The sharp tip of the knife fell on Lanxi's head, and the severed hair flew up in the wind.

"stop!"

A long sword flew horizontally, knocking the knife out of the bandit leader's hand. Immediately afterwards, a short knife plunged directly into his chest and abdomen.

He lowered his head, staring blankly as the blood-stained knife pierced through his back.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground.

"kill!"

"Kill them!"

Yan Mufeng drew his short sword and met the charging bandits, and they were quickly caught in a melee.

Amidst the bloody battle, Lanxi held the pale-faced Mu Anxiang and wept uncontrollably.

"Mu Anxiang! Wake up, wake up!"

Lanxi hugged him tightly, her blood-stained wedding dress swaying gracefully in the wind, both poignant and resolute.

Mu Anxiang struggled to open his eyes and looked at her: "Don't cry, it's alright. I told you, I would protect you."

His lips moved, as if he wanted to say something, but his voice was too soft to be heard clearly.

Lanxi lowered her head to listen, and what he said was: "Lanxi, if I die, you should go home. From then on, the sky is high and the sea is wide, and no one will be a burden to you anymore."

Before he could finish speaking, Mu Anxiang's head lolled to the side and he fainted.

"Mu Anxiang? Someone, come quick!"

"Help! Doctor! Doctor!! Please save him!"

Lanxi held Mu Anxiang tightly, sobbing uncontrollably. Her red eyes looked at Mu Anxiang, who was covered in blood, and she felt as if the sky had been dyed crimson.

"Lift the prince onto the carriage and quickly send him back to the palace for treatment."

The servant looked at the panicked man lying in a pool of blood and gave him instructions.

Yan Mufeng gripped his sword and swung it up and down, almost using all the skills he had learned in his life, channeling all the anger in his heart into the tip of the sword.

Needless to say, Xie Lin, as a master, could easily handle a group of bandits.

Mu Anheng's kung fu was naturally not as good as theirs, but after so many days of hard training and with so many people missing, he didn't suffer any losses.

Soon, the chaotic battle ended with the bandits' complete rout.

~~

Nearly half of the doctors were invited to the Prince's residence.

Basins of bloody liquid were brought out one by one, while bowls of medicinal soup were fed in one by one.

Lanxi stood at the door, wearing a bright red wedding dress stained with blood, her eyes filled with tears as she looked at the person inside.

"How is the prince?"

She grabbed a doctor who had just come out and asked him anxiously.

The doctor hurriedly shook his head: "The blood loss is too great; if it can't be replenished, I'm afraid..."

Before the doctor could finish speaking, Lanxi's hand, which was gripping his arm, suddenly slipped away.

Time passed by, and by dawn the next day, the Wangfu (Prince's Mansion), which had been tense all night, finally calmed down.

Lanxi changed her clothes and dressed neatly before personally going to the Third Prince's residence to express her gratitude.

At the entrance of the Third Prince's mansion, she reached out and knocked on the gate. Then, a furry head peeked out from the crack in the door. Looking down, she saw An Ning's familiar face.

"peaceful?"

Lanxi exclaimed in surprise.

Anning pulled her arm and entered the palace, talking as they walked.

"Lanxi, are you hurt? How is the Prince? Is he feeling better? Have the bandits been dealt with?"

Lanxi was a little confused. She knew about all the things that happened yesterday.

“Yesterday, Sister Yunyan asked someone to tell me, and then I begged my master to let me leave the palace. Isn’t it because I’m worried about you all?”

Lanxi understood: "I'm fine, but the prince is seriously injured."

An Ning asked with some concern, "Was the medicine that the Third Prince sent yesterday effective?"

Lanxi hurriedly said, "Thanks to the Third Prince's medicine, otherwise, I'm afraid the Prince wouldn't have made it."

An Ning breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Oh right, why aren't you at the manor taking care of the Sixth Prince? What are you doing here?"

As she spoke, Lanxi took out a wooden box and placed it on the table: "I came here specifically to thank Your Highness for saving my life."