New leaves
Jiang Yingyue began to wonder if she was hallucinating from hunger. Did she just say that her surname was Ye? That was too much of a coincidence. Besides, there were so many people in the world with the surname Ye. Ye Qingzhu might not be the Ye family she was looking for.
"The Ye family? Is it...?" Jiang Yingyue pretended to know nothing, wanting to see how Ye Qingzhu would answer.
Clearly, a hint of doubt flashed in Ye Qingzhu's eyes first, and then she asked, "You really don't know?" Seeing Jiang Yingyue nod, her expression became more helpless. "It seems this is really your first time in Hangzhou... No, given the reputation of the Ye family, you couldn't possibly not have heard of them."
After muttering to herself for a while, Ye Qingzhu finally looked at Jiang Yingyue again: "Oh, our family has a pretty good relationship with the Heavenly Dao Alliance."
Oh, right.
Jiang Yingyue didn't know whether to be happy or sad upon hearing this news. She was happy that she had found someone from the Ye family, but she was unhappy because Ye Qingzhu was in front of her. She was very similar to herself, and perhaps they could become friends.
“I see.” She forced a smile. “No wonder Miss Qingzhu has such a discerning eye for wine; her family must frequently associate with heroes of the martial world.” Before the tremor in her voice faded, a dark shadow suddenly swept past the window, and the copper bells on the eaves jingled. Ye Qingzhu abruptly stood up, the silver ornaments in her hair swaying slightly with the movement, reflecting a cold light.
"Who?" She seemed very wary, even more so than Jiang Yingyue. At the same time, an idea gradually surfaced in Jiang Yingyue's mind: This is probably someone from the Heavenly Dao Alliance; they've already discovered us.
Before they could think any further, a barrage of hidden weapons suddenly flew towards them, which they had to deflect. Then, three black-clad assassins entered through the window.
The clear clang of the Qingyun Sword being drawn clashed with the sound of hidden weapons piercing the air. Jiang Yingyue spun around and stood in front of Ye Qingzhu. The sword sliced through three poisoned sleeve arrows, the dark purple venom corroding the wooden floor with sizzling marks. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw Ye Qingzhu lightly tap his toes and draw a soft whip from his waist. The tip of the whip was wrapped with silver threads that gleamed coldly, making him look completely different from his usual drinking and laughing self.
"How dare you bully me!" Ye Qingzhu's tone was clearly displeased, which reminded Jiang Yingyue that since the Ye family was on good terms with the Heavenly Dao Alliance, why did they not try to avoid Ye Qingzhu when they used hidden weapons?
The lead assassin sneered upon hearing this: "You? You think you're so great? Everyone knows you're the most useless one in the Ye family." He then raised his knife and pointed it at Jiang Yingyue, who was standing to the side. "We're here to take her life today. If you know what's good for you, step aside, or we'll kill you too."
Even Jiang Yingyue felt uncomfortable hearing these words, let alone Ye Qingzhu. Veins bulged on her hand holding the soft whip, as if she wanted to crush it.
Ye Qingzhu's soft whip suddenly shot out like a serpent, its silver tip aimed straight for the assassin's throat. The assassin barely managed to lean back and dodge, but the whip's tail wrapped around his ankle, sending him crashing heavily onto the carved screen, splintering wood everywhere. "Useless?" A crimson glint appeared in her eyes. "Open your dog eyes and see who's the meat on the chopping block."
Taking advantage of the opportunity, Jiang Yingyue thrust her sword at the ribs of the assassin on the left. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw half a token slip out of the leader's sleeve—the very same Heavenly Alliance emblem as the one on the backstage of Mirror Flower Terrace! Just then, the assassin on the right seized Ye Qingzhu's weakness and was about to stab her with his knife.
For some reason, Jiang Yingyue felt she should save her; perhaps she truly considered Ye Qingzhu a friend.
Jiang Yingyue leaped lightly to block Ye Qingzhu's right side, her own shoulder almost pierced through by the long sword. Warm blood dripped down the blade. Ye Qingzhu's scream and the sound of the whip slicing through the air rang out at the same time. The silver whip wrapped around the assassin's wrist like lightning. With a crisp "crack", the man screamed and released the long sword, staggering backward.
The soft whip whipped up shards of porcelain scattered on the ground, shooting towards the three assassins like a torrential rain. Jiang Yingyue was in such a weak state that her consciousness quickly faded.
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