Chapter 146: The Skirmish-The Radiant Grace of the Beloved Daughter(Mo Qinghong)

After forming a perimeter, the opponents did not immediately close in.

As Liu Qin and the two others helped each other stand, shielded by Lei Hu, one figure who appeared to be the leader of the men in black stared at them intently for a moment before glancing at his subordinates. One of the men hurriedly retrieved an object from his robes and handed it over. Unfolding it, it was a scroll depicting two people: a man in his forties with a face full of hardship, and a child of about five. Even as a child, the boy had distinct, sharp features—large eyes, a high nose, and thin, tightly pressed lips that betrayed an ineffable air of arrogance.

The child in the portrait bore a striking resemblance to one of the three youths surrounded in the middle. The leader stared for a moment longer, finally nodded, and with a wave of his hand, signaled the others to attack.

Xiao Wu kept a vigilant eye on them. From the moment the horses had bolted, he knew these people had arrived. He inwardly regretted not doing more to stop his junior sister, but it was too late for such thoughts now. He drew the soft sword he always kept at his waist; there was nothing left to do but fight to the death and protect his junior sister at all costs.

Jiang Li had no weapon, nor was he accustomed to carrying one. The sword he practiced with daily remained in his room. In this critical moment, he scanned himself and found a jade flute tucked at his waist—a memento left by his mother. With no other choice, he gripped it to use as a makeshift weapon.

Liu Qin was terrified. In her two lifetimes, she had never witnessed such cold-blooded violence. Being small and weak, with no martial arts skills, how could she hope to fight off these burly men who were clearly trained? She cursed herself for having been lazy and skipping her training; if she had mastered martial arts, she wouldn’t be trembling like a leaf, useless and a burden to the others.

Her knees were shaking so violently she could barely stand, but she dared not let Jiang Li or Xiao Wu notice, fearing it would distract them. She pinched her own thigh hard to regain some composure, then lifted the hem of her robe and pulled a dagger from a hidden sheath at her waist—the very same one her "Big Brother" had given her. She hadn't possessed foresight; she had simply packed it to slice meat during the outdoor barbecue she had planned for their visit to the estate.

Time seemed to crawl for Liu Qin, though in reality, it was only a heartbeat. The men in black surrounding them drew their weapons and charged.

Lei Hu stepped forward to intercept the killers in front. Xiao Wu retreated a few paces to face the enemies behind them. As they brushed past each other, Jiang Li heard Xiao Wu whisper, "Protect your junior sister."

Jiang Li nodded, but the situation was dire. With enemies on all sides, he didn't know how he could keep her safe. Soon, the sounds of blades clashing became incessant. The scene was chaotic, but Liu Qin’s ears were unnaturally sharp. The sound of steel piercing flesh, the agonized cries of the wounded, the thud of falling bodies, and the rush of footsteps—all reached her clearly. She began to tremble again.

Lei Hu and Xiao Wu held off the majority of the attackers. Lei Hu’s martial arts were broad and powerful, his movements leaping and thunderous. With one sweep of his long sword, he would force an opponent back, but there were too many of them. Blocking a strike from the left left him vulnerable to a thrust from the right; guarding the front left his flank open to a horizontal slash. While his opponents were less skilled than he, their coordination was seamless, preventing him from unleashing his full strength.

At this rate, he wouldn't last long. A ruthless glint appeared in Lei Hu’s eyes; he stopped guarding his own body and seized an opening to plunge his sword into the chest of the man wielding a blade in front of him. As the man fell, he pivoted his blade to block a strike from the left, simultaneously wounding that man's shoulder, though he himself took a deep slash across his back. Blood began to seep out, quickly soaking his clothes. With this desperate strategy—trading his own wounds for the lives of his enemies—several men fell before him in quick succession.

Xiao Wu was faring no better. His martial arts were on par with Lei Hu’s, yet he was more vicious and his methods more ruthless. His soft sword moved like a venomous snake, flicking its tongue; every thrust was lethal. His blade seemed to have eyes, targeting only the enemies' weaknesses and their most vital points. However, the majority of the attackers were focused on him. They seemed wary of him and held back from delivering killing blows, which was the only reason he had managed to exploit so many openings.

Watching body after body fall, seeing the blood flowing everywhere, Liu Qin felt she might faint. She desperately wished this were a nightmare and that she would wake up in her comfortable bed at the Plum Garden. She wanted to be a real child, to cover her eyes and see nothing, to plug her ears and hear nothing. Or perhaps, simply collapse and play dead.

But she couldn't. She could not face this with the cold, detached composure of the heroines in the novels and dramas she had seen; she was terrified. Yet, she could not flee and abandon those beside her. She stood trembling, one hand clutching Jiang Li’s sleeve, the other gripping her dagger.

"Junior sister, watch out!"

Jiang Li pulled her to the left, turning to face a man who had tried to sneak up on her. Having practiced for only a short time, Jiang Li lacked combat experience and a proper weapon; he was struggling to hold off a single attacker when another lunged from the side. *How shameless,* Liu Qin thought, *using a pincer attack on a child.*

In that critical moment, the dagger in her hand moved instinctively. She squeezed her eyes shut and spun forward, thrusting the blade outward.

*Squish.* The sound of piercing flesh.

"Aaaah!"

The shriek nearly shattered her eardrums. Startled, Liu Qin opened her eyes to see the attacker drop his sword, clutching his groin with both hands, stumbling backward as blood seeped between his fingers. Liu Qin was stunned—she hadn't intended it, but she had struck a vital point. The man had been careless, never expecting the small child behind her to fight back.

The leader, standing further back, was drawn by the scream. Seeing his man clutching his crotch, his face contorted with murderous intent. He drew a short bow from his back, nocked an arrow, and fired. The bolt flew toward Liu Qin like a shooting star. It was sudden and swift. Before Jiang Li could react or pull her to safety, the arrow struck her in the chest with a dull thud.

"Junior sister!"

She felt no pain at first. Amidst two piercing cries, Liu Qin collapsed limply. It was only when the warm, wet blood reached her wrist, which was pressed against her chest, that the agonizing pain finally flooded over her, drowning her senses.

"Ahhh..."

She seemed to hear Xiao Wu roar in fury. The final image burned into her mind was a pair of blood-red eyes, as savage as a beast’s...