Lin Qinghe clearly hadn't taken You Rong's words to heart. The next moment, she saw Xu Ling'er fall from her horse, and the startled horse was about to trample her. Her heart tightened, and she pushed You Rong aside and ran over.
"Miss Xu! Be careful!"
Lin Qinghe ran over and yanked Xu Ling'er hard, pulling her out from under the horse's hooves.
Xu Ling'er was still in shock and didn't have time to thank her. Her eyes widened in fear, "Be careful!"
Lin Qinghe turned her head. An arrow was flying towards her. Seeing she couldn't dodge it, she closed her eyes in terror. With a "clang," the arrow fell to the ground. The expected pain didn't come.
Lin Qinghe opened her eyes, and what met her gaze was You Rong's furious face. "Lin Qinghe! Are you looking for death?!"
At the critical moment, it was You Rong who had slashed the hidden arrow aimed at her, saving her.
"Your... your servant..."
The situation was urgent, and You Rong had no time to listen to Lin Qinghe's explanation. He grabbed her slender wrist with his large hand, yanked her forcefully, pulled her into his arms, and walked back in the direction they came from. "Let's hide behind the trees first!"
Lin Qinghe was preoccupied with Xu Ling'er. As You Rong dragged her forward, she couldn't help but turn back and shout to Xu Ling'er, "Miss Xu, don't just stand there like a fool, come and hide with us!"
Xu Ling'er's face was pale, but thankfully she wasn't completely scared senseless. Hearing Lin Qinghe's words, she forced herself to get up and hid behind the thick tree trunk with Lin Qinghe and You Rong.
After a volley of hidden arrows, more than half of the accompanying soldiers were dead or wounded.
More than ten men in black rushed forward with long swords. In a moment, the remaining Imperial Guards could no longer resist and were at a complete disadvantage.
You Rong lowered his head and said to Lin Qinghe, "Hide and don't come out!"
With that, You Rong's eyes sharpened. He held his long sword and flashed out to engage the men in black.
At first, Lin Qinghe was a little worried, but seeing You Rong's agile movements and fierce, deadly attacks, killing several men in black in just a few moves, she was surprised by his excellent martial arts and felt relieved.
As Lin Qinghe's worries subsided, her eyes narrowed slightly, and her small face was thoughtful.
Without a doubt, these assassins must be connected to Consort Duan...
She lowered her gaze to Xu Ling'er, whose small face was deathly pale, and thought: This is a good opportunity. A damsel in distress saving a hero will surely increase You Rong's affection for Xu Ling'er, and advance the progress bar.
The opportunity presented itself. No matter how good You Rong's martial arts were, facing more than ten assassins alone, he was accidentally slashed on the shoulder. The blood gushing from the wound immediately stained his clothes a large patch of red.
Because of this, the assassins pressed their advantage, forcing You Rong to retreat step by step.
Just then, a man in black circled behind You Rong and raised his sword to sneak attack him. Lin Qinghe, having calculated the timing, deliberately exclaimed, "Your Highness, be careful!" while secretly giving Xu Ling'er a forceful push.
She had calculated that Xu Ling'er would pounce forward and block a sword for You Rong, but it wouldn't be a fatal wound.
However, despite her meticulous planning, Xu Ling'er tripped on a branch underfoot and fell directly to the ground. Before she fell, she tugged at Lin Qinghe's clothes. Caught off guard, Lin Qinghe stumbled forward, and by sheer coincidence, blocked the sword strike aimed at You Rong from behind.
The sound of the long sword piercing flesh.
Lin Qinghe let out a muffled groan of pain. Looking down, she saw a long sword piercing her abdomen. The clothes on her abdomen were quickly stained crimson by the oozing blood.
Hearing the commotion, You Rong swung his sword, killing an assassin, and turned around. His pupils contracted, and a look of horror quickly spread across his face.
He almost roared, "Qinghe!"
The man in black withdrew his sword. Lin Qinghe clutched her abdomen and collapsed softly onto the ground, her consciousness gradually blurring, and everything in front of her beginning to double.
She saw You Rong, his eyes bloodshot, disregarding his own injuries, wielding his sword and furiously killing several assassins around him. He rushed to her side first, held her, and trembled as he patted her cheek, his voice trembling, "Qinghe, Qinghe... Promise me! Don't be in trouble, you can't be in trouble!"
Lin Qinghe had no strength to speak. Her eyelashes trembled twice, her eyelids felt as heavy as mountains, and they slowly closed uncontrollably.
"Qinghe! Wake up! Qinghe..."
Before she completely lost consciousness, Lin Qinghe gave a bitter laugh in her heart.
She was so unlucky. After all her efforts to get Xu Ling'er and You Rong together, she ended up getting herself involved.
Was she going to die like this?
You Rong: "Qinghe, Qinghe..."
Lin Qinghe's face was bloodless, and she showed no reaction.
Immense panic washed over You Rong. His eyes were terrifyingly grim. Gritting his teeth, he gently placed Lin Qinghe on the ground, stood up, and the aura of malevolence surrounding him made him as terrifying as a demon from hell.
The remaining seven or eight men in black felt an inexplicable fear towards You Rong. They took two steps back, exchanged glances, gritted their teeth, and charged forward with their swords.
You Rong raised his long sword, a cold light flashing in his eyes. His figure weaved through the men in black like a phantom. When he stopped, blood dripped from his sword, and all the remaining assassins lay dead, each killed with a single strike.
Xu Ling'er, who had witnessed this, was so terrified she was stunned. When she saw You Rong walking back, she instinctively recoiled slightly.
You Rong ignored Xu Ling'er. He bit the hem of his robe and tore off a strip of cloth, bandaged Lin Qinghe's wound simply, then put her on his horse. He didn't even glance at Xu Ling'er, spurred his horse forward with his legs, and galloped away.
She now urgently needed medicine to stop the bleeding and had to take her back to the camp immediately!
Qinghe!
You must live! I forbid you from being in danger!
-------------------------------------
On the bed, Lin Qinghe's eyelashes trembled slightly. Zhu Hong, who was guarding her, noticed and said joyfully, "Sister Qinghe! Are you awake?"
Lin Qinghe slowly opened her eyes. The bright light was dazzling, making her close her eyes again. After a while, she opened them again.
Huh?
She was in... You Rong's palace?
Shouldn't she be at the winter hunt in Yuling Mountain?
Right!
She encountered assassins during the winter hunt in Yuling Mountain, and she accidentally took a sword for You Rong. Then she fainted and lost consciousness. What happened to You Rong in the end?
"Sister Qinghe? You were unconscious for three full days. You're finally awake. Does your wound hurt? I'll go call the imperial physician to examine you!"
Lin Qinghe watched Zhu Hong leave with a face full of joy. She wanted to speak, but her body was too weak, and she was unable to make a sound.
Not long after Zhu Hong left, the person who pushed open the palace door was not her, nor the imperial physician, but You Rong.
You Rong strode to the bedside. Seeing Lin Qinghe awake, his emotions surged like a tidal wave. His hands, hidden in his wide sleeves, clenched uncontrollably.
Lin Qinghe was also stunned when she saw You Rong, then she subtly examined him.
Although his complexion was poor, he didn't seem to be seriously injured. Rescue must have arrived not long after she fainted and saved You Rong.
What about Xu Ling'er? How was she?
You Rong painstakingly suppressed his surging emotions. His throat felt tight, and his thin lips parted several times before he managed to utter a sound, "You... you're awake."