Zhan Xinjia had never been so grateful for the appearance of the assassin.

"Zhao! Lord Shen, stay in the carriage and don't wander off. I'm going down to check on the situation."

Before Shen Suqing could respond, Zhan Xinjia excitedly rolled up his sleeves and lifted the car curtain.

She deftly and nimbly flipped off the bike, using one hand to support herself on the frame.

Outside the carriage, the sky was overcast; it was only morning, but the sky looked as dark as dusk. A light rain began to fall in the dense forest, the fine raindrops whipped about by the strong wind, stinging the face.

The ferry crossing was not far ahead, and a large group of well-trained men in black quickly formed a flanking maneuver, completely surrounding the carriage from all sides, indicating that they had been lying in ambush for a long time.

These must be the reinforcements sent by the "Goddess" that Qian Bo mentioned.

They numbered roughly several dozen people, a dense, dark mass, while Fu Shouan's group consisted of only eight or nine people.

Zhao Jiu panicked as he gripped the knife.

"Sir, we..."

"Zhao Jiu, you and a few others go and protect Lord Shen. Don't worry about the rest."

"Oh? What about Miss Azhi? Isn't she a member of Lord Shen's family?"

Before Fu Shouan could speak again, the bewildered Zhao Jiu already knew the answer.

"The young lady has arrived, everyone get out of the way!!"

A sharp glint of cold light flashes, and sparse shadows flutter about.

He and his brothers stared in disbelief as a petite girl suddenly darted out from the rain.

There were no fancy moves, no superb techniques, just... normal attacks, normal attacks, and more normal attacks.

It's deadly, efficient, and without any unnecessary frills.

Her martial arts skills were clearly not for physical fitness or self-defense, but simply out of kindness and a desire to send someone to be reborn...

The rain intensified, showing signs of developing into a downpour.

Visibility was low in the dense forest, shrouded in mist, and a sudden gust of wind howled, making the sleeves of the girl in green flutter loudly.

In the wind and rain, her dark pupils gleamed with a cold light, and the silver dagger in her hand flashed brightly.

Her flowing black hair resembled a blooming lotus behind her, while her dress fluttering in the mud looked like a butterfly gracefully fluttering its wings.

Her movements were so swift that she was almost nothing more than a blur, moving as fast as lightning and flashing like thunder.

The entire set of movements was fluid and graceful, a feast for the eyes.

If the timing weren't so bad, Zhao Jiu would have liked to pull up a stool and sit down to take a closer look. Some of the accompanying guards even started shouting "Holy crap!" and clapping involuntarily.

Unaware that he had just made a big show of himself, Zhan Xinjia was cursing under his breath while fighting the man in black.

The trenches of the vast wilderness!!

It's all this brain-dead cult's fault that she hasn't had a good night's sleep in half a month. When she and Lord Shen arrive in Yaozhou, she will definitely tear down this damn organization's happy old home and turn it into a public toilet.

Anger arises from the heart, and evil thoughts spring from the gall.

Frustrated, Zhan Xinjia suddenly plunged his knife into the buttocks of one of the men in black.

With a piercing scream, the guard, who had previously gritted his teeth and endured even fatal wounds, suddenly broke down, clutching his buttocks and jumping away in terror.

He staggered, his eyes, visible through the mask, widened in disbelief.

You could say you didn't care if I stabbed him in the heart or neck, he'd just die. After all, he was a specially trained bodyguard destined to sacrifice himself for the organization.

You stab someone's butt?

That's outrageous! Absolutely inhuman!

Who in the world could remain unmoved after being stabbed in the buttocks?

Zhan Xinjia was amused by the assassin's helpless and panicked eyes, which deepened his twisted and perverse sense of humor.

She twirled the dagger between her left and right hands, chuckling lewdly. All anyone heard from her amidst the noisy rain was a single sentence—

"Lord Fu, please help me hold the carriage curtains and window valances closed, so my young Master Shen doesn't see anything!!"

Immediately afterwards, she turned around and, with lightning speed, poked four or five more buttocks.

"Aww!"

"Aww!"

"Aww!"

...

For a time, howls echoed throughout the dense forest.

From then on, the world lost a few cold-blooded killers and gained a few heartbroken people clutching their buttocks.

After getting stabbed in the buttocks, these guys hopped around like a bunch of toads released from a sack, howling and staggering as they scatter and run away...

Not only Fu Shouan, but Zhao Jiu and the other guards were also dumbfounded.

They stared blankly, mouths agape, frozen in place, their eyes practically bulging out of their sockets.

Zhao Jiu: "Huh? No... she's a goddess of the lower three routes?"

And, sir, why are you just standing here watching?

Fu Shouan was still shaken.

He secretly reached behind him and rubbed his slightly aching buttocks, feeling a surge of relief at the same time.

At least she didn't snatch his sword to stab him in the butt, so it seems this little girl still has some conscience, albeit not much.

However, this little girl's skills are extraordinary. Not only are her moves tricky and ruthless, but her speed is also astonishing. I wonder which school she studied under.

Zhao Jiu, who was standing to the side, pressed his jaw back down, which had dropped in astonishment.

"Sir, do you think we could defeat Miss Azhi with her skills?"

Fu Shouan gave him a disdainful look, and the next second he slapped Zhao Jiu on the forehead.

"What are you thinking? Even if I, your father, came, it would be risky."

He had never fought this little girl before, but she was definitely going to be a tough opponent.

He had previously worried that such a mysterious and highly skilled little pervert might have some ulterior motive for suddenly approaching Brother Shen, such as whether she was a spy sent by Lanjiang or something.

But now it seems that the people of Lanjiang wouldn't be so heartless as to stab their own people in the backside...

As the rain subsided, the guards belatedly loosened the tightly closed curtains, revealing a gloomy and sullen face sitting inside.

A smile played on his lips, but it didn't reach his eyes.

Although the young man remained calm and composed, his hand holding the teacup was trembling slightly, and his lips were tightly pressed together, clearly indicating that he was trying his best to suppress his rage.

First, A-Zhi got out of the carriage without his permission and got into danger. She even managed to order the guards to shield him completely. Shen Suqing was extremely anxious inside the carriage, worried that his little girl would get hurt. Then he lifted the curtain—

The guards surrounded him; when he looked to the left, they blocked him to the left, and when he looked to the right, they blocked him to the right.

He didn't see anything at all.

Is she guarding against him?

What exactly is it that he can't see but others can?

Isn't he the person she's closest to in this group?

Faced with his old buddy's anger, Fu Shouan cast an envious glance at him.

"Brother Shen, let's not be curious about everything."

Having witnessed the entire scene, he and the other guards almost gouged out their own eyes. The bloody and gruesome scene still made his heart tremble. Fu Shou'an estimated that he would never forget the experience of stabbing someone in the butt first.

With a casual toss of the dagger, Zhan Xinjia leaned softly against Shen Suqing like a weary bird returning to its nest, attempting to get away with it.

"Why is Master Shen angry? I'll stick it on, I'll stick it on~"

The little girl looked up at her fair and innocent face, her dark hair clinging to her cheeks, wet from the rain. Her eyelashes were misty with rain, and her beautiful peach blossom eyes were as clear as a handful of scooped-up stream, clean and bright.

Zhan Xinjia snuggled against the young man's knees, her eyebrows slightly drooping, and she acted coquettishly.

"Young Master Shen, please don't be so fierce..."

He frowned deeply.

He felt he had contracted a strange illness.

He developed a condition where no matter how angry he was, he would involuntarily soften his heart if Ah Zhi looked at him with such longing eyes. Not only did he soften his heart, but his heartbeat also became extremely heavy and deafening.

Suppressing the surging, unnamed emotions within him, Chen Suqing lowered his eyes.

The young man sat upright, looking down at her. His long, slender fingers first touched her lips, then his calloused fingertips pressed down to the corner of her mouth, gently wiping away a drop of rain.

In a daze, the cool raindrop seemed to carry the lingering warmth of her lips, silently scorching him.

Along with the fire in one's heart, it ignites and burns instantly.

Shen Suqing hastily withdrew his hand and turned to gaze at the gradually subsiding rain outside the window.

His ears were slightly red, but his voice was very serious.

"Don't compare yourself to them or me."

She was someone he picked up; she was his child, and he would never allow his child to have secrets from others.