Lady Chen Xi hesitated for only a mont before rushing after Liu Feng, her curiosity and frustration driving her forward. She was not one to be ignored, especially when sothing as significant as the commotion outside was unfolding. Her sharp eyes scanned the courtyard as she moved, her mind racing with questions.
"Mother, what is happening?" Liu i's voice rang out, tinged with worry, as she erged from her room. The young girl had been left behind once again, her parents too preoccupied to even acknowledge her presence. Her delicate features were twisted with frustration, her hands clenched into fists at her sides.
But Lady Chen Xi paid no heed to her daughter's pleas. Her focus was entirely on the front gate, where the sounds of chaos were growing louder. Liu i's frustration boiled over as she watched her mother disappear around the corner, her voice rising in anger.
"Why do you insist on ignoring ?" Liu i muttered under her breath, her cheeks flushed with indignation. She had just returned to her room after the maids had cleaned up the ss left behind by her mother and Li Wei when the rumbling began.
Instinctively, she had run to her parents' lodgings, only to find her father rushing out the door without so much as a glance in her direction. Before she could even call out to him, her mother had followed suit, leaving her alone and seething.
"Where are you two going?" Liu i shouted, her voice cracking as she tried to make herself heard. But her parents were already out of earshot, their figures disappearing into the distance. She hurried down the steps, determined to catch up, but before she could take more than a few steps, a firm hand grasped her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.
"Who—" Liu i began, her voice sharp with anger, but the rest of her words died in her throat as she turned to see Ning Xue standing beside her. The girl's grip was firm but not painful, her expression calm and unreadable.
"Unhand this instant!" Liu i hissed, her eyes blazing with fury. She tried to pull away, but Ning Xue's grip was unyielding. The disciple of Li Wei stood her ground, her deanor cool and composed.
"Liu i," Ning Xue said, her voice steady and devoid of emotion, "Master Li Wei has given strict orders that no one is to leave the residence. It is for your own safety."
The courtyard was unusually lively, the usual tranquility replaced by a sense of urgency. Servants hurried about, their faces etched with worry as they glanced nervously toward the front gate. The sky above had taken on a deep, ominous hue, as if warning of the turmoil to co. Birds chirped from their nests, seemingly undisturbed by the chaos below.
Liu i's frustration reached its peak. Her face flushed with anger, she yanked against Ning Xue's grip, her movents wild and desperate. "I don't care what Li Wei says! His words an nothing to !" she scread, her voice breaking. She shook her head violently, her long black hair whipping around her face. "Let go of ! Now!"
Ning Xue remained unfazed, her grip unwavering. She watched Liu i's outburst with a faint, almost imperceptible smile, her thoughts drifting to the rewards Li Wei had promised her for her loyalty. 'The techniques and treasures he'll bestow upon will make all this trouble worthwhile,' she thought, her resolve hardening.
"Liu i," Ning Xue said softly, her tone almost soothing despite its firmness, "I cannot disobey my master's orders. Please understand, this is for your own good."
In truth, Ning Xue was growing tired of Liu i's tantrums. The young clan lady's defiance was becoming increasingly tedious, and Ning Xue found it difficult to muster any sympathy for her. The servants moving about the courtyard cast curious glances at the two girls, their expressions a mix of concern and amusent.
Liu i continued to struggle, her eyes blazing with fury. "You don't understand anything!" she shouted, her voice hoarse. "You have no right to keep here!"
Despite being of a similar cultivation level, Liu ier was no match for Ning Xue's skill and discipline. Her cultivation art was shallow, barely reaching a superficial level of expertise, and she couldn't break free from Ning Xue's grasp. The realization only fueled her anger, her frustration boiling over as she lashed out.
Ning Xue's grip did not falter. She knew the stakes were too high to let Liu i's defiance undermine her mission. 'She may not realize it now,' Ning Xue thought, 'but I'm doing this for her benefit too.' She couldn't bring herself to tell Liu ier that leaving the residence would likely result in her death. The young clan lady couldn't even break free from Ning Xue's grasp—how could she hope to survive the chaos outside?
The courtyard echoed with Liu ier's cries, her desperation a stark contrast to Ning Xue's calm composure. The two girls continued to struggle, oblivious to the events unfolding beyond the estate walls.
---
anwhile, Liu Feng had reached the front gate, his heart pounding in his chest. The sounds of battle grew louder with each step, and his mind raced with possibilities. 'Could Young Hero Li have already fallen?' he wondered, a sense of dread creeping into his thoughts.
Taking a deep breath, Liu Feng positioned himself before the massive wooden doors, his feet firmly planted on the ground. With a swift motion, he brought both palms forward in a dual palm strike, channeling his qi into the impact. "Hah!"
The gate shuddered under the force, the old wood creaking loudly before yielding to Liu Feng's strength. With a resounding crash, the doors swung open, revealing the chaos outside.
Liu Feng's breath ca in short, ragged bursts as he lowered his hands, the energy still humming in his veins. He knew he was walking into a dangerous situation, and he continuously circulated his Five Yang Art to prepare himself.
Lady Chen Xi was right behind him, her eyes wide with a mix of anger and concern. She observed her husband's powerful display with a pensive expression, her mind a whirlwind of thoughts. 'What could possibly require such urgency?' she wondered. 'What danger lurks beyond these walls?'
As Liu Feng's eyes adjusted to the scene before him, his heart sank. The sight was worse than he had imagined. The usually bustling street outside their estate was in chaos. Corpses littered the ground, their faces frozen in expressions of pain and regret. Smoke billowed from several buildings, casting a dark pall over the area. In the midst of the turmoil, ard n clashed with two martial artists, their movents swift and deadly.
Liu Feng stopped in his tracks, his mouth falling open in shock. His mind struggled to process the sheer scale of the destruction. 'How did it co to this?' he thought. 'What could have provoked such a massacre?'
Lady Chen Xi stepped forward, her brows furrowed in concern. "Liu Feng, what is happening?" she asked, her voice tinged with impatience. She could see the distress etched on her husband's face, the weight of the bloodshed pressing down on him.
"Step aside!" When he did not respond imdiately, she shoved him aside with unexpected force, her own need for answers driving her actions.
Pushing past Liu Feng, Lady Chen Xi stepped into the open gate and took in the scene for herself. Her eyes widened as she absorbed the chaos unfolding before her. The screams of the wounded, the acrid sll of smoke, the glint of steel in the hands of the enemy soldiers—it all painted a grim picture of the conflict.
'This is worse than I feared,' she thought, her mind racing to find a solution. 'We must act quickly if we are to protect our ho and our people.' The urgency of the situation settled over her like a heavy cloak, her stance solidifying as she prepared to face the enemy.
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