"Stop! Haven't you had enough?" Jiang Hao pushed through the crowd and rushed straight between the two.
"Be careful, Marquis!"
Song Jie had completely lost his reason. He did not care who had rushed over; his massive blade-hand cleaved straight toward Jiang Hao's face.
Jiang Hao neither dodged nor evaded, letting him attack. The onlookers nearly died of fright. They surged forward to shield Jiang Hao, but soon stopped, because Song Jie's massive blade-hand had not fallen. It had stopped less than a few centimeters from Jiang Hao's face.
He withdrew his massive blade-hand, stared at Jiang Hao several times with bloodshot eyes, then turned impassively and walked toward the palace where Wen Ruxue lay.
Watching him leave, Guo Dundun fumed. "Outrageous, absolutely outrageous! That bastard Song Jie has no respect for anyone. He actually dared attack you, Brother Hao! I'll go butcher him!"
Rolling up his sleeves, Guo Dundun was about to chase after him, but Jiang Hao stopped him and said calmly, "Let him go. He'll be fine once he cools down."
That cooling-off period lasted three days. Song Jie shut himself inside the palace without eating or drinking. When he emerged, he was unshaven and far more haggard. He was carrying Wen Ruxue in his arms, but the guards stopped him from taking her away, insisting that he needed the Marquis's permission.
That enraged Song Jie. Everything required Jiang Hao's approval, yet Jiang Hao could not even protect a single person. Growing angrier the more he thought about it, Song Jie kicked the two guards to the ground and snapped, "Get lost, or I'll kill you!"
Perhaps because he had gone so long without food or water, his throat was dry, making his voice particularly hoarse.
The two guards were also devoted to their duty. They dared