Chapter 259
Chapter 259
The Prince truly did intend to kill Jian Fan.
He pulled the trigger without hesitation.
But at the very instant he fired, a dark figure suddenly charged over and knocked him aside. The gun was thrown off target, and the bullet shot straight into the magnificent chandelier overhead.
The chandelier shattered, raining countless shards onto the floor.
The sound of the gunshot sent the guests at the ball into a panic. Many screamed and fled to the sides, and within moments, the area around Qin Nan’s group had emptied out.
With no one blocking the view, the situation became clear at a glance.
Jian Fan and Qin Nan had both been rescued.
They now stood together with Yellow Hair, Qin Weiyi, Lin Junruo, and the others beside them. Yang Zhen and Lu Jing stood in front of the group, guarding them from either side.
Qin Nan was still somewhat dazed.
The moment the Prince fired, Lu Jing had rushed over and kicked him aside. At the same time, Yang Zhen, who had shown no sign of making a move until then, suddenly sprang into action and dispatched the bodyguard restraining Qin Nan with one clean kick.
By the time Qin Nan regained his freedom and looked toward Jian Fan, Lu Jing had already rescued him as well.
The group quickly converged.
Everyone knew how capable Lu Jing was, but this was the first time they had seen Yang Zhen fight.
Then again, anyone capable of working as an assassin was unlikely to be weak. Besides, when Yang Zhen had first appeared, Lu Jing had specifically warned Qin Weiyi about her. Clearly, she was not someone to be trifled with.
Qin Nan might not have been able to defeat those bodyguards, but they were no match for Lu Jing and Yang Zhen either.
“Seize them!” the Prince ordered his men.
The bodyguards immediately charged at Qin Nan and the others again.
Now that the surrounding guests had cleared out, Lu Jing and Yang Zhen had plenty of room to move. With one on each side, they fought in perfect coordination and took down every bodyguard in no time at all.
Their speed was truly breathtaking.
“Pathetic,” Yang Zhen said, casting the Prince a disdainful glance.
The Prince was speechless.
Given Lu Jing’s personality, he would never waste words in a situation like this. As for Yang Zhen, none of them had expected her to have a habit of taunting her defeated opponents.
The Prince climbed to his feet.
Seeing Yang Zhen and Lu Jing standing guard in front of Qin Nan, he knew his men were no match for them. There was no point in pressing the matter any further.
All he could do was say bitterly, “Just you wait. I will never let you get away with this.”
With that, the Prince turned and left. The bodyguards sprawled across the floor hurriedly scrambled to their feet and followed him.
The group remained where they were, watching the Prince depart.
He walked straight out through the ballroom doors, and no one knew where he went afterward.
Once the Prince was gone, an awkward atmosphere settled over the ball. No one knew whether the event was supposed to continue. Some guests left, but many others chose to stay.
The Steward reappeared at that moment.
Smiling, he invited the remaining guests to continue enjoying the ball.
The music was changed to a livelier tune, and the shattered chandelier was quickly cleared away. Soon, the ballroom seemed to regain its former bustle.
At the same time, a System notification sounded in Yellow Hair’s mind.
“Ding! Congratulations, Player. You have completed the mission. You are no longer bound to your character role and may now play the game freely.”
“Ding! Quest complete. Player has received one quest reward and one Fragmented Story Page.”
A Fragmented Story Page materialized out of thin air in Yellow Hair’s hand as well.
Its appearance snapped Qin Nan back to his senses.
He turned to Jian Fan. “You completed your quest?”
Lu Jing and the others all stared at Jian Fan in surprise. Even Yellow Hair was taken aback.
While the Prince had been arguing with Qin Nan and Jian Fan, hardly anyone had paid attention to Yellow Hair.
Yellow Hair knew he had no way to rescue Jian Fan himself. All he could do was hurry off to find Lu Jing.
At the time, he had no idea how capable Yang Zhen was. Yang Zhen clearly felt it would be risky to act alone as well, so the two quickly reached an understanding.
Yang Zhen would stay behind and keep an eye on the situation, while Yellow Hair went to fetch help. If Yellow Hair failed to return in time, Yang Zhen would step in once things became dangerous.
Fortunately, everyone had been fairly lucky.
Or rather, they had worked well together.
Jian Fan noticed Yellow Hair leaving, so he deliberately launched into a lengthy speech to stall the Prince until Lu Jing arrived.
And the Prince’s departure meant Yellow Hair’s quest was complete.
Jian Fan nodded. “Yeah, it’s done.”
“When did you trigger the quest?” Yang Zhen asked curiously.
Standing nearby, she had naturally seen the Fragmented Story Page appear in Jian Fan’s hand, but none of them had known when he had accepted a quest.
“When the Prince appeared,” Jian Fan replied. After a pause, he added, “We had to confess our feelings to each other.”
Qin Nan immediately understood.
So everything Jian Fan had said earlier had been for the quest?
But why did the thought leave such a bad taste in his mouth?
Jian Fan had already turned to Yellow Hair. “What was your quest?”
“Oh, I had to save you from the Prince.” Yellow Hair handed the Fragmented Story Page to Jian Fan.
While the others had been talking, Yellow Hair had already skimmed its contents.
“It should be another part of that dark fairy tale,” Yellow Hair said.
Jian Fan took it and quickly read what was written on it.
“The Prince captured the Little Princess and imprisoned her in an ornate golden cage.
Beautiful begonia blossoms twined around the cage.
Inside, golden chains shackled the Little Princess by her wrists and ankles.
The Little Princess sat cross-legged in the cage, her seaweed-like hair cascading down to conceal her lovely face.
In the distance, a shaft of sunlight pierced the air and spilled across the golden cage. Begonia blossoms spread out behind the Little Princess, creating a scene of such beauty that it seemed not of this world.”
Everyone studied the contents of the Fragmented Story Page, each lost in their own thoughts.
Jian Fan then took out the Fragmented Story Page he had received.
It also contained another passage from the same dark fairy tale.
“The Little Princess’s breathing grew weaker and weaker.
She leaned feebly against the cage as begonia blossoms bloomed behind her.
Beneath the flourishing begonia blossoms, the Little Princess’s life gradually faded. In the end, it seemed as though all the vitality within her had become nourishment for the flowers.
She raised her head. The Little Princess’s face was deathly pale, as though she might turn transparent and vanish at any moment.
Yet when she gazed into the distance and a smile slowly curved her lips, even the most beautiful begonia blossoms instantly paled beside it.
But–
In the end, beneath those begonia blossoms and inside that golden birdcage, the Little Princess laid her life to rest forever.”