Though startled by his niece's sudden burst of ferocity, Hua Pingyang was a man and an elder—he couldn't just stand by while the younger generation fought.
He had studied the Six Arts of gentlemen; while mediocre in other areas, his horsemanship and archery were passable. But now, he had no bow or arrows at hand!
Scanning his surroundings, he spotted a stick at the alley entrance and moved to retrieve it. A black-clad assailant, mistaking his intent as flight, broke off to pursue him. Hua Zhi would not allow this—she disengaged and intercepted the pursuer, shouting, "Get inside!"
The clarity of purpose struck Hua Pingyang like a physical blow. He slapped himself hard across the face. These attackers were targeting the Hua family—what could be more important than alerting his kin to prepare?
Clearly, the black-clad men had no intention of granting him that opportunity. Seeing his move toward the Hua residence, several broke away to encircle him.
"Jia Yang!"
Jia Yang immediately disengaged and rushed toward them, his long whip cracking through the air. His original opponents, unwilling to let him interfere, closed in pursuit.
Hua Zhi assessed the situation swiftly. While the black-clad man focused on defending against her dagger, he failed to notice the hairpin already in her other hand. She parried with the dagger while driving the hairpin deep into his throat. Without a backward glance, she swiftly moved to intercept Jia Yang's pursuers.
She knew her limits—alone, she couldn't save Fourth Uncle. Only Jia Yang could!
With such commotion outside and Hua Zhi deliberately raising her voice, the Hua family couldn't remain unaware. Dongzi and Liu Cheng, the guards who had accompanied her, cautiously cracked open the gate to assess the situation and immediately reported to the family gathered in the courtyard.
Upon learning his daughter was outside, Hua Pingyu moved to rush out, but Hua Yizheng stopped him sharply: "Don't hinder Zhi Er!"
"But—" Hua Pingyu's eyes reddened instantly. Yes, they knew from Shaoyao that their daughter had some self-defense skill, but she was the girl who had grown up under their watchful eyes—how proficient could she possibly be?!
Hua Yizheng subtly clenched his trembling hands into fists, hiding them in his sleeves. "I shall wait right here. The entire Hua family stands or falls together."
Hua Pingchen stepped forward. "Should we have the children take shelter? With this much noise, someone is bound to come investigate soon."
"Even if every last Hua perishes here, our line will not end." Hua Yizheng's beard quivered with intensity. "I want to see who dares to demand our entire family's lives!"
The old man's words rang with the same metallic finality as the clashing weapons outside. Instead of retreating, the younger generation of the Hua family straightened their backs and stepped forward in unison. Even the loyal servants stood guard beside their masters, armed with whatever implements they could find—sticks, shovels, kitchen knives.
Dongzi and Liu Cheng exchanged a glance, then simultaneously drew their ever-present sabers and pulled the gates open.
In that brief moment as the doors swung wide, the Hua family within the courtyard saw their eldest daughter—drenched in blood, whether hers or others' unclear—surrounded by three assailants. Her glance toward the open gate revealed eyes so fierce and sharp it made hearts tremble.
That split-second distraction proved costly. Already at a disadvantage, Hua Zhi left an opening that her opponents exploited—a blade swept toward her face while the others blocked her retreat. The younger children gasped aloud, and even the steadiest among them, Hua Yizheng, involuntarily stepped forward.In the heat of the moment, Hua Zhi merely twisted her body slightly, letting the blade strike her shoulder. Seizing the moment when her opponent’s momentum was too fierce to retract the attack, she slashed his face fiercely with her dagger. Simultaneously, she ducked to evade the assault from behind. As the man in front instinctively recoiled from his injury, she pressed her advantage, driving a long hairpin straight into his eye. A piercing scream followed as the black-clad man clutched his eye, writhing in agony on the ground. The encirclement was instantly broken, and Hua Zhi rolled away, freeing herself from the trap.
Though the sequence seemed to unfold over countless moments, it happened in the blink of an eye. Hua Zhi had no time to catch her breath—no sooner had she escaped the encirclement than she was targeted and pursued again.
At that moment, Dongzi closed the courtyard gate.
Hua Yizheng suppressed his frantically beating heart, his voice trembling audibly. "Open the door."
Before the servants could move, Hua Pingyu had already rushed over and pulled the door open. Standing at the entrance, he saw clearly just how perilous Zhi Er’s situation was.
He also spotted his fourth younger brother dodging attacks in disarray and two guards fearlessly rushing forward to block the pursuing black-clad assailants. Without a second thought, Hua Pingyu dashed out, grabbed his nearly fallen younger brother, dragged him back inside, and supported him before their father.
"Father, their target is the Hua family!"
Hua Yizheng had already guessed as much. What puzzled him was that, as a disgraced official, he could no longer pose a threat to anyone.
Suddenly, someone spoke up, "What about that Lu Yanxi?"
Exactly—where was Lu Yanxi? The man clearly had the build of a martial artist, and his companions appeared highly skilled. Why was he nowhere to be seen now?
Hua Pingyang smiled bitterly. "The enemy launched a night raid. Lu Yanxi has gone to the border. Jia Yang is the one he left behind to protect Zhi Er."
Hua Yizheng’s eyes sharpened. With the enemy harassing the border, the usual patrol soldiers would be dispatched to the front lines. For the Hua family to be targeted by assassins at such a time meant there would be no hope of rescue in the short term. He refused to believe this was a coincidence!
"Elder Sister!"
Hua Bolin’s exclamation drew everyone’s attention back outside. Hua Zhi had been surrounded once again.
Hua Zhi dared not let her focus waver again. She mustered all her strength to block the blade in front of her, initially intending to endure the strike from behind. But Jia Yang’s long whip arrived just in time—he coiled it around the attacker and flung him far away, rescuing Hua Zhi from danger.
However, the brief delay allowed another black-clad assailant to close in. The advantage of the long whip was completely lost. Jia Yang took a hard blow to the back but seemed impervious to the pain as he discarded the whip, drew his sword, and forcefully parried another descending strike.
Hua Zhi’s breathing grew labored. Lack of strength was her fatal weakness, and the black-clad men had noticed. They shifted from fierce assaults to evasive maneuvers, clearly aiming to exhaust her.
Hua Zhi would not let them have their way. If the mountain would not come to her, she would go to the mountain. As one black-clad man missed his strike and tried to retreat, Hua Zhi gripped her long hairpin and leaped forward, lunging at him. The man instinctively raised his arms to defend, never expecting Hua Zhi’s move to be a feint. The real threat was not the hairpin but the dagger. He blocked the hairpin, but the dagger simultaneously sliced across his throat.
With a heavy thud, the black-clad man collapsed. Just as everyone thought she would fall from exhaustion, Hua Zhi instead launched an attack on another opponent. Again, she used the hairpin as the primary weapon and the dagger as support. But with the previous lesson fresh in their minds, the black-clad men were wary of the dagger. This time, however, it was the hairpin that proved lethal.In the blink of an eye, two men were killed. Hua Zhi's ferocity shattered the black-clad men's morale. Seizing the opportunity, Jia Yang struck with lethal moves at every turn. By now, only eight black-clad men remained, one of whom was desperately entangled by Dongzi and Liu Cheng. Though still no match for their opponent, they managed to keep him pinned down for the moment.
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