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The feathered arrow embedded itself into a body, and the one struck froze in place…
Li Yunli’s heart jolted. In the blink of an eye, several assassins hidden around the carriage suddenly revealed themselves, wielding curved blades and longswords, slashing toward the carriage!
“Shiliu!”
She had no time to escape and could only retreat swiftly into the carriage.
Shiliu, her escort, responded quickly, drawing his blade and blocking the two assassins attacking from the front.
Li Yunli stepped back further, while Shiqi guarded the small window. As he stabbed his sword into an enemy, he still turned back to warn her, “Master, be careful!”
These two guards were personally selected by Li Yunli—top-tier experts. She wasn’t too worried about her safety. However, having just left the imperial palace, she was astonished that someone dared to attack so brazenly!
Seated inside the carriage, Li Yunli glanced outside through the small window.
Just around the street corner lay an empty alley. In mere moments, seven or eight more assassins had joined the fray!
The assassination in the original plan was merely to lure her into action. But today, someone was clearly aiming to take her life!
Li Yunli grabbed a short dagger from the table inside the carriage, quickly gauging its length.
Suddenly!
A sword came thrusting from behind the carriage, piercing straight toward the interior!
“Master, watch out!”
“Argh…”
Pain shot through her as her left forearm was sliced open, blood instantly spilling out.
She gritted her teeth and held onto the dagger while, outside the carriage, Shiqi reversed his grip and swiftly ended the attacker’s life.
“Damn it.”
Li Yunli pressed hard on her wound, blood seeping through her fingers.
Just then, the curtain at the back of the carriage was yanked open. Shiliu forcefully pulled her out.
The next second, multiple assassins from different angles drove their swords straight through the carriage!
Li Yunli barely had time to catch her breath when she saw the coachman collapse, blood splattering everywhere.
For someone from the modern world, facing death so directly was overwhelming. She instinctively turned her head away.
But as she did, her gaze landed on the rooftop at the alley’s end—where several figures stood with bows drawn, aiming straight at her!
“Shiliu!” Li Yunli urgently called out to her guard. “Watch out for hidden arrows!”
An arrow flew!
Thud—
The feathered arrow struck a body, and the person fell rigidly in front of Li Yunli.
Their eyes were still wide open, the arrowhead piercing their chest—already lifeless.
Suppressing the nausea that churned in her stomach, Li Yunli felt her body break out in cold sweat.
“Your Highness, we have allies!”
Shiliu deflected an attack with a downward slash, kicked aside a fallen assassin, and quickly scanned the rooftop.
“Mm.”
Li Yunli fixed her gaze on the figures above.
She hadn’t arranged for them to be there, yet they were clearly helping.
Someone skilled with a bow, capable of hitting their target with deadly precision—besides herself, there was only one person described this way in the original story.
On the rooftop—
A young man on the left shifted lazily, biting a blade of grass between his teeth. Resting his head on his arm, he smirked. “Do you even know what you’re doing?”
“I do.”
The archer remained calm, pulling the bowstring taut once more. His gaze remained locked on his target as he spoke.
“I’m saving her.”
“Do you realize she’s our enemy?”
“No shit.” The archer rolled his eyes, his voice cold. “But if she dies here, my master will only have two possible fates by tomorrow—either thrown back into the imperial prison or sold to the Nanfeng Pavilion.”
“Heh, at least you’re self-aware.”
A Si curled his lips into a smirk, cocking his crossbow and firing another bolt. He watched as the arrow struck its target, and a guard swiftly finished the job. Shaking his head, he remarked lazily, “I never agreed to acknowledge you as my master.”
“Suit yourself.”
Yun Chu’s gaze remained icy as he watched the final assassin fall to the guards’ blades.
“All of them are dead. Are we leaving?” A Si turned to him. “It took quite some time to lure them into this empty alley. If you don’t return soon, aren’t you afraid of being discovered?”
“Thanks.” Yun Chu responded coolly, lowering his bow. As always, he couldn’t resist adding, “If your men were more competent, I wouldn’t have needed to step in myself.”