Zhao Heng stood before him, his stance relaxed. Behind him was a group of guards from Jade Moon Villa.

When his eyes passed over the unconscious woman on the horse, a barely noticeable frown creased his forehead. The next moment, he looked away and fixed his murderous gaze upon Jiang Chong.

Some time ago, his subordinates had found a group of unwanted visitors inquiring about Chen Qiyu’s whereabouts in Thousand Village City. He then ordered his subordinates to keep an eye on the Chen Village and report any unusual happenings to him right away.

Sure enough, his subordinates discovered that an outsider had entered the Chen Village that night.

Out of worry for Chen Qiyu, he came in person right after receiving the news.

He did not expect that he would actually encounter someone abducting Chen Qiyu.

Before Jiang Chong could open his mouth, he said, “Put her down, and I’ll consider sparing your life!”

Jiang Chong scoffed. “You want to be the hero who saves the damsel in distress? Let’s see if you have what it takes!”

“Well then, let’s see if you can leave the Chen Village in one piece.” Zhao Heng shook his sleeves and several hidden weapons shot out and streaked toward Jiang Chong like lightning. At the same time, he drew his sword, sending a mighty wave of sword intent in Jiang Chong’s direction.

Startled, Jiang Chong threw himself backward to dodge the hidden weapons, but before he could straighten up, another barrage of Zhao Heng’s attacks descended upon him.

He wrinkled his brow, realizing that he had underestimated this vagrant swordsman.

However, he was no easy opponent either. Before Zhao Heng’s sword intent could strike him, he pushed off his toes and launched himself into the air.

Zhao Heng followed him closely and aimed directly for his vital parts, refusing to give him time to catch his breath.

While the two were engaged in battle, the guards from Jade Moon Villa swarmed toward the unconscious Chen Qiyu and carried her down from the horse.

Jiang Chong’s misjudgment of Zhao Heng’s abilities had already put him at a disadvantage, and the latter’s attacks continued to catch him off guard.

When he saw that Chen Qiyu had fallen into their hands, his face turned pale, and in a moment of panic, he ended up leaving himself open for Zhao Heng to attack.

Sprrt!

Zhao Heng’s palm strike sent a stream of blood spraying out of Jiang Chong’s mouth. Noticing that Chen Xuping had also arrived at the scene, he decided to retreat, and after forcing Zhao Heng back with a feint, made his escape.

Recently, the imperial court had been closely monitoring Xuyang. To avoid unnecessary trouble, he had come alone for Chen Qiyu without a single guard by his side.

Everything had been going smoothly until that vagrant swordsman showed up out of nowhere and caused him to fail his mission.

Next time, it might not be so easy to seize Chen Qiyu anymore.

Meanwhile, Chen Xuping had successfully put out the fire and rescued Duke Chen and Aunt Liu. After learning that Chen Qiyu had been abducted, he tracked her all the way here, only to find the man in black fleeing the scene.

However, he was still relieved to see that Chen Qiyu had been rescued.

“Zhao Heng, you’ve really saved the day this time!” He walked up to Zhao Heng and thanked him sincerely.

Zhao Heng shot him a glance before sheathing his sword and saying indifferently, “I didn’t do it for you.”

With that, he made his way over to his subordinates. He furrowed his brow at the sight of the still unconscious woman, but just when he was about to bend down and pick her up, Chen Xuping appeared beside him. “I’ll do it.”

Zhao Heng had been a little hesitant at first, but the moment he heard this, he swiftly scooped Chen Qiyu into his arms.

Chen Xuping stared at him with a frown.

“What are you staring at? Am I not allowed to carry her?” Zhao Heng was unfazed, but there was an aggressive edge in his tone.

Chen Xuping let out an exasperated laugh. “As her brother, I have all the right to carry her. But who are you to her?”

Zhao Heng suddenly flashed him an infuriating grin. “I’m her future husband.”

Chen Xuping narrowed his eyes. “Are you serious?”

“When have you seen me not serious?” Zhao Heng cocked an eyebrow.

Chen Xuping was at a loss for words.

Zhao Heng gazed at the woman lying motionless in his arms, and remembering something, said ruefully, “It’s a pity that there’s too much emotional baggage weighing her down. I wonder when she’ll be able to let it go.”

Chen Xuping patted him on the shoulder. “If you really don’t mind her past, you should impress her with your sincerity.”

His gaze landed on his sister’s face.

After all the suffering she had been through, he hoped that she would be able to spend the rest of her life in happiness.

Moreover, he understood Zhao Heng’s character. Since he had said so, that meant that he was truly serious.