Three black-clad figures in night clothes had appeared atop the low rooftops nearby at some point.
There was no need to ask. Zhu Zhuqing already knew why they had come.
This wasn't the first time something like this had happened over the past few years.
The other party didn't seem to be in a hurry. They stood there quietly, a hint of mockery flashing in the only visible part of their faces: their eyes beneath their masks.
"Miss Zhu, I never expected you to be in the mood to play with a pet instead of hurrying to flee with that useless fiancé of yours."
Zhu Zhuqing stared coldly at the speaker, while also keeping half an eye on where the other two were.
"Why waste your breath? Just get on with it. Once I'm dead, my sister will no longer be threatened." Her voice was icy, and when she said the word "sister," it seemed to lower the temperature around them by several degrees.
"No, no, you've got it wrong," the black-clad man who had spoken earlier said.
"We're just a bunch of desperate outlaws who've turned to robbery. We have nothing to do with the Zhu Family."
By now, everyone knew why they were here, but it still couldn't be said openly.
"Heh." Zhu Zhuqing gave a cold laugh, refusing to dwell on the matter.
What difference did it make whether they admitted it or not? She had understood everything long ago.
"Woof! Woof! Woof!"
The puppy barked furiously at the black-clad men, its small body standing in front of Zhu Zhuqing.
Watching the scene before her, Zhu Zhuqing felt warmth well up inside.
She never imagined that a dog she'd met by chance would be closer to her than her own blood relatives.
"Where'd this mangy dog come from? Think you can stand in your grandpa's way?" the black-clad man cursed, then leered at her.
"But now that I think about it, you've got quite a figure, little girl. I'd love to strip off that school uniform and find out what you feel like."
"Bastard..." Zhu Zhuqing's eyes turned icy as she clenched her fists tight. Somehow, a small dagger had appeared in her hand.
She had made up her mind: if she couldn't escape, she'd rather kill herself than let those bastards defile her pure, jade-like body.
If only my fiancé were a great hero...
Zhu Zhuqing thought dreamily, but fantasies were still just fantasies, and the cruel reality soon shattered them.
Her fiancé had already abandoned her...
"Woof, woof!" The little dog in front of her suddenly barked happily. Its round eyes had curved into pretty crescent moons.
"You mean your owner is here?"
Zhu Zhuqing clearly understood what the dog's barks meant, and couldn't help looking around.
At the same time, a lazy voice sounded from behind her.
"Little Flower, why'd you run over here? You really are a lecherous little dog. You see a pretty girl and rush right over. I've told you so many times, but you never listen."
A plainly dressed young man stood at the mouth of the alley. His voice came from there. He had appeared so quietly that no one present had noticed him until he spoke.
The young man seemed to have eyes only for the fiery-red puppy. He didn't even glance elsewhere. As he passed Zhu Zhuqing, he gave her a polite nod and smile. As for the three burly men, he completely ignored them.
The newcomer was Mu Qian.
Though there was a hint of reproach in his voice, inside he was already delighted.
He'd been watching the show from the sidelines for quite a while. It was time for him to step in. He couldn't just stand by while his dear Zhuqing was bullied by three burly men.
Mu Qian hadn't expected anyone would dare assassinate a legitimate young lady of the Zhu Family in Star Luo City.
He hadn't deliberately followed them. He and Little Flower had just happened to show up here.
"Miss, I'm really sorry. My dog doesn't listen. I hope he hasn't caused you any trouble?" Mu Qian said with an apologetic chuckle.
If he hadn't run into them, that would've been that. But since he had, how could he just stand by and do nothing?
Seeing his owner, Little Flower sprang happily into his arms.
Zhu Zhuqing was utterly bewildered. Couldn't he see that the situation was tense? How could he act so casually?
Still, this boy, who looked about her age, was... remarkably handsome...
"I-it's... fine..."
Zhu Zhuqing had never been much of a talker. Getting those two words out of her was no small feat.
Perhaps because he was Little Flower's owner, Mu Qian had made a fairly good first impression on her.
"So that's why you didn't run off with your fiancé. You had someone waiting for you in secret!" The black-clad man from earlier saw Mu Qian ignoring him and couldn't hold back his anger.
"Whatever the case, since you've seen us, you two can die together."
"Oh, and before that, you can watch your woman get passed around by us. Hahahaha!"
Mu Qian curled his lip. Were these men really that confident?
Where had they stolen all that courage from?
"I don't know him. This has nothing to do with him." Zhu Zhuqing also realized the situation and instinctively explained.
Mu Qian looked about her age. How strong could he possibly be?
She didn't want to drag an uninvolved person into her problems.
Mu Qian looked at Zhu Zhuqing in surprise.
In this situation, he might be her only lifeline.
She wasn't asking him for help; she was actually worried about dragging him into this?
Mu Qian sighed. He could no longer pretend he hadn't noticed them.
"Huh? What are you three doing here, big brothers? Didn't you tell me you were going to help a noble from the Zhu Family with something?"
Mu Qian clicked his tongue theatrically, as though there really were something to it.
"What nonsense are you spouting, kid? Who knows you!" The black-clad man was running out of patience. Anger was plain in his eyes.
"Out here at night dressed in black, like you're afraid nobody will realize you're assassins. Three Soul Ancestors ganging up on a little girl—how shameless can you be?"
Mu Qian still didn't take them seriously. He spoke mockingly, his expression as calm as ever.
The three black-clad men and Zhu Zhuqing were all shaken.
How did he know their cultivation levels?
Could he really know them?
An inexplicable sense of danger welled up in the leader's heart. His instincts strongly warned him that something was off about this kid, and that they couldn't waste any more time.
"Second, third, we can't wait any longer. Release your Spirit Rings!"
Before he'd finished speaking, the black-clad man launched his attack. Waves of Soul Power instantly filled the entire alley as one white and three yellow Spirit Rings rose into view.
The other two were just as quick. Four Spirit Rings—two white and two yellow—slowly appeared around each of them. As Mu Qian had said, they were all Soul Ancestors.
Even though their Spirit Ring configurations were extremely ordinary, the combined pressure of three Soul Ancestors was more than Zhu Zhuqing, a Spirit Master who had yet to obtain her Second Soul Ring, could bear.
She instinctively pressed herself against the wall behind her, and a fine sheen of sweat appeared on her forehead.
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