Yuan Long sighed deeply, then gritted his teeth. "All right... Open the coffin!"

Several Ning'an Army soldiers stepped forward and lifted the lid.

Inside, Ning Chen lay still, his face deathly pale and his eyes shut tight.

"My lord prince..."

Every soldier and townsperson there dropped to their knees, and the air filled with weeping.

"That's enough. It's getting late, and this general has to take my lord prince back to the capital!"

The lid was closed again.

Escorting the coffin, the column moved slowly off toward the north gate.

That night, the news reached Kang Luo.

"You're sure Ning Chen is dead?"

Kang Luo was questioning the scout standing before him.

"Yes! Our people in Yangzhou saw it with their own eyes... The body has already been rushed back toward the Great Xuan's capital."

Kang Luo's eyes flickered. "In such a hurry?"

"Your Highness, the weather's very hot right now, and Yangzhou is a long way from the Great Xuan's capital. If they don't rush it back, Ning Chen's body will start to stink."

Kang Luo gave a slight nod.

"Have our people made contact with the man who assassinated Ning Chen?"

"Your Highness, the assassin was caught on the spot. Our people can't reach him."

Kang Luo said nothing. After a while he murmured, "I still feel there's something strange about this. Ning Chen has always been careful, and yet he didn't notice the assassin's dagger was poisoned.

That assassin was a backup this crown prince left behind. It's true the poison they use doesn't kill on the spot, but it doesn't take that long to work either."

One of the generals said, "Your Highness said before that Ning Chen had been taught by three of the first in the martial arts... This officer has heard that masters above the ranks altogether develop a breath inside the body. That breath keeps the blood strong, so they can fight on and on without tiring.

Maybe Ning Chen developed that breath too. If it was holding him up, it would take the poison much longer to kill him.

As for…