The Duke's Pampered Darling is So Scheming

Chapter 510: Chapter 510: Hidden Guard

The masked man was taken aback. He clearly hadn’t expected Ye Chutang to say something like that at a time like this.

Then he sneered, ”It’s not important. You’re not walking out of this alley today, anyway.”

He could already tell that although Ye Chutang’s breathing was light, she showed no signs of possessing Inner Strength.

’Practicing martial arts? What a joke.’

He’d been far too cautious. No matter how famous Ye Chutang had become, she was, in the end, just a woman.

Even her father, Ye Zheng, was only a civil servant. What skills could he possibly have taught Ye Chutang?

As he spoke, he drew the sword from his waist, revealing its cold, sharp edge!

Ye Chutang’s gaze swept over the blade, and she raised a delicate eyebrow.

”You seem quite confident in yourself, sir?”

To the man, her tone sounded utterly dismissive.

”Facing death, there’s no need to put on a brave face, is there?” Sarcasm filled his eyes. ”A moment of carelessness let you escape last time. Today, I’ll send you to see Ye Zheng. Consider it a fulfillment of your dream of a father-daughter reunion!”

A frosty chill emanated from Ye Chutang, her eyes seemingly steeped in ice and snow.

Her eyes, as dark and clear as obsidian, now seemed to be stained with a deeper chill, faintly radiating a startling killing intent.

’Killing intent?’

The masked man froze for a moment, then immediately felt he was overthinking it.

’She’s just a delicate woman who couldn’t even truss a chicken! What killing intent could she possibly have!?’

’She’s probably just scared stiff!’

The next moment, Ye Chutang actually gave a light nod. ”Very well.”

The masked man was confused for a second. ’Very well? What does she mean, ”very well”?’

To his surprise, Ye Chutang then climbed right out of the carriage!

Xiao Wu clung tightly to her sleeve, the terror not yet faded from her pale little face.

Ye Chutang turned and patted her small hand reassuringly. ”Don’t worry. I promise I’ll take care of this quickly.”

Only then did Xiao Wu relax a little.

Ye Chutang reached up to lower the curtain, but Xiao Wu stopped her.

Her chubby little hand clutched the curtain, and the next moment, she scrambled out of the carriage and sat down next to the driver’s seat.

Ye Chutang was slightly surprised.

”Xiao Wu?”

As if guessing what she was about to say, Xiao Wu shook her head stubbornly.

’I’m not going back in the carriage! I’ll watch you from here! I’ll wait for you!’

Their eyes met, and for a rare moment, Ye Chutang saw stubbornness in her gaze.

She mulled it over for a moment and didn’t insist, only instructing, ”If it gets to be too much, go back inside the carriage, understand?”

Xiao Wu was no flower raised in a greenhouse, shielded from bloodshed and slaughter.

In fact, over the past few years, the little girl had seen countless similar scenes.

But the carriage...

She tilted her head slightly. A throwing dart was embedded deep in the driver’s brow. Dark red blood slowly seeped out, and his head lolled limply to one side. He was clearly dead.

To kill with a single blow from such a distance, the opponent was clearly a formidable expert.

They had come with the absolute determination to kill her.

Ye Chutang’s expression darkened.

Xiao Wu had clearly noticed all this as well. Sitting in the small space beside the driver, she was almost enveloped by the cloying, metallic scent of blood, and her little face grew even paler.

It felt as if someone were frantically hammering her head, the pain excruciating.

She endured the pain, clenched her small fists, then lifted her little face and gave Ye Chutang a small smile.

’I’ll wait for you here quietly, big sister.’

Ye Chutang’s heart felt as if it had been fiercely stabbed.

The feeling was both strange and familiar. Three years ago, it had been a cold winter just like this one. There had also been a carriage, and warm blood.

That Little Bun hadn’t known what was happening, only instinctively grabbing the corner of her clothes, her eyes red and filled with fear and panic.

And, in their depths, an unconditional, profound trust.

Ye Chutang’s expression softened. The corners of her lips curved up slightly as she patted the little girl’s head.

”I promise, when this is over, I’ll take you to Lan Yue Building for some Red Date Chestnut Cake.”

The masked man watched this cold-eyed, finding the whole scene ridiculous.

’To be making such wild promises at a time like this, talking about going out to eat!’

”Such deep sisterly love. Don’t worry, after you’re dead, we guarantee we’ll send your little sister on her way to join you!”

The moment his voice fell, he abruptly drew his sword and charged straight at Ye Chutang!

He was incredibly fast!

A swift gust of wind rushed toward her!

Yet Ye Chutang stood her ground, neither dodging nor flinching. She only tilted her head slightly.

”Are you still not going to make a move?”

The masked man froze. ’Who is she talking to!?’

They had set up this ambush last night, ensuring no one would pass by, let alone notice what was happening here.

’Was Ye Chutang...?’

Suddenly!

A sharp sound of something slicing through the air shot toward him!

The masked man’s heart leaped, and he subconsciously raised his sword to block!

SWISH—CLANG!

The powerful impact forced him to a halt. He instinctively twisted his wrist, deflecting the force with his sword, and saw a sharp arrow scrape past the blade and embed itself in the stone ground with a THUD!

The masked man’s eyelid twitched violently.

’Such force! The person who shot this is no ordinary expert!’

He immediately looked up in the direction the arrow came from. ”Who’s there!? You dare interfere with my business? Are you looking to die!”

At the same time, several figures darted out from behind him—they had been standing guard nearby and came over when they sensed something was wrong.

Including the first masked man, there were five in total.

Ye Chutang’s gaze swept over them one by one, a faint, mocking smile on her face. ”It seems you really don’t take me seriously. Compared to last time, this is a much smaller operation.”

The masked man was struck by the absurdity of it all. ’What time does she think this is? How can she have the leisure for such remarks!’

But he also heard the ridicule in her words. Ye Chutang clearly didn’t see them as a threat.

’Is she acting this way because she has backup!?’

The masked man ignored Ye Chutang for a moment, his gaze quickly scanning the arrow.

The shaft was completely black, the arrowhead was sharp and pointed, and the fletching was black tipped with red. A single glance told him it was an expensive projectile.

The masked man’s heart sank. ’This is no arrow an ordinary person would use!’

’This is clearly... this is clearly...’

A figure appeared without a sound.

He was dressed in tight-fitting black clothes, his figure tall and slender.

He looked to be around thirty years old, with a plain face—the kind you’d overlook in a crowd in the blink of an eye.

He cupped his fist toward Ye Chutang. ”My apologies for the fright, Second Miss Ye.”

Ye Chutang shook her head. ”The enemy was in the shadows while I was in the open. Ambushes are always hard to guard against.”

Seeing that Ye Chutang held no blame for him, the man breathed a sigh of relief internally before turning to face the masked men in black.

Witnessing this scene, the lead masked man’s thoughts were already in chaos.

’What in the world is going on!?’

’This man is clearly highly skilled. Logically, I should know all the experts in the capital, so where on earth did this person come from!?’

He glanced at the arrow again. It seemed familiar, but he couldn’t quite place it.

When he couldn’t recall, he gave up trying and looked back at Ye Chutang, sneering, ”No wonder you’re so fearless. So you have a Hidden Guard? But do you really think one man can keep you safe?”

Ye Chutang smiled faintly. ”Of course not.”

”What?” The man in black clearly hadn’t expected such an answer and was taken aback.

But Ye Chutang just tilted her head and looked at the man who had just appeared.

”It seems they don’t think fighting you alone will be very interesting.”

”Why don’t we invite the others to join?”