Chapter 277 Unhinged Couple 37

Chapter 277: Chapter 273: Unhinged Couple 37

Three waves of people came to the house over the course of the night.

After Ji Xiaosong had driven them all out, Wu Daniu returned, cloaked in the morning light.

He was covered in blood when he arrived home.

Ji Xiaosong was sitting in the main hall. Everyone else in the family was fast asleep in their own rooms.

When Wu Daniu saw Ji Xiaosong sitting upright in the main hall and the bodies littered across the courtyard, a flicker of surprise showed in his eyes.

"Daughter-in-law, we had this many intruders?"

"Yes. While Father was out rescuing the people, our home faced a crisis of its own. Fortunately, the guards are all highly skilled in martial arts, and they defeated all of the intruders."

Ji Xiaosong spoke with a casual air, as if the previous night’s attack was a trivial matter not worth mentioning.

Ji Xiaosong understood why Wu Daniu had chosen to help the people outside instead of his own family.

It was just like when he had given her—a village girl who had suddenly appeared on his doorstep—a fair chance.

That was just the kind of man he was.

"Did you manage to get any leads from them?"

Wu Daniu was very pleased with the guards. He knew it—the old soldiers he had brought with him were as formidable as ever.

Ji Xiaosong had no intention of correcting his misunderstanding.

It was best to let him think what he wanted.

"The first wave of assassins claimed they were from Black Wind Village, outside the city. They said they wanted to take advantage of the chaos to rob us and leave no witnesses. But based on their attire, I don’t think they were."

Wu Daniu didn’t answer. Instead, he crouched down to carefully examine the bodies on the ground.

He pulled back the collar of one of the men and found a small insignia embroidered on the inner lining. Though it was stained and blurred with blood, he could still make out its general shape.

His brow furrowed, and his expression grew increasingly grim.

"These men... are not bandits from Black Wind Village," Wu Daniu said, his voice heavy as he stood up.

A flash of understanding crossed Ji Xiaosong’s eyes. She didn’t press, only asking softly, "Father, what have you discovered?"

Wu Daniu pointed to the insignia on the corpse’s collar. "This is a special military mark," he said in a low voice. "Only the regular army uses it. And look at their weapons and armor. They’ve been deliberately made to look old, but the craftsmanship is superb. This isn’t equipment ordinary bandits could ever possess."

He paused before continuing, "More importantly, their hands are covered in thick calluses, especially on their palms and the webbing between their thumbs and index fingers. Those are the marks of years spent training with swords. The bandits of Black Wind Village might be vicious, but there’s no way their training would be this uniform."

Ji Xiaosong nodded, following his logic. "Father, are you saying these men are soldiers disguised as bandits?"

Wu Daniu took a deep breath, a cold glint in his eyes.

"Exactly. They’re not ordinary soldiers, but rigorously trained elites. It seems this chaos was no accident. Someone orchestrated it."

Ji Xiaosong fell silent for a moment before asking in a low voice, "Father, who do you think... is pulling the strings?"

Wu Daniu didn’t answer right away. He paced a few steps in the courtyard, his hands clasped behind his back and his brow deeply furrowed.

After a moment, he spoke slowly. "To mobilize such elite soldiers on short notice and have them pose as bandits to create chaos... I’m afraid only certain powerful figures in the court would be capable of that."

His voice grew heavy as he added, "And their target isn’t just the people. I’m afraid it’s our Wu Family as well."

A cold glint flashed in Ji Xiaosong’s eyes. "Father," she said softly, "are you saying someone is using this chaos as a cover to move against the Wu Family?"

Wu Daniu nodded, his tone firm. "That’s right. I may have been stripped of my post, but it happened so abruptly that many people don’t believe it’s true. They still think the Wu Family commands the army. And those people, I suspect, have always been wary of us."

Ji Xiaosong gave a slight nod. It was all clear to her now.

She had suspected from the beginning that this was no simple bandit raid, but a much deeper conspiracy.

She simply hadn’t expected them to be so brazen as to deploy the military.

"Father, what should we do now?" Ji Xiaosong asked.

Wu Daniu pondered for a moment before saying in a low voice, "Let’s not alert them yet. I’ll secretly investigate the origins of these soldiers and find out who sent them. As for the household... Daughter-in-law, I’ll have to rely on you to manage things."

Ji Xiaosong smiled, her voice calm but confident.

"Don’t worry, Father. With me here, I won’t give anyone another opportunity to strike."

Wu Daniu looked at her, a hint of relief in his eyes.

"I do feel at ease with you here. But you must be careful. Since they dared to make a move on us, they won’t give up easily."

Ji Xiaosong nodded. "I understand."

Wu Daniu sighed and looked up at the sky. Morning light now bathed the land, but the atmosphere within the estate remained heavy.

He turned to Ji Xiaosong and said, "You should go rest. You’ve been up all night; you must be exhausted. I’m going to check on the others, especially your Aunt Wang. She’s easily frightened and must be terrified."

Ji Xiaosong murmured her assent and watched Wu Daniu leave.

She stood where she was, her gaze sweeping over the bodies in the courtyard, a cold glint in her eyes.

Ji Dan approached her. "Miss Ji, shall I have the servants come and clean this up now?"

"How do you plan to dispose of them?"

"Burn them to ashes, of course."

"Wait. Move them to the stables for now. We’ll dispose of them after Wu Chufeng returns and has a look."

"Yes, Miss Ji."

For the next several days, Wu Chufeng did not return.

Although Ji Xiaosong felt a faint sense of unease, she remained calm and composed on the surface.

She handled the estate’s daily affairs as usual, arranged for the guards to increase their patrols, and secretly used her Divine Sense to monitor for any activity around the residence.

She no longer delayed dealing with the bodies hidden in the stables, instead instructing Ji Dan to dispose of them.

"Ji Dan, go and burn those bodies."

Ji Xiaosong stood in the courtyard, her voice calm as she glanced dispassionately in the direction of the stables.

Ji Dan nodded in acknowledgment. He then led several guards to carry the bodies out and burn them in a secluded spot on the hill behind the estate.

Flames shot toward the sky and black smoke billowed upward, soon reducing the bodies to Ashes.

Ji Xiaosong stood in the distance, quietly watching it all unfold.

Her expression was placid, but a hint of coldness showed in her eyes.

She knew that the secrets these bodies held would not simply vanish with them.

Since her enemies had dared to move against the Wu Family, they surely had other moves planned.

However, on the morning of the fifth day, the heavy tolling of a bell suddenly echoed from the distance, shattering the estate’s tranquility.

DONG—DONG—DONG—

The sound was long and heavy, seeming to carry an endless sorrow as it echoed across the entire Capital City.

Standing in the courtyard, Ji Xiaosong looked up in the direction of the bells, her brow slightly furrowed.

Her Divine Sense spread out rapidly, and she felt the atmosphere of the entire Capital City turn solemn and oppressive.

"Is that... the bell for national mourning?" she murmured, a suspicion forming in her mind.

And indeed, it wasn’t long before the servants of the estate came running out, their faces etched with panic and unease.

Old Li rushed over to Ji Xiaosong, his voice trembling. "Miss, the bell for national mourning is ringing! They’re saying... they’re saying His Majesty has passed away!"