Capítulo 22: Não merece sujar as mãos dela

Clang!

A long sword struck the stone wall, emitting a crisp metallic sound.

Hidden by the overgrown weeds above, neither of the two men had noticed this patch of rock face. At the sound, their breathing hitched, and they immediately prepared to leap down to investigate. In an instant, they would be fully exposed.

Shen Nanzhi instinctively gripped Xiao Chuyun’s sleeve. "I will hold them off; Your Highness, find a chance to leave!"

Death was inevitable either way. If she could delay them for a moment and grant him a sliver of hope for survival, it would be a way to repay the kindness of her previous life. Yet, she felt a lingering sense of unwillingness. She had struggled so hard to return to this world, and before she could personally exact vengeance upon her enemies, she was to perish here.

Shen Nanzhi felt deeply frustrated. However, she found some comfort in the fact that she had already warned her mother; with prior preparation, her mother would surely not be harmed by those scoundrels of the Jiang family. This thought brought her a modicum of peace.

Seeing two long swords glinting with cold light descending toward the crevice, Shen Nanzhi prepared to rise, but a sudden, excruciating cramp seized her lungs. The poison acted too swiftly, leaving her no time to react. It was just like in her past life—utterly powerless, she had been mauled by a desperate, starving wolf, her face torn by the beast. It was the same this time.

No matter how strong her willpower was, before her hand could even reach the dagger hidden at her waist, everything went black. She collapsed, falling once again into Xiao Chuyun’s embrace. Before consciousness faded, she saw the two blades descending overhead.

*So, this is the end,* she thought, filled with despair.

She felt the arms holding her tighten, and the scent of grass and trees that enveloped her grew more intense. It was a pity she couldn’t save him; in this life, they would die together. With that final thought, Shen Nanzhi lost consciousness completely.

Having fainted, she did not see Xiao Chuyun easily evade the two blades, leap out from the stone wall, and jump several yards away, widening the distance between them and their attackers. However, the moment the men sensed something amiss, they had already signaled their companions. In the blink of an eye, dozens of figures in black emerged from the dense forest, surrounding the pair.

"Your Highness, forgive us."

As the voice faded, several sword beams struck at them. Unlike the gentle expression he always wore for Shen Nanzhi, Xiao Chuyun’s face was now cold and stern, his ink-black eyes filled with a bone-chilling frost. He didn’t even glance at the lethal strikes closing in; holding Shen Nanzhi with one arm, he spun around, plucked a few leaves from a nearby tree, and flicked them outward.

The light, drifting leaves were instantly transformed into hidden weapons capable of shattering bone and severing steel, flying straight toward the faces of the assailants. Before the men could react, they collapsed to the ground, dead on the spot.

The scene stunned the remaining attackers. While they stood in a daze, Xiao Chuyun curled his lips into a sneer of utter contempt: "People like you are not worthy of dirtying her hands."

Before the words had even settled, and before the remaining men could tighten their grips on their hilts or launch an attack, they all fell to the ground simultaneously. They hadn't even seen where Xiao Chuyun’s lethal blow came from. Before their consciousness dissipated entirely, they finally remembered one thing: the man before them was the legendary "God of War" who had made a name for himself in his youth! They had spent years overlooking this fact because of his frail appearance, but now, it was far too late.

Xiao Chuyun did not spare them a single glance. He brushed off his hand, having just held the leaves, and gathered Shen Nanzhi back into his arms. His gaze swept over the girl’s delicate eyebrows and bright features, finally resting on her lips, which were tightly pursed in pain. He couldn't help but frown.

At that moment, footsteps approached rapidly. A dark figure moved through the trees and landed at Xiao Chuyun’s feet—it was Mo Yi, who had returned after fetching the carriage. Seeing the corpses strewn about, their eyes wide in death, and noticing Xiao Chuyun’s cold expression, Mo Yi knelt immediately. "It is my incompetence; I am late."

Seeing the deathly pale complexion of Shen Nanzhi in his master’s arms, Mo Yi asked anxiously, "Master, how is Miss Shen?"

Xiao Chuyun kept his fingers on Shen Nanzhi’s pulse for a long silence before saying, "She has been poisoned."

Mo Yi gasped. He could not comprehend how, with his master’s prowess, someone could be poisoned right under his nose—unless she had already been poisoned beforehand.

The sight of his master’s expression made Mo Yi shiver with fear. Fearing he might be held accountable, he bowed low. "I discovered that these men are connected to the Seventh Prince."

Xiao Chuyun frowned slightly. *Sent by Xiao Qian'an?* He hadn't expected Xiao Qian'an to go to such lengths to kill him.

Seeing that Xiao Chuyun remained silent, Mo Yi added, "The Seventh Prince’s men spent a fortune to book the entire Wanbao Pavilion, claiming he intends to meet a very important person there tomorrow. Shall I send someone to investigate?"

Before Xiao Chuyun could reply, the voice of Qiuyue, who had been searching for them, echoed through the woods.

"Miss—"

Her lookout position was some distance away, and she had rushed over as soon as she heard the sounds of fighting. She hadn't expected to be a step too late. Seeing the corpses on the ground and her mistress held in the arms of the Prince of Zhenbei, Qiuyue’s legs nearly gave way. "Miss... what happened to her?"

Xiao Chuyun glanced at Mo Yi, who quickly waved his hand. "Don't worry, your mistress has no external wounds. Fortunately, I arrived in time to take these people down, so neither of them was injured. However, your mistress fainted suddenly. We don't know the cause, so our priority is to find a physician."

Knowing that Shen Nanzhi was uninjured, Qiuyue felt a sense of relief, assuming that if there were no physical wounds, it couldn't be too serious. She watched as the Prince of Zhenbei carried Shen Nanzhi out of the forest, wanting to speak several times: even if her mistress was slender and light, the Prince was so frail that he could barely walk on his own, yet he was still carrying her...

Moreover, she felt that the way the Prince looked at her mistress was so focused and careful, as if he were protecting a rare, priceless treasure against his heart. Was he being so cautious because he feared his own body would fail and he might drop her?

Qiuyue was terrified that he might collapse, causing both of them to fall. But every time she opened her mouth, Mo Yi would steer the conversation elsewhere. Although Xiao Chuyun’s pace was slow, it was incredibly steady. By the time they reached the carriage, he hadn't bumped or jostled her mistress once, and Qiuyue finally felt her heart settle.

However, she soon realized that she had felt relieved too soon.