His hatred was silent yet deafening.
But he didn't hate Shen Lang, because at that time Shen Lang was just a child, just like him. Besides, Shen Lang had already been sent away when the Empress Dowager did those things.
On his seventh birthday, his uncle Yan Mu gave him a pair of tiger-head shoes, saying that tigers are the kings of the mountains, and wearing tiger-head shoes would make him fearless.
When the rebels attacked the city, they hid together in a secret passage. Shen Lang was afraid of the dark, so he took off one of his tiger-head shoes and gave it to him, encouraging the sickly Shen Lang, who had been weak since childhood, "Your Majesty, my uncle said tigers are very powerful. Don't be afraid. You can wear my tiger-head shoe. We will definitely be able to wait safely until my uncle comes to rescue us..."
The past is so vivid in my mind, it all seems like yesterday.
But Xie Wei knew in his heart that he was no longer the Xie Wei he once was. Now he wore the mask of a saint, abusing his power, scheming and plotting. He seemed to be a master strategist with no flaws, but in reality he was nothing more than a cunning and scheming villain.
A true gentleman doesn't do these things. He should be like Yan Ling, living an upright and honest life with a clear conscience.
The group carefully left the camp.
Yan Ling then noticed that Xie Shaoshi's gaze was becoming increasingly profound, and in those dark reddish eyes, there seemed to be deep, unfathomable waves.
"Sir, do you not ride horses often? Are you feeling unwell after riding such a long distance all of a sudden?" Yan Ling deliberately lagged behind, walking alongside Xie Wei, and asked with concern.
Xie Wei shook his head. Just then, a group of masked assassins dressed in black appeared out of nowhere on the dark mountaintop. Each of them carried a large, gleaming knife. Without saying a word, they leaped down and slashed at the people in the cavalry.
Yan Mu, drawing his sword to meet the attack, instinctively shouted, "Ling'er, protect Old Zhao!"
They had just left the camp when the assassins followed closely behind. Was there even a question? They were definitely sent by Xue Yuan!
After all, what he did was too treasonous. Once the emperor found out, what difference would it make if he was the emperor's brother-in-law?
How can I allow someone else to snore beside my bed!
Having been emperor for so many years, Shen Lang, even if he no longer had any ambition, was still a qualified monarch who knew how to deal with rebels and traitors.
In addition, the Empress Dowager has recently been planning to establish Shen Jie as the Emperor Tai, so that he can immediately succeed to the throne after his death. This pressure has been too great, and Shen Lang has long harbored rebellious thoughts.
It's not that we don't want to kill them, it's just that the time isn't right yet.
If Zhao Guang were brought to the palace to denounce the Duke of Dingguo, it would be like a pillow being delivered to someone who was sleepy, and Xue Yuan's fate would be predictable.
Yan Mu and the others were aware of this, and Xue Yuan was naturally very clear about it as well. Therefore, there was no need to think too much about the origins of this group of assassins.
Having figured this out, Yan Mu disregarded his own safety and only wanted to protect the witness Zhao Guang. In the face of the invincible assassins, he repeatedly stepped forward to rescue Zhao Guang, whose martial arts skills were average. In one careless move, he was wounded on the arm.
"father!"
Yan Ling shouted, but he and Xie Wei were surrounded by assassins. Jian Shu was so worried that Xie Wei would get hurt that his moves became a bit chaotic.
While fighting the assassins, the two men kept an eye on Yan Mu's direction. When they saw Yan Mu being slashed, their eyes widened in fury. They suddenly sprang up and broke through the encirclement to reach Yan Mu's side in no time.
Yan Ling killed the man in black who had injured her father with a single sword strike!
Yan Mu was struck in the right arm, and his sword fell to the ground. He held his injured right arm with his left hand. "Ling'er, Junior Tutor Xie, their target is Old Zhao. You must hurry and do everything you can to protect Old Zhao. Otherwise, the theft at the Tongzhou military camp will be a huge responsibility for the Yan family, and we will be held accountable by the Emperor!"
Xie Wei nodded and shouted in a deep voice, "Sword Manual!"
"Understood, subordinate." Jian Shu responded and moved. He was highly skilled in martial arts and, along with Dao Qin, was Xie Wei's most loyal bodyguard.
In the blink of an eye, he killed several of the enemy's men.
Even if the sword was fast, it couldn't outrun a crossbow. It turned out that the men in black hadn't all come down to ambush them. Instead, they had left a few archers on the mountain, taking advantage of the terrain to shoot down from above and hit their targets every time.
With a series of thuds, several skilled soldiers from Yan Mu's Yan family army fell off their horses.
At that moment, Yan Mu seemed to sense something and rushed towards Zhao Guang, who had already fallen from his horse. However, he was too late; an arrow grazed Jian Shu's ear and flew straight towards Zhao Guang.
With a soft "plop," it pierced through his chest, and the man collapsed to the ground, lifeless.
"Old Zhao!" Yan Mu cried out in alarm, instinctively rushing over to help. Just then, another arrow flew by at lightning speed, carrying the force of a thousand pounds. Even though Xie Wei subconsciously raised his sword to block it, the arrow still struck Yan Mu in the back.
The antelope cried out in terror, "Father!" and leaped up to confront the archer.
At this critical moment, Xie Wei remained calm and shouted at Yan Ling, "Don't go! The enemy is in the dark, while we are in the light. Xue Yuan's camp of ten thousand men is not far away. If you go, not only will you delay the Marquis's treatment, but you may also fall into an ambush. Listen to me, return to the city immediately! Reporting Xue Yuan is a small matter, but the Marquis's safety is the most important!"
Knowing that Xie Wei was right, Yan Ling stomped her foot in annoyance, turned around and ran forward, carrying Yan Mu on her back.
Fighting and retreating simultaneously, the assassins achieved their objective and did not linger in the battle; the two sides quickly separated.
There were about ten assassins left, who disappeared into the night in the blink of an eye.
Xie Wei turned around. "Let's go!"
With great difficulty, everyone except Xie Wei, including Jian Shu, helped to recite Yan Mu's passage.
But when they returned to the Yan residence and settled Yan Mu in, and went to find a doctor for Yan Mu, Xue Ye, who should have been outside the city, returned at some point, leading a group of Xingwu Guard lackeys, and swaggering in front of the Yan residence.
"I'm sorry, Prince Yan, but we have just discovered that there are rebels in the city. Tonight, the entire city is under martial law. Without the Emperor's decree, no one is allowed to wander the streets."
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