Chapter 85 – The Swift and Decisive Action That Sent a Chill to the Back of Several People’s Heads

Tian and the others didn’t wear cloaks, and Ning Xiang found two sticks, not hiding them. Xia Tian quietly took the sticks and hid them inside her cloak.

Although it was winter, and the ground was frozen, the plum forest was rarely entered by people. The surface soil was still loose, so Xia Tian slowly squatted down, grabbed a handful of dirt, and squeezed it in her hand.

She stood up and gestured to the others around her. They immediately understood and quietly grabbed some dirt, squeezing it in their hands.

Liu San saw that Lin Sayu had drawn her sword, and with a gloomy face, he waved his hand. His five followers immediately drew their weapons.

This startled Jin and the others, making them cry out and huddle together.

Hu Mengyao, standing next to Lin Sayu, was also pale with fear. She grabbed Lin Sayu’s arm tightly.

Taking advantage of the chaos, Xia Tian picked up two more sticks and two stones, secretly handing them to Shen Ning and Jin’s maidservants.

At least if things escalated, they could defend themselves a little.

However, she didn’t have much hope, as just the sight of the weapons had made everyone tremble in fear. It would be hard for them to resist.

Xia Tian handed the sticks to Ning Xiang and Ning Xue, telling them to keep them behind their backs. She took a step forward herself, so that if things turned violent, she could immediately assist Lin Sayu.

Lin Sayu saw that Liu San had not been frightened off and had ordered others to draw their weapons. A chill ran down her spine. Although she wasn’t bad at martial arts, she was the only one on her side with skills, while the opponents had six people, so she wasn’t sure she could defeat them.

At this point, there was no turning back. Behind her were girls who couldn’t even tie a chicken, so she couldn’t just abandon them.

Liu San didn’t want to waste any more time here. If someone else showed up, things would get even worse.

He stepped back and raised his hand, shouting, “Grab them all.”

“Wait, Liu San, aren’t you afraid that my Tian Yi Bo Mansion will find out, and that it will ruin your Liu family?” Jin quickly mentioned her background, hoping to sober Liu San up and make him think about the severe consequences.

Unfortunately, he was just a thug, and Tian had made it clear that he wouldn’t stop until he got what he wanted. Hearing Jin’s words, Liu San grinned fearlessly and said, “Miss Jin, don’t worry. No one will know that I took you away.”

Jin grew anxious. If Tian and the others fell into the hands of these thugs, their lives would be ruined.

“What about the Empress? Doesn’t the Liu family fear her?”

“Hmph, I told you, no one will know I came here or met any of you. What can the Empress do to me?”

Jin’s brows furrowed, and for a moment, she had no idea how to respond. She could only pray that someone at home would notice her absence and come looking for her.

Liu San didn’t want to waste any more time. He pulled out a dagger and rushed toward Jin.

When the others saw Liu San move, they rushed toward Lin Sayu. The maids and young ladies screamed in terror.

Tian and the others had their close maidservants with them, but they didn’t scatter in fear. They just huddled with their mistress, forgetting to fight back.

Xia Tian saw this and confirmed her suspicions. These girls had clearly never experienced anything like this, and she couldn’t count on them in a critical moment.

When she saw that, apart from Liu San, everyone was charging toward Lin Sayu, she understood their plan—they wanted to neutralize Lin Sayu, the one skilled in martial arts, and then deal with the others.

Only Ning Xiang and Ning Xue, though trembling, held the sticks in their hands, trying to shield themselves.

Shen Ning, clutching a stone in one hand, tightly grabbed Xia Tian’s sleeve with the other, her whole body trembling. Seeing Liu San charge at Jin, Xia Tian stepped aside. Shen Ning thought she was going forward and quickly stopped her, “Big sister, don’t go!”

Xia Tian reassured her by patting her hand, “Don’t be afraid. I’m not going. Let go first.” She glanced at Ning Xiang and Ning Xue, “Wait for my signal.”

When the girls nodded, she took two steps forward, gripping the stick tightly.

Lin Sayu had already drawn her sword and was entangled with several people. Xia Tian remained still for now, pretending to be terrified. She hunched her shoulders, turned her head, and stared intently at Liu San.

“One step, two steps, three steps…” Xia Tian silently counted the steps as Liu San rushed toward them. Just as Liu San was about to reach Jin, Xia Tian moved swiftly and struck him from behind with a solid blow to the back of his head with a stick.

Liu San didn’t make a sound. He just collapsed.

The maidservants surrounding Jin screamed when they saw Liu San fall. They stepped back in panic, and with Jin, they all tumbled to the ground.

Jin, who had been shielded by her maidservants, hadn’t seen the blow, but now that she had fallen, she noticed Liu San on the ground and Xia Tian standing behind him, still holding the stick.

Her shock hadn’t faded when she saw Xia Tian take a step forward, kick Liu San’s body, and send him flying into a plum tree.

“Quick, tie him up!” Xia Tian shouted. She didn’t wait for the others and rushed forward, striking one of the attackers with her stick to the head.

Seeing him fall, she immediately swung at another person charging toward her.

The young ladies who had been hiding and screaming were stunned. In the blink of an eye, Xia Tian had knocked out two people with a single strike each.

They stared in disbelief, completely forgetting the fear they had just experienced.

As Xia Tian knocked down another one, Ning Xiang and Ning Xue were the first to react. They quickly ran to Liu San and used his belt to tie up his hands and feet.

Seeing them act, the others came to their senses and rushed to tie up the other fallen attackers.

Soon, four of Liu San’s six men were down. Two were left—one was injured by Lin Sayu’s sword, and the other was trying to escape. Xia Tian threw a stone at him, knocking him to the ground. He hadn’t even gotten up before she approached and struck him on the head.

When Shen Nian, Mu Feng, and Mu Chen, along with Wen Lan and their guards, arrived, they witnessed Xia Tian throwing a stone and knocking the man down, then quickly adding a finishing blow to his head.

The swift and decisive action made everyone’s backs feel cold.

Shen Nian quickly closed the distance to Xia Tian and asked with concern, “Are you alright?”

“I’m fine.” Xia Tian tossed the stick aside and clapped her hands together.

Mu Feng, Mu Chen, and Wen Lan, with their guards, checked the fallen, now tied-up thugs, and saw that they were all unconscious from blows to the head.

They exchanged astonished looks, then turned to the woman, who was smiling and talking to Shen Nian.

Mu Feng and Mu Chen were sure that these feats were the work of their mistress.

Meanwhile, Wen Lan hurried to Jin, who was still sitting on the ground, shocked by the series of actions from Xia Tian. It took her a while to get up with Wen Lan’s help, her legs weak.

“Brother, why did it take you so long to come?” She asked, tears falling.