I don't know whose back door had the lantern hanging there, but the pale paper lantern looked even more eerie under the candlelight.
Not far away, five men in black were attacking two women.
Xiao Wu was stabbed in the back and was bleeding profusely, leaving a pool of blood on the ground. Her face was deathly pale as she stared at the man not far away.
"I didn't expect it to be you."
Gongye Changfeng emerged from the shadows, his face streaked with dried blood, his eyes dark and unfathomable. After a long sigh, he spoke, "Xiao Wu, I had no choice. Haven't you always hoped I could rescue my mother? Here's an opportunity."
Xiao Wu looked at him warily, feeling for a moment that the man in front of her was a complete stranger.
"Gongye Changfeng, I misjudged you."
She should have realized how horrible this man was when he plunged the dagger into her abdomen when she wasn't looking. "How many truths have you ever told me?!"
Gongye Changfeng did not speak.
It is true that he has been protecting the Gongye family since childhood, that he wants to rescue his mother, that he wants to destroy the rotten Gongye family, and that he wants to use the lord's power to reach the pinnacle of power!
They only have themselves to blame for meeting at the wrong time.
Or perhaps, if there is a next life, their encounter should not be filled with scheming.
Xiao Wu was injured both front and back, and Gongye Changqing couldn't press down on her bleeding wounds no matter how hard he tried. She looked at her brother in distress: "Brother, why?"
Gongye Changqing overheard the servants in her household talking about how officials from the Dali Temple had come to investigate a case of cheating in the imperial examinations. She originally wanted to ask her elder brother to help Su Yunyi, but unexpectedly she stumbled upon her elder brother conspiring with others.
It turns out he was the one who framed Su Yunyi and even wanted him dead!
In her surprise, she accidentally made a noise and was chased out. Her usually gentle older brother had a gloomy face and wanted to take her life to prove his loyalty without Mr. Chi even having to say a word.
Fortunately, Xiao Wu suddenly appeared and saved her from disaster. Although she didn't know Xiao Wu, she could tell from their conversation that they had a close relationship. She just didn't expect her older brother to be so ruthless, able to cruelly eliminate both his sister and his lover.
Gongye Changqing: "Brother, what's wrong with you?"
Gongye Changfeng looked at her face, which resembled the deceased Lady Gongye so closely, and quickly turned his face away: "You heard something you shouldn't have heard, Qing'er, don't blame your brother for being heartless. I will make Su Yunyi be buried with you, which can be considered as fulfilling your feelings for him."
Gongye Changqing clutched her collar tightly; the wounds on her body ached, but her heart ached even more.
Before she could speak, the man in black in front of her had already made his move. Every strike was aimed at killing them, showing no mercy whatsoever.
"Big brother, are you really going to take our lives?!"
"Get started!"
Gongye Changfeng's kindness towards them was simply to leave them with a complete corpse.
Gongye Changqing was a pampered young lady. Although she tried her best to avoid the sharp blades and not cause trouble for Xiao Wu, she still couldn't dodge the opponent's attack. She raised her hand to block the long sword that was slashing down, and then turned around and another sword fell to meet her face.
"Watch out!" Xiao Wu turned around and pierced the opponent's body with a backhand sword. The opponent fell limply, but his back was exposed and he was hit again.
"I'm injured and no match for them." Xiao Wu confronted the group, then whispered to Gongye Changqing, "Do you know the direction of the Marquis of Wenyang's residence?"
"The Marquis of Wenyang's residence?" Gongye Changqing was unaware of her relationship with the Su family and had no time to think about it. She pointed in a direction, "Over there."
"Alright, I'll fight my way out. You go to the Marquis's residence and ask someone named Thirteen for help. If no one is there, go find Qiuqiu."
Qiuqiu possesses the Lotus Jade Dragon Whistle, making her practically a part-time leader of the sect. Every life saved is a life saved; Gongye Changfeng absolutely cannot be allowed to succeed!
Xiao Wu knew she was likely to die here today, so she fought almost recklessly to clear a path for Gongye Changqing. Gongye Changfeng, sensing her intentions, naturally wouldn't give her a chance to call for help.
He shook his head. "How stupid."
The hidden arrow was aimed at Xiao Wu's brow, then after a moment's hesitation, the arm moved down...
"Whoosh!"
"Ah!" Xiao Wu cried out in pain, cold sweat pouring down his forehead. He was truly not going to give him a second chance at life...
Xiao Wu was hit in the leg by an arrow, and he knelt on the ground, using his sword as a staff. He was in a very sorry state.
Gongye Changqing ran halfway when she saw Xiao Wu injured and took a few steps forward. Xiao Wu shook her head at her: "Don't look back! Run!"
At this moment, Gongye Changfeng aimed at Gongye Changqing's forehead and said, "None of you will escape."
The hidden dart spun rapidly, and just when Gongye Changqing thought he was doomed to die, a long sword pierced through the air, and the black shadow flashed by, severing the hidden dart in two.
Thirteen glanced at the heavily injured Xiao Wu: "Is he going to die?"
"I won't die for now." Xiao Wu wiped the blood splattered on her face, forced herself to stand up, and gave a bitter smile. "Thirteenth Brother, I was wrong."
Thirteen sneered: "Not only are you wrong, you've also become quite audacious."
Xiao Wu remained silent. One wrong step could lead to another. She already knew that the court would never let her go, but she absolutely could not die at the hands of Gongye Changfeng.
Thirteen: "I'll settle the score with you after I've dealt with them!"
The men brought by Gongye Changfeng are highly skilled in martial arts and are by no means ordinary. Although Thirteen is powerful, he only has a fifty-fifty chance of winning against so many people, and with two burdens to worry about, it's even more troublesome.
The cold light seemed to coat the swords with a layer of frost under the moonlight.
The battle intensified, and Thirteen seemed to be losing ground. Suddenly, two groups of people joined the fray, turning the tide of the battle.
Gao Xun bumped into another group and, without thinking, immediately joined the battle. A snakeskin whip tightened around one man's neck, and a dark figure slashed down with a blade.
Gao Xun's Imperial Guards cooperated to encircle and suppress them, preventing their escape; the Shadow Guards moved swiftly. Gao Xun was distracted, surprised by their skill, wondering who they were.
The two sides worked together to take down four men in black. Thirteen then blocked Gongye Changfeng's path: "Lord, where do you think you're going?"
Gongye Changfeng stumbled backward and bumped into the expressionless Gao Xun. On the other side, the shadow guards who had come looking for Qiuqiu watched the commotion with their arms crossed, not minding if Gongye Changfeng kicked them as he ran towards them.
The outcome is decided; Gongye Changfeng has suffered a complete defeat.
His face was ashen, his hands trembling; he had never imagined he would lose so easily.
"I shouldn't have come." He looked past the crowd at Xiao Wu, who was slumped on the ground, panting heavily. All his resentment was directed at her. "I shouldn't have shown you mercy. You're the one who ruined me! It's all your fault!"
Xiao Wu looked away. Show mercy? What mercy?
Gao Xun ordered: "Take them away!"
The Imperial Guards quickly took the man back for questioning. However, this fifth young man was a bit difficult to handle.
Gao Xun: "We need to take her back to Dali Temple."
Xiao Wu was covered in blood, his lips were bloodless, and he tremblingly reached out to Thirteen: "Thirteenth Brother, I was wrong."
Thirteen was already used to life and death, but at this moment she still couldn't help but feel heartbroken.
The first thing an assassin learns is death, and they must become accustomed to the deaths of their companions. But Xiao Wu is one of only two survivors of the Spring Breeze Pavilion. If she dies, he will truly be all alone.
Thirteen held her hand tightly: "Don't talk anymore. Qiuqiu knows a very skilled imperial physician. Let's go find him now!"
Xiao Wu shook her head; she knew her own body best. Gongye Changfeng's knife had damaged her internal organs, and she had only managed to hold on by using all her inner energy to protect her heart.
“My lord…” Xiao Wu handed the token he had hidden in his bosom to Gao Xun, “Gongye Changfeng is being instructed by someone. This is a token I stole… cough cough cough… there’s a person whose surname is… Chi…”
Large spurts of blood kept gushing from Xiao Wu's mouth, and no matter how much Shisan wiped, he couldn't get it clean. He knelt on the ground, holding Xiao Wu in his arms, his eyes red.
Even the stern-faced Yama King Gao Xun couldn't stand it anymore. "Find a doctor first."
Thirteen stopped Gao Xun, who was about to help, and refused, saying, "Her heart meridian is broken; there's no way to save her. Let her finish speaking."
With his last breath, Xiao Wu grabbed Gao Xun's sleeve and said haltingly, "Go...go west...south..."
A slender hand landed on the ground, leaving bloodstains on the hem of Gao Xun's clothes.
He crouched down to check Xiao Wu's breath, then shook his head. "My condolences."
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