Chapter 239 -

Chapter 239: Chapter

The sun went down, and the sky turned dark. Bright paper lanterns lit up the courtyard of the Xi estate.

It was the big debut night for the young ladies. Many guests arrived in fancy carriages. Lords, ministers, and young girls in fine silk filled the yard, laughing and talking.

Near the front stage, Qianqian stood next to her mother, Duchess Lin Meiyun. She wore a pretty peach dress with silver thread. Duchess Meiyun adjusted a pearl pin in her hair as other noble ladies walked over to compliment her.

"Lady Qianqian is so pretty," one woman said. "Whoever marries her is very lucky."

Qianqian smiled politely, but her eyes kept searching the shadows near the tall stone pillars.

Standing there in his dark uniform was Dong Yi. He stood still like a stone, keeping his eyes on the crowd and acting like he didn’t see her.

Qianqian smiled secretly. She touched the small wooden medicine box in her sleeve.

He will end up with me whether he likes it or not, she thought.

Far away from the crowd, Yueqing was at the snack table.

She stood by long tables packed with sweet cakes and snacks. Lanyin and Gu Yue stood beside her, laughing behind their fans as they watched the guests.

Nine stood next to her in his human form, holding a tray of drinks like a normal servant. But inside her head, he was talking to her.

"Look at Lady Chen," Gu Yue whispered. "Her dress is so tight she can barely walk!"

Lanyin giggled. "And look at Lord Zhang! He claimed he was sick, but his face is red from wine."

Yueqing popped a sweet cake into her mouth. "Look at Minister Wang’s wife. She keeps looking at the Third Prince’s empty seat."

Master, stop eating so many sweets, Nine’s flat voice said in her head. Your husband will catch you.

Shut up, Nine, Yueqing thought back. Wenzhe is busy over there. He won’t see me.

He is walking here right now, Nine said.

Yueqing froze. She turned her head and saw Wenzhe walking straight to the snack table. He wore a heavy blue robe with gold dragons. Other ladies moved out of his way as he walked right up to his wife.

Wenzhe looked at her full cheeks. He reached out and wiped a cake crumb off her lips with his thumb, then popped it into his own mouth.

"Eating sweets again?" Wenzhe asked softly, a small smile on his face.

Yueqing turned pink and swallowed quickly. "I’m just testing the food to make sure it’s safe."

Lanyin and Gu Yue giggled, while Nine stood completely still.

Wenzhe put his strong arm around her waist and pulled her close. "Save room for dinner. My father is about to speak."

Just as Duchess Meiyun stepped up to speak, a sharp noise cut through the air.

SWOOSH!

A black arrow flew out of the dark and slammed into the wood right next to Duchess Meiyun’s head.

The crowd went silent for one second. Then everyone panicked.

"ASSASSINS!" someone screamed.

Men in black clothes dropped from the roofs with sharp swords. Guests screamed, knocking over chairs and tables as they ran for their lives. The quiet party turned into total mess.

More arrows shot down from above, flying straight at Duchess Meiyun and Qianqian.

"Mother! Qianqian!" Wenzhe roared, but three men in black jumped at him with swords.

Dong Yi saw the arrows flying toward Qianqian and moved instantly. He ran across the yard, pulled his sword, and knocked the arrows out of the air. He grabbed Qianqian by the waist and pulled her behind a heavy stone pillar.

"Stay down!" Dong Yi barked, using his own body to shield her.

At the same time, the twin brothers Yunhao and Yunchen ran toward their mother. They pulled out their daggers and stood in front of her. Yunhao hit an assassin’s sword away, while Yunchen pushed Duchess Meiyun behind a big wooden chair for safety.

"Guards, protect my mother!" Yunchen shouted angrily.

In the middle of the yard, Wenzhe fought like a beast. He grabbed a heavy sword from a fallen guard and cut down the attackers easily. Blood splashed on the stone floor as he killed four men in seconds.

"Guards! Get the guests out of here!" Wenzhe shouted above the noise.

He looked over at the snack table where Yueqing, Lanyin, and Gu Yue were trapped. "Guards! Take my wife and sisters inside now!"

Two guards ran over to move them, but Yueqing pushed them away. She kept her eyes on Wenzhe as he fought off three men at once.

"I am not leaving you!" Yueqing yelled, her heart beating fast with fear. "Wenzhe, be careful!"

Wenzhe turned briefly. He ran over, held her face with his warm, bloody hand, and kissed her hard on the forehead.

"I will be fine," he said firmly. "Now go!"

He turned back and swung his sword, blocking a sharp blade aimed at his head.

Yueqing turned to leave with Lanyin and Gu Yue. But as she moved, her eyes caught a shadow on the top roof.

A hidden assassin was holding a big bow, aiming a black arrow right at the back of Wenzhe’s head while he was busy fighting.

The killer let go of the bowstring.

TWANG!

Yueqing didn’t think. She didn’t feel any fear for herself. Her body just moved on its own.

"WENZHE!" she screamed.

She ran back and threw her body right in front of him.

THUD!

The sharp iron arrow went deep into Yueqing’s shoulder. The force knocked the breath out of her, making her fall forward against Wenzhe’s back.

Lanyin and Gu Yue saw it and screamed at the top of their lungs.

"SISTER-IN-LAW!"

Wenzhe spun around in shock, his heart freezing instantly.

Yueqing stood behind him, her face completely pale. She trembled as dark red blood quickly soaked through the front of her fine dress.

Wenzhe’s sword clattered to the stone floor as he lunged forward, catching Yueqing just before her body hit the ground. His broad hands trembled violently as he gathered her into his chest, staring at the dark red blood pouring over her pale silk dress.

"Yueqing... Yueqing, look at me!" Wenzhe choked out, his voice shaking with a terror no battlefield had ever brought out of him. His dark eyes turned terrifyingly cold, his face twisting into pure, wild rage as her eyes fluttered shut and her body went completely limp in his arms.

Before he could pull the arrow out, Nine flickered into view right beside them, his expression flat but his movements lightning-fast.

"General, keep fighting," Nine said in a sharp, robotic tone, his voice completely void of panic as he stepped between Wenzhe and an incoming assassin, blocking a sword strike with a hidden blade. "I will take the Master to safety. If you stop fighting now, everyone dies."

Without waiting for Wenzhe’s reply, Nine smoothly scooped Yueqing’s unconscious body into his arms, using his speed to dodge two more black-clothed men.

Just as Nine turned toward the inner chambers, Lu Yue rushed around the corner of the pavilion, her arms loaded with spare bandages and medical herbs she had been gathering for the banquet. The moment her eyes landed on her young mistress bleeding out in Nine’s arms, her face turned a dark, furious cayenne red.

"YOUNG MADAME!" Lu Yue screamed, dropping her wooden tray. The herbs scattered across the bloody stone floor as tears burst from her eyes. "What did you monsters do to her?!"

Losing her mind with pure fury, Lu Yue grabbed a heavy brass candleholder off a nearby table and charged recklessly at an assassin who dared step near Nine, swinging it with all the strength in her body.

"Get her inside now!" Wenzhe roared, his voice echoing like thunder across the entire courtyard.

He snatched his sword back off the ground, stepping in front of Lu Yue and Nine to cut down three attackers in one terrifying, blood-soaked swing. His eyes burned with pure vengeance as he fought like a demon possessed, clearing a path for them to get Yueqing into safety.

A thunderous roar of galloping horses and heavy iron boots echoed from the main entrance as Duke Xi charged into the courtyard, leading a massive squad of fully armored elite guards.

Hearing the chaos at the banquet from his private quarters, the old general had assembled his personal army in record time. His face was a mask of cold, terrifying fury, his eyes burning like hot coals as he drew his massive battle broadsword.

"Kill every last one of them!" Duke Xi bellowed, his deep voice shaking the very walls of the estate. "Leave no traitors alive!"

The elite Xi guards swept into the yard like an unstoppable wave of steel. They quickly surrounded the masked attackers, cutting them down one by one with ruthless military skill. The assassins, realizing they were now hopelessly outnumbered, tried to scatter toward the rooftops, but the Duke’s archers shot them straight out of the sky before they could even scale the walls.

Duke Xi cut through two black-clothed men in a single broad stroke, stepping up right beside Wenzhe. He took one look at his eldest son, whose robes were soaked in blood and whose eyes were wild with rage and instantly knew something terrible had happened.

"Wenzhe!" Duke Xi shouted above the dying screams of the assassins. "The courtyard is clear! Go to your wife!"

Wenzhe didn’t say a single word. He dropped his bloody sword onto the stone floor with a loud metallic clatter, turned on his heel, and sprinted like a madman toward the inner chambers where Nine and Lu Yue had taken Yueqing.