"Hey young lady, do you think you're in the position to order me?" one of them inched forward. He lifted Ji Xiaoli's chin with his hand.
Ji Xiaoli's expression turned dark. She swung her hand, holding her fan to slap the man's hand away. However, her wrist was caught before she could deal any damage to him.
"How about if we teach her a lesson a bit so that she'll obey us?"
"Don't harm the face. It's a valuable asset."
"Don't worry."
The third man took out a knife and played it in his hand. His mouth curled up to form a cruel smile. "The clothes should be enough, right."
Ji Xiaoli's face darkened. If people were to see her with tattered clothing, she knew that her reputation would go to drain. She would be seen as an immoral woman who didn't know how to take care of herself properly.
"No! Let go!"
"Be good."
Stab!
Just as the man's knife was about to reach Ji Xiaoli, a sword stabbed his hand. His eyes widened, but all he saw was a shadow as a dark figure moved. The last thing he saw was the glint from the surface of the sword before everything turned into the darkness.
"Who are you?"
The men were stunned when they saw their friend died so suddenly. Wei Liuying had arrived out of nowhere. Her purple robe was dark in color, making it harder to differentiate her within the darkness. The only thing they could see was the sword on her right hand that reflected the light.
Ji Xiaoli was even more surprised. She was sure that no one would be here at this time, which was why she chose to escape from this direction. With the men stopped her, she knew that her attempt would fail as the guards would reach her in no time. She didn't expect to see a stranger save her first.
Wei Liuying didn't reply. She was watching the men before her as she asked, "Are you alright?"
Hearing that high pitched tone, Ji Xiaoli was even more stunned. She was now certain that the one who helped her must be a young girl. The girl was nearly a head shorter than her, but she was brimming with power.
The man's face was dark. "Get them! Don't harm the faces but the rest are fine!"
"Yes!"
Clang!
Since Wei Liuying was still holding onto a sword, they all charged with swords in their hands. Their expression changed when they saw Wei Liuying blocked their attack properly. Before they could react, they saw Wei Liuying moved and swung the sword on her hand towards the closest man to her.
The sharp edge cut through the layer of clothes and skin as blood spurted out of the wound.
"Aaaaaaa!"
The man bore with the pain as he pressed forward. Wei Liuying looked at them coldly as she changed her stance to block the attack. There were four men in total, excluding the leader who was watching from the back. Even for her, this was a number that she couldn't defeat easily.
"Stop yelling, idiot!" the second man barked as he twisted his body.
Wei Liuying noticed him coming at her as she changed her stance. Behind her, Ji Xiaoli was still standing while holding a fan. She couldn't run because if she did, there would be some people who chase after her. It might not sound pleasing, but she had to stay in her place to light up Wei Liuying's burden.
Clang!
The sword perfectly blocked the attack. Another man was trying to sneak an attack from the side, but Wei Liuying kicked a pebble near her legs to the man's hand while twisting her body. Her sword moved once more to the men's direction.
Slash!
This time, it slashed oh the man's chest. The sword easily pierced through the thick clothes and blood spilled out.
"You…" The leader was stunned when he saw two of his men died just like that. He stomped his legs on the ground to accelerate and rushed forward to attack. His forceful movement knocked his other men.
Clang!
*cough*
Wei Liuying blocked the attack, but she could faintly see the crack on the sword as it forcefully withstood the leader's force. Her expression turned solemn as she called out, "Xiao Qing!"
"Yes!"
Xiao Qing was silently circling around the area without alerting them. She dashed forward and held the princess's hand.
"Go back to the guards," Wei Liuying ordered.
Ji Xiaoli frowned at that sentence, but she chose to obey. Her attempt to escape today was too foolish as she instead put herself into danger. After taking one more look to the back, Ji Xiaoli allowed Xiao Qing to carry her away.
With Xiao Qing's movement's speed, she could easily bring Ji Xiaoli away. The only problem left was the weight. Xiao Qing was not used to carrying someone who was far heavier than her Miss. It seemed that because Ji Xiaoli was much taller, it increased her weight too.
The leader's face changed. He was about to turn around when he sensed danger.
Swish!