Chapter 53 Qin Ji didn't even have time to think, his body...

Chapter 53 Qin Ji didn't even have time to think, his body...

Before Qin Ji could even think, his body reacted before his mind could. He hurriedly put on his shoes and slammed open the door. The force of the impact caused the door to crash against the wall with a loud bang, and his figure shot into the courtyard like an arrow.

"Wei Sa, to the Xiao family." Without pausing, he shouted and sped off towards the Xiao family.

He couldn't be sure if the red flash in the lightning was just his imagination. He hoped he was mistaken, but the unprecedented panic and fear he felt at that moment was real.

If it really was a warning firework, then it meant Yan Hui'er was in danger. He needed to see her, he needed to see her immediately, to see that she was safe and sound.

The night wind carried the biting chill of late autumn, and torrential rain fell with lightning and thunder, large drops pelting his thin clothes. Qin Ji no longer cared about what he was wearing, only thinking about getting to the Xiao family as quickly as possible.

However, his emotions did not completely overwhelm his reason; he still remembered to go to the stables to find the fastest horse.

Then they ran wildly towards the Xiao family's location.

The sound of horses' hooves echoed through the long street in the dead of night. At this moment, in Qin Ji's eyes, the whole world seemed to consist only of the road leading to the Xiao Mansion.

His remaining rationality told him that even if it really was a warning firework set off by the secret guards, since the danger had already been detected by them, the situation shouldn't have deteriorated to the point of no return.

Moreover, the Xiao family has its own guards, so nothing serious will happen...

"Giddy up!" He reassured himself repeatedly that everything was alright, but he still whipped the horse once more, hoping that his carefully tended steed could run faster, even faster.

A lone rider and his horse hurtled through the torrential downpour, like a waterfall. They say the rain is gentle as water, but the raindrops falling on them were anything but gentle, like tiny pebbles hitting their bodies.

Amidst the torrential rain, a blinding white light lashed down from the sky. The terrifying lightning seemed to explode right overhead, instantly illuminating the world as if it were daytime. At that moment, it seemed as if the entire city was bathed in a blinding, breathtaking white light.

Lightning cleaved through the night, its white light illuminating Qin Ji, who was bouncing on horseback, until his face turned deathly pale. His long, uncombed hair meandered wildly with the flowing water, and his white undergarment, completely soaked by the rain, hung heavily on his body. He was nothing like his usual composed and elegant self, but instead showed a rare vulnerability.

But if you look into his eyes, those eyes burning with a scorching dark fire, you'll feel that the one riding on horseback is a ghost or vengeful spirit wandering in the dark night, clinging to only the last glimmer of life. If that life is extinguished, he too will fall into hell.

Finally, the familiar high walls and tightly closed vermilion gates of the Xiao residence came into view.

......

Qin Ji did not choose to knock on the door late at night. He took a deep breath and leaped up from the galloping horse. He didn't even need to step on the wall to catch up, and he directly jumped over the wall and entered the Xiao family's courtyard.

This man, who used to be a gentle and refined young nobleman, actually possessed excellent agility.

"Be careful, look around, don't let the thieves alert the owner."

"Wang Quan, quickly find the head maid of the inner courtyard and have her take people to inspect each courtyard."

"Don't worry about where the thieves went yet, hurry up and check if the master, mistress, young master and young lady's courtyard is safe."

Amidst the torrential rain and thunder, Chen, the guard on duty tonight, wiped the rain from his face and tried his best to raise his voice so that it could barely penetrate the downpour. Looking at the broken roof ornaments on the ground and the short sword, still gleaming coldly despite being soaked in rain, he sternly ordered his men to be deployed quickly.

Chen, the guard, was quite methodical and knew how to prioritize. He understood that for a family like the Xiao family, losing some money was a minor matter, but the safety of the master's family was paramount.

After Qin Ji scaled the wall and entered the Xiao family's residence, he immediately found the front yard in complete disarray. Witnessing this scene confirmed that the warning he had seen in the lightning earlier was not an illusion; someone had indeed broken into the Xiao family's residence and caused trouble that night.

However, seeing that the guards, though chaotic, were actually organized, and their expressions showed only ordinary vigilance, his wildly beating heart calmed down a little.

But since he hadn't seen the person with his own eyes, he couldn't completely relax. Moreover, he needed to find out the details from the guards tonight.

Qin Ji glanced at the guards and then ignored them, carefully avoiding their patrol routes and heading directly to Nuanqing Residence.

Inside Nuanqing Residence, a bodyguard crouched in a hidden corner formed by the eaves, bandaging the wound on his left arm with one hand. But his gaze remained fixed like a hawk on the room where Xiao Yan Hui was.

It's no exaggeration to say that even a fly flying in at this moment wouldn't be able to escape his surveillance.

Rewind to an hour before the incense stick burned. After a fierce struggle with the guard, the assassin who had launched the night raid finally decided to give up. Although the weather was perfect tonight, a stormy night like this would be an ideal time for a murder, there just happened to be a guard in the courtyard.

Although their struggle was still hidden under the thunder, the guards had already fired off warning fireworks, and there were also guards in the mansion. The longer they stayed, the greater the risk.

Most importantly, the assassin had fully realized that although the guard's skills were mediocre, his movements were extremely agile. This made it impossible for him to break through or take his life. In the end, he had to grit his teeth and use a trade-off to find an opportunity to escape.

As for the bodyguard, whether the assassin was truly fleeing or feigning it, he would not pursue them. He had a clear understanding of his highest mission, which was to protect the safety of the Third Miss.

Watching the figure leap over the courtyard wall, the guard ultimately chose to draw another short sword from his waist, making a commotion to alert the lax guards, while he himself found a corner under the eaves to continue his guard duty.

Then he saw two more figures climb over the wall one after the other.

"Damn it, where did all these assassins come from!" The guard gripped his short sword tightly again, and then, in a flash of lightning, he suddenly realized that the people who had scaled the wall were actually his master and his superior, Commander Wei Sa, and both of them were in a similarly disheveled state.

"My lord, commander." The guard stepped forward and knelt on one knee.

"What happened tonight? Did you startle the Third Miss?" As soon as Qin Ji entered, his gaze fell on Xiao Yan Hui's room. Seeing that the doors and windows were closed and she seemed undisturbed, he finally let out the breath that had been weighing on his chest.

"The Third Miss is fine. Tonight, an unidentified assassin broke in and came directly for her. After I set off fireworks, he probably realized that things were hopeless and retreated."

No sooner had the guard finished speaking than a slightly noisy sound of footsteps and voices came from the gate of Qingnuan Residence.

"Granny Qian, is everything alright in the courtyard tonight?" The head maid of the inner courtyard, who was followed by two guards, frowned. She smelled a hint of alcohol on Granny Qian. This old hag was becoming more and more negligent as her daughter's wedding was approaching.

"With wind and rain all around, and you still knocking on the door in the middle of the night, how can anything be peaceful?" Granny Qian said, pulling up her wet sleeves with a face full of dissatisfaction and complaining.

"It's alright." The head maid peeked into the courtyard, which appeared normal, and still added, "The wind and rain are strong tonight, so please be careful."

"Boom..." Dense thunder once again resounded throughout Jiangzuo City.

"Cat?" In the Qingnuan courtyard, Xiao Yan, who had been sleeping peacefully, trembled and was awakened by the sound of the window hitting the window frame and the thunder and lightning outside. She softly called out to the cat on night duty.

"Did the young lady get woken up by the noise?" The cat, who was sleeping in the side room, had already been awakened by the thunder. It was originally huddled under the covers covering its ears, but as soon as it heard the young lady calling it, it immediately lit a candle and went to the young lady's inner room.

"Don't be afraid, girl, it's just a bit windy and rainy."

Although she was speaking comforting words, Xiao Yan could hear that although the cat's voice was calm, it was trembling slightly.

"Whoosh... Pat pat pat... Clatter clatter..."

Xiao Yan sat up, listening to the sounds of the wind, rain, and the rattling of wood as the window latches loosened. In this stormy night, these sounds blended together to create a chilling noise, no wonder the child, Ru Mao'er, was afraid.

"Go and get a blanket and sleep with me." Xiao Yan said, looking at the cat's tightly pursed lips and slightly trembling body in the candlelight.

"Crack! Bang!" Two heavy sounds rang out as the loose window latch on the east side was knocked off by the torrential rain and strong winds outside, and a large amount of rainwater was swept into the room by the wind.

The window, freed from its constraints, pounded against the frame rapidly and repeatedly in the howling wind. The gauze curtains billowed and swayed wildly with the dancing shadows of the trees outside, displaying all sorts of bizarre and unrestrained movements. Before the candle in the cat's hand went out, it cast a huge, menacing shadow on the wall, cast by the gauze curtains and the shadows of the trees.

"Ah!" Faced with the sudden turn of events, he, who had been barely managing to remain calm, immediately covered his head and screamed in alarm.

"It's alright, it's alright, it's just wind and rain. Cat, go and relight the candles." After comforting the frightened little girl, Xiao Yan got out of bed and walked towards the window through which the wind and rain were continuously pouring into the room.

If she doesn't close the window soon, her bedroom will be flooded.

"Miss...don't get up, be careful not to catch a cold. I'll go close...close the window," the cat said in a trembling voice.

"Alright, hurry up and light the lamp."

By the time Xiao Yan walked quickly to the window, she was already soaked through by the rain.

Just then, another massive bolt of lightning streaked across the sky, seemingly landing right next to her. Xiao Yan was startled by the sudden flash of lightning and instinctively closed her eyes.

At that very moment, a cold glint flashed among the branches and leaves of a large tree outside the courtyard. The sharp, cold light of an arrow was aimed directly at Xiao Yan Hui's chest.

The assassin, who should have fled, chose to launch a surprise attack because the Xiao family had increased their patrols and other guards who had come to wait outside after seeing the alarm fireworks.

Believing that the most dangerous place is the safest place, he originally only planned to hide in this tree outside Qingnuan Courtyard tonight, but he never expected such a good opportunity.

With his prey right in front of him, the assassin's first thought was to shoot the woman dead.

But in the next instant, he immediately put away the bowstring that had been drawn halfway open.

The bright flash of lightning clearly outlined the slender figure of the person by the window. Her dark hair, wet with rain, cascaded down her neck. And on her fair neck, something that looked extremely familiar to the assassin was swaying in the wind as she leaned out to close the window.

"There's someone there. Block him, whether he lives or dies!"

Just as he was relieved to see Yan Hui'er standing safely by the window, a sharp, cold glint caught his eye the next second. With that command, Qin Ji pounced towards Xiao Yan Hui's window like an arrow.