"Be careful!" Nan Jiu shouted, shooting an arrow to deflect the one aimed at Xia Tianmeng. "Protect Miss Xia first!" He yelled at the guards as he used his bow to block the black-clad assassin's sword. The iron arrowhead clashed with the sword, producing a piercing "clang" sound, causing the assassin's hand to numb and almost drop the hilt.

  Xia Tian Meng watched as the arrow shaft fell from in front of him, slightly furrowing his brow. He also drew open the curved bow in his hand and joined in, dodging to the side to avoid the incoming long sword.

  The guard captain furrowed his brow and rushed to Chen Yi, saying: "You take people to support the master, I'll protect Miss Xia!" Even if only the Ninth Prince was their master, Xia Tianmeng's identity couldn't afford any mistakes! Not to mention that the master would be angry and blame himself, but even the Emperor wouldn't forgive them!

  Chen Yi hastily nodded and led the guards to rush up and assist.

  "Brother!" Chen Yi took out a long sword from the bundle tied to the side of the horse's back and threw it to Nan Jiu, "Continue!"

  Nan Jiu stretched out his hand and steadily caught it, this was the sword he had been practicing with in his daily martial arts training, although not as good as the one he used on the battlefield, but still sharp enough to cut through iron like mud. "Whoosh" a sound of 'drawing' out the long sword, the silver-white blade flashed a ray of light, just by looking at it, you could feel the chill emanating from the blade.

  Gripping the hilt of his sword, he spun around in a large circle, cutting off the incoming long sword, and then spinning down again, slashing horizontally across the black-clad man's abdomen.

  The bodyguard had not yet approached Xia Tian Meng when he was blocked by someone, and could only first deal with the assassin who came to block his way. He shouted loudly at the people around him: "Quickly protect Miss Xia!" Before the sound of his voice had faded away, an arrow suddenly shot out from the trees beside the road, directly aimed at Xia Tian Meng!

  At the same time, the assassin who came face-to-face with her also raised his sword and struck at her, attacking from both sides!

  "A watch out!" was almost hoarse, urgent and anxious!

  In the summer, Meng was using a curved bow to resist the long sword that was chopping towards her. In her mind, she quickly analyzed the strength of the arrow shot from behind and the degree of injury it would cause. She could almost feel the coldness and bloodthirstiness of the arrow's energy! She didn't know why she had no fear in her heart, as if she had become indifferent to life and death, as if even if she were to die the next moment, there was nothing she couldn't let go of! Because there was no attachment, no belonging.

  "Hah!"

  The sound of the arrow entering, but without a hint of pain.

  "Brother!" The captain of the guard roared, fiercely stabbing one of the black-clad men who were attacking him to death, and then charged straight towards Nan Jue.

  Xiatian Meng was stunned for a moment, and when she turned around, she saw Nanjiu standing behind her, his expression unchanged, even the movement of his hands hadn't stopped. When he noticed her gaze, he just smiled faintly: "Be careful!" It seemed as if it wasn't him who had just blocked the arrow for her!

  Chen Yi and the others surrounded them in the middle, after a brief fight, dozens of corpses were lying outside the encirclement. The forest, which was quiet and elegant just now, was filled with only the strong smell of blood, pungent to the point where it could make people faint immediately!

  "Father! Are you alright?!" The captain of the guard looked at the arrow shaft on Nan Jiu's back, his eyes filled with anxiety and guilt. He dismounted his horse, knelt down on one knee, "Your subordinate has failed in his duty! Upon returning to the manor, I will take fifty military lashes as punishment!"

  The other guards immediately dismounted and knelt down, saying in unison: "We are guilty! Please punish us!" As the Dragon Son's subordinates, even a slight injury to him could make them die several times over. How much more so when they had followed Nan Jiu for so many years as loyal and devoted followers? At this moment, seeing that Nan Jiu was injured due to their dereliction of duty, they naturally felt ashamed and uneasy!

  In the summer, Meng Yu tightly grasped Nan Jiu's arm, looking at the arrow branch behind him. Her voice was not as calm as usual: "What are you doing! Nan Jiu, are you stupid!" What is her status? And what is his status? He rarely thought that if he were pierced by an arrow, there would be danger!

  Nan Jiu felt her hand grasping his arm, his ears turning red, and he rarely showed tension: "Uh, I, I just didn't want you to get hurt..." As he said this, his face couldn't help but turn away, the pounding of his heart and the trembling in his chest overwhelming the pain in his back.

  In an instant, the whole world seemed to have fallen silent.

  In the summer, Meng looked at him, her beautiful face filled with indifference. She opened her lips and said: "So you'd rather let yourself get hurt? Ninth Prince, I haven't made any engagement with the Crown Prince yet, you don't have to go this far!" As she spoke, she glanced at the kneeling guard, "What are you still kneeling for? Hurry up and go find the imperial physician!"

  He stared at her in a daze, almost speechless. He hadn't expected that she would think he was only sacrificing himself to save face for his brother! That's right... He had never said anything, and the person in her heart wasn't him anyway, so it was understandable that she would misunderstand like this!

  Just thinking about it makes me feel a sour and bitter heart.

  This was his first time being so devoted to someone, and even just now when he blocked the arrow, it was only an unconscious action. He didn't want her to get hurt. It was simply for this reason...

  The guard saw that Nan Jiu was staring blankly at Xia Tianmeng, not saying a word. He felt sorry for him in his heart, but deep down he thought: "There is no place without beautiful flowers, and the master just has a temporary infatuation with Miss Xia!" As time passed, the master would come to his senses, realize that they were impossible, and it would be fine! A great man has nothing to worry about not having a wife! Thinking of this, he turned over and got on his horse. Seeing Nan Jiu's back slowly dripping blood, he hastily called out: "There are doctors from the mansion among those who followed us, I'll go get them right away! You take care of the master here! I'll be right back!" After saying that, he whipped the horse and left.

  Chen Yi hastily went to support Nan Jiu down: "Master, you go rest under the tree!" Although he had seen more severe wounds with Master on the battlefield, it was still different!

  Nan Jiu saw Xia Tian Mo for the first time, without being hindered by the rules of men and women, personally helping herself. In her heart, she felt both happy and sad. She finally got up by herself, shook her head slightly at him: "It's just a minor injury, it doesn't matter." He had suffered more serious injuries before, even being shot in the chest by an enemy arrow, and the military doctor said he was lucky to have been saved! Every day on the battlefield was a bonus for him, he never feared life or death. Moreover, this time was something he did willingly for her!

  In the summer, Meng saw that he was like this and didn't force him, but instead supported him to the tree and didn't dare let him lean against the trunk. He could only exert his strength to prop up his back and asked: "You've lost a lot of blood! Hold on for a little while!" As he spoke, he adjusted the force in his hands, making him feel more comfortable.

  Nan Jiu felt numbness at the wound on his back, and his eyelids began to feel heavy. Seeing her anxious expression, he couldn't help but smile reassuringly: "Don't be afraid, it's okay!" His body wouldn't be so weak that it would lose all its strength from just one arrow shot, the only explanation was - the arrow was poisoned!

  Chen Yi led a group of guards standing at a distance that was neither too far nor too close, able to protect them in the first place while not eavesdropping on their conversation.

  In the summer, Moe looked at Nanjiu's face turning pale, but still managed to squeeze out a smile to comfort herself. Her eyes couldn't help but feel a little sour as she clenched Nanjiu's hand and whispered: "Nanjiu, don't be like this, I'm not worth it."

  She's not stupid, how could she not see anything? Moreover, there's Nan Yi Ze, that exaggerated person, every one of his sarcastic expressions can be understood as long as you're not blind.

  She didn't know when Nan Jiu started to have a crush on her, and even in her past memories, this man was just a fragment, sometimes: taciturn.

  She also didn't know what Nan Jiu admired about her. If it was the reputation of being the number one beauty in the world, this shouldn't be something that a dignified prince like him would care about.

  Actually, after she got hurt and saw Nan Jiu for the first time in Taishi's mansion, she had already seen through his clear eyes and his heart's admiration, which was so transparent and straightforward.

  She just knew they were impossible.

  He was the youngest son of the Emperor, and although the Emperor did not have as high expectations for him as he did for the Crown Prince, he loved him more dearly and felt closer to him emotionally. She had been renowned for her virtues since she was young in the Imperial Capital, and had been praised by the Emperor several times; she was widely known as the future Empress. The gap between them was too great and wide, and no one could bridge it.

  Moreover, she had a crush on Prince Nan Ke.

  Nan Jiu's body stiffened slightly, his eyes fixed on the mud and gravel on the ground. For a moment, his heartbeat slowed down, and the sound of his own voice was like a muffled echo in his ears. He didn't dare to look up at her, but instead asked hoarsely, "Do you know everything?" Of course, how could such an intelligent girl really be oblivious to everything? It's just that he still held onto hope in his heart.

  Xia Tian let out a sigh, and smiled bitterly: "Nan Jiu, you don't actually have feelings for me. What you have feelings for is the number one beauty in the world, the number one 'female' scholar of Emperor Xia, Xia Tian who is famous throughout the imperial capital for her virtues. Too many men in the world are infatuated with this title, but I am not just a title, I am a person with flesh and blood, and I don't even understand myself. Nan Jiu, there's too much distance between us, too much impossibility. Don't be foolish..." She could have pretended to be clueless until the end, but in the end she couldn't bear to see him hurt and in pain.

  He is too pure and simple.

  But she's too complicated, and she doesn't know why since her memory loss, there has been so much discord, all the original emotions have become very dull.

  For example, hatred towards Xia Yingxin and admiration for Nan Xi.

  It's all like there is something in between, and it doesn't reach the bottom of one's heart.

  His lips curled up slightly, and a faint dimple appeared: "Do you understand? When you smiled at Big Brother in the palace when you were twelve years old, I was staring at you from the attic." He didn't know it would be so coincidental, as if everything was destined to be missed before it even happened.

  He didn't want her response, and he looked down at himself with a self-deprecating smile: "It's okay, it's just that I've always been one step late. If I had met you earlier, or if it was me who smiled at you under the peach blossom tree that day, things wouldn't have turned out like this." If she had fallen in love with him at first sight, if he had met her before his older brother...

  But there aren't that many ifs.

  The reality is that he was late, just by a single step.

  Summer pouted tightly, and the bright eyes were filled with struggle: "Nanjiu, I'm sorry......" She didn't know, she didn't know about all these!

  "It's okay." Nan Jiu rushed to her side, his pale face now filled with determination and gentleness combined. He reached out and grasped her hand tightly, "I don't want to give up, nor will I!"

  Yes, he won't give up.

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  I've been writing this chapter for two hours... t^t