The assassin sneered, no longer bothering to conceal himself. "There's no need to hide anymore. According to orders from upstairs, today's mission is almost complete. Chase down that woman ahead and kill her!"
"Yes!"
A crisp chorus of agreement answered, audible even to Ye Qingcheng.
She knew perfectly well that, in this situation, escape was impossible. Thus, she stopped in her tracks, turned around, and asked, "Who sent you? Why do you want my life so badly?"
The assassins surrounded Ye Qingcheng, ignoring her question and drawing their weapons.
"Since you won't speak, a fight to the death is unavoidable," Ye Qingcheng frowned.
She still possessed some martial arts skills, but to resist these assassins would lead to only two outcomes.
One, optimistically, she could preserve her own life, but would be unable to return to the Regent's mansion to exact revenge on Xiao Wangye. Two, Ye Qingcheng could only perish with these assassins.
What should she do?
Just as Ye Qingcheng was contemplating this without a good solution, the assassins on the other side began to stir.
"Attack!" The lead assassin gave the command, and all the assassins sprang into action, lunging towards Ye Qingcheng.
At that very moment, a gust of wind swept through the surroundings, rustling the leaves on the trees with an air of mystery.
All the assassins sensed something amiss and paused for a moment, their gazes sweeping across the area. Then, as if struck by an inexplicable, powerful force, the swords and blades in their hands shattered completely.
"What's going on?"
"Why did all our weapons break?"
An atmosphere of dread permeated among the assassins.
The lead assassin frowned, viciously tossing the broken hilt of his sword to the ground and looking at Ye Qingcheng. "Even so, you won't escape."
With that, he gestured to his subordinates, "Charge! Without weapons, beat her to death with your fists!"
Before his words had fully faded, the abdomen of the assassin closest to him appeared to be struck by an invisible force, creating a deep, caved-in cavity.
Thus, the lead assassin could only watch in horror as his subordinate clutched his stomach in pain and slowly collapsed to the ground.
He was filled with terror and looked at his other subordinates, but without exception, they too had been struck down by the invisible force.
Watching them either fall unconscious or writhe in agony, he tremblingly looked at Ye Qingcheng, who was originally surrounded, "You..."
Before he could finish his question, he was struck on the temple by a fist, causing him to lose consciousness from the pain.
The wind continued to swirl leisurely, the hem of Ye Qingcheng's skirt billowing with the breeze, though its pace had slowed considerably.
She had been watching the miraculous events unfold, and in an instant, as if remembering something, she reached out as if to grasp something.
"Bixi, is that you? Bixi, did you come to save me?" she cried out, desperately hoping for an affirmative answer.
Was it him? Had he been protecting her all along, transforming into the wind to accompany her?
When she faced danger, he would appear to protect her.
But the sound of the wind gradually subsided, eventually returning to silence, without a single response.
Ye Qingcheng dejectedly lowered her eyes. She cast another glance at the assassins lying scattered around, her expression regaining its composure as she calmed herself slightly.
Xue Ji, while in the palace, was mostly isolated from the outside world.
Therefore, even though momentous changes were occurring in the capital and outside the imperial palace, she remained completely unaware until this day.
Xue Ji went to pay her respects to her mother, the Empress, and overheard servants reporting on the changes outside the palace. She sat to the side, absorbing the news about the Gu Estate and the Regent's Mansion.
She was particularly concerned about Gu Qingyuan's death, attributed to him being a cat demon. However, with so many strange and bizarre events unfolding, Xue Ji was momentarily stunned.
Dismissing the servants, the Empress turned to Xue Ji and said, "You, your judgment of people is still not accurate. How could you have agreed to a marriage with a cat demon?"
She sighed and continued, "Don't worry, this matter ends here. I will speak with your father. This engagement shall be annulled."
"Mother, your daughter..." Xue Ji moved her lips.
"There's no need to say more. You must be very frightened right now, it's best to go back and rest." The Empress patted her shoulder.
Xue Ji lowered her eyes, the face of Gu Qingyuan appearing in her mind.
No matter how she looked at it, he did not seem like a cat demon at all. There must be something peculiar about this matter! But the truth could only be known by seeing it for herself.
Therefore, Xue Ji stood up and said to the Empress, "Yes, Mother, your daughter will take her leave now."
The Empress nodded slightly, granting her permission.
Returning to her own palace, Xue Ji changed into her everyday attire. Without much preparation, she took two or three maids and hastily departed the imperial palace.
Upon arriving at the Gu Estate, Gu Pan'er, who had already heard of Princess Xue Ji's arrival, was weeping inconsolably in the mourning hall.
Xue Ji stood outside the entrance of the mourning hall, observing Gu Pan'er's sorrowful figure from behind, but a cold smile played on her lips.
She was not unaware of what kind of person Gu Pan'er was, nor was she ignorant of the relationship between Gu Pan'er and Gu Qingyuan.
How could this sister, who had never gotten along with Gu Qingyuan, now be so tearful and grief-stricken at this moment? Xue Ji was not someone easily fooled.
Xue Ji calmly walked into the mourning hall. Seeing everyone bow, she simply waved her hand, "Rise."
She looked at Gu Pan'er, whose face still bore a few lingering tears, and her lips curved slightly. "Wasn't he a cat demon? The evil cat demon is dead, why are you so sad instead of celebrating?"
"Your Highness, do you also believe my brother was a cat demon?" Gu Pan'er looked at Xue Ji.
Xue Ji did not rush to answer, dismissed the servants, and then sat down to the side, glancing at Gu Pan'er. "Your brother was certainly not a cat demon. Why did he die? Does it have anything to do with you?"
"Your Highness, are you suspecting that I caused my brother's death?" Gu Pan'er asked.
"Otherwise?" Xue Ji raised an eyebrow and retorted coldly.
Gu Pan'er forced a smile, her face contorting unnaturally. "Princess, please don't joke. How could I harm my brother? We are bound by blood. I am also very saddened by my brother's death."
Xue Ji let out a cold laugh. "You are sad? Do you think I haven't heard about your past arguments with him?"
"Those matters are merely false rumors from the marketplace. Would Your Highness believe them just by hearing them? Then I would truly be wronged." Gu Pan'er feigned a look of distress, giving Xue Ji a mournful gaze.
"Stop your acting in front of me!"
With Gu Qingyuan's death, Xue Ji's heart was already a tangled mess, impossible to sort out.