LOT – Chapter 144 Untitled Draft

As soon as Minister Lin heard Lin Mo’s words, he immediately turned to look at the carriage behind them.

Madam Lin rolled her eyes at him and then pulled her head back inside.

Minister Lin: !!! This really isn’t my fault! I was completely dragged into this—I’m innocent!

Seriously, why have the outskirts of the capital become so chaotic lately? Last time it was a group of bandits, and now it’s some so-called “female bandit leader.” What on earth are the officials around the capital doing?

Everyone was sneaking glances at Minister Lin, while the women were watching Madam Lin closely.

Still, they had to admit—they agreed that Lord Lin was indeed very charming.

Lin Mo also asked Bai Xiao doubtfully: 【Is it really this dangerous outside the capital? Why are there always bandits showing up all of a sudden?】

If things were already so bad outside the capital, wouldn’t the rest of the country be in chaos by now? That would be terrible!

Bai Xiao replied lazily: 【You’re overthinking. The empire is still quite peaceful. As for this “female bandit leader,” she’s just some martial artist with minor skills. When your father had just been made the tanhuā and paraded through the streets, she happened to witness it. From then on, she’s been obsessed with him for years.】

【Oh, and you’d better keep an eye on your brother too. She’s already made up her mind—if she can’t kidnap your father, she’ll go for your brother instead. Even though he doesn’t look exactly like your father, he’s still very handsome, so it’s not a loss for her either.】

Lin Qi, standing nearby: …So I’m just the spare again?

Last time, when a girl fancied Father, he was just a side option. And now—again!

Princess Huayao leaned close and whispered to Lin Qi, “Don’t worry, I’ll protect you.”

Where did this woman come from, daring to lay a hand on her man? She must have a death wish!

After so many years on the battlefield, she refused to believe she couldn’t handle a mere martial artist!

Bai Xiao continued explaining: 【Oh, by the way, this female bandit actually traveled a long way here. She first went to the Western Regions to gather some strange medicines, then brought a few followers and set up camp outside the capital. After the previous bandits were wiped out, she took over the mountain.】

【They don’t rob or hurt people—they’ve just been quietly living there, waiting for the right moment.】

Lin Mo didn’t even know what to say to that. Should she praise the woman’s persistence? Or her father’s incredible charm?

Just as the thought passed through her head, a dart suddenly flew toward them.

Bai Xiao instantly warned her and activated the protective barrier. Lin Mo instinctively ducked her head, and the dart ended up sticking into her hair.

Everyone stared in silence for two seconds—then chaos erupted.

“Protect His Majesty! Assassins!”

Was this woman insane? The Emperor was right here! To show up and try to kidnap someone right in front of the Emperor—did she want her entire clan executed?

Minister Lin quickly shielded his foolish daughter and examined her head, only relaxing when he confirmed she wasn’t hurt.

“Why didn’t you dodge just now!”

Did this silly girl not realize how dangerous that was? If the protection had triggered a second later, that dart could’ve gone straight into her head!

Lin Mo pried his hands off and dragged him toward the carriage.

“Father, stop worrying about me! That dart was aimed at you! Get inside the carriage—now! I’ll be right back!”

After shoving her father safely inside, Lin Mo let out a loud yell and charged into the crowd.

With her dark complexion and wild expression, she looked like a little black monkey gone mad.

The soldiers fighting the bandits: …What do we do, it’s hard not to laugh.

Princess Huayao and Lin Qi worked seamlessly together, with the princess charging straight toward the mastermind behind the attack.

What “female bandit leader”? Let’s see how she liked being caught!

Lin Mo and Bai Xiao stood out among the crowd like two small dark monkeys gone berserk—wherever danger appeared, they’d rush in, blocking blades left and right with astonishing enthusiasm.

The bandits were dumbfounded. What kind of bizarre martial arts was this? Why couldn’t their weapons even break through?!

“How dare you attack my father! I’ll bite you to death!”

Lin Mo lunged at one of the female bandits and bit toward her face, but Bai Xiao quickly pulled her back.

“Don’t bite! What if they’ve got some kind of disease? Their brains are clearly broken—you’ll catch it if you’re not careful!”

To Bai Xiao, these people were definitely out of their minds—seriously ill.

That so-called bandit leader was clearly suffering from a severe case of love-brain, and her followers weren’t much better.

Did they not understand that attacking the Emperor meant extermination of nine generations? Even if they weren’t aiming at him, no one would know that!

All this—for a man! Were they that desperate to die?

Within less than half an incense stick’s time, the entire group was captured.

Sure, martial artists from the Jianghu had strong skills, but they were nothing compared to battle-hardened generals. The two fought with completely different mindsets.

Generals fought to kill, to win, and worked together like a machine. The Jianghu was all about solo acts.

Princess Huayao personally tied up the female bandit leader and threw her before the Emperor.

Lin Mo glanced at the woman—well, she was rather pretty, she’d give her that. But compared to Mother, she wasn’t even worth a fingertip. Where did she get the courage to pull a stunt like this?

With the culprits caught, Lin Mo finally relaxed and began gossiping with Bai Xiao.

【Xiaobai, don’t you think not every so-called “assassination attempt” on an emperor is really about the emperor? Look—whether in history or now, there are always incidents like this, but sometimes the target isn’t really the ruler. It’s just that no one realizes it, and since the emperor happens to be present, it gets misunderstood.】Bai Xiao thought for a moment and nodded. 【You might actually be right. When the late emperor went on his southern tour, he was attacked three times. Only one of them was a genuine assassination attempt.】