As soon as I put it on, I met a sickly man

The sharp arrow pierced the air, and a sharp whistling sound tore through the air. At that fatal moment, Ding Chen suddenly pushed Jiang Yue away, using his body to build a wall of flesh and blood for her.

"Pfft-"

The sound of the arrowhead sinking into flesh was muffled yet clear. The barbed arrow pierced Ding Chen's back deeply, and the crimson blood instantly stained his clothes like a blooming red spider lily, alluring and poignant.

"Ding Chen!" Jiang Yue screamed in terror, watching Ding Chen's tall body slowly fall down into her arms. The warm blood soaked her clothes and burned her heart.

Ding Chen's face was as pale as paper, and his lips were bloodless. He raised his hand with difficulty, wanting to touch Jiang Yue's cheek, but his hand dropped down weakly.

"Ding Chen! Wake up! Nothing can happen to you!" Jiang Yue hugged Ding Chen tightly, tears streaming down her face like pearls from a broken string. With trembling hands, she tried to cover the wound on his back, only to find it was so deep that the bone was visible, and the blood was pouring out uncontrollably.

The sounds of fighting around her seemed to be isolated in another world. Jiang Yue's eyes were filled with Ding Chen, his gradually dilating pupils and increasingly weak breathing. She had never felt the threat of death so clearly, nor felt the pain of loss so deeply.

She raised her head, her eyes piercing as she scanned her surroundings, trying to identify the assassin who had shot the arrow. However, aside from the servants and domestic servants engaged in a chaotic fight, she didn't see any suspicious figures. The men in black continued their vicious attacks, seemingly indifferent to Ding Chen's life or death.

Who is it? Who is secretly manipulating all this?

Jiang Yue's heart was filled with confusion and anger. She didn't understand who she had offended to deserve such a fate. Was it just because of the outcome of a cooking competition that she would be killed?

At this moment, a cold voice suddenly sounded: "Stop!"

A man dressed in the uniform of the Imperial Guard, riding a tall horse, led a group of soldiers into the battlefield. He had sharp eyebrows and bright eyes, a stern face, and exuded a majestic aura.

The man who came was Xuanyuan Che, the commander of the Imperial Guard. He had received news that a fight had broken out on the outskirts of the city and had immediately rushed over with his men.

Seeing Xuanyuan Che's appearance, the men in black were obviously a little panicked, and their offensive gradually weakened.

Xuanyuan Che's gaze fell on Ding Chen, who lay in a pool of blood, and his brows furrowed slightly. He dismounted, walked over to Jiang Yue, and asked in a deep voice, "What happened?"

Jiang Yue raised her head, looked at Xuanyuan Che with tearful eyes, and said with a sob: "They... they want to kill me..."

Suddenly, a sharp and shrill laugh broke the tense atmosphere.

"Jiang Yue, this is what happens when you go against me!"

Su Yao's shrill laughter was particularly piercing in the chaotic scene, as cold and sinister as the venom of a venomous snake. "Jiang Yue, this is what happens when you go against me! So what if you win the cooking competition? You'll still die at my hands!" She pointed at Ding Chen, who lay in a pool of blood, her face full of pride, as if she had everything under control.

Jiang Yue glared at Su Yao angrily, her chest burning with rage. She wanted to stand up and rush forward to tear this vicious woman apart, but Ding Chen's frail body pressed down on her like a heavy burden, making her unable to move. She couldn't leave Ding Chen. She wanted to protect him, even at the cost of her own life.

"You...you vicious woman!" Jiang Yue gritted her teeth and squeezed out a few words, each word filled with deep hatred. Her eyes were like a poisoned sword, stabbing at Su Yao fiercely, wishing she could cut her into pieces.

Seeing her master being bullied, Qiu'er couldn't bear it any longer. She suddenly picked up a wooden stick, and her small body burst out with amazing strength, rushing towards Su Yao like an angry little beast. "You vicious woman, wait and see how I will deal with you!" Qiu'er shouted as she ran. Although her voice was childish, it was full of determination and courage.

Qiu'er's behavior was beyond everyone's expectations, and Su Yao was stunned for a moment. She didn't expect that an inconspicuous maid would dare to attack her, and for a moment she forgot to dodge.

"Snapped!"

The wooden stick hit Su Yao's body heavily, making a dull sound. Su Yao screamed in pain and staggered back a few steps.

"Qiu'er!" Jiang Yue exclaimed, feeling both touched and worried. She knew Qiu'er did this for her, but she was more worried about her safety.

Although Qiu'er was small, she was surprisingly strong. She waved the stick, forcing Su Yao to retreat again and again, and for a while she had the upper hand.

Su Yao's face was full of shock and anger. She never thought that she would be beaten by a maid without any ability to fight back. She shouted angrily: "What are you still standing there for? Catch her!"

The guards around finally reacted and drew their swords, attacking Qiu'er.

Although Qiu'er was brave, she was outnumbered and soon she was surrounded and in danger.

At this moment, Xuanyuan Che shouted coldly: "Stop!"

His voice exploded in everyone's ears like thunder, shocking everyone.

Xuanyuan Che walked in front of Qiu'er, blocking the guards' attacks, and said in a deep voice: "What are you doing? How dare you attack and hurt people in broad daylight!"

His words were full of majesty, which made the guards dare not act rashly.

Su Yao said unwillingly: "Commander Xuanyuan, this maid is committing a crime, I..."

"Enough!" Xuanyuan Che interrupted her coldly, "I will get to the bottom of what's going on here. Before that, no one is allowed to act rashly!"

His eyes swept across everyone, finally landing on Jiang Yue, and he asked in a deep voice, "Girl, are you okay?"

Jiang Yue shook her head, but her eyes remained on Ding Chen.

Ding Chen opened his eyes weakly and looked at Jiang Yue. He whispered, "Jiang Yue..." Jiang Yue was in tears. She held Ding Chen's gradually cold hand tightly and choked, "You will be fine. I will definitely save you." Ding Chen shook his head laboriously. A trace of blood flowed from the corner of his mouth, but his eyes were full of tenderness: "Jiang Yue, don't avenge me. You have to live well." He used up his last bit of strength to stuff a jade pendant into Jiang Yue's hand, his breath becoming weaker and weaker.

Despair surged into Jiang Yue's heart like a tide, and she felt like her world was collapsing. She hugged Ding Chen, letting her tears flow freely, her heart filled with regret and self-blame. If she hadn't participated in this damn cooking competition, if she hadn't provoked Su Yao, Ding Chen wouldn't have been hurt, wouldn't have...

"Kill them!" Su Yao's sharp voice broke the brief silence, as harsh as a death warrant.

Seeing Ding Chen injured, the servants attacked even more fiercely, their swords flashing and shadows intersecting, and the air was filled with murderous intent. Qiu'er desperately protected Jiang Yue, her small body as firm as a rock, but she was only a child after all, and soon she was covered in wounds.

Jiang Yue suppressed her grief, gently placed Ding Chen on the ground, and stood up, her eyes filled with cold murderous intent. She was no longer the weak young lady, but the goddess of vengeance from hell.

She pulled a packet of powder from her sleeve and sprinkled it into the air. The powder dispersed when it met the wind, filling the air and forming a light mist.

"Cough, cough, cough..." After inhaling the powder, the servants covered their throats and coughed violently, and the swords in their hands fell weakly to the ground.

This was a poison specially made by Jiang Yue. Although it was not fatal, it could temporarily incapacitate a person. She took this opportunity to help Qiu Er up, protecting Ding Chen's "corpse", and retreated step by step.

However, although the servants had temporarily lost their fighting power, they were outnumbered and soon surrounded them again. Jiang Yue and his men gradually lost their ability to resist and were forced into a corner.

Jiang Yue looked at the enemies around her, her heart sank. She knew they were in a desperate situation, and she didn't know how to escape with the injured Ding Chen!