The two hundred and eighteenth day of the Great Tumult.

The news of the Capital’s incident has not yet reached Nanyang.

In the early morning, under Zhao Jiangning’s request, the large State Governor’s Mansion was tidied up a bit. It’s already early February, the southern weather is slightly warming, so taking advantage of the sun, the clothes in the wardrobe were taken out to be washed and dried.

With Chen Mo not around, the girls have been cooped up in the mansion, not allowed to go out, and have long been restless. Today, taking advantage of the weather, they plan to go out for a walk.

Jiang Ruoqing called all the guards of the State Governor’s Mansion together to discuss the day’s plans.

Having fun is fine, but they must not let their guard down on safety issues. 𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

After everything was ready, a large group of people left the mansion in a grand procession, with the carriage at the front and guards on both sides.

Jiang Ruoqing, dressed in men’s attire, disguised as a man, rode at the front, scanning the surroundings for any suspicious individuals.

The group grandly arrived at Qu Chun Lake, as if embarking on an early spring outing.

Inside the carriage, Luo Zhen took out a chessboard and two boxes of chess pieces, giving the black pieces to Ye Wanqiu. As they played chess, they chatted about Chen Mo. When they touched on some embarrassing topics, both girls blushed and shared a knowing smile.

Qu Chun Lake is in the southwest corner outside Nanyang City, not far. When Luo Zhen and her group arrived, the area was already cordoned off by the military.

The ladies got off the carriage and came to the lakeside pavilion, splitting into small groups. Zhao Jiangning, dressed in a tiger-skin coat, held a fishing rod and cast it into Qu Chun Lake, turning around and saying, "Xiao Jiu, come over, I’ll catch fish for you to eat."

Xiao Jiu wagged its tail, happily approaching.

Not far from Zhao Jiangning, Fan Qiu, seeing Xiao Jiu, had its fur stand up straight, and it stopped sunbathing there, quickly going to find its owner for protection.

Xiao Jiu licked its paw, ignoring it.

The guards were stationed every five steps, carefully patrolling the lakeside, ready to check any suspicious movements, ensuring strict security.

Having been in the mansion for too long, the girls’ natures were suppressed. Now, finally having the chance to go out and play, each of them became a bit wild.

They split into small groups here and there.

As time passed, it was noon, and the guards began to switch shifts to eat, leaving fewer on duty.

Yi Yao, with Lian Yi and Zhang Ru, rowed a small boat towards the center of the lake.

At that moment, the surface of the lake suddenly exploded with a boom, and as water splashed everywhere, a black shadow wielding a sword soared into the sky, heading straight for the small boat.

The guards stationed on the lake were instantly alert, all turning to look towards the lake, their expressions changing drastically.

"Watch out." Jiang Ruoqing’s face turned white, and she rushed towards them. However, she was a bit far from the boat, and even as a First Grade Martial Artist, she was slightly slow to reach them.

Yi Yao stood in front of Lian Yi and Zhang Ru.

The surrounding military also erupted into a commotion, with hundreds of soldiers displaying various Divine Techniques, surging towards the lakeside.

Just as the black shadow was about to reach the small boat, it suddenly froze mid-air, motionless.

"Xiao Jiu, you..." Zhao Jiangning was dumbstruck because she saw Xiao Jiu suddenly grow an extra tail, with pink eyes staring straight at the figure frozen mid-air.

This scene left everyone dumbfounded.

At this moment, Jiang Ruoqing also arrived, striking the black shadow into the lake with one palm, then grabbing the three girls and flying to the shore.

Zhang Ru and Lian Yi, being ordinary people, were terrified by this scene.

As the black shadow fell into the water, the pink in Xiao Jiu’s eyes disappeared, and the second tail was retracted, clearly indicating it had something to do with it.

"Pfff... ah..."

"Madam, be careful, there’s an assassin... pfft..."

A guard’s words were interrupted as a black shadow unexpectedly lunged out and slit his throat.

Dozens of black shadows appeared out of nowhere, all rushing towards the women by the lake.

The accompanying military and guards were no match for these black shadows.

"Everyone, come to me." Jiang Ruoqing shouted.

Just as she said this, a white giant tail swept past in front of her, knocking away two black shadows attacking Jiang Ruoqing.

Jiang Ruoqing was momentarily stunned looking at Xiao Jiu’s enlarged tail, wondering what kind of creature this fox was.

It could breathe fire, grow an extra tail, and now...

Rustling...

Footsteps approached from afar, the black shadows fearless of death, using strange Body Techniques to advance.

The soldiers and guards were no match for these black shadows.

It was up to Jiang Ruoqing, Xiao Jiu, and Yi Yao.

Three against nearly thirty.

"Be cautious, there are Innate Martial Artists among them, these people mean harm."

Swish!

At this moment, a fierce sword hum sounded from the tree canopy above them.

Leaves scattered.

Everyone looked up in horror, only to see a figure with a sword descending from above.

The cold glimmer startled the wind and snow, Sword Qi stirring the heavens, carrying an intense killing intent.

"Watch out."

The assassin swooped down like a falcon hunting a rabbit. Due to the angle, Jiang Ruoqing saw it first and flew in front of Xu Miaozhen, but the assassin was too fast. After Jiang Ruoqing arrived, there was no time to block, and the assassin cut a line of blood on her body.

Having succeeded in the first move, the assassin was preparing for the next when a giant shadow pounced towards him fiercely. The assassin raised his sword to block, only to hear a crack, the Longsword was snapped by Xiao Jiu’s paw, then slammed onto the assassin’s face, rendering it a bloody mess with a deep scratch.

"Get out of the way." They hadn’t even had time to catch their breath when Yi Yao saw a black shadow moving towards the unprotected Zhao Jiangning.

Zhao Jiangning was only a Ninth Grade Martial Artist.

Completely defenseless.

In this urgent moment.

"Bang!"

A dull sound echoed, and the black shadow was suddenly kicked away by someone, the force so strong that the shadow died on impact when it hit the ground.

Several figures landed in front of Zhao Jiangning.

"Prince De Ning, are you alright?"

"Master Wu, why are you here?" Zhao Jiangning looked at Wu Lu with a puzzled expression.

Indeed, the arriving people were Wu Lu, Elder He, Huangfu Hao, and others.

"We’ll talk later, let’s deal with these people first." Wu Lu turned and charged towards an assassin.

"Not good, retreat quickly!"

The assassins, seeing the situation turn unfavorable, began to flee.

"Don’t let them escape, chase them. Remember to capture them alive." Huangfu Hao commanded.

"They won’t get away." Quan Qiyang, with the Mò Bingtái people, blocked the assassins’ escape route.

In a short time, none of the arriving assassins managed to escape.

However, not a single one was captured alive.

Seeing no way out, the assassins bit into the Poison Sacs in their mouths, committing suicide.

The decisiveness of this scene left everyone shocked.

It’s often said that life is priceless.

Yet these people committed suicide without even batting an eye.

"Are they people of the Black Shadow?" Luo Zhen said in a deep voice.