"Miss—" Tong Xi cried out in alarm.
Hongying turned her head and saw the situation. With a sharp shout, she forced back the assassin attacking her, then swiftly ran toward the carriage, saying, "Hold them off first."
Hongying moved with incredible speed. Seeing the horse's head was not far from her, she accelerated into a sprint, used a slender willow tree by the roadside to push off with her foot, and leaped onto the horse.
The frightened horse was gradually calmed by her. Hongying immediately asked, "Miss Ren, are you hurt anywhere?"
Ren Yaoqi's calm and steady voice came from inside the carriage: "Don't worry about me, I'm perfectly fine. Are any of you injured?"
Although she had been startled just moments ago, Ren Yaoqi was someone who had weathered many storms, so she quickly regained her composure. Fortunately, Hongying was skilled and courageous, catching up swiftly.
Hongying replied, "We're fine as well, Miss Ren. These people came out of nowhere—I'm afraid there might be other ambushes. We only have a few people, so it's best not to split up."
Ren Yaoqi nodded. "You decide."
Hongying then turned the horse around to head back.
Unexpectedly, after traveling only a short distance back, four more people suddenly sprang out from the side, brandishing knives and charging at Hongying, who was seated on the carriage shaft.
Gritting her teeth, Hongying controlled the carriage with one hand while wielding her whip to fend off the attackers. But with only one hand, it was difficult to block the strikes from four opponents.
One assassin seized the opportunity and slashed fiercely, cutting the connection between the horse and the carriage. The horse pulling the carriage neighed and bolted away. If not for the fact that this carriage was specially made and extremely sturdy, it would have nearly overturned.
Seeing this, Hongying knew things were taking a turn for the worse. Clenching her teeth, she prepared to fight desperately.
Just then, another person rushed over and joined the fray. Hongying saw it was Tong Xi.
Tong Xi came from Prince Xian's residence and felt a greater sense of concern and responsibility for Ren Yaoqi's safety. Seeing that Ren Yaoqi and Hongying had not returned for a long time, she feared something might have happened. She left the others to the two remaining guards and hurried to catch up, arriving just in time to relieve Hongying.
Tong Xi took on most of the attacks while saying to Hongying, "Quick, take Miss and leave this place to hide. I'll hold them off."
Hongying frowned, but the situation left no room for hesitation. If more enemies appeared, it would be disastrous. She turned, lifted the carriage curtain, and helped Ren Yaoqi out. "Let's go."
Ren Yaoqi looked toward Tong Xi.
As if she had eyes in the back of her head, Tong Xi called out without turning around, "Miss, go quickly. You know my specialty—it's easier for me to escape once you're gone."
Hearing this, Ren Yaoqi hesitated no longer and followed Hongying along with Pingguo.
Tong Xi's specialty was running fast—once she started running, few could catch up. In contrast, Ren Yaoqi staying behind would only be a hindrance.
Even from a distance, Ren Yaoqi could hear Tong Xi cursing while fighting: "You foolish assassins! Are your dog eyes blind? Can't you see you've targeted the wrong person? What's the point of fighting now?"
Unfortunately, the attackers paid her no heed.
Hongying led Ren Yaoqi onto a narrow path. The path was too narrow for a large group of assassins to maneuver effectively. Dealing with them one by one would be much easier for her.The summer path was flanked by tall grass with serrated edges, reaching as high as a person. Ren Yaoqi’s hands were scratched several times, stinging with a burning pain, and even her chin bore a cut. Yet, she did not utter a single sound.
After running for what felt like an eternity, Hongying finally stopped. She carefully observed their surroundings, then pressed her ear to the ground to listen. Hearing no movement, she finally let out a sigh of relief.
They were in a farming estate, with a village not far ahead. It should be safe. However, Hongying dared not take Ren Yaoqi toward the village. Farmhouses often kept dogs, which would bark at strangers. Afraid the barking might attract the assassins, Hongying thought it over and decided to hide with Ren Yaoqi behind a pile of haystacks, waiting for the Prince’s Mansion’s people to find them. Even if pursuers arrived, they could defend or attack from there.
At such a time, Ren Yaoqi fully cooperated with Hongying’s decisions, following her lead without question. After all, Hongying was experienced.
Once hidden, Hongying finally relaxed a little. But when she saw the scratches on Ren Yaoqi’s hands and chin, she was startled. "How did you get hurt like this?"
Ren Yaoqi smiled and comforted her instead. "It’s just grass scratches—nothing serious. They won’t even leave scars."
Looking at Ren Yaoqi’s calm and composed smile, Hongying finally understood why, among so many young ladies in Yunyang City, her proud and discerning Commandery Princess had formed such a close friendship with the fifth young lady of the Ren Family.
If any other young woman had encountered what happened today, let alone running this far without a word, they would likely have fainted at the mere sight of a blade.
Their Commandery Princess, being so strong-willed, would certainly not befriend someone like that.
Ren Yaoqi sat quietly behind the haystacks, worrying about Tong Xi and wondering if he had managed to escape.
She also wondered which side the assassins belonged to. If they were from the southern court, they wouldn’t have sent such a small force. Moreover, the assassins’ martial skills didn’t seem particularly high—at least, Hongying or Tong Xi alone could hold them off for a while if they fought with all their might. They also didn’t appear well-organized; even after realizing they had targeted the wrong person, they failed to respond promptly.
The Xiao Family’s carriages all looked similar from the outside. Why did the assassins only pursue Xiao Jingxi’s carriage? Could someone recognize it as his? Were they from the Yanbei Prince’s Mansion?
Or had Xiao Jinglin encountered a similar assassination attempt? Ren Yaoqi began to worry about Xiao Jinglin as well.
As the sun began to set, the assassins still hadn’t caught up. Ren Yaoqi was about to ask Hongying whether they should continue waiting when she heard movement from the direction they had come.
Hongying, who had been sitting on the ground with her eyes closed to rest, immediately opened them. She signaled Ren Yaoqi and Pingguo to stay quiet, her hand reaching for the whip coiled around her waist as she stared vigilantly toward the path.
Ren Yaoqi also looked in that direction, though she felt little tension. Having already died once, she faced the shadow of death with more composure than most. Besides, she might not even die this time.
When a dark hem of clothing came into view, Ren Yaoqi knew she was indeed not going to die so easily.Hongying also recognized the newcomer’s identity and immediately called out, “Young Master!”
Hearing the voice, Xiao Jingxi quickly strode over. When he saw Hongying leading Ren Yaoqi out from behind the grass, his icy expression finally began to thaw.
Xiao Jingxi had only brought Tongde with him. Ren Yaoqi immediately walked over and asked, “Has the Commandery Princess encountered any danger? Where is Tong Xi?”
Xiao Jingxi shook his head and was about to answer when he noticed the red mark on Ren Yaoqi’s chin. His eyes darkened, and he reached out to touch it. “You’re injured?”
When Xiao Jingxi’s hand brushed against the side of Ren Yaoqi’s face, she stared at him, momentarily stunned and forgetting to react.
Only when Xiao Jingxi realized the wound was shallow and didn’t appear to be from a sharp weapon did he come to his senses, realizing that in his haste, he had acted like a scoundrel.
But Xiao Jingxi’s hand lingered on the side of Ren Yaoqi’s face for a moment before he calmly withdrew it. Looking at her, he said, “Jinglin is fine. She’s already at the manor. I didn’t tell her what happened here because I was afraid she’d insist on coming out. Tong Xi ran fast, so no one caught up with him. He only suffered a minor injury to his arm.” He paused before adding, “Everyone is fine. It’s just you who went missing.”
There was something unusual in Xiao Jingxi’s tone as he spoke the last sentence. Ren Yaoqi’s heart trembled at his words, and she lowered her gaze, murmuring softly, “I’m fine too.”
Xiao Jingxi said nothing more, only stating, “The carriage is parked ahead. Let’s go.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded and followed Xiao Jingxi out in silence.
Tongde led the way, while Hongying and Pingguo trailed a few steps behind, heads bowed.
As they walked along the path, Xiao Jingxi suddenly said quietly, “I’m sorry.”
Ren Yaoqi quickly replied, “This isn’t your fault.” Xiao Jingxi couldn’t have known they would encounter assassins.
Xiao Jingxi remained silent.
Seeing his expressionless face, Ren Yaoqi thought he was blaming himself and feeling upset. She wondered how to comfort him, but her distraction made her forget to watch her step. She accidentally kicked a slippery rock, stumbling slightly.
Xiao Jingxi immediately grabbed her hand to steady her.
Ren Yaoqi had several cuts on her hands from the grass earlier, deeper than the one on her chin. At the time, she hadn’t felt any pain, but now, with Xiao Jingxi gripping her hand tightly, she couldn’t help but hiss in discomfort.
Sensing something was wrong, Xiao Jingxi immediately looked down and saw the crisscrossing wounds on the back of her hand. He glanced at her other hand and found it in the same state.
Remembering the patches of grass they had passed earlier, Xiao Jingxi understood immediately. He sighed softly and said gently, “It won’t hurt once we apply some medicine when we get back.”
Ren Yaoqi nodded and tried to pull her hand back. Xiao Jingxi released it without resistance.
When they reached the patch of grass, Xiao Jingxi glanced at Ren Yaoqi. “I’ll have someone fetch a cloak for you.”
Ren Yaoqi quickly said, “I was just walking too carelessly earlier. If I’m careful, I won’t get hurt.” Seeing Xiao Jingxi remain silent, she assured him, “I really won’t get hurt.”
OpenNovel