Suddenly, a peasant woman's voice came from outside, "Who are you...?"
The guards, having run for a day and a night, finally caught up with Jin Shanyao. Exhausted and not wanting to waste words with her, they raised their swords and asked Shen Yan, "A woman and two children, where are they?"
Shen Yan was shocked to hear that they weren't there to kill him.
Jin Shanyao the curtain and asked in confusion, "Who's looking for me?"
Seeing her swagger out, Shen Yan anxiously said, "Go back... it's an assassin."
The assassin, what does the assassin want with her?
Upon seeing their target appear, the guard drew his sword and leaped forward. Ignoring his injuries, Shen Yan swung a stool at the guard's head. As the saying goes, two fists can't beat four hands.
Even the general was afraid of the broadsword. The guard cleaved the stool into pieces with a single sword strike and kicked Shen Yan away.
The guard spat angrily... "You think I'm a pushover? Hit me on the head with a stool!"
They recognized Shen Yan early on; he was the assassination target of another group. Not wanting to lose sight of their own objective, they decided to ignore Shen Yan.
When Meng Anci saw his young general being kicked away, his eyes nearly popped out of their sockets... His young general was gone...
No, no, the young general was covered in wounds and had no weapon in his hand, it was normal for him to be kicked away... But the next moment he changed his mind, and saw his aunt grab the assassin's hair with her bare hands.
With a powerful swing of his arm, whoosh... he flung the assassin over the wall.
The guards exchanged glances upon seeing this, and said, "Attack together..."
Before he finished speaking, dozens of swords Jin Shanyao. At that moment, a bright green whip wrapped around his wrist like a ghost. The assassin felt a sudden tightening on his wrist and was thrown off the wall.
Then came one, two, three, four, the whip moving so fast that it left no afterimage.
With only one guard remaining, Jin Shanyao directly bound the person and pulled him in front of her.
He turned his head to face him and asked curiously, "Who sent you?"
The guard's eyes were cold and sharp; he didn't want to answer any questions, and even with his Jin Shanyao, he didn't want to stand outside and freeze in the cold.
She made a hand Hand Seals and slapped the guard on the head, causing him to blurt out the truth.
"It was Lu Mingche. He was acting on the Third Prince's secret orders to take your life."
Jin Shanyao in surprise, "I don't know them either, why would they want to kill me?"
"The Third Prince is the son of Noble Consort Wei. The Wei Household's medicinal herb business has suffered greatly due to the Anzhi Hall's disruption."
The guard tried to keep his mouth shut, but his tongue kept escaping, saying, "That's all just my guess."
"Are you playing guessing games with me?" Jin Shanyao gripping the guard's, tightened unconsciously. "Get lost!"
Whoosh... The last guard was thrown over the wall by the Jin Shanyao, and when he turned around, he saw Shen Yan staring straight at him.
"Are you stupid?"
Shen Yan clutched her wound, puzzled, "What did you eat to grow so strong?"
Jin Shanyao saw that his lips were pale and his body was swaying precariously, as if he was about to fall at any moment.
She stepped forward and lifted him up in her arms. Shen Yan's face flushed red, and he stammered, "Miss Jin, I can walk."
Jin Shanyao her head and suddenly let go, causing Shen Yan to fall heavily to the ground. His wound throbbed, and he broke out in a cold sweat from the pain. He gritted his teeth and said, "Miss, could you please handle this gently?"
Jin Shanyao said awkwardly, "I just finished fighting, and I still hadn't controlled my strength."
Shen Yan waved her hand, signaling her to stop talking. "Aren't we going to deal with those people outside the wall?"
"It's alright, they'll be gone soon," Jin Shanyao, picking up the ginkgo powder to change Shen Yan's dressing. Shen Yan cooperated by undressing. "Aren't you afraid they'll assassinate you?"
Jin Shanyao her eyes. "How much silver do they get paid a month? A hundred taels? A thousand taels?... They need to earn money and be alive to spend it. Who's stupid enough to actually fight me to the death?"
Shen Yan was shocked. "They are the royal guards, sworn to serve their master to the death." Ginkgo powder was scattered on the wound, bringing a cool, stinging sensation.
"Just keep shouting slogans; don't take them to heart."
The sound of the Jin Shanyao, imbued with a trace of Spiritual Power, reached the ears of each of the guards. "It's just working for someone else; it's not worth risking your life."
The guards, lying haphazardly in the corner, were all taken aback by what they heard. Could people really think like that?
They've survived, but how are they going to explain this to their masters when they get back?
The thought had barely crossed my mind when that nonchalant voice rang out again, "If you can't do the job well, can't you at least do it badly?"
The guards shuddered and pricked up their ears.
The voice was unhurried, as if chatting casually, "When it comes to completing a task, it's all about 'hard work without reward.' We've investigated the clues, but we're always one step short."
People are chased, but always lost track of. Efforts are put in, but always unexpected events occur... Remember, everything has a response, but nothing has a result; this is called 'do your best and leave the rest to fate.'
"What the master wants is the attitude, not for you to actually go to great lengths. If you get yourself all injured, it makes you seem reckless. If you come out unscathed, it makes it seem like you didn't try your best."
Ideally... one would go back with a minor injury that doesn't break bones but is still presentable.
"I've got it," Jin Shanyao said, pausing slightly. The guards held their breath, each pricking up their ears to listen, afraid of missing a single word.
"When doing work, you have to use skill. The intimidation of a knife before it's drawn is more effective than cutting a dull blade."
Go back and tell them that the other side is unfathomable and cannot be dealt with by one person alone; we need to plan carefully... If you say that, you'll be risking your lives."
The guards in the corner exchanged glances, the confusion in their eyes gradually fading, replaced by a sudden, almost enlightened realization.
So... being a "bad" person can be done like this?
Shen Yan looked astonished. "If all soldiers thought like you, who would fight bravely against the enemy?"
Jin Shanyao finished bandaging his wound. "One thing at a time. Don't listen to this theory... I just made it up on the spot."
Shen Yan was speechless. "You're so serious, are you just teasing me?"
Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci a glance. Their aunt's serious expression meant she was not joking; there must be a deeper meaning to her words. She was definitely not just making things up.
I'll make a note of this... and study it carefully when I have time.
There was a knock on the door, and a peasant woman's trembling voice came from outside, "Girl... the group of people outside the wall have run away."
"Okay... I know, could you heat up the kang (heated brick bed) for me? It's getting a bit cold."
"Oh... I'll go burn it right now, I'll go right now..." Ever since the peasant woman witnessed the power of the Jin Shanyao, she dared not laugh and joke anymore.
The peasant woman thought to herself, "No wonder she dared to take two children out at night. If she had that kind of money, she could easily support two Little White..."
She fantasized about having women on both sides of her body, while simultaneously imagining a scoundrel tearing up her land with his bare hands. Lost in thought, she couldn't help but laugh out loud.
Night fell... Shen Yan, wounded, sat alone outside the courtyard, his eyes fixed expectantly on the official road.
The peasant woman peeked through the crack in the door, but her husband pulled her back. "What are you looking at? No matter how handsome he is, it's all for nothing if he's not mentally sound."
The peasant woman rolled her eyes. "What's wrong with him?"
"It's not normal to sit outside in the dead of winter."
"Nonsense... Spring will arrive in a few days."
"Oh yes, yes, yes... Spring comes to your house in February, ouch... Wife, I was wrong, I was wrong, let go..." The man's ear was twisted by the peasant woman, and he kept begging for mercy in pain.
Inside the house, chaos reigned. Outside, Meng Anzhi and Meng Anci hid inside a mink cloak. "Auntie, look at this ghost... we can't help with anything."
Meng Anci in agreement, "Yes... we've only made things worse."
"Don't be afraid... Being well-informed and knowledgeable is the foundation... I believe Auntie has seen many ghosts, so she won't be afraid."