The Hua family had never lacked accomplished descendants, but for the first time, Hua Yizheng felt such profound regret that Zhi Er was not born a boy. With her meticulous mind, resolute will, and unwavering devotion to protecting the family, whether in officialdom or outside it, she would undoubtedly have brought greater stability to the Hua family.
Perhaps the hope of restoration lay with her—yet it was a pity she was a woman.
Watching his granddaughter gulp down a large bowl of water in one breath, Hua Yizheng selected several people and ordered them to set off immediately. But Hua Zhi halted them again, raising her voice to call, "Jia Yang!"
Jia Yang entered promptly.
"Lend me your token."
Without hesitation, Jia Yang produced the Seven Constellation Bureau token. Hua Zhi took it and handed it to Chen Shan, instructing, "If anyone tries to stop you, show them this and have them take you to the person you need."
To add a guardian deity to the Hua family, Hua Zhi was willing to discard all pride. Borrowing authority to bolster her influence? At this moment, she wished she could beat drums and gongs to proclaim herself a protege of the Seven Constellation Bureau's leader, just to make those with ill intentions toward the Hua family retract their claws.
Surveying the courtyard filled with Hua family members, Hua Zhi wondered if they could disperse to avoid being wiped out if enemies attacked. Yet, after much thought, she found no solution. They couldn’t bring danger to other households, and no one would willingly shelter those who posed a lethal threat.
"Zhi Er, why not rest in your father’s room for a while?"
Hua Zhi shook her head and was about to speak when Jia Yang shouted loudly, "Enemy attack!"
Hua Zhi sprang to her feet, dagger and hairpin already in hand, as if her earlier exhaustion had been an illusion. "Everyone, be careful!"
She made to dash outside, but Hua Pingyu grabbed her arm. The usually proud man now trembled, his entire demeanor pleading, "Protect yourself, Zhi Er. You must survive!"
A pang of sorrow struck Hua Zhi’s heart. She turned and embraced her father tightly before running out. Her life had truly been blessed—in both lifetimes, her father had loved her deeply, even if he never knew how to express it.
This time, the attackers outnumbered the previous ones. Jia Yang was trapped in a passive defense, unlikely to hold out much longer.
With a bitter smile, Hua Zhi charged forward. Even with her added strength, they stood little chance against so many assailants. To send such a force against a group of scholars—it was clear they were determined to exterminate the Hua family!
If they couldn’t live together, then they would die together!
In that moment, Hua Zhi seemed to ignite herself. Though she had been exhausted moments before, her attacks now grew fiercer than ever. Yet, against overwhelming odds, she and Jia Yang were forced into retreat.
Hua Zhi glanced back at the courtyard gate, at her family inside. She planted herself firmly a few steps from the entrance, refusing to yield. Anyone who wanted to harm her kin would have to kill her first!
Tears streamed down the faces of those inside the gate.
They longed to rush out, to tear at the enemy with their teeth if necessary. But Hua Zhi’s sharp glance forbade it—the Hua daughter fighting desperately to block the foe would not allow them to step forward.
Hua Yizheng watched, his face twitching, as his granddaughter retreated half a step only to press forward again. If he survived this—if he survived!
Hua Zhi’s defiant stand seemed to daunt the attackers. Though they should have overwhelmed her in one surge, they slowed their assault, hesitating.Hua Zhi's hands trembled. The dagger had long flown away—perhaps embedded in some enemy's body—leaving only a long hairpin in her grasp. Though she was at the end of her strength, her eyes remained clear and bright. Despite panting heavily, her weapon-holding hand remained steady without the slightest tremor. Whoever tried to breach her defense faced her direct assault. Even knowing they were deliberately draining her stamina, she stubbornly held her ground in an absolute protective stance!
Who could believe a woman possessed such strength without witnessing it firsthand?
Yet everyone knew this woman couldn't hold on much longer.
Not all felt compassion for Hua Zhi. From the silence, a black-clad man suddenly commanded, "Kill."
The group shuddered, their slowed attacks abruptly intensifying. Hua Zhi's hairpin was knocked away. Just as they thought her unarmed and doomed, a short hairpin suddenly appeared in her hand, thrusting toward the speaker's throat. Caught off guard, the man instinctively dodged. When he saw Hua Zhi's smiling face, his heart lurched—but it was too late. Her true target wasn't his throat, but his eye. She had calculated his evasion route and expended her last ounce of strength with precision.
A pained scream confirmed her success, but she was simultaneously kicked away like a ragdoll, landing by the doorway. The one-eyed black-clad man pursued, his blade aimed at her neck.
The Hua family surged forward. Hua Pingyu, fastest among them, threw himself over his daughter, taking a brutal slash across his back. Trembling from the agony, he looked down into his daughter's dimming eyes.
A heavy thud followed. Before Hua Pingyu could look up, he was forcibly pulled aside. Gu Yanxi carefully gathered A Zhi into his arms, tearing from his neck a thumb-sized object. With a deft press, its hidden mechanism revealed a hollow compartment containing a pea-sized pill.
Gu Yanxi fed the pill into A Zhi's mouth. Only then did he seem to remember to breathe, gasping several times before checking the pulse at her neck and wrist. But his own heartbeat roared louder than her faint vital signs, making detection impossible.
"Yu Mu, fetch a physician from Wu Yong."
Yu Mu, locked in combat with the black-clad assailants, immediately disengaged and sprinted toward the frontline where General Wu was stationed.
Gu Yanxi draped his outer robe over A Zhi, kissing her forehead gently. "Watch me avenge you."
Hua Zhi clung stubbornly to consciousness. She knew her father had taken a blow for her, but she couldn't move. Darkness clouded her vision wave after wave, pain radiating through every inch of her body. Still, she bit her tongue to stay awake, blinking slowly at Yanxi.
Gu Yanxi's heart wrenched. He couldn't bear to imagine if he'd arrived half a step later—just half a step later...
Closing his eyes briefly, he rose with deceptively calm features, though his gaze held a predatory ferocity that promised violence.
Whip in hand, Gu Yanxi advanced toward the black-clad men with the casual grace of a courtyard stroll. The attackers surprisingly initiated the assault.
A cold smirk curled his lips as he stood motionless. As one approached, his whip lashed out like a serpent's strike, smashing a man to the ground in a spray of blood and brain matter before the body stilled.
Before anyone could react, Gu Yanxi had already claimed three more lives with identical efficiency.The men in black retreated in unison, cautiously circling Gu Yanxi.
They retreated, but Gu Yanxi began to take the initiative. His long whip seemed to have a life of its own, never missing its mark once unleashed. More and more people abandoned their other targets and converged on Gu Yanxi.
Such a scene of carnage was something even Old Master Hua had never witnessed in his lifetime, yet he found it exhilarating!
Most of the other descendants of the Hua family were pale, their teeth chattering. Some had already run aside to vomit, yet not a single one avoided the scene. Those who had finished vomiting returned to stand their ground!
These people died horribly, but it could have been them—dying just as gruesomely!
PS: Third watch. I've given you all I have, given it to Hua Zhi. There's still more to revise, but I truly can't go on.
OpenNovel