"Ah..."
Yuping cried out in surprise but was blocked from view by him.
Li Chengyan rested his elbows on his knees, his seductive peach blossom eyes glancing over, filled with the ambiguous beauty of light and shadow.
"Why on earth did you come out of the city? Don't you know it's chaotic out here right now?"
He had only heard half of Feng Yinwan's words, so he was unaware of this matter.
Yuping collected herself and no longer feared him. Her eyes blinked vigilantly, her lips pressed together without a sound.
Li Chengyan chuckled at her, "Are you on guard against me?"
After such a long absence, this little maid's wary gaze was still the same as before.
Yuping shook her head, "I dare not deceive General Li."
This answer was ambiguous.
Li Chengyan raised an eyebrow. Before he could utter a playful remark, a faint sound came from outside, and in the next instant, a powerful sword intent ripped through the carriage curtain, danger closely following.
"Be careful!"
He was quick. With a flick of his foot, he kicked the sword blade away, then embraced Yuping and burst out through the window.
Almost the moment they landed, they met Qi Xuan's eyes, which were filled with cold anger. Li Chengyan's brows flickered slightly, but before he could speak, Qi Xuan attacked him with another sword thrust.
His temple twitched, and he immediately pulled Yuping back to evade.
"Attacking one's superior, are we, Guard Qi?"
Seriously, what guard would dare to thrust a sword at the face of a second-rank general!
Qi Xuan's face was impassive, his eyes fixed on Yuping, and he said coldly.
"Let her go."
Li Chengyan raised his eyebrows, "And what if I don't?"
Very well, he directly thrust his sword.
Their martial skills were evenly matched, but Li Chengyan was carrying Yuping, and facing Qi Xuan's relentless pressure, his defense was inevitably a little strained.
After dodging several moves, seeing him still relentlessly hacking at him like a reckless fool, Li Chengyan grew furious.
"Stop! Don't think I won't dare to touch you just because you're my cousin's guard. My patience has its limits!"
The person he desired, why should he yield him!
Qi Xuan glanced at him, his expression still blank.
"I am under orders from the Consort to escort Miss Yuping out of the city. General Li, please let go."
This Consort was none other than the new sister-in-law he spoke of.
"Oh? Where did the new sister-in-law order you to escort her?"
Around the capital, he hadn't heard of any other reliable places.
The matter of Song Qing'an's return to the capital was top secret. Qi Xuan lowered his eyes and remained silent.
Seeing that he was about to attack again, Yuping quickly struggled out of Li Chengyan's grasp.
"General Li, Guard Qi is indeed here under the Consort's orders to protect me. If you don't believe me... you can go back and ask the Prince."
Bringing up Ye Tinglan should increase her credibility.
As expected, upon hearing this, Li Chengyan narrowed his eyes and asked no further questions.
Qi Xuan stepped forward, his brow furrowing as if he had thought of something.
"Those people ahead, were they your doing, General Li?"
There were indeed rebels guarding ahead, but by the time he arrived, they had already been killed.
The attackers were well-trained and struck with lethal precision. Despite the large number of rebels, not a sound was made, indicating that more than one person was involved.
Li Chengyan's brow twitched slightly, offering no confirmation.
"Since you are acting under orders, ensure the person is delivered safely. If you cannot accomplish this, you might as well dash your head against a wall, lest you tarnish the reputation of a first-class Dark Guard."
Qi Xuan's expression darkened for a moment, but his gaze was firm.
Their eyes met silently. Li Chengyan turned to Yuping, a hint of seduction appearing at the corner of his eye.
"I have urgent matters to attend to, so I won't be escorting you. When I return, I will surely keep my promise and pay you a visit with gifts."
What he should have said was "a suitable weapon," but his words sounded somewhat suggestive.
Yuping awkwardly averted her gaze, only to see his lips curve into a smile. He leaned forward and mounted his horse.
The horse galloped away, leaving his voice fragmented in the wind.
"Farewell."