"You dare hurt her!" Chu Yening's eyes were filled with coldness...
With a neigh, the horse's hooves kicked up dust, making it hard for A-Yi to open his eyes. He could only tighten the reins to prevent the horse from galloping forward. However, several assassins in front had already noticed the strange situation behind them. One of them had already drawn his bow and shot an arrow at the two carriages that A-Yi was driving. The three people inside the carriages were also thrown back and forth by the sudden change.
Ayi quickly grabbed his longsword and deflected the arrows with a few swift movements. He then shouted into the carriage, "Princess, we've been attacked! Turn the horse around immediately!" As soon as he finished speaking, four assassins ahead drew their bows again, while others rushed towards him with swords and knives.
Jiang Yuanfu was filled with panic, Pei Qing was at a loss, Qin Weixi lifted the carriage curtain and saw that Chu Yening, Tao Qingyun and Fa Cai Jiuqu were surrounded. Qin Weixi's eyes widened and she gasped.
Because she knew this was a dead end, just like when she was on her way back to the capital, on that vast river, there were also several assassins dressed in tight-fitting clothes, their faces completely exposed, who wanted to kill her.
It's either her or them who die.
Qin Weixi stepped forward and pulled on the reins, intending to turn the horse around and head towards the Star Gazing Tower. Once they reached the city's bustling center, they would have a chance of survival, and they could certainly offer a chance of survival to the people currently being attacked ahead. This was because, after the Star Gazing Tower incident, the number of soldiers patrolling the city had doubled.
When Ayi saw someone coming out, he immediately flipped over and leaped to meet the enemy head-on.
However, the horse was stabbed in the abdomen by a black-clad assassin. Startled, the horse lay upside down, its head raised and neighing, and began to fall backward.
In the blink of an eye, Chu Yening, who should have been in front, leaped lightly and ran towards them at great speed. He reached out and grabbed her, pulling her out of the carriage that was almost falling apart due to the horse's fright.
Before the two could think further, several swords and blades attacked from behind Chu Yening. The assassins' eyes gleamed coldly, their smiles sinister. Qin Weixi's heart skipped a beat, and she blurted out, "Chu Yening!"
Hearing this, Chu Yening understood and quickly turned around, circling around to shield her firmly behind him. In an instant, several more arrows came flying. Chu Yening used one hand to protect her behind him and the other hand to deflect them with his longsword. But even with his swift movements, the arrows still grazed his neck, drawing blood instantly.
"My legs! My legs!"
"Cousin, how are you!"
A faint tremor came from inside the carriage. A-Yi rushed towards the carriage and brought Jiang Yuanfu and Pei Qing out. They saw that a short dagger had been inserted between her knees, and Pei Qing had a bloody gash about an inch long on her cheek.
In the blink of an eye, a man in black lightly leaped forward with his toes, heading straight for A-Yi, who died instantly from the sword wound.
With a furious shout, Fa Cai, who had been hiding somewhere, stepped forward trembling, holding two long iron rods and running towards the man in black.
More and more assassins in black robes came from all directions. Qin Weixi stood behind Chu Yening. She saw a man in black robes leap down from the roof above the two of them. Then, a blinding flash of light entered her eyes. The man in black robes shifted his body and tried to stab Chu Yening behind her. The tip of the knife had already grazed her ear.
She blurted out again, "Chu Yening, get out of the way!"
In an instant, Tao Qingyun's words of advice to her after she survived the ordeal echoed in her mind: "Seventh Sister! You must learn to protect yourself. Remember, when you strike a snake, strike its vital spot."
Without hesitation, she aimed for the man's lower abdomen and kicked him hard.
The man was caught off guard and was kicked in pain. The veins on his forehead bulged, and he glared at her with a look of rage.
Qin Weixi chuckled and said, "It works quite well."
Chu Yening chuckled softly behind him.
The assassin gritted his teeth and quickly thrust his dagger straight at her.
Taking advantage of the moment when the thief fell to the ground in pain, Chu Yening grabbed her and separated her from the assassin. This time, the assassin turned his attention back to Chu Yening.
Someone said, "Lord Jingning, your father killed our master back then, but before we could avenge him, he died tragically at the border." The man then laughed loudly, "Today we will send you on your way, so that you and your son can be reunited!"
Several assassins in black robes surged in from all directions again, but Chu Yening had no ability to create clones. She called out again, "Chu Yening, get out of the way!" Then, her icy eyes fixed on the incoming blade, she pushed him in the arm. The man, still reeling from the pain in his vital area, nearly stumbled from the push. He regained his balance and quickly tried to thrust the blade forward again.
At the critical moment, Qin Weixi gripped the short blade that was about to stab Chu Yening with both hands.
Warm blood flowed from her palm, and an intense pain instantly struck. She still freed her hand, pulled out the gold hairpin from her hair, and stabbed at the assassin, only to be countered by the man, who punched her heavily in the right shoulder and then extended a short dagger, intending to stab Chu Yening behind her.
Jiang Yuanfu shouted from afar, "Eighth Sister! Fourth Brother!"
Qin Weixi glanced at her casually, and it was as if she saw the current emperor in his youth. Lost in thought, she still unconsciously stepped behind Chu Yening.
The knife tip barely touched the flesh of his shoulder, but his clothes were already stained with blood, which quickly spread. His forehead was covered with cold sweat from the pain.
Chu Yening, having just stopped the flashing swords in front of him, abruptly turned around. Seeing the conspicuous bloodstains on her palm and the faint crimson stain on her shoulder, her expression changed drastically. She kicked the assassin in the chest, and in a flash, thrust her longsword towards the man's neck.
"You dare hurt her!" Chu Yening's eyes were full of coldness as he swung his sword again. The assassin only felt a flash of cold light pass before his eyes. Before he could think, his gaze suddenly fell from the man's deep, cold black eyes to a pair of black boots at his feet.
The assassin died on the spot, his head rolling off.
Tiles began to fall one after another from the eaves in the distance. Everyone saw that Sparrow Tongue and Pine Sun, who had appeared out of nowhere, had already leaped over and joined the battle.
Pei Qing stared in astonishment at the scene before her, looking incredulously at Qin Weixi, whose body was now stained with blood. She suddenly recalled the complaints and slanders Liang Xi had whispered in her ear after Luo Zhaoxing left the capital and then after the Duke of Dingguo's daughter died in the river.
"Cousin, I'm going to check on her. Wait for me here." She reassured Jiang Yuanfu and hurried forward to see Qin Weixi.
Tao Qingyun, standing ahead, blew his whistle, then raised his folding fan, which unfurled with a whoosh, sending several sharp golden needles flying towards the assassins. He laughed, "If you want my life, take a piss and see if you're up to the task. But since you've injured my friend, you won't see the sun tomorrow."
In the usually deserted alley, swords clashed. Chu Yening coldly watched Jiang Yuanfu and Pei Qing approach, then quickly scooped Qin Weixi up with one arm around her waist and carried her to the alley entrance.
Qin Weixi buried her head in the crook of his neck, with one hand firmly pressed against his shoulder.
Chu Yening lowered her eyes and said gently, "Does it hurt? Don't hold me too hard, I'll hold you tight."
She looked up at him, and for a fleeting moment, she seemed to see a glimpse of his younger self. He was growing up, from a boy into a strong and healthy man. But for those ten years, she had never been a part of his growth, and he was unaware that she was still alive and well.
But what if he found out one day? She suddenly remembered Cai Yuan, whom she had seen downstairs at the restaurant that day. A slight smile tugged at the corner of her lips, but it was full of bitterness. She closed her eyes, no longer paying attention to the surrounding scene, but the faint scent of incense she inhaled was troubling her. It wasn't the faint scent of tangerines, but the scent of the small sachets he had given her as a return gift when she saw him off to war that year, which he had divided in two the small sachets he carried with him.
"Fourth Brother, did you burn incense?" she asked groggily.
"Eighth Sister!" Jiang Yuanfu supported herself on the ground with one hand, her face pale, her pupils slightly constricted, staring blankly at her.
However, several assassins continued their relentless pursuit. Seeing this, Sparrow Tongue and Nine-Bend, who had flown in, stepped forward and cleared a path for the two assassins.
A whirlwind swept by, and all that could be seen was a masked man sitting on horseback, his legs braced against the horse's flanks, galloping towards them. Then he drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and with a few swift shots, he fired them straight into the eyes of the assassins who were besieging Chu Yening.
In an instant, screams filled the air as most of the black-clad assassins collapsed to the ground, blood streaming from their eyes. He then aimed his bow and arrow at the remaining assassins, striking with the decisive swiftness of a swift blade cutting through the chaos.
The masked man on horseback arrived silently and then sped away like lightning.
Jiang Yuanfu and Pei Qing only felt a gust of wind pass by.
Qin Weixi looked at him with disbelief in his eyes.
Wood boy!
Even though they were far apart and her face was veiled in black, she still recognized those eyes. Chu Yening, however, seemed oblivious, and led her quickly out of the alley.
She wanted to call out to Mu Tong, but she couldn't now.
Chu Yening looked at Queshe, who immediately understood and rushed forward. He said only one sentence: "Kill them all."
Sparrow Tongue nodded. Once before, the Marquis had done the same. She stepped forward, gave instructions to Nine Bends, and then hurriedly left.
Tao Qingyun's whistle worked, and the patrolling soldiers in the city quickly arrived. But all they could see were corpses; not a single survivor.
The Jingning Marquis's Residence.
Chu Yening rode quickly to the scene, then picked up Qin Weixi around the waist and rushed towards his usual residence in the main courtyard.
Sparrow Tongue quickly summoned the imperial physician. Qin Weixi was already delirious from the pain, and her already fair face was now as pale as paper, a heart-wrenching sight.
Upon hearing the news, the old physician rushed over with his medicine box and his young apprentice, while a storm was brewing in Chu Yening's eyes.
He said to Sparrow Tongue, "Go to your room and find a clean set of clothes for her to change into after the medicine is applied."
The physician, seeing the horrifying blood on her hands, carefully applied medicine and bandaged them. He was somewhat surprised. Not for any other reason than that he was used to seeing even more gruesome wounds, but the person before him was not a brave, heroic man who fought on the battlefield, but a young girl in the prime of her life.
Unlike her youngest daughter at home, who would cry her eyes out after cutting her finger with a kitchen knife, she didn't shed a single tear; instead, the girl's eyes were filled with tranquility.
The physician instructed his apprentice, Xiaohe, to examine her knife wound before leaving. Xiaohe was an eight or nine-year-old girl, but her hair was tied up, making her look like a boy. She pulled up the curtains inside the room, and Chu Yening followed the old physician out.
Qin Weixi looked at the half-grown child with some surprise.
He stood under the eaves without saying a word, his face somewhat displeased. At this moment, Xiao He ran out and said to Chu Ye Ning, "Fortunately, the cut was very shallow."
The physician nodded and casually remarked, "Madam is a blessed woman."
Chu Yening suddenly looked at him.
The physician blinked. These past few days, Jiuqu had been telling him that the Marquis's mansion was about to welcome a new mistress. He hadn't believed it, but today, seeing the Marquis return with his own eyes carrying a girl covered in blood, he believed it.
Upon hearing this, the physician rummaged through his medicine chest and found some wound powder and hemostatic medicine, handing them to Sparrow Tongue who had rushed back. He then said to Chu Yening, "Young Marquis, I will go and prepare some medicinal herbs. Apply these two doses daily. If the wound stops bleeding, then stop the hemostatic treatment. I will also prepare a scar-removing medicine, which can be used once the wound begins to scab over."
Chu Yening nodded upon hearing this, and the physician then looked at the bloodstains on Chu Yening's neck: "Young Marquis, would you like some hemostatic medicine?"
Chu Yening waved his hand: "No need."
The physician looked up at him again, and the fierce look that had been in his eyes just moments before had completely vanished.
After the physician left, Chu Yening lowered his eyes and looked at the conspicuous bloodstains on his hands. It was from when he picked her up and left after seeing the injury on her hands.
He then gripped the fist tightly, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.
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Author's Note: After finishing my pre-order novel "Guiming Jiang Baolai" (also known as "Jiang Baolai"), I will write another novel, "Jing Quexue". You can find out by clicking on my author page. Thank you all for your support.
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