Siheyuan: tomb robbing? I am serious about hunting.

Chapter 1142 Part 1

Crown Prince Xiao Jing panicked and held onto Xiao Che, his voice trembling with fear. "Quick! Call the physician! Quick! Call the physician!" The surrounding guards also came to their senses. Some quickly gathered to protect the crown prince and Xiao Che, while others pursued the assassin's flight. Xiao Che leaned against the crown prince's arms, his consciousness gradually fading. The pain in his chest grew more intense, as if countless knives were simultaneously slicing at his flesh. He could feel his body temperature steadily dropping, and the clamor in his ears faded, leaving only the crown prince's anxious cries and the whistling of the cold wind. At that moment, a blinding white light suddenly flashed across the sky, so bright that it was impossible to look directly at it, as if the entire world was illuminated. Then, a roar unlike anything he had ever heard echoed, like a thousand thunderclaps exploding simultaneously in his ears, shaking the ground slightly, shaking the plum blossoms in the plum forest to pieces, and sending snowflakes dancing in the air. Xiao Che's body, engulfed by this immense force, felt weightless. He felt like a leaf drifting in a gust of wind, spinning uncontrollably. The arrow wound in his chest seemed to lose its pain at that moment, replaced by an unprecedented tearing sensation, as if his soul were being ripped from his body by this force. He tried to open his eyes to see what was happening, but his eyelids felt heavy as lead, and he was finally plunged into complete darkness. An unknown amount of time passed before Xiao Che finally regained consciousness. He felt as if every bone in his body had been disassembled and reassembled, and every movement was excruciatingly painful. He struggled to open his eyes, but his vision was blurry, only a hazy blur of light and shadow. The arrow wound in his chest had ceased to hurt, which puzzled him. Could it be that the imperial physician had already treated him? But then came a strange, jolting sensation, like sitting in a carriage on a rugged mountain road, rocking up and down. He suddenly sat up with all his strength, but the movement left him completely stunned. He found himself not in the soft, brocade-covered warm room of the Eastern Palace, nor did he see the familiar imperial physician, maids, or eunuchs. Beneath him lay a hard wooden plank, rubbing his back painfully. The "brocade quilt" covering him was even rougher, dusty and itchy. He sniffed subconsciously, and a strange smell lingered at the tip of his nose: a mixture of the acrid tang of soot, the fishy smell of dust, and a strange, unfamiliar smell, like motor oil, completely different from the incense that permeated the palace year-round. "Oh! Sir, are you awake? Finally, you've been unconscious for a whole day and night!" A clear female voice echoed in his ears. Xiao Che looked in the direction of the voice and saw a girl in a short blue coat approaching. She was about sixteen or seventeen years old, with short, shiny black hair tied behind her ears with a simple black rubber band. There was a hint of surprise on her face, and in her hand was a chipped coarse porcelain bowl, with steam rising from it, as if it were freshly cooked food. Xiao Che subconsciously frowned, his eyes filled with surprise and dissatisfaction. In the Great Qi Dynasty, women have always considered long hair to be beautiful, and they believe that "the hair and skin of the body are inherited from the parents." Except for nuns, no woman would easily cut her hair short. This girl not only cut her hair short, but also wore a very strange blue short coat. The style of the clothes was simple, without any buttons or embroidery. The collar was slanted and fastened with a few black buttons. She wore a pair of black trousers with the trouser legs tightly wrapped around her ankles, looking like an unruly and undisciplined official. He habitually raised his hand to gather his collar, trying to maintain the dignity of a prince, but the clothes his fingers touched made his heart tremble. He wasn't wearing his dark dragon robe, but a dusty short shirt. The fabric was rough and stiff, and the collar was tied at an angle with a simple cloth strip. He didn't even have a proper belt. He looked down at his hands. They had once been well-maintained, white and slender, with neatly trimmed nails. But now, there was dust on the backs of his hands, and black dirt between his fingers, a complete loss of their former refinement. "Where is this? Who are you? Why have you placed me here?" Xiao Che's voice was hoarse from waking up, but he still habitually maintained the royal dignity, and there was a subtle hint of questioning in his tone. In his opinion, as the Prince of Jing, even if he was injured, he should not be placed in such a simple place, and he should not be treated so casually by a girl dressed so impolitely. The girl was stunned for a moment when she heard Xiao Che's words, then burst out laughing, her eyes curved into crescents. "Sir, you're so funny! What's with the 'king' thing? Did you get lost in sleep? This is the Railway Inn south of Peking! Last evening, our shopkeeper found you collapsed by the tracks, looking horrible. We thought you were dying, so we quickly carried you back to the inn and found a nearby doctor to examine you. He said you were just a little frightened and a little weak, nothing serious, and that a few days of rest would be enough. Did you hit your head and forget even Peking?" "Peking? Railway inn? Railway tracks?" Xiao Che's brows furrowed even more. He had never heard of these words before. As far as he could remember, the Great Qi Dynasty only had Shuntian Prefecture. Where did "Peking" come from? And what were "railway tracks"? Could it be that the assassins' accomplices had set a trap, deliberately bringing him to this unfamiliar place and fabricating these strange stories to confuse him? He was about to ask further questions when a sudden, piercing beeping sound erupted from outside the window. The sound was sharp and piercing, even more unpleasant than the gongs used during emergency assemblies within the palace. Then came the clatter of horse hooves, voices, and a rumbling sound similar to the rolling of wheels. The cacophony of sounds blended together, creating a cacophony that completely shattered the palace's tranquility and order. Xiao Che's doubts deepened. Despite his discomfort, he struggled to the window. Instead of delicate screens, the window was covered with a tattered cotton curtain with several holes, revealing a glimpse of the outside. He reached out and lifted the curtain. The sight before him made his pupils shrink, and his body froze in place, his breathing stagnating for several seconds. Outside the window, a long, shiny black snake lay sprawled on the ground. The snake was made of countless black iron bars, its surface smooth and gleaming with a cold metallic sheen. The "long snake" was full of people, crowded in boxes made of sheet metal. There were transparent windows on the boxes, so he could see people sitting or standing inside. What shocked him even more was that the "long snake" did not need to be pulled by horses, it could "rumble" by itself.