Chapter 608: The Guardian's Silhouette

Zu'an was speechless for a moment. The Crown Princess was, after all, a beautiful woman, soft and fragrant, so he could reluctantly bring himself to hold her. The Crown Prince himself was as fat as a pig, and his clothes still bore grease stains and pastry crumbs from wiping his hands after eating. "Who the hell would want to hug you? Don't you have any self-awareness?"

He subtly shifted sideways, holding the Crown Princess by her soft waist. Then, with a gentle force, he pushed the Crown Prince away, while speaking with righteous indignation: "Your Royal Highness, I still need to confront the enemy. If I were to hold you, I wouldn't have a free hand to deal with these assassins."

The Crown Prince pouted, pointing at the Crown Princess in Zu'an's arms. "Then just put her aside and hold me instead, can't you?"

Zu'an was dumbfounded. What a brilliant logician! For a moment, Zu'an couldn't find words to refute him. "But shouldn't your main concern be that I'm holding your wife? Why aren't you showing any sign of jealousy?"

Just then, with a soft grunt, Qiu Honglei charged forward, sword in hand. Her blade wasn't aimed at Zu'an, but at the Crown Princess in his arms. Parrying the attack, Zu'an secretly transmitted a message using his vital energy: "Honglei, what's wrong?"

"Nothing much," Qiu Honglei scoffed, "just dealing with a vixen who can trip on flat ground. Do you take us for idiots?" The more she spoke, the more annoyed she became. She had often seen at the Immortal Residence how the madams trained the girls to subtly attract men; this was one of their common tricks. She had been utterly disdainful of such tactics at the time, but she never imagined that one day a woman would use them on her... *ahem*, on her friend.

Zu'an smiled wryly, "She's the dignified Crown Princess; how could she be trying to seduce me? She's clearly just exhausted from the continuous battles with all of you."

"Hmph, these foxy tricks easily mislead you smelly men. Women understand women," Qiu Honglei snorted, her attacks growing more urgent.

Zu'an was speechless. He could only instinctively parry, worried that Qiu Honglei might injure the Crown Princess, and equally worried that he might accidentally injure Qiu Honglei. It was a real headache.

The other assassins also reacted, rushing forward in concern for their Saintess. Now it was Qiu Honglei's turn to be conflicted. She worried about accidentally hurting Zu'an, yet she couldn't obviously hold back her attacks, or others would notice. The dilemma was so vexing it felt like her chest was about to burst.

At this point, the Crown Princess gradually recovered. She had only been momentarily weakened just now. Coming back to her senses, she found herself nestled in the arms of the Gold-Token Embroidered Uniform Guard and couldn't help but feel deeply embarrassed. Having grown up in a prestigious family within the secluded inner chambers, she had never been touched by a man in such a way. She hadn't even held hands, let alone been embraced like this. Even after marrying the Crown Prince, she had always felt uncomfortable. Coupled with the Crown Prince's inherent foolishness, she had never allowed him to touch her. Yet now, a mere guard had taken such liberties? In her eyes, the Embroidered Uniform Guard was merely a palace guard, albeit a high-ranking one.

She initially wanted to struggle free; being embraced like this in front of everyone would severely damage her reputation. However, she immediately noticed the situation: everyone around them was attacking the Gold-Token Guard. If she made a sudden move, she might cause him to expose a weakness that the enemies could exploit. She suppressed the urge to push him away, quietly observing the attacks of the surrounding assassins. However, her heart soon became flustered. This was because she felt the powerful hand on her waist. Its warmth penetrated her thin dress, directly entering her body, as if an invisible force was spreading out, gradually plucking at her heartstrings.

She instinctively looked up at the man holding her. Although he wore a fierce and majestic mask, his eyes were clear, bright, and full of spirit—truly captivating. Especially his focused gaze when facing enemies, and how he neutralized all incoming attacks from every direction with every movement. He was truly so handsome... What maiden doesn't harbor romantic feelings?

Once upon a time, she too would read romance novels in her secluded chambers, smiling wistfully and even rolling in her bed with shyness when the story touched her heart. But ever since she became the Crown Princess, all her youthful fantasies had shattered, and she had never read a romance novel again. Wasn't this the very scenario she had fantasized about—her own man protecting her like this, even if it meant standing against the entire world! If only the Crown Prince could be like him...

She instinctively glanced at the Crown Prince beside her. Seeing his plump face and small eyes almost swallowed by the flesh, she sighed softly to herself. What angered her even more was that the Crown Prince, seeing another man embracing his wife, was not only unafraid but was applauding and cheering him on. Although she knew he was cheering for the Gold-Token Guard's martial prowess, the Crown Princess's heart remained cold. How could the Crown Prince be so utterly thoughtless? In truth, she didn't expect her husband to be some towering hero, but at least he should be a normal person. Compared to him, the Gold-Token Embroidered Uniform Guard holding her made her feel far more secure.

Normally, she wasn't so weak, but too much had happened today. After successive battles, she had felt the proximity of death for the first time. When a person faces extreme danger, their heart pounds violently, and they unleash immense potential. But after that surge, one becomes extremely weak and fatigued, and she was currently in that state.

"How shameless!" a furious shout came from nearby. She noticed an assassin staring intently at her. The Crown Princess immediately realized that her current appearance must be utterly disgraceful. Even the assassins couldn't bear to look. If others in the palace saw her like this, how could she ever face anyone again? Disregarding everything else, seeing that the man beside her had just repelled an assassin, she struggled out of his arms and quickly went to her husband's side, her heart pounding.

The Crown Prince, standing nearby, asked curiously, "Linglong, why is your face so red? Are you sick? Should I get the imperial physician to prescribe some medicine for you?"

"Shut up!" the Crown Princess snapped irritably.

"Oh~" The Crown Prince's face was full of grievance, but he had always been afraid of his wife, so he dared not retort.

At this moment, Qiu Honglei's attacks grew increasingly fierce. She huffily transmitted a message: "No wonder you tried to stop me! So it was all for this woman! As expected, you only care for the new, forgetting the old." Thinking of how the Crown Princess had just been clinging to him, looking at him tenderly, an unholy rage flared in her heart.

Rage value from Qiu Honglei: +233, +233, +233...

Zu'an also had a headache. "You've got it all wrong! I was about to quietly slip away once I knew it was you. You have such a powerful master to look after you, and who knew this Crown Princess would run to me herself?"

"And by the way, when did you become my 'old love'?"

Qiu Honglei's face was stern. "Then you could have just ignored her."

Zu'an said dejectedly, "But I'm officially a palace member right now. If I stood by and did nothing, I'd definitely be dead afterwards."

Qiu Honglei knew he was telling the truth, but she was still annoyed. "Those are all just excuses! You're just doing it because the Crown Princess is pretty. If she looked like the Crown Prince, would you still protect her like this?"

Zu'an was speechless. He was genuinely at a loss for words. If the Crown Princess truly looked like a pig, he probably wouldn't have been so proactive.

Qiu Honglei sneered, "Heh, men!"

Just as Zu'an was about to say something, a scream suddenly came from Shi Miao nearby. He saw Shi Miao spitting blood and falling into the house, while the woman he was fighting didn't stop, flying directly towards them. Zu'an's expression instantly changed. Although the opponent flew over with elegant grace, he knew how terrifying her attacks could be. He wasn't confident he could protect the Crown Princess from her full assault, and even protecting himself would be a struggle.

Just as he was hesitating whether to make a quick escape, a series of resonant vibrations suddenly came from his waist token. His heart stirred, and he puffed out his chest, shielding Bi Linglong behind him. "Crown Princess, be careful! Take the Crown Prince and stand behind me. I will protect you!"

By this time, the Demon Sect Leader had already reached him. Her terrifying oppressive aura made it difficult to breathe. Just then, a sinister voice came from behind: "What lowly scoundrels dare to cause trouble in the Imperial Palace!"