Double Rebirth: The Scumbag Heroine is Terrified of the Yandere Prince! - Chapter 7

“Protect the Crown Princess!”

Qingying let out a sharp cry and was the first to draw her sword and charge forward!

She exchanged a swift, meaningful look with the leader of the bandits, and in an instant, they were engaged in a “fierce” battle. The rest of the bandits swarmed the other guards, and the scene descended into absolute chaos.

Looking at Shen Ruoli, who had fallen clumsily into the midst of the fray, Feng Qing’s gaze became increasingly dangerous. His grip on his sword hilt tightened until his knuckles turned white.

Master had said it clearly: This woman must never be trusted.

Every day she remained alive was another day of danger for his Master!

Perhaps today was the best opportunity to solve this problem once and for all. As long as she “died at the hands of bandits,” no one would be able to blame the Eastern Palace!

Just as Feng Qing was about to draw his blade, a cold, whistling sound cut through the air!

Swish!

An arrow, vibrating with immense power, shot from the dense forest and pierced through the chest of a bandit who was about to lunge at Shen Ruoli!

The force of the arrow was so great it sent the body flying back several feet.

Everyone froze.

Shen Ruoli sat on the cold ground, her breath hitching as she looked toward the direction the arrow had come from.

Beneath the mottled shadows of the trees, a man clad in black robes sat atop a tall, coal-black horse. He held a heavy recurve bow in his hand, looking like a god of death emerging from the darkness.

“Your Highness…” Shen Ruoli’s voice trembled.

It was Xie Xuanyin!

He hadn’t stayed in the palace—he had followed her!

Xie Xuanyin’s expression was hidden behind a mask of icy indifference. He didn’t look at the bandits; instead, his gaze was fixed entirely on Shen Ruoli. There was no warmth in his eyes, only a bottomless, swirling darkness that made one’s blood run cold.

“Crown Princess,” he spoke, his voice low and raspy, carrying a bone-chilling intent. “You said you came here to pray for the Empress. Are these ‘bandits’ part of your prayer?”

Shen Ruoli’s heart hammered against her ribs. She realized that despite her change in date, Xie Xuanyin still believed she was in league with the attackers. He didn’t come to save her—he came to catch her in the act!

The bandit leader, realizing the situation had turned south, gritted his teeth and roared, “Kill the Crown Prince! Wealth and glory to whoever takes his head!”

The fake skirmish with Qingying immediately turned into a real, desperate assault on Xie Xuanyin.

Seeing the bandits rush toward the man she loved, Shen Ruoli’s survival instinct was momentarily overridden by panic for him. She ignored her scraped knees and scrambled to her feet.

“Xie Xuanyin, be careful!”

At that moment, she saw Feng Qing. He wasn’t moving toward the bandits; instead, he had drawn his sword and was inching toward her back.

His intention was clear: In the chaos of the “rebel” attack, the Crown Princess was to be “accidently” silenced.

Shen Ruoli felt a wave of despair. Was this her fate? To die by the hand of the man she wanted to protect, just as she was trying to prove her loyalty?

“Feng Qing! Look out!”

Suddenly, a bandit—actually a hidden agent of Xie Xuansong—threw a concealed dagger toward Xie Xuanyin’s blind spot.

Without thinking, Shen Ruoli lunged forward. She didn’t have a weapon, but she used her own body to block the path of the flying dagger.

Puchi!

The sharp blade buried itself into her shoulder.

The world seemed to go silent.

Xie Xuanyin, who was just about to release another arrow, watched as the woman who had “betrayed” him in his past life threw herself into the line of fire for him.

His hand shook. The bowstring snapped back, but the arrow flew wild, missing its target.

“Shen Ruoli!”