Arc 3 – Chapter 170, The Vicious Princess Wants to Reverse Fate (64)

Perhaps they were wrong. It wasn't them, it was him. Shangguan Qi looked at Zhou Min standing in front of him. He knew very well that with Zhou Min's abilities, she could escape independently. However, with him in tow, their chances of survival were slim to none.

Zhou Min positioned herself protectively in front of Shangguan Qi, her eyes involuntarily drifting towards the narrow fissure in the valley. Hidden in the corner was a single wooden bridge, unnoticed by anyone else. It was their only chance, but their current location was too far from it. Surrounded, any hasty movement towards the bridge would draw attention and reveal its location. They might be stopped before they could even get close.

Therefore, they only had one chance.

As Shangguan Qi and Zhou Min were each formulating their plans, the man with the mask made the first move.

"Shangguan Qi, our employer, said if you hand over the item, you won't have to die," the masked man stepped forward, sneering.

"He's desperate to get his hands on something that doesn't belong to him. But do you think I'm stupid enough to believe that I won't die if I hand it over? And even if I don't have to die, do you think I would hand it over?" Shangguan Qi stepped out from behind Zhou Min, his gaze sweeping over the assembled assassins. He then turned to the masked man and smirked.

Hearing Shangguan Qi's words, the masked man stared at him coldly. The employer had never mentioned sparing Shangguan Qi. His instructions were clear: kill the man, keep the woman.

"Shangguan Qi, don't refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit. You have no way out. If you care about this beauty beside you, you should know that handing over the item might give you a slim chance of survival. Otherwise, you're as good as dead! I know you're not in the position to fight back now."

The masked man taunted. He had suspected that Shangguan Qi's martial arts skills were compromised, leaving him unable to utilise his internal energy fully. During their pursuit and escape, he had become more convinced that Shangguan Qi had lost his internal power. Otherwise, why would he be protected by a woman and look so flustered?

The masked man's words took aback Shangguan Qi. Looking at Zhou Min beside him, he suddenly felt uncertain. Zhou Min, feeling Shangguan Qi's gaze, looked back. She was curious about what these people wanted Shangguan Qi to hand over, but she also sensed his hesitation when he looked at her, surmising that the item was important to him.

Zhou Min stepped forward, pulling Shangguan Qi back behind her. She looked up at the masked man, his face twisted in a hideous smile, and shrugged. With her left hand tightly gripping her sword, she flashed a faint smile on her beautiful face.

"I am not Shangguan Qi's weakness, nor will I let him exchange something important for me. If you dare, come and take it yourself!"

The masked man frowned slightly at the sight of the calm yet provocative young woman before him. He tightened his grip on his broadsword and sneered, "Zhou Min, you are the princess of the Zhou kingdom. Our organisation has never tangled with the court. If you come over now, I can spare your life out of respect for the King of Zhou."

"Never!" Zhou Min's emphatic refusal caused a sudden change in the masked man's expression.

Zhou Min glanced around at the assassins circling them, their eyes intent on their prey. They were still in a standoff, but Zhou Min had already raised her right hand, determinedly shielding Shangguan Qi behind her.

"Very well, if you are so stubborn, then attack! Kill everyone apart from the woman. As for Shangguan Qi, I couldn't care less if he lives or dies!" The masked man laughed. As for the item, he was not concerned. After all, the employer had said that if Shangguan Qi was unwilling to hand it over, just kill him. He had his ways.

The assassins swarmed towards them. After pushing Shangguan Qi back, Zhou Min quickly met their charge. Nobody expected that this woman, who should have been at her limits, was still so formidable. Her swordplay was lightning-fast, and the assassins she kicked away fell one after another.

They tried to exhaust her by keeping her engaged in continuous combat. Some even tried to sneak behind her to kill Shangguan Qi while she was preoccupied, but Zhou Min seemed to have eyes in the back of her head. Anyone who tried to get past her to reach Shangguan Qi was promptly killed by her sword, without exception.

"Minmin, behind you!" In his tense state, Shangguan Qi used his abilities to monitor the surroundings, helping Zhou Min protect him. He would shout a warning whenever someone tried to get past Zhou Min.

With a somersault and a stab, Zhou Min once again thwarted an assassin trying to sneak attack Shangguan Qi. With Shangguan Qi's surveillance, Zhou Min could skillfully navigate through the assassins, always keeping Shangguan Qi safely behind her. All the while, she never forgot to move towards the wooden bridge amidst the chaos.

"Zhou Min, don't be stubborn. Our employer doesn't want your life! You'd better know your place. If you continue interfering with our organisation's affairs, I won't show mercy anymore!"

The masked man stood outside the circle, fearless. The Zhou Min before him was just a grasshopper after the autumn, able to leap about for only so long. But the sight of his subordinates falling, one after another, caused the masked man to purse his lips.

Zhou Min lifted her sword, surveying the surrounding assassins. Although many had died, there were still many more. And the masked man had yet to make a move. Zhou Min instinctively knew that the most formidable opponent here was this man.

Shangguan Qi watched Zhou Min standing resolutely before him, the ground littered with bodies and discarded limbs. He knew that Zhou Min was probably exhausted by now, but she persisted, always keeping him protected behind her, never yielding. Why? Why was she so stubborn, even when faced with certain death?