"No need to delay any longer, let's save the others quickly." Zhu Qiuyu took a deep breath, her gaze sweeping over the baby's bluish-purple face, unable to bear looking at it any longer.
"Who's there?" Before they could even make a move, Hong Niangzi discovered their presence.
Now that they've been exposed, there's no need to hide anymore. Zhu Qiuyu and the others swaggered out of the kitchen. Hong Niangzi was suspicious and hesitant about whether to go into the kitchen to take a look when she saw several people in white coming out of the kitchen.
"Who are you people? Where is Zi Niang?" Hong Niangzi quickly took a few steps back, standing at a safe distance, her waist knife tightly gripped in her hand.
"This guy's kung fu is pretty good," Zhu Qiuyu said to his fellow disciples beside him as if no one else was around.
Hong Niangzi narrowed her eyes, her face turning frighteningly gloomy, and raised her voice to shout, "Yan Niang, you guys come out quickly, a tough one has arrived."
She was very perceptive and immediately realized that Zhu Qiuyu and his group were not easy to deal with, so she called out several of her men. She glanced in the direction of the kitchen and asked sternly, "Where is Zi Niang? What have you done to her?"
Zhu Yueran dealt with the woman in the kitchen, so he stepped forward and answered, "There was a woman in the kitchen who killed a baby. I happened to see it, so I avenged the baby."
"You killed Zi Niang! How dare you kill my people?" Hong Niangzi cried out.
"I don't care whose side she works for. It's only right that a murderer pays with his life." Zhu Yueran sneered, her face remaining icy cold.
Hong Niangzi, as if she had suffered a great shock, suddenly turned bloodshot, looked up at the sky and howled a few times, pointing her knife at Zhu Yueran, "You must die, you must die."
Zhu Yueran raised his sword to block Hong Niangzi's attack. He intentionally led the people to the other side. The people of Xianwu Island prefer one-on-one duels and dislike group fights. These women are not qualified for them to fight in a group.
Zhu Qiuyu and the others were not in a hurry. They watched Zhu Yueran and Hong Niangzi spar casually. Yan Niang and the others did not make a move for the time being, but only pointed their knives at them to prevent them from sneaking up on Hong Niangzi.
A quarter of an hour later, the two were still locked in a stalemate, but Zhu Qiuyu and the others could tell that Hong Niangzi was about to give out, and Zhu Yueran was clearly gaining the upper hand.
"Fifth Junior Brother's woman is quite skilled; it's rare to meet a worthy opponent. We'll have a good time today," Zhu Qiuyu said, still in the mood for teasing.
Yan Niang, Hei Niang, and Lü Niang looked grim, clearly understanding the unspoken message from the white-clad men: they couldn't defeat them, and the white-clad men seemed to be toying with them, completely disregarding them.
Sure enough, after a short while, Hong Niangzi was knocked to the ground by Zhu Yueran's palm. She coughed up a mouthful of blood, but she quickly jumped up again and rushed forward to continue fighting.
When Hong Niangzi was knocked to the ground again, she didn't rush over to fight back immediately. Instead, she stared at Zhu Yueran with resentment in her eyes, then quickly pulled something out of her bosom and threw it out with lightning speed.
Zhu Yueran was prepared. She leaped onto the wall, landing lightly on it, and looked down at the woman in red in the courtyard. Hong Niangzi made a feint, but didn't actually sprinkle any powder or throw any hidden weapons.
"Hong Niangzi, how are you?" Yan Niang and the others ran over to help her up.
"Step back." Hong Niangzi waved her subordinates away, then began to dance. No one knew where she got the nine-foot-long red ribbon, and her whole body twisted and turned like a snake. The red ribbon fluttered back and forth in the air as Hong Niangzi danced.
"What is this woman doing?" Zhu Xichen frowned, feeling that the scenery in front of him was somewhat blurry.
After looking at it for a moment, Zhu Chumo spoke up: "It looks like a kind of cultivation technique. Do any of you feel uncomfortable about it?"
As soon as they finished speaking, the senior brothers suddenly felt dizzy. They were surrounded by red ribbons, including their heads and feet. All they could see was red. Suddenly, all four senior brothers felt a splitting headache and heard strange noises.
After the dizziness subsided, Hong Ling also disappeared, but upon closer inspection, they realized that they were no longer in the original courtyard, but in a completely unfamiliar place.
This is a rather elegant residence, with gardens, pavilions, bridges, and flowing water, and maids and servants moving about. A rough old woman is sweeping fallen leaves on the ground with a broom.
"Where is this place? How did we get in?" Zhu Xichen frowned even more, but couldn't find the root of the problem.
“The people in this mansion seem to have nothing to do with us; they can’t see us,” Zhu Chumo was the first to notice the flaw. “This must be an illusion. How could that Red Maiden have such abilities? Where did she learn illusion magic?”
"Fourth Junior Brother, are you sure this is an illusion?" Zhu Qiuyu felt it wasn't that simple.
"Don't rush to deny it, let's see what's going on first." Zhu Chumo said in a low voice, then pointed outside, "Listen, there seem to be many guests in the main hall outside. They are saying congratulations and there are sounds of gongs, drums, and firecrackers. If I'm not mistaken, someone in this mansion is getting married."
"Let's go out and take a look." Zhu Qiuyu took the lead and walked through the long corridor and then through an archway. Soon she arrived at the front yard.
A well-dressed gentleman and lady greeted the guests at the gate. The guests offered their congratulations and presented gifts. Red lanterns and red couplets were hung everywhere from the corridor to the main hall, all indicating that someone in the household was indeed getting married.
Soon a middle-aged man dressed as a butler rushed over and shouted, "Master, the bride has been brought back! The young man has brought the bride back!"
"What are you shouting about? Quickly prepare the brazier," the man addressed as "Master" said with a laugh and a scolding tone.
Then Zhu Qiuyu and the others witnessed the bride and groom's wedding ceremony and were finally led to the bridal chamber. Suddenly, everything went dark, and Zhu Qiuyu and the others blinked instinctively. Then they found that the scene in front of them had changed.
The bride, her belly swollen high, cried out in pain as she was taken to the prepared delivery room. After a day and a night of labor, she gave birth to a big, healthy baby boy.
"Why are the scenes changing so fast, one scene after another? And why does that bride look so familiar?" Zhu Qiuyu clicked her tongue.
"Of course she looks familiar, isn't she that matchmaker?" Zhu Yueran had fought with the other party for hundreds of rounds and had seen her face most clearly.
His reminder made the others realize, as if struck by lightning, that they were looking at Hong Niangzi's past. But why did she want them to see this?
The scene quickly shifts to the day the child turns one month old. A grand celebration is held at the mansion, with many guests coming to offer their congratulations. The mansion is bustling with people all day, and the festivities don't end until late at night, when the last guest is seen off.
The family was exhausted after a long day of entertaining and was about to go back to their room to rest when the door was suddenly kicked open. Before the host could react, a group of masked bandits rushed in, slashing people as they went. The gatekeeper was the first to be attacked, followed by the other servants.
The guards in the mansion were quickly killed, and in less than half an hour, all the servants were killed. The bandits then tied up the family of the mansion owner and took them to the courtyard.
The bandit leader removed his veil to show his master who he was.
"You are Zhang Hansheng! You're still alive!" The man's face turned pale; he knew he was doomed.
Because Zhang Hansheng had a grudge against the Ying family, and that scoundrel acted despicably and shamelessly. He had clearly fallen from the cliff years ago, yet he was incredibly lucky to still be alive.
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