Chapter 28: Facing the Battle
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“I may have offended a few people recently, but there are not many who would dare cause trouble so openly. I suspect the person behind this must possess an exceedingly noble status. That is the only reason they could be so arrogant and lawless.”
The black-clad men exchanged glances, a trace of panic surfacing in their hearts.
The leader sneered viciously. “Since you know you have offended someone, then even if you die, you will have brought it upon yourselves!”
“You should have considered your own abilities before offending people. Do you really think you can afford to provoke just anyone?”
His words were practically an outright admission that the person behind them held a status far above their own.
That person could only be Princess Huai’an.
He was practically spelling it out for her.
What an idiot!
Princess Huai’an had actually sent such a fool to deal with her. She clearly was not much smarter herself.
Lin Pianran shook her head lightly. “Is that so? Then what if we refuse to accept our fate and choose to fight to the bitter end? What will you do?”
“You dare lay hands on noble young ladies. If anything happens to us, the authorities will trace it straight back to you. Do you think you and the master behind you will be able to escape the consequences?”
The black-clad men looked at the frail young women before them and burst into laughter, not taking their opponents seriously at all.
Underestimating one’s enemy was a grave taboo.
They did not understand that.
Several of them sneered. “That depends on whether you have the ability to back up your threats.”
“Little ladies, I advise you to surrender obediently and spare yourselves a beating. When the time comes, do not blame your brothers here for being ruthless and showing no mercy to pretty faces!”
“Since you refuse to appreciate our kindness, we have no choice but to use force.”
“Brothers, move!”
Lin Pianran was not intimidated in the least. She drew an inconspicuous black rod from her wide sleeve, cast a cold glance at the black-clad men, and swung it without hesitation at the one charging toward her.
Her movements were exceptionally nimble as she darted among the men.
In the blink of an eye, three of them had been struck in succession. They lay on the ground, their bodies twitching, unconscious and utterly incapable of fighting back.
The others stared at one another, astonished by the turn of events.
Had they not been told these were merely a few delicate women?
How could they be so formidable?
It seemed they had underestimated their opponents.
Several men focused their attack on Lin Pianran alone, using every skill at their disposal in an attempt to seize her.
Lin Pianran dodged left and right, the black rod in her hand whistling through the air.
When an opening appeared, she flicked out two throwing darts.
After wounding two men in succession, she took advantage of their weakness and struck them with the black rod, rendering them unconscious as well.
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In less than the time it took to drink a cup of tea, five of the eight black-clad men had already lost the ability to fight.
Only three remained standing and capable of facing their enemy.
Only then did panic begin to spread among them.
The leader glanced at the other two and ordered coldly, “I will attack from the front. You two flank her from either side. The three of us must take this little woman down!
“Otherwise, not only will we be unable to report back, we will also fall into this woman’s hands. We certainly will not receive any leniency!”
The other two exchanged glances and nodded.
The three men charged at Lin Pianran together, their faces twisted into savage expressions.
Tianzhu was using a dagger to swiftly cut through the ropes binding Huanxue’s hands.
As she freed Huanxue, she kept a close eye on her mistress’s battle.
She had never imagined that her mistress could be so powerful.
In the blink of an eye, she had felled five black-clad men.
Tianzhu was no less shocked than anyone else.
She had never expected her mistress to become so formidable.
Not only had her personality grown extraordinarily forceful, allowing no one an inch, but her martial skills had also become astonishingly impressive.
If Tianzhu had not accompanied her mistress since childhood and cared for her every day without ever leaving her side, she would have suspected that her mistress had been secretly replaced.
Yet because of the deep bond between them, she firmly believed that her mistress had merely concealed her abilities all along.
Now, at last, she had begun to reveal her true brilliance and astonish everyone.
Huanxue had initially been deeply worried about Lin Pianran’s safety. Afraid that her mistress could not handle so many black-clad men alone, she had anxiously urged Tianzhu, “Hurry! We still have to go help our mistress!”
But now that she saw her mistress had single-handedly felled five of them, leaving the rest no longer a threat, Huanxue was utterly bewildered.
At last, she let out a long sigh of relief, a delighted smile spreading across her face.
At that moment, Lin Pianran took two more small throwing darts from her clothing and gently waved them before the three remaining black-clad men.
“I have two darts left. Who do you think I should give them to?”
The men exchanged frightened glances.
Even their forward advance came to a halt.
Princess Huai’an, who had been hiding nearby and watching everything unfold, had never expected Lin Pianran to be so capable.
In such a short time, she had completely reversed the situation and turned defeat into victory.
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A savage light flashed in her eyes. She ordered the two palace maids beside her, “The two of you, go and help them at once. You must capture Lin Pianran!”
“Today, Lin Pianran absolutely must not escape my grasp. I will ruin her reputation completely.”
One of the palace maids spoke anxiously. “Princess, if we both leave, there will be no one beside you. What will happen to you?”
“You deliberately sent away all the hidden guards protecting you. If we leave as well, who will protect your safety?”
Huai’an’s face was twisted with rage and madness. Her reason had been overwhelmed, and all she wanted now was to teach Lin Pianran a lesson.
She replied recklessly, “There is no one else here. As long as you deal with Lin Pianran, my safety will not be a problem. You need not worry about me.”
The two maids had no choice but to obey.
However, the moment they rushed out of the woods, before they had even reached Lin Pianran, Tianzhu and Huanxue blocked their path.
The four women quickly clashed, battling fiercely on equal terms.
By then, Lin Pianran had taken down another black-clad man.
Even while facing two men alone, she remained completely at ease.
When the opportunity arose, she flicked out another dart.
Another black-clad man collapsed with a cry.
Seeing that the situation had turned against him, the last remaining man turned and fled.
Lin Pianran sent another dart flying, striking him in the leg.
His escape slowed immediately.
Lin Pianran rushed forward, knocked him unconscious, and then rendered the other fallen man unconscious as well.
When she turned around, she saw that her two maids had thoroughly overwhelmed Princess Huai’an’s two palace maids.
Several wounds had already opened across their bodies, blood steadily pouring from them.
They looked utterly wretched.
Seeing the situation, Lin Pianran smiled in satisfaction.
After another quarter of an hour, the two palace maids were finally beaten to the ground, unable to rise again.
Only then did Princess Huai’an, still hiding in the woods, realize that matters had taken a disastrous turn.
She quietly attempted to escape.
Lin Pianran walked over to the two palace maids and planted her foot on one of them, grinding down hard.
“Where is Princess Huai’an? If you tell me honestly, you can spare yourself some suffering.”
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