Upon hearing this, Madam Xin felt that the old woman's advice was simply an unnecessary worry. She smiled and said, "That place is deserted. We will be resting in the courtyard for a few days before going to participate in the Fengshan Ceremony. It is impossible for us to go there."
She grasped Song Xizhi's hand: "Zhizhi too."
Song Xizhi touched his nose and gave a heavy "hmm".
The old nanny was relieved to hear this.
She politely declined the tea that Song Xizhi offered her, and then said, "It's getting dark soon, and a vegetarian dinner will be delivered by a special person. This old servant has other matters to attend to, so I'll go and take care of them first."
Song Xizhi nodded and politely saw her out.
After dinner, it was already dark, and Song Xizhi whispered a few instructions to Siqin.
After she finished bathing, Madam Xin returned to her room. Siqin then checked the terrain of the back mountain and returned to report.
The candlelight flickered inside the room. She was dressed in a black outfit, her hair was tied up high, she held a sword in her hand, and her face was covered.
When she hides, her breath and footsteps are very light. Unless you observe carefully, it is difficult to sense her presence even in the same room.
Song Xizhi narrowed his eyes, feeling as if he had found a good master for A-Lian.
"Master, we have discovered a bamboo grove not far from our courtyard. The bamboo grove is very large and lush. Beyond the bamboo grove is an abandoned courtyard."
"However, the bamboo grove and the courtyard are too large for one person to search thoroughly, so I have returned to report first."
Song Xizhi smiled at her and said, "It's alright. Help me change into these clothes, and we'll search carefully together."
Upon hearing this, Siqin's eyes widened in an instant: "You want to go too? That's far too dangerous."
Song Xizhi shrugged: "Isn't that what you're here for?"
"Unless we encounter a dozen assassins at once like last time, there shouldn't be too much danger. We... are unlikely to be that unlucky, right?"
Siqin thought about it carefully and also felt that what Song Xizhi said made sense.
The Fengshan ceremony was to be held at Heyan Mountain. The palace guards had surrounded the entire mountain several months ago, so the security was definitely tight. At most, we would only encounter some small insects or snakes, and we wouldn't be that unlucky.
So she helped Song Xizhi get dressed, and the two of them secretly slipped out under the bright moonlight.
The moonlight was cool and clear. Siqin led her along a path. The path was deserted. The bamboo forest behind the mountain was lush and verdant, growing densely together and looking decades old.
Song Xizhi followed Siqin's footsteps hurriedly, and when he occasionally looked up, he felt as if the bamboo forest was about to block out the sky.
But at that moment, Siqin's steps suddenly slowed down. She turned her head to look at Song Xizhi and defensively gripped the long sword at her waist.
Song Xizhi looked up, a hint of hesitation on his face: "...Siqin, what's wrong?"
Before Siqin could even speak, Song Xizhi heard a sharp cry coming from afar:
"Help! Someone help me! Help!"
The two looked in the direction of the sound and saw a group of people fighting desperately in the bamboo forest, with dozens of corpses lying haphazardly on the ground.
On one side were well-trained and well-equipped black-clad assassins. They were numerous and well-prepared. Even after the initial bloodbath, only five or six of them remained.
On the other side were two pitiful and miserable middle-aged people, who appeared to be a master and a servant.
In front of the two old men, only two blood-covered guards remained.
The two sides looked like they had just finished a fierce battle, and both sides were exhausted. The two guards on the defensive looked like they were about to collapse.
Seeing this, the assassins seized the opportunity and launched their final, fierce attack.
The master was tall and dressed in plain clothes. Seeing this situation, his face darkened, and he held a long sword in his hand, but he remained relatively calm.
The shorter servant looked younger, with a fair complexion and no beard. He wore tight-fitting clothes that restricted his movements. Looking at the corpses scattered on the ground, he held his master's hand while shouting in a trembling voice.
"Help! Help! There's an assassin!"
What they had just heard was probably the servant's shout.
Seeing the commotion ahead, Song Xizhi took a deep breath and then turned to exchange a glance with Siqin.
Both of them saw the word "bad luck" in each other's eyes.
Fortunately, at least half of those dozen or so assassins are now corpses.
Song Xizhi pondered for only a moment before speaking: "There are still five or six left, and they look injured. Siqin, are you confident?"
Siqin gripped Song Xizhi's wrist, unwilling to let go: "It is my responsibility to protect your safety."
Upon hearing this, Song Xizhi suddenly remembered the benefactor who had appeared out of nowhere when he was on the verge of despair after his last assassination attempt.
"If you're confident, then go and help, just like others helped me before."
Siqin remained silent for a moment before gritting her teeth and saying, "You should hide behind the tree."
After she finished speaking, she placed one hand on the long sword at her waist, then used her lightness skill to fly over there. Song Xizhi hid far away behind the treetops, observing the movements in the distance.
With the addition of Yushiko to the battle, the situation changed instantly. The two guards, as if divinely aided, launched increasingly fierce attacks.
The master and servant exchanged a glance, both seeing surprise in each other's eyes.
But at that moment, seeing that defeat was inevitable, the assassin in black pulled a small section of bamboo tube directly from his chest.
He put the bamboo in his mouth and blew hard, and a flying needle shot out sharply, flying straight towards his master's chest.
Everything happened in the blink of an eye; no one could react in time.
Only the shorter servant gritted his teeth and roared, "Master! Be careful!"
After saying this, he suddenly lunged towards his master.
He shielded his master with his body, and the flying needle barely grazed the servant's arm before suddenly flying out again.
Both of the fighting guards breathed a sigh of relief.
But who knew that this place was actually a slope.
The white-faced servant accidentally missed a step, slipped, and the two fell to the ground and rolled uncontrollably down the slope, all the way to the edge.
Below the slope lies a steep cliff.
Caught off guard by the sudden scene before her, Song Xizhi felt a ringing in her ears and shouted, "Watch out!"
Fortunately, Song Xizhi's reminder brought the two of them back to their senses. At the critical moment of life and death, the middle-aged man in the plain clothes suddenly reached out and gritted his teeth to grab the root of the bamboo.
His other hand was gripping the servant's collar tightly.
Below them was an extremely steep cliff, its bottom invisible in the thick darkness of the night, and the two of them were almost teetering on the brink of collapse.
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