Just then four massive Saberfang beasts crashed through the remnants of the courtyard wall.
Dust billowed, mixing with the lingering scent of blood.
Before the dust could settle, a figure leapt down from one of the towering Saberfang.
Du Juan, a young woman clad in practical but travel-stained leathers, sprinted forward, her eyes wide with frantic concern.
She skidded to a halt near Lin Zhaoyue, ignoring Fang Yuan completely in her focus on the terrifying woman.
"Matriarch Fang!" Du Juan yelled, her voice tight with a mixture of relief and apprehension. She bowed deeply, almost instinctively. "You're unharmed!"
Fang Yuan's jaw slackened. Matriarch Fang?
The title hit him like a physical blow, utterly incongruous with the blood-soaked reality.
His eyes darted between Du Juan's fearful reverence and Lin Zhaoyue's suddenly transformed expression.
Lin Zhaoyue's face flushed a delicate pink.
