The Prime Minister's Darling
Chapter 867 - 867 The 399th Liulang Protects His Wife (First

Chapter 867: The 399th chapter: Liulang Protects His Wife (First Update) Chapter 867: The 399th chapter: Liulang Protects His Wife (First Update) “`

Hai Dongqing was naturally fierce; despite often acting like a hen in Bishui Alley, once its true nature was unleashed, it turned back into a real hawk!

The man in black didn’t expect the arrow he shot to be caught by a hawk—what was going on?

Xiaojiu discarded the arrow in its claws and swiftly pounced towards the black-clothed archer, pecking out one of his eyes!

The man in black covered his bleeding eye and fell to the ground, howling in agony!

Gu Jiao heard the commotion behind her, hesitated for a moment, but didn’t dare to stay long; she ran straight ahead, almost from the southern edge of the woods to the northern edge.

Finally, exhausted, she sat down leaning against a large tree.

She gasped for air, her body sticky—she couldn’t tell if it was blood or sweat.

She was very thirsty, but sadly, she had no water on her nor was there a stream nearby, or maybe even if there was, she was too tired to move.

She was completely spent.

Xiaojiu fluttered its wings and landed on Gu Jiao’s shoulder, nuzzling her face with its beak.

Gu Jiao didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.

Do you still remember you’re a hawk?

Acting like a chicken is one thing, but now you’re even snuggling faces like Xiaoba; would you wag a tail if you had a flexible one?

Xiaojiu made a cooing sound from its throat, seemingly trying to express something, then it took flight.

When it returned, it had an egg in its mouth.

It gently placed the egg on the hem of Gu Jiao’s clothes, flew away after placing it, and brought back another egg when it returned.

This repeated several times until there were a total of eight eggs on the hem of Gu Jiao’s clothes.

It appeared that the eggs were not all from the same species, so just how many birds’ nests did this little one rob?

Probably the birds in the woods hadn’t expected to be robbed by a Hai Dongqing in the middle of the night.

Xiaojiu had a conscience, robbing only one egg from each nest.

They couldn’t start a fire here, or more precisely, Gu Jiao no longer had the strength to do so, and her body temperature was rapidly dropping; she was on the verge of shock.

Eating raw eggs had been no big deal in her previous life—she wasn’t that delicate or saintly. The law of the jungle was the rule of this world.

Apparently sensing she was too weak, Xiaojiu pecked a small hole in each egg with its beak.

Gu Jiao drank all the egg whites.

Xiaojiu used its wings to sweep the eggshells far away, then hopped into Gu Jiao’s arms, curling up and snuggling into her chest like Xiaoba to keep Gu Jiao warm.

Whether it was the egg whites taking effect or Xiaojiu’s contribution, Gu Jiao’s body temperature started to rise slowly, and her pale lips gradually gained some color.

“Coo!”

Xiaojiu made another cooing sound and looked up, watching warily toward the other end of the jungle.

Gu Jiao with astonishment: “You’re kidding, right? They’ve come after us again?”

She was certain that the previous group of assassins had been almost knocked unconscious by her, so was this a third wave?

Just how many assassins had that woman secretly raised?

Fortunately, she had recovered some strength and wouldn’t just sit and wait to die.

“Xiaojiu, let’s go!”

Xiaojiu soared into the sky, leading the way for her.

But the group still followed them.

There were eight in total.

Great, just great.

She had used up her Black Fire Beads.

She was done for.

However, the anticipated hunt didn’t happen. Just as the assassins charged at her, a tall and robust figure suddenly appeared from the other side of the woods, dressed in dark clothes, wearing a mask, and wielding a shimmering long sword.

It was a man with extraordinary martial skills; just by watching him take on eight assassins, it was evident how skilled he was.

Despite being outnumbered, he wasn’t at a disadvantage at all.

“Who is this person who can fight so well? Those are the Dragon Shadow Guards trained by Consort Jing, they’re only a step away from being true Dragon Shadow Guards…”

Rather than focusing on who this person was or why he helped her, Gu Jiao’s emphasis was admittedly askew.

Gu Jiao wouldn’t just trust someone because they started fighting the assassins; in such a situation, she would usually choose to make a quick escape.

But she quickly recognized a familiar presence about him.

The moves, the style, the aura…

It all resembled the Dragon Shadow Guard.

Gu Jiao had fought with the Dragon Shadow Guard before and had a strong impression of them; she was confident she wasn’t mistaken.

Moreover, the Emperor knew she had left the city. He just wasn’t sure her search direction was correct and hadn’t immediately followed.

Could it be that he had followed later?

“`

If it was His Majesty’s Dragon Shadow Guard, there was nothing to worry about. He wouldn’t harm her now.

Gu Jiao decided to stay and go with him to find Gu Chengfeng and her aunt.

But she wondered…could he really take on eight by himself?

As it turned out, Gu Jiao’s worries were unnecessary. Though those men were only a step away from being Dragon Shadow Guards, that single step was as vast as a chasm.

He dispatched the eight assassins under the Empress Dowager’s command swiftly and efficiently.

Gu Jiao silently nodded in approval; such combat prowess was indeed worthy of a Dragon Shadow Guard.

Next, however, the inconceivable happened. The Dragon Shadow Guard suddenly turned, sword in hand, and walked towards Gu Jiao with killing intent!

Gu Jiao looked at him quizzically.

What was happening?

Was he going to kill her as well?

The Dragon Shadow Guard swung his long sword at Gu Jiao, but Xiaojiu swooped down bravely, crashing into the guard without regard for its own life.

This was a real Dragon Shadow Guard, and Xiaojiu’s collision naturally wouldn’t do him any harm. Instead, the guard swatted Xiaojiu away with an impatient clap of his hand.

However, that brief distraction was all it took to alter the course of someone’s destiny.

As the Dragon Shadow Guard swung his sword at Gu Jiao again, a slender white figure suddenly stood in front of her, stopping the sword just inches above his head!

It was a graceful young man, with features like a painting, delicate as jade, with deep, profound eyes that reflected the image of the Dragon Shadow Guard holding a sword.

The Dragon Shadow Guard’s gaze met the young man’s face. He reached up and pinched the youth’s cheek, as if to confirm something, though what he confirmed was unknown.

But, ultimately, he did not kill the young man.

Nor did he kill the girl whom the young man was desperately protecting.

The Dragon Shadow Guard left with an indifferent look in his eyes.

Only then could Gu Jiao move again. She had been immobilized by the guard’s internal force, unable to even speak. She suddenly felt that this Dragon Shadow Guard might not be the same one she had encountered before.

This one was clearly more formidable.

If she had encountered a Dragon Shadow Guard of this level the first time, she wouldn’t have had the chance to pull out the black fire bead.

“Are you alright?” Xiao Liulang supported her.

“I’m fine,” Gu Jiao shook her head, casually wiping the blood from the corner of her mouth.

She had even spat out some blood.

Fine.

One day, she would bag this Dragon Shadow Guard too!

However, Xiao Liulang didn’t think she was alright. She was covered in blood, her face pale, and both the palms and backs of her hands were stained with dried blood.

Gu Jiao genuinely didn’t care much about her injuries; it was more exhaustion than pain. She would be fine after a night’s rest.

She looked at Xiao Liulang: “How did you get here? Didn’t I ask you to wait at home? And what was with that Dragon Shadow Guard just now? Why did he want to kill me? Was he one of His Majesty’s Dragon Shadow Guards?”

Gu Jiao knew the Emperor had sent three Dragon Shadow Guards to the frontier, but she wasn’t aware there were only four in total in His Majesty’s hands. One had already clashed with her, so she ruled out the possibility that he was the same guard, making it highly unlikely that the one from before was the Emperor’s Dragon Shadow Guard.

Out of the four questions, Xiao Liulang only answered the last one: “Probably not.”

If he wasn’t the Emperor’s Dragon Shadow Guard, then his attempt to kill her wasn’t that surprising.

No, wait, it was still strange.

She hadn’t offended him!

Gu Jiao looked in the direction the Dragon Shadow Guard had left.

Only then did she realize that she had somehow ended up near the Official Road again, and a few carriages were parked not too far away on the road.

And the Dragon Shadow Guard who had nearly wiped out both her and the group of assassins was now standing quietly beside one of the carriages, arms crossed, sword in hand.

Ordinary guards would report their findings to their masters, but Dragon Shadow Guards wouldn’t.

They had no thoughts of their own and were mere instruments of murder.

Xiao Liulang’s throat moved with difficulty, he clenched his fists, turned his face away, and forced himself to look elsewhere.

Gu Jiao stared in that direction, unaware of the fleeting complexity on Xiao Liulang’s face. She had an inkling as to why the Dragon Shadow Guard had come over to wipe them out; he probably mistook them for conspiring assassins.

But why did he show mercy to Xiao Liulang?

He had even pinched Xiao Liulang’s face.

Wait, was he attracted to her husband?

Were Dragon Shadow Guards also lecherous?!

Also, wasn’t it said that only the Emperor of Zhan Country had Dragon Shadow Guards?

Why were there some over there?

Who was in the carriages?