Hearing this voice, Tang Jiaojiao was stunned for a moment.

Just as she was about to respond, suddenly, her throat ached, and her whole body was dragged backward, strangled.

At the same time, someone rushed in.

"Zhao Jing! Let go of her!" Li Yao pounced in, grabbing and biting at Zhao Jing’s hand.

Zhao Jing held Tang Jiaojiao with one hand and pulled Li Yao away with the other, his eyes always fixed on the person who broke in.

After entering, the person first glared fiercely at Tang Jiaojiao: "I’ll deal with you when we get back!" Then he bowed and smiled at Zhao Jing, "My younger sister has been spoiled since young, making Brother Zhao laugh. I will certainly discipline her strictly in the future."

Zhao Jing was unmoved, gave a signal with his eyes, and then people rushed in with drawn swords.

The attack was fierce, with a hidden intent to kill!

Tang Ziqian’s gaze turned cold, and just as he was about to grab a sword to defend himself, suddenly heard a "tear" sound.

The sound was like tearing silk.

He was taken aback, quickly glanced over, and his moves immediately halted.

He saw Tang Jiaojiao pressing her robe that was about to slip off from her chest with both arms, her expression extremely shamed and angry.

Her shoulder sleeve was completely torn, revealing her jade-like arm and fragrant shoulder, fairer than snow, piercing Tang Ziqian’s eyes blood-red in an instant!

"You dog!"

The roar had not finished when his shoulder was in pain.

Those brought by Zhao Jing were all skilled, and this distraction caused Tang Ziqian to be slashed on the shoulder.

Blood splattered.

Tang Ziqian staggered forward a step, disregarding stabilizing his body, he raised his sword to block in reverse.

Zhao Jing looked on with a cold smile.

Both were reborn individuals, since Tang Jiaojiao was against him, she must die.

If he could also take down Tang Ziqian, it would be an unexpected joy, as both Zhenzhou and the Court needed to rid of the Duke Yan Mansion.

He pinched Tang Jiaojiao’s jaw to prevent her from biting her tongue to commit suicide in a fit of rage, while reaching for her other sleeve, intending to repeat the trick.

Suddenly, a pain shot through his arm!

He turned his head, staring at Li Yao in astonishment.

She was holding a golden hairpin with both hands, the end of the hairpin had viciously stabbed into his arm.

Blood splattered onto her deathly pale face, making her look pitiful and wretched.

"Let her go..." Li Yao murmured.

Zhao Jing glanced at the blood on his arm, saying flatly: "You go inside and rest for a while, it’ll be over soon."

While saying this, suddenly noticed Li Yao’s pupils dilate with terror, reflecting the cold gleaming blade behind him.

In just an instant, the cold light penetrated, his back in excruciating pain.

Too fast!

His hand had just moved from Tang Jiaojiao’s chin and hadn’t yet reached her throat when he was forcefully pulled away and casually thrown to the ground.

As he landed, he lay facing upward, seeing Tang Jiaojiao fall into a man’s arms.

That man had sword-like brows and starry eyes, outstandingly handsome, a true dragon among men.

In his previous life, he had seen this person standing side by side with the equally unparalleled Miss Qin, radiating like the sun and moon, with no shadow of Tang Jiaojiao by his side.

But at this moment, this person held Tang Jiaojiao, the evil woman, as if she were a rare treasure.

Zhao Jing suddenly laughed: "Li Xingyuan..."

Li Xingyuan didn’t even glance at him, inspecting Tang Jiaojiao and asking, "Are you alright?" His tone was indescribably anxious and caring.

Zhao Jing coughed a laugh.

He hadn’t managed to kill Li Xingyuan, but Tang Jiaojiao had achieved her wish of attaching herself to Li Xingyuan.

Did he lose?

No.

"The informant hiding in the Duke Yan Mansion... do you want to know who it is?" Zhao Jing said.

He didn’t speak loudly, but Li Xingyuan didn’t seem as if he hadn’t noticed him either.

Hearing this, he leaned down and looked at him.

"Who is it?" Li Xingyuan asked.

Back when Zhao Jing fled to Zhenzhou, he brought two pieces of information that made him untouchable.

First, he knew the Crown Prince was hiding in the Duke Yan Mansion;

Second, there was another in the Duke Yan Mansion who knew about the Crown Prince’s whereabouts.

Zhao Jing had kept silent about who that person was. Now, on the brink of death, he was willing to say?

Li Xingyuan examined him, not without caution in his heart.

Zhao Jing smiled again, lowering his voice to only a whisper between him and Li Xingyuan.

Li Xingyuan’s expression changed several times, coldly staring at him.

Zhao Jing began to laugh aloud.

But after just two laughs, he was interrupted by the blood rushing up his throat.

Coughing, he reached for Li Yao.

In her haste to get off the bed, she wore only a pair of plain colored silk socks, stained with dust and blood, yet still appeared noble and untouched.

"Ah Yao..." he called lowly, clutching at her skirt.

Li Yao remained in the posture of holding the golden hairpin, dazedly watching him, unresponsive.

He looked up and smiled at her.

"Ah Yao... if there’s another life... I’ll, I’ll come, come find you again..."

Her eyes gradually refocused, tears forming, falling suddenly as she shook her head, scalding as they landed on his face.

"Ah Yao..." With his last strength, he held her ankle, "Next time, no one, no one will separate us again..."

The force on her ankle faded, and soon, the golden hairpin in Li Yao’s hand also fell to the ground.

She collapsed on her knees, staring blankly at Zhao Jing.

Zhao Jing lay there with his eyes open, a faint smile still on his face.

She murmured, "Don’t come find me again, don’t..."

Zhao Jing made no reply.

Li Xingyuan checked for his breath, saying, "He’s dead."

Her eyes flickered, trembling as she reached out as if to check his breath too.

Just as she was about to reach, she suddenly pulled back, placing her hand on his face.

His face was still warm.

The forehead was warm too.

But when she brushed over the eyes, they softly closed.

As if he had fallen asleep.

"Zhao Jing..." she called softly, tears welling up...

...

Li Xingyuan shook his head, and as he stood up, heard a nearby voice ask, "Really dead? Dead for sure?"

The tone carried indignation with an air of superiority, as lively as ever, seemingly unaffected.

Li Xingyuan couldn’t help but laugh, saying, "Dead sure, dead so much that he can’t be more dead!"

As he spoke, turning his head, he saw skin like creamy jade.

A slender neck, sculpted bone lines, the half-exposed edge like snow mountains, so riveting that Li Xingyuan was momentarily entranced.

"Slap!" Tang Jiaojiao pressed her clothes against her chest, slapping his face with the other hand, angrily saying, "Where are you looking! Didn’t you see the young master is injured? Go help him!"

Li Xingyuan rubbed his face, took off his outer garment, and draped it over her.

The fight outside had already ended.

Li Xingyuan had not come alone. Although he left in a hurry, his trusted experts had followed.

By the time he found a chance to rescue her, others were helping Tang Ziqian.

When the young miss shouted for him to help, Tang Ziqian had already finished the fight and was walking over, incidentally taking off his own outer garment and replacing Li Xingyuan’s.

He casually tossed Li Xingyuan’s clothes aside, touched Li Yao’s head, and looked up at Li Xingyuan, "What did Zhao Jing say to you just now?"

"Nothing," Li Xingyuan dodged the question with a calm expression, saying, "You all go back first, I’ll handle the aftermath here."

"You’ll handle it?" Tang Ziqian sneered, "Something happened at Pingyang Temple, why should you handle the aftermath?" Li Xingyuan was also a person with an identity that couldn’t withstand scrutiny.

Li Xingyuan glanced at the people subdued outside: "I need to take these people away." Those brought by Zhao Jing were certainly people from Changshan Prince Mansion, they couldn’t fall into the hands of the imperial guard.

Tang Ziqian smiled, "Will they listen to you?"

Li Xingyuan silently turned and walked outside.

People outside only then saw his face clearly, their expressions instantly changing: "Princely Heir!"

"Princely Heir?" Tang Jiaojiao suddenly looked up at him.