The facts proved that Zhu Changle had been a bit too optimistic. That very night, they faced another wave of assassination attempts. The noticeably stronger enemies made Zhu Changle realize that their determination to take their lives far exceeded expectations.
The next day, before dawn broke, the group set out again. Zhu Changle knocked on the carriage and, seeing her Second Brother's face appear, handed him two bamboo tubes. "Here's the medicine to protect the pregnancy. Wrap it in something thick like a coat or blanket to keep it warm longer."
Zhu Changning took them, not bothering to thank the mischievous girl. He nodded and asked, "To be taken in two doses?"
"Use it the same way as before. I had Aunt Feng make some chicken soup," Zhu Changle said, handing over two more tubes from the pile. "If you need anything, just call me. Don't worry about bothering me."
"Alright," Zhu Changning said, about to lower the curtain when Zhu Changle stopped him. "Second Brother, things won't be peaceful for the next few days. You and Second Sister-in-law should be mentally prepared. Don't get scared and affect the baby."
Zhu Changning agreed. After the past few nights, he was well aware of the dangers that lurked on their journey. He pressed his lips together and said, "Be careful."
Zhu Changle grinned, jingling a string of bamboo tubes tied together. She rode her horse to the front and handed everything to her grandmother, not intending to go listen to her mother's nagging...
"Die!" Zhu Changle suddenly roared. As she unsheathed her sword, she simultaneously struck the scabbard towards the farthest attacker. Leaping from her horse, she engaged the nearest black-clad assailant. By now, Aunt Feng had also joined the fray, not giving the enemies a chance to approach. No one had expected the attackers to come so suddenly and unexpectedly, targeting each carriage with clear intent before they had even left the relay station.
Zhu Changwang calmly instructed, "Zuo Qing, tell everyone to keep the horses calm and stay put."
"Yes, sir."
Zhu Maonian asked from the front, "Aren't we going back to the relay station?"
"No," Zhu Changwang replied, lifting the curtain on the other side to watch his sister wreaking havoc. "Changle has the upper hand. As soon as she returns, we'll leave immediately. Today, we'll go as far as we can."
Lady Zhang overheard this and anxiously clutched the corner of the curtain, watching the battle outside. Worried beyond measure, she asked, "My lord, can't we stop for a while before moving on?"
"It makes no difference where we stop. Even if we turn back, they won't leave us alone," Zhu Maonian said, lifting the curtain slightly to observe the red figure embroiled in the fight. "This scale of attack shows they truly don't want me, Zhu, to live."
"My lord..." Lady Zhang bit her lip. The successive assassination attempts, from stealthy night attacks to brazen daylight assaults, truly terrified her.
Zhu Maonian remained silent, watching as Changle's sword sliced across a black-clad man's throat. Even after the attacker fell, she didn't return immediately, instead scouting the area before approaching. "Father, let's go."
Scanning her quickly, Zhu Maonian couldn't find a single trace of blood on his daughter. Somewhat relieved that she appeared uninjured, he asked, "Can you still handle this?"
"Of course, it's nothing," Zhu Changle smiled, taking her scabbard from Aunt Feng and sheathing her sword. "There's a county town a few dozen li ahead. Should we go in?"
"Let's not waste time. We need to save time for the journey ahead."
Father and daughter exchanged a glance, and Zhu Changle understood her father's meaning. She called her "little tail" over, mounted her horse, and the carriages began moving again.
After days of continuous travel, while others felt tired but endured, Madam Xu's condition was deteriorating.
During a rest, Lady Zhang went to check on her daughter-in-law and returned, saying in a low voice, "Something seems wrong with Madam Xu."
"What is it?"
"It looks like the baby is moving a lot. I'm afraid..."
Zhu Maonian's expression changed. If she were to give birth here, in the middle of nowhere, he dared not imagine the consequences. After pacing back and forth a few times, he ordered everyone to board the carriages. "We'll rest at the next relay station."
However, before they could reach the relay station, the whistling sound of arrows announced another enemy attack.
"Be careful! Everyone get inside the carriages and don't come out!" Zhu Changle deflected the nearby arrows, leaping into the air to perform the fifth form of the Tidal Sword Technique, "Ocean Surge." As if possessing a magnetic pull, she attracted the arrows towards her, then sent them flying back along their original path.
"Aunt Feng."
"Yes." Aunt Feng watched as her young mistress disappeared from sight, taking her place to guard against any stragglers. The "little tail" neighed, running back and forth to calm the agitated horses. Zhu Changwang, despite his tension, couldn't help but smile – even Changle's horse was more capable than others'.
"Whoosh..." The sound of arrows came again, this time from the opposite direction!
Aunt Feng, not trained in the Tidal Sword Technique, pushed her agility to the limit to block the first wave, then the second, then the third. Suddenly, the horses went wild.
"Neigh!" Two horses whinnied and bolted forward, their drivers unable to control them. One carriage held Zhu Maonian and his wife, while the other carried Madam Xu. The sudden lurch threw her backwards, slamming her against the carriage wall. Zhu Changning immediately grabbed the window with one hand and supported her with the other. But before she could steady herself, the carriage abruptly stopped, the entire compartment tilting forward. The force was so great that Zhu Changning couldn't hold on, and they tumbled out of the carriage, with him embracing her.
"Second Sister-in-law, are you alright?" Zhu Changle quickly moved to help, but Zhu Changning swatted her hand away, demanding harshly, "What's wrong with you?"
"The horses went mad. If Changle hadn't cut the reins, the consequences would have been unthinkable," Lady Zhang said, coming over while supporting Lady Li. She crouched down and knew at a glance that her daughter-in-law's condition had likely taken a turn for the worse.
"Young Miss, I blocked all the arrows."
Zhu Changle didn't doubt that Aunt Feng had done her best. This could be investigated later. Right now, the pressing issue was that Second Sister-in-law might have been injured in the fall. She calculated the distance and, pushing her Second Brother aside, picked up her sister-in-law. "To the relay station."
After placing Madam Xu in her grandmother's carriage, Zhu Changle boarded as well. Ignoring Madam Xu's resistance, she forcibly transferred some of her inner energy to her. Being quite stingy, she stopped once she saw the pained expression on Madam Xu's face ease a bit. The assassination attempts were becoming more frequent, and she needed to conserve her energy.
"This carriage is for Second Brother and his wife. Grandmother, please squeeze into Big Brother's carriage. We need to hurry."
Jumping down from the carriage, Zhu Changle saw her Second Brother and gave him a small smile before helping her grandmother to the carriage in front.
Zhu Changning knew he had lost his composure earlier, but how could an older brother apologize to his younger sister? As he was about to board the carriage, Lady Zhang, annoyed, gave him a hard pat on the back and said in a low voice, "Changle came back in time to save you both, and you yelled at her. Is that how an older brother should act?"
Zhu Changning pressed his lips together, saying nothing.
Lady Zhang gave him another pat before walking away, planning to settle accounts with him later.
Upon reaching the relay station, Changle carried Madam Xu into a room. The Old Madam noticed the significant amount of blood and, after warming her hands and placing them on Madam Xu's belly for a moment, immediately ordered, "She's going into labor. All of you, get out. Let the experienced women and old nannies come in."
Madam Xu clutched her husband's hand, refusing to let go. Large tears rolled down her cheeks; she was terrified.
"Grandmother..."
"Get out, don't cause trouble here," the Old Madam looked up. "Changle, you go out too."
"Grandmother..."
"Be good. Tell the kitchen to make a bowl of noodles with two poached eggs."
Zhu Changle pouted, then pulled her Second Brother out with her.
