At the critical moment, a deafening "whoosh" sound rang out in the air, and a sharp arrow appeared out of nowhere, heading straight for the assassin's vital point with unstoppable speed.
Chang Lili clearly saw the tall horse appearing directly in front of her, and the person sitting steadily on its back, and her eyes lit up with great surprise.
He's here!
Just like the great hero who appears in a time of crisis in a storybook, his tall and handsome appearance was deeply engraved in Chang Lili's mind.
Sitting on his horse, Meng Yuxiu's cold gaze locked onto the assassin's location. As they drew closer, he quickly engaged the assassin in combat.
The assassin was also filled with unspeakable bitterness.
Meng Yuxiu's arrow was too fast for him to dodge. For the sake of his life, he used his arm to block the arrow, and his arm was pierced on the spot, with blood splattering all over his face.
Before he could even cry out in pain, Meng Yuxiu had already begun striking him.
Even if he were unharmed, he wouldn't be able to defeat Meng Yuxiu, let alone now that he's injured and can only struggle to hold him off.
"Grandma!" With the danger temporarily averted, Chang Lili felt a little relieved. Her stiff legs could finally move again, and she hurriedly stepped forward to help her mother-in-law.
Seeing that he was about to be overwhelmed, the assassin heard the crisp sound, his eyes flashed, and without hesitation, he turned his injured arm to Meng Yuxiu's side.
With his other intact hand, he deftly and swiftly threw his sword toward Chang Lili.
Chang Lili never expected that the assassin would still be thinking about her at this time. She was startled by the flying sword and froze.
"Damn it!" Meng Yuxiu cursed under his breath, but without hesitation, he sliced off the assassin's arm with his sword and flew towards Chang Lili.
He lunged forward, pulling the stunned Chang Lili into his arms, dodging the sword, and rolling to the ground.
Chang Lili was caught off guard and landed on Meng Yuxiu's chest, her delicate nose throbbing from the impact of his hard pectoral muscles.
She cried out in pain, her eyes brimming with tears, on the verge of bursting into sobs.
"Don't cry!" Meng Yuxiu was being used as a human cushion, and he caught a glimpse of the assassin fleeing in panic out of the corner of his eye. He was already very dissatisfied.
Turning back to see Chang Lili on the verge of tears, he immediately tightened his face and coldly and succinctly ordered, "Get up!"
Chang Lili was so frightened that she held back her tears. Her body trembled, and like an obedient soldier, she quickly got off him.
The mother-in-law had also come over by now, quickly looking Chang Lili up and down, her worry evident in her voice: "Lili, are you alright? Are you hurt?"
Chang Lili was commendable for her courage before, but when her mother-in-law asked her that question and she saw the bloody arm that Meng Yuxiu had cut off not far away, she remembered the terrifying things that had just happened and was so frightened that she burst into tears.
She hugged her mother-in-law tightly, crying loudly, "Grandma, you scared me to death! Waaah, why did you suddenly run out! What would I do if something happened to you?"
The mother-in-law was caught between a rock and a hard place, unsure whether to laugh or cry.
Meng Yuxiu had already stood up straight. Seeing Chang Lili clinging to her mother-in-law and crying her heart out, his eyes narrowed slightly.
Why does it seem like Chang Lili isn't afraid of something happening to herself, but rather that her mother-in-law is? It seems that when she sold herself to the brothel, she really was selling her art, not her body?
Before Meng Yuxiu could think further, his mother-in-law saw the true face of her savior. Her eyelids narrowed slightly, and she quickly patted Chang Lili's back: "Alright, stop crying."
After releasing Chang Lili, the old woman respectfully bowed to Meng Yuxiu: "Thank you for your help, benefactor. May I ask your surname?"
Chang Lili wiped away her tears. Hearing her mother-in-law's words and seeing Meng Yuxiu's handsome yet indifferent face, her heart trembled slightly. She quickly whispered, "Mother-in-law, this is the General Meng Yuxiu you always talk about."
The mother-in-law looked surprised and even more grateful.
Before they could say anything more, Meng Yuxiu spoke up: "Let's talk about it when we get back."
The mother-in-law gave Chang Lili a questioning look. Chang Lili awkwardly touched her nose, inwardly lamenting: What am I going to do now?
Having given the silver notes to the assassin, she was penniless and had no way to leave. She had to go back with Meng Yuxiu.
But how am I going to explain this to my mother-in-law?
Meng Yuxiu did not come alone. Soon, someone brought the carriage back and left someone else to clean up the place.
Chang Lili and her mother-in-law returned to the General's Mansion in a carriage.
Just as Chang Lili had expected, her mother-in-law soon asked about her relationship with Meng Yuxiu, but Chang Lili deliberately evaded the questions and managed to get away with it.
The mother-in-law realized that Chang Lili was hiding something, but she didn't press the matter further.
They returned to the general's mansion in silence.
Back at the General's Mansion, after settling her mother-in-law in, Chang Lili, like a thief, quickly pulled Meng Yuxiu away: "Mother-in-law, you rest first, the General and I have something to talk about!"
Meng Yuxiu looked at Chang Lili, who was sitting in front of him with her eyes downcast and seemingly oblivious to everything, and a faint, mocking smile appeared on his lips: "Aren't you going to say anything?"
He let her drag him outside.
He had expected her to be direct, but to his surprise, she remained silent for quite a while. In the end, he broke the deadlock.
Chang Lili gave an awkward smile, crossed her hands, twisted them back and forth, hesitated for a moment, and finally said, "This really isn't my fault..."
"Hmm?" He raised an eyebrow slightly.
Chang Lili had hoped he would ask a few more questions so she could tell him the truth, but seeing that his mouth was as tightly sealed as a clam shell, she knew it was better for her to tell the truth, so she could only timidly say:
“I told you back in the army that if you gave me the money, I would stop bothering you, but you wouldn’t agree…”
At this point, Chang Lili became more confident: "If it weren't for your fickle mind, I wouldn't have needed to leave secretly."
Meng Yuxiu listened to her talk, but couldn't get to the point for a long time. He narrowed his eyes slightly and asked in a low voice, "Where did the money come from?"
"What money? I have no money!" Chang Lili straightened her back and quickly denied it.
She's practically penniless right now. If Meng Yuxiu misunderstands and kicks her out of the General's Mansion, wouldn't she and her mother-in-law be left destitute on the streets?
Besides, someone wanted to assassinate her and her mother-in-law. For the sake of her life, she still had to cling to Meng Yuxiu's coattails.
Meng Yuxiu succinctly stated: "The money you left behind."
He didn't give her any money, and she suddenly left. There must have been something else that he didn't know about.
Chang Lili was still trying to hide it, and looked at him obsequiously. But when she met his eyes, which seemed to see through everything, she silently swallowed her words and honestly said, "The princess gave it to me to leave you."
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