Xiao Man carried Wen Mohan through a few leaps and landed on the ground, quickly surrounded.
Xiao Man handed the dagger to Wen Mohan, drawing her sword to face the enemy.
"Don't leave my side, protect yourself."
Xiao Man held her sword in one hand and pulled Wen Mohan with the other. It was true that the capital was not peaceful. Lately, the Emperor's spirit had been somewhat dispirited. The Crown Prince's rebellion must have made even this strong emperor feel weary.
"Man'er, it seems they are coming for us."
"Not for us, but for me!" Xiao Man sneered, blew a whistle, and a figure descended from the sky. Wielding a greatsword, they blocked the assassins' encirclement with sheer force, tearing it open.
Xiao Man pulled Wen Mohan through the gap torn by Du Gu Luo, her sword skillfully cutting down the assassins blocking their path. Blood splattered on her, yet her expression remained unmoved.
Qu Yang, who happened to witness this scene, stared in shock at the girl wielding a greatsword under the moon and the composed Xiao Man. His eyes were filled with astonishment. At this moment, he finally understood why His Majesty was so determined to have this woman.
Du Gu Luo, this human weapon that only the Empress Dowager could control, actually listened to her commands. For this ability alone, His Majesty would never let her go.
"My lord, shouldn't we leave quickly? If we get involved in such trouble, we wouldn't be able to explain ourselves even if we had a hundred mouths."
Qu Yang slowly nodded, preparing to leave. Unexpectedly, Xiao Man, who had just broken through the encirclement, was forced back. Several masters blocked Xiao Man's path. If Xiao Man were alone, no one could stop her, but with the non-martial artist Wen Mohan by her side, she became a burden.
"Man'er, don't worry about me, you go first."
"They are coming for me. Unless they kill me or capture me, they won't give up." Xiao Man's lips curved into a smile. "A'Luo, protect him."
Du Gu Luo, who was in the thick of battle, immediately abandoned it and returned to Xiao Man's side to protect Wen Mohan.
Qu Yang, who was about to leave, stopped when he saw this. Xiao Man waved her sword, and the blood on the blade splattered on the ground, blooming into a patch of alluring bloody flowers.
A smile played on Xiao Man's lips, a smile that sent shivers down Qu Yang's spine, overlapping with someone from his memory and making his hair stand on end.
"It seems they are still not giving up," Xiao Man said slowly. "Very well, my sword hasn't tasted blood for a long time; it's been yearning to drink its fill."
Qu Yang watched Xiao Man without blinking, only to see Xiao Man throw away her sword. Doubt arose in Qu Yang's heart. Had she given up and intended to surrender? No, that wasn't right. Xiao Man was never one to surrender. What trick was she playing?
Soon, Qu Yang's doubts were answered, and at the same time, his heart was plunged into deep fear. He saw Tian Gan appear in Xiao Man's hand. Watching Xiao Man wield Tian Gan, she moved among the assassins like a Asura, mercilessly harvesting the lives of her enemies!
"It's her, she's back, she's really back!"
The guards looked at Qu Yang, confused.
"My lord, who is she?"
"The devil of the mortal world, the Asura of hell!"
Nangong Yu, upon hearing that Xiao Man was attacked, immediately led his men to her rescue. However, by the time he arrived, Xiao Man was covered in blood, and countless bodies lay on the ground. The strong smell of blood made him feel uncomfortable, reminding him of the days of war, when he would stand amidst a field of corpses after each battle.
"Xiao Man," Nangong Yu's voice trembled slightly. He worried that Xiao Man would lose control again.
Xiao Man raised her hand to wipe the blood from her face and looked at Nangong Yu with a calm gaze. Nangong Yu couldn't help but sigh in relief and walked towards Xiao Man. "I have something to tell you..."
"Man'er," Wen Mohan walked towards Xiao Man. Xiao Man was covered in blood, and he couldn't tell whose blood it was. He worried that Xiao Man was injured but was stubbornly refusing to say.
Xiao Man turned to look at Wen Mohan, a gentle smile appearing on her face. "I'm fine."
Wen Mohan walked past the corpses towards Xiao Man. At the same time, a whistling sound was heard, and two crossbow bolts were shot at Nangong Yu and Wen Mohan respectively.
Xiao Man didn't hesitate for a moment. She darted in front of Wen Mohan, blocking the incoming crossbow bolts with her sword. The immense force of the bolts pushed her back several meters, knocking Wen Mohan to the ground.
"Your Highness."
Si Chen cried out in alarm. Xiao Man looked in the direction of the sound and saw Nangong Yu fall to the ground. He had failed to block the sneak attack crossbow bolt, which pierced his shoulder.
Xiao Man instinctively moved to go to him but stopped herself at the moment she stepped out.
Nangong Yu, supported by Si Chen, stood up and looked at Xiao Man with grief. In that instant, Xiao Man had unhesitatingly chosen to save Wen Mohan. What did that mean, Nangong Yu did not want to admit, nor was he willing to admit.
"Your Highness, your injury..."
"I'm fine." Nangong Yu pushed Si Chen away and stumbled forward a few steps. "I want to talk to you."
"I see Your Highness is seriously injured. You should go back and treat it first," Xiao Man said calmly.
"I want to talk to you. My injury is not important," Nangong Yu insisted. For some reason, he felt very uneasy, as if Xiao Man was gradually drifting away from him. If he didn't do something now, he would be completely abandoned by Xiao Man, just like back then!
"Your injury may not be important, but it doesn't mean mine isn't." A trace of blood trickled from Xiao Man's lips. "I need to heal."
Nangong Yu panicked slightly. "Call a doctor, quickly call a doctor."
"No need. It's late at night, and it's not good to cause such a commotion. Besides, the General's mansion has a resident physician." Xiao Man turned and took Wen Mohan away.
Nangong Yu followed for a few steps, only to realize that he could no longer utter words of entreaty. A sense of guilt gnawed at him, making it impossible for him to face Xiao Man.
"Your Highness, let's return to the mansion to treat your wound," Si Chen advised. "Princess Yongning is just angry. Once her anger subsides, she will surely listen to your explanation."
Nangong Yu closed his eyes, took a deep breath, and turned towards the Qin King's mansion. The two walked in opposite directions, gradually growing further apart.
Ye Qing was pulled out of her warm bed in the middle of the night. Upon seeing Dongfang Wei, she immediately became annoyed. "You can't sleep in the middle of the night, so you can't let others sleep either?"
"The Qin King is seriously injured. Hurry back to the Qin King's mansion."
"How did the Qin King get seriously injured?"
"Someone ambushed Xiao Man tonight. The Qin King came to rescue her, but not only did he not help, he was also injured by an assassin's hidden arrow. I saw that the injury was quite serious. Hurry back and check on him. If you're too late, the Qin King might lose his life."