Ziqing glanced at Lady Situ and answered quietly, “No need.”
Though she’d met Lady Situ a few times before, this was the first time they’d truly come face to face like this.
Though Lady Situ was already up in years, she still carried herself with considerable grace—practically the middle-aged version of Situ Xin’er herself: elegant and noble, with a languid air about her brow, a pair of striking, expressive large eyes brimming with charm—and beneath that languor lurked a sharp, calculating shrewdness.
Never mind the father—with a mother like this, it was no wonder Situ Xin’er had the confidence to be so unrestrained.
Back at Situ City, this very woman had once put on the airs of “Jun Beiyue’s mother-in-law” to make things difficult for Ziqing, all in defense of Situ Xin’er!
Ziqing knew this was a formidable, difficult woman to deal with. If Situ Haonan hadn’t stood firmly on her side back then, insisting on taking her away, the relationship between Jun Beiyue and Situ City might have grown far more strained.
Back then, she’d held back somewhat, out of consideration for Jun Beiyue’s standing. This time, she had no need to hold back at all.
As long as Situ Haonan said the word that he wanted to go with her, she absolutely would not allow anyone to keep him behind.
Lady Situ gently smoothed Situ Xin’er’s hair while glaring coldly at Ziqing, a hint of restrained fury in her voice as she scoffed, “Han Ziqing, you struck my daughter and coaxed my son into eloping. I think Jun Beiyue owes Situ City a personal visit and a proper explanation for this.”
What exactly did she mean by that?
Situ Haonan was the first to catch her meaning and immediately stepped forward to pull Ziqing back. But at that very moment, Lady Situ shoved Situ Xin’er aside as well, her previously smooth, fair hand transforming instantly into a claw-like grip, striking savagely toward Ziqing!
Such a sudden, unguarded attack—had Situ Haonan not pulled her back in time, Ziqing would have already been seized!
What a formidable woman, Lady Situ—not content with just taking Situ Haonan back, she meant to take Ziqing along too, forcing Jun Beiyue to come personally to apologize and demand her release!
As if she were worthy of that!
Ziqing wasted no time. She immediately drew the zither strapped to her back—”Clang!”—summoning a Wind Blade. Lady Situ dodged with ease, her sharp claws slashing forward again, nearly severing Ziqing’s zither strings outright!
If, back at Situ City, this woman had still been holding back somewhat, this time, she was coming at her for real.
Ziqing stepped back, eyes flashing, and struck out again with another “Clang!”—another Wind Blade. But this time, she didn’t stop there—she began playing Lishang instead!
Lishang was a Sound-Kill technique, the Wind Blade a Zither-Kill technique—she had honed both to their absolute peak, but combining Zither-Kill and Sound-Kill together like this was something never before attempted, even within the Han family!
Who exactly was Lady Situ?
Among women of the martial world, she stood among the very best—her martial prowess went without saying, and her mental fortitude was formidable as well.
This was, without question, a powerful opponent—yet surely either Sound-Kill or Zither-Kill alone would be enough to subdue her!
Sure enough, the moment Lishang began to play, Lady Situ’s movements grew noticeably more restrained. Situ Xin’er, cradling her face, watched intently through her tears, while Situ Haonan watched most intently of all.
He clenched his fists tight, watching closely—right now, Han Ziqing and his mother were evenly matched in skill. Though the fight looked fierce, it was, in truth, a standoff, a contest of endurance, willpower, and focus!
But at a moment like this, if anyone else stepped in—even with just a single strike—it could easily tip the balance and gravely injure one side!
And any such injury would, without question, be a severe internal wound!
He desperately wanted to help Ziqing, but reason told him he couldn’t—if he intervened, he would end up shattering his own mother’s internal cultivation completely.
What was he supposed to do?
He could see it clearly—and gradually, so could Situ Xin’er. She glanced at her anxious brother, and a flicker of malice crossed her eyes. A hidden dart slid quietly out from her sleeve into her palm.
A rare opportunity—this time, she meant to cripple Han Ziqing for good, to make sure she’d never dare interfere with Beiyue and Situ City’s relationship again, never dare be so arrogant again!
Her eyes flashed, and she suddenly launched the hidden dart, aimed straight at Han Ziqing’s heart.
“Fwip…”
Impossibly swift, the dart was almost buried in Ziqing’s chest in an instant!
But at that very moment, a flash of sword-light suddenly swept through the air out of nowhere, like a beam of light cutting past—there was only the faint sound of a “clang,” and the dart clattered to the ground.
Only then did Situ Haonan startle in shock, his furious gaze snapping toward Situ Xin’er—and at the very same moment, Lady Situ and Ziqing both froze, abandoning all thought of the dart, turning as one to look up toward the rooftop!
There, atop the roof, stood a man clad in black, tall and elegant, his sea of ink-black hair whipped wild and untamed by the wind. One hand rested behind his back, the other gripped a sword, standing high above them all, surveying the scene below like some god looking down from the heavens—his dark eyes so deep and fathomless that anyone who met them felt as though they were plunging into an abyss with no return.
No one had expected it would be him!
Not even Ziqing herself!
This man—shouldn’t he be at the northern frontier right now? The northern front might look calm on the surface, but undercurrents churned beneath at every moment, ready to erupt at any time!
And yet here this man was!
Ziqing gazed at her husband from a distance, the fury that had left her speechless just moments ago dissolving entirely, replaced instead by a helpless, wry smile.
She should have known. Yingzi had followed along after all—it was as if he’d been right there beside her the whole time; no one would ever dare bully her while he was around.
Situ Xin’er had powerful parents to lean on—but Ziqing had Jun Beiyue.
Jun Beiyue said not a word, simply watching coldly. No matter how imposing Lady Situ tried to be, she couldn’t hope to match the sheer presence Jun Beiyue carried.
She watched as Jun Beiyue leapt down from the rooftop, pursing her lips, saying nothing, while the entire scene fell into utter silence—so quiet one could hear every breath.
Situ Xin’er grew even more careful with her own breathing, all trace of her earlier arrogance vanished entirely, cowering now like a timid little wife, eyes fixed pleadingly on Jun Beiyue—but his gaze passed over everyone else, settling only on Han Ziqing.
He walked over to her side, gently tucking back a loose strand of her hair, asking quietly, “Are you hurt?”
Four simple words—but anyone listening could tell there was nothing simple about them.
If she had been hurt, what exactly did he intend to do?
Ziqing was just about to speak when Lady Situ suddenly cut in. “Haonan, come home with me.”
Situ Haonan hesitated, but Jun Beiyue spoke first, coldly, turning his head with an air of wicked, arrogant menace. “Someone gets hurt, and you just want to walk away?”
“I didn’t hurt her!” Lady Situ shot back at once, fiercely.
“Laying a single hair on her counts as hurting her,” Jun Beiyue said coldly.
Hearing this, an indescribable feeling welled up in Ziqing’s chest, lodging tight in her throat. Her gaze drifted, almost without meaning to, to Situ Xin’er’s eyes, red-rimmed with fury—and, oddly enough, her own eyes stung a little too. In this moment, she simply thought: it felt good, having someone to protect her.
Lady Situ sucked in a sharp breath. Telling Situ Haonan to leave had already been her way of offering a way out for both sides—essentially a concession to Han Ziqing. What more did Jun Beiyue want?
She turned furiously to Situ Haonan, her meaning unmistakable—she wanted him to speak up!