Mantis Stalks Cicada, Oriole Behind

The sound of horse hooves approached from afar.

A brand-new carriage was pulled over and came to a steady stop before Cui Xijun.

Seeing this carriage, Cui Xijun knitted her delicate brows.

It was none other than the one sent by Liu Zhao.

"Where are the other carriages?"

Steward Cheng replied with a helpless expression, "Young Miss, the carriages remaining in the Capital City were either borrowed out yesterday or have broken down. This is the only one available in the mansion right now."

Cui Xijun narrowed her eyes slightly, neither lashing out nor saying anything more.

There was no such thing as such a coincidence in this world.

It must have been Liu Zhao pulling strings behind the scenes at the Cui Family.

She simply steadied her emotions, stepped onto the footstool, and boarded the carriage with agility.

Once seated, Cui Xijun leaned out of the carriage and said to Steward Cheng, "Go and investigate who borrowed the other carriages, who used them, and why they broke down. If you find any connection to the Liu Family, have them expelled from the mansion immediately."

Steward Cheng bowed in acknowledgment.

Seeing her board, Hong Ling hurriedly signaled the servants to pass up the items that might be needed on the road and at the temple, one by one.

She then had the guards count the incense, fresh flowers, lanterns, tea, food, treasures, pearls, money, and other items, ensuring they were properly loaded into the carriage.

Once everything was ready, she climbed in and sat beside Cui Xijun.

"Third Young Miss, Steward Cheng and I have finished checking everything."

Cui Xijun nodded slightly, though her brows remained furrowed. "Since everything is prepared, let us depart early."

Receiving the order, the servants cracked their whips.

With a shout, the horses neighed, the wheels began to turn slowly, and the carriage procession pulled away from the Cui Mansion.

Inside the carriage, Hong Ling looked around and tapped the wall, saying, "This carriage looks ordinary on the outside, but it is quite spacious and sturdy on the inside. That young master of the Liu Family certainly put in some effort. However, why are there only square windows in the front, and none on the sides? It's rather strange."

Cui Xijun sat on the cushion, feeling uncharacteristically languid.

Listening to Hong Ling, she took a few careful glances and also felt that the carriage was indeed somewhat peculiar.

Hong Ling turned her gaze to Cui Xijun and couldn't help but ask, "Third Young Miss, why do you dislike that Eldest Young Master of the Liu Family?"

Cui Xijun replied in a flat tone, "I wouldn't call it dislike, but I certainly do not favor him."

"Why?" Hong Ling was her personal maid, and having grown up together, there was nothing they couldn't discuss. "I watched from afar that day; his appearance is quite decent and acceptable. His speech and conduct didn't seem out of line either."

"He is not seeking to marry me, but merely because I bear the name of the Cui Family."

Cui Xijun interrupted her, "If it were another daughter of the Cui Family, the third or fourth, he would seek to marry her just the same. If I were to agree to such a person, how would I be any different from the goods sold in the marketplace?"

Hong Ling hesitated, "But all the young ladies of the noble families in the Capital City are like this. Even our own Eldest Young Miss was betrothed to a young master of the Wang Family last year. No matter how much you dislike it, Third Young Miss, you will eventually have to marry in this manner."

Cui Xijun leaned back against the cushion, her tone softening, "A person's life is so long; who can say what will happen in the future? At the very least, for now, if I like something, I like it; if I don't, I don't."

Hong Ling opened her mouth, then swallowed her remaining words.

Having served Cui Xijun for many years, she knew that once these words were spoken, asking further would only be asking for trouble, so she simply fell silent.

The procession slowly drove out of the Capital City.

At the same time, at the Liu Family.

Liu Zhao had also risen early today and was being served by attendants as he donned a brand-new, ornate brocade robe.

Just then, the steward hurried in.

"Young Master, news has just arrived: the Third Young Miss of the Cui Family has departed early."

Liu Zhao's hands froze in mid-air, leaving the brocade sash half-tied by the attendant.

He waved his hand to dismiss the servants in the room and finished tying the sash himself, his movements neither fast nor slow.

"Will this delay our plans?"

"According to the original plan, Young Master was supposed to travel with her, and after an incident on the road, you would share the carriage while waiting for our rescue. It seems that part will fall through," the middle-aged steward said in a low voice.

Liu Zhao pulled the end of the sash tight.

"It matters not. Not being together is no obstacle. I will have the private soldiers accompany me later; the debt of saving her life will be unavoidable."

"Departing early is fine; it saves me the trouble of fawning over her only to be met with a cold shoulder."

Liu Zhao finished dressing, checked himself in the mirror, and ordered, "We shall depart early as well. We cannot be too late and delay the main objective."

On the other side of the mountain path, deep within the dense forest.

Chen Ye crouched beside an old tree, pressing the final crossbow bolt into the groove.

He had coated the arrowheads with poison—a lethal concoction known in the pugilistic world to kill upon drawing blood.

This poison could not deal with a Dragon Elephant realm martial artist, but it was more than enough for an ordinary person.

Having finished, he heard movement coming from near the dense forest of the mountain path.

It was not the chirping of birds, nor the sound of the wind, but the faint noise of footsteps, interspersed with the clatter of scabbards knocking against each other as they moved.

At least a dozen people were scattered on both sides of the mountain path, all moving in the same direction.

Chen Ye focused his hearing; although they were far away, he could still discern their general position.

Those desperadoes had slipped into the woods and begun felling trees, setting up obstacles on the narrow mountain pass just around the bend.

The dull thuds of trees hitting the ground echoed one after another.

Chen Ye and his two companions hurriedly lowered their bodies, hiding in the bushes and concealing their presence.

To prevent any leaks, only the three of them were involved in this operation.

Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi had both seen blood and killed men before.

But an affair like this was a first for them.

Both men unconsciously gripped their sword hilts tightly, then, noticing the sweat in their palms, forced themselves to loosen their grip.

Chen Ye did not look at them; his gaze remained locked on the direction of the shadows outside the forest. He made a gesture for silence, held his breath, and crouched in place, motionless as a clay statue.

At this moment, for some reason, the three of them felt that time was passing exceptionally slowly.

They did not know how much time had passed.

The birdsong in the forest gradually died away.

The morning sun began to rise slowly from between the mountain peaks, dyeing the vast forest in a golden hue.

Chen Ye and his companions finally heard the sound of wheels crushing gravel in the distance.

They're here!

The three men were jolted into alertness!

Chen Ye silently raised his palm, signaling the other two not to move yet.

He held his crossbow in his hands with his long blade tucked at his waist, his expression turning grave.

His five senses had undergone a qualitative change after his third Mortal Shedding, but at this distance, he could only distinguish the general scale and proximity of the caravan.

Su Guang and Zuo Dongxi were in the same state.

At the same time.

In the dense forest at the bend of the mountain path, that group of shadows also silently lowered their bodies.

The sound of blades sliding from their scabbards was swallowed whole by the morning breeze in the woods.

The wind stopped.

The entire mountain path returned to silence in an instant.

Only the lingering echoes of horse hooves and carriage wheels drifted over from the other end of the path.

Inside the carriage.

Cui Xijun held a small teapot, using her internal energy to bring the tea to a boil.

Hong Ling was quick-witted and agile, handing over two small cups to catch the brew.

Cui Xijun had been in a foul mood when she left the estate, but being a young girl at heart, she had been cooped up for too long and rarely had the chance to go out.

After the carriage left the city, she had cut open the three sides of the Soft Smoke Gauze, occasionally peeking at the scenery through the square window, and her mood had gradually improved.

Just then, the carriage came to an abrupt halt.

Hong Ling let out a cry of "Ah," and the tea in her hand splashed out, soaking her clothes.

Cui Xijun exerted a bit of force with her wrist, containing the tea within the cup without spilling a single drop.

Seeing her favorite skirt stained with tea, Hong Ling's face flushed with anger, and she shouted outside the carriage, "How are you driving this carriage? The Third Miss is in the middle of tea, and now that you've soaked her skirt, how will you ever atone for this?"

The servant driving the carriage hurriedly apologized, replying with a hint of grievance, "Third Miss, a tree has fallen ahead and blocked the road; the carriage cannot pass. Guard Yin has already taken men over to handle it."

A fallen tree?

Cui Xijun frowned.

This was not her first time traveling this road; there were no large clusters of tall trees on either side of the narrow mountain pass, so where could a tree have fallen from to block the path?

She set down her teacup, her heart filled with vigilance.

Just as she was about to call out to warn Guard Yin and the others, the sharp whistle of arrows cutting through the wind suddenly erupted from outside the carriage window.

From the dense forest behind the caravan, a dozen crossbow bolts were fired simultaneously, thudding into the carriage walls and the guards' shields with dull, rhythmic sounds.

The horses neighed in terror, and the entire caravan was thrown into chaos.

"We're under attack! Protect the Third Miss!"