Chapter 228
Chapter 228
Ji Yan’an also heard about Jiang Yunsui handing out silver throughout the residence.
He merely smiled. “Let her.”
After Jiang Yunsui had distributed every little silver ingot, peanut, and melon seed she carried, she scampered outside again.
She truly had energy to spare.
“Fat Grandpa!”
“I’m Ji Yan’an’s little sister now! Ji Yan’an is my big brother!”
Little Mushroom was so happy that she bounced with every step.
Fat Chef picked her up, tossed her into the air, and caught her perfectly. Jiang Yunsui was not frightened in the least. She laughed in delight.
“Congratulations!”
“Come on. I’ll grill lamb for you.”
Jiang Yunsui nodded her little head and followed close behind to help.
Not that she helped much in the end. She was too busy eating.
The goose stewed in an iron pot that she had been longing for was served too, and it really was delicious.
“Yummy, yummy.”
“Ji Yan’an, eat some more.”
Jiang Yunsui swung her short legs and stuffed meat into her own mouth, but did not forget the brother she had just acquired.
In truth, nothing about how they interacted had changed.
Thus, after one excited morning, Little Mushroom settled down again.
“Assassins!”
A shout suddenly came from outside.
Jiang Yunsui froze. Assassins? Had someone come to kill Ji Yan’an again?!
Ji Yan’an swiftly picked her up and put her in a concealed corner.
“Hide here. Don’t come out.”
He even gave her a dagger to defend herself.
Jiang Yunsui gazed at him anxiously with her enormous eyes.
“Ji Yan’an, you should hide too.”
The clash of blades outside drew closer.
“Don’t worry about me.”
Ji Yan’an took the crossbow hanging on the wall.
Crash!
The roof broke open. An assassin holding a coldly gleaming saber lunged at Ji Yan’an.
Ji Yan’an showed no fear. He aimed the crossbow and fired two bolts in succession.
Unfortunately, the assassin deflected them both.
Nanmo leaped down from the roof as well and immediately engaged him.
Gripping her dagger, Jiang Yunsui watched Ji Yan’an’s side nervously.
Fortunately, although there were many assassins, Ji Yan’an’s guards and hidden guards were formidable too.
Only two assassins broke through the defenses and entered the room.
As one approached Ji Yan’an, a hidden weapon concealed at his wrist wounded the man.
But Ji Yan’an was hurt too. A dagger pierced his shoulder.
The assassin tried to press his advantage when a burst of agony suddenly shot through his foot.
He looked down. A child had appeared from nowhere. He had not even noticed her approach, and now she had driven her dagger savagely into the top of his foot.
“Aaargh!”
“Little Pink!”
As the assassin bent over in pain, a pink snake shot out at Jiang Yunsui’s cry and bit him directly on the neck.
His face instantly turned black. He collapsed, poisoned, and died.
Jiang Yunsui hurried to Ji Yan’an.
“Ji Yan’an.”
Her voice choked with tears.
Sob… He had only just become her brother, and already he looked as though he was going to die.
Ji Yan’an had always been frail. With a blade wound in his shoulder, blood spreading across his clothes, and his face deathly pale, he looked terrifying.
“Eat these. Hurry, eat them.”
Crying, Jiang Yunsui stuffed healing pills made from Verdant Jade Mushrooms into his mouth.
Shen Qingzhu had developed them himself. Whether stopping bleeding or closing a wound, the mushroom medicine worked far faster than ordinary remedies.
Once all the assassins were dead, the others rushed in, their faces covered in blood.
Without a word, Nanmo tore open the clothing around Ji Yan’an’s injured shoulder, crushed another pill into powder, and sprinkled it over the wound.
With medicine working inside and out, Ji Yan’an’s complexion visibly improved.
Nanshu stumbled in from outside with a saber in his hand.
“Young Master! Young Master!”
“What would we do if something happened to you? Young Master…”
“Waaaah… Ji Yan’an…” Jiang Yunsui sobbed.
The two crouched before Ji Yan’an, each hugging one of his legs and crying with tears and snot running down their faces. Every shred of dignity was gone.
Ji Yan’an fell silent.
He was not dead yet, but they were already mourning him. His vision nearly went black from irritation.
Nanmo kicked Nanshu aside.
“Quiet. You’re disturbing the Young Master.”
Only then did Nanshu wipe his tears and stare pitifully at Ji Yan’an.
Jiang Yunsui sniffed. Her nose was running terribly, and it was rather disgusting. Without thinking, the hand clutching Ji Yan’an’s clothes started moving toward her nose.
No. Ji Yan’an was obsessed with cleanliness. If he found out she had wiped her nose on his clothes, he would spank her.
She would secretly use Nanshu’s instead.
Shen Qingzhu was soon brought over. He was not in particularly good condition either; assassins had attacked his quarters too.
“He’s fine. You dealt with it in time.”
After inspecting Ji Yan’an’s wound, Shen Qingzhu relaxed.
“Young Master, they’re from the Piao Kingdom,” Nanmo reported.
“They were probably testing our defenses.”
Ji Yan’an’s expression chilled. “Secure Dali’s defenses first.”
They had only recently taken over Dali’s garrison, and numerous vulnerabilities remained. That was how the Piao assassins had slipped inside.
“It wasn’t only the Piao Kingdom,” Shen Qingzhu said. “Members of the Li tribe were probably involved too.”
The Li were a large tribe near Dali, and their conflict with Great Liang was even fiercer than that of the mountain people.
Years ago, a newly appointed prefect had seized the daughter of the Li chief and forced her to become his concubine, ultimately driving her to her death.
The Li retaliated by assassinating the prefect.
From then on, a bitter feud existed between the Li people and the people of Great Liang. They came to make trouble for Dali almost every year.
The current Li chief was ambitious. She probably wanted to seize a share now that Great Liang had fallen into turmoil.
Once Ji Yan’an’s wound had been bandaged, someone brought a steaming bowl of medicine.
He drank it without changing expression.
“Young Master, you should rest and recover.”
“Spread word that I have been gravely wounded,” Ji Yan’an said.
Song Jin smiled. “Indeed. We can’t let you be wounded for nothing.”
He guessed what Ji Yan’an intended almost instantly.
To outsiders, Ji Yan’an was still merely a merchant called Young Master Ji.
Because they naturally looked down on that identity, the Piao Kingdom and the Li tribe would surely assume he could accomplish little.
His lips pale, Ji Yan’an closed his eyes as he gave his instructions.
“Have our men change into mountain clothing and commoners’ clothes. Reduce the visible number of garrison soldiers and hide the rest among the people. Prepare an ambush.”
“Yes!”
By the time Ji Yan’an finished, he had no strength left. He was helped onto the bed.
Jiang Yunsui followed anxiously.
“Come up and rest,” Ji Yan’an said.
She kicked off her shoes, climbed onto the bed, and lay against his uninjured arm.
“Ji Yan’an, you have to get better soon.”
Ji Yan’an gave a weak hum. “Thank you.”
He had not expected the little girl to be the one who stabbed the assassin at the crucial moment.