvious before, and Yuan Zhen had generously admitted defeat in the match.
He stated that for now, it was just a martial arts exchange with Qi Rong, without a winner or loser. In this way, even the emperor couldn't easily stop it.
The emperor, Qi Hong, couldn't help but look at the empress dowager. Seeing her nod slightly, he closed his eyes and said,
"Granted!"
With the emperor's words, the Ke Ke Qin warriors immediately pounced on Qi Rong like ferocious beasts, using all their strength!
For a moment, there was a flurry of swords and blood, and the air was filled with a killing aura. Qi Rong was attacked from both the front and the back. Coupled with Yuan Zhen's participation, Qi Rong gradually ran out of strength and was at a disadvantage.
Watching Qi Rong's pale face and his struggling to fight, Yun Xi couldn't help but lean forward in her seat. Her red lips were tightly pursed, and she firmly grasped the handkerchief in her hand.
The swords and daggers were merciless, and Qi Rong was still injured. The opponents seemed endless. Even if Qi Rong wanted to end the battle quickly, it would be difficult.
Yuan Zhen of Ke Ke Qin praised Qi Rong on the surface, but in fact, he had his eyes on Qi Rong's life.
Even she, a woman, could see it, but the emperor didn't stop it and let Qi Rong struggle alone in a dangerous situation!
"These people are simply despicable. They deliberately exhaust the prince's strength and target his vital parts. They clearly want to kill the prince!"
Zhan Feng slapped the pillar of the stand with one palm. His face was gloomy, and his eyes were filled with hatred.
"Given the prince's current physical condition, if he continues to overexert himself, the remaining poison may spread throughout his body and reach his heart!"
If that happened, he would surely die!
However, he could only watch helplessly and couldn't act rashly in front of the emperor!
Although Zhan Feng's last words were spoken very softly, Yun Xi heard them clearly.
She stared at Qi Rong seriously, and her heart involuntarily tightened and ached.
The next moment, Yun Xi suddenly stood up. Before Yu Zhu could even ask what she was going to do, she lifted her skirt and suddenly jumped off the stand!
"Miss!"
Seeing Yun Xi fall, Yu Zhu exclaimed and wanted to help her up. But Yun Xi quickly got up from the ground and, disregarding the pain in her ankle, ran quickly towards the arena.
"What are you doing? Don't cause more trouble for the prince!"
Zhan Feng was stunned and immediately scolded coldly. Just as he was about to chase after her to stop her, Wushuang suddenly grabbed his arm and said indifferently,
"Let her go!"
Wushuang stopped him with a sneer on her face.
"Even if she gets killed, it's her own fault. We can't be blamed."
Zhan Feng frowned upon hearing this. But seeing Yun Xi's staggering figure that had already run far away, he quickly stepped forward and grabbed Yu Zhu, who was about to chase after her.
"What are you doing? If something happens to our miss, can you bear the responsibility?!"
Yu Zhu glared at Zhan Feng and tried to break free from his grip. She also blamed him for not stopping Yun Xi.
But all Yu Zhu got in response was Zhan Feng's cold voice.
"What can you do even if you go? She's looking for trouble herself. It's not our fault!"
Yu Zhu was shocked and stared at Zhan Feng fiercely.
"How can you be like this? Since our miss entered the Prince of Xian's mansion, she's your master. But you just watch your master get hurt. What kind of bodyguard are you?!"
Yu Zhu's eyes were filled with hatred.
"If anything happens to our miss, I'll surely fight you!"