How annoying!

Arrows rained down on the carriage like meteors. The guards were on high alert, but many arrows still managed to break through the defenses. In no time, the carriage was riddled with arrows.

Fortunately, the specially made carriage walls were sturdy and could not be easily penetrated, but there were still quite a few stray arrows shooting in through the windows and curtains. You Lu pulled the eldest prince and dodged and weaved in the carriage, but was eventually forced out of the carriage.

There was no other way; the carriage space was limited, and with lanterns hanging outside, it was a sitting duck at night.

After getting off the carriage, the situation outside was not optimistic either.

While dealing with the assassins, Cang Shuyue and his guards also had to guard against the hidden arrows. Everyone was injured to varying degrees, but despite this, they still protected the carriage in the middle without the slightest fear.

However, there were more assassins than expected. One wave was killed and another wave came. If this continued, the entire convoy would be wiped out.

Pixiu ran up from the back of the convoy, asking worriedly, "Boss, are you alright?"

Lu Ningmei shook her head. "Take Xiaogua to a safe place."

Having said that, he jumped off the carriage and shouted, "Give me a weapon!"

Cang Shuyue slashed the assassin's throat with his sword, turned around and cleaved the incoming arrow, pulled the person into his arms, his brows furrowing slightly, "Go back to the car."

"No, I'll turn into a hedgehog if I go back to the car!" Youlu pushed him away and kicked over the assassin who was wielding a knife.

The eldest prince wiped the hot blood splattered on his face and said breathlessly, "Uncle, there are too many assassins, and it's not safe in the carriage."

Cang Shuyue stopped insisting and turned to order, "Yinwu, weapons."

Yinwu responded, pulled out a long spear from under the carriage, and shouted, "Seventh Prince, catch!"

Youlu caught the gun that was thrown to him, weighed it in his hand, and found it to be a bit heavy, but still manageable.

He recalled the spear technique the Empress used on the painted boat during the lake excursion. He gripped the spear shaft with both hands and swung it forcefully, the red tassel on the spear spinning wildly, sweeping the approaching assassin to the ground. Then, with a flick of his wrist, he thrust the spear forward, the tip piercing the assassin's throat, ending the assassin's life with a clean and decisive thrust.

Another cold glint swept by. He bent over to avoid the blade, then stood up and pressed his spear down, the tip of the spear pressing against the knife attacking his lower body. He then flicked it upwards, forcing the assassin to retreat repeatedly. He then flipped his wrist and swung his spear, the red tassel spinning as it neutralized the surrounding attacks one by one.

The eldest prince and Yinwu were dumbfounded. What amazing marksmanship!

And why does this move look so familiar?

Gazing at the boy's agile and graceful figure, Cang Shuyue's heart stirred slightly, and his deep eyes lit up with a twinkling light, as something quietly spread in his heart.

With the carriage no longer needing protection, the guards were free to act and quickly subdued all the assassins who had launched the attack. Seeing that things were not going well, a loud whistle rang out, and the rain of arrows suddenly stopped, indicating that the assassins who had been attacking from the shadows had retreated.

Yinwu let out a long breath, sheathed his sword, and asked, "Master, shall we give chase?"

"No need, rest and heal your injuries first." Cang Shuyue shook her head, her gaze falling on the young man, her tone gentle beyond her own awareness: "Are you injured?"

Youlu threw the gun down, pouting and complaining, "I'm not injured, but this gun is too heavy. My arm aches and my hand hurts."

He stretched out his hand, and his fair and soft palm was red and swollen. Although the skin was not broken, it still looked quite frightening.

Don't be fooled by how cool he looks when he's wielding a gun; he's actually grinding his back teeth to powder.

Cang Shuyue's heart tightened, his Adam's apple bobbed, and he was about to speak when the eldest prince pushed him away, his face full of self-reproach and heartache. He held Youlu's hand and choked out, "Seventh brother, you've suffered so much. It's all my fault for being useless and failing to protect you... Waaah..."

Forget about protecting him, he was actually the one being protected. He was almost injured by the assassins several times just now, and it was Seventh Brother who blocked the attacks for him.

Cang Shuyue: "..."

His palms burned with pain, and Youlu was forced to shed tears. He took a few breaths, his eyes brimming with tears, and comforted himself, "I'm fine, it just hurts a little. I'll put some medicine on it and it'll be fine."

"Yes, yes, apply the medicine!" The eldest prince seemed to wake from a dream, climbed onto the carriage, and pulled out a small bright yellow porcelain bottle. He said, "Father said that you have a special constitution, and Mother specifically told me to bring the best pain-relieving ointment. This medicine is very effective. It will relieve the pain once you apply it. Just bear with it."

He held the medicine spoon and carefully scooped out a spoonful of ointment, applying it to Youlu's palm.

The cool, refreshing ointment penetrated the skin as soon as it was applied, effectively relieving the pain. Even so, Youlu still broke out in a cold sweat.

Seeing this, Cang Shuyue's heart tightened, but his tone grew even colder: "So delicate, you must not have been training your body properly. No wonder you have the moves but lack strength. When we return to the capital, I will train you personally."

"No, practicing martial arts is too tiring." Youlu refused outright, glaring angrily. He was already injured, and this guy was still lecturing him. How annoying.

The eldest prince said, "Uncle, please stop scolding Seventh Brother. He's not being spoiled; he's just naturally more sensitive to pain than most people. If he were truly spoiled, he wouldn't have waited until the assassin left before speaking up."

As she spoke, her eyes welled up with tears.

Youlu gently rubbed his head with the back of her hand, offering silent comfort.

The eldest prince sniffed, lowered his head, and continued applying the medicine.

Cang Shuyue's throat tightened, his fingers hanging at his sides curled slightly, and he turned his back and said, "I'll go check on the casualties." His usually cold and indifferent voice revealed a hint of panic and helplessness.

Watching his tall figure leave, Youlu tugged at the eldest prince's sleeve and said, "Eldest brother, you shouldn't have spoken to the imperial brother-in-law like that. He was protecting us the whole time and got injured. He'll be hurt if you say those things."

The eldest prince looked ashamed. "I didn't notice that my uncle was injured. I'll go apologize to him right away."

After saying that, he hurriedly stood up and ran forward to grab Cang Shuyue, who had not gone far.

Youlu shook his head; this family would fall apart without him.

He jumped onto the carriage shaft and sat down, swinging his legs as he looked at the uncle and nephew arguing not far away.

It seems that the eldest prince wanted to pull Cang Shuyue back to apply the medicine, but Cang Shuyue ignored him completely, and the two were at an impasse.

Seeing that even with his face flushed red, the eldest prince couldn't pull Cang Shuyue away, Youlu burst out laughing.

Boss!

The Pixiu's voice suddenly exploded in my ears.

When the deer came to its senses, it saw the Pixiu squatting on its lap, holding the cold jade box, with a resentful look on its face.

"I went through all that trouble with Xiaogua to catch the assassin, and you're here watching some random man. You didn't even hear me calling you. It's truly heartbreaking." Pixiu pretended to wipe away tears.

A little melon chimed in from inside the box: "Quack~"

Youlu tapped the Pixiu's forehead and laughed, "Luckily it's nighttime, otherwise if you were running around with the box, people would be scared to death."

The Pixiu defended itself: "The beast is very careful and won't be discovered by others."

"You just said you were catching assassins?" Youlu raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, yes, I found several assassins hiding in the trees while carrying Little Melon, and then we taught them a lesson so they wouldn't be able to shoot arrows from the shadows again." Pixiu said proudly.

"Quack quack~~" Little Melon chimed in from inside the box.

You Lu understood; no wonder the rain of arrows wasn't as dense later—it was all thanks to those two little guys.

He smiled and praised, "Well done!"

As they were talking, the eldest prince finally pulled Cang Shuyue back, with the young military doctor who had been temporarily replaced on the day of their departure following behind them.