Volume 1 Chapter 13: Encounter with Danger (Middle)

  The scorching sunlight at noon shines brightly, making the lush green trees along the way even more dazzling and confusing to the eyes.

  A gentle breeze swept by, carrying a faint scent of damp earth, and seemingly a hint of danger, instantly the central part of the 200,000-strong army was surrounded.

  Xia Jinhans and Shangguan Qing'er were walking in the middle, with Ouyang Yi General leading the way ahead and more than 100,000 soldiers following behind. Logically speaking, this position should be the safest.

  The enemy appeared on both sides, and judging from their appearance, they seemed to have been lurking for a long time, waiting for the army to pass by, waiting for the best opportunity to strike first and take Summer Jinhan's life with one arrow.

  Xia Jin Han took Shangguan Qing'er and walked away, but soon felt that something was off. He didn't make a sound, in order not to alert the enemy, he pretended as if nothing had happened, quietly riding his horse, only subtly signaling to Qingyun and Qingran with a facial expression.

  Until the other side could no longer hold back, shooting out such an arrow, Xia Jinhan also took Shangguan Qing'er and flew away, cleverly dodging it. Almost at the same time as Xia Jinhan flew into the carriage, the guards outside, led by Qingyun and Qingran, had already begun to rush to both sides, shouting "There are assassins, protect the palace", leaving only a few dozen people surrounding the carriage, while the others mobilized the surrounding soldiers and immediately launched an attack.

  Hearing the loud voices outside, Shangguan Qing'er couldn't help but open her eyes. Originally already shallowly asleep, she looked at Xia Jinhuan with concern.

  Xia Jinhans saw that she was awake, so he put her on the soft couch in the carriage and said lightly, "Don't be afraid, just stay in the carriage, I'll go out and take a look."

  Shangguan Qing's clever and obedient nod, softly said a sentence, "Brother, be careful."

  Xia Jin's mouth corners slightly hooked, her hand gently pinched her chubby little face, and then she said to Li Hua, who was on high alert on one side, "Take good care of the young lady, don't let her get hurt."

  The pear blossom hung her head and didn't dare look at Xia Jinhan. She responded in a low voice, "Yes, sir."

  But her tightly clenched fists and gritted teeth betrayed her unwillingness and discontent.

  Shangguan Linger is just a little girl who suddenly appeared out of nowhere, and it's not clear why the prince treats her so well. Normally, a girl with an unknown background like hers would have been gotten rid of long ago. When has the prince ever shown mercy to someone like that?

  Moreover, she and Qingyun have always been serving by the princess's side. This time, the princess let her serve a little maid, it would be strange if she could accept it.

  Shangguan Qing'er was a bit drowsy, but her mind was clear. She gazed at the pear blossoms with those watery eyes, and on her pale face, there was a faint smile.

  This pear flower is not easy to get along with, it seems she needs to think of a way to drive her away before she takes action against herself. Or, find a way to make her accept herself and no longer be hostile towards herself?

  Just as Shangguan Qing'er was thinking about whether to subdue Lihua or drive her away, Xia Jinhans had already stood behind the soldiers, watching them rush to both sides and fight with the black-clothed men on the roadside. His mouth corner carried an icy smile, looking down at those people as if he were a high-ranking king, with an extraordinary demeanor.

  Qingyun stood beside Xia Jincheng, looking at the black-clad men with a cold glint in his eyes. He looked at them and said, "It seems that the Third Prince can't hold back anymore. With tens of millions of troops, I wonder who gave him the guts to cause trouble."

  "Hmph, Third Brother wouldn't normally be so lacking in propriety. It seems he has the support of his uncle from the imperial court." Xia Jin replied coldly, then looked at the black-clad men entangled with her soldiers on both sides and said to Qing Yun, "Go, leave two alive."

  Qingyun nodded and immediately sprang into action, leaping to the front line in a single bound. Wielding the commander's great sword, he quickly clashed with the assassins.

  At this time, those black-clothed men actually formed a triangular formation, with the front row opening the way and the back row defending, escorting the person in the middle all the way to where Xia Jincheng was.

  Although Xia Jinhans were in the middle of the team, there were only a few dozen guards around him. The large army behind was relatively far away and couldn't keep up for a while. The people and horses in front had already walked out of sight, and when they heard the movement here, they couldn't rush over in time. So now Xia Jinhans and others can only rely on themselves.

  However, those who could follow Xia Jinhan were not ordinary people, and they quickly strangled the black-clothed men. Only that strange triangle remained, constantly closing in on Xia Jinhan.

  Xia Jinhan's people formed a circle, surrounding the triangle. Unexpectedly, at this moment, the people in the middle suddenly flew up, holding long bows. In the blink of an eye, they nocked arrows, drew their bows, and released them. Their movements were swift and smooth, all done in one breath. Everyone's arrows pointed straight at Xia Jinhan.

  Xia Jin Han narrowed his eyes, watching as the people rushed towards him. He quickly drew out the long sword from his waist and with a flash of white clothing, in just the blink of an eye, he had knocked down the flying arrows that were shot at him to the ground.

  Almost at the same time, the guards surrounding the triangle also moved swiftly to destroy the triangle, leaving only two survivors left by Qingyun, and everyone else was killed cleanly.

  When Ou Yang Yi rushed over, he only saw the corpses all over the ground and two black-clothed men kneeling in front of Xia Jin Han with their hands tied behind their backs. The two black-clothed men had been disarmed and poisoned, revealing two delicate faces that looked like they were no more than twenty years old. They knelt in front of Xia Jin Han, their expressions cold and unyielding, refusing to reveal any information.

  Xia Jin looked at them coldly, her tone devoid of warmth. "Since you refuse to reveal the person behind your backs, don't blame me for being impolite."

  Xia Jinhansaid, with a wave of his big hand, Qingyun immediately threw two more pills at the two men. In a short while, they fell to the ground, struggling in agony. At first, they could still bear it without making a sound, but the excruciating pain and itching made them unbearable.

  At this time, Shangguan Qing'er poked her head out of the carriage and looked at the corpses all over the ground and the two people kneeling in front of Xia Jincheng. A hint of horror appeared on her delicate white face.

  Xia Jinhansaw her and was just about to go over and call her back, telling her not to run out, when she suddenly heard a whistling sound coming from the wind, accompanied by an ear-piercing whistle, clearly the sound of a hidden arrow flying towards them.

  Xia Jin's eyes condensed, a flash of murderous intent flickered in her icy gaze.

  He thought the sharp arrow was shot at him, he swung his sword to block it, but unexpectedly the sharp arrow shot straight towards the horse carriage where Shangguan Qing'er was.

  "Qing'er..." This was Xia Jinhan's first formal call to Shangguan Qing'er by name, his voice icy but with a hint of urgency.