SGEIRS -Chapter 406 Both of Them Injured

Gu Jingxi swiftly bent down to dodge the sharp sword aimed at his neck. At the same time, he swung his long sword backward. The blade flashed past, slashing across the assassin’s throat. In an instant, blood splattered everywhere. He then took the opportunity to kick the man, sending him crashing to the ground.

It was a narrow escape—danger turned into safety.

Meng Jinyao was still in shock, her heart pounding wildly. She looked at the fallen assassin. He still had a trace of breath left, but blood gushed from his throat. No matter how hard he pressed on it, he couldn’t stop the bleeding. Soon, he lost his life, dying with his eyes wide open, staring in her direction. Startled, she quickly turned away, unwilling to look any longer.

Nearby, four people were locked in fierce combat. Their moves were swift and deadly, blades flashing and clashing in a terrifying blur. After a long while, the assassin whose sword Gu Jingxi had seized was finally killed with a single strike to the throat.

Facing two opponents alone, Gu Jingxi handled them with ease. Before long, another assassin fell, pierced through the chest. Only one remained. Gu Jingxi intended to capture him alive, but the man chose to take his own life.

The guest room was in ruins. Tables and chairs were broken, four corpses lay on the floor, and blood splattered the walls, furniture, and ground. A thick stench of blood filled the room. Meanwhile, the sounds of fighting next door had yet to stop.

Gu Jingxi turned to look at his young wife hiding in the corner. Seeing her pale face and trembling body, his heart tightened. He hurriedly threw away his bloodstained sword and walked over, pulling her into his arms.

“A-Yao, don’t be afraid. It’s over now,” he soothed gently.

Meng Jinyao went limp in his embrace, her body still shaking uncontrollably. She had seen death before—when she was young, she had witnessed her grandfather pass away right in front of her. But seeing four people die so brutally, blood everywhere, their eyes still open and staring, filled her with uncontrollable fear. She simply couldn’t face it calmly.

Gu Jingxi gently patted her back. “Don’t be afraid, A-Yao. It’s really over now.”

“Husband, I… I’m fine.”

She slowly lifted her head and saw blood on his face. She hurriedly reached out to wipe it away. When her hand became stained with blood, she thought of the corpses on the ground. Realizing whose blood it was, she suddenly felt disgusted and quickly wiped her hand on her clothes.

Seeing this, Gu Jingxi hugged her tighter and said guiltily, “A-Yao, did I scare you?”

She shook her head repeatedly. “No. They… they deserved to die. If you hadn’t killed them, we would have been the ones in danger.”

Gu Jingxi continued to comfort her softly. By then, the fighting outside had stopped. Zhou Yun came over to check on them and saw his lord holding Madam in his arms, with four black-clad bodies on the ground.

“Your Lordship, Madam, are you both alright?” Zhou Yun asked.

“We’re fine,” Gu Jingxi replied. “How many came tonight? Are any of our people injured?”

“Including these four, there were fifteen in total. All were skilled fighters. Fang Ce and Chan’er were injured. Fang Ce only has a minor wound on his arm, nothing serious. But Chan’er is badly hurt.”

Gu Jingxi frowned. “Get a doctor immediately.”

“Yes, sir,” Zhou Yun answered and hurried off.

By now, Meng Jinyao had mostly calmed down. Forcing her voice to stay steady, she said, “Husband, this room is a mess. Let’s go out first.”

Gu Jingxi nodded lightly. Seeing a corpse blocking the doorway, he picked Meng Jinyao up in his arms and carried her out.

At this time, the entire inn was in panic. Only after the fighting stopped did the innkeeper dare to come out with his staff. As soon as they reached the stairway, they ran into Gu Jingxi. The innkeeper and the waiters didn’t dare leave, nor did they dare stay, fearing they might be silenced.

Seeing him, Gu Jingxi said gently, “Innkeeper, please prepare four clean rooms for us. We’ll compensate you for tonight’s losses. We’re truly sorry for the trouble.”

Though the innkeeper was frightened and no longer wanted them to stay, he dared not refuse. He quickly replied, “Yes, honored guest. Please wait a moment,” and ordered his staff to prepare new rooms.

Afterward, Gu Jingxi and Meng Jinyao went to see Chan’er. Yu Chuan and Fang Ce were cleaning up the corpses.

When Meng Jinyao entered Chan’er’s room, she saw that it was also in disarray. The bodies had been removed. Chan’er lay pale on the bed, a sword wound in her chest, gravely injured.

Qingqiu, her face deathly pale, was trembling as she applied medicine and bandaged the wound. Chan’er had been hurt while protecting her, blocking a sword strike for her. Otherwise, Qingqiu would have already died.

Seeing this, Meng Jinyao hurried over.

“Chan’er, how are you feeling?” she asked anxiously.

Chan’er was still conscious. Seeing her, she forced a smile. “Madam, don’t worry. I’m fine. It’s just a small injury. I’ve… I’ve had worse before.”

Hearing her weak voice, Meng Jinyao grew even more worried. “Chan’er, don’t talk. Zhou Yun has already gone to fetch a doctor.”

Before long, the doctor arrived.

Along with him, officials also came. With so many deaths, the innkeeper couldn’t tell whether Gu Jingxi’s group were good or bad people, so he had secretly reported to the authorities.

Gu Jingxi and his party had proper identification. As the Marquis of Changxing and his wife had been attacked, they were clearly the victims. After some discussion, the officials only took away the assassins’ bodies.

Fang Ce’s injury was just a superficial wound on his arm, which he treated himself.

The doctor focused on Chan’er. He said her injuries were severe and that she would likely develop a fever during the night, which could be life-threatening. He prescribed medicine and instructed them to care for her carefully, keeping someone by her side at all times.

Considering that A-Yao and Qingqiu had both been badly frightened, Gu Jingxi asked the doctor to prescribe calming tea for them.

Yu Chuan went with the doctor to fetch the medicine.

Gu Jingxi’s group then moved into the newly prepared rooms. They had water brought in, bathed to wash off the stench of blood, and changed into clean clothes.

By the time everything was done, dawn was approaching.

Meng Jinyao couldn’t sleep. She softly asked, “Husband, do you think Lord Wei noticed that the account books and letters are missing? Were these people sent by him?”

Gu Jingxi frowned. “They weren’t top-tier experts, but they were all skilled. He probably doesn’t have the ability to dispatch so many capable men. Yu Chuan has been watching him these past days. He does have some martial artists around him, but not that many.”

Meng Jinyao was surprised. “Then… does that mean Lord Han is involved?”

Gu Jingxi nodded. “Yes. Those letters implicated Lord Han as well. He’ll do everything he can to stop us from returning to the capital alive and to seize and destroy the account books and letters.”