Expelled from the Duke's mansion, the fake heiress is richer than a country.

The young apprentice rushed over to help his young master up. The two watched as Yu Wanran's figure, like a dragon emerging from the sea, took flight, leaving enemies in awe and bloodshed wherever she went.

I never expected an ordinary woman to have such skills!

The most surprised were Wu Jian and his gang of bodyguards.

Just when they were about to give up, a powerful ally suddenly appeared! And judging from Yu Wanran's moves, every sword strike was a killing blow, aimed at the opponent's vital points, extremely ruthless.

Moreover, a battle that results in mutual destruction requires more than ten or twenty years of combat experience to execute.

The bandits, disheartened by the killing, realized the situation was becoming increasingly unfavorable and could no longer hold on. They abandoned their dead bodies and wounded comrades and began to scatter and flee.

Upon seeing this, the lead crossbowman pursed his lips and let out a sharp whistle with one long and two short whistles, then threw out a lit homemade oil egg.

The object collided with the blue cloth carriage of Ruicaotang and instantly burst into flames, burning to ashes.

The second young master was greatly alarmed and rushed onto the carriage without hesitation, managing to salvage a large hemp sack from the burning carriage.

The young apprentice hurriedly took off his outer garment and vigorously whipped away the sparks flying from his master's body. Seeing that the attacking bandits had suffered heavy casualties and were beginning to retreat, Yu Man and his son breathed a sigh of relief and crawled out to help.

Yu Wanran stared at the crossbowman leader, wanting to give chase. But the distance was too great, and she hesitated because she was worried about her father and elder brother's safety.

During this delay, I caught a glimpse of a furtive figure creeping into the bushes out of the corner of my eye.

She rushed forward, her sword flashing, pinning the man's shin firmly to the ground. The man screamed in agony, clutching his bloodied foot, too afraid to move.

Wu Jian and the others who rushed over recognized the other party as Zhang Tang, the traitor.

For a time, the crowd was excited.

The bodyguards, who had lost many brothers and friends, were enraged and swarmed around the young man, beating him mercilessly.

"All right!"

Yu Wanran stepped on Zhang Tang, pushed away the approaching bodyguard with one hand, and said coldly, "What's the use of hindsight? Only by keeping this man alive can we find out who the mastermind is!"

The bodyguards, all wounded, calmed down after hearing her words.

Yu Wanran glanced at the surviving bodyguard, Cai Tao, the young bodyguard who had once humiliated her, who was still alive. He had several cuts on his chest and back and was being supported weakly by his companions.

Seeing her gaze sweep over him, he felt a heart-wrenching regret and lowered his head in shame.

However, the older bodyguard was not there; he must have perished.

Yu Wanran snorted coldly, released her foot, and ordered the bodyguards to tie Zhang Tang up. Fearing he might die or commit suicide, they also stopped the bleeding, bandaged his wounds, and stuffed a wad of cloth into his mouth.

Zhenyuan Escort Agency has powerful connections. The bandits who came to rob the goods this time were incredibly audacious, naturally because their shipment was extremely attractive.

Xiao Yao always seemed to want her dead, but she didn't actually have the power or ruthlessness to create such a big scene. Therefore, Yu Wanran wisely chose not to get involved in the cleanup.

As long as she and her family suffered no losses, that's fine.

Wu Jian, with a leg injury and a finger severed, struggled to hold a broken whip as he clasped his hands in a fist salute to Yu Wanran.

"Thank you so much, Miss Yu, for your kindness! I will come back to thank you again after I have settled everyone in!"

Yu Wanran made a "please" gesture and watched him leave, supported by the bodyguard.

To ensure the success of this shipment, the escort agency lost most of its horses and mules, burned two carts, and suffered numerous casualties among the escorts and drivers. The subsequent compensation and relief efforts will likely be extremely costly.

Of course, that's none of her business.

Yu Man and his son, trembling, staggered to her side. Looking at the corpses scattered around them, the rivers of blood, their faces turned deathly pale. This would be their nightmare for the rest of their lives!

After a long while, Yu Man finally moved his lips and squeezed out a sentence through his teeth.

"Ranran...next time...let's not do trading!"

He no longer envies those wealthy businessmen! You might earn money, but not live to spend it?

However, they couldn't turn back halfway through their journey. Without protection, if they encountered these ruthless bandits again, they would surely die.

Although the daughter does seem strong and knows martial arts, even a hero can't withstand a large number of people. If anything were to happen to them on the road, the Yu family would be finished!

Yu Wanran remained silent.

Whether she continues trading in the future is not up to others. She decides her own destiny!

Yu Wenbin noticed that his third sister looked indifferent. Just as he was about to speak, the young master from Ruicaotang, supporting his young master who seemed to have hurt his back, slowly walked over.

The second young master's brow was furrowed. He clutched his waist with one hand, his face contorted in pain. However, upon seeing Yu Wanran, he immediately lowered his hand, clasped his hands together, and bowed deeply to express his sincere gratitude.

"Miss Yu, thanks to you, my servant and I were saved. Miss Yu's martial arts skills are truly admirable, and Yan Cheng'an is deeply impressed!"

He proactively introduced himself, clearly no longer regarding the Yu family as strangers.

"Yan?"

Yu Wanran's heart stirred.

"In the capital, there is a Grand Secretary of the first rank, also surnamed Yan, who once served as the Grand Tutor to the current Emperor..."

"It was my grandfather."

Yan Cheng'an readily admitted it.

"Those bandits were probably after me. I'm very sorry for causing trouble for Miss Yu and her family."

Yu Wanran thought to herself, "Just as I expected." Zhenyuan Escort Agency's mission was actually to protect the young master of the Yan family.

No one expected that such a huge investment would be made in assassinating this Young Master Yan, and that it would involve collusion from within and without. If Yu Wanran hadn't happened to get involved and had no choice but to help, Yan Cheng'an would most likely never have been able to return to the capital.

The Yu family father and son stood to the side, their scalps tingling with unease.

A Grand Secretary of the First Rank—how high a position is that? Can he be more powerful than a Duke? But seeing my daughter's calm expression, he probably isn't a very high-ranking official, right?

Yu Wanran glanced at the burlap sack in the medicine boy's hand, turned the sword hilt upside down, and returned the sword with both hands.

"Young Master Yan, we owe our victory to your magnificent sword, which cuts through iron like mud. We now return it to you in its original condition!"

Yan Cheng'an looked at the sword she was holding, but did not take it. Instead, he smiled.

"This sword is nothing but scrap metal in my hands, utterly useless. Why not give it to Miss Yu? She'll surely find it invaluable when she travels in the future!"

Yu Wanran was taken aback and blurted out, "This sword is a priceless treasure, worth a fortune. Young Master Yan, are you really willing to give it away?"

Yan Cheng'an patted the young apprentice beside him and smiled slightly.

"I, Yan Cheng'an, am a living, breathing man. Do you think two lives, including Xiao Ze's, aren't worth a fortune?"

The young apprentice, Xiao Ze, was extremely grateful to Yu Wanran for saving him twice, and blurted out, "Miss Yu, please accept it! My young master has several such precious swords stored in his small storeroom."

His young master's martial arts skills are all show and no substance; he carries a sword for show, all fluff and no substance! But he never dares to say it out loud.

Yu Wanran thought that running a business in the future would inevitably be dangerous, and having a handy weapon would be like having an extra life.

Moreover, Yan Cheng'an is right. As a young master from a wealthy family, his net worth is far more than a thousand taels of silver. Accepting this sword means that the debt between the two parties is settled, and neither owes the other anything.

So she held the sword upside down and smiled slightly.

"Young Master Yan kindly presented me with this sword, so it would be impolite of me to refuse it."