The group's actions were surprisingly orderly, unhurried, and remarkably uniform, swift, and efficient.
Huo Jingsha's sharp, ruthless eyes were fixed on the woman tied to a pillar not far away. He recognized her at a glance—it was his Shu Yao. That day, after Shu Yao disappeared, someone shot an arrow at the gate of the Huo residence, with a letter attached to it.
His men immediately presented him with the letter, which only briefly stated a location and a time, instructing him to arrive there before noon that day, or his woman would be killed.
He understood immediately that this was a carefully laid trap, but he still chose to come without hesitation, not only for Shu Yao, but also to thoroughly expose the mastermind behind it all. He wanted to see who dared to be so audacious as to openly challenge him and oppose the entire Embroidered Uniform Guard.
Apart from Shu Yao, who was tied to the pillar, there was no trace of anyone else around. Looking around, there was no place to hide within a hundred miles. However, Huo Jingsha knew that the calmer the surface appeared, the more mysterious things were hidden inside.
It is now clear that they are in the open while the enemy is in the shadows, a situation that is unfavorable to all the Embroidered Uniform Guards.
Huo Jingsha grinned wickedly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes, his entire body radiating a brutal killing intent. He was extremely curious about what kind of trap his opponent had prepared that could lead to his utter destruction.
Why go through all this trouble if we don't just kill him outright?
"Release the dogs!" he shouted.
As soon as the words were spoken, Imperial Guards immediately opened the cage containing the hunting dogs. As scouts, the dogs, once freed, rushed swiftly towards You Shuyao, who was bound in the middle.
Dozens of hunting dogs moved with lightning speed, barking loudly. But when they were still halfway away from Shu Yao, the flat ground, which showed no signs of anything amiss, suddenly collapsed and caved in as if an earthquake had struck. The dozen or so hunting dogs fell into the cracks in the blink of an eye, and heart-wrenching howls immediately followed.
The trap was cleverly designed. What appeared to be a flat surface had been secretly dug into a large pit, which was then covered with a thin layer of soil. From a distance, it was completely invisible, but anyone who stepped on it would inevitably slip and fall. For double protection, sharp bayonets were also buried inside the pit. The hunting dogs that fell in were pierced through the body by the sharp blades, dying a gruesome death.
Huo Jingsha sneered. Just as he had predicted, he was quite adept at setting up traps. This area, seemingly flat and without any enemy hiding places, was actually a smokescreen to lower people's defenses. To set up traps, one had to work underground.
"drive!"
Having broken through the first line of defense, he took the lead and rode forward several dozen steps, with the other Imperial Guards immediately following closely behind.
The horse stopped before the trap. Huo Jingsha leaped off the horse and crossed the deep pit, landing steadily on the ground. He then drew his embroidered spring knife from his waist and continued forward. His men followed suit, drawing their embroidered spring knives and assuming defensive postures, scattering around Huo Jingsha to protect the man in the middle from a second surprise attack.
Just then, a large number of arrows came from all directions, aiming to riddle them with holes.
The Imperial Guards protecting Huo Jingsha were prepared. While the countless black dots were still suspended in the air, they swiftly reached behind them and pulled out silver shields hidden there. The shields looked thin, but because of their special material, they were impervious to blades and spears. They were worn on the back to prevent enemy arrows or surprise attacks from behind. Huo Jingsha had specially commissioned skilled craftsmen to make them.
The Imperial Guards formed a protective net with shields, creating an impenetrable barrier, while simultaneously cutting down arrows with their swords to cover Huo Jingsha's retreat and allow him to continue advancing.
Taking advantage of the weakening of one wave of attacks, Huo Jingsha leaped up and rushed towards You Shuyao. However, when he was only five steps away from her, a sharp sword suddenly sprang out from the ground, catching him off guard.
These layers upon layers of traps are impossible to guard against, one after another. The buried knives at the beginning are meant to cause him to lose his first batch of men, the arrows in the middle are meant to cause him to lose another batch of men, and also to tie down most of his men. Just when he thinks he has overcome all obstacles and is about to reach the target to carry out the rescue, the final fatal blow is delivered, trapping him like a turtle in a jar!
But this suddenly rising sword formation was the one among all the mechanisms that was truly meant to kill him.
Even with such a meticulously planned scheme that was impossible to predict, Huo Jingsha managed to evade it, narrowly avoiding one dangerous trap after another.
However, just moments before Huo Jingsha was in grave danger, a figure suddenly flew in from afar, wielding a long sword, and thrust it straight at You Shuyao's heart...
In the blink of an eye, a "thud" was heard—the sound of a sword piercing flesh and gushing out blood.
You Shuyao was stunned, her mind blank. Things happened too fast, so fast that she didn't have time to react... When she finally saw everything clearly, she realized that Huo Jingsha had stood in front of her, and the sword had pierced straight into his chest.
He had just been overwhelmed by the relentless attacks of his enemies and was too outnumbered to stop the sword aimed at her. He shielded her with his own body, but ended up in a bloody mess. A large amount of blood instantly soaked through his dark blue flying fish robe, dripping down the blade and forming a pool of blood on the ground.
Seeing this scene, it felt as if something had broken in You Shuyao's heart. She stared blankly at him as he turned pale and collapsed to his knees, too shocked to utter a single word.
She knew... he might like her, and might be willing to spend time and energy spoiling her, but she never imagined that he would be so deeply in love with her, willing to take the sword for her in this perilous situation with a formidable enemy at hand, exchanging his life for hers.
She had actually saved him twice before, but the situation was completely different then. Back then, she could at least receive immediate medical attention, and he was there to protect her. But now… she was powerless. There were so many assassins in front of him, all intent on killing him. Knowing that defeat would mean a terrible fate, he still saved her without hesitation.
Why...why? She kept asking, but she couldn't understand. He should be a vicious, cruel, selfish, and cold-blooded person. The word "devoted" shouldn't appear on someone like him. She was just his concubine, not his wife who would accompany him for life.
In every previous life, he had used all sorts of cruel and ruthless methods to treat her; but in this life, he was willing to sacrifice his own life so that she could live.
Her ears were ringing, her vision was blurred, she could hear nothing, see no one, all she could see was him… only him, kneeling on the ground, about to die. In that instant, she felt as if her soul had left her, leaving only a numb, empty shell, except for the scalding tears that streamed down her face, from soft sobs to uncontrollable wailing…
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