On the night of Qixi, the commotion by Yinghe Lake didn't draw much attention. The incident happened suddenly, and only a few people who knew the truth remained silent, so hardly anyone knew about Tang Ning and Qian Qiyue falling into the water.
Only the Lu Wangfu (Lu Prince's Residence) knew the full story. After Qian Bao-kun personally met with the Old Lu Princess, who was already furious, she immediately became bitter towards Princess Leyang and the Fourth Imperial Princess.
Princess Leyang, after one failure, was still thinking about how to take action again. She sent someone to watch the Ji Yun Alley and received word that the servants of the Tang family were preparing sacrificial items. On the day of Zhongyuan, Song Tang Ning would go to Lingyun Temple to attend the Festival to pray for her deceased parents.
Upon hearing this news, Princess Leyang was overjoyed, even putting aside the worry about her young son who had accidentally broken his arm.
In the palace, Emperor An was still obsessed with alchemy and cultivation. Meanwhile, the empress had lost her authority over the six palaces, and the other concubines were beginning to stir. As for the court, due to Lu Chongyuan's demotion, Lu Qin's exile, and Lu Zhao's impending execution, combined with Xiao Yan's "serious injury" and recuperation at home, the aristocracy was colluding with the Second Prince in some unknown scheme. The court, however, remained unusually quiet.
Tang Ning went back and forth between her residence and the academy every day. By the ninth day of the month, the academy officially started classes, and she brought Xue Ru and the other students with her.
This attracted much discussion. However, as Tang Ning was already the headmaster of Rongsheng Academy, even though some students felt it was inappropriate for a woman to attend classes with men, none dared to make a scene in front of Tang Ning, and in the end, they quietly accepted it.
In the capital, everything was relatively peaceful. Meanwhile, in Anxi, Xiao Yan was leading the "coincidentally encountered" Di family mother and son to escape.
Dressed in a black robe with a cold expression, Xiao Yan swiftly slashed the throat of the tea house servant who had brought water, then kicked away an elderly man who had tried to brew tea.
The tea cups on the table were overturned, and the people guarding outside quickly entered, grabbing the old man who had fallen to the ground. Before they could do anything, the man froze.
"Lord, he has poisoned himself."
Xiao Yan looked at the dead man on the ground and the poisoned tea bubbling on the overturned table. He furrowed his brows and glanced at the pale-faced young man beside him.
"Third time."
The guards around the young man seemed to hesitate, and the mother and daughter beside him were in extreme shock.
"Thank you, Brother He..."
"Don't thank me. I didn’t intend to get involved."
Xiao Yan interrupted Di Tao’s words with a wave of his hand. "If those people hadn’t targeted you two and caught me in the crossfire, I wouldn't have gotten myself entangled in your troubles. I don't know who you are, but in just two days, we've faced three assassination attempts. I believe we are not suited to travel together."
His tone was indifferent, giving off an air of cold detachment.
"We've already left Anxi. I need to continue heading northwest. Goodbye."
Di Tao saw him order the guards to pack up while he wiped his sword with a handkerchief, looking distant. His suspicions about the man began to fade.
Beside him, Di Fangyun, the Di family's daughter, grew anxious.
"Big Brother!"
She grabbed Di Tao's sleeve, her lips pale.
She had only been returning home with her mother and brother for a visit, but halfway, they were ambushed. Not only did they lose most of their guards, but Big Brother was also severely injured. The assassins relentlessly pursued them, and they had narrowly escaped death several times. Just the night before, they were cornered.
Had it not been for this "He Langjun" suddenly appearing, they would have likely already been dead.
Di Fangyun had never endured so much hardship. She had injured her leg, and her body was covered with bruises. After several days of fleeing, she was terrified. It was only the arrival of He Langjun that had allowed them to rest for two days. She didn't want him to leave. If he left, who would protect them?
"Big Brother, say something!"
Seeing He Yan turn to leave, truly not planning to help them any further, Di Fangyun hurriedly stood up and hopped forward.
"He Langjun, don't go!"
She quickly approached, attempting to grab Xiao Yan’s sleeve. However, just as she touched it, he stepped aside.
Xiao Yan frowned, taking two steps back and looking down at the corner of his robe that she had touched. The beautiful Di Fangyun, unable to grab him, fell forward onto the ground.
"Fangyun!"
Di Madam rushed over to help her up and then glared at the peerlessly handsome young man, clearly angry. "He Langjun, what are you doing?"
Xiao Yan frowned. "I should be the one asking you what you're doing. I have no obligation to protect you, nor am I interested in investigating who you are. It’s already a favor that I haven’t blamed you for dragging me into this. Now that we’ve left Anxi, we’re on different roads. You should be grateful."
He finished speaking with a look of disdain, then turned his gaze to Di Fangyun. "As for this lady, I already have a wife and family. Men and women should not be too familiar with each other. If she finds out that I am in any way involved with another woman, she will be angry."
"I hope the lady will respect herself."
He spun his sword in a flourish, and the corner of his robe that had been touched instantly ripped with a "swish" sound.
Not only did Di Fangyun's face turn pale, but even Di Madam’s expression stiffened.
Di Tao gripped his knife tighter and looked at the disdainful face of "He Yan," which practically screamed "Don't covet my beauty." His breath caught in his throat.
This man was so venomous and merciless with his words. If he were trying to approach them to gather intelligence as a spy, he wasn’t afraid of being struck down?
"Brother He," Di Tao spoke, lowering his guard, "I know we’ve caused you trouble these past two days. We’ve been attacked, but you were dragged into it as well."
"Glad you understand."
"…"
Di Tao clenched his teeth and forced a weak smile. "But now that we’re in this mess, even if you don’t want to be involved, you’re already on their radar. You’ve seen how ruthless they are. They’ll leave no survivors. It would be better for us to travel together so we can watch each other’s backs."
"I don't want to watch your backs."
Di Tao: "…"
"You’re about to lose your life, and yet you’re asking for my help?"
Xiao Yan’s face remained cold, his words as sharp as ever. "You don’t need to threaten me. I’ll let you go, but not because I want to spare you. It’s because I don’t want to kill unnecessarily. But if you try to make a move on me, I won’t hesitate to send you on your way."
Di Tao: "…"
Seeing that Xiao Yan was unyielding and that his guards had already packed, Xiao Yan turned to mount his horse, preparing to leave.
Just as Di Tao was thinking of how to keep him from leaving, he suddenly heard a sharp sound in the air, followed by a flash of cold light shooting toward his face.
"Watch out!!"
Di Tao shouted loudly and quickly pulled Di Madam and Di Fangyun aside to avoid the hidden arrow. When he looked up, he saw more than ten dark figures rushing toward them from the woods. The few servants accompanying He Yan were also trapped.
At this moment, Di Tao realized that "He Yan" was not from Beiling. A spy from Beiling wouldn't have such sharp wit and venomous words. While protecting his mother and sister and defending against the attackers, he moved closer to Xiao Yan.
Xiao Yan, seemingly unaware, began to retreat with his people, quickly joining forces with Di Tao’s group.
"Brother He, I must apologize for hiding the truth. I am Di Tao, the eldest son of General Di Shuangcheng of the Zhen’an Army in the northwest…"
"Shut up!"
Xiao Yan, while fending off the attackers, turned and shouted angrily.
But Di Tao didn’t pay him any mind. He raised his voice, "I was returning home with my mother and sister when we were attacked by Beiling’s spies. Thank you, Brother He, for killing those Beiling scoundrels and saving us."
"If we’re lucky enough to survive today, when we return to the northwest, I will properly thank you. Even if I die in battle, as long as you report the matter of Beiling to the military, my father will reward you greatly…"
Seeing Xiao Yan’s face grow ashen and the attackers becoming more aggressive, Di Tao pushed back a few attackers with his sword and retreated to Xiao Yan’s side.
"Brother He, we are now tied together by fate. Beiling will not let anyone who knows of this escape alive."
Xiao Yan’s voice was full of fury, "Shameless!"
Di Tao smiled faintly, "It’s a last resort, please understand."
Xiao Yan shot him a sharp look, clearly angered by the manipulation. As his actions became fiercer, he blocked Di Tao’s view, and with a swift strike, his sword knocked the assailant’s wrist, sending him flying.
In his eyes, there was a faint, almost imperceptible smile.
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You can read ahead to chapterr 470 (100+ extra chapters) here
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