Praying to gods and worshiping Buddha has always been a matter of belief. Ji Yuluo knelt on the prayer mat, made a show of it, and quickly got up. In contrast, Ji Xianyu had her eyes tightly closed, her brows slightly furrowed, her red lips moving, not finishing for quite some time.
No one knew what a young child could have so much to pray for.
Lin Chan was curious too.
Usually, when she brought Ji Xianyu to offer incense, her interest was always low. Perhaps because she had been clothed in silk and satin since childhood and lacked nothing, there was nothing to pray for. She would only let her knees touch the mat briefly before getting up. But today, she knelt with such devotion.
Lin Chan felt a bit moved. Her daughter had grown up and finally understood the current difficulties of their family. At least she wasn’t carefree and thoughtless all the time.
So when Ji Xianyu got up, Lin Chan asked her what she had prayed for.
Ji Xianyu looked at her. Her always bright face had a few traces of melancholy. She sighed and said, “Mother also saw what happened at the city gate.”
Lin Chan nodded, thinking it was not easy for her to see the future difficulties of the Ji family from that. After all, she only thought about it deeply after being reminded by the old lady.
Ji Xianyu continued, “Lord Huo has a violent temperament. Even if it’s a death row prisoner, they should be sent to the execution ground, yet he dared to trample someone to death on the street. If he dares to do that in public, who knows what methods he uses in private? If my sister enters his inner courtyard in the future, her life might be in danger…”
Lin Chan’s eyes had already dimmed. She didn’t want to listen anymore and regretted asking.
As for Ji Yunkou, who was also kneeling for a long time, she was not praying for anything else but her own marriage.
After being slapped by Ji Chongwang that day, she returned to Fuxia Courtyard and was scolded by Gu Rou. She was in a bad mood for several days, and even today, she still wore a troubled expression.
At that time, Gu Rou said that things were not set in stone and there was still hope. But later, Ji Chongwang came to Fuxia Courtyard several times, and she didn’t hear Gu Rou mention it to him. She continued to serve her husband gently and attentively.
Ji Yunkou couldn’t help but resent her mother’s timidity and flattery, which had reduced her to praying to gods and Buddha.
Before leaving the house today, her mother even sent Nanny Sun to watch over her, fearing she might make a mistake in front of the madam. With such fear, how could anything be accomplished?
Nanny Sun didn’t know that Ji Yunkou’s kneeling had caused so much resentment. She absentmindedly handed her a square handkerchief and couldn’t help but glance toward the corner, where Ji Yuluo stood in a plain white dress, from head to toe devoid of color.
Unexpectedly, at this moment, Ji Yuluo looked up. Their eyes met, and the usually lifeless girl suddenly smiled at her. Nanny Sun was stunned.
The eldest lady was undoubtedly beautiful. Her features were delicate and clean, not the kind of striking beauty, but a restrained and cold elegance. When her brows and eyes drooped slightly, she often gave off an unearthly aloofness. Unfortunately, her eyes usually lacked vitality, like a dusty night pearl—beautiful but not bright. However, that smile just now brought out a bit of missing cunning and liveliness.
For some reason, that smile inexplicably gave a chill, as if all the hidden secrets had been seen through.
Nanny Sun stiffly smiled back, lowered her head, and followed Ji Yunkou out, subconsciously letting out a sigh of relief.
Ji Yunkou looked at her, frowning suspiciously, and said, “This is a pure place of Buddha, why are you so frightened?”
She said this while tiptoeing to peek inside.
Nanny Sun coughed lightly, brushing it off vaguely, but muttered to herself, “The eldest lady seems a bit different lately…”
Ji Yunkou was startled. She said, “Really? I didn’t notice,” but inwardly, she roared, realizing she wasn’t the only one who felt this way!
She glanced at the pale figure inside. Although she still appeared as quiet and insignificant as before, she vaguely sensed a change in her demeanor. However, she couldn’t pinpoint exactly what had changed.
How strange.
After thinking it over, Ji Yunkou could only come up with one explanation: Perhaps it was because she was getting married, and women often undergo some changes before marriage.
Soon, they finished their prayers, and Lin Chan ordered someone to offer incense money before they set off back to the capital.
In truth, the journey from Chengyuan Temple to the capital was not short. A round trip would take nearly half a day. Fortunately, they had set out early today and didn’t spend too much time at the temple. If there were no unforeseen events, they could return to the city before sunset.
Ji Yuluo lifted the curtain and looked outside. The road from Chengyuan Temple was a flat avenue, but ahead, they would pass through a dense forest.
Recently, that area had been plagued by bandits, frightening many travelers. The government had dispatched troops to deal with them, and the few small-time bandits quickly vanished. However, people passing by were still fearful.
The Ji family had prepared many guards for this trip, just in case.
She squinted her eyes, her gaze falling on the indistinct figures in the forest ahead. She couldn’t help but curl her lips as if she were simply admiring the scenery, propping her chin on her elbow at the window.
She seemed quite relaxed and at ease.
Several guards followed on either side of the carriage. Perhaps the journey had been too smooth so far, causing everyone to relax, including the guards.
Unlike earlier when she was frightened by Huo Xian, Ji Xianyu had recovered quite a bit. She had taken a few red strings from the temple and was now making a peace knot, proudly showing it to Ji Yuluo, saying she wanted to give it to her.
“Sister, doesn’t this look great with your koi fish sachet?”
After all, she still had a child’s heart. Ji Xianyu looked at Ji Yuluo with bright eyes, eagerly awaiting her praise.
Ji Yuluo was about to speak when she paused, her gaze sharpening. Suddenly, the sound of a fierce wind was heard, followed by an arrow flying past.
They were here!
The carriage abruptly stopped. Ji Xianyu, unprepared, fell forward, hitting her head on the corner of the table. Cakes and fruits scattered all over the place. She was dazed, rubbing her forehead, when she heard the guards outside shouting, “Bandits, there are bandits! Protect the madam and the young ladies!”
Then, panicked screams erupted. Lin Chan, in the carriage ahead, called out, “Xianyu, Xianyu!”
Ji Xianyu incredulously lifted the curtain and saw that in a matter of moments, several burly men with knives had charged out of the forest. The eight guards fought valiantly, but there were three carriages in total, and they were somewhat overwhelmed. The servants, prioritizing their masters’ safety, scattered in all directions, creating chaos.
At that moment, a silver blade came slashing towards her. She backed away in fright, watching as the blade split the carriage in half.
“Sister!”
Ji Xianyu’s face turned pale with fear. She grabbed a small fruit knife from the ground, pitifully inadequate, but… it was better than nothing.
She tightly clutched Ji Yuluo’s sleeve with one hand, her whole body trembling, but still forced herself to stay calm. With her other hand, she held the knife, the tip quivering as she pointed it at the masked bandit. “Y-you, stay back!”
The bandit’s gaze swept over the two of them and stopped on Ji Yuluo. Without hesitation, he swung his knife down. The girl’s red lips were lightly pursed, her dark eyes showing no trace of fear. Suddenly, she grabbed a cup from the table and hurled it at him. It seemed like a casual act in a dangerous situation, but it hit him hard enough to make him stagger back a few steps. The force was strong enough that only the one hit could truly feel it, leaving the bandit momentarily dazed.
Ji Yuluo seized the moment and pulled Ji Xianyu along. “Run!”
The bandit cursed under his breath and quickly pursued them with his knife.
Ji Yuluo quickly assessed the situation:
The bandits were engaged in a fierce battle with the guards;
The first and last carriages had only a few people entangled, while most of the bandits seemed to be targeting the middle carriage, where Ji Yuluo and Ji Xianyu were. The others seemed to be merely creating a diversion.
Everyone was too scared to notice this, preoccupied with their own survival.
—Except for Ji Yunkou.
She had been hiding in the bushes, led there by Nanny Sun. At first, she was indeed terrified, crouching in the thicket and not daring to show her face. But she gradually realized that something was wrong—those men were clearly targeting Ji Yuluo!
As Ji Yuluo dragged Ji Xianyu deeper into the forest, Nanny Sun grew anxious.
Of course, she was anxious!
Today was the old master’s death anniversary, and Ji Yuluo was expected to come to the temple for incense and worship. With bandit activity prevalent, using the bandits as a cover to eliminate the eldest lady was an opportune plan. Yiniang Gu had gone to Shenglai gambling house, a place notorious for its shady dealings, including hiring assassins. Today’s bandits were hired by Shenglai gambling house.
But if the third young lady were to get hurt, things would get complicated!
Ji Xianyu was Lin Chan’s precious gem. If anything happened to her, Lin Chan would stop at nothing to investigate the matter thoroughly. Therefore, Nanny Sun had specifically instructed the bandits to only target Ji Yuluo. But now, Ji Yuluo was dragging the third young lady along, which seemed like protecting her, but was actually endangering her!
Little did they know, Ji Yuluo was doing this on purpose.
The “bandits” had mostly been dealt with by Chaolu, with only one still in pursuit. Ji Xianyu was earnestly fleeing for her life, not daring to stop for a moment. Ji Yuluo coldly looked at the hand clutching her and came to a halt.
Ji Xianyu was panting heavily. As a young lady pampered in the manor, the distance she had just run was probably more than she had walked in a year. But she couldn’t afford to be tired. Seeing Ji Yuluo suddenly stop, she looked around in a panic. “Sister, what’s wrong? Why aren’t we running? Are there people hiding ahead?”
She looked around in terror, like a rabbit that had wandered into a wolf’s den.
Ji Yuluo remained silent. From her perspective, Chaolu was sitting cross-legged on a tree branch, aiming a crossbow at Ji Yunkou.
If the arrow were to shoot down, whether Ji Yunkou was dead or injured, it would be pinned on Gu Rou. Even if she didn’t admit it, she would have to.
Ji Yuluo and Chaolu had their own secret signals. Just as she was about to give the hand signal, the last remaining bandit caught up to them, his target clear as he walked straight towards Ji Yuluo. She frowned, seeing Chaolu adjust her aim.
Ji Xianyu, completely unaware of the situation, saw that her sister wasn’t running, which to her seemed like a sign of resignation. She tugged at Ji Yuluo’s sleeve, crying, “S-sister, what should we do…”
The bandit sneered, raising his knife to strike. Ji Yuluo looked towards Chaolu, but just at that critical moment, Ji Xianyu suddenly rushed forward. Despite her usually frail appearance, she managed to grab the bandit’s arm and bit down hard. The bandit angrily shook her off, turning his blade towards this new obstacle.
Although the employer only wanted the life of the eldest Miss Ji, it was clear that these desperadoes wouldn’t hesitate to eliminate anyone obstructing their target. After all, their commission covered Ji Yuluo’s life, not the protection of Ji Xianyu.
Ji Xianyu struggled to resist, grasping the bandit’s wrist, but she was clearly at a disadvantage.
Ji Yuluo was slightly surprised by Ji Xianyu’s sudden act of bravery and instinctively stepped forward to help, but she hesitated and stepped back.
She watched the knife poised to stab Ji Xianyu and raised her eyebrows slightly, almost envisioning Lin Chan’s fury as she would tear Gu Rou apart, demanding vengeance in a hysterical manner.
This would shatter the Ji family’s peace, exactly what she desired.
With this thought, a hint of exhilaration crossed the girl’s cold and indifferent features, completely devoid of the usual gentle affection she showed Ji Xianyu.
After watching for a moment, she was about to leave. As she turned, she heard Ji Xianyu’s voice struggling out, “Sister, run…”
The birds in the shade seemed startled, flying away and shaking down a flurry of leaves.
Ji Yuluo froze, her steps halting abruptly. Those two words struck her like a spell, paralyzing her, her fingertips trembling, her blood seemingly frozen. She suddenly raised her head, as if hearing another long-forgotten voice, like a nightmare—
She looked at Ji Xianyu, seeing a scene from seven years ago. Seven years ago, there was also someone clutching the assassin’s leg, their back completely mutilated, desperately shouting, “Sister, run! Sister, run!”
A mist of tears clouded Ji Yuluo’s usually calm eyes, her lips trembling. Just as the knife was about to pierce Ji Xianyu’s chest, Ji Yuluo suddenly grabbed the bandit’s wrist.
The bandit sneered, thinking her efforts futile. He was about to seize her when he found his wrist immovable. Startled, he felt a sharp pain in his palm, and before he realized it, the knife handle was in Ji Yuluo’s hand. The speed of her action was terrifying.
Their eyes met, and her calm, beautiful eyes seemed to harbor a storm, looking as if they could overthrow him. Fear arose within him, and before he could react, his throat was slit by the knife.
Chaolu arrived just in time to witness this scene, inexplicably splattered with blood.
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