"Who?"
Gu Qianying smiled, but said nothing.
Just then, hoofbeats sounded again.
Everyone turned to look in the direction of the sound.
A woman in white, riding a horse, galloped towards them. Before her horse had stopped, she lightly leaped from its back, landing before Gu Qianying. She knelt on one knee, cupped her hands, and said, "Miss, your servant is late. I beg Miss for forgiveness."
Seeing this person, Gu Qianying immediately helped her up. "You're not late."
The woman, helped to her feet, looked up, revealing a face with unhealed wounds from a knife slash. Gu Qianying tenderly touched her face. "Lu Zhu, I sent you medicine for these wounds. Why haven't they faded yet?"
Lu Zhu smiled faintly, seemingly unconcerned about her face. "Thank you for your concern, Miss. Your servant found the powder troublesome to use, so I didn't apply it. It doesn't matter what this face looks like."
Hearing Lu Zhu's words, Gu Qianying felt great pity.
Only after experiencing sorrow does one learn to mature, and the price of this maturity is a pain that others cannot fathom. Such indifference implies that the experiences endured must be unforgettable for a lifetime.
After chatting with Lu Zhu for a while, Gu Qianying turned to Duan Xifeng and the others. "Everyone, let's set off!"
With her words, she walked to where the horses were tethered, mounted hers,
And the others followed suit.
As the sun set, outside the city, at a three-way intersection, the handsome man and beautiful woman made for the most pleasing sight.
Suddenly, a figure, using qinggong, leaped towards them. Holding a folding fan, he moved directly towards Gu Qianying.
"Gu Qianying, I'll kill you!"
The sudden turn of events stunned everyone. Lu Zhu, who was following behind Gu Qianying, wanted to intervene, but it was too late. She jumped off her horse, but the attacker had already reached Gu Qianying.
Among the four people accompanying Gu Qianying, Gu Yefeng was the first to act. He leaped from his horse, drew his sword, and instantly engaged the attacker in a fight.
Among the other three, Du Chun frowned upon seeing the attacker's appearance. He took a poisoned flying dart from his treasure chest, then put it back.
This person could not be killed!
As for the other two, Gu Yi wanted to protect Gu Qianying, but he knew he was just a bookish scholar with no strength. Even if he wanted to stand up for Gu Qianying, he was powerless. For now, it was best to protect himself. Thus, he quickly took out the soft armor that Gu Qianying had specifically sent him and put it on.
Beside him, Duan Xifeng glanced at him and scoffed, "Useless." With that, he tightened his reins. Instead of dismounting, he became a spectator, shouting, "Yes, fight! Hurry up and fight! Beat him to death! How dare he try to kill our little Ying! Lord Yang, hurry and beat him to death!"
Gu Yefeng, disguised as Lord Yang, showed no mercy to the attacker. The two fought fiercely, one wielding a sword, the other a folding fan. The edges of the fan revealed several incredibly sharp hidden blades. Nearby, fallen leaves swirled up, and several trees toppled.
Bang!
During the fight, Gu Yefeng's movements were swift. The attacker was wounded in the shoulder, and he retreated several steps, clutching his shoulder.
Under Gu Yefeng's palm force, the long sword, spinning in the air, aimed directly for the attacker's forehead.
At this moment, Du Chun, who had not moved, could not bear to watch. At this critical juncture, he stepped onto his horse and leaped towards the attacker. "Be careful!"
However, before he could get close, someone was already one step ahead of him.
Gu Qianying grasped the tip of the sword with one hand. Bright red blood spread across her palm. She flicked it away, and the long sword fell to the ground.
"Qianying!"
Gu Yefeng called out to her. Seeing the blood dripping from her palm, he was filled with concern.
Gu Yi and Du Chun were also concerned. Gu Yi quickly dismounted and ran towards Gu Qianying.
Du Chun was closest to Gu Qianying. Without thinking, he tore a strip of cloth from his sleeve and moved to bandage Gu Qianying's wound. At this moment, Lu Zhu, standing nearby, quickly stepped forward, blocking Du Chun, and applied a simple bandage to Gu Qianying's wound herself.
Du Chun's gaze dimmed, but he didn't seem to mind.
The man standing behind Gu Qianying watched as so many men showed concern for Gu Qianying, and among them was Du Chun. He was already angry, and now he was even more furious. "Gu Qianying, you shameless woman! You were so cruel to Ninth Imperial Uncle that you almost angered him to death, yet you are here flirting with other men. You are truly detestable! Today, even if I die, I will kill you!"
The man behind her, unwilling to stop, ignored his own sword wound. He opened his perfumed fan, revealing its sharp hidden blades, and attacked Gu Qianying again!
"Nangong Li!"
This time, Du Chun was furious. He could not stand by and watch Nangong Li injure Gu Qianying a second time.
He moved swiftly, shielding Gu Qianying behind him.
Gu Qianying glanced at Lu Zhu. "Lu Zhu!"
With just one word, Lu Zhu understood Gu Qianying's intention.
Holding her sword, she stepped forward and exchanged a few blows with Nangong Li. After defeating him, she placed her long sword at Nangong Li's throat.
Lu Zhu snatched Nangong Li's perfumed fan. Unable to resist, he roared, "Gu Qianying, if you have the guts, kill this prince! Otherwise, I will surely kill you and avenge Ninth Imperial Uncle!"
"If that's the case, then killing you directly would be even better. Lu Zhu, act!"
Gu Qianying glanced at Nangong Li and commanded Lu Zhu.
Beside them, Gu Yefeng felt that this was how it should be. Gu Yi, afraid of seeing blood, quickly closed his eyes. On the other side, Duan Xifeng, still sitting on his horse watching the spectacle, cheered, "Killing him is good! Kill him quickly!"
At this moment, Du Chun, still standing in front of Gu Qianying, protecting her, quickly called out to stop them, "Hold your hand!"
Gu Qianying walked around him and smiled at him, saying nothing.
"Ugh!"
At Gu Qianying's signal, Lu Zhu retracted her sword, turned the hilt, and swung it, striking the back of Nangong Li's head with practiced ease.
Nangong Li tilted and fell to the ground, unconscious.
Seeing this, Du Chun felt a wave of relief.
Fortunately, Nangong Li was unharmed and alive.
However, Gu Qianying's next words made him frown.
"Tie him up and bring him along."
"Miss Gu, why are you bringing him?" Du Chun, unable to understand, asked.
Gu Qianying looked at Du Chun. Since she considered him a friend, she treated him with sincerity. "Crown Prince Nangong Qi already harbors murderous intent towards him. If he remains in the imperial city, it will be perilous, and he will become a burden to Nangong Mo. It is better to keep him by our side. Firstly, it will allow him to gain experience. Secondly, he is, after all, the Emperor's own son. With him in our hands, even if the Emperor continues to send people to kill me, he will have to think twice. Thus, it is killing two birds with one stone."
Gu Qianying paused when she mentioned Nangong Mo's name. Du Chun looked at her, wanting to ask some questions, but in the end, he did not. He merely opened his mouth and said nothing more.
The six travelers were now joined by one more.
Along the way, everyone found it troublesome to drag along a knocked-out person. In the end, it was Duan Xifeng, who had been watching the show, who kindly brought the bound Nangong Li to the front, sharing a horse with him.
Naturally, Duan Xifeng sat while Nangong Li lay prone. After Duan Xifeng had plundered all his valuables, he threw Nangong Li to Gu Yi.
Gu Yi, being a weak scholar, dared not argue with Duan Xifeng, who had martial arts skills.
Thus, Gu Yi was left to escort Nangong Li along with the others for the rest of the journey.
Along the way, Nangong Li woke up twice, but each time he woke up, Gu Yi knocked him out with thick books.
Just as everyone left the place, a red figure appeared, following their receding backs.
"National Preceptor, the Ninth Princess Consort has abducted the Sixth Prince. Should we report this to His Majesty?"
The charming eyes suddenly looked at his subordinate. The subordinate, feeling the suffocating chill from above, quickly knelt on one knee and begged for forgiveness. "This subordinate deserves death. I beg my master for forgiveness."
Ouyang Qinglin said nothing. He turned his gaze back to the receding figures. After a moment, he smiled, a truly charming smile. "The Sixth Prince was captured? Why didn't this National Preceptor see him?"
His words clearly indicated Ouyang Qinglin's attitude towards the matter.
"National Preceptor, please forgive me. Perhaps this subordinate mistook someone."