They are quite famous in the martial arts world.

Moreover, they proclaimed themselves the Five Heroes of Yuanning County.

He had a very high opinion of himself and naturally disdained to be compared with those second-rate assassins.

Ye Zongzhi sought them out because of their good reputation. He was worried that those low-level assassins, or those who were ruthless, might hurt or even kill Ye Lingyu.

So he preferred to fabricate lies and spend more money to find the Five Heroes of Yuanning County.

Of course, he couldn't have known in advance that these five heroes couldn't defeat Cheng Qingyan.

Upon receiving the news, he immediately went to find the Five Heroes.

So much so that in such a rush, there was no time to fix the flaws in the lies they had made.

The one who took off his mask wiped his face and cursed, "Damn it, the information is wrong! That old bastard from the Ye family dared to lie to us!"

“We brothers have been fighting with this young man for so long, and his wife has been worried about his safety the whole time.”

"This doesn't look like someone who's been kidnapped at all; they look like a loving couple!"

He said this, and the others agreed.

Ye Zongzhi said that Cheng Qingyan was just a country bumpkin, but now that they had dealt with this country bumpkin, they found that he was by no means an unknown country bumpkin.

If it weren't for the fact that she was holding a wooden stick, all five of them would have perished here today if they had been using a different weapon.

One of them leaned against the wall, his voice filled with anguish: "Brother, we've probably fallen into Ye Zongzhi's trap!"

The man standing shoulder to shoulder with him, leaning against the wall with blood still on the corner of his mouth, also spoke up: "That's right, brother, Ye Zongzhi must have a grudge against us and wants to kill us!"

The leader glanced at his brothers; two were leaning against the wall, panting, while the other two, one limping and the other clutching his stomach, were barely standing.

He was the only one who had taken a blow to the shoulder from Cheng Qingyan's stick; his hand holding the knife was still trembling, and his shoulder was still burning with pain.

The more they thought about it, the more something seemed amiss. The Five Heroes of Yuanning County were renowned, and they had indeed attracted a lot of hostile people.

It's not surprising that some people think they've broken the rules and want to kill them.

If they really died here today, their bodies could be thrown into the deep mountains and would be hard to find.

That old scoundrel Ye Zongzhi! What a vicious scheme!

Under the moonlight, the man helped one of his brothers, who was leaning against the wall, to his feet and said to Cheng Qingyan, "My brother was deceived today and disturbed your sweet dreams. I am truly sorry."

"If you ever need our help in the future, please come to Yuanning County to find us."

"We will do our utmost to help within our capabilities."

They haven't had enough fun yet, and they're already leaving?

Cheng Qingyan thrust the wooden stick in his hand forward to the lame man. The man was so frightened that he dodged to the side, afraid that if he was too late, the stick would fall on him.

But he was now unable to move easily, and even though he tried his best to dodge, he still couldn't avoid it, so he simply closed his eyes.

I couldn't bear to look at the stick hitting my head anymore, so I closed my eyes to ease the pain.

Contrary to expectations, he tried to open his eyes a crack and saw Cheng Qingyan smiling as she poked him with the stick.

"Your legs are weak, here's a cane for you. The road is difficult at night, everyone be careful."

How touching! It was the first time I had ever received an assassination mission like this, and the person I was supposed to assassinate actually cared about us assassins. He not only gave us a stick, but also reminded us to be careful when walking at night.

This doesn't seem like the kind of bad person Ye Zongzhi described at all!

The man at the head of the group gave Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu an apologetic smile with a slightly naive air, and then disappeared into the night with his brothers.

The barking of dogs echoed throughout the village, while the clattering of horses' hooves gradually faded into the distance.

Jiang Jiang watched the show and ate pastries in the space, her initial worries long gone.

Back inside, Cheng Qingyan lit candles and released Jiang Jiang.

Jiang Jiang observed carefully from within the spatial dimension and concluded that Cheng Qingyan should be unharmed. However, she still needed to check herself to be absolutely certain.

"Father, don't move, let me check if you're hurt."

Cheng Qingyan was very pleased; as expected, it was still her thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket.

After checking them over, Cheng Qingyan and Ye Lingyu were found to be unharmed, and they were relieved to continue eating.

Cheng Qingyan poured Ye Lingyu a glass of water and handed it to her.

"Wife, did you know someone was coming to the house?"

Ye Lingyu took a sip of tea, put down the cup, straightened her cuffs, and said calmly, "I know, but I don't know when they will arrive."

Cheng Qingyan frowned: "Wife, why didn't you tell me about something so dangerous beforehand?"

"What if they send some really powerful experts, and we can't beat them?"

Everything seemed to be within Ye Lingyu's expectations. Her gaze drifted towards the darkness in the distance: "No, he wouldn't dare kill me. Otherwise, how could he face my mother after he dies?"

She always knew that Ye Zongzhi would not let her die.

May she suffer, or never see her again, but I will never let her die.

This limits Ye Zongzhi's ability to hire assassins; he can only hire those who are half-baked or not completely ruthless.

If he hurts Ye Lingyu, he won't be able to face the deceased when he goes to Bai Ruosu's grave or offer incense.

Even so, Cheng Qingyan was still quite frightened.

"My wife, you can't take such risks again next time."

"By the way, how did you know he would send someone over?"

Ye Lingyu rolled up her sleeves and looked at Cheng Qingyan: "I had someone tell him that we will be going to the county town soon to move Mother's grave here."

"He definitely won't allow it. You have something to rely on, and I guess the former magistrate of Yuanning County has already told him."

“If I produce the Marquis’s token, he will have no choice but to agree. So I’ll kill you secretly now, so that I’ll lose my support and he can feel at ease.”

Unexpectedly, the five heroes from Yuanning County whom he had specially invited failed to defeat Cheng Qingyan.

When the five heroes left, each of them was injured.

It would be good to go back and make a scene with Ye Zongzhi, so they wouldn't be too idle and do anything unnecessary.

Cheng Qingyan knew in her heart that, relying on Shen Ziyu's influence, she and Ye Lingyu could still cause trouble.

Without the token given by Shen Ziyu, the two of them would have been arrested and taken to the county office long ago when the county magistrate arrived.

All land under heaven belongs to the emperor; they can't escape forever.

Now that the county magistrate has fallen, Ye Zongzhi is the only one still capable of causing trouble.

Ye Lingxi has been quite quiet lately. She left so erratically; I thought I'd be facing her revenge first.

"Wife, Jiangjiang, we'll have to add another sport to our lives from now on."

Jiang Jiang stopped eating and looked at Cheng Qingyan with a puzzled expression, wondering what Cheng Qingyan was up to now.

Seeing that Ye Lingyu was also looking at him, Cheng Qingyan said seriously, "We need to improve our martial arts skills. The three of us should spar with each other to improve our combat power."