Suddenly, there was a disturbance in the crowd, and the ladies and misses who were huddled together scattered with screams like frightened animals.
A middle-aged man walked out of the crowd, wearing a bomb suit, and fearlessly charged towards Madam Jiang's direction.
"What... what's happening?" Lin Qing was shocked.
Zhu Xiangxiang quickly composed herself and stood in front of Madam Jiang. "Let's get out of here."
Madam Jiang appeared quite calm, following the flow of people out.
However, more and more people rushed to the exit, which quickly separated the group.
"Madam Jiang... Madam Jiang, where are you?" Zhu Xiangxiang struggled to navigate through the crowd but couldn't find Madam Jiang's figure.
"Xiangxiang, let's just leave, stop worrying about Madam Jiang." Lin Qing tried to pull Zhu Xiangxiang away.
Zhu Xiangxiang pushed Lin Qing away: "No, Mom, you go first. I must find Madam Jiang. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity."
There was no trace of panic in her eyes, but rather a glimmer of excitement.
In the blink of an eye, Lin Qing was swept up by the crowd toward the exit, unwillingly yelling, "Xiangxiang...!"
As for Li Jiaojiao, she had slipped away at the very beginning.
"Madam... watch out." Jiang Chunlan almost became a ghost under someone's foot, but fortunately, a hand reached out and saved her from disaster.
Jiang Chunlan steadied herself, "Thank you..."
Before she could raise her head, the other person grabbed her wrist and started running, "Follow me."
While everyone was rushing towards the entrance, this person led her in the opposite direction, heading to the back of the crowd.
The person was a tall, thin young girl, and Jiang Chunlan felt that she looked familiar.
Behind the main hall of An Zhiting Lan's party was a small garden with no back door, only high walls. All the people were heading for the entrance, leaving the rear garden empty.
Just as the two entered the garden, two masked men in black jumped down from the walls, one male and one female.
Jiang Chunlan calmly said, "Miss, don't worry about me, just save yourself."
The male and female were thin and cool, stretching their hands towards Ming Jing's face without a word, looking somewhat careless.
Pesky little girl.
Jiang Chunlan anxiously said, "Miss, you better go."
Ming Jing let go of Jiang Chunlan's hand, pushed her into the corner, and then suddenly grabbed the wrist stretching toward her face. With a swift twist, she showed no hesitation. The opponent moaned in pain, and she quickly moved behind the female assassin, holding her neck with one hand.
Her movements were smooth and swift, like lightning, leaving the male assassin with no chance to react.
Jiang Chunlan was stunned by this young girl's incredible skills.
At the moment, Ming Jing's back was facing Jiang Chunlan, making it impossible for her to see Ming Jing's face.
The male assassin coldly asked, "Who are you?"
Assassins usually practice killing skills, aiming for deadly attacks, but this girl seemed even better. He smelled a familiar scent in her skills.
She was a very young girl with short hair covering her forehead. Her slightly downcast eyes made it difficult to see her true feelings, her skin was too pale, and her thin lips were lightly pursed, indifferent yet gentle.
"Qinglong Association."
As soon as the three words were uttered, the opponent's face turned pale with shock.
"Go back and tell your boss that this Madam is not someone he can touch. Get lost."
Even the harshest words were spoken with a calm and gentle tone, strangely making people break out in a cold sweat.
With a swift chop, Ming Jing knocked out the female assassin and threw her to the male assassin. The male assassin looked deeply at her, picked up the female assassin, and disappeared over the wall.
"Thank you for saving my life. How should I address you? I'd like to return the favor someday," Jiang Chunlan tentatively asked.
"No need." The young girl effortlessly jumped and climbed to the top of the wall. Just as she jumped off the wall, four bodyguards arrived searching for her.
"Madam Jiang... I finally found you. Are you alright?" Zhu Xiangxiang arrived as well, looking disheveled and worried.
Jiang Chunlan took one last look at the wall and felt as if it were all a dream. If she hadn't seen it herself, it would have been hard to believe.
Jiang Chunlan withdrew her gaze and coldly asked, "What's going on? Get that Guan guy over here immediately."
One of the bodyguards respectfully replied, "Madam, Chief Guan is on his way. Although the culprit has been subdued, we don't know if there are still hidden dangers to Madam Jiang. It's best to leave here as soon as possible."
Jiang Chunlan walked forward, exuding an intimidating presence. Zhu Xiangxiang quietly followed, thinking how close it had been.
Upon reaching the entrance, several armed police officers were restraining a man. It turned out that the bomb suit he was wearing was actually a harmless replica.
Jiang Chunlan ordered a bodyguard, "Escort Miss Zhu home safely."
Zhu Xiangxiang quickly said, "Madam Jiang, why don't I keep you company."
Jiang Chunlan didn't respond. Instead, she got into a car parked on the side of the road.
The bodyguard approached Zhu Xiangxiang, "Miss Zhu, please."
---
Entering the car, Jiang Chunlan instructed the bodyguard, "Investigate the Qinglong Association."
"Also, help me investigate one more person."
---
When Zhu Xiangxiang got home, Lin Qing was already there waiting for her. Seeing her daughter return, she quickly asked, "Are you alright? You had me worried sick."
Zhu Xiangxiang shook her head, "Something about today's incident is strange. I think that man targeted Madam Jiang."
"It might be more than that. Anyway, let's keep our distance from Madam Jiang in the future. We don't want to get involved and lose everything. I'll keep thinking about how to deal with Shaodan."
It suddenly occurred to Zhu Xiangxiang, "Where's Ming Jing?"
Lin Qing was puzzled, "How would I know? It's her fault for running off."
Lin Qing's expression showed no real concern, but Zhu Xiangxiang, her step-sister, revealed genuine care.
"This is bad. I need to find her." Zhu Xiangxiang turned to leave.
At that moment, Madam Zhou came out of the kitchen with a tray of tea. "Miss Ming Jing came home a while ago and is resting in her room."