The sky was blue, the ground was yellow. Autumn colors stretched far and wide, with misty smoke rising from the waves.
Everyone chatted and laughed, taking a leisurely stroll to enjoy the scenery, stopping by a lake about an hour later to prepare lunch.
Ancient people on outings weren’t much different from modern people; it seemed they had to eat outside to make the trip worthwhile.
Ordinary families might bring their own food, but with Ning Qingyu’s status, it was natural to catch some wild game to make a meal.
Several guards were sent to hunt rabbits and wild chickens in the mountains, while Wei Changtian followed Ning Qingyu to the lake to fish.
Wei Changtian’s experience in this area was limited to fishing for goldfish in a park in his previous life, so he didn’t have high expectations for catching a fish, and after casting his line, he began to gaze around idly.
It had to be said that the scenery was indeed beautiful.
On one side of Little Lake near the mountain, there was a vertical cliff, and the water flowing down created a misty veil, forming a beautiful small waterfall.
Upon closer inspection, several gray fish could be seen swimming bravely against the current.
What a touching scene!
Most fish swim upstream for reproduction, and even a single fish can go to such lengths for the sake of giving birth. As a human, how can one’s desire for offspring be “inferior to that of a fish”?
Wei Changtian sighed inwardly, his gaze involuntarily shifting to Ning Yuzhu and Ning Yuque, who were sitting by the lake, fishing.
The former was holding his knees, stealing glances at him, and didn’t even notice his fishing rod being pulled away by a fish.
In contrast, the latter seemed to be genuinely fishing, intently gazing at the lake surface, but unfortunately, no fish had bitten yet.
Was this the proverbial “planting flowers but not getting them to bloom, and inserting willows but getting them to take root”?
Shaking his head, he withdrew his gaze, his fishing rod still motionless.
Should he use his internal energy to blast the fish?
Wei Changtian’s patience was wearing thin, but just then, the lake surface nearby suddenly rippled, and a large fish leaped out of the water.
It was Ning Qingyu who had caught a fish.
“Haha! Good!”
This prince was easily pleased, rejoicing excessively over catching just one fish, and immediately stood up to reel in his line.
Although he was frail, dealing with a single fish wasn’t a problem, and with a few efforts, he pulled the large fish to a position close to the shore.
At this moment, everyone’s attention was focused on the large fish, but just then, a swift arrow suddenly shot out from the woods.
The arrowhead must have been specially treated, as it didn’t make any sound, like a silent black lightning bolt heading straight for Ning Qingyu’s back.
“Prince!!”
A sudden, piercing cry echoed through the air, likely shouted by a servant.
If he could run as fast as the sound, he might have been able to dodge the arrow.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t “break the sound barrier,” so the arrow ultimately struck Ning Qingyu, who was still unaware of what was happening.
“Father!!”
“Prince!!”
A chorus of terrified cries erupted, and Ning Qingyu fell headfirst into the lake, sending up a massive splash.
Except for a few trained guards who had drawn their swords, everyone else stood frozen, staring at the rippling waves in shock.
A prince, dead just like that?
The scene fell into a brief but terrifying silence.
Until a black figure suddenly darted towards the spot where Ning Qingyu had fallen into the water.
“He’s not dead! I’ll save him!!”
“Everyone, leave the woods immediately!!”
This black figure was naturally Wei Changtian, and he wasn’t speaking idly.
Although he hadn’t noticed the arrow coming, he had clearly seen Ning Qingyu getting hit – the arrow hadn’t actually penetrated his body, likely blocked by something!
This wasn’t surprising, as a prince would certainly have protective measures.
With a splash, Wei Changtian dove into the water, grabbed Ning Qingyu, who hadn’t sunk too far, and almost instantly resurfaced.
But by the time he finished, the others were still standing there, dazed and clearly still in shock.
Damn it!
Wei Changtian’s anxiety was palpable, and he even let out a curse.
“Damn it! Run! Are you all waiting to be killed by the assassins?!”
“Whoosh!”
As if to verify the correctness of his words, a sharp whistle almost simultaneously pierced everyone’s ears, followed by a burst of sound.
From noble mtl dot come
“Whoosh! Whoosh whoosh whoosh whoosh!”
Nearly a hundred sharp arrows broke through the air again, instantly covering everyone.
This is insane!
Wei Changtian didn’t have time to think, he quickly grabbed Ning Qingyu, who had already fainted, with one hand, drew his sword with the other, and rushed towards Ning Yuke, who was closest to him.
In this life-or-death moment, he didn’t have time to choose who to save; anyone he could rescue was a bonus.
“Ding! Ding ding ding!”
The dragon roared out of its sheath, and the sword’s shadow opened up like an umbrella, deflecting the arrows.
Meanwhile, several bodyguards finally reacted, rushing towards Ning Yuzhu and Ning Yuling to block the second wave of attacks for them.
The important people were all saved, but the others…
“Ah!!”
“Princess, save me!”
“I, I don’t want to die!!”
“Pfft pfft pfft!”
The despairing cries came and went quickly.
The servants, doorkeepers, and maids who were following them… over a dozen people were instantly shot and became hedgehogs, all dying in the blink of an eye at the foot of the beautiful South Mountain.
However, the few people who survived didn’t have time to feel sorry for them.
Because in the next moment, the assassins, who seemed to think that the bows and crossbows were no longer effective, finally emerged from the forest.
Yellow clothes, white knives, masked faces.
Nearly a hundred people suddenly appeared like a swarm of locusts, with no distinguishing features except for their different heights and weights.
They didn’t speak, nor did they shout; they just emerged from the forest and swiftly surrounded Wei Changtian and the others, ready to attack.
The faces of the three women turned pale, and five or six bodyguards instinctively took a step back.
Only Wei Changtian remained calm, thinking for less than a breath before shouting loudly:
“Quick! To my carriage!”
Carriage?
Everyone didn’t know why Wei Changtian wanted to do this, but this time they didn’t hesitate.
The bodyguards immediately picked up Ning Yuzhu and Ning Yuling and rushed towards the carriage, while Wei Changtian followed closely behind, holding Ning Qingyu and Ning Yuke.
“Don’t stand there! Throw them into the carriage!”
As they reached the carriage, Wei Changtian shouted while leading the way, throwing Ning Qingyu and Ning Yuke into the carriage, followed by Ning Yuzhu and Ning Yuling.
This was the only thing he could think of.
Although the carriage looked ordinary, it actually had a three-inch thick layer of Locking Celestial Stone inside, making it a fortified carriage.
Three inches of Locking Celestial Stone; without a high-ranking expert above the third rank, it would take at least an incense stick’s worth of time to break through.
It was enough to protect themselves until their reinforcements arrived.
The plan was good, but there was still a problem.
The carriage was sturdy, but it had a door.
Someone would naturally have to guard the door.
“……”
Looking up at the yellow-clothed assassins rapidly closing in from all directions, Wei Changtian turned around, slammed the door shut with a “thud,” and asked the bodyguards in a low voice.
“Hold the carriage door, and the people inside can live!”
“Will you hold it?!”
“…”
Several guards were slightly stunned, but immediately gritted their teeth and shouted in unison:
“We will die to protect the prince!!”
“Good!”
Wei Changtian drew out his dragon-roaring sword with a “shang” sound, took a deep breath.
“I’ll be with you!!”