Chapter 110: When Blades and Spears Stand Tall

With eyes like those of a wild beast fixed upon her, Wu Yun felt a chill run through her entire body.

The last time she had felt this way was the very first time she met Wei Hou, when he casually glanced her over.

Now, standing before her was a youth of sixteen or seventeen, yet he evoked the same absurd sense of dread, making her want to tell herself that none of this was real.

But she could not fool her own heart; that instinctive, deeply rooted fear remained unshaken.

Wei Wuji stepped forward, and the imperial guards retreated one step; no one dared stand before him.

Wu Yun recoiled, her face pale with terror, instinctively wanting to put distance between herself and Wei Wuji.

She felt humiliated, her pride deeply wounded.

Who was she? Wu Yun, the highly esteemed personal maid of Lady Wei, a figure of formidable presence throughout the entire palace city.

And yet now, she found herself afraid, forced to retreat before a mere boy.

“What do you want?” Wu Yun clenched her fists tightly, summoning her courage to demand.

Wei Wuji’s expression remained unchanged, cold and ruthless; he looked at Wu Yun as if she were already dead.

Without the soldiers backing her, Wu Yun was nothing more than an ordinary, fragile woman.

But as the saying went, everything could be lost, but not face.

Wu Yun kept up a defiant front, clinging to the illusion that she was still Lady Wei’s servant—who would dare touch her?

Would Wei Wuji dare? A lowly illegitimate son!

Wei Wuji said nothing, only advancing steadily, his face grim and emotionless.

When he reached her, he stopped, looking down on Wu Yun with a superior air.

Intimidated by his imposing presence, Wu Yun averted her gaze to avoid his sharp glare.

“What are you going to do?” she asked again, forcing herself to remain composed in front of the other maids.

“To teach you some manners!” Wei Wuji replied coldly.

Unexpectedly, he actually responded. Yet the content of his words made Wu Yun inwardly scoff.

Teach me manners? Who does he think he is? she thought bitterly.

Then, with a sharp slap, Wei Wuji’s palm struck Wu Yun’s face hard, causing her to stagger.

She could hardly believe it—he had struck her so mercilessly, disregarding any consideration for Lady Wei behind her.

Who did Wei Wuji think he was? Where did he get such audacity?

More than the pain on her cheek, she felt humiliation and suffocation in her heart.

Straightening her posture, blood trickled from the corner of her mouth, her face swelling—evidence of the force behind the slap.

Before she could steady herself, the second blow landed.

Another sharp slap, even stronger this time, sent Wu Yun sprawling to the ground, her head pressed against the cold floor, motionless.

She was stunned, her thoughts interrupted.

All she could feel now was the burning pain on both cheeks and an endless tide of shame.

She was Lady Wei’s trusted confidante, a person of stature within Wuan City; everyone respectfully addressed her as Wu Mama, and who dared show her disrespect? Let alone strike her.

Those whom Wu Yun had brought along couldn’t fathom it either. Even if Wei Wuji was a noble son, Wu Mama was a member of Lady Wei’s household—how could he be so brazen?

The most severe action they imagined Wei Wuji might take was a few stern words.

But what was unfolding now shattered all their preconceptions. Their eyes regarded Wei Wuji as if he were a ferocious beast.

The few maids who had come yesterday looked on as if they had just survived a catastrophe. Wei Wuji’s attack on Wu Yun left no doubt in their minds that he would have let them die yesterday if he had wished.

After some time, Wu Yun on the ground regained her senses.

“Ah…” she screamed, refusing to believe it was really happening.

But the truth was undeniable; it had indeed happened.

As her screams gradually subsided, Wu Yun slowly rose to her feet, hatred welling up in her eyes, ready to erupt like a volcano.

“Seize him!” Wu Yun, now furious to the point of madness, commanded the guards. She had lost all reason, forgetting that she was still just a maid.

The guards exchanged uncertain glances, unsure how to respond. Even the least thoughtful among them understood the gravity of acting against Wei Wuji.

Not to mention, such an act could bring about the destruction of their entire family line.

Seeing their hesitation, Wu Yun’s expression darkened further as she hissed, “Wei Wuji has disrespected Lady Wei and abused his power. Capture him at once and bind him before Lady Wei to answer for his crimes.”

Her words were cunning, implicating Lady Wei herself.

Thus, bringing Wei Wuji to Lady Wei was no longer a wrongdoing. Could one claim it was wrong to bring a disobedient child to his mother?

The guards began to waver, but with Wei Wuji’s imposing aura still present, none dared act rashly.

Sensing their reluctance, Wu Yun’s voice grew more threatening as she pointed at the soldiers, snarling, “If you do not act immediately, I will report you to Lady Wei for disrespecting her.”

This left the guards with no choice. To show disrespect to Lady Wei was tantamount to defying Wei Hou himself, a far graver offense.

Caught in a dilemma, the guards weighed their options carefully before finally making a decision.

Their eyes no longer flickered with doubt; they cautiously advanced toward Wei Wuji.

“How dare you!” Wei Wuji’s eyes narrowed fiercely, his voice filled with rage like a tiger about to pounce.

The guards halted again at his outburst; none wished to be the first to move forward and become the scapegoat.

“Why aren’t you attacking yet?” Wu Yun urged frantically from behind.

After much deliberation, the guards steeled themselves and moved closer to Wei Wuji once more. This time, they were resolute, no longer willing to retreat.

“Protect the young master…”

It was as if they had returned to the battlefield; Wei Wuji once again heard Zheng Dali’s furious shout.

Soon, under Zheng Dali’s lead, a group of attendants gathered around him.

Two walls of people faced each other, barely a meter apart.

“Attack!” Wu Yun shouted like a madwoman from behind.

With a sharp “shing,” swords were drawn, followed by a flurry of clashing blades.

Both sides were now armed, and the situation rapidly deteriorated.

Standing at the rear, Lady Dan was stunned by the scene before her. She could never have imagined events would reach this point.

How long had it been since such chaos had erupted within the forbidden city? Lady Dan herself could hardly recall.

“Wuji, don’t be impulsive…” she called out anxiously from behind.

But Wei Wuji showed no sign of backing down. With matters having come this far, this was the reality they would have to face. Their faction and Lady Wei were destined never to coexist peacefully.

If that was the case, then why continue to endure? If they could not survive with Wei Hou alive, the future would only grow darker.

“Mother, I will not allow them to manipulate me. We must not submit…” Wei Wuji called back.

Lady Dan remained silent. Her son had truly grown up and now had his own convictions.

In the small courtyard, swords and spears stood ready, the air thick with the scent of impending bloodshed.

Both sides glared at each other, their blades nearly touching.

Wu Yun stood behind, shouting fiercely, “Seize him…”

With her command, the guards finally summoned their courage and lifted their feet.

Wei Wuji’s attendants were heavily outnumbered; if a fight broke out, it would be difficult to hold their ground.

The guards moved to strike; Wei Wuji’s men prepared to defend.

The clang of steel on steel rang out—“ting, ting”—just as chaos and bloodshed seemed imminent…

At this critical moment, a loud, clear voice rang out from outside the courtyard.

“The Grand General of the State has arrived!”