Chapter 55
Chapter 55
“Little Sister, hold tightly to Second Brother’s clothes. Daddy is about to go faster.”
Xiao Jingmo carefully warned Jin Bao.
But her little face lit up with inexplicable excitement.
“Does that mean we’ll fly? Back in Sanjiacun, Baby saw Daniu’s daddy lift him up and make him fly so high. It looked like so much fun! Second Brother, are we going to fly like Daniu too?”
Her eyes sparkled. Nervous yet excited, her small hands clutched Xiao Jingmo’s lapels.
His heart gave a sudden, inexplicable ache.
He understood what she meant. When he was young, his father had played with him in the same way, lifting him high overhead and running around the courtyard. He had been both delighted and terrified, shouting until his voice went hoarse without even knowing which emotion had made him scream louder.
Xiao Jingmo hugged Jin Bao close.
“Little Sister, once we’ve chased all the bad people away, Second Brother will take you flying every day. How does that sound?”
“Mm-hmm! Second Brother is a good person. Baby will remember!”
The carriage abruptly accelerated, throwing Xiao Jingmo and Jin Bao backward.
Jin Bao clung tightly to his clothes without a trace of fear on her face.
“Mo’er, I’ll stop outside the Fur Shop. Take your sister inside while I lure the others away. Act according to the situation. They seem to have lost patience and are about to make their move.”
They had believed the assassins would not strike during the day.
Now their enemies were acting without restraint. It seemed they had reached an agreement with the city’s commander, who would turn a blind eye to whatever happened.
The carriage turned a corner and crossed two more streets before reaching the east side of the city.
There were fewer people in this district, and with noon approaching, barely anyone was on the streets.
The carriage thundered down the road and screeched to a halt outside the Fur Shop.
Xiao Jingmo immediately jumped down with Jin Bao in his arms.
The moment the two appeared, Cui Jin’s gaze locked onto Jin Bao.
He raised his bow and fired at Xiao Jingmo with ruthless speed and precision.
Xiao Jingmo noticed the danger immediately. Holding Jin Bao, he dropped and rolled, dodging the first arrow.
Cui Jin had no intention of letting him escape.
He loosed several more arrows in rapid succession.
Using the momentum of his roll, Xiao Jingmo lunged forward and dove through the shop entrance.
Seeing him reach safety, Xiao Che immediately drove the carriage in the opposite direction.
More than a dozen black-clad men raced after him.
The moment Xiao Jingmo entered the shop, its doors slammed shut. Cui Jin’s remaining arrows buried themselves in the doorframe.
“This subordinate greets the Second Young Master. The Heir Apparent ordered me to wait here for you. Please follow me.”
An ordinary-looking man in his twenties bowed, then immediately led Xiao Jingmo toward the rear courtyard.
Xiao Jingmo noticed the token hanging at the man’s waist. The character Xing was carved into it, and most of his wariness faded.
These were Shadow Guards his grandfather had personally trained and prepared for Eldest Brother.
Every Shadow Guard therefore carried a Xing-Inscribed Token.
More than a dozen men in plain clothing were lined up in the rear courtyard with their heads respectfully lowered.
From their clothes, it was obvious they usually blended in with common folk to gather information.
“Greetings, Second Young Master.”
Xiao Jingmo had no time for pleasantries. Seeing so many Shadow Guards, he finally breathed a little easier.
“Did my brother leave any orders?”
“The Heir Apparent ordered us to follow every command from the Second Young Master and the Marquis.”
Xiao Jingmo nodded and immediately divided them into three groups.
“You six, reinforce my father. You five, go to the South City Posthouse. You four, stay here.”
“Yes!”
The Shadow Guards accepted their orders and quickly vanished from the courtyard.
But no sooner had they left than Cui Jin slipped into the rear courtyard.
“Xiao Jingmo, hand over the Star Maiden.”
Cui Jin landed lightly from the roof.
Xiao Jingmo stared at him, his eyes blazing with unprecedented coldness and killing intent.
They had suffered brush after brush with death and an endless stream of assassinations, all because of this man. Today, this courtyard would be Cui Jin’s grave.
“Cui Jin, I have no idea what you’re talking about. What Star Maiden?”
Cui Jin pointed at Jin Bao and smiled as though victory were already his. “Stop pretending, Xiao Jingmo. The Star Maiden can see through heaven’s secrets. Without her help along this road of exile, your family would have died countless times over. Don’t tell me you know nothing about the little girl’s abilities.”
Xiao Jingmo looked at him coldly and raised one hand. The chill in his voice instantly put Cui Jin on guard.
“Shadow Guards of the Xiao Family, hear my order. This man must not leave this courtyard alive.”
Xiao Jingmo slowly retreated behind the guards.
Cui Jin’s expression shifted. “So the Xiao Family truly does harbor treasonous intentions. You even brought Shadow Guards on the road to exile, yet you keep claiming you were falsely accused. You’re deceiving the Emperor!”
Xiao Jingmo could not be bothered to argue. If it was necessary to protect Jin Bao, what did it matter if he rebelled against the entire realm? Every member of the Xiao Family had served loyally, only to meet this fate. History was written by the victor anyway. He would not mind building a new order.
“Attack!”
At Xiao Jingmo’s command, the Shadow Guards instantly surrounded Cui Jin.
The Xiao Family was a clan of generals, and the Shadow Guards it trained could each fight ten men. For Cui Jin to escape alone would be harder than climbing to heaven.
Only now did Cui Jin regret his decision.
He had deliberately sent the black-clad men after Xiao Che while staying behind to deal with Xiao Jingmo himself.
He had investigated the family and knew Xiao Jingmo was the poorest fighter among them.
Before the Xiao Family was exiled, it had planned for Xiao Jingmo to pursue the imperial examinations.
His martial arts therefore amounted to little more than a few crude tricks. Cui Jin believed he could kill him within ten moves and claim the Star Maiden, earning himself an extraordinary merit.
With that achievement, once Prince Cheng seized the realm and distributed rewards according to merit, Cui Jin would receive the highest honors.
He had never expected the Xiao Family to still possess Shadow Guards.
Their blades pierced Cui Jin from every direction. He died with his eyes wide open.
“Don’t celebrate yet, Xiao. Even if I die, your family won’t have an easy life. I’ve already sent out word about the Star Maiden. From now on, you…”
Before Cui Jin could finish, his last breath failed him and he collapsed.
“Second Young Master, he’s dead.”
Xiao Jingmo drew a deep breath. It seemed their troubles had only just begun.
“Dispose of the body. Leave no trace. Then come with me to the south of the city.”
A quarter of an hour later, Xiao Jingmo arrived at the South City Posthouse with the Shadow Guards.
The battle there had already ended.
The moment he entered, the heavy stench of blood struck him.
“Mo’er, good girl, are you both all right?”
Pei Wanqing had only just calmed herself when she saw Xiao Jingmo return with Jin Bao.
“Mother, Little Sister and I are fine. Has Father returned?”
Xiao Jingmo saw that no one from the posthouse had been injured. Every body strewn across the floor belonged to a black-clad man.
The waiter and innkeeper had long since hidden themselves in terror.
“I’m back.”
The moment Xiao Jingmo asked, Xiao Che’s voice came from behind him.
The family had survived another crisis.
Once their mission was complete, the Xiao Family’s Shadow Guards withdrew swiftly and in perfect order.
“Father, we can’t stay in the city. We have to leave immediately.”
Xiao Jingmo had already formed a new plan. He would explain it to Xiao Che in detail once they were in the carriage.
Xiao Che knew the situation had changed and that they truly could not linger. Only after reaching Heishui as soon as possible could they begin making plans of their own.
“Sir, shall we set out at once?”
Xiao Che looked at Zhu Laosan and Li Si.
The latest assassination had frightened both men out of their wits. But Zhu Laosan was no fool. The people who had helped the Xiao Family had vanished afterward, which meant the family had secret allies. The less he knew, the better. The sooner he delivered them, the sooner he could escape this mortal danger.
“All right. We leave immediately.”
Their supplies were already packed, and they had bought everything they needed. They drove their carriages out of the city at once.
After racing onward for several days, they finally reached the territory of Kaiyuan in early August.