After being reborn, I became the apple of my enemy's eye.

Ru Qing hugged Yan Yun tightly.

"Miss, please don't get hurt because of me anymore."

Yan Yun's face, splattered with blood, calmed down after seeing Ru Qing.

"Let me go first."

Ru Qing still held on tightly.

"I will not intervene again."

Ru Qing then let go.

Yan Yun found a tree and climbed up first. She reached out to Ru Qing, wanting to pull Ru Qing up with her: "As long as we hold on until tomorrow daytime, we'll definitely find an opportunity."

"Miss, I'll stay by your side."

Ru Qing stood guard near the tree, ready to be bait if anyone spotted her.

"You'll only be spotted faster if you stand there."

Ru Qing then followed Yan Yun up the tree, where the leaves conveniently concealed the two of them.

Yan Yun climbed up and looked at the Zheng residence not far away from a higher position.

This big tree provides a clear view of the Zheng residence.

Outside the Zheng residence, there were still many shadowy figures lurking around, while inside the Zheng residence, piles of things were being thrown out.

They're all taking advantage of the chaos.

Yan Yun didn't care about those things.

She wondered where the old lady and Lu Yan would go. Had they also hidden themselves? Thinking of Lu Yuan, Yan Yun felt a pang of sadness. The child was still so young; she hoped nothing bad would happen to him.

The sounds could be clearly heard from inside the Zheng residence, but no one appeared around.

Although the location in the tree was not comfortable, it was safer than expected. The bandits had no idea that Yan Yun and Ru Qing were hiding in a nearby tree.

Ru Qing trembled all over, her eyes fixed on the ground below.

Every minute and every second of that time was torture, both mentally and physically.

Until dawn.

The surrounding noise prompted them to open the tightly closed doors.

A sound came from below.

"The Zheng residence was also attacked by bandits last night. Go, go and take a look."

Amidst the commotion coming from below.

Yan Yun wanted to climb down the tree.

Ru Qing blocked her way, saying, "Miss, you hide here first, I'll go check." She would also bring back food, and Ru Qing didn't want Yan Yun to take any risks before confirming that it was safe.

Yan Yun had to go.

She has things she needs to be sure of.

Her gaze was sharp as she looked toward the Zheng residence.

She wanted to identify the old lady's body herself.

From the tree, she had confirmed that the bandits had left.

She told Ruqing that you had been robbed by those bandits, and everyone in the city was in danger. There was no force to protect you. Those who dared to stand outside the Zheng Mansion at this time must have already confirmed that the bandits had left, otherwise they would not have dared to stand outside the Zheng Mansion.

Yan Yun wanted to get down from the tree.

Ru Qing was still worried and tried to stop her again and again.

"Miss, please don't be impulsive."

"It's fine."

Yan Yun jumped straight down from the tree.

"Miss!"

Ru Qing jumped down from the tree in a panic, following behind Yan Yun.

Last night, the man Yan Yun killed was lying on the ground. Ru Qing was trembling all over. Although people were dying one after another, Ru Qing was terrified to see people being killed because of her.

Having lived a second life and lost his mother before his very eyes, Yan Yun had long since become indifferent to life and death.

She comforted Ruqing, "Just avoid him."

The two walked around the backyard, and when the backyard gate was opened, no one inside shouted at them again.

Ru Qing looked around.

There was no one around. "Miss."

With Ru Qing's anxious voice.

Yan Yun had already stepped into the courtyard, and he was looking down at the ground.

Ru Qing looked down and saw Lu Yuan lying on the ground, wearing Yan Yun's outer robe. A knife was stuck in his back, and the outer robe was covered with bloodstains from being trampled.

Lu Yuan's body was still facing the door.

Yan Yun looked at the wide-open door and remembered what Lu Yuan had said last night, which had become his last words.

He thought of Lu Yan, the young man, who, in such a predicament, still had Lu Yuan come to save him. What was his own situation like?

Yan Yun took off his outer robe and covered Lu Yuan's body.

"Let's go check out the other courtyards."

The Zheng family mansion, where Yan Yun had been imprisoned for most of his life, was once as prosperous as it is now in ruins. The walls were covered in bloodstains, and the ground was littered with the corpses of servants and maids.

Ru Qing didn't dare to move forward. She felt dizzy and her eyes were throbbing as she walked behind her. "Miss."

Seeing that the young lady was striding forward with no sign of stopping, I had no choice but to bite the bullet and follow her.

Yan Yun looked at the corpses and checked each face.

They searched the entire backyard but couldn't find the old lady, Lu Yan, or Granny Zhu; they were all gone.

Did they run away?

Just as Yan Yun was looking intently, he heard other people talking around him, "We're late, we're late."

Ru Qing grabbed Yan Yun's hand. "Miss, get out of the way."

Yan Yun and Ru Qing hid beside the corpse.

Several men in plain clothes walked in.

"Are they all dead?"

They examined the corpses one by one, and their expressions remained unchanged even after discovering that there were no survivors.

"If it had happened earlier, none of this would have happened. How are we going to explain this to the young master?"

"who knows?"

As they were talking, one of them pulled aside the corpse that was blocking Yan Yun and the others' way.

"Aren't there still survivors?"

Ru Qing immediately stepped in front of Yan Yun: "Miss, you go first."

The two men who had drawn their swords paused.

"Miss? Is she Miss Zheng?"

Ru Qing looked at them, her hands and feet trembling, but she still mustered up the courage to answer, "I, I am."

The two men immediately sheathed their knives and said to Ru Qing, "Don't worry, we're here to protect you."

The words fell.

Someone jogged over from outside the courtyard.

The newcomer was Lu Yan, who looked at the two of them, panting, and asked, "Have you found it?"

When Yan Yun heard the voice and saw the person, he knew he was not dead and lowered his head.

Lu Yan spotted Yan Yun, strode forward, and picked her up in his arms. "Cousin Ning'er, thank goodness you're safe and sound."

The two looked at Lu Yan.

This?

Ru Qing knew that they were there to protect someone, so she immediately explained that Yan Yun was the young lady. The two guys were not surprised, after all, calling someone else "young lady" and saying that they were the young lady themselves.

Lu Yan felt the arm protecting him and immediately released Yan Yun. He apologized, "It happened so suddenly, I was rude."

Yan Yun lowered his head, not paying much attention.

Lu Yan told Yan Yun that after the bandits broke in, Granny Zhu took the old lady and hid first. Since she was nearby, she stayed with her and hid in the secret passage.

Lu Yuan said he would go find Yan Yun for him, but when he looked next to Yan Yun, he didn't see Lu Yuan.

Ru Qing followed, her face also turning sorrowful.

His gaze darkened, and he considered the worst possible outcome.

He lowered his head, his expression shifting from relief at finding Yan Yun to silence, and led Yan Yun forward.

"I'll take you to the old lady's side first."

Yan Yun remembered the boy who used to steal glances at her, who died for his master. She reached out and grabbed Lu Yan, stopping him from going any further.

Lu Yan stopped in his tracks and, seeing Yan Yun's expression, he roughly understood what she meant.

"Let's leave here first. I'll come find him once you're safe."

They couldn't stay at the Zheng family mansion any longer, so Lu Yan led the guards to escort Yan Yun to meet up with the old lady.

In the secret passage, Yan Yun returned to the Zheng residence to see her corpse, but she was still alive and well, which made him feel somewhat disappointed.

Seeing that Yan Yun was safe and sound, the old lady did not say much and instructed Lu Yan to take them away from the Zheng residence and move to another place.

The underground passage connects to other exits.

They exited the secret passage.

The two men were driving a horse-drawn carriage.

Inside the carriage, Lu Yan told the old lady that he had already sent someone to deliver a message, which he believed would soon reach Zheng Jihua.

The old lady clenched her fists. Who could have imagined that the Zheng family would suffer such a calamity? If it weren't for Granny Zhu's quick reaction, she herself would probably have become a victim of the knife.

She looked at Granny Zhu and said, "Thank you for your hard work, Yan'er."

Granny Zhu shook her head.

"It is what this servant should do."

The old lady wanted to comfort Yan Yun, but Yan Yun and Ru Qing were hiding in the corner of the carriage. After such a thing happened, they didn't even come to greet their grandmother first. So the old lady didn't expect her to do anything. Fortunately, she had Lu Yan by her side first.

She looked at Lu Yan and asked, "Who are those two?"