When the assassin charging at Ming Zhu fell, Gu Congshan was still slow to react—his perception was not sharp enough to catch those wind blades too fine to see.
It was at that moment that the sound of arrows splitting the air rang out, whistling forth with the force of thunder.
This time, however, the arrows were not aimed at Gu Congshan and Ming Zhu, but at the black-clad, masked assassins in the bamboo grove.
The black-clad assassins seemed caught off guard, hesitating for a breath before they could move, and already the rune-carved arrows had struck their bodies, exploding instantly with a dull, muffled roar.
A thick stench of blood spread through the air as bursts of crimson bloomed midair, splattering onto the drifting bamboo leaves.
As the many assassins fell, the rhythmic sound of hooves echoed through the grove. Gu Congshan looked up and saw a line of armored guards lowering their longbows, their auras solid and restrained—clearly all of them were martial artists as well.
These were the private guards of the Jiang Clan!
Joy spread across Gu Congshan's face—they were safe—
The instant his mind relaxed, he immediately felt the searing pain radiating from every part of his body. Aside from the most serious wound on his shoulder, he had taken plenty of bumps and bruises while dodging the assassins. He hadn't had time to notice before, but now the pain came back twofold.
Grimacing in agony, Gu Congshan sat on the ground, momentarily unable to get back up.
The young child he had been shielding behind him didn't seem to recognize who these people were, still looking at the guards with fear in his eyes as he shrank back.
Wheels crunched over the fallen leaves on the ground as an ornate carriage adorned with gold and jade slowly advanced. The Jiang Clan guards in front parted to either side, lowering their heads slightly, waiting only for the person within the carriage to give his orders.
Several men dismounted, counted the number of assassins, and confirmed that all had fallen silent before returning to report.
The woman in green robes whom Gu Congshan had encountered by the stream earlier also appeared from behind. She looked exhausted, still wearing her bloodstained clothes with no time to change, though her injuries seemed to have improved somewhat.
She hurried forward, her eyes fixed only on the young child hiding behind Gu Congshan, anxiously checking his wounds. Finding that he had only suffered minor scrapes and was in no danger, her stern expression finally relaxed.
Seeing her, the child seemed to realize at last that he was safe. Unable to suppress his fear any longer, he clutched her sleeve and burst into loud sobs.
The woman in green comforted him while offering sincere thanks to Gu Congshan and Ming Zhu, her tone earnest.
From beginning to end, the person seated in the carriage showed no intention of appearing.
"With such a paltry cultivation base, to hold out for several quarters of an hour under the encirclement of assassins—they were rather lucky." The lowered curtain obscured the young man's face. He wore robes of pale blue-green, with a jade belt hook at his waist, inlaid with gold filigree and adorned with silver, and intricate cloud patterns embroidered on his sleeves.
In Jiang Yuan's view, Gu Congshan and Ming Zhu protecting the Jiang bloodline in their escape was indeed a merit of sorts. But if not for his household guards acting in time to annihilate the assassins with rune arrows, the two would likely have lost their lives at the assassins' hands.
Born into a great clan, Jiang Yuan knew perfectly well how to win people over. He had stayed in the carriage only because he considered a pair of rogue cultivators, with three and nine mansions lit respectively, unworthy of his time or courtesy.
Moreover, the one they had helped was merely a son of a collateral branch of the Jiang Clan. Jiang Yuan, sitting idly in the carriage, thought to himself that bringing his men to their aid was already more than enough, out of consideration for shared clan ties.
A distant cousin of the clan was hardly worth his while to step down from the carriage, nor was it necessary to summon Ming Zhu and Gu Congshan forward for a personal audience.
Of course, he had no idea that Ming Zhu had taken only a little over twenty days to light her Life Star and awaken the stars of all nine mansions in her Life Chart.
Turning his thoughts to that collateral uncle who was now dead beyond dead at the hands of the assassins, Jiang Yuan felt little stirring in his heart. If one dared to meddle in the struggles of the capital, one had to be prepared to lose their life at any moment.
The woman in green was uncertain whether she understood Jiang Yuan's thoughts. Seeing him seated calmly in the carriage without showing himself, she did not dare to voice any opinion.
To truly speak of it, Jiang Yuan's standing within the Jiang Clan was far beyond that of the lord she served. She was merely a retainer—how could she possibly influence Jiang Yuan's actions?
Even if such conduct was undoubtedly a slight against the young lord she protected, there was nothing she could do about it.
Yet she was genuinely grateful to Gu Congshan. Looking at the few not-too-serious injuries on the child, then at Gu Congshan who could barely rise from his wounds, she could tell he had done his utmost.
In a life-and-death situation, he had not abandoned those entangled with him, but instead risked his life to protect them—truly rare indeed.
After earnestly thanking Gu Congshan, the woman in green took out healing alchemical pills and handed them to him and Ming Zhu. When her gaze swept over Ming Zhu, a flicker of admiration passed through her eyes.
Compared to Gu Congshan, Ming Zhu's injuries were far lighter—only the wound on her right hand was particularly noticeable. But what others could not see was that her spiritual breath had been completely drained, and her meridians were faintly aching from the strain.
Paying no mind to the woman in green's gaze, Ming Zhu simply looked at the alchemical pill she had received, carefully examining the dark brown pellet before putting it into her mouth, only to scrunch up her face at the bitterness.
As the pill dissolved, it transformed into a warm current that flowed through her meridians. The Life Star within Ming Zhu's body slowly rotated, nurturing wisps of spiritual breath.
Seeing Ming Zhu's expression, Gu Congshan quickly fished out the candied dates from his robes and handed them to her. Despite having scrambled and rolled to dodge the assassins earlier, the half-bag of candied dates in his chest had somehow not been lost.
He was not angered by the Jiang Clan's nearly dismissive treatment.
Gu Congshan had traveled to many places over the years and had long witnessed the arrogance of these great noble houses. Besides, he felt that it was only because the Jiang Clan's guards had arrived that he had managed to keep his life, so he did not presume to act the benefactor.
The Jiang Clan's arrows had arrived at just the right moment, making it impossible for Gu Congshan to tell how fierce the wind he had felt truly was.
As for Ming Zhu, she did not yet have a concrete concept of the world beyond the mountains. Whatever the Jiang Clan did made little difference to her.
Because of their attitudes, the scene appeared harmonious for the moment, and Jiang Yuan, seated in his carriage, gave them a lofty evaluation of being "sensible enough."
Only with his signal did the woman in green dare speak to Gu Congshan: "We thank you both for your assistance. Your injuries are not light, sir. If you have no urgent matters to attend to, perhaps you might come to the Jiang estate to recuperate for a few days, and make your plans once you have recovered."
Even after taking the alchemical pill, Gu Congshan's wounds would not heal in an instant—he would need at least several days of rest to recover fully.
Gu Congshan instinctively looked at Ming Zhu, and only when she did not object did he consider the matter. Calculating that staying at the Jiang estate for a few days would not only save on food and lodging expenses but also the cost of an inn in Pingxiang Town, Gu Congshan could think of no reason to refuse.
Oh, right—A’He!
Once they were out of danger, Gu Congshan finally remembered that A’He should still be waiting where they had left her!
When Gu Congshan explained the situation, the Jiang household made no fuss about sending him back to look for A’He. Instead, it sent two servants to find her and bring her to rejoin the group.
Jiang Yuan had no intention of lingering here. He raised his hand in a gesture, and the carriage immediately began moving out of the bamboo grove. The many Jiang Clan guards and private soldiers also turned their horses around. At his instruction, they did not take the corpses of the assassins with them.
These bodies, deliberately left behind, could be considered the Jiang Clan's warning to whoever was behind the plot.
Just as he was about to leave with the Jiang party, Ming Zhu glanced around, as if looking for something. She only withdrew her gaze when Gu Congshan called out to her.
"What are you looking for?" Gu Congshan asked, having mounted the horse the Jiang Clan had prepared for him.
"It feels like someone is here," Ming Zhu replied thoughtfully, her tone carrying a rare note of uncertainty.
This was the first time she had not sensed something with certainty, yet her intuition kept telling her that someone was nearby.
Although Gu Congshan still often struggled to keep up with Ming Zhu's train of thought, after spending these days together, he had come to understand her temperament somewhat and knew that her words were probably not a joke.
Could there be an assassin who had slipped through the net? Gu Congshan tensed up and involuntarily looked around as well, but found nothing.
Even if an assassin had escaped, they were now traveling with so many Jiang Clan guards that they should not have to worry about any further danger. With that thought, Gu Congshan felt somewhat reassured.
As the Jiang party departed, the bamboo grove finally returned to its original stillness, leaving only the thick, cloying scent of blood that lingered for a long time.
The wind rustled the bamboo leaves. Amid the whispering sounds, a young man emerged from the shadows, his back to the light, his ordinary face—the kind one would struggle to remember—its expression hard to make out.
He crouched beside the lifeless assassins and found, without much surprise, tiny wounds on their necks, hearts, and even vital points like their dantians.
The Jiang servants who had just counted the dead and wounded had clearly not noticed these wounds. After all, compared to the injuries caused by the exploding rune arrows, such small wounds from wind blades were hardly conspicuous.
But what had actually killed these assassins were precisely these inconspicuous little wounds.
By the time the Jiang guards' rune arrows had fallen, they were already dead—that was why they had been unable to dodge the arrows.
Realizing this, a smile spread across the young man's utterly unremarkable face. His eyes, which did not quite match the rest of his features, gleamed with brilliance. He murmured softly, "Such a low cultivation base, yet such precise control."
"What an impressive young woman—"