Chapter 259

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Protagonist:

Yan Qianqian

Effort is rewarded; not long after, through the efforts of Shangguan Xingyan and Qianqian, Shangguan Xingyu finally burst into hearty laughter, her previous gloomy mood vanishing like smoke. Thus, the three chatted and laughed all the way, the atmosphere wonderfully harmonious.

Time flew; in the blink of an eye two days had passed. These two days, Qianqian appeared on the surface to be chatting and laughing with Shangguan Xingyu, quite carefree, but in reality her heart was constantly filled with worry. Especially at night, she dared not slacken in the slightest, specially arranging the dark guards to take turns keeping watch to ensure safety.

However, strangely, the journey was extraordinarily calm, without any stir. But this very calm made Qianqian increasingly anxious and uneasy, because as long as they had not left Dongying territory, their party remained in danger. The target of those people was her herself.

To destroy the relationship between the two countries, those people would certainly stop at nothing to put her to death.

Once an ambush truly occurred, although Dachang would be unlikely to rashly launch war against Dongying over this matter, it would definitely affect the relations between the two countries.

Fortunately, Qianqian was quite confident in her own lightness skill, thinking that even if she encountered danger, with her skill she should be able to easily escape enemy pursuit. And once they left the Dongying Kingdom, the target of these people would no longer be her, but Shangguan Xingyu.

Only because if Shangguan Xingyu met with mishap within Dachang territory, they would naturally believe it must be the work of Dachang people. Once Shangguan Peilin learned of this, he would surely fly into a thunderous rage and launch war against Dachang without hesitation.

Although many dark guards had been arranged to protect Shangguan Xingyu, she herself knew no martial arts; even with such strict protective measures, it was hard not to worry that a flaw might appear.

On the third day of the journey, as the group slowly passed through a dense forest, suddenly a burst of noisy sounds broke the original tranquility.

The well-trained dark guards instantly grew alert, swiftly surrounding the carriage tightly, forming an impregnable line of defense. A group of mysterious figures clad in black, faces masked with black cloth, shot out from the depths of the forest like ghosts, each gripping a gleaming sharp blade, exuding a bone-chilling killing intent.

Seeing this, Yue Yi drew the incomparably sharp sword at his waist without hesitation and shouted loudly: "You bandits, what faction are you from? How dare you run wild here!" Facing Yue Yi's questioning, those black-clothed people acted as if they had not heard, not uttering a word, merely staring fiercely and charging straight at the carriage.

Qianqian, standing before Shangguan Xingyu, bravely stepped forward and said in a delicate voice: "Elder Sister Xingyu, don't be afraid, with me here I will surely protect you completely!" And Shangguan Xingyan, though unskilled in martial arts, also forced herself to calm down at this moment, softly comforting: "Don't be afraid, don't be afraid, our party this trip is fully staffed, we will surely turn danger into safety."

Just then, six or seven black-clothed men wielding sharp swords pounced toward that carriage like ghosts. Their movements were swift and fierce; the sword tips were about to pierce the carriage curtains! In a flash, only the sound of "swish swish swish" tearing through the air was heard, and five black shadows raced out from the darkness like lightning.

It turned out these five agile dark guards were those ordered to protect Miss Qianqian. They were well-trained, their coordination seamless; in the blink of an eye they engaged the seven black-clothed men in fierce combat. Blade light and sword shadow interwove, sparks flying. After just a few exchanges, those seven ferocious black-clothed men had already been easily subdued by these five dark guards.

Astonishingly, these five dark guards not only swiftly dealt with the enemies before them, but still had strength to spare to go reinforce Yue Yi who was fighting elsewhere. Not long after, the originally clamorous chaotic scene gradually returned to tranquility.

At this moment, only Yue Yi's steady voice came from outside the carriage: "Xiao Zhuzhu, it is temporarily safe now." Hearing this, Qianqian inside the carriage let out a slight breath of relief, but remained alert. She spoke: "Elder Brother Yue Yi, please check whether these people carry any tokens that can prove their identity."

Receiving the order, Yue Yi immediately acted. He skillfully turned over the corpses lying haphazardly on the ground, carefully searching for any possible useful clues. After a while, Yue Yi reported: "Reporting to Xiao Zhuzhu, no tokens proving their identity were found on these people. However, on one of the black-clothed men I discovered a purse containing some silver. Upon identification, this silver appears to come from Xishang Kingdom."

Qianqian said softly: "Understood, Elder Brother Yue Yi, let us continue on our way." Her words barely fell when that exquisitely decorated carriage began to move slowly again. The wheels emitted a faint creaking sound, as if narrating the hardship and difficulty of this journey.

Shangguan Xingyan, sitting in the carriage, spoke with a heavy gaze: "They truly are Ouyang Qianqiu's people!" Qianqian beside her nodded slightly in agreement, then said: "The black-clothed assassins this time numbered over twenty; judging by the situation, the usable men left in his hands are probably few. However, we still must not be careless; no one can guarantee whether assassins from other countries might take the opportunity to act."

At this moment, Shangguan Xingyu, also inside the carriage, sat quietly, knowing nothing of the situation outside. However, when she heard the clashing of blades, the sound of blades piercing flesh, and the stifled groans the black-clothed men could not suppress, a bloody and fierce battle scene involuntarily surfaced in her mind. Even though they had temporarily escaped danger, those hair-raising sounds still lingered in Shangguan Xingyu's heart, causing her to inevitably feel a trace of fear.

Sensing Shangguan Xingyu's unease, Qianqian hurriedly struck up conversation with her, trying to distract her attention through words. And Shangguan Xingyan also interjected a few words from time to time, striving to create a relaxed atmosphere. But in reality, Qianqian's own thoughts had long since drifted elsewhere. Just now, she had quietly lifted the carriage curtain to glance outside. To her astonishment, the clothing and weapons of these black-clothed men were exactly the same as those corpses discovered earlier in the small woods — the day Wangchen was found. Such coincidence made Qianqian inevitably wonder: Could it be that Wangchen was once also Ouyang Qianyu's subordinate? Once this thought arose, it spread wildly in her heart like weeds...

That night, the pitch-black sky twinkled with countless stars, like brilliant gems embedded within. The group, dragging their exhausted bodies, arrived at an antique inn by the roadside, dismounted one after another, asked the shopkeeper for several guest rooms, and filed inside.