The sharp tip of the dagger grazed the face of the leading man in black, but did not cut his skin.
Yet, the chilling cold seeped into the man's entire body.
The man feigned indifference no longer. He quickly opened his eyes.
As Gu Qianying withdrew her dagger, the leader of the black-clad men, filled with fear, scrambled to his feet and knelt before her, begging for mercy. "My lord, spare my life."
Gu Qianying stepped forward, bending at the waist, and smiled at the leader of the black-clad men.
"Spare you? That's possible. Just tell me who sent you, and I'll let you go. How about that?"
Gu Qianying played with the sharp dagger in her hand. Her smile was like a poisoned poppy, beautiful and blinding.
The leader of the black-clad men trembled, lowering his gaze, daring not to meet Gu Qianying's icy eyes.
"This... this..."
The leader of the black-clad men seemed hesitant.
"It seems you don't want to speak. Then die!"
The dagger spun in Gu Qianying's hand as she gripped it.
With a swift movement, she brought the blade down.
The leader of the black-clad men's right ear was severed by her blade.
Crimson blood splattered from the leader of the black-clad men's face.
Clutching his bleeding ear, the leader of the black-clad men cried out in agony as he knelt on the ground.
The onlookers were all startled.
"Speak or not? If you still refuse, your other ear won't be spared."
Gu Qianying looked down at the leader of the black-clad men.
Her voice was even colder than before.
"It... it was... the Princess of the County of Guo... it was her..."
Before the leader of the black-clad men could finish his words, a sleeve dart suddenly shot towards him.
Gu Qianying's cold eyes narrowed. She quickly moved forward, intending to pull the leader of the black-clad men and dodge the incoming sleeve dart.
Alas... she was still a step too late.
A sleeve dart pierced the leader of the black-clad men's heart, killing him instantly.
The leader of the black-clad men's eyes widened in terror as he stared ahead.
His raised hand had not yet touched the sleeve dart lodged in his chest.
He toppled over, falling to the ground in a contorted posture.
His blood flowed profusely.
Gu Qianying stood frozen, looking at the silenced leader of the black-clad men.
She frowned and followed the direction of the leader of the black-clad men's gaze.
The crowd nearby was dense, making it impossible to spot any suspicious figures.
She withdrew her gaze and fell into deep thought.
The Princess of the County of Guo?
Nangong Cong's wife?
Could this be Nangong Cong's doing?
But if it were truly Nangong Cong's doing, then the intended target of these people should have been her. Why would they have insisted on killing Luo Mu Chen?
This point, she could not comprehend.
No, she was wearing men's clothing, and her appearance had been slightly altered.
She had also participated in the medical competition under the identity of "Duan Xifeng."
Logically, no one should have known her true identity.
Therefore, the target of these black-clad assassins was not her, but indeed Luo Mu Chen!
It seemed she needed to send someone to investigate this Princess of the County of Guo!
At this moment, Luo Mu Chen stood to the side, looking at the pools of blood. It was as if they had appeared in his mind before.
It gave him a sudden sense of familiarity.
He turned his head to look at Gu Qianying, who was playing with the blood-stained dagger, lost in thought.
He froze.
From his perspective, he could only see Gu Qianying's profile.
Although it was a disguised face, the underlying sense of familiarity grew stronger in his heart.
Her tone, the smile that appeared at the corner of her lips when she threatened others.
The bits and pieces of their interactions these past few days.
It all felt like déjà vu.
The words "Reincarnation Tribulation" once again appeared in his mind.
Luo Mu Chen frowned and clutched his head with both hands.
Pain surged.
His face turned somewhat pale, and his legs faltered. Just as he was about to collapse,
a pair of jade hands suddenly supported him.
"What's wrong? Are you feeling unwell anywhere?"
As Gu Qianying supported Luo Mu Chen's arm, she also took his pulse.
His pulse was steady, and his body was unharmed.
Precisely because of this, she found it somewhat strange.
A healthy person suddenly collapsing.
Gu Qianying looked up at the scorching sun.
She immediately found a reason for Luo Mu Chen's impending faint.
Perhaps it was the heat!
She spotted her subordinate, Jiao Long A Mu, hidden among the crowd.
She exchanged a glance with A Mu and, with a smile, silently mouthed the word "umbrella."
Jiao Long A Mu understood immediately. He borrowed an umbrella from someone nearby and, with a skillful flick, threw it towards Gu Qianying.
Gu Qianying caught the umbrella, turned, and opened it, shielding Luo Mu Chen from the sun.
"Do you feel any better?"
Seeing Luo Mu Chen's complexion improve slightly.
Gu Qianying asked.
So frail and delicate, she wondered how Luo Mu Chen had managed all these years.
"Thank you."
The headache seemed to have lessened considerably, and the words "Reincarnation Tribulation" in his mind gradually faded.
He realized he had unconsciously gripped Gu Qianying's hand.
Luo Mu Chen quickly let go and maintained a small distance from her.
Seeing Luo Mu Chen deliberately move away from her.
Gu Qianying curled her lips, stepped forward, and said with a smile, in a voice only they could hear, "What? You touched my hand, we've had 'skin contact,' and now you're distancing yourself from me? Are you not going to take responsibility?"
"I... I didn't... mean to..."
Luo Mu Chen's face instantly flushed like an apple.
Due to a slight shyness, Luo Mu Chen's words were fragmented.
Even he himself hadn't noticed that in front of this woman, Gu Qianying, he would become so flustered and blush so easily.
"Hahaha..."
"Alright, I won't tease you anymore. Although the assassins who tried to kill you are dead, there might still be assassins who haven't appeared yet, hiding along the road, preparing for the next wave of attacks. Let's go, I'll escort you home today."
Luo Mu Chen did not know martial arts, so to be safe, she should escort him all the way.
"Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary."
Luo Mu Chen refused her offer.
Gu Qianying raised an eyebrow. "What? Are you really afraid I'll eat you?"
"..."
Luo Mu Chen was momentarily speechless.
It was improper for a woman to escort him back to his residence.
At this moment, a small head popped up.
"Daddy Luo, let Mommy..." Little Yi Hao, who had arrived beside Gu Qianying unnoticed, looked up at Gu Qianying's attire and immediately corrected himself, "Let Daddy escort you back. Daddy is very powerful, he can protect you."
After speaking, Little Yi Hao walked up to Luo Mu Chen and tugged at his sleeve, as if acting spoiled.
Looking at Little Yi Hao's clear and innocent eyes, Luo Mu Chen smiled and gently ruffled his hair.
"Alright then."
"That's great! Let's go quickly."
Little Yi Hao grabbed Luo Mu Chen's hand, and with his other hand, he simultaneously held Gu Qianying's hand.
Little Yi Hao was very happy along the way.
Before leaving, Gu Qianying scanned the crowd. Jiao Long A Mu was still waiting among them.
Gu Qianying gave him a look and silently mouthed a command.
Jiao Long A Mu understood immediately and followed the order.
As the crowd dispersed, A Mu, along with several others, secretly disposed of the dead assassins. They found a "tiger head" emblem on each of them.
Based on this "tiger head" emblem, Jiao Long A Mu and his men went to investigate the true identities of these black-clad assassins, hoping to follow the clues and find the real master behind them.
On the other side.
Gu Qianying, Luo Mu Chen, and Little Yi Hao traveled together in the same carriage.
Before returning to Luo Mansion, Gu Qianying took Little Yi Hao to a shop selling adult clothing.
When they emerged again, Gu Qianying had changed out of her women's attire...