bookcurios Chapter 145 What a tragedy!
Chapter 145 What a tragedy!
"Your master will not let you get away with this!"
Hearing the dying curse from the other party, Yu Wanran showed no mercy and directly swung her sword, beheading Mo Youren!
There's no need to keep these suicide soldiers alive.
Not only would the other party not confess, but it might also involve a prince behind them. Weighing the pros and cons, Xiao Wang might end up betraying her to the other party.
She never entrusts her safety to the kindness of others!
Only the dead can be the best way to keep secrets.
He crouched down and searched the corpse, pulling out a deerskin pouch which he casually tucked into his pocket.
Wu Jian rushed over and, upon seeing the female assassin finally beheaded, exchanged a knowing glance with Yu Wanran. He then rallied the others to launch a counterattack against the bandits who were taking advantage of the chaos!
Their martial arts skills did indeed take up a lot of time in dealing with Mo You. But how could a rabble be a match for the two of them?
Where the two charged, the bandits were quickly wiped out.
At that moment, screams rang out from the main tent. Yu Wanran's heart tightened; the Duchess couldn't be harmed! She abandoned the bandits she was killing and rushed towards the main tent.
It turned out that a group of bandits had broken into the main tent and were wantonly killing and robbing the people hiding inside.
To them, these powerless masters and second masters were easier to deal with than outsiders.
The people in the main tent screamed and scattered, while the bandits' eyes all fell on Xiao Yao. Her dazzling, magnificent golden outfit made them all stare in disbelief!
With a human-shaped treasure display stand right in front of them, why be polite? The bandits yelled and pounced on Xiao Yao one after another.
They only decided to rob her after seeing this woman and her group of people flaunting their wealth by buying things on the street.
Just when you're about to fall asleep, someone brings you a pillow. Someone actually leaked the whereabouts of this group of easy targets! If they didn't take this job, they'd be doing a disservice to their profession!
Xiao Yao covered her head and ran away like a rat.
Seeing the bandits rushing towards her, the maids surrounding her scattered in terror. She screamed, grabbed one of them, and shoved it violently at the nearest bandit!
The unfortunate man had originally intended to pull her back with him.
To her utter surprise, the person she desperately wanted to protect pushed her toward a gleaming blade!
Duchess Zheng Peipei's mind went blank.
Her ears were filled with a cacophony of sounds: screams, shouts, cries—time seemed to stand still. In her wide, dazed eyes, there was only the steel knife drawing ever closer, until it filled her entire field of vision!
Many images flashed through her mind—joyful, angry, sorrowful, and dark… but ultimately, the image that remained was the day she drove her adopted daughter out of the Duke's mansion.
The night before that day, it rained heavily.
They dragged the child out of her room, beat and scolded her in public, and pushed her down in the muddy yard.
She was blinded by anger and tears.
But at that moment, she suddenly realized that she had seen the child's innocent and bewildered expression and remembered the child's hurt and aggrieved look!
It wasn't that she didn't see it clearly, but that she deliberately forgot!
She thought this was compensation for her biological child and the best punishment for the culprit. But... was the one ultimately punished truly the one who deserved it?
What a tragedy...
Wei Baifeng swiftly cut down two bandits with a few sword strikes. Turning around, he just happened to see the Duchess being pushed towards the bandits by his fiancée. Losing his focus, he was caught off guard by the counter-attacking bandits who pushed him into a corner!
"Whoosh"...
The tent fabric was ripped open, and Yu Wanran, sword and all, shot in like a ray of light. With lightning speed, she caught the Duchess's falling body.
Unable to react to the blade that was about to strike her, she managed to turn to the side and fall to the ground while tightly embracing the Duchess! But the blade still managed to cut a long gash in her back.
Zheng Peipei fell heavily to the ground without feeling any pain; Yu Wanran's body pressed down on her, but she didn't feel any weight at all.
She instinctively hugged her adopted daughter tightly, touching a sticky liquid in her hands. She trembled as she lifted it to look at it, her eyes seemingly stained blood by the glaring red on her hand.
"Ran Ran……"
She managed to squeeze out a sound from her throat, and hot tears kept gushing from her eyes.
"Protect the Duchess!"
Yu Wanran endured the pain and got up, then swung her sword and beheaded a bandit. Ignoring Zheng Peipei's strange behavior and not bothering to look at Xiao Yao, who was completely stunned, she handed Zheng Peipei over to the guards from the Duke's mansion who rushed in.
Turning his head and seeing Wei Baifeng surrounded, he gritted his teeth and charged towards Wei Baifeng again.
Although in her heart this person was practically dead, she feared that if she didn't save him, the grieving Prefect Wei, who had lost his only heir, would cause her trouble.
Why did she have to take on this protection mission? In her heart, she cursed the old fox Xiao Wang a thousand times over!
Being raised by the Duke's mansion for sixteen years is truly the worst luck imaginable!
After dealing with all the bandits, Zhu Boda and Wu Jian tallied up the numbers, and the once mighty force was now reduced to half its original size.
There were about twenty maids and servants killed or wounded, and about thirty guards and bodyguards killed or wounded, with several missing.
The missing women were all beautiful maids from the Duke's mansion, including a pretty concubine who served Xiao Baichen.
Xiao Baichen injured his arm, and Wei Baifeng bandaged it for the terrified maid. Upon hearing their report, Xiao Baichen flew into a rage, shouting and berating them.
"Are you all idiots? Is this how you protect us? So many people from the Duke's mansion have died or been injured; you should atone with your lives!"
Zhu Boda and Wu Jian dared not speak.
"Wasn't the fact that the team suffered such heavy losses due to the combined efforts of the young master and the county princess?"
At this moment, Yu Wanran walked in, covered in blood, her tone extremely cold.
"The revelry along the way slowed down the journey, causing the group to miss their lodgings every day. This forced everyone to camp in the wilderness, giving the enemy an opportunity to take advantage! This is a serious offense!"
"Ignoring warnings, he deliberately flaunted his wealth by buying things in the streets, blatantly revealing his whereabouts and attracting thieves! This is his second offense!"
"They even obstructed our investigation into the backgrounds of those three newly recruited drivers, allowing the bandits to coordinate an attack from within and without, resulting in a devastating blow to us!"
Yu Wanran's eyes turned red with rage, and she exuded murderous intent. She raised a blood-stained sword, pointing it at Xiao Baichen!
Startled, Xiao Baichen shrank back and hid behind Wei Baifeng, his fierce expression masking his inner weakness.
"You! What do you want? I am the heir of the Duke's mansion..."
"Prince?"
Yu Wanran felt as if she had heard a big joke.
"Without this identity, I would have thought you were spies sent by bandits to infiltrate our ranks! What you've done wasn't intentionally pushing everyone toward their deaths?"
"Yu Wanran! How dare you?"
Xiao Baichen was furious.
"I am the heir of the Duke's mansion, and you are merely a commoner. How dare you speak to me like that? Believe it or not..."
"what!"
He suddenly screamed in pain. It turned out that Wei Baifeng had applied a little too much pressure when bandaging him, tearing at his wound.
Wu Jian, Zhu Boda, and the others watched coldly as this spoiled young master jumped up and down, with not a single person stepping forward to defend him.
What does it matter how noble one's status is if one treats other people's lives like dirt? In their hearts, there is only resentment towards the Duke's son and daughter!