Free Web NovelChapter 389: Chapter 389: You Did All This?
"Chutang!"
Princess Qingyang gripped the reins, her expression fraught with worry.
They were already deep within the woods, where the dense trees made it difficult to navigate on horseback.
Steeling herself, she simply leaped off her horse.
A sudden noise from nearby made her turn her head. She saw Xu Rongqing approaching.
She immediately asked, "Mr. Xu, have you seen Chutang?"
Xu Rongqing shook his head, his expression grim.
Princess Qingyang gritted her teeth. "I’m sure she came this way just a moment ago. How could she vanish in the blink of an eye?"
The forest was vast, so they had decided to split up to expand their search area.
But they hadn’t strayed too far from one another and were still within shouting distance.
However, after searching for a while, Princess Qingyang suddenly realized she had lost track of Ye Chutang.
With no sign of her friend, she was naturally overcome with anxiety.
Suddenly, Xu Rongqing’s expression turned sharp. "Isn’t that her horse?"
Princess Qingyang quickly followed his gaze and, sure enough, saw a horse emerging from the trees. But its back was empty!
A chill shot through Princess Qingyang’s heart.
What could have possibly happened in a place like this to separate Ye Chutang from her mount?
Princess Qingyang ran over, grabbed the reins, and inspected the horse from top to bottom several times.
But there were no bloodstains on the animal, nor did it look like it had met with any mishap...
"Where’s Chutang?" Princess Qingyang fretted. "The horse is here, but she’s nowhere to be seen!"
As she spoke, the horse suddenly tossed its head and took a step back.
Princess Qingyang tugged on the reins several times but couldn’t pull it forward. Finally understanding, she asked tentatively, "Are you trying to lead us to Chutang?"
The horse tossed its head again.
It was true!
Princess Qingyang threw all other concerns to the wind and nodded repeatedly. "Alright! Take us to her, quickly!"
...
As they forged ahead, the unease in Princess Qingyang’s heart never faded.
’Everything about today is off,’ she thought. ’Ye Chutang is all alone. If she runs into any danger, how will I ever explain it to her brothers? Death wouldn’t even be enough to atone for that failure!’
At this thought, Princess Qingyang silently quickened her pace.
Suddenly, what sounded like a noise came from up ahead.
Princess Qingyang immediately stopped, cocking her head to listen intently.
A hopeful look appeared in Xu Rongqing’s eyes. "Could that be her?"
Princess Qingyang hesitated. "But it sounds like more than one person..."
"Perhaps she met up with someone else?" Xu Rongqing was saying when the piercing clang of weapons suddenly rang out. His expression changed instantly.
Princess Qingyang cast aside all hesitation. "Quick! Let’s go take a look!" she said decisively.
...
The clear rhythm of pounding hooves and rushing footsteps grew louder.
Shen Yanchuan’s eyes flickered as he surveyed the scene before him.
The thick stench of blood filled the air.
On the ground, six assassins in black lay incapacitated, their bodies covered in blood.
All but the leader, who could barely keep his eyes open, had fallen unconscious.
Ye Chutang heard the commotion in the distance and glanced over. "They’re here?"
Her tone held no trace of surprise, as if she had anticipated everything.
Ye Yunfeng asked, "Sister, what should we do with these men?"
Ye Chutang turned at the sound of his voice. Seeing the unconscious, profusely bleeding assassin at his feet, she said with a hint of exasperation:
"Why were you so heavy-handed? We need to interrogate them all later."
"Don’t worry, Sister, I know what I’m doing!" Ye Yunfeng flashed a grin. "They’re just flesh wounds. It looks a lot worse than it is—nothing life-threatening!"
When he’d struck, he had followed a simple principle: hit them where it hurts the most.
Only then did Ye Chutang nod, looking as if she couldn’t be bothered to ask any more questions.
The exchange between the siblings was so mundane it almost seemed like this wasn’t the first time they’d had such a "discussion."
Shen Yanchuan’s gaze finally fell on Ye Jingyan.
—He was the only one who hadn’t joined the fight. From start to finish, he had simply stood quietly to the side.
Clearly, Ye Jingyan had little interest in such violent affairs.
But what was even more obvious was that he was completely accustomed to such scenes.
Never mind Ye Yunfeng—when Ye Chutang had sprung into action, not a trace of worry had appeared on Ye Jingyan’s refined and scholarly face.
—Both Ye Yunfeng and Ye Jingyan were clearly guarding all of Ye Chutang’s secrets.
And today, by chance, Shen Yanchuan had just glimpsed the tip of that iceberg.
Shen Yanchuan’s gaze returned to Ye Chutang as the recent events replayed in his mind.
He was so familiar with the young woman’s gentle, beautiful face, yet standing here so close, he felt he hardly knew her at all.
One move.
Ye Chutang had taken down that assassin in a single move, effortlessly striking his vital point.
The man hadn’t even had time to fire his second arrow before her sword was at his left breast.
As the man slowly collapsed, the blood on his chest had yet to spread, blooming into a single scarlet dot.
By then, Ye Chutang had already taken the arrow from his back and was toying with it casually.
"The poison is quite potent. But..." Ye Chutang looked at Shen Yanchuan. "It’s not the same as the one you were poisoned with before."
Shen Yanchuan understood immediately. "You’re saying these assassins aren’t from the same group as the previous ones?"
Ye Chutang nodded.
"Of course, one can’t make that judgment based on the poison alone, but..."
But she had other ways of telling, of course.
Ye Chutang didn’t elaborate, and Shen Yanchuan didn’t ask.
He listened for a moment, then said, "Did Qinyang bring a party?"
Ye Chutang nodded, then added, "To be precise, we came together. Oh, and Xu Rongqing came along too."
Shen Yanchuan’s eyelashes fluttered.
The sounds grew closer, and several figures could be seen faintly behind the trees, rushing in their direction.
"Chutang!"
Spotting the familiar, slender figure from a distance, Princess Qingyang cried out, her voice a mixture of relief and joy.
Ye Chutang abruptly shoved the sword she was holding into Shen Yanchuan’s arms.
Shen Yanchuan: "???"
Just then, Princess Qingyang finally saw him as well, and her eyes widened.
"Brother!? You’re here too!?"
Ye Chutang curtsied to Shen Yanchuan, her tone light but earnest.
"Thank you, Princely Heir, for saving my brother. I am endlessly grateful."
Shen Yanchuan: "..."
’I know you want to thank me, but don’t. You had a hand in felling these men on the ground, so this is—’
"Brother!"
Princess Qingyang’s gaze swept over the half-dead men on the ground, and she exclaimed excitedly,
"Did you do all this!?"
