Chapter 227 Dagger Embedded in Back
Jiang Zhi was completely caught off guard.
"Be careful!" Xiao Xuanyou felt a sudden panic, and the image of her lying on the bed in the East Palace, pale and lifeless, flashed through his mind.
He no longer cared about the old man's attack. Seeing that there was no time to save Jiang Zhi, he threw his long sword fiercely, aiming for the girl's back.
At the same time, Lu Yuan, who was slightly closer, had his pupils shrink. He rushed towards Jiang Zhi without regard for anything else, and pulled her into his arms with his long arms.
A soft "plop" sound.
"Lu Yuan!!"
The dagger that the girl was about to plunge into Jiang Zhi's heart instead sank into Lu Yuan's back.
At the same time, the girl was also pierced in the back by Xiao Xuanyou's longsword, and fell to the ground with a thud. She turned her head and stared at Jiang Zhi, a strange smile spreading across her lips.
Lu Yuan grunted, pushed Jiang Zhi aside, snatched the sword from the dead girl's body and threw it back to Xiao Xuanyou, then silently rejoined the battle.
Jiang Zhi's hands and feet were cold at this moment, and she stared intently at Lu Yuan.
Even after Xiao Xuanyou and Lu Yuan had finished cleaning up the mess and taken care of the remaining three people, she still stood there, motionless as if nailed to the spot.
"Are you scared?" Lu Yuan sheathed his sword, walked up to her, and frowned as he looked at her.
At that moment, he longed to hug her and hold her in his arms to comfort her.
But he was covered in blood, and Xiao Xuanyou was there, so he could only restrain himself.
His sideburns were a little messy, his lips were pale from blood loss, and his dark eyes looked at her with concern.
Jiang Zhi bit her lip, as if waking from a dream.
She was genuinely terrified when the dagger was plunged into Lu Yuan's back.
But he continued fighting as if nothing had happened.
What does he think he is?
Jiang Zhi opened her lips, about to say something, when she heard the guard's low exclamation, "Master, you are injured too!"
Jiang Zhi and Lu Yuan turned to look.
Just now, Xiao Xuanyou threw his weapon to stop the girl's momentum, which left his back wide open, allowing the assassin to slash him with his sword.
At this moment, a large tear was ripped in the brocade robe on his back, and blood was flowing freely.
However, Xiao Xuanyou said nothing, only staring at Jiang Zhi as if waiting for something.
He had seen all the concern and worry in her eyes when she looked at Lu Yuan.
Now that he knows he's injured, will he share some of his injuries with him?
But then she walked towards him, her delicate brows slightly furrowed. "This humble woman thanks Your Highness for saving me. Your Highness's injuries require immediate medical attention."
Although he wasn't particularly worried, he at least said something sensible.
Xiao Xuanyou was in a good mood, and his face looked much better.
"Miss Ji, please don't worry. I brought you out, so of course I will ensure your safety."
He regained that aloof and imposing demeanor.
He ordered his guards to send word to summon someone to handle the matter.
The little girl and the middle-aged woman were dead, but the two assassins dressed as old men were only seriously injured and were to be taken back for interrogation.
To prevent them from committing suicide, Xiao Xuanyou ordered his guards to dislocate their jaws.
Just then, Jiang Zhi called out softly again, "Lord Lu."
His face was deathly pale. He was leaning weakly against the wall, silently tearing off a piece of cloth from the hem of his clothes to bandage himself.
The girl clearly intended to kill Jiang Zhi, and she used a deadly force, her strength was extraordinary, the entire dagger, including the hilt, almost disappeared into Lu Yuan's body.
To prevent excessive bleeding, he did not pull the dagger out, leaving it inside his body.
In front of Xiao Xuanyou, Jiang Zhi did not dare to show that she cared too much about Lu Yuan. She simply walked up to him and said, "Lord Lu, please hold on a little longer. The doctor will be here soon."
Lu Yuan half-raised his eyelids. "Don't worry, it's just a minor injury."
Jiang Zhi wanted to say that her expression didn't tell her anything.
But considering that he was injured because of her, she still couldn't bear to point it out to him.
"These people are well-trained and have a clear division of labor, especially that girl, who is the biggest killer move."
Lu Yuan analyzed simply: "These children are trained as assassins from infancy. They have no emotions, no sense of right and wrong, only a desire to complete missions, and—"
He took a breath before continuing, "These assassins are disposable; they will die regardless of whether the mission succeeds or fails. Only the rich and powerful can afford to use such people."
"Does Your Highness have any clues?"
Xiao Xuanyou immediately let out a cold laugh.
Who else but Xiao Yunheng would want him dead so badly, and know about his obsession with Jiang Zhi?
"It seems he can't sit still any longer."
When he learned that Jiang Zhi was not dead, he quickly cheered up.
First, he defeated Xiao Chengjin, the already crumbling Prince Su, to the point of being powerless to fight back. After that, he focused all his energy on dealing with Xiao Yunheng.
What good is the Emperor's guilt and pity?
The position of Crown Prince is not one that everyone can hold.
The doctor arrived quickly, first treating Xiao Xuanyou's back wound, and then removing Lu Yuan's sword.
When Lu Yuan drew his sword, he bled a lot. Jiang Zhi closed her eyes, unable to bear to look, and held his hand tightly.
Looking at their tightly clasped hands, Xiao Xuanyou felt a surge of anger. The possessiveness that almost overwhelmed his reason resurfaced, and he only wanted to bring Jiang Zhi back to his side, making it impossible for anyone else to touch her.
With a sharp "bang," the porcelain bottle he was holding shattered, and the medicine inside immediately flowed all over his hand, mingling with the blood from his cuts, and dripped onto the ground through his fingers.
"Master!" the guard exclaimed.
Jiang Zhi also looked over.
Xiao Xuanyou took a deep breath to suppress the shock in his heart, rubbed his hands together with his fingertips without expression, and said in a calm voice that was almost cold, "It's nothing, I just accidentally dropped the medicine bottle."
So the doctor treated Lu Yuan's shoulder injury and then cleaned and bandaged Xiao Xuanyou's wound.
After dealing with everything, the group left Broken Brick Alley with the two unconscious assassins.
Lu Yuan went straight back to the inn where he was staying.
Upon hearing that Xiao Xuanyou had been attacked, Xie Qi immediately dropped everything and rushed back to the General's Mansion.
If the Crown Prince were to have an accident in Yaocheng, he, as the general guarding the city, would not escape any responsibility.
With Xie Qi and the doctor present, Jiang Zhi felt there was nothing more for her to do, so she took her leave.
Xiao Xuanyou, however, sat at the head of the table, looking at her with a half-smile, "Miss Ji, are you so heartless to your savior?"
Jiang Zhi couldn't help but mutter to herself.
What kind of savior is this?
If it weren't for Xiao Xuanyou, she wouldn't have encountered this situation today.
But she dared not refute, and only bowed her head respectfully and said, "It is this humble woman who is afraid of disturbing His Highness the Crown Prince's peace and quiet."
“How could that be?” Xiao Xuanyou lazily took a sip of tea. “I’ve heard that Miss Ji is quite knowledgeable about spices. Why don’t you blend a fragrance for me to regulate my qi, relieve pain, and soothe my meridians? My back is aching terribly.”
His tone was condescending, yet strangely tinged with a hint of ambiguity.
Jiang Zhi looked up, examining Xiao Xuanyou intently.
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