Xue Xingyue stepped forward to check the breathing of the man in black and delivered a fatal blow with her sword.
She searched the man in black's body but found no clues.
Suddenly, she felt a gaze and instinctively let the dagger hidden in her sleeve slide into her palm, ready to strike.
At that moment, the sound of horse hooves and a familiar voice echoed from not far away.
“Xingyue…”
Imperial Brother? Xue Xingyue retracted her dagger, cast a cold glance at the bushes, then stood up and looked towards the source of the sound.
Leading the way was Feng Wu, galloping on horseback, with Imperial Brother behind her.
She hadn't expected Imperial Brother to come as well?
“Imperial Brother, why are you here?”
Xue Xingchen dismounted and came before her, examining her from head to toe. Seeing that she was unharmed, he finally felt relieved. “I heard Feng Wu calling for a doctor, and I was very worried about Xingyue, so I followed.”
Xue Xingyue cast a cold glance at Feng Wu, who quickly lowered her head, not daring to meet her master's gaze.
However, Feng Wu did not regret her actions. Jiang Xiuyi's presence in the most secluded part of the hunting grounds was already suspicious. Furthermore, Jiang Xiuyi was now under Consort An. It was possible that Consort An intended to harm the princess. For safety's sake, having His Majesty present was the best solution.
“Don't blame Feng Wu, I insisted on coming along.” Xue Xingchen knew Xingyue would not want him to follow, but just as Xingyue worried about him, he worried about her.
He knew Consort An and Xingyue were not on good terms, and Jiang Xiuyi's appearance here made him suspect that Consort An might be planning something against Xingyue. After all, this was not the first time Consort An had done something like this.
“Imperial Brother, you still have a cold; how can you endure such a bumpy ride?” Xue Xingyue said with concern.
Xue Xingchen smiled, his eyes full of gentleness. “As long as I see that you, Xingyue, are safe and sound, Imperial Brother will be relieved.”
Suddenly, a chill rose from her back. She instinctively turned around and saw a man in black suddenly emerge from the bushes and lunge at her.
She pushed Xue Xingchen away and moved towards the man in black.
Xue Xingchen exclaimed in alarm, “Xingyue…”
While fighting the man in black, Xue Xingyue coldly commanded, “Feng Wu, protect His Majesty.”
Feng Wu, who had been about to charge forward to help the princess fight the man in black, abruptly halted. She knew her princess cared most about His Majesty, so no matter what happened, she absolutely could not let His Majesty be harmed.
Xue Xingyue never expected that this man in black was not on the same level as the one who had been hiding behind Jiang Xiuyi.
This man in black was so formidable that even she found it difficult to deal with. Suddenly, several more men in black flew out from the bushes, not towards her, but towards Xue Xingchen, who was not far away.
Xue Xingyue's face turned ashen. The target of the assassins was Imperial Brother.
Thinking of this, she had no time to ponder further. She used all her strength to strike at the man in black, forcing him to retreat repeatedly.
Seizing the opportunity, she kicked the man in black away and moved towards Imperial Brother.
Xue Xingchen had not brought many people with him when he came, as he did not want to attract attention or cause trouble. Therefore, he had only brought two personal guards to accompany Feng Wu. However, he had not expected assassins to appear in the imperial hunting grounds.
Xue Xingyue arrived beside Xue Xingchen and shielded him behind her. “Imperial Brother, do not be afraid. No one can harm you with me here.”
Xue Xingchen was slightly stunned. Looking at the slender and frail figure protecting him, his gaze flickered slightly.
He reached out and took her clenched fist, saying gently, “Xingyue, Imperial Brother is not afraid.”
Xue Xingyue trembled slightly, her face tilting upwards. “Okay.”
“Princess, I will hold off the men in black; you protect His Majesty and leave!” Feng Wu attacked the man in black with her palm, speaking to Xue Xingyue before the man in black could launch his attack.
Looking at Feng Wu, who was already covered in wounds, Xue Xingyue knew the best course of action was to take Imperial Brother and leave.
“Feng Wu, be careful!”
Feng Wu grinned. “Princess, rest assured, I am a cat. Cats have nine lives.”
“Alright, you said it. If I don't see you again, I won't forgive you.”
“Princess, rest assured, Feng Wu always keeps her word.” Feng Wu then re-entered the fray with the men in black.
Xue Xingyue withdrew her gaze, supporting Xue Xingchen with one arm. “Imperial Brother, let's leave here first.”
Xue Xingchen knew that his Xingyue had deep feelings for the Feng Wei, but at this moment, he couldn't say they should stay. He would only be a burden if he remained.
Xue Xingyue and Xue Xingchen shared a horse and headed towards the camp. At this moment, as if receiving a signal, the men in black stopped fighting and all pursued the direction Xue Xingyue had taken.
Feng Wu shouted, “You go protect the Princess and His Majesty; I'll cover the rear.”
“Be careful,” a guard suddenly said before mounting his horse and galloping away.
Feng Wu was stunned, feeling puzzled. Did she know him?
However, this was not the time to ponder such things. She went to Jiang Xiuyi, grabbed her by the collar, and tossed her onto the horse like a little chick.
The unconscious Jiang Xiuyi was jolted awake by the rough movement.
She opened her eyes, saw she was on a horse, and screamed in terror. Suddenly, a sword was placed at her nose, and she could even see blood trickling down the blade.
Jiang Xiuyi trembled all over. “G-good hero, spare me!”
Feng Wu chuckled upon hearing this. “Miss Jiang, so you have moments of fear? You weren't this scared when you were out here alone in the wilderness before.”
Jiang Xiuyi was startled and quickly lifted her head. Seeing Feng Wu’s sarcastic expression, she breathed a sigh of relief. “Why are you here?”
“It's none of your business why I'm here, but Miss Jiang, I still advise you to think about what you should do next.”
“What… what do you mean?” Jiang Xiuyi asked, staring intently at Feng Wu.
“You know perfectly well what I mean, don’t you, Miss Jiang?”
“I don’t understand what you’re saying. Let me go,” Jiang Xiuyi shouted.
Feng Wu heard this and pulled Jiang Xiuyi off the horse. Jiang Xiuyi fell to the ground, crying out in pain. She instinctively reached back and felt something sticky. She looked back and saw someone staring at her with wide eyes, completely motionless.
“Ah…” She quickly scrambled to her feet. Seeing the man in black with an arrow through his chest, she trembled uncontrollably.
“Miss Jiang, if you don't leave, you can stay here with the corpse!” With that, Feng Wu mounted her horse and was about to ride away.
Jiang Xiuyi quickly ran to Feng Wu's horse and pleaded with a hint of supplication, “Lord Feng Wu, please take me with you!”
Feng Wu heard this and looked down at Jiang Xiuyi, a smile curling her lips. “Of course, you can, but…”