Villain: After I died, all the heroines cried themselves to sleep.

The returning caravan traveled westward along the official road.

Several days have passed since we left Jinyang, and we will soon reach the border between Liang and Tang.

Luo Zheng wasn't too nervous.

In the course of my destiny, this return to China went smoothly, with virtually no major obstacles.

And needless to say, he had already made arrangements beforehand.

Xia Ji, however, seemed somewhat uneasy.

Xia Ji was from Jinyang and never left Jinyang in her entire life, let alone leave the Tang Kingdom to go to a foreign land.

"Mother, don't worry. I will protect you after we arrive in Liang."

Luo Zheng held Xia Ji's hand and comforted her.

Xia Ji couldn't help but smile broadly at Luo Zhengren's precocious appearance.

"Good, good. With Zheng'er here, I can rest assured."

In her eyes, Luo Zheng was still that adorable child who would cuddle in her arms all day long, and she didn't take his words to heart at all.

However, when Xia Ji heard Luo Zheng, acting like a gentleman, declare that he would protect her, her tense heart relaxed a lot.

At that moment, the messenger's voice came from outside the carriage.

"Inform Xia Ji and the young master that once we cross the mountain path ahead, we will leave the border of Tang and enter the territory of Liang."

"Are we leaving the Tang Kingdom...?"

Xia Ji lowered her eyelids.

Luo Zhengze pulled back the curtain and looked out of the car.

The convoy was entering a winding and treacherous valley, while the Tang scouts who had been escorting them from behind stopped in front of the mountain road and did not follow any further.

We continued along the mountain path for several miles, and the sky became shrouded in dark clouds, gradually turning gloomy.

The marching procession suddenly stopped.

Luo Zheng felt something and suddenly looked up at a distant mountain peak.

A tall and imposing figure stood atop the mountain, holding a huge bow and a massive spear, the bowstring taut.

"Be careful!"

Bang!

The bowstring twanged like thunder.

A terrifying sonic boom echoed throughout the valley, followed by a massive flying spear hurtling through the air.

The flying spear emitted a deadly whistle, accompanied by a storm, and with lightning speed, it instantly blasted through the carriage where Luo Zheng was.

boom!!!

"Hissing sound—"

The horse, startled, neighed, and the entire carriage suddenly exploded.

The guards of the entire convoy belatedly realized what was happening and let out a shrill roar.

"An assassin!!!"

No sooner had they finished speaking than dozens of Xuanwu warriors with high spiritual power rushed out from the woods on both sides and pounced on the convoy.

The entire convoy quickly descended into chaos.

At the same time, the smoke and dust kicked up by the explosion of the carriage dissipated.

Luo Zheng appeared unharmed in the open space, while Xia Ji was held protectively in his arms, completely terrified.

Just now, at the critical moment, Luo Zheng pulled Xia Ji aside and broke out of the carriage, narrowly avoiding that almost fatal arrow.

However, the danger was not over.

The assassins lying in ambush nearby posed little threat, but the sharpshooter in the distance was extremely dangerous.

The spiritual martial arts realm in this world is divided into the acquired realm and the innate realm.

Judging from the arrows shot by the sharpshooter, the opponent's cultivation level was definitely above the Innate Realm and had reached the Heavenly Gang Realm.

Luo Zheng stared intently at the archer in the distance with a solemn expression.

The sharpshooter was also looking at Luo Zheng.

"I actually failed?"

He looked surprised, even more so than Luo Zheng.

In the archer's eyes, this arrow was sure to hit its mark. Even a Xuanwu cultivator at the Heavenly Gang Realm might not be able to dodge it, let alone a young boy. There was no reason for him to miss.

However, in reality, the opponent miraculously dodged the arrow.

"Hahaha... Looks like I have no choice but to kill him..."

When the sharpshooter met Luo Zheng's gaze, he felt a strong sense of threat inexplicably.

It made him feel both absurd and ridiculous.

So he made an exception and took out a second arrow without hesitation, ready to nip the opponent in the bud.

Before he could fire his second arrow, a graceful sword light flashed like a startled swan, instantly forcing the archer back.

the other side.

Luo Zheng also saw someone force the sharpshooter to retreat.

Judging from that pale figure, he could roughly guess the other party's identity.

"Is that Tang Ning's master?"

The person who made the move was the masked woman who had been with Tang Ning and watched Luo Zheng leave Jinyang.

Thanks to the appearance of the other party, the biggest threat has been temporarily eliminated.

"Zheng'er, are you alright?"

Xia Ji finally came to her senses and frantically checked on Luo Zheng, fearing that he might have been injured somewhere.

"Mother, please rest assured, I am fine."

Luo Zheng comforted Xia Ji.

He's seen it all, even the end of the world has happened countless times, so a mere assassination attempt is nothing to him.

On the contrary, Xia Ji had never seen such a chaotic scene before. She was so frightened that she trembled all over and instinctively clung to Luo Zheng's arm.

Luo Zheng patted Xia Ji's head in a reversed manner, while quickly looking around.

The assassin's surprise attack caught everyone off guard, cutting the entire team in half and making it difficult for them to organize a defensive formation, leaving them to fight individually.

The nearby assassins had already discovered that Luo Zheng and Xia Ji were still alive and immediately rushed towards them.

"The thieves are powerful, young master, run!"

The guards around him were about to rush forward and fight the assassins to the death.

"Please don't be impulsive!"

Luo Zheng stopped the guard in an annoyed tone.

Forced by circumstances, he stopped pretending to be innocent and pointed directly at the woods, calmly ordering his guards to move.

"Don't fight head-on. Let's fight and retreat, then form a defensive formation in the woods behind us."

The guard stared at Luo Zheng for a moment, intimidated by Luo Zheng's imposing aura, and then quickly came to his senses.

"Yes, sir!"

They seemed to have found their leader, and obeyed Luo Zheng's command, defending against the assassins' attacks while calmly retreating into the woods.

The assassins clearly did not expect the group to do the opposite and retreat into the woods where they had laid an ambush.

They could only watch helplessly as the others broke through the encirclement and escaped.

Luo Zheng directed his guards to kill the pursuing assassins and then retreated into the depths of the mountains.

After an unknown amount of time, and having suffered nearly half of their casualties, they finally managed to shake off the assassins' pursuit.

"Let's rest here."

Luo Zheng waved his hand, signaling everyone to stop.

The main problem is that even if they can still walk, Xia Ji can't.

"Young master, what should we do now?"

The guard inquired.

They are now completely convinced of Luo Zheng's authority and obey all of his commands.

"No need to go far, just stay nearby and keep watch."

Luo Zheng answered calmly.

"News of our assassination attempt will soon spread, and the Liang and Tang dynasties will surely send people to search the mountains. We just need to wait here for rescue."

"Understood! Your wisdom is profound, young master!"

The guards respectfully clasped their hands in salute, and then, as Luo Zheng instructed, only maintained guard in the vicinity.

After dismissing the guards, Luo Zheng turned his attention to Xia Ji, who was resting beside him.

"Mother, are you alright?"

"Zheng'er, you've really grown up..."

With tears in her eyes, Xia Ji reached out and stroked Luo Zheng's face with relief.

"As for me, your mother, not only have I been of no use, but I've also been a burden to you, Zheng'er."

"How could Mother be a burden to me? I am just as terrified as you are. Fortunately, Mother is by my side, which gives me the courage to stand up."

Luo Zheng said sincerely.

No matter what, Xia Ji is still his mother.

Even if it's a lie, as long as it puts Xia Ji at ease, it's fine.

"Zheng'er..."

Xia Ji was moved to tears.

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened.

Luo Zheng took out the dried meat that Zhuang Ji had left for him from his bosom, and distributed it to Xia Ji and the guards around him.

The guards were so moved that they knelt before Luo Zheng, wishing they could die for their young master.

Luo Zheng discovered that he had a talent for winning people's hearts.

In the future, I might consider making these guards my personal bodyguards.

The group waited until nightfall.

Finally, someone arrived.

"So you were hiding here all along! I've been looking for you everywhere."

Upon seeing that Luo Zheng and Xia Ji were unharmed, the visitor smiled and breathed a sigh of relief.

He was not an assassin, but a young attendant of Feng Lu.

He is also the commander of the entire guard team.