The enemy had superior numbers and formidable martial skills.

Jiang Yuansheng’s men quickly began losing ground.

He himself was also covered in injuries.

Inside the carriage, Jiang Yuanxi watched angrily.

However, her mother refused to let her get out.

But not being able to get out didn’t mean she couldn’t fight.

Under Chen Shi’s shocked gaze, Jiang Yuanxi lifted the carriage curtain.

“You! Come over here!”

Her voice was soft and sweet, lacking any intimidation. But many assassins still heard her.

The little girl stood on the carriage, holding a frying pan, her head raised arrogantly.

The assassins didn’t take the little child seriously.

“Yuanxi, get back inside!” Jiang Yuansheng shouted anxiously.

Another blade slashed across Jiang Yuansheng’s shoulder. Jiang Yuanxi’s eyes turned red with fury.

“How dare you hurt my brother? Die.”

She slipped down from the carriage.

An assassin charged at her.

Jiang Yuansheng and his brothers were entangled in battle, forced to watch helplessly as the sword descended toward her.

In the next moment, Jiang Yuanxi struck.

With a swing of her frying pan, she smacked the assassin to the ground.

“That’s what you get for attacking my brother!” She struck him repeatedly.

She didn’t stop until the assassin stopped moving.

Chen Shi hurried down from the carriage, scooping her daughter into her arms. “Yuanxi!”

Jiang Yuansheng broke free just in time, rushing to protect his mother and sister.

Seeing the assassin lying in a bloody mess, Jiang Yuansheng looked at his little sister in disbelief.

The sound of galloping hooves grew closer.

Jiang Fengyuan arrived with his troops, prompting Jiang Yuancheng to cheer, “Father is here!”

Jiang Fengyuan, like a war hero, charged in with his sword at the ready.

“Cut down these reckless fools!”

“Yes, sir!” His soldiers responded in unison.

After a fierce battle, they finally subdued the assassins.

Jiang Fengyuan dismounted and rushed to Madam Chen’s side.

“Are you hurt, my dear?”

Madam Chen shook her head.

Although she wasn’t injured, the sight of so many corpses still left her terrified.

Jiang Yuanxi wriggled out of her mother’s embrace.

“Daddy, you’re so cool!” She looked at him with admiration.

[My dad is so handsome! He’s my hero!]

Jiang Fengyuan beamed at his daughter’s praise.

Just then, a soldier reported, “General, we’ve captured thirty-nine enemies, three of them alive.”

“That’s not right.” Jiang Yuanyuan glanced at the bodies. “One is missing.”

He had counted earlier—there were forty assassins in total.

Jiang Yuansheng grew concerned. These were mercenaries paid to kill. If one escaped and reported back, their next attack would be even more cautious.

“Father, let me lead a search team.”

[Why can’t Father see? The missing one is right under the carriage.]

Jiang Yuanxi, being small, spotted him right away.

Clang!

Jiang Yuancheng deliberately dropped his sword and crouched to pick it up.

Sure enough, under the carriage, someone was clinging to the bottom.

“Father! There’s someone under the carriage!”

The guards immediately dragged the assassin out.

The man, named Niu Guo, struggled furiously, his escape foiled by a mere child.

He was brought before Jiang Fengyuan.

“Let me go!” Niu Guo thrashed violently.

“So noisy!”

Jiang Yuancheng found a filthy sock from somewhere and stuffed it into the assassin’s mouth.

The commotion caught Jiang Yuanxi’s attention.

[Huh?]

[Why is there a thin black line connecting him to Father?]

People’s connections were visible to her as threads.

Red threads represented love, while black threads signified evil deeds.

In her world, she could see these threads whenever she wanted.

And the black thread from this assassin was faintly linked to her father.

There were only two explanations:

The future was uncertain, and something was about to change.

This person had killed someone close to her father.

Clearly, it was the second case.

[Could it be that this man has killed someone important to Father?]

Hearing his daughter’s thoughts, Jiang Fengyuan studied the assassin carefully.

He couldn’t see the thread, but he swore he had never met this man before.

Then why did Yuanxi say that?

Jiang Yuansheng pondered deeply. This man was suspicious. They couldn’t just kill him outright.

Since the immediate danger had passed, it was better to have Father go up the mountain with Mother.

“Father, leave him to me. Before you return, I’ll get answers.”

Jiang Fengyuan agreed.

His eldest son was the most injured and unsuitable for travel. It was better for him to handle the interrogation.

Besides, since the assassination had failed, the enemy would surely strike again.

He needed to stay by his wife’s side.

He tossed a key to Jiang Yuansheng.

“This is the deed to a house your mother bought in the western part of the city. Stay there for now.”

That way, they wouldn’t alert their enemies. Plus, they had to tend to the injured and dispose of the bodies.

With the second son absent, the responsibility fell on him.

Jiang Yuanxi’s eyes widened. Why had Mother bought a house?

Could it be…

…

In a rundown house outside the city, a man grumbled, “Big Brother, Third Brother still hasn’t returned. Could he have gone drinking after finishing the job?”

“Impossible.” The scar-faced leader beside him shook his head.

The third brother was always careful.

And he had brought forty men this time. If the assassination had succeeded, he would have reported back by now.

The only possibility was… they had failed.

“Send men to check the ambush site.”

A while later, a scout returned.

“Master, there’s no sign of Third Master. But the target family made it safely up the mountain.”

Even the second-in-command now felt something was wrong.

“Big Brother, could it be that Third Brother… didn’t make it?”

Their group rarely failed.

The Jiang family only had about twenty men, including their guards.

To ensure success, Niu Guo had taken forty assassins.

How had they failed?

The leader, Mo Laoda, clenched his teeth.

“This mission isn’t simple. It reminds me of what happened years ago…”

His expression darkened.

“Tell that old woman she owes us more money. She needs to compensate us for our losses.”

…

The Grand Duke’s Mansion

Wang Momo hurried inside, exchanging glances with the other maids.

The room was cleared, and the doors shut.

She quickly whispered, “Madam, those people suddenly demand an extra thousand taels.”

“A thousand taels?!”

The Old Madam stood up abruptly. “They might as well be robbing me!”

Most of her wealth came from the allowances her children sent her, especially Madam Chen.

But since last year, Chen Shi hadn’t given her a single coin.

She used to spend lavishly, but now, with no income, her savings were dwindling.

“Tell them there are plenty of killers in Shengjing. I’ll just hire someone else.”

“But, Madam, I already told them that. Mo Laoda threatened to expose what happened back then if you don’t pay.”

“That scoundrel dares to threaten me?!”

The Grand Madam’s face turned pale with rage.

The past incident could never be revealed.

“Ungrateful wolves,” she cursed, reluctantly ordering Wang Momo to take another thousand taels.

She had already paid a thousand before.

These people were too greedy.

“Tell them to do a clean job. If they fail again, they needn’t return.”

“Yes, Madam.”

Wang Momo left with the silver.

The Grand Madam’s heart ached.

That was her funeral money.