“Don’t drink!”

Her voice was like a sharp sword, full of blood and sorrow, abruptly interrupting the joyful atmosphere of the banquet.

That's when the accident happened.

Yingyue, who was standing next to Xiao Jue, was holding a wine pot in her hand. She had just poured the wine and had not had time to take it back. As soon as He Yan finished speaking, as if receiving a signal, a dagger appeared under the wine pot in the blink of an eye, and without hesitation, it stabbed Xiao Jue directly.

The young man looked calm, without a trace of panic. The jade cup in his hand flew straight up and collided with the dagger in mid-air, shattering it and also stopping the tip of the knife that was rushing towards him.

Suddenly, there was a gust of wind from all directions. The beautiful women who had just sang and danced did not all retreat, but stood on the left and right, and then rushed towards Xiao Jue. This was actually a carefully planned murder.

"Uncle!" He Yan called out, but the young man slapped the table and a long sword fell into his hand. He was surrounded by a dozen people and they just told him coldly, "Stay away!"

Sun Xiangfu seemed to be stunned by this sudden change. He hid under the long table with his head in his hands, and shouted: "Help, help! Help quickly——"

He Yan, however, was paying close attention to the guards behind Yuan Baozhen. She originally thought that since this person was He Rufei's man, he must have a purpose in following Yuan Baozhen. However, she was so angry at the time that she only cared about the wine on the table and never thought that the women around her were assassins. Yuan Baozhen was protected by the guards behind him and took a few steps back, looking panicked.

The guard didn't make any move.

Could it be that today's assassin was a coincidence? He Yan thought so in his heart, and then looked at Xiao Jue who was surrounded in the middle, and almost exploded with anger.

The assassins were all women, whether it was the woman who had just danced or the woman who played the zither. They were all slender and looked gentle, but their moves were vicious. They had hidden arrows in their sleeves, and when they waved their sleeves, the hidden weapons flew towards Xiao Jue.

In such a big banquet, only Xiao Jue could fight ten people alone. Whether He Yan was on the battlefield in his previous life or competing in the martial arts arena in this life, he was always aboveboard and honest. He had never seen such a secretive and dirty method. He was filled with righteous indignation for a moment. When he saw the knife used to cut the roasted venison on the table, he grabbed it and rushed into the crowd.

"Uncle, let me help you!"

He Yan was talking halfway when she suddenly remembered that she was now "Cheng Lisu". How could a useless young man from Shuojing know martial arts? She was afraid that she could not show off her martial arts openly. As her mind turned, she shouted, "Why are these people's sleeves so long? I can't even see you!" As she spoke, she grabbed a woman's sleeve and slashed with her dagger, and the sleeves broke with a sound.

The sleeves turned into short sleeves in an instant, and the hidden weapon was used again, and the movement was obvious. He Yan was shouting while spinning in the crowd. Her figure was light and slippery like a loach. Everyone wanted to catch her, but they couldn't. But seeing this young man screaming and cursing, the scene was actually a little funny.

Xiao Jue swung his sword to deflect the knife of the woman in front of him and turned to glance at her.

He Yan was still shouting, "Help! Someone's being murdered!" He blocked the dart that was flying in front of him with one hand and kicked the woman next to him in the face.

Xiao Jue's mouth twitched.

The target of those singing girls was Xiao Jue, and all their vicious means and hidden weapons were aimed at Xiao Jue. Suddenly, a young man broke in and messed up everything. Yingyue's face turned ashen, and she clenched her five fingers together, saying hatefully, "Damn it!" and slashed directly at He Yan's forehead.

He Yan screamed "Ah!" and hid behind Xiao Jue, shouting "Uncle, save me" while being surprised.

These ten or so women all had extraordinary skills, which could not be acquired overnight. Their skills were like those of assassins specially trained for killing.

Who did Xiao Jue offend that would lead to such a move to kill him?

Among these women, Yingyue was the most skilled. Not that she was the most skilled, but she had an endless supply of hidden weapons, including jujube arrows, plum blossom needles, Emei thorns, and iron lotus flowers. He Yan didn't know how she could hold so many hidden weapons in her sleeves. However, Xiao Jue didn't seem to want to kill this person, so the tip of his sword avoided the vital part.

He Yan knew that he had been a master swordsman since he was young, and his skills were outstanding. Now that they had met again after a long time, it was the first time he saw him fight, and it was such a scene. The assassins were unable to get close, and they were all injured by the Yinqiu Sword and fell to the ground. He pulled Yingyue's sleeve, turned his arm, and Yingyue was pulled forward. The next moment, the tip of his sword pointed directly at Yingyue's throat.

The young man's voice was low and seemed more pleasant than the piano music just now, but it contained an undisguised murderous intent and was brutal and intimidating.

"Who sent you?"

He Yan couldn't help but look at the guards behind Yuan Baozhen.

The guard stood in front of Yuan Baozhen, so his face, which had been hidden in the dark, was revealed at this moment. He looked very flustered, as if he had not expected this to happen, and there was no clue at all. However, He Yan saw that his index finger slowly bent into a semicircle.

No one would pay attention to a guard at this time. The movement of the finger was extremely small. If He Yan had not been paying attention to him, it would have been ignored.

The intuition she had developed over the years made her look back subconsciously, but she saw the gatekeeper who had been hiding under a table with his head in his hands at the door rushing towards Xiao Jue.

"careful!"

Xiao Jue was pointing at Yingyue. He Yan didn't care about anything else and pushed Xiao Jue away with a palm. The man rushed in front of him and was stabbed in the throat by Xiao Jue.

The assassins were always women, so who would notice this servant? Moreover, from the moment the incident happened, this man was hiding under the low stool like all the helpless servants. Who could have expected that he was the last chess piece?

"Is there anything wrong?" Xiao Jue asked her with a frown.

He Yan shook his head.

The moon on the ground suddenly laughed.

In the dead silence, her smile was particularly piercing. He Yan turned around and saw the beauty with blood on her lips and a cruel expression.

He Yan stepped forward and asked, "Who are you? Why do you want to harm my uncle?"

Yingyue looked at He Yan with a fierce expression: "If you hadn't come out to mess things up, it wouldn't have come to this today! You will never know who my master is..."

She coughed up more and more blood from her lips, and the blood that flowed out was abnormally black. Looking at the women around her, they were all the same. He Yan understood that they were indeed assassins, and if the assassination failed, they would commit suicide.

"Really?" Xiao Jue looked at Yingyue and suddenly smiled, his eyes mocking. He said, "There are countless people in the world who want to kill me. But there is only one who is so anxious."

"I accept this great gift from your master. I hope your master will be able to accept my return gift."

Yingyue's face changed drastically. But she had already taken the poison, and in a moment, her face turned pale, just like the other ten or so women, she died and never breathed a breath again.

Xiao Jue stepped over her body and stood in the hall. He looked at Sun Xiangfu, who was trembling with fear under the low table. He scolded: "County Magistrate Sun, why don't you explain why the maids in your mansion would try to assassinate me when you held a banquet. Are you deliberately trying to kill me?"

Sun Xiangfu was already so frightened that his mind was a mess. He almost cried when he heard this. Seeing that the assassins were gone, he dared to stand up from under the stool and explained hurriedly: "Commander-in-chief, I really don't know, I really don't know! Even if I have ten guts, I wouldn't dare to harm you! I only brought these singing girls back to the mansion half a month ago. I... I didn't know they were assassins! Lord Yuan, Lord Yuan, please help me explain, I, I really don't know what's going on!"

Yuan Baozhen, who had been silent the whole time, also came to his senses. He patted his chest and said with a lingering fear: "County Sun, this is not a question of whether you know or not. These singing girls are all from your house. If something happens to Governor Xiao today, you will not be able to escape the responsibility. I think this matter is not as simple as it seems on the surface. Let's clean up this place first and ask the coroner to see where these people came from and what their identities are."

He looked at Xiao Jue again: "General Xiao is also frightened. Why don't you wash up first, change places, and listen to Sun Zhixian's explanation of what happened. I think these singing girls are well prepared."

Xiao Jue looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Okay."

The banquet came to an abrupt end halfway through, but at this moment, everyone was in no mood to continue. The hall was in a mess. The coroner and the yamen runners came quickly and carried the singer's body away. Yuan Baozhen asked, "Do you want to search them for any tokens?"

"Since you have been in Sun's house for half a month, you must have hidden the token long ago. How could you leave it on your body for others to search? If you really have it, I'm afraid it's to frame someone else," Xiao Jue stared at Yuan Baozhen and said calmly, "Master Yuan, don't fall into this trap."

Yuan Baozhen's scalp tightened.

Xiao Jue ignored him and turned his head to see He Yan standing there blankly. He suddenly remembered that she seemed to have not spoken much since just now.

Are you scared?

"Why are you standing there? Let's go." He said to He Yan. Just as he finished speaking, he felt his sleeve being pulled out.

"Uncle," the young man looked up, his usually smiling face was no longer smiling, and he was rarely nervous, his eyes were blank, falling on his face, as if he was not looking at him. He said, "When the boy rushed over just now, I pushed you away, and he threw something on my face, and my eyes hurt a little." Her voice was small, without the previous excitement, and a little flustered, "I seem to be unable to see."

…

Doctors went in one after another and came out quickly with terrified expressions. Each of them shook their heads and sighed in silence.

Xiao Jue's face became increasingly gloomy.

Sun Xiangfu was terrified as he watched. Who could have thought that Xiao Jue's nephew, the boy who followed Xiao Jue, would be injured in the eye by an assassin? The doctor could only pry open his eyelids to take a look. The boy just said he couldn't see. There was no miracle doctor in Liangzhou City. All the doctors who could be found came, but none of them could do anything.

The powder on the ground had long been blown away by the wind, leaving no trace. We didn't even know what the poison was, so how could we cure it? Fortunately, the young man only had his eyes injured, and the rest of his body was fine. Otherwise, if his life was injured, I don't know how furious the governor would be.

"Commander-in-chief," Sun Xiangfu said in a low voice, "I will invite a famous doctor. The young master is a lucky man, and he will be fine."

Xiao Jue: "Get lost."

Everyone could hear the anger in his words. Sun Xiangfu did not dare to anger Xiao Jue at this moment. He said a few words hurriedly and retreated as if he was escaping for his life.

Xiao Jue stood outside the house, paused for a moment, and then walked in. He happened to pass by the last doctor. He saw the young man sitting on the couch, with a calm expression, and he didn't know what he was thinking. After a moment, he gestured in front of himself with his hands, as if he didn't want to believe that he couldn't see.

Because she was crying out in pain, the doctor didn't dare to use any medicine. He just found some soothing and cooling herbs and applied them on a dry cloth, and then tied the cloth around her eyes.

He Yan always had a smile on his face, sometimes smart, sometimes stupid, but no one knew whether he was really stupid or just pretending. His eyes were very clever, clear and bright, a little silly when he stared, but full of vitality and cunning when he bent his eyes. Now that the cloth covered his eyes, the boy's face became unfamiliar in an instant, and his previous vivid expressions seemed blurred.

Xiao Jue suddenly remembered that at the banquet just now, when Yingyue and her group were trying to assassinate him, He Yan rushed over and did not waver. Even if He Yan did not mention the wine poured by Yingyue, he would not drink it, but the fear and anger in the boy's voice at that time did not seem fake.

It even sounds creepy.

He walked inside and came to He Yan's bed.

He Yan seemed to sense something, but seemed unsure. He turned his head and asked carefully, "Is someone here?"

Xiao Jue didn't say anything.

"Is there no one here?" She muttered softly again, then turned her head to the side and calmed down.

On the way to Liangzhou City, He Yan was very talkative. When Xiao Jue didn't talk to her, she went to find Fei Nu. Fei Nu didn't talk much, so Song Taotao, who appeared later, took up the vacancy. It would be hard to get used to someone who is always chattering and suddenly becomes quiet.

The boy is only sixteen years old, but he is different from ordinary people. When he found out that he could not see, he panicked, but he did not cry or wail. He seemed to have accepted the fact quickly, but when he sat quietly, people felt a little sorry for him.

Maybe he is too thin, he looks so pitiful.

Xiao Jue asked, "How do you feel?"

"Uncle?" He Yan was stunned for a moment before saying, "I'm just not used to it." She stretched out her hand as if to touch her eyes, but what she touched was a piece of cloth. She then retracted her hand and said, "My eyes, are you really blind?"

He even asked this question in a calm tone.

Xiao Jue should have said "yes", but at this moment, he was unable to say it.

Such a skilled young man is at his prime. With his qualifications, he will surely be promoted in Liangzhou Guards in a few years. A pearl in mud will never be buried. But losing a pair of eyes is a different story. Not to mention the impact on the future, just for him to get used to such a dark day, it also takes courage.

After all, he was not born blind. To have something and then lose it is much more unbearable than never having it in the first place.

"Uncle, you are not feeling sad for me, are you?" He Yan suddenly asked. Although her eyes were covered with a cloth, the tone of her voice made people imagine that if it were normal, she would have widened her eyes at this moment, with a look of embarrassment and ridicule.

“Maybe you’re still blaming yourself?” She smiled and said, “Actually, you don’t have to blame yourself for me. You should praise me. Maybe if you praise me, I’ll think that everything I’ve done is worth it.”

"What are you praising?" Xiao Jue said indifferently.

"Of course you are praising me for being awesome." The young man's voice was a little surprised, but also a little proud, "If I hadn't reminded you not to drink just now, this assassination would not have happened. I am your savior, isn't it awesome!"

It was already so late, and she was still thinking about these things? Xiao Jue was speechless, not knowing whether to say that this young man was careless or really didn't care.

"You don't seem sad." Xiao Jue said, "You can't see anymore, maybe you'll never see again."

As soon as he said this, the boy's fingers curled up. Although it was very subtle, Xiao Jue still caught it.

He was afraid, and it was not as simple as he said on the surface.

"God won't be so mean to me, right?" He Yan said, "I've never done anything bad in my life, why would he treat me like this? If...if he really wants to treat me like this, then I can't do anything about it. There are many kinds of blind people, and I'm so powerful, so I'll be the most powerful one among them."

Xiao Jue was slightly startled. This sentence sounded strangely familiar, as if he had heard it somewhere a long time ago.

"But, uncle, are you going to give up so early? I think you should find a few more doctors to see me. Maybe I can still be cured. Why do you talk as if there is no cure?" he asked.

Xiao Jue glanced at him. Although the boy tried his best to behave as usual, he looked a little listless. He said, "Have a good rest," and turned away.

Xiao Jue left the house, and peace returned to the house. Because there might be assassins inside the house, all the servants in the house were evacuated, leaving only Fei Nu, a man Xiao Jue had summoned, outside the yard.

He Yan stretched out his hand, as if trying to untie the knot behind his head, but after a moment he put his hand down and did not continue.

She lowered her head and murmured, "Ding Yi."

Yuan Baozhen's bodyguard, He Rufei's former servant, was the one who personally gave her a bowl of poison in her previous life. She heard Yuan Baozhen calling his name, and his name was Ding Yi.

…

In the study, Sun Xiangfu's face was wrinkled and he was about to cry.

Sitting in front of him was Yuan Baozhen, who said, "Mr. Sun Zhixian, I can't help you with this matter."

"Sir Yuan, you can't just stand by and watch me die! You are the only one who can help me now," Sun Xiangfu said with a tearful face, "I really don't know what happened to those assassins today. Now the governor is angry, Master Cheng is blind, and Governor Xiao will definitely take his anger out on me. I am just a county magistrate, how can I bear the wrath of General Feng Yun!"

Sun Xiangfu had personally witnessed how good the relationship between Xiao Jue and Cheng Lisu was. When Cheng Lisu and Sun Ling had a dispute, Xiao Jue rushed over to defend them, which was really frightening. At that time, it was just a few words of argument, and now that Cheng Lisu was really blind, wouldn't Xiao Jue want to pay with his life? Sun Xiangfu trembled when he thought of this.

"I don't think Governor Xiao is such a rude and unreasonable person." Yuan Baozhen consoled.

While the two were talking, Xiao Jue arrived.

Sun Xiangfu didn't bother to ask Yuan Baozhen for help. He lifted his robe and knelt down in front of Xiao Jue.

"What do you mean?" Xiao Jue looked at him coldly and asked.

"Commander-in-chief, I really don't know what is going on right now. I have been deceived by them! Even if I had a hundred courages, I would not dare to harm you!" Sun Xiangfu began to protest his injustice.

"Stand up," Xiao Jue glanced at him, as if he looked down on his behavior, walked in, sat down on the top chair, looked at him and said, "Tell me how you met them." After a pause, he added, "Those assassins."

This is... believing that he is not the mastermind behind this? Sun Xiangfu noticed this and was immediately overjoyed. However, Yuan Baozhen's eyes flashed, but he didn't say anything.

Sun Xiangfu stood up quickly, without even trying to brush off the dust on his robe, and sat down on a slightly lower chair. In this way, the position where he and Yuan Baozhen sat seemed to respect Xiao Jue. Sun Xiangfu wiped the sweat from his forehead and said, "In fact, they have only been in the mansion for half a month. At first, there was a new opera troupe in the city..."

The troupe was led by an old woman who brought a group of beautiful girls to the city. They said that they had moved to Liangzhou because of a severe drought where they lived and they had no place to make a living. They set up a stage in the east of Liangzhou and performed three shows a day.

At first, only common people came to watch, but it turned out that these girls were not only beautiful, but also sang very well, which was very eye-catching. Gradually, they became famous and attracted many nobles to know about them. After a while, the news reached Sun Ling's ears.

There was no beautiful woman in Liangzhou City that Sun Ling had not touched. On the night of the opera that Sun Ling watched, he asked someone to buy the women and bring them to his mansion to perform. The old woman who was the head of the troupe refused and was beaten by Sun Ling's servants. When she was about to be beaten to death, Yingyue stood up and said that she was willing to persuade the sisters and voluntarily enter the mansion, and she only hoped that Sun Ling would release their head of the troupe.

Sun Ling did as he was told, and Yingyue convinced the girls and became gentle and considerate after entering the mansion. After entering the Sun Mansion, Sun Ling discovered that these girls were not only good at singing, but also proficient in piano, chess, calligraphy and painting, and Yingyue was the most outstanding among them.

Sun Xiangfu also knew Yingyue.

Sun Xiangfu is different from Sun Ling. Sun Ling only knows how to eat, drink and have fun every day, but Sun Xiangfu has some ambitions. Being the magistrate of Liangzhou is good, but what if he can go one step further? Even if he doesn't go one step further, the position of magistrate is not really stable. He needs to take care of everyone, and have good relationships with both familiar and unfamiliar people. For example, he is not very familiar with the new commander of the Liangzhou Guard.

Sun Xiangfu asked Yingyue to come and entertain the guests at the banquet in his mansion. Anyway, there were two guests, the supervisor Yuan Baozhen and the right army commander Xiao Jue. As long as he could please one of them, he could rest assured.

Although Sun Ling was somewhat dissatisfied, he could do nothing about it. In the days that followed, Yingyue really took her sisters to practice dancing and singing. Every time Sun Xiangfu came to watch, he was very satisfied. This maid was very smart. When she entered the mansion for the troupe leader, she was still a little reluctant. After experiencing the luxury of the Sun Mansion, she became more clever. Sometimes when Sun Xiangfu talked to her, he could still feel this woman's desire for power.

Yes, people go to high places and water flows to low places. This is true for everyone in the world, both men and women.

Sun Xiangfu thought so until the incident at the banquet tonight.

When he talked about these things, perhaps because of embarrassment, he slightly embellished his description, but if you remove those irrelevant embellishments, it is nothing more than one thing: Sun Ling was tempted by the beauty, but who knew that he would take home a poisonous snake.

"I really didn't expect that they were assassins. Women... How can women be assassins?" Sun Xiangfu said, not sure if he was talking to Xiao Jue or to himself. Because women had always been playthings for the Sun family father and son, or items sent to them to win over their superiors, now that he was being tricked by a woman, it was hard to explain how he felt at the moment.

"Did these assassins enter the mansion half a month ago?" Xiao Jue asked.

Sun Xiangfu nodded. "Yes, this matter is all my fault. I did not check their identities carefully. I just thought they were women, who were alone and weak in the city, so..."

He tried his best to say that he took her into his house because he felt sorry for her weakness, but Xiao Jue ignored him. He just played with the teacup in his hand and said calmly, "Half a month ago, Sun Zhixian didn't send me an invitation to come to his house for a banquet."

Sun Xiangfu was stunned.

"But less than half a month ago, Lord Yuan should have known the day he would arrive in Liangzhou." He tilted his head and looked at Yuan Baozhen with a smile.

Yuan Baozhen smiled and replied, "What do you mean, Governor? You are not suspicious of me, are you? Governor, don't you think that if I really arranged these women, how can I be sure that they will be taken back to the mansion by Sun Zhixian? I can't predict the future."

"Of course you can't predict everything," Xiao Jue said calmly with a slight curl of his lips, "You just need to write a letter to Sun Zhixian."

This means that Yuan Baozhen and Sun Xiangfu were conspiring together.

Sun Xiangfu had finally thought that he had cleared himself of suspicion, but Xiao Jue's words immediately made him sweat profusely. He immediately waved his hands and said hurriedly, "No, no! Commander, I really didn't do that. I don't know what's going on. I haven't received any letter from Lord Yuan either!"

Yuan Baozhen stopped laughing and looked at Xiao Jue, saying solemnly, "The governor has convicted Sun Zhixian and me with just one sentence, but there is no evidence. It is really chilling. The governor and I have no deep hatred, and this is the first time I have a banquet with him. How could I harm him?"

He had a kind face, and his words were full of sincerity, yet also contained a hint of sadness at being misunderstood.

Xiao Jue stared at him for a while, then smiled. He said indifferently, "It's just a joke, Master Yuan, don't take it seriously."

He stopped smiling and became cold again, like a sword about to be unsheathed, hiding the fierceness of impending storm.

"However, there are many doubts in this matter. I am afraid I will have to bother you here for a few days before I can clarify it," he said.

"Governor...are you going to live here?"

An assassination attempt had just happened. Most people would feel that this place was unsafe and would leave as soon as possible to avoid being plotted against again. So why was he still staying here?

"Yes," the young governor put down his teacup, stood up, tall and graceful, with a slightly cold look in his eyes, "live here and catch thieves."

——Digression——

Don't be so quick to scold me...