Please wait, big villain!
Wan Niang let out a breath. "Miss, let's not beat around the bush. What brings you here today?"
“Sister Wan Niang, as I said, I’m here to help you.” Jin Xiaoxiao took out a stack of silver notes from her sleeve. “Sister Wan Niang, this stack of silver notes totals five hundred taels. This is my sincerity.”
Wan Niang held her breath. Five hundred taels!
She was unwilling to be trapped in the lower class and toil her whole life like her mother. She wanted to be a superior person! So she persuaded her father to sell all the family property and raise two hundred taels to hire a female tutor to teach her arts and crafts.
As the saying goes, "Heaven helps those who help themselves," and this year she finally received the emperor's decree to select a concubine. However, the Zhao family was also left destitute because of her.
Five hundred taels of silver could alleviate the financial burden at home and also make her more respectable after entering the palace.
Seeing that she was tempted, Jin Xiaoxiao added another incentive, "Sister Wan Niang, if you successfully enter the palace, I will give you another thousand taels to use for bribes."
Faced with an enormous sum of money within easy reach, it would be difficult for most people to maintain their original intentions. However, Wan Niang remained increasingly calm. "Girl, answer me first: I haven't stepped out of the house for the past two years. How do you know what I'm thinking?"
Jin Xiaoxiao thought to herself, "No wonder she is destined to be the most favored concubine in the harem."
"Because my female tutor's surname is Shen, I should call Sister Wan Niang 'Senior Sister'."
Wan Niang finally lowered her guard a little. "Since you are also one of the Master's students, I will call you Junior Sister. Junior Sister, is the Master's leg, which he injured last winter, still healthy?"
Jin Xiaoxiao sighed, "Senior sister, Master is injured in his left arm, not his leg. Also, Master's left knee hurts whenever it's rainy. Do you believe me now, senior sister?"
Wan Niang then completely dispelled her wariness. "Junior sister, don't be angry. This concerns my future, so I dare not be careless."
Jin Xiaoxiao jumped off the wooden stump and handed the silver notes to her. "When it comes to my future, you can't be too careful, Senior Sister. To be honest, I did some small business with my cousin, and these are the money I earned myself. I hope you will accept them."
After the conversation, Wan Niang generously accepted the silver note, saying, "Thank you, junior sister. When my wish comes true in the future, I will definitely not forget you."
The two exchanged a smile and successfully formed an alliance.
On her way back, Jin Xiaoxiao was very happy and couldn't help but tell Bai Guo, "Sister, it will take at most three months, at least two months, for you to get your revenge."
Bai Guo didn't know why Jin Xiaoxiao was so certain, but she was happy to have received a definite waiting period.
When Jin Xiaoxiao returned home, Chuanbei handed her a message: Yue Xiao had invited her aunt to Ci'en Temple!
Ci'en Temple is the famous location in the book where the male protagonist is assassinated and the female protagonist shields him from an arrow. Jin Xiaoxiao calculated the days and realized there were still six months until the assassination. The characters and locations matched, but with the addition of her own little butterfly, she dared not gamble that the assassination wouldn't happen sooner.
Sorting her thoughts out, Jin Xiaoxiao shouted loudly, "Sister Baiguo, go and tell brother to take people to Ci'en Temple to rescue Aunt! Ji Jun!"
As soon as Jin Xiaoxiao finished speaking, Ji Jun gathered his energy and flew back to his room. He pushed the door open, grabbed his bow and arrows, and carried them on his back. He then flew back to Jin Xiaoxiao's side, picked her up, and took her along a shortcut, landing from the rooftop to the stable.
"drive!"
A cloud of dust rose as a fast horse galloped past the city gate.
As the sun began to set, Jin Xiaoxiao grew increasingly anxious. She hugged Ji Jun tightly around the waist, "Don't worry about me, hurry! Faster!"
"Hold on tight! Giddy up!"
The howling wind made Jin Xiaoxiao increasingly anxious. She closed her eyes and buried herself in Ji Jun's arms, listening to Ji Jun's heartbeat. Her heartbeat gradually synchronized with his.
Ji Jun tightened the reins. "We're here."
Jin Xiaoxiao opened her eyes, turned her head and glanced at the plaque of Ci'en Temple, "Go to the back mountain."
An assassination attempt is taking place on the back mountain of Ci'en Temple. Jin Yuanyuan and Yue Xiao are being protected in the center of the group. Because Jin Yuanyuan has no martial arts skills, half of Yue Xiao's men have already been killed trying to protect her.
"Young master, if this continues, we will all die! Why don't we join forces to fight our way out for you?"
Yue Xiao's pupils contracted; his subordinates were forcing him to give up Jin Yuanyuan! But if he could harden his heart, he wouldn't be in this predicament.
Seeing that he remained silent, his subordinate pleaded unwillingly, "Young master! Please consider the bigger picture!"
Yue Xiao remained silent, but his moves became increasingly ruthless.
Jin Yuanyuan's long eyelashes trembled slightly as she softly advised, "Ah Xiao, don't worry about me, go quickly."
In the time it took to say a few words, three more of Yue Xiao's men fell.
"Young master! It's too late!"
Yue Xiao drew his sword and cleared away the enemies around Jin Yuanyuan. He then gazed deeply at Jin Yuanyuan one last time and resolutely said, "Follow me to break through!"
Just then, Jin Yuanyuan's pupils trembled. She quickly lunged at Yue Xiao and shouted, "Ah Xiao, watch out!"
Yue Xiao instinctively turned around and saw the iron arrow flashing coldly as it shot towards him. His expression changed drastically. "Yuanyuan, don't move!"
Jin Yuanyuan's eyelids trembled slightly, torn between two conflicting emotions. The prevailing emotion was her willingness to die for A-Xiao, but a question lingered deep within her: she wasn't one to indulge in love, so why should she die for Yue Xiao without any commitment? Was she truly willing?
Jin Xiaoxiao was hidden in a tree by Ji Jun. She saw her aunt rush over without hesitation to shield Yue Xiao from the arrow and break the branch she was holding.
Ji Jun's ears twitched. He turned his head and saw Jin Xiaoxiao's sullen face. He turned back, his handsome face cold. He drew another arrow and slowly drew the bowstring.
"Young master, let's go!"
From Jin Xiaoxiao's perspective, her aunt's figure was completely obscured by Yue Xiao, and the arrow would definitely hit her aunt, while Yue Xiao escaped the encirclement without looking back.
Jin Xiaoxiao broke off another branch.
Ji Yun then drew another arrow.
Jin Yuanyuan awaited death with a sorrowful heart, but on the surface, she gazed longingly at Yue Xiao's back.
"bite--"
Two arrows fell at Jin Yuanyuan's feet.
"Young master! Be careful!"
After being reminded by his subordinates, Yue Xiao saw Ji Jun shooting an arrow down from above. He had no time to dodge and could only turn to protect his heart, so the arrow tip pierced his right arm.
"Young master! There's one more arrow!"
His subordinates cried out in alarm again. The second arrow, flying downwards, was even more treacherous. Yue Xiao had no choice but to sacrifice his shoulder to protect his more important neck.
Yue Xiao was hit by two arrows in a row, and Jin Xiaoxiao immediately beamed with joy, turning to give Ji Jun a thumbs up.
Ji Jun guessed from Jin Xiaoxiao's expression that the thumbs-up was a compliment, and his lips curled up, his eyes shining brightly.
Without Jin Yuanyuan's burden, even though Yue Xiao was hit by two arrows, he was protected by his subordinates and escaped.
The assassins ignored Jin Yuanyuan and chased after Yue Xiao, and the back mountain of Ci'en Temple returned to tranquility.
Jin Yuanyuan stood alone in the center of the corpse. She squatted down and picked up the two arrows that had fallen to her feet.
Jin Xiaoxiao pointed to the ground, indicating that she wanted to climb down the tree to take her aunt home.
Ji Jun shook his head slightly, opened his mouth and silently uttered two words: "Someone's here!"
Jin Xiaoxiao silently asked: Where is he?
Ji Jun pointed to the back gate of the temple.
Jin Xiaoxiao looked down in the direction he was pointing and noticed that the temple's back door was slowly opening inward.
A young man with a handsome face and dressed in crimson robes appeared. He stepped across the threshold unhurriedly and stopped a step away from Jin Yuanyuan.
As he stopped, several solemn-looking, sword-wielding guards skillfully dispersed in all directions, providing him with impenetrable protection.
Jin Yuanyuan looked up at him and asked, "Young Master, are you here to kill me?"
The young man in red lowered his head and scrutinized Jin Yuanyuan's stunningly beautiful face. "I am not a bloodthirsty person, and I have no grudge against you, young lady. Why would I want to kill you?"
Jin Yuanyuan stood up, holding the arrow in her hand. Upon seeing this, the guard closest to her drew his sword.
The young man in red reprimanded in a calm voice, "How dare you be rude!"
The guard returned the sword to its sheath, but his right hand remained on the hilt.
Jin Xiaoxiao stared intently at him through the gaps in the leaves; she had guessed who he was.
Jin Yuanyuan put her right hand, which was holding the arrow, behind her back. "Young master, if you don't kill me, do you want to capture me alive to blackmail Yue Xiao? But I have already been abandoned by him, and I'm afraid the outcome will not be as you wish."
Hearing Jin Yuanyuan call Yue Xiao by his name, he raised an eyebrow. "Miss, you've guessed wrong again. I'm here to tell you something."
Jin Yuanyuan looked puzzled. "Tell me something?"
The young man in red said casually, "I want to tell you, young lady, that you have been bewitched by Yue Xiao."
Jin Yuanyuan's heart skipped a beat, and she repeated, word by word, "Young Master wants to tell me that I have been bewitched by Yue Xiao!"
"If you don't believe me, young lady, hold your wrist up to the sunlight and see if there is a moving red line on your wrist."
Jin Yuanyuan's face was pale, and her right hand, which was behind her back, was tightly gripping the cold iron arrow.
Suddenly, the guards changed formation, their eyes fixed on the back gate of the temple.
Ji Jun whispered in Jin Xiaoxiao's ear, "Your brother is here."
"My brother is finally here, we can go down now."
Ji Jun carried her and landed with a leap, while half of the red-clad young master's guards drew their swords and stood ready for battle.
The red-clad young man's gaze shifted to Jin Xiaoxiao and Ji Jun, lingering on Jin Xiaoxiao for a moment before landing on the longbow in Ji Jun's hand. "Eh? Could it be that the three amazing arrows just now were all shot by you, young man?"
Ji Jun ignored him and placed Jin Xiaoxiao on the ground.
Jin Xiaoxiao glanced at the person Ji Yun was ignoring, ran over and grabbed Jin Yuanyuan's hand, "Auntie! Ji Yun, my brother, and I have come to take you home!"
Just then, Kim Min-ji led her people through the back gate of the temple and appeared in the sight of everyone on the back mountain.
Jin Minzhi, her clothes disheveled and her hair messy, saw that Jin Yuanyuan and Jin Xiaoxiao were both unharmed and slowly exhaled a breath of stale air.
Looking at her travel-worn nephew, Jin Yuanyuan grasped Jin Xiaoxiao's small hand tightly. The darkness that had been weighing on her heart dissipated, and she forced herself not to shed tears in public.
"Don't worry, brother, we're all fine." After saying that, Jin Xiaoxiao looked up to observe Prince Yi's heir, Yue Jia.
As Yue Jia was pondering the sudden appearance of the Jin family, he unexpectedly met Jin Xiaoxiao's pure eyes.
Jin Xiaoxiao greeted him with an innocent smile, "Hello, brother!"
Yue Jia glanced at Ji Yun, who was clearly taking her lead, and replied with a smile, "Hello to you too."
Jin Minzhi tidied his appearance, stood beside Jin Yuanyuan, and bowed to Yue Jia, saying, "Junior Jin Minzhi greets young master."
"You know who I am?"
Jin Minzhi responded neither humbly nor arrogantly, saying, "This junior is unaware."
The young niece and her unmarried nephew risked their lives to save their aunt; the three members of the Jin family are quite an interesting pair!
Yue Jia noted them down, nodded slightly to them, and turned to leave.
Jin Xiaoxiao frowned. There was an insurmountable gap between her and Yue Jia's identities, making it extremely difficult for them to meet! She couldn't let this opportunity slip by!
"Please wait!"
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