Many people in this world wished for Chu Qianli's demise.
However, after the assassination attempt by the imperial family's elite assassins last time, Chu Qianli had enjoyed a period of peace.
Tonight, the assassins returned, determined to kill her.
Who was behind it all?
Chu Huaiyu, or Yu Linglong?
Or perhaps, someone else entirely!
Chu Qianli twisted her left hand, and a short dagger appeared in it as if by magic.
With a swing of the dagger, a clang echoed as she narrowly deflected the hidden assassin's long sword.
But the hidden assassins who came tonight were no ordinary masters.
What was even more deadly was that they all employed the art of concealment!
Having just blocked two, the third sword was already approaching her from behind!
Chu Qianli spun around, and the long sword grazed her arm.
Her arm burned, and though she wasn't pierced, the sword's energy still caused her pain!
She wondered if she was injured!
With the enemy hidden and herself exposed, Chu Qianli began to struggle to evade the third hidden assassin.
When the fourth hidden assassin launched a surprise attack, Chu Qianli was clearly running out of strength!
This time, with a swish, before she could even draw her sword, something flew diagonally and blocked the hidden assassin's long sword for her.
Upon closer inspection, a small stone rolled onto the ground.
The fifth hidden assassin frowned, his sword tip turning instantly towards the direction from which the stone had come.
The person had arrived silently, undetected not only by Chu Qianli but also by the hidden assassins.
By intervening, their presence was revealed!
But seeing the white-robed man fighting the hidden assassins, Chu Qianli immediately grew anxious.
"Don't be reckless! You can't..." use your true qi!
She didn't utter the last three words, fearing the hidden assassins would hear and launch a frenzied attack on him!
Feng Wuya!
When had he arrived!
Knowing he couldn't use his true qi, how could he dare to come! Was he seeking death?
Feng Wuya naturally knew his condition, but seeing A'Li in danger, he couldn't stand idly by.
With a flick of his sleeve, he repelled the approaching hidden assassins with palm force. Feng Wuya shifted his steps, instantly appearing beside Chu Qianli.
However, having used his true qi, his breath indeed became unstable in an instant.
Chu Qianli immediately thrust the long sword in her hand into his, then pulled him behind her.
"A'Li..." He had come to protect her, not to be protected by her.
"Don't be reckless, I can handle it!"
With silver needles in one hand and a short dagger in the other, she shielded him fiercely.
Feng Wuya felt a pang in his heart, gripping the long sword tightly. Even if he injured himself, he wouldn't let A'Li get hurt!
Unexpectedly, as the hidden assassins were about to reach them, the one in front suddenly stiffened.
With a thud, he collapsed onto the ground.
The person behind him shifted his steps, trying to dodge, but it was too late.
With a 'poof', he spat out a mouthful of blood, falling onto the first hidden assassin.
The hidden assassins behind them halted their steps, their expressions changing drastically.
Suddenly, they leaped up simultaneously, retreating more than ten paces.
"Ugh..." The last one, unable to retreat in time, was struck in the chest by a sharp object and fell to the ground with a thud.
Spitting blood, he died instantly.
"Retreat!"
The figures of the remaining two vanished into the night.
A faint rustling sound passed through the treetops.
The movement was so subtle, it was hard to tell if it was the wind or someone passing by.
This Qinggong was incredibly profound!
Chu Qianli and Feng Wuya exchanged glances, both knowing someone had helped them from the shadows.
But that person had left.
The surroundings fell into a deathly silence.
After an unknown amount of time, Chu Qianli sheathed her short dagger and walked up to the fallen hidden assassins, kicking them.
The two were kicked away, landing some distance away.
Feng Wuya's eyes darkened as he stared at the black blood at the corners of their lips: "They poisoned themselves!"
Chu Qianli moved to approach but was pulled back by Feng Wuya.
"No need to look, they're already dead. They might be carrying potent poison."
Chu Qianli looked at the two corpses.
Carrying potent poison seemed to be a standard for assassins of this era; even in death, they wanted to harm others!
"Those people went towards the dense forest." She wanted to pursue.
Feng Wuya, however, said, "Don't chase them. Assassins are rigorously trained; you won't get any information from them."
"But, on the tree just now..."
"Whoever it was, let's leave here first."
Feng Wuya glanced in the direction the assassins had left, his gaze somewhat complex.
In the past, he wouldn't have even bothered with a few hidden assassins.
But now, once he used his true qi, he would injure himself, and the鸳鸯蛊 would act up, endangering A'Li.
Hesitating, he could only prioritize A'Li's safety.
Feng Wuya gently pulled her, "Didn't you come in with Princess Pingyue? Where is she? Shall we go back and look for her?"
"I almost forgot! The first group of killers was targeting Ziyue." Now, Long Ziyue might also be in danger.
"The first group?" Feng Wuya frowned.
"The two black-clad figures at the beginning, they were here to assassinate Ziyue."
Ziyue was a princess from a neighboring country, and there could be several reasons why someone would want to assassinate her.
Perhaps it was people from the Empress of Longteng, or those from Bei Ming who wanted to provoke conflict between Longteng and Bei Ming.
Or maybe, it was a competitor in the selection of consorts.
It was still unknown.
But the group of hidden assassins who came later were targeting her.
After hearing her analysis, Feng Wuya said, "According to you, Princess Pingyue should be out looking for help now. She should be safe."
Chu Qianli thought about it and nodded.
"In that case, I'll go back to find that wild boar."
"Wild boar?"
"Ziyue's prey tonight. I need to return it for her to take out herself tomorrow morning."
Chu Qianli glanced at Feng Wuya and smiled, "Let's go."
"You want to help her?" This surprised Feng Wuya. "Don't you want to win yourself?"
A faint rustling sound passed through the treetops not far away.
Feng Wuya's peripheral vision slightly lifted, regretting asking the question.
If he had noticed "his" presence earlier, he would have kept this question to himself.
Chu Qianli, walking ahead, was oblivious. Upon hearing him, she said matter-of-factly, "I'm not really here to participate in the selection of consorts, so why would I want to win?"
"A'Li..."
"Ziyue is a good girl. Although I haven't known her for long, I can tell she is open-minded, straightforward, and not scheming."
Chu Qianli didn't know why she sighed at this moment.
Just thinking about those things made her feel inexplicably lost.
An indescribable feeling.
But she decided not to let this bad mood continue to affect her.
Turning to look at Feng Wuya, she pretended not to care, smiling nonchalantly, "She is very suitable for Prince Xuan. Since that's the case, why shouldn't I help her?"
Feng Wuya immediately became uneasy, and his surprised words blurted out, "You're going to give up your fourth brother to another girl?"