Su Yunmo tilted her head, her expression one of surprise. "Really? But you all wanted to kill Mother just now, and Mo Mo never saw you when I visited Uncle's mansion before."
But who were these two groups, friend or foe?
Or perhaps neither were friends, and they merely wished to use her to achieve some objective.
"Not your current mother, at that time..." the short man suddenly paused, then frowned and barked, "You little girl, you're trying to trick me!"
"Guards, tie her up and take her back!"
Everyone surged forward.
Su Yunmo tutted, thinking it would have been better if he had reacted a moment slower.
The short man reached out to grab her, but a gust of wind from a punch struck him.
He stumbled back two steps.
Gui Sha stepped in front of Su Yunmo.
Everyone was greatly alarmed.
The short man frowned fiercely, finally realizing, "You deliberately led us here?"
He had underestimated this girl, but it didn't matter.
"Even if I did, what of it? You only have one guard. Do you think so many of us can't defeat him?"
Su Yunmo crossed her arms. "You can try."
"Attack!" The short man led the charge, engaging Gui Sha in battle.
Two people from the group circled around to grab Su Yunmo.
Just as their hands were about to touch her, a long sword flew from a distance, piercing one of them through the chest.
"My lord! Bad news, someone's here!" someone among the Southern Border people shouted.
Everyone then realized that the open space had been surrounded at some point.
Ye Jingyu emerged from the crowd, clad in black, his gaze sharp and his aura radiating a chilling intent. "Capture them. Leave no one who resists!"
"Yes!" The soldiers of Prince Yu's estate responded with a resounding echo, closing in on the Southern Border people.
There were at least thirty of them, while the Southern Border people numbered only seven, unable to resist.
"You lot, keep that dark guard occupied," the short man ordered in a deep voice, then swiftly attacked Su Yunmo, intending to capture her first.
Su Yunmo stood her ground, smiling at him. As he approached, a red light flashed in her eyes.
"Not good!" The short man's eyes widened in shock, but it was too late.
An invisible force surged towards him, sending him flying backward and spitting out a mouthful of blood.
"Retreat! Retreat quickly!"
The other two Southern Border people helped him up and fought their way in one direction.
The rest cleared a path ahead, leaving two to cover their retreat.
However, the soldiers of Prince Yu's estate were not to be trifled with. They quickly surrounded them again, blocking the opening they had managed to tear.
The short man gritted his teeth, pulled out a ceramic flute from his sleeve, and blew a note.
The sound was melodious and clear, yet possessed a jarring quality.
Then, a buzzing sound came from afar.
"Bees! It's bees!"
Countless bees flew from all directions, charging towards everyone.
One of the largest bees flew directly at Su Yunmo.
Ye Jingyu leaped forward in two or three strides, scooped up the little dumpling into his arms, drew the sword embedded in the tree, and cleaved the bee in half with a single strike.
But the soldiers of Prince Yu's estate did not possess such skill and were all stung, crying out.
The Southern Border people seized this opportunity to escape.
"Everyone, get down quickly!" Su Yunmo shouted.
Everyone obeyed and lay down.
Su Yunmo's pupils turned completely blood-red, and she clenched her fist in mid-air.
'Pop, pop, pop.'
All the bees exploded, not a single one remaining!
Qian Xue came to report, "My lord, besides the first one, another died in the chaos. The rest have escaped."
Su Yunmo: "Go and see."
Ye Jingyu paused for a moment, then walked to the two corpses.
The little dumpling jumped down and touched the necks of the dead.
Ye Jingyu frowned slightly in disapproval but did not stop her.
Qian Xue was puzzled. "Little Miss, the people are already dead. What else do you want to see?"
Even with her excellent medical skills, she couldn't bring the dead back to life.
"They are dead, but some things are worth looking at." Su Yunmo pushed aside the sleeve of one of them.
On his arm was a fiery red patterned mark.
Qian Xue was surprised and quickly lifted the other person's sleeve. Indeed, a pattern was also etched on his arm.
Su Yunmo's brow furrowed. "Wang Sheng Hua."
Qian Xue: "What is Wang Sheng Hua?"
Ye Jingyu's deep voice interjected, "Wang Sheng Hua is the tribal emblem of the 'Po Suo tribe' among the Southern Border people. This Po Suo tribe has served the royal family for generations."
Qian Xue suddenly understood. "Just like His Majesty's guards?"
Ye Jingyu shook his head. "There's a fundamental difference. The Po Suo tribe's loyalty is absolute."
"Legend has it that their ancestors signed a contract with the Southern Border royal family through a secret art. Their descendants can establish a connection with the royal descendants, trace the royal family's whereabouts, possess supreme inherited power, and at the same time, be controlled by others for eternity."
Qian Xue was confused. "Isn't the little Miss's mother a princess of the Southern Border? That means the little Miss also has royal blood. Why did these people want to kill her?"
"They didn't want to kill me, they wanted to take me away," Su Yunmo stood up, frowning.
But that made it even more perplexing. She had lived in the Marquis's mansion for over a decade, and the Southern Border people had never bothered her. Why would they suddenly decide to take her back now?
And their method of retrieval was rather peculiar.
Ye Jingyu glanced at the moon, then picked up the little dumpling. "Let's go back first. Your mother is still waiting for your news."
Su Yunmo yawned. "That's true. I'm tired too. I want to go back and sleep."
Ye Jingyu sent Qian Xue to prepare the carriage.
The little dumpling: "There's nothing more here. Gui Sha will also go and inform Mother that I'm fine."
Gui Sha cast a lingering glance at Ye Jingyu, paused for a moment, then left with Qian Xue.
The others began cleaning up the battlefield.
The little dumpling, perched on Ye Jingyu's shoulder, played with his hair. "We didn't catch anyone this time. It will be even harder to catch them alive in the future."
Ye Jingyu remained silent, walking towards the edge of the battlefield.
The little dumpling sighed and swung its short legs. "What do you think the origin of these Southern Border people is? Why do they all have special abilities?"
Lin Lang could control beasts, and the person just now could use sound to summon bees. If she hadn't had a few tricks up her sleeve herself, they would have been annihilated.
Ye Jingyu's footsteps quickened.
"Hey, I'm talking to you. Did you hear me?" The little dumpling kicked him.
Ye Jingyu stopped moving.
"Go on, why did you stop?" Su Yunmo pouted and looked up. "Did I offend you by kicking you? Then you're too..."
Ye Jingyu's eyes were bloodshot, veins bulging on his neck, and cold sweat beaded on his forehead. He gritted his teeth fiercely, his brows furrowed as if enduring immense pain.
This was not the first time Su Yunmo had seen him in this state.
Her words were cut short as she quickly looked up and saw that the moon was full.
Tonight was the full moon!
"Damn it! Ye Jingyu, hold on!" Su Yunmo placed her hands on his temples, but then remembered that her special abilities didn't work on him.
Qian Xue had to return to the estate to get the carriage, and it wouldn't be back anytime soon.
"Ugh!" He suddenly groaned, falling to one knee. His hands loosened, and the little dumpling he was holding was dropped to the ground.