Qingqing's needles were thin and fast. Reflecting the sunlight, they flew so quickly that no one noticed them.
With two swishing sounds, the needles pierced into the nerves on both of Sheng Jiangli's arms!
Before Sheng Jiangli could utter a word, his arms went numb.
"Hiss..."
Sheng Jiangli frowned tightly and watched as Qingqing jumped down from behind him and ran happily towards Caiyu.
This girl!
He knew there was something fishy about her!
He had been a hawk-eyed hunter all his life but had finally been pecked in the eye by a bird. He never expected this little girl Qingqing to be so cunning!
When Caiyu saw Qingqing, the stone in her heart finally settled.
"Thank goodness. Thank goodness you're okay," Caiyu hugged her, still in shock. She couldn't help but scold her gently, "Next time, don't act on your own when you encounter danger. Do you hear me?"
Qingqing nestled in her shoulder, obediently nodding her head and smiling happily.
Sheng Jiangli tried to force the needles out with his inner strength, only to find that the two needles had already traveled a certain distance along with his blood. It would take some time to get them out.
Seeing the two girls hugging each other and ignoring him as if he were air, Sheng Jiangli felt rather annoyed.
"Caiyu sister! I'm here too. Can you at least take a look at me?" Sheng Jiangli's voice was full of grievance. "We haven't seen each other for a long time. Don't you miss me at all?"
Caiyu finally let go of Qingqing and glanced at Sheng Jiangli.
In fact, they hadn't been separated for long in private, but officially, it had been at least over a month.
She saluted him according to the rules. "This servant greets General Sheng. Was Qingqing rescued by General Sheng?"
The two of them had entered the mansion together, and Sheng Jiangli had carried Qingqing on his back when he entered the door. It was obvious to anyone with eyes.
Sheng Jiangli bared his teeth. He still couldn't force the needles out. He forced a smile and said,
"I happened to be in Lingbi. I saw the water bandits attacking the city, so I wanted to rescue you. I didn't expect to save this little girl instead..."
Qingqing stuck out her tongue and made a face behind Caiyu.
Caiyu looked at the two of them. There was an inexplicable sense of humor. She couldn't help but smile. "Qingqing has saved the lives of this servant and others. General Sheng saved her, which means you've saved all of us. This servant is very grateful."
"General Sheng, the prince hasn't returned to the mansion yet. Why don't you come in and sit for a while? This servant will make you a pot of tea."
Although the two of them had fought fiercely when the Hu cavalry retreated at Tiexian River that day, after all, they were on different sides. One was fleeing for his life, and the other was in hot pursuit.
Now that Song Yinghuai was in Shangjing and Sheng Jiangli's Hu cavalry was outside the pass, on the surface, they still had to maintain a certain relationship as colleagues.
Sheng Jiangli wanted to go in and have a cup of tea, hoping to talk to Caiyu for a while and find out if Song Yinghuai had made things difficult for her after they parted.
But he glanced at his numb arms.
Alas!
"No, I have something important to do. I won't wait for the prince to come back and play chess with me." Sheng Jiangli forced a laugh and glared at Qingqing fiercely. "Farewell, farewell!"
"General Sheng..."
Before Caiyu could finish her sentence, a shining sword was thrust through the door towards Sheng Jiangli!
The sudden attack stunned everyone!
Fortunately, Sheng Jiangli reacted quickly. Although his arms were immobile, he managed to dodge the sword by quickly tilting his body and neck.
Then, Song Yinghuai appeared at the mansion gate.
His Tie Ma Bing He Sword was like a swimming dragon, relentlessly chasing Sheng Jiangli. It seemed as if he wouldn't stop until he had sliced Sheng Jiangli into pieces!
Sheng Jiangli's martial arts were already a bit inferior to Song Yinghuai's. Now that his two arms were numb and he couldn't exert any strength, he was chased around by Song Yinghuai's sword in a sorry state.
Sheng Jiangli let out a series of cries. After dodging a sword, he rolled on the ground and crawled to Caiyu's feet, shouting for help:
"Help! Help! Didn't you say I'm your savior?"
After the initial moment of shock, Caiyu was both amused and exasperated by Sheng Jiangli's desperate plea for help.
However, seeing Song Yinghuai thrust his sword forward again, she had no choice but to step forward and block in front of Sheng Jiangli.
"Your Highness!" Caiyu said coquettishly.
Song Yinghuai's sword stopped in mid-air. He stared at her intently. "Caiyu, get out of the way!"
"General Sheng saved Qingqing this time. He brought Qingqing back and then entered the mansion."
Caiyu calmly tried to persuade him. "Your Highness's conflict with General Sheng in Yanjing is over. Neither side suffered any losses that day. Now this is Shangjing, and there are court officials everywhere. It's not appropriate for the two of you to fight here. You'll give others a chance to take advantage."
The Yanwang Mansion in Shangjing was surrounded by the mansions of other high-ranking officials.
It was the time when officials were going to court. There were people and carriages coming and going on the road.
The slightest sign of trouble would immediately reach the emperor's ears.
Caiyu was right.
Sheng Jiangli got up from the ground and nodded repeatedly. "Yes, Caiyu sister is reasonable. Prince of Yan, you chased and killed me at Tiexian River, and I tried to assassinate you outside Pengcheng. We're even... But I came to the mansion today out of good intentions to send someone back. You can't repay kindness with enmity!"
"Who's your Caiyu sister?" Song Yinghuai's eyes were cold. He pointed his sword at Sheng Jiangli again and said coldly, "Change your address!"
Sheng Jiangli: ...
So petty.
Knowing when to yield was his usual style. Sheng Jiangli quickly changed his address. "Miss Caiyu, is that okay?"
Song Yinghuai finally sheathed his sword. His eyes swept over Sheng Jiangli's two arms. A faint smile played on his lips:
"If I remember correctly, the emperor didn't issue an order for General Sheng to enter the pass... General Sheng's unauthorized entry into Shangjing is a serious crime. Instead of figuring out how to save your own head, you still have the time to come to my mansion for tea?"
"Hey, as long as you don't say anything and I don't say anything, Your Highness just pretend you haven't seen me. Then everything will be easy to handle." Sheng Jiangli forced a smile.
Although it was difficult to expect Song Yinghuai not to take advantage of his situation, he still tried to talk his way out.
Song Yinghuai's eyes flashed. He pondered for a moment and actually nodded. "Since you've saved my maid, I'll do you a favor. I won't say anything about your appearance inside the pass."
Sheng Jiangli: ???
He looked at Song Yinghuai suspiciously.
When had Song Yinghuai become so kind?
Not only Sheng Jiangli but even Caiyu couldn't believe it.
Was Song Yinghuai really going to let it go like this?
However, after Song Yinghuai finished speaking, he really turned his back and said indifferently, "To avoid implicating the Yanwang Mansion, it's best for General Sheng to leave quickly."
Sheng Jiangli swallowed hard and nodded. "In that case, this subordinate thanks Your Highness."
Sheng Jiangli walked towards the door uneasily.
Song Yinghuai watched him pass by. A sly look flashed across his face.
Suddenly, he pushed Sheng Jiangli on the back with a palm!
"Ah!"
A figure suddenly flew out of the Yanwang Mansion and crashed heavily onto the bustling main street of Shangjing!
It was the time when court officials were going to court, and this street was lined with the mansions of many officials.
"Bang!"
After a loud noise, the people and carriages on the street came to a sudden halt. Everyone stared in disbelief at the figure flying out of the Yanwang Mansion.
The carriage closest to Sheng Jiangli belonged to the Hanlin academician.
The academician poked his head out of the carriage in shock. Seeing a person getting up from the ground, he blurted out:
"Isn't this the commander of the Hu cavalry in Kaiping, General Sheng Jiangli?"
"Why did General Sheng fly out of the Prince of Yan's mansion?"
The commander of the Hu cavalry in Kaiping?
The academician's words made the passing officials poke their heads out of their carriages one by one.
Sheng Jiangli got up from the ground and moved his shoulders. He found that Song Yinghuai's palm had forced the needles out of his arms. He couldn't help but smile bitterly.
Good grief.
He had indeed helped a little bit.
But he had also made a complete fool of himself.
And he had gotten himself into a big trouble.
He had indeed kept his promise and not announced to the world that he had entered the pass without an imperial edict, but now everyone knew!
Sheng Jiangli gritted his teeth secretly. How scheming!
At this time, Ji Ming stood in front of the mansion and shouted at Sheng Jiangli:
"Thief! Our prince said that if you dare to flirt with the maids in the Yanwang Mansion again, it won't be as simple as just being thrown out!"
Everyone: !!!
Sheng Jiangli: ...