Outside the shelter, the sounds of fighting shook the heavens.
Clang-!
Xu Jiu drew his saber and intercepted the longsword an assassin had hurled through the air, knocking it into the open ground a few paces from Emperor Mingze. Someone shot Xu Jiu a venomous glare, only to be cut down on the spot by the Shadow Guard facing him.
Jiang Yingcheng watched the silvery-white sword hurtle toward her. Frightened, she squeezed her eyes shut, her attention shifting away from the "sick" uncle.
[U-Uncle Lei, why aren't you using your hidden weapons yet?!]
Her sweet, childish inner voice carried an unmistakable tremor. Jiang Yanchuan's gaze darkened, and his voice seemed steeped in frost as he called, "Lei Zhixin."
Lei Zhixin, who was working hard to separate the assassins so he could leave a few alive, faltered at the command. He raised his voice in reply. "Yes!"
Knowing that these assassins had enraged Emperor Mingze, Lei Zhixin gritted his teeth and signaled Dong Kangsheng nearby with his eyes, telling him to drive them into a corner as quickly as possible and stop worrying about taking them alive.
Dong Kangsheng nodded between swings of his saber.
The fighting instantly grew more intense.
Jiang Yanchuan raised a hand to cover the little girl's eyes. The pressure radiating from him remained dangerous, but his voice softened like thawing ice and snow. "Don't be afraid."
Jiang Yingcheng curled into a ball and burrowed into her beautiful Imperial Father's arms, stubbornly insisting, "Ch-Chengcheng isn't scared!"
Jiang Yanchuan glanced at the scene outside, the corners of his lips lifting almost imperceptibly. "Mm."
"Chengcheng is so brave."
Not far away, dozens of Shadow Guards held the black-clad men firmly at bay. Inside the shelter, only Xu Jiu stood guard with his saber raised; most of the others were