Ye Xi was stunned. Had the plan changed to taking her alive?
Before she could figure it out, a sharp sword aura howled towards her.
Ling Yan had forced back the person who was entangling her, then rushed to Ye Xi's side and slashed at the rope with her sword, temporarily blocking the two men lunging at Ye Xi.
But the rope was made of some unknown material and remained completely undamaged.
Ling Yan couldn't help but be taken aback.
In the blink of an eye, the two men who had been momentarily forced back by Ling Yan immediately counterattacked. With a few "swishing" sounds, Ling Yan's clothes were cut open, and hideous wounds appeared on her exposed skin.
The two black - clothed men worked in perfect tandem. They both kicked out at the same time, sending her flying.
Bright, eye - catching blood trickled down from the corner of Ling Yan's lips. Ye Xi's pupils constricted. In shock and pain, she couldn't utter a single word.
Without thinking, she scrambled up and turned to run.
As she ran, she gave an order:
"Don't follow me! Go back and find help!"
The wind whistled past her ears. Ye Xi felt as if her heart was about to jump out of her throat. It was obvious that these people wanted to capture her alive. As long as she ran fast enough and got away from Ling Yan, Sai Xing and the others, she could keep them a bit safer.
Ling Yan wasn't willing to let this happen. Gritting her teeth, she was about to rush over.
But the people she had forced back earlier surrounded her again, and even Yan Xuan and Yan Gui were unable to break free.
Only Sai Xing knew that she couldn't be of much help, so she took off running towards the prince's mansion.
All of this happened in an instant. Ye Xi's speed was far slower than that of the two highly - skilled black - clothed men. She thought she had run a long way, but in fact, it was only a few dozen zhang. The black - clothed men had already appeared behind her.
One of them threw the red rope. It flew over Ye Xi's head and then dropped down, instantly tightening around her from the front.
In the nick of time, Yi Yuan's long sword flashed with silver light as he struck at the red rope. When the sword met the rope, there was a "clang" sound like metal colliding.
The sudden and powerful force of the strike made the two assassins' palms go numb, and they instinctively stepped back.
Mian Xiao and Lin An followed closely and launched an attack.
"A Yuan!"
Ye Xi was overjoyed. She reached out and wrapped her arms around Yi Yuan's neck.
"Hold on tight."
Yi Yuan's face was terrifyingly cold. Holding his sword in one hand and wrapping the other around Ye Xi's slender waist, he leaped backward.
But just as they relaxed for a moment, another purple - clothed person, just as heavily wrapped up, suddenly appeared from behind. Quietly, the person thrust the Emei daggers straight at Yi Yuan's heart.
Sensing the killing intent from behind, Yi Yuan pushed Ye Xi away with one palm and nimbly dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding the unexpected stab.
As soon as he dodged, his long sword "swished" as he counterattacked.
But the purple - clothed person seemed to have anticipated this. The Emei daggers in their hands spun like a flower, instantly blocking Yi Yuan's sharp sword. The other hand suddenly lifted, and hidden weapons in the sleeve "whooshed" out, aiming straight at Yi Yuan's face.
Ye Xi had just steadied herself when she saw this terrifying scene. It was as if a big hand was tightly clutching her throat and heart, making her open her mouth but unable to make a sound.
In a split - second, Yi Yuan arched his back backward, almost parallel to the ground, and dodged the thick and long iron needles.
But the purple - clothed person was clearly more treacherous than expected. The iron needles were just a distraction. In fact, along with the iron needles, a cherry - sized bead was also launched. It was pierced by the iron needles, and a thin pink mist spread, giving off a faint fragrance.
Yi Yuan didn't expect the opponent to have such a poisonous move. He thought it was bad, but before he could cover his nose, the fragrance had already entered his lungs.
Fortunately, they were in an open area, and the bead was small. Only Yi Yuan, who was closest, accidentally inhaled a little of the mist. The others were not affected.
Yi Yuan felt a sudden dizziness in his head. His vision immediately blurred. His hand went weak, and he almost dropped his precious sword. He staggered and knelt on one knee.
In a fight, a split - second could determine victory or defeat.
In just the blink of an eye, the purple - clothed person's Emei dagger had "whooshed" into Yi Yuan's chest.
"A Yuan—"
Ye Xi let out a shrill cry. Her heart ached painfully. Her legs went weak, and she stumbled and ran towards him.
A look of triumph flashed in the purple - clothed person's eyes. They were about to push the Emei dagger deeper into Yi Yuan's heart to completely end his life.
But the sudden sharp pain had sobered Yi Yuan up. He tightly grasped the cold shaft of the Emei dagger, preventing it from going any deeper.
A hint of mockery flashed through his mind. The purple - clothed person moved their left hand, and an iron needle like the previous hidden weapon slid down. They grabbed it and stabbed it at Yi Yuan's neck.
"Stop!"
Ye Xi shouted desperately:
"If he dies, I'll die too!"
The purple - clothed person hesitated. They turned to look at Ye Xi and only then noticed that Ye Xi had somehow pulled out the gold hairpin from her head. The sharp tip of the hairpin had pierced her delicate skin, and bright red blood was oozing out.
Frowning tightly, the purple - clothed person sized Ye Xi up and down, as if estimating whether she was really capable of such a bold act.
Seeing the purple - clothed person's hesitation, Ye Xi pushed the hairpin in a bit deeper. The corners of her eyes were red, and her expression was determined. Her disheveled hair clung to her pale face, like the edelweiss on the top of a snow - covered mountain, which had endured the wind and snow but still bloomed proudly. Tough, stubborn, and unyielding.
"I know who you work for!"
There was a barely detectable tremor in Ye Xi's voice. The short distance between them seemed like an insurmountable chasm:
"Shen Zhou doesn't want me dead, so he ordered you to capture me alive. If I die, you won't be able to account for it and might even lose your life, right!?"
The look in the purple - clothed person's eyes was complicated. It seemed like they couldn't believe it, and yet they were truly afraid that Ye Xi would really do something.
"Let him go immediately,"
Ye Xi tightened her grip on the hairpin and took a deep breath:
"Otherwise, we'll die together. You know I can do it."
"Whether they want me alive or dead, you must have investigated me thoroughly. I dared to commit suicide when the Ye family was in trouble, and I'll do the same today!"
Seeing that the tip of Ye Xi's gold hairpin was almost buried in her flesh, the purple - clothed person finally seemed to believe Ye Xi's words and slowly put away the sharp weapon in their hand.
Taking a step back a bit farther from Yi Yuan to show their intention, the purple - clothed person pointed at Ye Xi, signaling her to put away the gold hairpin.
But Ye Xi didn't move. She still stared warily at the purple - clothed person:
"The antidote for A Yuan."
Glancing at Yi Yuan, who was struggling to stand up again, the purple - clothed person spread their hands to indicate that there was no antidote. The next moment, they were about to rush over and kidnap Ye Xi.
Yi Yuan leaped forward with all his might and instantly blocked in front of Ye Xi. He pointed his long sword straight at the purple - clothed person with unfathomable skills.
But Yi Yuan was poisoned, and he couldn't control the strength in his hand at all. The purple - clothed person simply flicked their sleeve and sent the sword flying. The other hand changed from a fist to a palm and slapped Yi Yuan hard in the center of his chest.
"Pfft—"
A sweet, fishy taste rose in Yi Yuan's throat. He couldn't hold it back and spat out a mouthful of blood.
"A Yuan!"
Ye Xi rushed forward in a hurry and supported him. Big teardrops rolled down one by one:
"A Yuan, A Yuan... Stop fighting. You go. They won't hurt me. You go..."
Grasping Ye Xi's fair hand tightly, Yi Yuan gritted his teeth and squeezed out each word:
"Unless I'm dead."