Chapter 118 Protecting His Highness

Just when Liu Yueli was almost driven crazy by this invisible pressure, the shadow moved.

There was no more footsteps, and it seemed that the person outside the door just slightly adjusted his standing posture.

Then, a male voice without any emotion penetrated the thin door panel and reached Liu Yueli's ears very clearly:

"Waiter."

"I'm here! Sir Pei, please give me your orders!" Immediately, a waiter came running up from downstairs, panting and responding in a flattering voice that was deliberately lowered.

Pei Ji's voice was like the ancient water in a deep pool, calm and unperturbed: "Add a pot of Mengding Snow Bud."

"...Hey! Okay, okay! Mengding Snow Buds! I'll make it for you right away!" There was a hint of subtle doubt in the waiter's voice.

Lord Pei was clearly going to Tianzijia, so why did he stop in the corridor on the second floor and not move forward?

Liu Yueli's tense heartstrings suddenly trembled!

Order tea? Right here? Could it be...

really!

The next second, Pei Ji's voice, without any warmth, sounded again:

"No need to take her to the private room. It would be nice to just sit here and enjoy a cup of tea with this young lady."

Girl? He...he knows!

Liu Yueli felt her vision go dark and her mind went blank. The last shred of hope was completely crushed!

Can't hide!

She raised her head, her eyes involuntarily focused on the increasingly widening gap in the door.

The person outside the door did not rush to push it open completely, but just placed one hand on the open door, neither too lightly nor too heavily.

His tall figure blocked the doorway, almost completely blocking out the light from the corridor outside.

The dim light was only enough to depict his deep outline, half of which was hidden in the shadow of the door frame.

It’s Pei Ji!

His gaze, like that of a precise hawk, was fixed directly on the face of Liu Yueli, who was sitting stiffly like a puppet in the private room.

The corners of his mouth seemed to move slightly, forming a very faint arc.

Their eyes met.

An invisible pressure slowly approached like a thick dark cloud, pressing down heavily and instantly enveloping the entire small private room.

The air suddenly solidified.

The chipped small jade teacup that Liu Yueli was holding in her hand finally lost its support completely under extreme fear and the tremendous pressure.

There was a soft "click" sound.

The cup slipped out of her hand and rolled onto the table. The cold liquid flowed out and soaked the small rosewood table in front of Liu Yueli.

It also soaked through the last bit of her forced pretense of calm.

…

Liu Yueli didn't look up, nor did she raise her hand to wipe it.

Let the tears fall silently and violently.

The teardrops fell on the back of his hand and on Liefeng's black fur, silently but with a heavy weight.

She was enveloped in a huge sorrow, and she looked so frail that she seemed as if she would be crushed by the sorrow at any moment.

Is it because I can no longer gallop like I once did? Is it because this body, hollowed out by illness?

Or is it because of... this seemingly noble golden cage?

Luo Zhaohan didn't know. She just felt her nose was sore and her eyes were hot.

She walked silently to Liu Yueli's side, without any consolation, but just stretched out her hand, gently and steadily holding the princess's slightly trembling arm on the other side, like a silent support.

Liu Yueli's body stiffened for a moment, and then the suppressed trembling seemed to become a little more intense.

But she did not push Luo Zhaohan away. Instead, she leaned a little bit of her weight gently on Luo Zhaohan's arm.

The master and servant, a silent black horse, just stood in the falling peach blossom rain.

The sun is still warm, and the spring breeze still carries the fragrance of grass and trees, but this small world is filled with an inextricable sadness and powerlessness.

After a long time, so long that Luo Zhaohan's arm became numb, Liu Yueli very slowly withdrew her hand from stroking Liefeng.

She lowered her head and quickly wiped her face with her sleeve. When she raised her head again, except for a little bit of lingering water in the corners of her eyes, her face had returned to its expressionless calmness.

She even raised her lips slightly towards Luo Zhaohan, her voice thick with nasal sounds, yet unusually calm: "Are you back?"

It was as if the collapse just now had never happened.

Luo Zhaohan's throat tightened and he nodded vigorously: "Yeah, I'm back."

Liu Yueli gave Liefeng a final, deep look, as if saying goodbye.

Then she turned away, no longer looking at it, and said only softly, her voice so soft as a sigh that was blown away by the wind:

"Let's go home."

…

The official roads outside Beijing are usually bustling with traffic, but today they are indescribably deserted.

Pei Ji rode on a tall horse, guarding the front side of Princess Linchuan Liu Yueli's carriage, which was not particularly flashy but was made of very fine materials.

His hawk-like eyes habitually scanned the surroundings, and his ears pricked up, catching any unusual movement.

In the distance, a caravan of merchants was approaching slowly. A dozen or so carriages, tightly covered with burlap, looked like they were transporting goods.

The coachman and the escort were all wearing coarse shorts and looked dusty. Pei Ji didn't pay much attention to it at first. In those days, trade between the capital and other places was frequent, so it was normal to encounter a caravan on the road.

But as the caravan got closer, Pei Ji's nerves involuntarily tensed up for a moment.

Something is wrong.

That carriage...is too shallow!

If a horse-drawn carriage is fully loaded, the heavy cargo will press on the carriage and the wheels will always leave deep ruts when they roll over the ground.

But the wheels of these carriages in front of me were running on the compacted loess road of the official highway, and the marks were so shallow that they were almost invisible!

It also seemed too light while moving, with the body of the vehicle rising and falling very little, and it didn't look like it was carrying heavy cargo at all.

Empty truck? Or, is there no cargo inside?

Pei Ji's heart was suddenly filled with alarm, but he showed no sign of it on his face. He just calmly slowed down his horse. His right hand, which had been resting on the sword at his waist, naturally slid down, and his five fingers gathered together, firmly grasping the cold hilt.

The dozen or so guards from the princess's mansion behind him were all elite soldiers who had followed him through thick and thin. When they saw the commander's subtle movement, they immediately understood what he meant. Their originally relaxed expressions instantly disappeared, and their hands all pressed down on their weapons at the same time.

His eyes became sharp as a knife, and he scanned the approaching caravan vigilantly.

According to common sense, when ordinary merchants saw the carriage of a noble, especially the one with the logo of the princess's mansion, they should have stepped aside to the side of the road with trepidation and waited with their hands down.

But the team of "vendors" in front of them seemed not to have noticed the conspicuous sign. Not only did they not show any intention of avoiding it, but when the distance between the two sides was shortened to less than twenty steps, the entire convoy suddenly turned sideways, completely blocking the official road, which was not particularly spacious to begin with!

The carriages all stopped in unison, blocking the middle of the road and blocking the way.

The air seemed to freeze at this moment.

The wind blew through the dry grass on both sides of the official road, making a rustling sound, which made the dead silence even more eerie.

The guards of the princess's mansion all held their breath, their eyes fixed on the silent "vendors" opposite.

There was also silence in the princess' carriage with the curtains closed.

Pei Ji reined in his horse, his tall body standing straight on the horse like a silent iron tower.

"Who is this person ahead? How dare you block the princess's carriage? Get out of the way!"

In response to him, there was a sharp and piercing shout!

“Get started—!”

The sound was like a spark thrown into boiling oil.

Following this order, those "vendors" who had just lowered their heads and looked honest suddenly raised their heads!

Where was the fear of a commoner on his face? Instead, there was the murderous aura and madness of a desperate criminal!

Almost at the same moment, they reached into their arms and opened the secret compartment under the carriage, and a cold light flashed!

Shiningly sharp swords and long knives, and even a few standard military crossbows, instantly appeared in their hands!

"Kill! Don't leave any one alive!" The leading man was the one who had just shouted. At this moment, his face was ferocious, waving a heavy ghost-head knife. He led the charge and rushed towards Pei Ji like a mad tiger!

The dozens of "vendors" behind him moved in terrifying unison, obviously well-trained. They let out earth-shaking shouts of killing and rushed towards the princess's convoy!

"Enemy attack! Protect His Highness!" Pei Ji's roar was like thunder out of the blue, instantly breaking the silence.

The warhorse under his crotch seemed to sense his master's fighting spirit and let out a long and passionate neigh.

Pei Ji squeezed his legs hard against the horse's belly, and the warhorse rushed towards the leading assassin like an arrow!

The long sword in his hand had already been unsheathed, and the sword body drew an arc of light in the not-so-bright sunlight. With a sharp sound of breaking through the air, it slashed towards the opponent's ghost-head knife that was about to chop on the head with incredible precision!

"clang--!"

There was a deafening sound of metal clashing.

Sparks flew.

A huge force came from the sword, and Pei Ji's arm numbed slightly. He was shocked: What a great strength! This is definitely not an ordinary bandit!

The leading assassin also groaned, obviously not expecting Pei Ji's amazing physical strength, and the ghost-head knife was shaken and swung upwards.

At this moment of lightning and fire, Pei Ji shook his wrist, and the long sword changed from a slash to a stab like a poisonous snake spitting out its tongue. The tip of the sword had a little cold star, and it went straight to the opponent's throat as fast as lightning.

This sword is ruthless and tricky, it is a life-and-death killing move on the battlefield!

The leading assassin's pupils suddenly shrank, and at the critical moment of life and death, he burst out with a fierce strength, and leaned his body backwards, narrowly avoiding the fatal stab!

The cold sword edge almost brushed past his chin, and the strong wind it created made his skin hurt!

He broke out in a cold sweat and was about to fight back when Pei Ji's second and third swords came at him continuously.

The sword light was sharp, like a violent storm, enveloping him tightly!

"Stop them!" Pei Ji gave orders sternly while fighting with the leading assassin.

The guards he had brought with him from the princess's palace were all elite warriors, and though they were few in number, they showed no fear in the face of outlaws who outnumbered them several times over. The guards quickly gathered together, their backs to the princess's carriage, forming a solid defensive circle.

The long swords swung, forming a network of deadly swords; the shields blocked, making a dull thud.

Assassins kept falling, and their blood dyed the dry yellow earth red.

But more assassins came like a tide, one after another, completely disregarding life and death.

Their target was clear, which was the carriage that was tightly guarded by the guards in the center!

Several crossbow arrows, with shrill screams, flew over the chaotic crowd and hit the wall of the princess' carriage, making a dull "thump thump" sound, and the arrow tails were still trembling.

Pei Ji caught a glimpse of this scene out of the corner of his eye, and his anger grew even more intense.

He roared, and the attack of the long sword in his hand suddenly became three times faster. The sword light rolled towards the leading assassin like a silk thread, forcing the opponent to retreat again and again, and he was a little flustered for a while.

"Boss! This idea is a pain in the ass!" Seeing that the leader was suppressed, an assassin swung his knife at Pei Ji's waist and ribs from the side, trying to rescue the leader.

Pei Ji didn't even turn his head, as if he had eyes on his back. His right hand holding the sword remained unchanged, continuing to suppress the leading assassin, but his left hand reached behind his waist like lightning!

There was a slight "clang" sound, and a black light flashed!

“Puff!”

The assassin who launched the sneak attack felt a black screen before his eyes, a chill in his throat, and all his strength was drained away in an instant.

He looked down in disbelief and saw that a strangely shaped dagger had appeared on his neck, with only the ebony handle exposed.

Blood was gushing out from the grooves on both sides of the dagger. He groaned twice and fell to the ground.

"Looking for death!" Pei Ji didn't even look at the fallen assassin. He pulled out the dagger with his left hand, leaving a trail of blood.

His eyes were cold, fixed on the leading assassin whose expression changed drastically, and his attack became more violent.

The leading assassin was horrified. Not only was the opponent's swordsmanship exquisite, but his close combat and adaptability were also terrifying!

He knew that if he continued like this, he would sooner or later follow in his men's footsteps.

He suddenly blocked Pei Ji's sword, and took two steps back with the recoil force, while at the same time using all his strength to let out a shrill long howl.

Like some kind of signal!

As soon as the whistling sounded, the side walls and roofs of the carriages that had been blocking the middle of the official road were suddenly knocked open from the inside.

Amidst the flying wood chips, more than a dozen black shadows rushed out like ghosts!

These people moved faster, their movements were more bizarre, and the weapons in their hands were more peculiar, including curved hooks, short spikes, and flying claws with chains... They were obviously specially trained elite killers!

As soon as they appeared, they immediately split into two groups. One group pounced on Pei Ji, and the other group, like sharks smelling blood, rushed straight to the princess's carriage, with the goal of tearing through the guards' last line of defense.

The guards' defense line, which had been able to hold on, suddenly became precarious after this group of new forces joined in!

A guard had just knocked down an assassin when a curved hook flew from the side and caught his calf. He froze in pain and was immediately stabbed through the chest by a dagger coming from the side. A gap appeared in the defense line in an instant!

"Stop it! Stop it even if we die!" The head guard's eyes were bloodshot, and he led his men to madly block the gap, with swords flashing and blood and flesh flying everywhere!

Pei Ji was also in a tough battle.

The leading assassin was greatly encouraged when he saw the helpers coming. He danced with his ghost-head knife like a violent storm. With the support of several elite killers, his moves were ruthless and deadly.

Even though Pei Ji was an extraordinary martial arts master, he was forced into a dangerous situation and was caught in a dilemma.

His black suit was already pierced with several cuts. Although none of them hit his vital parts, the blood seeping out was particularly glaring. Even more terrifying, he saw from the corner of his eye that three assassins had already broken through the guards' defenses and rushed to the princess's carriage!

One of them was holding a heavy iron axe in his hand, grinning and chopping it hard at the carriage door!

"Your Highness!" Pei Ji was extremely anxious and let out a heart-wrenching roar!

He wanted to go back to help, but he was entangled by several masters in front of him and couldn't get away at all!