Reborn to Become A Queen: The Real Heiress's Comeback-Chapter 407: They were fooled!

Zhan Lan’s carriage traveled at a steady pace, stopping by the roadside twice along the way.

Hei Yu had been following Zhan Lan the entire time. When they passed through a small forest, he gestured to the Death Guards, curling his fingers to signal an attack.

A dozen masked men immediately emerged from various positions, closing in on Zhan Lan’s carriage.

As the Death Guards advanced through the forest, the carriage came to a halt, and the Hidden Guards surrounded it tightly in defense.

The two sides instantly plunged into a fierce battle.

Amidst the chaos, Hei Yu lifted the curtains of Zhan Lan’s carriage.

His expression changed drastically, and he quickly retreated, firing a signal arrow to command the Death Guards to withdraw.

Hei Yu clenched his fists. He had been deceived—Zhan Lan was not in the carriage!

It must have been during one of the two stops earlier that Zhan Lan slipped away into the cornfield.

They had fallen into a trap!

The Death Guards, upon receiving the order, began retreating immediately.

In the blink of an eye, more than twenty Hidden Guards descended from the trees, swiftly surrounding Hei Yu.

Hei Yu unsheathed his sword and charged forward.

While he was locked in combat with two of them, he caught sight of Zhan Lan not far away, holding a curved bow aimed directly at him.

Hei Yu suddenly realized—Zhan Lan had come to Yunyin Academy on purpose. She must have known that King Wei was currently trying to win over Qingfeng Scholar.

Among Qingfeng Scholar’s disciples, many held positions in the court, which could be leveraged to her advantage!

The sound of Sword Qi whistled past Hei Yu’s ears incessantly. The two opponents he was engaged with were both master swordsmen.

Gradually, Hei Yu began to tire, feeling overwhelmed.

With a sharp *whizz*, Zhan Lan’s arrow pierced straight into Hei Yu’s sword-wielding arm.

He gritted his teeth through the sharp pain and continued fighting the two swordsmen.

"Protect the Commander!"

The Death Guards, disregarding their lives, all rushed toward Hei Yu’s position.

One after another, the Death Guards fell, carving out a bloody path to shield Hei Yu.

Hei Yu ran desperately, only to find a man blocking his path. In a cold voice, the man asked, "Commander Hei Yu, where do you think you’re going?"

Hei Yu, who was being relentlessly pursued and exhausted, squinted his eyes at the man before him and said darkly, "Vermilion Bird Commander!"

With his sword in hand, Hei Yu charged toward Vermilion Bird. Vermilion Bird drew the sword at his waist, meeting the attack head-on. Their swords clashed, producing a resonant hum.

In just a few breaths, the two were locked in an intensely even match.

Hei Yu, hindered by his injured arm, began to reveal flaws in his Swordsmanship. Vermilion Bird’s sword now pointed directly at his chest.

Seizing the moment, Hei Yu unleashed poison, scattering the powder into the air.

Vermilion Bird leaped into the air, deftly evading the attack.

With a *thud*, an arrow struck Hei Yu’s rear left leg.

Turning back, Hei Yu saw Zhan Lan, riding fiercely on horseback. She lowered her bow and looked directly at him.

Wracked with unbearable pain, Hei Yu dropped to one knee, realizing he would not escape his fate today.

Another *whizzing* sound split the air as an arrow from Zhan Lan pierced his other leg.

Hei Yu collapsed heavily to the ground.

From behind Vermilion Bird, more Hidden Guards arrived to encircle him. Despite himself, Vermilion Bird admired Madam Zhan—even without his involvement, she had prepared thoroughly, leaving Hei Yu no room to escape.

Zhan Lan and the Hidden Guards arrived and subdued Hei Yu.

Vermilion Bird looked at Zhan Lan and explained, "Madam, I happened to be passing by..."

Zhan Lan’s lips curled into a smile as she slung her bow across her back. She had anticipated that Mu Yan would worry for her safety and would send Vermilion Bird to follow her.

"How convenient," Zhan Lan said with a smile, looking at Vermilion Bird.

Vermilion Bird scratched his head.

Approaching Hei Yu, Zhan Lan coolly asked, "Where is Si Jun training his troops? Speak."

Hei Yu, his gaze cold and piercing, looked at Zhan Lan and replied, "What is General Zhan talking about? I don’t understand."

Even now, no matter how many identities Zhan Lan carried, Hei Yu still preferred to address her as General Zhan.

After all, to fall at the hands of a general—he did not find shame in that!

But Zhan Lan, like a cat toying with a mouse, shot arrow after arrow at him, purposely avoiding a fatal blow. Everyone knew Zhan Lan’s marksmanship was impeccably accurate. This filled Hei Yu with humiliation!

Zhan Lan smiled mockingly at Hei Yu. "Fine, then we’ll take you back and interrogate you slowly. This general has all the time in the world."

"Zhan Lan! It’s no use—I won’t say a word!" Hei Yu glared at her with ruthless determination.

Zhan Lan gave a soft "oh," then took Xiao Chen’s sword and slashed twice, severing the tendons in Hei Yu’s legs.

"Ah!" Hei Yu let out a blood-curdling scream and cursed, "Zhan Lan, a cruel death awaits you!"

Zhan Lan sneered coldly. "Hah, you’ll surely die before this general does!" frёewebnoѵēl.com

The Hidden Guards bound Hei Yu securely and loaded him onto the carriage to be taken away.

Two masked individuals behind Zhan Lan revealed their true identities.

They were none other than Xiao Chen and Zhan Lan’s Dark Guard Commander, Qin Ming, who had been fighting Hei Yu earlier.

Zhan Lan introduced them to Vermilion Bird. "Vermilion Bird, you already know Lord Xiao Chen well. This is my Dark Guard Commander, Qin Ming."

Vermilion Bird’s pupils widened in an instant, and he smiled faintly. "Could it be that you are the legendary swordsman Qin Ming?"

Qin Ming smiled and nodded. "I’ve long admired Commander Zhu’s reputation."

In the martial world, Qin Ming had long heard of Vermilion Bird, who was the most capable subordinate of Xingtian Department’s Seal Keeper, Mu Yan.

Having witnessed Vermilion Bird’s swordsmanship earlier, Qin Ming held deep admiration for it.

Zhan Lan glanced at the two, who seemed to have mutual respect, and said, "Today’s operation was thoroughly prepared in advance. Vermilion Bird’s presence was the icing on the cake. I’ll ask the Prince to reward you properly later."

"Thank you, Madam!" Vermilion Bird replied, his heart filled with joy, though his expression remained composed.

"Hei Yu was truly difficult to deal with. Fortunately, he’s been captured now," Xiao Chen remarked with a sigh.

Zhan Lan nodded. "Capturing Hei Yu is as good as cutting off one of Si Jun’s arms. He’s bound to lash out in desperation. Xiao Chen, Vermilion Bird, come with me to another location."

Zhan Lan then turned to Qin Ming. "Commander Qin, continue to operate in the shadows."

Qin Ming bowed. "Yes, Master!"

Over the years, thanks to Zhan Lan’s support, Qin Ming’s mother’s illness had been completely cured. This allowed him to dedicate himself to fortifying Zhan Lan’s elite Hidden Guard force.

As Zhan Lan watched Qin Ming and the Hidden Guards disappear into the distance, she felt reassured. Qin Ming and the Dark Night Organization constituted her trump card.

Unless absolutely necessary, she would not reveal Qin Ming’s existence.

For instance, in the past, she would rather spend a fortune hiring the Silver-faced Fox than deploy Qin Ming. This was precisely the rationale behind her strategy.

Revealing one’s trump card too early would only give others the opportunity to exploit it ruthlessly.

Take Si Jun as an example—he had only displayed Hei Yu as his trump card near the end of his plans in a previous life. But this time, Zhan Lan had acted preemptively, winning over Qin Ming, who had once shielded Si Jun in the past.

Indeed, she and Xiao Chen, along with the Hidden Guards, could have handled Hei Yu on their own this time.

But she sought absolute certainty, ensuring Hei Yu would be captured alive.

Today’s events had all been meticulously planned. Si Jun had visited the academy two days in a row, seeking an audience with Qingfeng Scholar, but the Great Scholar had refused to see him.

Judging by her understanding of Si Jun, he would not give up so easily.

And sure enough, today, he had fallen into her trap.

Moreover, earlier, she had deliberately slapped Si Jun in front of his subordinates, provoking him.

Si Jun, as predicted, wanted her dead or captured to threaten Mu Yan.

Zhan Lan smiled faintly. That slap had carried significant intent.

By now, Si Jun must be in utter turmoil.

...