Several figures suddenly burst from the crowd and charged straight at Su Qing.
"Now! Move, quickly!"
"Saintess Qin, retreat quickly! We have people waiting to escort you!"
Amid these shouts, several people drew their weapons.
Saintess?!
Hearing this cry, everyone present hurriedly lowered themselves, afraid of being discovered.
Su Qing merely took a few steps back as he watched the assassins suddenly appear.
His expression was calm, without the slightest hint of fear.
Hah!
They were even smarter than he had expected.
The plainly dressed assassins all wore fanatical expressions. Clearly, they were brainwashed zealots.
They were all fearless of death, intent only on rescuing the so-called Saintess from their mouths.
"Young Master, be careful! Leave these matters to us!"
Zhang Wu also drew the weapon he carried and led his men into battle against the assassins.
Blades flashed, blood sprayed, and screams rang out from time to time.
No matter how fearless the Heaven Principles Sect's assassins were, they could not make up for the gap in strength.
Before the tightly formed military formation, every charge was futile.
An impenetrable protective net formed before Su Qing. Not only did it withstand this wave of assassination, it even turned into an encirclement that began slaughtering the attackers instead.
The battle turned around in an instant!
They would be able to wipe them all out in almost no time.
But just before victory, another unexpected twist arose!
Taking advantage of the wide-open gap behind Su Qing, Chen Chu Ci suddenly grabbed her close friend.
Under her astonished gaze, her supposedly delicate friend displayed astonishing strength.
"Take the Saintess and leave!"
A burst of ringing bells sounded. As if responding to some mysterious summons, Chen Chu Ci's eyes went blank, and she was about to take Qin Lan Shan away.
"Do you think you can get away?"
Su Qing, who had been prepared for this, naturally struck first. But... when it came to combat techniques, he could only be described as crude.
Tsk!
The gap really was not small.
Although he successfully rescued Qin Lan Shan, he also allowed the talented woman before him to escape.
Right behind them.
A blade was pressed against Chen Chu Ci's neck.
"The Eldest Miss of the Chen Family is already a puppet of our Heaven Principles Sect. Do you want her to die?"
The moment these words rang out, the battle fell into a stalemate.
Feeling everyone's gazes fall upon him, the kindhearted young master Su Qing could only reluctantly compromise.
"Let them go."
He looked utterly helpless, but the corner of his mouth quietly curled into a mocking smile.
Because the good show... had only just begun!
After all, although he had a full-map cheat, these enemies were not NPCs who would only act according to a set script.
The slightest mistake would cause everything to completely escape his control.
Thus, numbing the enemy's vigilance was equally important. Only then could he lure out the big fish.
In the blink of an eye.
Only after those villains retreated did the talented scholars below finally rise cautiously to their feet.
Several quick-thinking people had already fixed their gazes on Qin Lan Shan.
Their eyes were filled with undisguised scrutiny.
They had heard the Heaven Principles Sect's words clearly.
The Heaven Principles Sect's Saintess was precisely this seemingly harmless adopted daughter of the Qin Family!
"No wonder the Tang State Residence became what it is now. So she was the one who caused it!"
"I heard she had a close relationship with the Eldest Miss of the Chen Family. Now the Talented Woman of Chen Family has been afflicted with puppet magic..."
Whispers filled with anger swept toward the flustered Qin Lan Shan.
"I... I didn't. I don't know them at all..."
Only then did Qin Lan Shan react, hurriedly trying to defend herself.
How could she know who those people were? How could she possibly have anything to do with the Heaven Principles Sect?
But this defense appeared feeble before those who believed they had found the truth.
"It must be you! Otherwise, how could Miss Chen have gotten into trouble?!"
"It was the Tang State Residence before, and now it's the Chen Family. Are you planning to harm the Realm Protectorate next?!"
One voice after another rang out, growing louder and louder.
Amid those voices, Qin Lan Shan's face grew increasingly pale.
"It wasn't me... It wasn't me..."
Her faint voice was drowned out by the tide of condemnation.
The fear of having cultists lurking nearby had transformed into an outpouring of anger at this moment.
The noisy voices around Qin Lan Shan grew increasingly indistinct.
She only felt a tightness in her chest, as if she could not breathe at all.
Being clever, she naturally understood the consequences of being saddled with this accusation.
If word of this spread, no matter how much she explained herself, it would already be useless.
How could the emperor's temperament allow such a possibility to exist?
He would probably unleash his wrath like thunder, and the Tang State Residence's situation would become even more perilous!
No... perhaps this would only become her own calamity.
If she were the Saintess, then the Tang State Residence would be framed and falsely accused, and would instead become safe...
He, he could surely think of that too, right?
Her tall body swayed lightly, as if she could no longer stand steadily.
The candle flames around her flickered, making her feel as though she had been cast into hell.
The vicious-looking people surrounding her, meanwhile, resembled evil ghosts ready to devour their prey.
Until... a figure came before her and blocked those savage gazes.
She felt the pressure weighing on her whole body ease at once.
"Stand properly. This isn't the time to show weakness."
The young man's voice reached her.
Hearing his calm voice, Qin Lan Shan's heart trembled slightly.
The dazed feeling from moments ago vanished, and everything around her became clear again.
She looked at the young man's back, feeling an urge to rush forward and embrace him.
His back could not be called broad or powerfully built, but it was exceptionally reliable.
In her eyes, it was like a harbor where she could moor—a safe haven that made her feel at ease.
The talented scholars who had just been filled with righteous indignation subconsciously shut their mouths.
The weak only dared bare their teeth at those weaker than themselves. How could they dare act recklessly before the strong?
"You easily duped fools—what do you take the Heaven Principles Sect for?"
"If she really were the Saintess, would they have shouted it out in public?"
"Anyone with even a little sense wouldn't say something like that. Have you really ever studied?"
Su Qing looked at the bunch of useless wastrels before him with undisguised disgust.
What talented scholars and beautiful ladies? They were nothing more than a group of laughable frauds.
A few spies had mixed in and stirred up the crowd, while those who had been scared witless simply echoed them.
Had the brains of these blindly conformist idiots already been frightened away?
Hearing the disdain in his voice, everyone was furious but dared not speak.
They did not refute him, nor did they say anything.
It was not that they had no opinions. They were merely afraid of the authority he currently commanded.
"Looking at how defiant each of you is, does anyone have a problem?"
Su Qing's gaze swept across the surroundings as he spoke calmly.
The talented scholars were unconvinced inwardly.
What? We're just dissatisfied. We're just not saying anything. What can you do about it?
Some had even begun considering how to persuade their families to pressure the Realm Protectorate after returning home.
How dare he treat us like this? Does he really think we're made of mud?!
Before you continue