After the skirmish, Xie Bozhi saw that Xie Wenzhang and Xie Wenrui were outside and immediately bellowed at the two brothers, dashing back toward them.
The brothers snapped out of the thrill of battle they had just felt and sprinted back, hearts pounding.
From a distance, Xie Bozhi’s gaze fell on the collapsed doorway, and his heart skipped a beat. Panic surged.
He gripped his battle axe tightly as he entered, hands trembling.
But when he saw the black-clad men sprawled in a pool of blood, arrows sticking out of their bodies, he froze.
Xie Wenzhang and Xie Wenrui, following closely, were equally stunned.
“Father! Third brother! Fifth brother! You’re back! How did it go outside? Is it over? Are you all alright? Any injuries?” Tang Qingluo rattled off questions, finally bringing the three men back to their senses.
“We’re fine. All the black-clad men outside have been dealt with. But what about here? So many intruders… are you all okay?” Xie Bozhi asked, still wary as he looked at the bodies strewn about, particularly the one near Xie Lanyi.
Before Tang Qingluo could reply, Xie Wanying darted out from behind her, cutting her off.
“Father, of course we’re fine! The ones in trouble are these black-clad men,” she said proudly, lifting the mechanical crossbow in her hands. “Even if another wave comes, we won’t be afraid. If they dare come, we’ll turn them into porcupines with this thing.”
Her eyes shone bright with excitement. “And Father, you know… the outfit Big Sister gave to Big Brother is amazing. When a black-clad man charged at him, we were all terrified. But the miraculous thing… no matter how he tried, he couldn’t touch Big Brother. Then Big Brother countered—and the intruder died without seeing it coming.”
As Xie Wanying recounted her tale with dramatic flair, everyone’s gaze inevitably fell on Tang Qingluo.
“Qingluo, this outfit—would it also suit Fourth Uncle?” Xie Jizhi, whose hands were crippled, asked for the first time.
If Tang Qingluo had another suit, she would have gladly given it to him. She admired Fourth Uncle immensely.
Xie Jizhi, thirteen years old, was a prodigy scholar—the only one in the Great Zhou dynasty to achieve six top-ranking degrees. By twenty-five, he entered the cabinet; by thirty, he was made a marquis and minister. In modern terms, he was the ultimate overachiever.
Add to that his handsome features and elegance, even in middle age, and he was simply irresistible—a double halo of talent and looks. No one could refuse him.
Truly, his wife was incredibly lucky.
Tang Qingluo admired him openly, but Xie Lanyi’s gaze darkened, cutting her admiration short.
“Qingluo—Qingluo—” he said.
“Oh! Sorry, I was lost in thought,” Tang Qingluo quickly recovered. She didn’t want to upset Xie Jizhi and considered his request carefully.
He seemed to sense her hesitation and smiled gently: “It’s fine, Qingluo. If you don’t have one, it’s okay.”
The kind-hearted scholar really was gentle. Tang Qingluo thought: if only she had another set.
Perhaps she could take Xie Lanyi’s and give it to Fourth Uncle. After all, he was a scholar, weaker than Xie Lanyi—he needed protection more.
If she asked Xie Lanyi for it, surely he wouldn’t refuse.
As she pondered, the system spoke up.
【Host, the store has a basic version of the suit. One set costs 1,000 combat points and 2,000 taels of silver.】
Tang Qingluo, slightly bemused, ignored the system’s sudden suggestion, distracted by the thought of helping Fourth Uncle.
She calculated quickly: from the previous wave of battle, she had earned 6,000 combat points. Spending 1,000 points and 2,000 taels for a basic suit was doable.
Though a bit pricey, she didn’t mind—after all, it was like buying merchandise for a celebrity you adored.
She said, “Fourth Uncle, I don’t have a suit identical to Big Brother’s. But I have a lower-grade version. The protection isn’t as strong, and the attack effects are weaker, but it’s enough to handle today’s black-clad men. If you don’t mind—”
Before she finished, Xie Jizhi replied: “Of course I don’t mind.”
“Then wait here. I’ll fetch it from my bundle.” Tang Qingluo rummaged through her bag and retrieved the suit from the store system.
“Here, Fourth Uncle.” She handed over the basic set. When she had the resources, she could upgrade him to a higher-level suit.
“Thank you, Qingluo,” Xie Jizhi said with a smile, taking the suit.
From now on, he wouldn’t need his family risking themselves to protect him. He no longer wanted to be helpless—at least in future dangers, he could protect himself and spare his family.
Because of the assassination attempt at the Fanyang relay station, over ten guards died, and several of the escorting officials were killed as well. That night, the station master reported the incident to the nearest Yuzhou government office.
By noon, a low-ranking clerk arrived—not to investigate, but merely to make a show of inspection. He walked around, took cursory notes, and quickly closed the case.
The report read: “Bandits caused disorder.”
Naturally, neither the Xie family nor the remaining escort officials were satisfied.
But dissatisfaction changed nothing. Higher authority ruled, so the escort officials collected death compensation for their fallen comrades and sent it to the families, then continued escorting the four exiled families.
The new team of officials sent to supplement the escort was stricter toward the Xies.
Even the agreement Tang Qingluo made to remove the shackles was ignored—her 600 taels had gone to waste.