I am fish meat
A short arrow was aimed at her left eye. In the nick of time, Xiao Diting mustered her courage and gritted her teeth to push away the assassin who was right in front of her.
The unique coolness of the metal concealed weapon brushed against the corner of her eye, bringing a burning sensation, and followed the contours of her skin, disappearing into her hair.
When the assassin's sneak attack failed, he tried to grab her arm to cut off her retreat, but Xiao Diting would not let him succeed. She countered his moves and did not linger in the fight. She seized the opportunity to rush out.
Already exhausted and further weakened by the rain, Xiao Diting felt extremely weak and accidentally fell onto the offering table outside, overturning the incense burner and fruit plate for worshipping the gods.
She stumbled from the fall, which only deepened her doubts.
Where is the thin thread on his wrist? Where are Pei Wenjin and the other Imperial Guards?
While thinking, she rolled away to avoid the assassin's sneak attack, and frantically reached out to pry open the tightly closed wooden door. She was just a hair's breadth away from it, and her scalp tingled with anxiety.
The assassin grabbed her hair without hesitation!
The ancients often said that our bodies and hair are given to us by our parents. Xiao Diting was a modern person, so he did not have this concept. At the critical moment of life and death, Xiao Diting felt a sharp pain in his palm. It was the fruit plate that had been broken in the chaos just now.
She held the porcelain shard, shaved off the hair that was being pulled at her roots, and after breaking free, tried to lunge at the closed wooden door.
Seeing that her grip loosened, the assassin wasn't about to let her have her way. She pounced on Xiao Diting again like a madwoman, thrusting her short knife straight at her back.
Xiao Diting was powerless to defend himself. He twisted his body to avoid the blade, but his back slammed hard against the door due to inertia. The pain reached its peak, and his whole body ached. Exhaustion and panic overwhelmed Xiao Diting.
She was forced to shed some physiological tears. During the brief opening in the fight, she had clearly fallen into a disadvantageous position. The feeling of "unwillingness" that had been hanging in her chest earlier accumulated in her throat under the continuous pursuit, and she desperately wanted to vomit it out.
"I...didn't do anything wrong, did I..." Xiao Diting squeezed out a few words with difficulty, his calm tone mixed with a hint of bitter helplessness.
The assassin had never seen anyone like Xiao Diting who still had the leisure to talk even when facing death. His targets were mostly terrified or resentful, and it was rare to find someone as calm and composed as the girl in front of him.
It was this interruption that gave Xiao Diting the opportunity to snatch the assassin's dagger. Doing so was extremely risky; reckless attacks would expose one's vitals to the opponent's attack range.
The assassin sensed her intention and, realizing his mistake, prevented her from succeeding. Although he was knocked back by Xiao Diting's sudden outburst, he knew that his target was truly exhausted and was merely struggling to survive.
The assassin steadied himself and approached Xiao Diting, who was huddled in the corner, step by step. He was determined to succeed in this mission, and there was no "villain talks too much" scene.
The third princess, skilled in martial arts, had already delayed her retreat by engaging him for so long. Naturally, she would show 100% sincerity so that she could safely send the princess on her way.
The torrential rain tonight effectively concealed the chaotic battle inside the ancestral hall. Fearing that the longer the fight dragged on, the more trouble would arise, the assassin gripped his dagger and attacked again.
Xiao Diting felt pain in his internal organs. He weakly assumed a defensive posture, his eyes fixed on the menacing assassin, preparing for a desperate fight.
Just as the blade was about to pierce Xiao Diting's throat, the dilapidated wooden door of the ancestral hall was suddenly kicked down, sending splinters of wood flying. The broken door panel struck the assassin, giving Xiao Diting a chance to survive.
She struggled to lunge at the figure in black, almost out of the instinct to survive. Raindrops pelted her face as a pair of hands firmly grabbed her arms and pulled her aside. The cold light of the Embroidered Spring Blade sliced through the rain, precisely deflecting the short knife aimed at Xiao Diting.
"clang--"
The clanging of metal made Xiao Diting's eardrums ache. In her blurred vision, Pei Wenjin stared intently, his eyes chillingly cold. Thin thread was still wrapped around his wrist, but the lower end had been cut off.
The assassin retreated in a disheveled state, accidentally kicking over the only remaining incense burner on the offering table, sending incense ash flying everywhere. The Imperial Guards behind Pei Wenjin rushed in swiftly, and the group quickly captured the assassin, tied him up, and threw him at Pei Wenjin's feet.
Then, he finally turned his head, his gaze falling heavily on her.
Xiao Diting was supported by Song Pingzhang's shoulder, her chest heaving. She looked longingly at Pei Wenjin and tentatively took a step toward him.
“Pei…” Her lips parted slightly, as if she wanted to call him, but her throat felt like it had been rubbed with sandpaper, and only a faint breath escaped.
The clothes she had painstakingly dried earlier were soaked again, her hair clung unevenly to her cheeks, and her eyes were glaringly red without her knowing.
Pei Wenjin tossed aside his sword, his face ashen. Even with such a brief signal, his body reacted before his mind could process it.
She abruptly shook off Song Pingzhang's support, staggering and almost falling as she crashed into Pei Wenjin.
These few steps alone seemed to have exhausted all the strength she had left.
The moment she lunged at him, Pei Wenjin opened his arms and took a few steps toward her, intending to embrace her tightly. But to his surprise, she only staggered and used his arm to steady herself, taking a slight step away from him and stopping just a step away.
Xiao Diting realized his lapse in composure, composed himself, and calmly met Pei Wenjin's astonished gaze, smiling wryly as he said, "I'm fine."
Her voice was very soft, as if to prove that Pei Wenjin's previous vulnerability was not an illusion.
Pei Wenjin's eyes were filled with turbulent emotions as he stared at her intently. Then, as if nothing had happened, he casually raised his hand and gently pushed the prince's shoulder, half-coercingly pulling her into his arms and shoving her into the ancestral hall.
Xiao Di tried to subtly avoid him, but Pei Wenjin simply pulled him close and pushed him into the room, seemingly unintentionally: "Is Your Highness feeling unwell?"
Xiao Diting turned his face away: "I can walk by myself."
She heard the person beside her chuckle for a while, and felt particularly annoyed. She shoved the person away resentfully and pointed seriously at the group of assassins on the ground: "My lord, you should attend to the more important matters first."
After saying that, without waiting for a response, she walked towards Ji Chuan, where there was a newly lit bonfire by the Imperial Guards. She was sore all over and had been soaked in the rain, so she felt very uncomfortable.
Pei Wenjin watched her sit down by the fire before turning his attention to the bound assassin.
Song Pingzhang interjected at the opportune moment, reminding Pei Wenjin that he was about to begin questioning: "Sir, this is a new recruit from last spring, named He Hong."
Upon hearing this, Pei Wenjin's previously gloomy expression changed. It was hard to tell whether he was happy or not. He simply walked towards the assassin named He Hong, then slowly squatted down and reached out to pry open the face buried in the ground.
“I remember you have a wife in the capital, and your daughter had her one-month celebration last month. You sent out wedding invitations to all your colleagues.” Pei Wenjin didn’t immediately ask He Hong why he betrayed them, but instead chatted familiarly with him about everyday matters.
Ji Chuan is ruthless when he arrests people. Not only does he tie them up, but to prevent his prey from committing suicide, he also makes He Hong suffer a bit, even though he considers their camaraderie.
He Hong met Pei Wenjin's almost regretful gaze, and after struggling for a while, he could only stammer out a few words.
"My lord... I have no choice."
"...I really have no other choice."
The courage to assassinate Xiao Diting vanished instantly when facing Pei Wenjin. The young man's face twisted in pain as he desperately raised his head, trying to get closer to Pei Wenjin, sobbing uncontrollably.
Pei Wenjin merely squatted down, taking in his complete breakdown. Finally, as he slumped back into the ground, uttering his verdict succinctly.
“Your family members will be taken care of in the future. His Highness is magnanimous and will not let them be implicated.” Pei Wenjin read slowly, each word falling into He Hong’s ears, but he no longer had the strength to reply to Pei Wenjin. “Considering that you once risked your life for the Embroidered Uniform Guard, betrayal itself is unforgivable. You are hereby imprisoned in the Prison Warden.”
Pei Wenjin patted his clothes and stood up, looking away. "Take care of yourself."
After drying his clothes, Xiao Diting had somehow moved closer to him. Gone was her previous disheveled state. Her gaze was intense, and she raised one eyebrow, her words twitching between her teeth: "How come I don't remember being so magnanimous?"
Pei Wenjin didn't have the energy to play games with her, so he leaned against the threshold and said directly, "If Your Highness is angry, you are free to hit me. I will gladly oblige."
"When did the thread break?" She moved closer to Pei Wenjin, knowing that he had cut it himself. Otherwise, with such a commotion in the room, Pei Wenjin would have been deaf and blind to know what was going on.
"At three-quarters past the hour of Chou, a secret letter arrived from the capital, and I need to deal with it."
"Oh." Xiao Diting pressed forward, grabbed Pei Wenjin by the collar, and pulled him off balance. For a moment, the entire ancestral hall was completely silent, with only the crackling sound of the fire not far away.
Ji Chuan was far away, but he still fearfully hid behind Song Pingzhang. Song Pingzhang was also worried for his superior.
Xiao Diting grabbed the man's collar and shoved him hard, with a calm madness that forced Pei Wenjin to look down at her.
She gritted her teeth and glared at the commander who had put her in danger, methodically settling scores with him: "I thought Lord Pei was a very righteous ally, but now it seems that I am nothing more than bait for Lord Pei to reorganize the troops and capture traitors."
Pei Wenjin knew he was in the wrong and could only apologize repeatedly: "It was my oversight, Your Highness. Please forgive me."
Xiao Diting pressed her advantage: "Lord Pei, are you satisfied with this bait I've provided?"
Pei Wenjin hurriedly replied, "Satisfied, satisfied. Thanks to Your Highness, I owe Your Highness a favor..."
As he spoke, he winked at Song Pingzhang and the others not far away, but unfortunately no one dared to offend the Third Princess. Ji Chuan wished he could shrink into a crack in the ground.
He tried every angle he could find, shrinking behind Lord Song like a quail. Helpless, Song Pingzhang pulled Ji Chuan out and ordered people to rescue their superior who was about to be devoured alive by Xiao Diting.
Seeing that there was no way to avoid it, Ji Chuan got up with a death wish and ran towards the commander: "My lord—"
Suddenly, Pei Wenjin was busy dealing with Xiao Diting, who was looking for him to settle scores. He didn't notice that He Hong, who was lying on the ground like a dead fish, had somehow broken free of the ropes binding him. He suddenly sprang up at an extremely tricky angle, holding a hidden weapon, and aimed it at the unsuspecting Pei Wenjin!
Before Ji Chuan could speak up to warn him, Xiao Diting reacted first in the nick of time and released Pei Wenjin.
Out of professional ethics, she didn't think much of it. By the time everyone reacted, she had firmly grasped the tip of the hidden weapon in her palm.
Her fingertips turned white from the force, and drops of blood gushed from between her fingers, falling along the cold edge of the hidden weapon onto the muddy ground at Pei Wenjin's feet, spreading into glaring dark red patches.
Time seemed to stand still.
Xiao Diting's hand gripped it tightly like an iron clamp, the sharp edges piercing deep into the flesh of her palm, drawing blood. She stood there in front of Pei Wenjin, refusing to budge an inch.
"Your Highness—!" Ji Chuan's roar pulled Pei Wenjin back to reality. He kicked He Hong away as if waking from a dream: "You're asking for death!"
Xiao Diting grabbed Pei Wenjin, cold sweat pouring down his face: "Calm down, don't kill him!"
Pei Wenjin glared at He Hong, who was curled up in the corner, half-dead. He hadn't held back at all when he kicked him; if Xiao Diting hadn't stopped him—
The commander became unusually agitated and restless. He grabbed Xiao Diting's hand, which was covered in torn flesh. The wound on his palm was too glaring, and there were still shards of porcelain on his fingertips.
Xiao Diting curled her fingers, burned by his scorching gaze, and casually withdrew her hand. She tore her sleeve, bandaged it casually, and calmly walked slowly toward He Hong.
"Leave it to me, Lord Pei. Take him back to the prison warden, and I will interrogate him personally."
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