The nursemaid looked awkward.
Meng Qianqian said, "Where is your master? I’ll carry her over."
The nursemaid discreetly sought instructions from the mander of the Jinyi Guard hidden in the trees.
The mander nodded.
The nursemaid smiled and said, "Much obliged to this lady. Please, follow me."
The two of them headed to a small courtyard.
As they passed a small garden, Lu Linglong, who was wandering nearby, spotted them.
"Meng family? Where is she taking a child? And who’s that with her? Sneaky, something’s off!"
Lu Linglong followed them.
The nursemaid led them to the meditation room and quietly slipped away.
Meng Qianqian had no choice but to carry Bao Shu inside herself.
She kept her gaze steady as she stepped forward, holding the drowsy Bao Shu, and knelt opposite Lu Yuan: "Greetings, Grand mander."
Lu Yuan bent his left leg, his defined, muscular arm resting casually on his knee. Such a nonchalant posture, yet on him, it exuded the charm of a mature man and the danger of authority.
The corners of his lips curled into a wry smile. "Still have the nerve to appear before me? Are you not afraid I’ll kill you?"
Meng Qianqian, ever versatile, bowed her head: "This humble woman was wrong."
Lu Yuan: "..."
Lu Yuan’s cold gaze bore into her.
Meng Qianqian murmured softly, "What must I do for the Grand mander to forgive me?"
Lu Yuan suddenly laughed again, his voice layered with meaning: "What I want from you—"
Before he could finish, his arm shot out, gripping the back of Meng Qianqian’s head and pulling her into his embrace.
Meng Qianqian’s fingers moved, and a silver needle stabbed downward.
At the same time, an arrow smashed through the window, grazing his hand and embedding itself deeply into the wall!
Had he not dodged, the force of the arrow would have pierced right through his skull.
Meng Qianqian froze for a moment.
Lu Yuan hadn’t pletely pulled her into his embrace but maintained a controlled and respectable distance. At a glance, it seemed she was in his arms, but in truth, they hadn’t actually touched.
"Yu Zichuan, are you dead?"
Lu Yuan called out sharply.
From the rooftop, a young man in green robes, who had been diligently counting arrows, leapt into action. Drawing his large bow, he pulled an arrow from the quiver at his side and shot it fiercely toward a large tree in the southeast.
A muffled groan was heard, and someone fell from the tree.
Yu Zichuan used his Qinggong to pursue the figure.
Meanwhile, the mander of the Jinyi Guard arrived at the meditation room.
He found the Grand mander cradling Bao Shu in one hand and shielding the Young Madam’s head with the other. His hand was injured, blood streaming freely.
As for the Young Madam, she was also protecting Bao Shu with one hand, but her other hand had driven a concealed weapon into the Grand mander’s chest.
The mander of the Jinyi Guard frowned deeply, swiftly drawing his Brocade Spring Saber: "So you’re an assassin too. Surrender your life!"
At that moment, a small but swift figure darted through the air and delivered a kick to his wrist, forcing him back a few steps.
Tan’er landed firmly at the door of the meditation room, clapped her hands, and sneered, "Touch my sister again, I’ll kill you, you N!"
The mander of the Jinyi Guard glanced at his slightly numb arm, a flicker of confusion crossing his gaze.
This girl had remarkable strength; no wonder she had managed to injure three assassins chasing their lord the other day.
However, that didn’t mean he would show her mercy.
Those who harmed the Grand mander were to be killed without pardon!
The mander slashed at Tan’er with his saber.
Tan’er dodged to the side, countering with a punch as he followed up with a palm strike. The two exchanged blows briefly before separating, with Tan’er retreating further, her feet dragging two long grooves across the ground.
"N’s got some skills, huh! e again!"
Lu Linglong, who had been stunned into silence, decided that self-preservation was more important than spying on Meng Qianqian’s secrets. But just as she turned to leave, a hand strike knocked her unconscious.
Inside the meditation room.
Lu Yuan sneered as he looked at Meng Qianqian. "You’ve been waiting to use that needle for a long time, haven’t you?"
He let go of Meng Qianqian’s head and plucked out the silver needle with two fingers, his voice icy. "Aren’t you disappointed it didn’t kill me?"
Meng Qianqian made no defense.
The first time he had broken into her room at night, she had indeed intended to use the silver needle to kill him. She thought she had hidden it well, but he had noticed it long ago.
This time, however, she hadn’t meant to kill him initially; she had misunderstood his intentions. By the time she heard the arrow’s whistle, her needle had already pierced his chest.
She had exerted all her effort to stop it just in time, leaving the needle only a hair’s breadth from his heart.
"Next time, say something first," she muttered.
If she hadn’t been able to stop in time, he could have actually died.
Lu Yuan narrowed his eyes dangerously. "You’re planning on a next time?"
Clutching the now deeply asleep Bao Shu closer, Meng Qianqian flattered him shamelessly: "The Grand mander’s fortune and longevity are boundless."
"Hmph!"
Lu Yuan snorted disdainfully, examining the silver needle in his hand.
He was clad only in an outer robe, his upper body revealed to show a strong, lean build, wrapped in white bandages that were now bleeding through from his earlier exertions, clearly tearing open old wounds.
Meng Qianqian’s eyes didn’t stray further and instead fixed on his hand, where black blood oozed from the wound: "The arrow is poisoned."
Lu Yuan responded with a calm "Mm," as if utterly indifferent to the fact that he had been poisoned. His attention remained on the silver needle. "I’ve heard that the Chu Grand Marshal was killed by only a few silver needles back in the day."
Meng Qianqian said, "I’ll fetch a doctor."
She had just laid Bao Shu gently on a small cushion when she heard a heavy thud behind her. Lu Yuan had collapsed.
Grabbing his ice-cold wrist and examining the darkened flesh on the back of his hand, she frowned deeply.
His survival should mean nothing to her.
But she hated owing anyone favors.
...
"N put me down! N put me down!"
In the courtyard, Tan’er was tightly bound and hung from a tree, swinging back and forth like an enraged little silkworm cocoon.
The mander of the Jinyi Guard sheathed his Brocade Spring Saber and wiped the blood from his brow. "That brat was really hard to deal with. My face is even swollen!"
He strode quickly into the room.
Lu Yuan lay flat on the clean floor, his robes neat and tidy, his breathing even, with the blood on the back of his hand seemingly stopped and a handkerchief wrapped around it.
Meng Qianqian sat nearby, still holding the mumbling Bao Shu.
The mander of the Jinyi Guard gave Meng Qianqian a plex look.
At that moment, several Jinyi Guards stationed around the temple reported in.
One said, "mander, we killed five; one escaped."
"No one escaped."
Yu Zichuan tossed a prisoner whose acupoints had been sealed into the courtyard.
Another Jinyi Guard hesitated before signaling for subordinates to bring over an unconscious young woman: "Found this outside the courtyard. mander, how should we handle her?"
The mander of the Jinyi Guard turned to Meng Qianqian.
Recognizing Lu Linglong, Meng Qianqian calmly said, "The eldest daughter of the Lu Family, not someone I brought."
The mander paused for a moment, then approached another meditation room and bowed respectfully. "A few assassins intruded earlier. Is the master unharmed?"
The young Emperor turned to glance at the closed door.
The monk replied, unhurried, "All is well."
The mander of the Jinyi Guard said, "Apologies for the disturbance, master. I shall take my leave!"
Outside, Tan’er yelled fiercely at him, "Hey! Saber-wielding jerk! N let me down!"
The mander returned to Lu Yuan’s meditation room and addressed Meng Qianqian sternly: "Madam Lu and Miss Lu, I must trouble you to e to the Governor Mansion for further investigation!"
User Comments
0 comments from readers