Yi Zhici wasn't much good at martial arts, but her light - foot technique was decent. So for a while, she managed to keep the assassins at bay.
However, as time wore on, her strength began to wane. The whooshing sounds of swords and knives behind her grew closer and closer. Yi Zhici gritted her teeth. Just as she was about to jump off the cliff to find a way out,
A scream came from behind.
Yi Zhici quickly glanced back. One look was all it took for her to calm down completely. She stopped in her tracks.
Lin Yuan's figure was elegant. His swordplay was as smooth as flowing clouds and running water, like a war god descending from the nine heavens. Every move was swift and decisive.
In a few moments, he took care of the group of assassins.
The last time Lin Yuan had a competition with Li Ye, she had been interrupted by Wei Xing and didn't see a thing. And when he dealt with Qin Zhikou, it happened so quickly that Yi Zhici was too angry about Qin Zhikou's provocation of Lin Yuan to notice clearly.
This time, she saw it all, and she was completely stunned.
When Lin Yuan walked towards her, Yi Zhici was still in a daze. Finally, she blurted out, "General, didn't you sprain your ankle?"
Lin Yuan replied expressionlessly, "It's better."
Yi Zhici could only sigh inwardly. Sure enough, those who grew up in the southern border had amazing self - healing abilities. It was even better than her toughest junior brother!
She silently followed Lin Yuan back. Yi Zhici felt something was off. Usually, Lin Yuan would ask things like "Are you okay, Princess?" or "How are you, Princess?" But today, he didn't say a single word to her.
Was he angry?
Only then did she belatedly realize that Lin Yuan used to care about her quite a bit. She just cared too much about the person he liked and ignored these things...
Yi Zhici turned to look at Lin Yuan. "General, your martial arts are really good."
Lin Yuan grunted in response.
Yi Zhici continued, "General, are you angry?"
Lin Yuan said, "No."
Yi Zhici didn't give up. "General, thank you for coming in time. But actually, I could have found a way to get out..."
"So, if I hadn't come, Your Highness would have risked your life to lead those assassins away?" His voice carried anger, but he still managed to control it.
The tone startled Yi Zhici. She couldn't help but feel a bit wronged. "But if the assassins killed the Princess of the Northwest, wouldn't Fangu have a reason to send troops?"
"So the price of not letting them kill the Princess of the Northwest is to sacrifice you?"
Yi Zhici was stunned.
Lin Yuan closed his eyes and took a deep breath to calm himself. "Princess, in the future, if you encounter such a situation again, don't bear it alone, okay? Even if... even if you have your own considerations, at least keep yourself safe first, okay?"
Yi Zhici's eyes turned red. She felt a bit wronged, but more than that, she felt warm, a warmth that came from the bottom of her heart. She suddenly had the illusion of being cherished.
"Okay." Yi Zhici showed a big, sweet smile, her eyes curving like a crescent moon.
On the way back, the wind was quite strong. Yi Zhici shivered and shrank her body.
Lin Yuan noticed and took off his outer robe, draping it over Yi Zhici. "Forgive my rudeness, Princess."
The corners of Yi Zhici's mouth secretly lifted. She said in a soft, contradictory voice, "Humph, such a prude."
When they returned to the wrecked carriage, most of the people had been found. When they saw Yi Zhici return in a bit of a mess, wearing Lin Yuan's outer robe, their expressions were rather subtle.
Wei Xing: "Oh, my."
Wu Ya: "Haha."
Gu Jing: "Wife, look!" Then he was covered by Wei Ning's hand.
Hou Chen: "???"
Yan Sijin: "?!?"
Ye Cong'an: "What happened? What's going on now?"
Seeing Zhong Qing standing safely beside, Yi Zhici was very calm. She ignored these reactions. "Are the Crown Prince and Princess of the Northwest okay? Has someone been sent to report to the Emperor?"
Yan Sijin said, "They're all okay. Just some people were injured."
"It seems the attack was aimed at the Crown Prince and Princess of the Northwest."
Wei Xing wondered, "I thought Fangu doted on them. Why is their Emperor so cruel that he would even harm his own children?"
Lin Yuan said, "The attacker may not be from Fangu, but from Xinyi."
Yi Zhici nodded. "Right. Xinyi has conflicts with us. If Fangu and Guyue go to war, Xinyi will be the one to reap the benefits."
Yan Sijin said, "We should report to the Emperor first. Increasing the security is the most important thing."
At this time, Qin Zhikou, the Crown Prince of the Northwest, and Qin Yin, the Princess of the Northwest, walked over. Both looked complicated. "Thank you."
Yi Zhici still had some complaints about Qin Zhikou's arrogance before, so her tone wasn't very kind. "It's not to protect you. It's to prevent war for our Guyue."
She emphasized the words "our Guyue" especially.
Qin Zhikou's face turned a bit pale.
Seeing Qin Zhikou like this, Yi Zhici felt her words were too harsh. She softened her tone. "Since you know, protect yourselves well. Don't give villains a chance."
Qin Zhikou quickly nodded. "I'll remember."
This time, Yi Zhici magnanimously nodded, while Lin Yuan frowned as if he was quite disgusted.
Princess Qingping probably knew that everyone didn't like her, especially since the assassins were suspected to be from Xinyi. So she stayed in the carriage obediently and didn't get off.
Gu Jing said, "I've already sent someone to report to the Emperor. But the carriages are all destroyed. Now we have to go to the nearby town to rest. I need someone to go with me to buy new carriages. Chongjin—"
Lin Yuan immediately interrupted. "Your Highness, I sprained my ankle."
Gu Jing: "..." Do you think I'm blind and can't see you rushing to find Yi Zhici?
Yi Zhici: "???" Didn't you say it was better?
Gu Jing grinned and changed his target. "Well... Prince Hou?"
Lin Yuan said complacently, "Then thank you, Prince Hou."
Hou Chen sneered twice. "I hope the General really sprained his ankle and doesn't run around." He gritted his teeth and emphasized the last few words.
Lin Yuan tilted his head and偷偷 glanced at Yi Zhici. "Yes, I should stay put."
Hou Chen: "Hehe."