After days of nonstop labor, even Commander Zhou was beginning to reach his limit. His body was already riddled with old injuries, and age had finally caught up with him. It had also been many years since he had done such strenuous physical work.
Both Commander Zhou and Zhou Yunting had been helping Liu Zhixia with her work whenever they could.
No matter how capable she appeared, the father and son still treated her like a delicate young lady.
Zhou Yunting’s gaze never strayed far from her.
He kept a close eye on her every move.
Liu Zhixia’s perception was extraordinarily sharp. She had noticed his attention the very first time he looked her way, but she pretended not to notice.
Instead, her curiosity deepened.
Just how had those people managed to bring down the Zhou family?
The Zhou father and son were anything but weak.
Old Master Zhou also came out several times to check on them. He understood everything perfectly well.
Liu Zhixia was worried that their enemies might make another move, and she was concerned about his old age.
But she was just a young girl herself.
How could she possibly be sturdier than an old man like him?
The girl was simply too stubborn.
Unable to persuade her otherwise, he could only give in.
Days passed one after another.
Just as everyone in the Zhou family began to lower their guard…
Two frightened oxen suddenly went berserk, charging wildly toward the villagers working beside Commander Zhou and Zhou Yunting.
The Zhou father and son instantly realized that this was probably the trap their enemies had prepared.
But as soldiers, they could never stand by and watch innocent people die.
Meanwhile, Liu Zhixia remained calm, carefully observing her surroundings.
She knew the enemy’s scheme couldn’t possibly end here.
Otherwise, with the Zhou father and son’s abilities, how could they have ended up crippled as described in the novel?
The surroundings grew eerily quiet.
Then came the faint whistle of something slicing through the air.
Hidden weapons.
Each one had been infused with concealed internal force.
If the Zhou father and son had been fully focused on defending themselves, they might have had a fifty-percent chance of dodging them.
But right now they were busy dealing with the crazed oxen and protecting the villagers.
How could they possibly spare any attention for themselves?
Deep in their bones, they held fast to one unwavering belief—
The lives of the people came before everything else.
A cold, murderous glint flashed across Liu Zhixia’s eyes.
No one bullied her people and got away with it.
She didn’t stop the hidden weapons directly.
Instead, with the slightest movement of her hands, she quietly dispersed the internal force attached to them.
The projectiles would still strike their targets and leave wounds.
But they would no longer inflict life-altering injuries.
At worst, they’d cause superficial cuts and draw a little blood.
She had to let the enemy believe their plan had succeeded.
The hidden weapons followed their original trajectories and struck the Zhou father and son.
Perhaps because the force behind them had vanished, blood quickly stained their clothes…
But it still wasn’t convincing enough.
Silently, Liu Zhixia circulated her own internal energy.
In the next instant, alarm bells rang in both Commander Zhou’s and Zhou Yunting’s minds.
Who’s there?
Such profound internal energy!
Even though they hadn’t been on guard, someone had managed to knock them down without making a sound…
And without causing them the slightest real injury.
Such terrifying control over one’s strength…
The father and son reacted with astonishing speed.
After exchanging a glance, they silently nodded.
There were two different groups present.
One enemy.
One ally.
The burst of internal energy just now had merely been a smokescreen.
Its purpose was obvious—
To conceal the fact that they were actually unharmed.
Commander Zhou and Zhou Yunting immediately collapsed to the ground, their faces turning deathly pale.
Liu Zhixia noticed that the hidden presence had disappeared.
The enemy had either withdrawn…
Or, more accurately, had left believing their scheme had succeeded.
It seemed they didn’t actually want the Zhou father and son dead.
They wanted them alive—
Alive, crippled, and forever unable to return to the capital.
During the entire incident, Zhou Yunting glanced at Liu Zhixia twice.
For a fleeting moment, he wondered whether she had been the one who intervened.
But remembering the unfathomable internal energy of the mysterious expert, he couldn’t help but laugh at himself.
Liu Zhixia was certainly mysterious.
She knew many things.
But internal energy wasn’t something one could acquire overnight.
I’m overthinking this.
Comrade Liu Zhixia probably couldn’t endure the hardships of martial arts training.
Even after decades of martial arts practice and rigorous military training, he doubted he could come anywhere close to the strength of that hidden expert.
How could he possibly suspect someone as delicate and beautiful as her?
Although the frightened expression on Liu Zhixia’s face earlier had clearly been an act…
She was probably at least a little scared.
The Zhou family had always guarded a secret unknown to outsiders.
They had originally been an ancient martial arts family.
But as the times changed, their bloodline dwindled.
Gradually, they disappeared from the ancient martial world and returned to ordinary society.
Even so, they never abandoned their martial arts training.
Otherwise, Zhou Yunting could never have accumulated so many military achievements in such a short time.
His accomplishments had become so remarkable that many powerful aristocratic families regarded both him and the Zhou family as dangerous threats that had to be eliminated.
If not for the mysterious expert’s intervention this time, he and his father would have either died or been crippled.
There was no doubt about it.
The hidden weapon had belonged to an ancient martial artist.
A chilling killing intent flickered through the man’s eyes.
Even from a distance, Liu Zhixia could feel the icy aura surrounding him.
The corners of her lips lifted ever so slightly.
Then she hurried over to Commander Zhou and Zhou Yunting, feigning panic.
Her face instantly turned pale.
Her worried voice trembled slightly.
“Uncle Zhou! Zhou Yunting! Are you alright? Where are you hurt?”
When Old Master Zhou arrived, he only needed a single glance before quietly letting out a sigh of relief.
Thank goodness…
It isn’t as bad as it looks.
Their injuries appeared severe, but in reality they weren’t in any immediate danger.
He then looked at the young woman standing beside them.
Her eyes, already as gentle as water, now shimmered with tears.
Yet beneath that softness hid a sharp, unwavering edge.
Contradictory…
Yet strangely harmonious.
Then he noticed his usually indifferent grandson casting occasional glances toward her.
Old Master Zhou sighed inwardly.
If none of this had happened…
These two truly would have been a match made in heaven.
The Zhou father and son were carried back by stretcher.
Several grateful yet bewildered villagers followed close behind.
Liu Zhixia’s eyes were red from crying.
Since their injuries appeared serious, they were quickly rushed to the town hospital.
As Liu Zhixia had expected…
The examination results were exactly the same as in the original novel.
One had suffered severe lumbar spinal damage.
The other…
Might never stand up again.
The moment the doctor finished speaking, Old Master Zhou—who hadn’t been overly worried until now—stared at him in shock.
How could it be this serious?
He knew the doctor wouldn’t make such claims lightly.
The only explanation was that the examination truly showed such devastating results.
Old Master Zhou’s legs nearly gave out beneath him.
He had accepted being sent to the countryside for political reformation without complaint.
But seeing both his son and grandson declared crippled…
That was something the old man simply couldn’t bear.
Commander Zhou and Zhou Yunting also heard the diagnosis.
They had always believed their injuries were nothing more than flesh wounds.
After all, they had suffered countless injuries over the years.
They knew their own bodies.
They knew they shouldn’t have been crippled.
Yet the doctor’s words left both father and son utterly confused.
Only Liu Zhixia, who knew the truth, quietly withdrew her gaze after it landed on a nurse in a white coat standing in a corner of the hospital.
Zhou Yunting hadn’t earned the title of Soldier King for nothing.
The moment the nurse appeared, he had already noticed her.
What truly shocked him, however, was that his new bride had noticed the nurse as well.
He was certain he hadn’t imagined the brief exchange of glances.
It seemed…
He knew far less about Liu Zhixia than he had thought.
She was nothing like the person described in the investigation reports he had received.