Prince Bei Jing of the Red Chamber, starting from saving Qin Keqing

Lu Bingming's tone was firm; it wasn't a question, but a statement.

"I have no say in the matter of Prince Bei Jing, nor do I wish to. But the Lin family's daughter is an innocent person who has never been involved in court disputes, nor has she offended any of you."

He paused, slightly raising the embroidered spring knife in his hand, the blade pointing directly at Old Ghost Sun's brow, his tone carrying an undeniable warning, each word icy cold:

"If any of you dare to touch a single hair on her head, whether it's you, Xiao Lie, Zhou Kui, or the people behind you, the Embroidered Uniform Guard will wipe you out completely!"

Old Man Sun was so frightened that he broke out in a cold sweat. He quickly reached out and grabbed Lu Bingming's leg, kowtowing repeatedly, his voice trembling uncontrollably.

"Rest assured, sir! Rest assured, sir! I, Old Ghost, swear on my life that I will ensure Miss Lin's safety and will not allow anyone to harm a single hair on her head!"

"If there was even the slightest mishap, the old man himself slit his own throat to apologize without the adults needing to lift a finger!"

Only now did Old Man Sun truly understand that although Lu Bingming was dissatisfied with Shui Rong's actions, he valued Daiyu's safety extremely highly. If he dared to harm Daiyu...

Forget about getting the bounty, he probably won't even be able to keep his own head, and might even implicate the entire Qingfeng Ridge.

Lu Bingming glanced down at him, seeing the fear in his expression, which seemed genuine, and slowly sheathed his embroidered spring knife, his tone still icy:

"Get out of here. Remember what you said today; if you go back on your word, you'll face the consequences."

"Yes, yes, yes! Thank you for your mercy, sir! Thank you for your mercy, sir!"

Old Ghost Sun immediately released his grip, scrambling to his feet without daring to linger for even a moment.

He turned and ran wildly toward the city, his steps frantic, not even having time to pick up the brocade cloth that fell to the ground.

Old Ghost Sun only stopped when he reached the official road outside the camp.

Leaning against a large tree by the roadside, he gasped for breath, wiped the cold sweat from his face, and murmured with lingering fear:

"My goodness! As expected of the elite Imperial Guards of the Great Yin Dynasty, their aura is absolutely terrifying! So frightening, so terrifying!"

He composed himself, then suddenly remembered Lu Bingming's warning, and his expression instantly changed, becoming urgent again:

"Oh no! Oh no! We have to get to Xiangyun Inn right away!"

"If that scoundrel Xiao Lie were to act foolishly and harbor ill intentions towards Miss Lin, thus defiling her, then my head would truly be in danger!"

Having said that, he dared not delay for even a moment, quickly composed himself, and hurried off towards Baoding City.

In the darkness, his figure appeared particularly disheveled, yet also carried a hint of urgency.

Inside the camp, Lu Bingming stared at the direction where Old Ghost Sun had fled in a panic, a cold glint in his eyes.

He didn't intentionally protect Lin Daiyu; it was just that the Lin family were trusted by the Emperor, and besides, the investigation of that case required their assistance.

Inside the tent, Jiang happy peered through the gap in the tent flap at Lu Bingming's figure, a sinister smile playing on her lips as she murmured softly:

"Lu Bingming, do you think you can protect that little brat? This charade isn't up to you to decide..."

"Gongji, has he arrived?"

Shui Rong looked at Gong Ji, who was dressed in black, and spoke softly.

Gong Ji knelt on one knee, his voice hushed beneath his mask, carrying a hint of urgency from his recent reconnaissance mission:

"Reporting to Master, judging from the footsteps and the clanging of weapons, there are indeed quite a few people gathered around this inn."

"His aura is disordered; he is definitely not a capable member of the Eastern Depot. He must be a member of the Green Forest."

"very good."

Shui Rong nodded slightly, her fingertips lightly tapping the edge of the table, her tone almost indifferent:

"You will take care of this later. Be careful not to leave any traces, lest you give the Eastern Depot something to talk about and cause unnecessary trouble."

"Understood, Master." Gong Ji responded, his figure flickered, and he disappeared into the night like a ghost, leaving only a faint sound of his clothes in the wind.

Shui Rong gave a few brief instructions, then stood with his hands behind his back by the window, his eyes showing no sign of tension, but rather a hint of amusement.

He wanted to see just how capable these people were, and also take the opportunity to test their true abilities.

In his eyes, these so-called outlaws were ultimately nothing more than clay chickens and earthen dogs, incapable of causing any real trouble.

What he truly feared was that the people from the Eastern Depot had secretly infiltrated his plans, ruining his scheme.

The thought had barely formed when a sharp, clashing sound of weapons clashing suddenly erupted outside the window: "Clang—Bang—"

The crisp clang of metal shattered the stillness of the night, followed by shouts, screams, and the whooshing sound of arrows piercing the air, instantly tearing the tranquility around the inn to shreds.

A faint light flickered in the water-soluble retina; sure enough, it had arrived.

Without further hesitation, he used the cover of the few guards left behind by Gong Ji to nimbly avoid the sparks flying from the window and the fighting crowd outside.

In the blink of an eye, he circled around to Daiyu's room, pushed open the door, and entered. His movements were swift and decisive, without disturbing the fighting figures outside.

His purpose in coming here was to probe the intentions of these people.

Was it to rob him, or was he specifically targeting Shui Rong?

He heard the sound of weapons clashing clearly just now. It was not the heavy sound of standard weapons, but rather a rough, dull sound, clearly from privately made weapons.

With this in mind, he secretly felt relieved. It seemed that these people were just a group of greedy bandits whose only goal was to rob money.

The room was unlit, save for the flickering flames of battle outside and the cold moonlight.

Dappled light and shadows were cast on the ground through the window paper.

As expected, Daiyu was still awake, propped up against the headboard with a hint of worry in her eyes. Hearing the door open, she looked in the direction of the light and shadow.

Upon recognizing Shui Rong, her tense shoulders relaxed slightly, and her voice, as soft as a feather, carried a hint of late-night hoarseness:

"Husband, what's going on outside? Why is it so noisy?"

Shui Rong quickly walked to the bedside, reached out to tuck the blanket around her, the sharp light in her eyes completely fading, replaced by gentleness, and she smiled reassuringly:

"It's alright, they're just some petty thieves who don't know their place. Don't worry about them. You keep sleeping, I'll stay outside and see if I can catch a big fish."

Meanwhile, at the alleyway on the other side of the inn, the sounds of fighting grew increasingly fierce.

Xiao Lie's angry curses mingled with the sounds of weapons clashing, making them particularly jarring.

He hid behind an old locust tree, watching the chaotic battle unfold before him, trembling with rage. Pointing at Zhou Kui, wounded by arrows and desperately dodging nearby, he roared with curses:

"Zhou Kui! You piece of trash! Didn't I tell you long ago not to alert them, to secretly find out their strength?! Are you deaf? Why did you draw your weapons right away?!"

Zhou Kui clutched the arrow wound on his shoulder, blood seeping through his fingers and soaking his night clothes. His face was full of dishevelment and grievance, unable to express his bitterness.

He didn't know what was going on either; he had just ordered his men to hold their positions and lie in wait.

But some foolish brother actually drew his weapon without permission, accidentally triggering the enemy's sentry.

Arrows rained down in an instant, and the two sides clashed immediately, leaving him no chance to stop them.

Zhou Kui was swept along by the chaotic crowd, dodging and weaving. The wound on his shoulder was getting more and more painful, blood was dripping down his arm, and his vision was gradually blurring.

He didn't even know whether the arrow that wounded him came from the enemy's guards or was accidentally shot by one of his own.

In the chaos, he could only wildly swing his longsword, barely managing to fend off the oncoming attacks, shouting repeatedly, "Retreat! Retreat quickly!"

Looking at the situation before him, Xiao Lie knew that today's plan had been exposed. Continuing the stalemate would only result in more losses than gains, and might even lead to the annihilation of his entire army.

He gritted his teeth, stopped cursing Zhou Kui, and turned to retreat into the depths of the alley, his steps hurried, afraid of being entangled by the other party's people.

His men, who were not exactly elite to begin with, were gradually scattered in the chaotic fighting. Some fell into pools of blood, while others took the opportunity to escape and disappeared without a trace. In the end, only a handful of them remained, fleeing in a sorry state behind him. Their former arrogance had long since vanished without a trace.