Chapter 79 Willing to Die for Her!

Dou Wenyi lifted a corner of the carriage curtain and saw a large group of people, dressed in rags, aggressively surrounding the carriage.

She looked around but didn't see anyone holding a bow or crossbow. So where did the arrows come from?

Cuizhi's face was deathly pale; she was completely terrified.

Granny Cao was much calmer. They had actually brought several guards with them today, but the arrows had fallen behind them when they came.

"This is the Dou family's carriage, and the person inside is the Dou family's steward. He's the one who embezzled the money. Brothers, let's catch him and make them pay us back. We owe them half a year's wages, and they still won't pay. These bastards don't care about our lives at all!"

A middle-aged man with shifty eyes and a scar running diagonally from his brow bone to his ear, wearing coarse cloth shorts and worn-out straw sandals, was shouting loudly.

Almost instantly, the carriage was surrounded by them, and the driver was thrown off the carriage by two men.

"Get down here right now and get your wages!"

"If you don't get off, we'll smash the carriage! Don't blame us for being impolite!"

"Working for the Dou family is such bad luck!"

"Are all members of the Dou family dead? Don't they care about our lives?"

......

Outside the carriage, all sorts of foul language and curses rang out.

Dou Wenyi had a vague feeling that something was wrong. These people should be employees of the kiln, and they hadn't been paid for half a year's wages.

They came here today to inspect the kiln site, but they were blocked here before they even got there.

It seems the Dou family really wants her to suffer a major setback!

Seeing that she was about to leave, Granny Cao hurriedly stopped her, "Miss, let me handle it. Don't let these lowly people offend your eyes."

These people were angry and were afraid that the situation would get out of control and cause a disturbance to her.

Dou Wenyi shook her head, gave her a reassuring look, then lifted the curtain and stepped down from the carriage, speaking boldly and openly.

"Everyone, please be patient. We've come here today specifically to pay you all. Whether you've been owed wages for a year or just six months, you'll all get your full pay!"

Granny Cao and Cuizhi also jumped off the carriage.

Upon hearing her words, the previously noisy crowd instantly fell silent, and pairs of eager eyes shot towards her.

"Who are you to the Dou family?"

Do you keep your word?

Dou Wenyi lifted her eyelids and continued sincerely, "Of course it counts. I am the fourth young lady of the Dou family. Rest assured, we will never owe you a single copper coin. We have records of who is in charge and how much work has been done. Bring us the receipts, and the first thing we will do today is to pay everyone their wages."

Seeing that the crowd's emotions had been calmed down, the scarred man grinned coldly.

"Are you Miss Dou? In the past, it was Granny Tong who was in charge of distributing money. Every time she distributed money, she would prepare several large boxes to fill with copper coins. Where is your box for storing copper coins? You're trying to fool us with empty words!"

"Brothers, be careful! This little wench is a fraud. Don't fall for her tricks. How about we tie her up and then go to the Dou family for money!"

His shout stirred up the crowd, and they began to stir again.

At the same time, a tall figure stood under the trees not far away. His narrow eyes were full of affection, and his expression was solemn. He moved towards her without making a sound.

Dou Wenyi frowned as she looked at the man. She felt that his voice sounded somewhat familiar, and she couldn't help but feel a sense of unease.

The next moment, someone pushed the person in front of them, and the person suddenly fell down, letting out two "howls".

In the chaos, someone picked up an arrow and silently stabbed it into the horse's rump. Startled, the horse pulled the carriage and bolted. Several assassins disguised as kiln workers drew their knives, their faces paling, and they scattered in all directions, creating an instant scene of chaos.

At that moment, a cold light flashed and headed straight for her.

Dou Wenyi's pupils contracted, and she instinctively took a step back. Before she could react, the sharp dagger slashed towards her face again.

The dagger didn't land on her face. Xie Guidu, wielding his longsword, precisely cleaved the man's dagger in two, then shielded her with his own body, protecting her completely.

"Don't be afraid, are you alright?" The man's voice was clear and familiar.

Dou Wenyi was both shocked and frightened, never expecting that the person who came to save her was Xie Guidu.

Even if she were stupid, she would realize at this moment that these people were using the kiln workers' disturbance as an excuse to actually kill her!

As Xie Guidu's sharp sword fell, he quickly took down two assassins, but the assassins fought him fiercely as if they were madmen.

Xie Guidu could probably handle it under normal circumstances, but with his attention on protecting her, he inevitably struggled to keep up.

Suddenly, he grabbed her waist, leaped with all his might, and flew to the side with her. Then, he held her hand tightly and rushed into the depths of the dense forest.

After an unknown amount of time, they seemed to have temporarily escaped the assassins.

Dou Wenyi was too exhausted to run any further, so she stopped, bent over, and gasped for breath. Out of the corner of her eye, she could still see a shocking bloodstain on her left arm.

"Are you injured?" Xie Guidu's voice was gentler than ever before, his fingers curling slightly.

"No!" Dou Wenyi's face was pale, and she was slightly out of breath.

"Where are Cuizhi and Granny Cao?"

"Mo Yu went after that carriage. Don't worry, he's very skilled."

As darkness fell, a cold wind howled past my ears, and occasionally a bird flew overhead. The air carried a pungent smell of blood, and the mountains grew increasingly silent and eerie.

Xie Guidu glanced at the sky. "These people are well-trained; they're almost like assassins. Have you offended anyone recently?"

"Nobody." Dou Wenyi thought to herself with sarcasm, "What a pointless question."

If it weren't for Xie Guidu today, that assassin would have already succeeded.

His first attack wasn't to kill her, but to disfigure her!

She was certain that Dou Mingyan was behind today's events, but Xie Guidu would never believe that his pure and innocent white moonlight would be a venomous snake that wantonly murdered others.

Xie Guidu could easily see her aloofness and defensiveness; a wave of dejection and dull pain washed over him. "Yi'er, you..."

Just then, a whistle came from the forest; it was the secret signal between Mo Yu and him.

"Let's go out; those assassins should have left by now."

Xie Guidu was startled and tried to shake her hand, but Dou Wenyi subtly avoided it.

The two slowly emerged from the dense forest, and then, in that instant, everything changed.

Dou Wenyi felt uneasy and anxious, sensing that something was wrong.

In a flash, she was suddenly pulled into someone's arms and thrown to the ground. Before losing consciousness, she seemed to hear a deafening explosion...