Gu Xiaofeng, sensing the displeasure of the two individuals present towards his foster father, hesitated, then stepped back.
With a heart full of gratitude, he told them, "I will repay you in the future!"
Having said that, he took another step back and fled.
Yun Shu's expression shifted upon seeing Gu Xiaofeng's face.
The child's features bore a striking resemblance to Yun Xiaojing and Zhan Xiaoli!
A voice from his dreams seemed to echo the child's current words!
Without a second thought, she lunged towards Gu Xiaofeng.
But Gu Xiaofeng, who had already bolted, had put some distance between them.
Suddenly, a figure emerged from the night and seized Gu Xiaofeng.
The person embraced Gu Xiaofeng and leaped with incredible speed onto the rooftop.
By the time Yun Shu pursued, it was too late. The person who had taken Gu Xiaofeng stood on a distant rooftop and declared coldly to Yun Shu, "He is my adopted son."
Simultaneously, several hidden guards appeared from all sides.
They formed a barrier in front of him.
Unexpectedly, more trouble brewed.
Yun Shu's gaze darkened.
At the same moment, a carriage approached from behind her.
She turned to see Zhan Tianye.
Zhan Ming's icy gaze fell upon Zhan Tianye's carriage. He could not believe that a cripple could thwart his plans time and again!
Gu Xiaofeng, startled, looked up.
He saw his foster father and was even more shocked.
It was his foster father! His foster father had arrived! The thought that his foster father would agree to let these villains take him made Gu Xiaofeng's heart ache.
Zhan Ming paid no mind to Gu Xiaofeng's thoughts, nor did he care if Gu Xiaofeng knew the truth. A child without parents could not cause him any significant trouble.
He could use him however he pleased.
He would never escape his grasp.
"Foster father, why?" Gu Xiaofeng asked, confused. Even if you disliked me, and didn't want to be my foster father, you could have driven me away. Why would you give me to that wicked woman?"
Hearing Gu Xiaofeng's question, Zhan Ming remained unfazed, letting out a light laugh. "There's no why. You are my adopted son, and you will do as I bid. Don't forget, under whose protection did you grow up?"
Then, he raised his head and continued to scrutinize Yun Shu.
He had seen her martial prowess from afar earlier; she was exceptionally skilled.
Could it be that figures from the martial world had appeared in the capital?
"If you don't wish to anger me, be gone! Some matters are not for you to meddle in!" Zhan Ming said coldly.
"Sixth Uncle, you claim that child is your adopted son, and therefore he is? Who can prove it?" Zhan Tianye suddenly interjected, his voice sharp.
Yun Shu glanced at Zhan Tianye in surprise.
He had not remained an onlooker.
"This child is an orphan. Perhaps you kidnapped him. I cannot stand idly by when injustice is before me, regardless of who you are. I must save that child today," Yun Shu deliberately lowered her voice.
While she maintained a degree of reserve in front of Zhan Tianye, facing Zhan Ming, her lowered voice carried a chilling edge.
When Gu Xiaofeng heard Yun Shu's words about saving him,
and that Prince Ye would also help him,
he suddenly felt a lessening of the pain in his heart.
"Prince Ye, you are my nephew, after all. If certain matters are not too extreme, I will not hold you accountable or make things difficult for you. This woman from the martial world, is she perhaps your paramour? Are you trying to use her to assassinate me?" Zhan Ming narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing Yun Shu closely.
Her face was hidden.
But her figure was exquisite, more alluring than most women he had slept with.
It was no wonder his good nephew wanted to play the hero this time.
"A dog's mouth spews nothing but filth. Regent, did you just eat horse dung?" Yun Shu retorted furiously.
To call her Zhan Tianye's paramour!
Before she could act,
a glint of cold light from a hidden weapon sliced through the night sky, whistling towards Zhan Ming.
Zhan Ming reacted quickly, but his evasion was clumsy. The projectile grazed his arm.
At the same time, it plunged into the chest of the hidden guard standing in front of him.
With a thud,
the hidden guard's body fell from the rooftop.
Zhan Ming stared at the fallen guard, clutching his bleeding arm. Soon, his hand was covered in blood.
Zhan Tianye suddenly narrowed his dark eyes, sweeping his gaze towards the southwest.
In that patch of darkness,
a murderous aura lingered.
Yun Shu glanced in that direction.
As expected of Jing Heng, his speed was remarkable. Good, good, she would praise him handsomely later!
Gu Xiaofeng tightly pursed his lips. His foster father's grip on his collar rendered him unable to move.
He didn't know where he would go in the future.
His foster mother was to marry his foster father, and he didn't want to leave his foster mother, but his foster father didn't like him.
Gu Xiaofeng lowered his head, feeling as though he had been abandoned by the world.
The sudden ambush put Zhan Ming on guard.
The surroundings fell into a chilling silence once more.
Zhan Tianye stared intently at Gu Xiaofeng.
The child before him felt inexplicably familiar.
Yun Shu was also watching Gu Xiaofeng.
She feared that Zhan Ming might suddenly lose his humanity and kill Gu Xiaofeng in front of them, as it was not something many could do, pushing a child into the jaws of Zhan Qian'er.
Truly heartless!
"Seeking death!"
Zhan Ming's eyes blazed with killing intent.
He commanded, "Find the one who wounded this king from the shadows. I want that woman!"
Then, he cast a sinister gaze at Zhan Tianye, "Did you think that by snatching that thing from Zhan Qian'er, I would have no other recourse?"
Zhan Tianye found Zhan Ming to be speaking too much tonight. He directly ordered Qiu Lu, "Save the child first."
He was not one to meddle in other people's affairs, nor was he particularly kind.
However, the child captured by Zhan Ming stirred in him an inexplicable desire to rescue him.
Yun Shu moved towards Zhan Ming.
The hidden guards blocking her path were struggling to defend themselves.
From the darkness, hidden weapons flew from all directions.
Yun Shu's figure, like a ghost, reached Zhan Ming.
Zhan Ming narrowed his eyes and let out a cold laugh.
He threw an object towards Yun Shu's direction, and also towards the surroundings.
Suddenly, thick smoke billowed all around.
When the smoke cleared,
Zhan Ming had vanished.
Yun Shu looked at the empty space before her, and her heart felt equally empty. Scenes from her dreams flickered before her eyes.
That child...
Was he connected to the dreams that inexplicably appeared to her?
Zhan Tianye's dark eyes fell into a cold depth.
"Your Highness, what should we do now?" Qiu Lu asked.
In truth, he longed to understand why His Highness was confronting the Regent tonight over a child of unknown identity.
That child, he had to admit, bore a resemblance to the young prince and Xiao Jing.
What a coincidence.
Zhan Tianye remained silent, his gaze fixed on Yun Shu, who stood elegantly on the rooftop.
"Who are you?" Zhan Tianye asked, his voice deep.
Yun Shu, her brows furrowed, felt a throbbing in her head as a dream resurfaced. Hearing Zhan Tianye's question, she lowered her gaze.
She gave him a cold look.
"Do you have the right to know who I am? What, are you truly infatuated with me? You are not worthy!" Yun Shu replied dismissively.
As her words fell, she moved towards a certain direction in the night sky, an insistent voice in her heart urging her: Save that child!