Chapter 54

Chapter 54: Throwing It Like a Wine Cup

Ye Rong’s eyes turned red. He drove his knife in again and again, stabbing through the mountain bandits who charged him. “Come on!”

Ye Rong shouted, “One comes and Young Master kills one! Two come and Young Master kills two!”

The scene was clear to the other young masters. Pei Yu An stood there with his mouth hanging open.

Ye Rong and Shang Xing Yu were cutting through the bandits like it was nothing.

Pei Yu An could not hold back anymore. “Fine! Let’s do it! It’s just killing!”

Pei Yu An’s blood surged. “Kill one and you get rewarded. Kill two and you get written into the family records. The more you kill, the more merit you earn!”

Pei Yu An raised his voice. “Tonight we’ll wipe out every mountain bandit here, and we’ll show everyone who looks down on us.”

“Playboys?” Pei Yu An laughed harshly. “So what if we are!”

If they spent their whole lives as useless playboys, that would be that.

But now an opportunity to earn merit was right in front of them. If they did not seize it now, when would they ever?

And looking at these mountain bandits… they barely seemed able to fight.

One after another, the young masters charged out like they were racing for credit.

The stronghold erupted in screams and killing.

The young masters crashed into the drugged bandits like wolves into a flock of sheep. The bandits only knew enemies had come. They grabbed their blades, but they did not even know who to swing at.

In no time at all, corpses covered the ground and blood soaked the earth.

Later, the bandits even started hacking at their own men.

“Shang Er,” Ye Rong demanded, staring, “what are they doing? Are they crazy?”

They were cutting down their own people. Flying limbs and torn bodies drove Ye Rong’s nerves into a wild high. If a shred of reason had not held Ye Rong back, Ye Rong would have rushed in to finish them all himself.

Were these really the fierce bandits they had met earlier?

Could alcohol really do this?

Had they lost their minds?

Shang Xing Yu shook his head. “I don’t know. Maybe they’re fighting among themselves.”

Shang Xing Yu narrowed his eyes. “Do not worry about it. Aren’t we supposed to find Princess Qing Ning and Han Ming Rui?”

“Right!” Ye Rong said. “Princess Qing Ning saved us. This time, we save her!”

For a brief instant, Shang Xing Yu’s expression turned strange.

Shang Xing Yu and the others, with their bodyguards, slipped around the bandits who were killing each other.

Someone knocked over a torch, and sparks spread until the flames joined into a blazing line.

In that chaos, the young masters looked up and saw a slender figure standing at the top of the mountain, outlined by firelight.

The flickering blaze made the hem of her skirt look as if it had been coated in a layer of golden light.

The excited young masters froze.

Then Zhou Yu Zheng’s voice shot up, almost cracking. “Is that Princess Qing Ning?!”

The others snapped out of it.

It really was Princess Qing Ning.

But how could she be here?

Was she not supposed to be trapped and miserable, waiting for them to rescue her?

Why was she standing there like this?

Very quickly, they saw the people behind her.

Madam Han had changed into different clothes. Her hair had been combed, but it was still slightly messy. Han Ming Rui lay weakly against her, and Ting Lan supported her as she moved.

An Zhi carried Madam Han on her back.

“Is that Madam Han and Han Ming Rui?” Zhou Yu Zheng stared until he clearly saw who An Zhi was carrying, and for a moment he felt an overwhelming sense of disappointment.

If Princess Qing Ning did not need them to rescue her, that was one thing.

But Madam Han and Han Ming Rui had been rescued by the Princess too?

The credit he had been reaching for had been snatched away first. The feeling was…

Before Zhou Yu Zheng could even finish swallowing that bitterness, a swaying figure suddenly appeared behind Sheng Zhi Wan.

“Damn, there’s someone-” Ye Rong started.

Before Ye Rong could finish, a flash of steel flew past.

The swaying figure froze. The man lowered his head and stared at his chest.

A long blade had punched straight through him.

Where had it come from? The man did not even get to look before he toppled stiffly toward Sheng Zhi Wan.

Ye Rong’s eyes went wide. He stared, then turned to Shang Er, who looked just as stunned.

“Damn!” Ye Rong blurted. “Shang Er, are you this strong?!”

Shang Xing Yu swallowed. “I… forgot it was a knife I grabbed. I threw it like a wine cup.”

A wine cup?

Well, that explained it. Shang Er had always been accurate when he threw cups.

But a knife could be thrown like a cup too?

Sheng Zhi Wan’s gaze slid over Shang Xing Yu’s face.

In the firelight, the boy’s features looked pale and striking, carrying a strange mix of righteousness and danger. The blood droplets on his cheek only made him seem more mysterious, more tempting to understand.

But Sheng Zhi Wan only looked once before turning her eyes to the others.

Sheng Zhi Wan said, “I knew you young masters would not be so heartless.”

Sheng Zhi Wan spoke clearly, her voice steady. “And now, as expected, you came without regard for your own lives to save me, Madam Han, and Young Master Han.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s gaze swept the group. “No matter what, tonight’s life-saving grace will be remembered by the Defender Duke’s mansion and the Grand Defender General’s mansion. Another day, we will personally visit to offer thanks!”

As soon as Sheng Zhi Wan finished speaking, the back she had been forcing upright suddenly pitched forward.

The young masters were still stunned by her words.

Shang Xing Yu’s eyes widened. In the instant Sheng Zhi Wan fell, Shang Xing Yu’s hands clamped around her soft waist and held her up.

Shang Xing Yu’s palm slid to her back and came away sticky with blood.

Shang Xing Yu’s voice turned low and rough. “Princess was hurt?”

Ting Lan lowered her head in shame and did not dare meet Shang Xing Yu’s eyes.

“It was nothing,” Sheng Zhi Wan said. “It was only a surface wound.”

As she spoke, Sheng Zhi Wan pried Shang Xing Yu’s hands off her, took a deep breath, and forced herself to stand straight again.

Shang Xing Yu watched her rigid back. Shang Xing Yu pulled his hand away, but his fingers curled tightly around the blood left on them.

“These people-”

“These people-” they both started at the same time.

Shang Xing Yu paused.

Sheng Zhi Wan continued, “These people kidnapped commoner, humiliated women, and murdered innocent commoner and wealthy merchants. They even dared to rob my carriage.”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s eyes narrowed. “Tonight, while they were drinking and making merry…”

Sheng Zhi Wan’s voice cut like a blade. “I want you to kill them all. Leave no one alive!”