Wanyan Chongjie checked once more to make sure no one was nearby before undoing her outer nightwear and trying to set her ribs back in place. Unfortunately, the injury's position made it difficult for her to exert force, and after many attempts, she still could not set the bones properly.
"Search carefully! Every gate is guarded, so the assassin must be nearby. Leave no corner unchecked! Even if you have to dig three feet into the ground, find the assassin!" a minor commander suddenly shouted.
"Yes!" A group of guards answered in unison, quickly spreading out to search in all directions. As they searched, they jabbed their blades into the bushes. Let alone a living person, not even a pheasant could have remained hidden.
Wanyan Chongjie groaned inwardly. Looking in another direction, she saw another group of guards rushing over. If she charged out now, she would be caught between the two groups. There were quite a few skilled fighters among them. Even at her peak, she would not have been confident of handling so many people at once, much less now, with severe injuries.
Biting her red lips tightly, Wanyan Chongjie curled herself farther into the rockery. Her only hope now was that they would fail to find her. Yet she knew the chances were minuscule. This place was concealed, but with so many guards conducting a carpet search, they would find it sooner or later.
Just as she worried, Wanyan Chongjie suddenly noticed that the guard commander from earlier glanced this way, then drew his saber and walked toward the rockery with a grave expression.
Wanyan Chongjie tightened her grip on her short sword. A thin layer of sweat seeped from her temples as she thought, *If it comes to that, I must kill myself in time. If