"Old dog Liang, I will use this Radiant Sword to slay you, you treacherous minister..."
Just as Tao Qingyun was about to take advantage of Liang Xu's momentary daze to kick him away with a flying kick, Qin Weixi had already aimed at his vital area below the abdomen and kicked him hard with all her might.
Liang Xu winced in pain, staggering backward. Veins bulged on his forehead, and large beads of cold sweat streamed down his face. Finally, unable to withstand the excruciating pain, he collapsed to the ground. He vaguely heard a voice say, "Liang thief, I'll make sure you're childless!"
Tao Qingyun chuckled softly, and soon after, the serene-faced girl said, "Third Brother, I've known how to hit that vital spot for a long time!"
Just then, several masked assassins dressed in riding attire descended from the high wall behind them, each wielding a sharp sword and leaping to the ground with the agility of swallows.
Tao Qingyun looked at the group of well-trained assassins who suddenly appeared at the Qin family's old residence, quickly pulled Qin Weixi behind her again, and then gritted her teeth and whispered, "Seventh Sister, run!"
Qin Weixi turned around and picked up the longsword that Liang Xu had just abandoned, saying to him, "Of course I know that running away is the best option. But Third Brother, you didn't abandon me back then, and I certainly won't abandon you this time."
She didn't know how to use a sword, but she knew she had to do everything in her power to protect her dearest third brother.
But clearly, the mounted assassins gave her no chance to escape, quickly surrounding the two of them. Liang Xu, his face ashen, rose and pounced, grabbing Qin Weixi by the throat. He then said to Tao Qingyun, "Tao Laosan, you've harmed Prince Jing's only son, and you still want to live? Tell that Marquis Jingning that if he wants to protect his people, he should come to the bamboo forest east of the city."
Tao Qingyun shouted sharply, "Old dog Liang, how dare you..."
But several mounted assassins wielding longswords had already closed in on him, and they all lunged at him.
"Third Brother—"
*
On the other hand, Chu Yening, carrying the notebook, led Songyang and the other two out of the Marquis's residence. Before the imperial horse even reached the front of the Luo residence, Jiuqu, who was following behind, suddenly said, "Master, there's a tail."
Before Chu Yening could react after throwing a blade backward, two people emerged from the Luo residence. They were Zhong Ti and Queshe, who were heading to the Qin family's old house.
The five people exchanged glances and all knew in unison that something was wrong.
Suddenly, a horse neighed behind them, and it was Crown Prince Jiang Yuanjun, dressed in the brocade robe of a courtier of the Eastern Palace, riding up on horseback.
Without lingering any longer, Chu Yening immediately turned his horse around and headed towards the Qin family's old residence.
Inside the house, Tao Qingyun was already badly wounded from a fierce battle with the mounted assassins. Upon seeing Chu Yening and his group arrive, she immediately shouted, "Quickly to the bamboo forest in the east of the city!" Then, she gave the assassins a cold smile and said, "A bunch of reckless bastards, your grandpa's helpers have arrived!"
Upon seeing this, the three from Jiuqu immediately drew their swords and stepped forward with sharp eyes.
Chu Yening glanced at the bloodstains on the ground, which were flowing straight out of the courtyard, and his heart skipped a beat. Then he heard Tao Qingyun say, "Your girl shot through that old dog Liang's ear and made him childless."
After hearing this, Chu Yening and Jiang Yuanjun exchanged glances again, and then Chu Yening, along with Zhong Ti and Queshe, quickly left the old house and headed towards the bamboo forest in the east of the city.
Meanwhile, in the bamboo forest east of the city, there were also dozens of masked assassins dressed in riding attire. Upon seeing the figures of the group riding towards them, they all turned cold and drew their swords to charge.
Liang Xu pulled Qin Weixi, who had fallen in the snow, step by step towards the depths of the withered bamboo forest. A short while later, Qin Weixi saw the man emerging from the snowstorm, and she cried out, "Fourth Brother—"
"It's Prince Jing—"
Zhong Ti and Queshe dismounted and engaged in a fierce battle with the masked assassins, while Chu Yening headed straight for the snow-white figure that blended seamlessly with the world.
Despite the pain in his lower body, Liang Xu roared, "Chu Yening, drop your sword! Otherwise, I'll kill her!" He gripped Qin Weixi's throat tightly with one hand and held the blade to her face with the other.
Then Liang Xu smiled sinisterly: "Chu Yening, tell me, if I were to slash this snow-white face today, how beautiful would it be?"
Qin Weixi calmly looked at Liang Xu behind him and said, "Liang thief, then you've miscalculated!"
However, Chu Yening put down her longsword at this moment, raised her hands to her sides, and slowly walked towards him, saying in a low voice, "Let her go! I'm the one who hurt your good sister, and I'm the one who killed your good brother. Do you like it? That Liang Cizi, barely clothed, knelt before my brother Ashuo. Didn't he also bring shame to your Liang family that day?"
The casual tone of these words, uttered by Chu Yening who remained calm and composed despite being unarmed and facing adversity, immediately ignited Liang Xu's anger, who roared, "Chu Yening!"
But Chu Yening still walked forward casually: "What kind of hero is a petty-minded man? No, are you even a man? What? Back then you felt inferior and jealous of my precious brother Ashuo, but now you're just as inferior to me?"
Enraged, Liang Xu shoved Qin Weixi aside and lunged forward, but Qin Weixi grabbed Liang Xu's collar with one hand and reached down to pull out a sharp hairpin from his temple, aiming it at his eye.
Liang Xu shouted, instinctively covering his eye where the hairpin had pierced him, and staggered backward once more. Just then, Jiang Yuanjun, who had disappeared without a trace, suddenly appeared behind Liang Xu, reaching out to grab his neck with all her might and dragging him backward.
Liang Xu reversed his grip on the dagger and stabbed Jiang Yuanjun in the left shoulder blade.
Blood streamed down his face, and Liang Xu stared in disbelief at his hands, which were now covered in blood.
Chu Yening smiled coldly, about to pull Qin Weixi close behind him to protect her, and then pick up the sword he had just tossed aside. Liang Xu suddenly laughed loudly, pulled out the sharp blade from his eye, and stabbed it towards the back of Qin Weixi's head.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuanjun, who had already fallen in the snow, shouted, "Seventh Sister! Get out of the way!"
Chu Yening shot a sharp, razor-sharp look at Liang Xu, then instinctively leaped forward and pulled Qin Weixi into his arms, holding her tightly.
And this stab struck Chu Yening in the back.
More and more mounted assassins ran towards Zhong Ti and his companion, as well as the group deep in the bamboo forest. Chu Yening hurriedly pulled Qin Weixi behind him, and soon Jiang Yuanjun also got up and joined them.
Snowflakes danced in the bamboo forest, just like that midsummer of that year when the two of them joined forces to kill a pack of wolves and tightly protected the bright young girl behind them.
Amidst the clash of swords and the carnage that followed, it was as if the battle at Huangtupo had taken place that day, where the armored youth witnessed his invincible father kneeling amidst a sea of corpses, forever gone from him.
Chu Yening's vision suddenly went black, and then he felt the world turn upside down in an instant. He staggered a few steps and knelt on the ground, but still tightly held the girl's cold palm in one hand. Then, he took out his sword and shot the mounted assassin who had just kicked Jiang Yuanjun to the ground, killing him with a single shot. The sword went straight to his brow.
Qin Weixi cried out in surprise, "Fifth Brother!" Then he used his body to firmly protect Chu Yening, who was clutching his head as if trapped in a nightmare.
A trickle of blood flowed slowly from the corner of Jiang Yuanjun's mouth, but he still smiled gently. He supported himself on his elbows and used his knees to crawl little by little to the back of Liang Xu, who had no more strength left but was still dragging his broken body and carrying a sharp sword toward Chu Yening.
Then he grabbed his feet.
Seeing this, Qin Weixi held Chu Yening even tighter in her arms, then wrapped her arms around his head, pressing her cheek against the top of his head. A tear silently fell, and she hissed, "Chu Yening, if we die, we die together."
"Chu Yening, I am Qin Jiaweixi!"
Chu Yening instantly emerged from the chaos, then whispered with difficulty, grasping her hands and saying, "Qin Luo, if I protect you for this moment, I will protect you for a lifetime. This time, we must both live well..."
Qin Weixi suddenly turned around, her eyes filled with anger as she looked at Liang Xu. Out of the corner of her eye, she glanced at the sword beside the now silent assassin, and swiftly leaned over, grasping the hilt and thrusting it towards Liang Xu's chest, who was looking down at them.
Instantly, crimson blood soaked a large patch of his shirt, and Liang Xu, with a mouthful of bloody, sweet liquid, spat it out. Drops of blood splattered onto Qin Weixi's face, which was burning with rage.
At this moment, Chu Yening slowly got up and strode over, and together with Qin Weixi, they gripped the hilt of the sword and once again accurately plunged it several inches into Liang Xu's chest.
Seeing this, Jiang Yuanjun also positioned herself behind Chu Yening, using her last remaining strength. The longsword once again penetrated a few inches, piercing through Liang Xu's chest and then into his back.
Snowflakes fell softly from the sky, and Qin Weixi smiled sincerely this time: "Liang thief, if you ever see your brother, remember that you must serve him like a slave for all eternity."
Liang Xu's eyes widened.
Just then, a figure in green robes suddenly appeared in the distance of the bamboo forest, galloping towards them on horseback. He was carrying a sword that had been unsheathed and was personally forged by the late emperor. The sword's hilt was engraved with the words "Shuoguang" (meaning "shining light"). With a single swing of the sword from his horse, he instantly took Liang Xu's head.
With red-rimmed eyes, Tao Qingyun shouted, "Old dog Liang, I'll use this Radiant Light Sword to behead you, my treacherous minister, and offer you as a sacrifice to my Radiant Light Soul!" He laughed to the sky, "Liang thief, I'm here to take your life! Open your eyes wide and take a good look, so that you won't mistake me for someone else when you become a wandering ghost!"
Suddenly, Chu Yening pulled Qin Weixi into his arms and then reached out a hand to place on her eyes.
Meanwhile, the brothers Luo Ling and Luo Chen, along with Luo Yuan, Mu Tong, Fa Cai, and other close followers, galloped over on horseback.
After dismounting, Fa Cai went straight to Tao Qingyun, his eyes filled with panic: "...Young Master, the old master just went to the palace and locked himself in his room when he came back. This servant saw that the old master, who had never shed a tear in his entire life, was crying."
*
Inside the vast and deep palace.
Tao Qingyun barged into Empress Tao's palace alone, and then looked at her aunt, who was sitting dignifiedly on the wind chair, with red eyes.
Tao Qingyun gritted her teeth and clenched her fists: "Aunt...give me a reason..."
Empress Tao glanced at her nephew, whom she had watched grow up, with a blank expression, and remained seated on her chair, displaying the majesty of a mother of the nation.
Tao Qingyun said, "He wants to get rid of the Chu family, doesn't he? Back then, Uncle Chu always won victories and returned in triumph. Everyone called him the God of War of our Great Xia. His achievements surpassed those of the lord, didn't they?"
"Aunt...is he planning to use the Qin family as a springboard to eliminate both powerful clans in one fell swoop?"
Empress Tao stared at him for a long time, then suddenly smiled bitterly: "The emperor also resents the old Duke."
Tao Qingyun suddenly wiped her face, unsure whether she was crying or laughing: "Aunt, I feel utterly ashamed. Do you know what I said to them that day? We Taos are family, blood is thicker than water..."
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