The attack came out of nowhere. Swords and knives clashed abruptly, sending the nearby crowd into a panicked frenzy, with people scattering in every direction.
Hidden among the civilians, the royal guards immediately revealed themselves, forming a protective circle around Xiao Muchen. Meanwhile, in a blink, Duan Mingxi darted toward the other side like a slippery fish.
“Protect Lady Duan!” Xiao Muchen ordered immediately.
Half of the guards split off to pursue her. Liu Yan, trying to follow, was held back by Xiao Yan, who clung to his sleeve. “What do you think you’re doing? Offering yourself as a target?”
Though she wasn’t wrong, her bluntness stung.
Under Xiao Muchen’s icy glare, Liu Yan hesitated, his impulsive heroics fading as he anxiously watched the other side. “There are already so many guards. Why did Duan Mingxi rush over? It’s too dangerous.”
Xiao Yan shared his concern but reassured him, “She saved your life before, didn’t she? I’m sure she knows what she’s doing.”
Liu Yan fell silent.
As the two bickered, Xiao Muchen’s figure disappeared with a flash, heading out.
At this time, Duan Mingxi observed Qi He and the guards engaging the assassins head-on. Without hesitation, she leaped through a window.
The moment she landed, a flash of steel shot toward her face. She arched backward just in time, narrowly dodging the strike, her left hand grabbing a nearby pillar for leverage as her foot lashed out at her attacker.
In an instant, the two clashed fiercely. The assassin’s long blade gleamed menacingly, its edge grazing her cheek, sending a chill down her spine. Mingxi retaliated, driving her elbow toward his chest, but the assailant blocked. Seizing the moment, she shifted her weight and delivered a powerful kick to his side.
Thud!
The man slammed into a pillar, clearly caught off guard by her feint.
Mingxi immediately closed the distance, pinning him down with a forceful stomp to his chest. The assassin struggled, but she pressed harder, eliciting a sharp crack and a sheen of cold sweat on his brow.
“Who sent you? What’s your purpose?” she demanded.
The assassin merely sneered before his body went limp, eyes glazing over.
Startled, Duan Mingxi pulled off his mask, revealing a faint red foam at the corners of his mouth. A death warrior.
She quickly made her way out of the building. As she pushed open an inner door, she spotted Qi He and his men chasing down the remaining assassins. One sprinted toward her, and she instinctively kicked him away.
Qi He: …
Feigning nonchalance, Duan Mingxi retracted her leg and averted her gaze.
Xiao Muchen, noticing her, immediately approached. Before she could say anything, his expression darkened. Sensing danger, she reflexively parried a sudden attack, their blades clashing with a metallic ring.
Spinning on her heel, Duan Mingxi brought her weapon down toward the assailant’s chest while kicking him squarely in the ribs, all in one fluid motion. At the same time, she flipped backward to evade his blade’s glinting arc.
By then, Xiao Muchen had reached her side, his arm steadying her waist. Stepping forward, he stomped the assassin into submission.
Duan Mingxi couldn’t help but notice how familiar that move looked.
Qi He had nearly broken out in a cold sweat earlier. If the young lady had been injured, he wouldn’t be able to look at Wangye.
Now, Qi He was truly enraged. His waist-mounted blade swung with the ferocity of a storm, slashing through his opponents with deadly precision. Where he had initially considered leaving someone alive, he no longer held back. Wherever his blade struck, blood splattered.
Duan Mingxi: …
Impressive.
Duan Mingxi paid no mind to Qi He and turned to Xiao Muchen, saying, “Dislocate his jaw!”
Xiao Muchen froze for a moment but quickly complied, stepping forward to dislocate the assailant’s jaw. He then turned back to Mingxi for further instructions.
Mingxi gestured to the long blade in her hand and said, “There was one inside earlier. Dead.”
Xiao Muchen understood, his lips tightening as he glanced at the blade in her hand. A flicker of hostility crossed his eyes.
The assassin whose jaw had been dislocated showed a look of despair, his eyes filled with venom as he glared at Mingxi.
Unfazed, Mingxi turned away.
At that moment, a guard arrived with a bundle of ropes. In just a few swift motions, the assassin was securely bound and dragged off.
Watching the guard’s efficient handling, Mingxi raised her eyebrows slightly and glanced at Xiao Muchen.
It seemed this wasn’t his first time encountering an assassination attempt.
“Are you hurt?”
Duan Mingxi shook her head. “I’m fine.”
As she watched Qi He and the others clean up the scene quickly and effectively, she was impressed by their competence but didn’t comment further.
“Come with me. Let’s get out of here,” Xiao Muchen said, frowning.
Duan Mingxi nodded and followed him toward the exit. They had only taken a few steps when someone shouted, “Fire!”
Mingxi remembered the grand fire she hadn’t witnessed herself during Gao Zhan’s wedding. Now, she was experiencing another blazing spectacle.
Before they could escape, flames surged up almost instantly, accompanied by thick black smoke that began to engulf their surroundings.
The sight of the fire made Mingxi momentarily dazed, bringing back the memory of the fire she had personally set.
That blaze had been even more intense than this one.
“What are you spacing out for? Run!”
Xiao Muchen’s hand gripped hers tightly. Qi He led the way ahead with his blade, clearing the path. Even Miao Sheng, a mere eunuch, was shielding them, kicking aside falling debris.
The short distance of a few dozen feet felt unusually arduous because of the raging fire.
Xiao Muchen held onto Mingxi’s hand the entire time, his palm slick with sweat.
She wanted to tell him, let go. I can run faster on my own.
However, just as she opened her mouth, the words she intended to say never made it out.
Duan Mingxi raised her right hand, gripping her blade. With a swift motion, she slashed through the falling debris threatening to crush Xiao Muchen.
Xiao Muchen didn’t look back, holding tightly onto her hand as he led her through the blazing inferno at full speed.
Shouts echoed all around—screams, calls for help, and the chaos of fire spreading everywhere. Beyond the walls of flame, panicked citizens fled in every direction.
Once, she had willingly remained in the heart of such a blaze, letting herself vanish amidst the smoke and ashes.
But this time, there was a hand that held hers firmly, refusing to let go.
As they sprinted through the inferno and emerged onto the street, the sight of raging flames everywhere blurred her vision for a brief moment. She instinctively stepped back.
In that instant, her peripheral vision caught a glimmer of silver slicing through the firelight, aimed directly at Xiao Muchen.
Without hesitation, Duan Mingxi pulled him sharply backward. Xiao Muchen staggered a step just as a long spear struck the ground where he had been standing, leaving a deep pit.
The black-clad assailant, undeterred by the missed strike, launched a relentless assault, each move aimed to kill.
This opponent was far more formidable than the ones they had encountered in the courtyard—faster and stronger. The force of their blows nearly disarmed Mingxi, her wrist beginning to throb with pain.
“Xixi!” Xiao Muchen’s expression darkened in concern.
As the attacker thrust their spear once more, Xiao Muchen grabbed the shaft with one hand, halting its momentum through sheer strength.
Duan Mingxi seized the opportunity to kick the attacker’s knee twice in rapid succession, forcing them to kneel with a pained groan.
Xiao Muchen followed up with a chop to the neck, knocking the assailant unconscious.
