Before the three of them could react, the man kicked over the pile of clutter in front of them.

Liu Zhenqing took the two of them and ran, trying to sneak away out the window.

Then a big knife swept straight toward them. If the young girl hadn’t reacted quickly to pull the two others to a sudden stop, all three of them would have been injured at this moment. 

The man rushed forward at this instant, lifting his blade and swinging it at the three of them. It turned out that he was indeed a deft and skillful man, quick to take ruthless action. They had seen him committing petty theft before and had rather underestimated him. 

Liu Zhenqing led the two others to hide here and there, shouting, “Hey, we’re only worth six thousand taels alive! Be careful when handling dangerous weapons!”

But as soon as Liu Zhenqing finished speaking, the cheating wife in the distance called anxiously: “Kill them! We can’t let them get out alive!”

The man was no-nonsense. His blade was deadly and extremely ferocious. 

Liu Zhenqing also understood that the owner of the gambling house was no good. If he discovered that his wife was having an affair with his brother-in-law, he would certainly kill these two people without further ado. Their own lives must be more important than six thousand taels.

They were in big trouble this time.

The opponent pursued them fiercely, and Liu Zhenqing was the first to be injured, as he was blocking in the front. The back of his hand was hit, and he dropped the dagger. The young girl behind him caught it and attacked, but even though she knew a few tricks, she still struggled against the fierce adult man. Her arms were soon numb under the opponent’s strength, and with a sudden swing, she flew back with a crash.

Liu Zhenqing and the young master picked up some clutter nearby and rushed forward. Both of them were injured in the melee, but Liu Zhenqing’s wounds were particularly serious. Blood flowed from the gash in his leg, and in the end, the two of them were knocked to the ground.

The young girl attacked again, likely using all the martial arts moves she had ever learned, and the man’s blade was finally knocked away. Before she had time to celebrate, the man lifted a decrepit chair and flung it her way. The girl raised her hands to shield herself and the chair smashed to pieces. The girl also fell heavily.

The man’s eyes were already red. He picked up the knife and was about to chop it down. Liu Zhenqing tried to rise, but his leg and muscles were injured, and he couldn’t move. He shouted out anxiously: “Stop! I’m Liu Xiaozhu of the Liu Imperial merchant family! I can give you any amount of money you want. I can also help you leave far away and escape safely!”

Liu Zhenqing was truly worried. Of all the difficulties he had encountered after his transmigration, none of them had made his expression change this drastically. 

If something happened to these two children, he would have to bear the blame. After all, he was the one who brought them here. No matter what, he had to save the two of them! “You can keep me as a hostage, just spare the two children!”

The man paused for a moment, but soon made the decision to kill and silence them. Liu Zhenqing’s pupils shrank. He struggled on his hands and knees to rush forward, but couldn’t make it in time.

The young master at his side rushed forward and hugged the young girl despite his pain. He turned his back to the blade and shouted at the top of his lungs: “Stop! We’re from the General’s Manor!”

The words ‘General’s Manor’ were so loud that the three adults present froze.

There had only been a single General’s Manor in the capital for generations, and it belonged to the Huo family!

Liu Zhenqing felt as if lightning had struck his soul. Shocked, but still with some sense of reason, he looked at the two siblings a few steps away. His heart gradually became swollen and hot and his eyes widened uncontrollably, as if searching for something in their features.

“You…..Huo……” The man was stunned. The general’s reputation was very intimidating.

When the young master saw this, he said quickly and decisively: “Our Second Uncle is Huo Fenglie, the great general of the country! If you don’t kill us, you still have a way to live. If you do, you will be cut to pieces by a thousand blades!”

Huo Fenglie……the general whose name had just been carved into the Coiling Dragon Jade Pillar today!

When the two lovers heard this name, their faces filled with panic and they seemed unable to digest this fact.

Hearing this answer at last, Liu Zhenqing felt as if every part of his body was about to explode.

It was really them!

Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo’s twins!

But they had clearly looked like carbon copies when they were young! Why did they grow up and……

Before Li Zhenqing had a chance to recover from his shock, he saw a silver glint falling in his peripheral vision. 

Yes, ah, the general could not be offended. But now that he had been offended, the man naturally thought that if they let these people go, the other person would not let them go. They were like ants to that kind of person, so it was better to have faith that they could hide the truth and have a better chance of survival. 

With the exposure of their identities, their original desire to kill and silence them became even stronger. Even the slicing motion turned into a more deadly stab.

“Yunqian! Run!” Huo Yunci also tried to push her brother away and block in front of him, giving him a chance to escape. She deeply regretted being so impulsive and reckless as to come to the gambling house, which caused harm to her brother and others.

Although Huo Yunqian was the weaker one and usually only followed his sister’s lead, how could a member of the Huo family run away and abandon their loved one at the critical moment? He tried to backhandedly push his sister away, otherwise with their small bodies, the enemy would certainly be able to pierce them together.

But at this critical moment, a slender figure flashed before the eyes of both siblings.

There was a muffled cry, and the childrens’ pupils shrank. They were stunned at the sight before them.

The blade pierced through green brocade clothing. Blood bloomed like a flower and ink-black hair flew messily. The seemingly helpless figure completely blocked their vision so that they couldn’t even see the danger on the other side, nor could they see Liu Zhenqing’s expression at that moment.

The man opposite saw.

The light in Liu Zhenqing’s eyes seemed to have been killed by his sword. It sank and disappeared, not as if the man was weakening, but as if he had been awakened. His face instantly filled with fury, and his eyes were like icy poisoned arrows, making the one who looked at him shudder like a sinner being looked down on by a judge high above.

That was the look in the eyes of Liu Zhenqing, who held the regent’s golden seal and the power of the entire government. Even a desperate criminal couldn’t help being stunned and weak in the legs when faced with such an imposing manner.

The white jade hairpin that had originally been holding up Liu Zhenqing’s hair was clenched tightly in his right hand, and it swung upward as his left hand held the opponent’s blade-wielding wrist. He turned his body into a shield, preventing the other person from drawing out the blade or even retreating half an inch.

This finishing move had been taught to him by Huo Feihan, but he had only been taught to clamp the opponent’s blade with his arm. Unfortunately, this “apprentice” had not learned it well, and couldn’t control the timing in this moment of crisis. He could only rely on his little medical knowledge to instinctively choose the appropriate position, letting the blade stab in so that he could control the enemy.

The tip of the jade hairpin pierced the opponent’s throat. The man was stunned, and his reaction was a little slow, but he still tilted his head to avoid it at the critical moment, and the hairpin only sliced into the side of his neck. Huo Yunci saw this clearly and felt that this move was too easy to defeat. 

But when Huo Yunqian saw Liu Zhenqing’s hand moving forward, he held his breath for a moment. Sure enough, Liu Zhenqing turned his wrist and swung down suddenly.

The target was never the throat, which couldn’t be pierced by ordinary force.

This killing move had originally been thought up by Huo Feihan and Li Xingruo. The side of the neck……was the place closest to the carotid artery.

“Ah!” Blood spurted out, accompanied by a scream. The man held his neck with one hand and broke the other out of Liu Zhenqing’s grasp. Then he grabbed Liu Zhenqing’s neck, intending to drag him into death with him!

The two siblings rushed forward and grabbed the man’s hands.

Liu Zhenqing’s stance was already unsteady. He disregarded the other’s strangling hand, and a proud smile appeared on his face, his eyes filled with a hint of light once more.

Just as Liu Zhenqing’s vision went dark, he heard the faint sound of a door breaking.

A completely black and extremely familiar sharp sword flew past and pierced directly through the back of the man’s head. 

This time, the man had no chance to struggle. He fell straight down and out of sight without making a sound.

“Second Uncle!” Two thrilled cries burst out in his ears. 

However, Liu Zhenqing could no longer remain upright. His knees softened, and he went down on one knee. The two children quickly supported him.

Liu Zhenqing saw the figure duck forward and crouch down as if to inspect his injuries.

He knew that the person who had come was Huo Fenglie.

He hadn’t intended to see what the young boy from back then had grown into now, but he raised his head instinctively.

The first thing he saw were the extended hands. When had his hands gotten so big? There were long joints and blue veins, and the palms were covered by callouses from practicing martial arts. They weren’t ugly, and only felt steady and powerful. Then came the arms wrapped in black cloud-patterned sleeves, with beautiful, solid lines faintly visible beneath. Then the strong, broad shoulders, the distinct skin texture of the neck, the knife-like jawline, the sharp eyebrows and eyes like stars, the straight nose and exceptional lips.

If one ignored the coldness of his face, he was a handsome man with an elegant demeanor that could stir up the hearts of women.

He was both familiar and unfamiliar.

The last time they met was when the young man took up the duties left behind by his older brother, to fight under the banner of the Huo family and defend the western battlefield.

The boy was seventeen that year, and one year later…..it was nine years until they saw each other again.

Liu Zhenqing didn’t dare to take a closer look, but he still accidentally fell into the other’s pitch black eyes.

He didn’t know if he saw wrong, but Huo Fenglie seemed to be stunned for a moment, mist drifting across those eyes that were as dark as night.

Liu Zhenqing instinctively tried to smile, but a mouthful of blood spurted out.

“Young Master Liu?” The voice was low and dry, but had the slight effect of splendid ice and snow.

Young Master Liu? Liu Zhenqing wanted to laugh even more. He was Young Master Liu now.

But he didn’t have the strength to laugh. He fell backward, but felt big hands catch the back of his neck and head.

They were steady.

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Chapter Seven << Table of Contents >> Chapter Nine