Chapter 981 - 271: Skillfully Entering the Secret Chamber for Treasure, Cleverly Hiding to Avert Calamity (Part 2)

His voice was sharp, like a barbed arrow, ricocheting back and forth through the manor, startling the birds perched on the branches into a frantic beating of wings as they shot into the sky and scattered in all directions.

In an instant, the entire Mingjian Manor was like a tranquil lake suddenly hurled with a boulder, boiling completely over.

Everyone bent their heads together, whispering and debating, the expressions on their faces gradually shifting from initial shock to naked greed.

The greed buried in human nature was like a powder keg being lit, erupting in a heartbeat. In the blink of an eye, blades and sword-shadows flashed; people drew knives and swords, hefted halberds and axes, that flickering cold light like scattered stars, yet filled with lethal killing intent.

The crowd surged toward Shi Feiyang’s room like a raging tide, their footsteps chaotic and hurried, kicking up clouds of dust from the ground. The scene was like starved wolves pouncing on prey, laden with endless greed and murderous intent, as though they meant to devour Shi Feiyang alive.

Li Yuannai, Li Yuanshun, Li Yuanjun, Li Yuanji, Li Yuanyou and the others, seeing this, all drew the blades and swords from their backs.

In a flash, cold gleams flared, killing aura billowed. They shouted in unison, their voices shaking the countryside, those shouts packed with madness and murder, like a pack of half-crazed, long-hungry wolves with bloodshot eyes, charging wildly toward Shi Feiyang’s room.

Their feet pounded the ground with heavy thuds of "bang, bang," as though they meant to stamp the earth to pieces, every step carrying a desperate frenzy.

Changwei, Chang Bin, and Li Ye heard the clamor and kill-cries and turned deathly pale.

Bean-sized beads of sweat rolled down Changwei’s brow, sliding along his cheeks; terror and hesitation filled his eyes. Faced with this sudden turn of events, his heart was at war with itself, torn between holding to righteousness or drifting with the current.

Chang Bin clutched Li Ye’s arm tightly, his hands trembling, his voice on the verge of tears: "Husband, what are we to do? Let’s get going, quickly! We can’t afford to meddle in this mess!"

Li Ye was no less flustered, his gaze full of fear. He nodded again and again, the composure he normally showed long gone.

The three hurriedly woke the other Escort Masters, their movements light and cautious like thieves, and quietly slipped toward the gates of the manor.

Their earlier gratitude and debt to Shi Feiyang, their fervent plea to join the Heroic Sakura Association, and the vows of everlasting loyalty they had sworn—all at this moment were like fleeting clouds, flung beyond the ninth heaven, as if they had never existed at all, exposing the naked selfishness and cowardice of human nature.

Just then, the "Flying Eagle Detective" Xie Wen, the Little Scholar Shi Xiong, and the "Bamboo Blade" beauty Guo Xiangyu flew back toward Mingjian Manor as if they were Celestial Flying Immortals descending from on high. Sunlight spilled over Guo Xiangyu, tracing out a breathtaking silhouette; she was clad in fluttering white, like a fairy come down to earth, so beautiful it stole one’s breath.

From midair, Guo Xiangyu, Xie Wen, and Shi Xiong looked down, and what met their eyes was a terrifying tableau of drawn swords and taut bows, killing aura thick enough to feel.

In that instant, all three blanched. Xie Wen’s face grew grim as frost, his eyes full of worry and vigilance, as if a calamity capable of wiping out everything lay spread out before them. Even the air around him tautened with the tension of the moment; his hands clenched without his knowing, every muscle coiled, braced for the crisis rushing toward them.

Shi Xiong clenched his fists tight; on that still-youthful face, there was now nothing but resolve and determination. In his heart he swore silently that he would stake everything, fight with all he had to protect Shi Feiyang; inside that small frame seemed to surge boundless courage.

When Guo Xiangyu saw this scene, those beautiful eyes flew wide open, like two clear springs suddenly whipped into stormy waves, filled with frantic urgency and deep, aching concern.

Her heart was as though seized and twisted hard by an invisible, powerful hand; pity and anxiety rose over her like a surging tide, submerging her completely.

At this moment, only one thought circled endlessly in her mind: she had to stop this bloody slaughter. No matter what price she paid, she must keep Shi Feiyang safe. To her, Shi Feiyang was no longer merely another person, but a blazing star; from the moment he stepped into her life, he lit up her entire world, turning it suddenly rich with color.

If Shi Feiyang were to meet with misfortune, then this world, to her, would sink into eternal night, without a single ray of light; her whole world would collapse utterly.

Her hands tightened on the hem of her robe without her noticing; under the force of her grip, the cloth had already scrunched into a ball, and her fingertips blanched, as if she were clutching the last thread of hope.

Her breathing grew hurried as well, every breath carrying a tremor, as though her heart were quaking in time with those gasps. Looking at the scene below, with battle about to erupt, she felt as if her heart were hanging over a bottomless abyss, swaying and about to fall; one misstep, and she would plunge into that endless dark.

In her heart she called Shi Feiyang’s name again and again, these calls bearing all of her soul, every cry steeped in feeling. She wished more than anything that she could fly to him at once, using her frail yet steadfast body to shield him behind her.

At this moment, Guo Xiangyu was like a wounded mother beast still stubbornly guarding her mate, her whole being radiating a recklessness that feared nothing. For Shi Feiyang’s sake, she could face any danger without flinching; even if before her lay mountains of blades and seas of fire, she would plunge in without a second thought.

She, together with Xie Wen and Shi Xiong, dropped from the sky in haste, their figures like lightning as they streaked toward Shi Feiyang’s room.

At this critical juncture where the weight of the world seemed to hang on a hair, she prayed with all her heart to arrive like an angel descending, bearing light and hope, and to save this terrible crisis in the nick of time.