Chapter 264 Why did you shield the Crown Prince from the arrow?

Jiang Zhi immediately became anxious.

"Lu Yuan, it's Qingxing! Don't let anything happen to her!"

Qingxing grew up with her since childhood, and they were like sisters. Qingxing was also a maid left to her by her mother.

Their relationship was no longer that of a typical master and servant.

Lu Yuan knew that Jiang Zhi rarely cared about anyone, and Qingxing was one of them.

He coldly ordered the guards, "Let him in."

The guards, who had formed a circle, opened a gap, and the man in black, holding Qingxing hostage, entered. The gap quickly closed again.

"Miss……"

Qingxing, bound by ropes, looked through the carriage window at Jiang Zhi inside the carriage, and tears finally streamed down her face.

"You're actually still alive! When I heard the news, I thought I was dreaming..."

"Don't cry, I'm fine. How are you? Did they hurt you?" Jiang Zhi asked her anxiously.

Qingxing shook her head. "I was knocked unconscious by these people, and when I woke up I found myself here. Miss, please don't do anything foolish for my sake. Being able to see you again is already a blessing that Qingxing has accumulated over three lifetimes. Qingxing has no regrets even if she dies."

"What nonsense are you talking about? I'll make sure you're alright, don't cry."

"What do you want?" Lu Yuan asked the assassin calmly.

"If you want this maid to live, exchange her for Xiao Xuanyou!" the assassin said viciously.

But this only elicited a sneer from Lu Yuan, "Which part of your brain is out of shape? How could you possibly think that the life of a maid is comparable to that of a crown prince?"

The man in black gritted his teeth, "If we can't exchange for Xiao Xuanyou, then we'll exchange him for this woman!"

His mission was to kill Xiao Xuanyou or kidnap Jiang Zhi.

"Okay." Jiang Zhi got off the carriage without the slightest hesitation.

Xiao Xuanyou grabbed her arm. "Chanyi, no."

Jiang Zhi tried to push him, but he held her tightly and she couldn't move an inch.

She frowned.

“Your Highness, a maid may seem insignificant to you, like the cicada in the past—” she said calmly, “but in my heart, she is just as important as my family.”

Qingxing's mouth was gagged with a wad of cloth by the man in black, and she could only shake her head and cry.

Lu Yuan spoke up, "The young lady of Qinghe County is of noble birth and cannot be harmed. If you want to make an exchange, I will be your hostage."

The assassin refused, saying, "I'm not stupid. Do you think I'd live too long by taking you hostage?"

“That’s not up to you,” Lu Yuan said, taking the bow and arrow from the person beside him. He drew the string with three fingers, his shoulders and back like a full moon. “I’ll only give you three breaths to consider. If you don’t agree, this maid will have to die.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, the arrow already aimed at Qingxing.

"My mission is only to protect the Crown Prince and Princess Qinghe; the lives of others are not within my consideration."

Jiang Zhi watched with her heart pounding.

But she knew that Lu Yuan was forcing the assassins on the other side to compromise, so she pursed her lips and remained silent.

Seeing that the assassins were wavering, Lu Yuan said again, "Everyone here obeys my orders. If you take me hostage, they will be leaderless. Wouldn't it be easier for you?"

"My patience is limited."

"Three, two..."

"Alright, change the person!" Under Lu Yuan's immense pressure, the assassin had no choice but to give in.

He had long heard of Lu Yuan, who was ruthless and merciless.

If he really shoots and kills this maid, then all his efforts will be in vain.

“But you must be tied up before you come over,” he added, just in case.

Lu Yuan nodded. "Okay."

"Lord Lu... are you sure you're alright?" Jiang Zhi asked with concern.

Lu Yuan really wanted to squeeze her hand at this moment, but with so many people present, he could only give her a reassuring smile, "You can stay in the carriage and don't come out. I will definitely come back safely."

After he finished speaking, he immediately had someone next to him bring a rope and tie himself up. "Are you satisfied now?"

He spoke as he walked toward the assassin.

The assassin watched his movements warily until Lu Yuan stood in front of him, then pushed Qingxing, whom he was holding hostage, forward.

The blade tip instantly changed direction, gripping Lu Yuan's shoulder and pressing against his throat.

Qingxing was pushed and stumbled towards the carriage.

Lu Yuan was somewhat surprised by the other party's quick agreement.

He frowned as he watched Qingxing being helped into the carriage by Jiang Zhi, who looked back at him with concern.

A thought flashed through Lu Yuan's mind, and he blurted out, "Princess Qinghe, first have someone check if this girl has anything on her..."

Jiang Zhi was reaching out to untie Qingxing's ropes when she heard Lu Yuan's words and instinctively took a step back.

However, in the next instant, something unexpected happened.

The sound of mechanisms turning could be clearly heard coming from Qingxing's waist.

Lu Yuan's eyes narrowed, and he kicked the pebble with his toes—the pebble shot through the air like an arrow, passing through the carriage curtain and hitting Qingxing's leg, causing her to fall sideways.

The assassin attached himself to Qingxing, and the crossbow hidden under her outer garment shot out at the same time. Although it went astray, it was still impossible to avoid because of the close distance.

Fortunately, Xiao Xuanyou pulled Jiang Zhi away from behind, and she rolled around in the carriage before the crossbow thudded into the air and hit the ground.

The second arrow was fired, and Jiang Zhi was tackled to the ground by Xiao Xuanyou, watching helplessly as the arrow came toward his back.

This crossbow is even dual-shot!

How much did Xiao Yunheng want Xiao Xuanyou and her lives?!

She didn't have time to think much; all she knew was that Xiao Xuanyou's body couldn't withstand a second serious injury. With all her might, she supported Xiao Xuanyou's shoulders and flipped them over.

"Cicada Robe!" Her gaze fell into Xiao Xuanyou's trembling and panicked pupils. A sharp pain shot through her shoulder blade, and then everything went black before her eyes, and she completely lost consciousness.

Hearing the commotion inside the carriage and Xiao Xuanyou's panicked cries, Lu Yuan felt his heart shatter, a chill running down his spine, and all he could hear was his own chaotic heartbeat and rapid breathing.

Jiang Zhi is injured!

Ignoring the sharp blade pressed against his neck, which was cutting his skin, he used his internal force to break the ropes, letting the blood gushing from his neck.

He snatched the blade, whose handle was already nearly half an inch embedded in his skin, and thrust it into the assassin's eye socket.

A scream rang out instantly.

He didn't even glance back, taking a few long strides into the carriage.

The sight before him made his blood freeze.

Jiang Zhi lay half-lying in Xiao Xuanyou's arms, her life hanging in the balance, having been shot in the shoulder blade with an arrow.

If the arrow had gone any deeper, it would have pierced her entire shoulder.

Her white clothes were already soaked with blood, leaving large, dark stains.

His face was covered in cold sweat, his eyes were tightly closed, his long eyelashes did not tremble at all, and the rise and fall of his chest was barely perceptible.

Xiao Xuanyou, fearing to worsen her injuries, dared not move her. He could only shout sharply, his face pale, "Where is the imperial physician? Go find the imperial physician immediately!"

Wen Quan and Ru Ying An Yue had been guarding the carriage, blocking arrows that were being shot from all directions for the people inside.

They had no idea that something would happen inside the carriage.

Having just dealt with the black-clad assassins around him, he hurriedly went to fetch the imperial physician.

"Princess Qinghe's condition is not optimistic. The most important thing now is to pull out the arrow from her shoulder and stop the bleeding." The imperial physician, now aware of Jiang Zhi's identity, changed his form of address and his face was grave.

"Then what are we waiting for? Go and prepare immediately. If there's anything missing, have Wen Quan ride a fast horse to the nearby town to buy it, no matter the cost," Xiao Xuanyou said sternly.

He noticed that the body temperature in his arms was getting lower and lower, and a sense of panic began to creep into his heart.

Why would Chanyi be so foolish?

He was clearly up there just now; the arrow should have hit him!

Didn't she always want to escape from him? So why did she shield him from an arrow?