Ye Chutang was taken aback. She blinked slowly, and a faint, fragnted light seed to shimr in her clear, dark eyes.
Then, she responded softly.
"Then I must trouble you, Princely Heir."
Shen Yanchuan pulled her behind him as his sword rose and fell.
He moved with extre speed. In a blur of afterimages from his blade, a constant CLANGING and PINGING echoed as several throwing darts were knocked to the ground.
However, Wulan Mountain was dense and verdant, its thick woods perfect for hiding.
They were out in the open while their opponents were hidden in the shadows, putting them at a distinct disadvantage.
Suddenly, a cold glint of light flashed!
Ye Chutang’s gaze shifted slightly, just in ti to see a long, black arrow speeding toward them!
It glinted with a faint blue sheen—it was clearly coated in a deadly poison!
Ye Chutang’s eyes narrowed. ’This ambush... they’re really after Shen Yanchuan.’
Xiao Chengxuan seed to have realized it too. He looked over anxiously, trying several tis to break through the siege and co to their aid.
But the situation was critical. With only a single guard to protect him, he could only watch helplessly.
Yun Cheng rushed to help, but his martial arts were inferior to Lian Zhou’s, and he was struggling to cope.
CLANG!
Shen Yanchuan’s sword sliced the arrow in two, and the pieces fell to the ground.
Xiao Chengxuan turned his head and barked at his guard, "What are you standing around for?! Send the signal! Call for reinforcents!"
The guard scrambled to pull out a bamboo tube, grabbed the cotton cord at the end, and gave it a hard yank.
WHOOSH—BANG!
A firework exploded in the sky above the forest.
Ye Chutang spared it only a single glance before looking away.
The hidden assailants also noticed the sudden signal. Realizing Xiao Chengxuan’s group was calling for backup, they knew their ti was short and instantly intensified their attack!
While fending off the arrows and darts coming from all directions, Shen Yanchuan protected Ye Chutang and moved toward the path down the mountain.
They were halfway up the mountain. Aside from the pavilion, the area was covered in tall, dense trees.
Only by leaving this place as quickly as possible did they have any chance of escaping safely.
SHIING—!
A dart narrowly grazed the side of Shen Yanchuan’s face.
Xiao Chengxuan looked over and saw Shen Yanchuan’s sharp brows furrow. For a brief mont, his movents faltered.
Shen Yanchuan had been injured not long ago, barely escaping with his life. He had been recuperating ever since returning to the capital, but it was now clear his body had not yet fully recovered.
His vitality was severely drained, and his stamina was failing. Moreover, his reaction speed was noticeably slower than before.
A glint flashed in Xiao Chengxuan’s eyes as he shouted, "Princely Heir! Hold on! Our n will be here any second!"
His words were like a death sentence. A sky-blotting volley of sharp arrows rained down on them!
Ye Chutang’s brow furrowed. She asked in a low voice, "Princely Heir, are you all right?"
Shen Yanchuan shook his head as he cut down another arrow.
He retreated, still shielding Ye Chutang.
Suddenly, a cold rush of air swept in from the side!
Shen Yanchuan flicked his wrist, about to raise his sword!
But for so reason, his brows knitted together, and he raised a hand to clutch his chest—the very spot where he had been injured before.
In that split second, a throwing dart shot straight for Shen Yanchuan’s chest!
A dark glint passed through Shen Yanchuan’s eyes. He shifted his feet, preparing to turn aside.
Just as the dart was about to strike his chest...
Suddenly!
A tug ca from his sleeve. The next mont, a slender, graceful figure moved to block him.
Shen Yanchuan’s gaze froze!
Almost at the sa instant, the veins on his wrist bulged as he swung his sword down!
However, he was too late—the throwing dart still sank into Ye Chutang’s left shoulder!
Shen Yanchuan’s expression changed drastically!
"Chutang!"
Perhaps the impact was too strong. Ye Chutang lost her footing and stumbled backward.
Shen Yanchuan imdiately lunged forward, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her into his embrace.
But at that exact mont, he suddenly felt the ground give way beneath his feet.
’Not good!’
Shen Yanchuan’s heart leaped into his throat. Hidden by the undergrowth was an extrely steep and perilous slope!
Without a mont’s hesitation, he pulled Ye Chutang tightly into his arms.
An imnse feeling of weightlessness washed over them as their figures plumted out of sight.
Yun Cheng cried out in horror, "Young Master!"
Hearing the cry, Xiao Chengxuan instinctively whipped his head around, only to discover that Shen Yanchuan was gone!
And the one who had vanished with him was that Ye Chutang!
Xiao Chengxuan was completely stunned.
’In the blink of an eye, how... how...’
He rushed forward to Yun Cheng’s side and followed his gaze downward.
Aside from a clear path of crushed branches and leaves, there was nothing to see.
—They had clearly fallen from this very spot!
The guard at his side couldn’t help but ask, "Your Highness, wh-what do we do now?"
Xiao Chengxuan’s brow twitched as he looked back.
Ever since Shen Yanchuan fell, the people hiding in the shadows seed to have vanished.
The faint sound of rustling could be heard from within the forest.
"Search!"
Xiao Chengxuan’s fists clenched. "No matter what, you must find the Heir of Duke Dingbei! Also, seal the mountain imdiately! Don’t let a single one of today’s assassins escape!"
「...」
"What did you say?!"
Princess Qingyang shot to her feet, her face a mask of shock.
"My brother was attacked?!"
The Little Monk who had co to deliver the news pressed his palms together, his expression also worried. "Commandery Princess, please rest assured. The assassins did not succeed, but... but the Young Master and Miss Ye fell from a cliff. Prince Qi is currently dispatching more n to search. You—"
Princess Qingyang could hardly believe her ears.
"Who did you say?"
The Little Monk was also a bit confused. "I heard the Young Master’s attendant ntion her. I believe that was the na..."
Princess Qingyang slapped her forehead.
"I should have invited her to co with !"
She had originally planned to bring Ye Chutang along, but when she heard Ye Chutang asking about Shen Yanchuan, she thought there might be a spark between them. So, she intentionally didn’t ntion it again and ca by herself today, thinking that if the two were fated, they might actually run into each other.
She never expected that they would et, only for an accident like this to happen!
Princess Qingyang’s heart burned with anxiety. She imdiately rushed outside.
"Where did they fall from? I’ll go find them myself!"
The Little Monk didn’t dare stop her, so he could only follow behind, earnestly trying to persuade her.
"Commandery Princess, the mountain is steep and extrely dangerous. I’m afraid you can’t go by yourself. n from both Prince Qi and the Princely Heir have already arrived and split up to search. I’m sure they’ll be found before long. You... you should just—"
But Princess Qingyang was in no mood to listen, and her steps never faltered.
However, just as she reached the entrance, she sensed sothing was wrong and looked up.
A short while ago, the sky had been clear and the sun blazing overhead. Now, it was overcast with dark clouds, and the sky had grown heavy.
A wind rustled through the forest, carrying the damp, muggy scent of earth as humidity filled the air.
The Little Monk pleaded, "Commandery Princess, a huge storm is coming!"
Rain in the mountains would make things even more dangerous!
But Princess Qingyang’s expression only grew more resolute.
"Get an umbrella!"
The worse the situation, the less she could afford to just wait here!
She had to find them as soon as possible!
「...」
CRASH—!
The mountain winds raged. From the dark, heavy clouds, a torrential rain began to pour!
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