Another feather arrow suddenly pierced through, scaring Shu Lan into grabbing her head and trying to dodge. However, she found herself unable to move due to weakness. She turned pale and looked at Ji Xinhe, who was shaking throughout her body: "Princess, princess, something’s wrong."
Xin He also felt weak and almost couldn’t lift her hand. It was at this moment she realized she had been careless and fallen into someone else’s trap.
Suddenly, a dagger slashed in, scaring Shu Lan into screaming. Xin He fiercely pinched her palm, and a short dagger slipped out from her sleeve. With all her strength, she grabbed the attacker’s hand and plunged the dagger into his heart.
The assassin turned pale and swayed before collapsing. The fighting outside was still intense, but Ji Xinhe knew that if an assassin could jump onto the carriage, it meant that the two coachmen couldn’t handle so many assassins.
Xin He sneered: "They really had a good plan!"
Princess, what should we do?" Xiaoyu asked anxiously.
Xin He pushed Ah Guai into their arms: "Protect the princess."
Then she slashed her arm with the dagger, stimulating herself to stay awake and regain some strength. She immediately lifted the carriage curtain and jumped out.
She now realized these people were targeting her. If she stayed with Ah Guai, Ah Guai would be implicated. She couldn’t allow Ah Guai to be harmed, even if something happened to herself.
The two secret guards disguised as coachmen were already entangled and couldn’t get any closer to Ji Xinhe. They had sent a signal for help, but the reinforcements wouldn’t arrive for a while. The assassins were obviously well-trained, engaging the secret guards so they couldn’t escape, and two others launched their attack on Ji Xinhe.
Ji Xinhe’s left arm was still bleeding, the blood slowly dripping from her slender fingers. Her eyes were filled with a ruthless, bloodthirsty glare. She gripped her right hand, which held the dagger, and mustered all her strength to attack one of the assassins. However, as her dagger slashed the man’s throat, she was slow and only cut the skin, failing to reach the artery. Ji Xinhe felt helpless for the first time.
The assassin was surprised, not expecting the woman, who should have been poisoned, to be so strong. But Jing Xinhe’s strength soon faltered, and she almost couldn’t stand. The assassins saw their opportunity and rushed to capture her, as their master had ordered them to take her alive if possible.
Before they got close, a longsword whizzed through the air, forcing them to step back. The sword grazed their cheeks and embedded itself in the tree trunk behind them.
Xin He turned to see Xiaochaihu riding towards them, leaping off the horse and flying towards the incoming attack while a short dagger appeared in his hand mid-sleeve flick.
With a reverse grip, he quickly blocked all the attacks for Ji Xinhe.
He always used a short dagger concealed in his sleeve, even though he carried a longsword.
Xin He let out a sigh of relief, but her consciousness blurred, forcing herself to stay awake.
The two assassins were experts, holding their own against Xiaochaihu for the time being.
Just then, three more assassins sprang forth from the bushes. Xin He’s eyes darkened, and she realized the situation was bad. They only had three people on their side and needed more time for reinforcements. They wouldn’t be able to hold out against three more attackers...
Xiaochaihu immediately shielded Xin He behind him, remaining calm even as the number of assassins increased to five. Staying calm and adapting was the first and most important lesson Ji Xinhe taught him.
Be careful," warned Xin He, her voice weak. Despite struggling to stay conscious, she provided Xiaochaihu with information about the unfolding events.
Blade and sword clashed, forcing the five assassins back several steps.
One of the masked assassins said coldly, "We’re running out of time! If we keep delaying, Marquis Mu’s people will arrive soon. We have to act now! If we can’t capture her alive, let’s leave a corpse for Marquis Mu!"
The assassins’ eyes filled with a stronger bloodlust, and they charged forward. Their previous goal had been to defeat Xiaochaihu, then capture Ji Xinhe alive. However, now they couldn’t afford to waste time in duels; they had to kill.
The assassins had exceptional coordination. With just a glance, they launched a combined attack on Xiaochaihu. In the moment Xiaochaihu’s attention was momentarily diverted from Ji Xinhe, one of the attackers suddenly withdrew his blade and aimed for her.
Had Ji Xinhe not been poisoned, evading the sword would have been easy. However, as the blade approached her, she found herself unable to dodge, her strength all but gone.
Xiaochaihu’s eyes swept over, his expression showing panic for the first time. With a swift step, he broke free from the melee, sweeping away the sword that was inches away from Ji Xinhe’s face.
However, another assassin attacked from behind. As Xiaochaihu turned, a longsword was already inches away from Ji Xinhe’s back.
"Watch out!" Xiaochaihu shouted, pulling Ji Xinhe into his arms, spinning her around. The unavoidable sword pierced through his back and straight through his chest.
As Xin He saw the blood-soaked sword protruding from Xiaochaihu’s chest, her face instantly turned pale, and the world around her seemed to freeze. All she could hear were shallow breaths and a complete void in her head.
"Li Nan!" Ji Xinhe looked at him in panic, her rationality seeming to disappear as she yelled, "Li Nan!"
"Not good! Someone’s coming, withdraw!" The leader of the assassins heard approaching hoofbeats and ordered the retreat.
The sword plunged into Xiaochaihu’s chest was suddenly withdrawn, and the assassins fled.
Only Xiaochaihu, like a broken kite, slowly collapsed in front of Ji Xinhe.
Xin He knelt down and embraced him, her eyes instantly red and tears uncontrollable. "Ah Nan? Ah Nan? Hang in there; I’ll take you to the doctor right away. Ah Nan? Ah Nan?"
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