The man in mid-air seized the opportunity to shatter the barrier and made a swift escape, leaving behind only a hem of his black robes fluttering as he fell from the sky.
On the ground, the woman caught the scrap of fabric in her hands, gently smoothing it out as if it were a priceless treasure.
Seeing his quarry escape, the lead man’s face flushed red with fury. “Was it you lot? Did you switch the explosives I had buried beforehand? It must be you to think you would dare to ruin my plans!”
After setting up such an elaborate scheme to lure “The Man of a Thousand Faces” here, to have it all ruined by these outsiders!
“Get them! Kill everyone inside!” Since the cooked duck had flown away, he wouldn’t let these people off easily!
Yueying sensed the danger, but he was too far away from Mu Chengyan to intervene.
A fresh wave of men charged forward with swords drawn, eyes glazed and milky, as if they had been drugged. Mu Chengyan pulled Jun Xun tightly into his embrace and flicked a thin golden thread from his sleeve.
Before the mob could reach them, they were bound tightly by the golden thread, completely immobilized.
Mu Chengyan was shocked. He had always dismissed the “Wind God Rope” as a useless trinket to think it possessed such power.
“Your Highness, are you not…”
Yueying’s black form flashed through the air, dropping down to shield him. “Useless is useless, but I suppose he still knows how to use his weapons.”
He had simply never seen the weapon display such efficacy before. Perhaps it had just had a momentary burst of inspiration today…
“Get them! Everyone, attack!” The leader commanded the remaining soldiers to strike.
Jun Xun shook even harder, his hands pressing against Mu Chengyan’s slender waist.
“Gege…”
Mu Chengyan’s entire body stiffened, but seeing how terrified Jun Xun looked, he couldn’t bear to push him away. Forget it, Ah-Xun is a boy too; it shouldn’t be a big deal.
Mu Chengyan comforted him, “Ah-Xun has nothing to fear. Just close your eyes, and it won’t be scary anymore.”
Jun Xun closed his eyes and buried himself in the warm embrace this was exactly how Gege had held him all those years ago…
Yueying let out a scornful snort. “Your Highness, he is nothing but a burden; you should send him away as soon as possible.”
His Highness is frail enough as it is, needing to be cared for himself; how can he possibly spare the energy to look after anyone else?
Another wave of men rushed in, and Mu Chengyan commanded immediately, “Yueying, Guchen, protect the elderly behind us. Do not mind me.”
“But Your Highness…”
Before Yueying could finish, Mu Chengyan silenced him with a raised hand.
The group of elderly people sat where they were, having already prepared themselves for death. To have someone actually come to their rescue were these people sent by the heavens to save them?
Yueying dared not defy Mu Chengyan’s orders and could only take a step back to guard the seniors.
In the distance, a massive troop of soldiers approached, stretching for hundreds of meters, the dust kicked up from their rear drifting through the air.
“Your Highness, it looks like there is a fight up ahead!”
“A fight? I have no patience for brawling, especially within the borders of the Song nation. Go take a look; I want to see who dares to run wild on my territory!”
Song Jinxuan wiped his nose and hurried his men toward the commotion.
Before Mu Chengyan could act, a tall, handsome man in blue robes stepped in front of him.
“What kind of person bullies a defenseless beauty? If you have the guts, fight me instead!”
Beauty?
Is he talking about me?
Mu Chengyan glanced at himself, then touched his own face. People always seem to call me a femme fatale…
Seeing Song Jinxuan, Jun Xun’s gaze sank, and his hands tightened around Mu Chengyan.
“Who are you?”
“Who I am is no concern of yours! If you have any sense, get lost! Otherwise, don’t blame me for being ruthless!”
“You certainly talk big. Everyone, attack! Let him see the power of our ‘Axe Gang’!”
“Overestimating yourselves.”
The troop of soldiers Song Jinxuan had brought with him dispatched the attackers swiftly; otherwise, there was no telling how long the fighting would have dragged on.
The leader finally fled with his few remaining stragglers. Today had been a total loss. He turned his head to glare at the woman kneeling on the ground. Even the bait had been lost! “Just you wait as long as you are in Sunset City…”
“I’ll be waiting for you; hurry up and come back.”
Song Jinxuan let out a cold snort. It had been a long time since he had gone out to inspect the common folk, and to think these people dared to bully them! It was time for this justice-upholding Prince to step forward.
He lowered his gaze and found an incredibly beautiful face staring back at him clear pupils unsullied by the mundane world, dark, butterfly-like eyelashes curled upward, the entire person radiating a noble and elegant aura.
Song Jinxuan’s dark pupils widened, and he asked nervously,
“Are… are you alright? Were you hurt?”
Mu Chengyan wore a gentle smile and shook his head. “Many thanks to this noble hero for stepping in to assist.”
Song Jinxuan beamed like a fool, scratching his head in confusion. Not only is he beautiful, but his voice is so gentle, too.
“N—no need to thank me, no need…”
Song Jinxuan stumbled over his own words, nearly biting his own tongue in his nervousness. The guards nearby exchanged puzzled glances why had their Prince suddenly started stuttering when he had been perfectly fine a moment ago?
Yueying saw the infatuated look in his eyes and stepped between him and Mu Chengyan.
“Stay away from our Crown Prince,” he said with disdain.
His Highness is truly a magnet; it’s not just the women who love him, but the men as well. There isn’t a single unmarried woman in the Yuanqi nation who wouldn’t want to marry His Highness. It’s just a pity His Highness has no interest in romance; he only wants to protect the nation, ascend to godhood, and look after the common people.
“I… I just wanted to speak to him. I had no other intentions… none at all…”
Song Jinxuan shook his head in a panic and backed away two steps, fearing that he had become a nuisance.
Mu Chengyan said softly, “Yueying, do not be impolite. Step back.”
“Yes.”
Yueying stepped back reluctantly, glaring fiercely at Song Jinxuan. I could have protected His Highness just fine without his help.
Jun Xun suppressed the sharp, murderous edge in his eyes, lifted his head, and let tears shimmer in his dark pupils. “Gege, I’m scared…”
Song Jinxuan stared at the youth for a long time, feeling he resembled someone, though he couldn’t quite match the age or height. How could Jun Qingyu possibly be hiding in someone else’s arms?
The thought itself was chilling. Someone so cold-blooded how could he possibly cry? Song Jinxuan couldn’t even imagine what it would look like if Jun Qingyu were to cry…
This trip was intended to intercept and assassinate Mu Chengyan to show the Yuanqi nation the might of the Great Song nation! But saving such a great beauty along the way? That’s not so bad…
“Ah-Xun, do not be afraid. The bad guys have all left.”
Mu Chengyan gently wiped the tears from the youth’s eyes. Though Ah-Xun was clever, he was surprisingly timid. If a few men were enough to scare him to tears, what would happen in the future? He couldn’t even take care of himself; if Ah-Xun stayed with him, he would only suffer.
I really should find a kind-hearted family here to take him in, so he can at least have a proper home.