Two men jumped down from their horses and walked straight toward her.

Ji Yingying sprang to her feet, backing away step by step. “Who are you?”

“Second Miss Ji, come with us.” The men revealed they knew her identity as they positioned themselves on either side of her.

The area outside Yizhou Prefecture was all flatland. The tea pavilion, set under a Chinese parasol tree beside the official road, was open and exposed on all sides. Running wasn’t an option – her legs weren’t longer than theirs, she couldn’t outrun horses, and she wasn’t as strong as men. Ji Yingying knew escape was impossible. Her only hope lay in someone passing by on the official road. Trying to buy time, she said, “Since you know who I am, then you must know I’m the Third Madam of the Yang family. If you want me to go with you, shouldn’t I at least know your master’s name?”

“You’ll find out when we get there. Please.”

“Fine, I’ll go with you to see who your master is.” Ji Yingying stood up, and just as she was about to step forward, her brows suddenly furrowed. She drew in a sharp breath and pointed to the bamboo outhouse nearby, “I need to relieve myself!”

The two men were stunned. As the one on the left moved to stop her, Ji Yingying shouted, “Would you rather I do it on horseback?”

The man sneered, “It’s not like you can escape anyway.”

“Obviously!” Ji Yingying lifted her skirts and darted toward the outhouse.

The facilities were separated by gender, with only a straw curtain for privacy. Perhaps because of this simple setup, they hadn’t anticipated where Ji Yingying might run.

Having traveled this road to Yizhou City countless times, Ji Yingying often rested at this tea pavilion. Running away from the pavilion was impossible, and she wasn’t foolish enough to flee toward the open ground behind it. Instead, after rushing to the outhouse, she suddenly changed direction and sprinted toward the massive Chinese parasol tree that would have taken several people joining hands to encircle.

“Hey! What are you doing!”

In the brief moment it took to shout those words, Ji Yingying had already started climbing up the tree, using its natural protrusions as footholds.

By the time the two men reached the tree’s base, she had already climbed several zhangs up along one of the thick branches. In moments, she disappeared into the dense foliage.

The masked riders who had circled stared in disbelief. Someone muttered, “Was she born in the year of the monkey?”

“Climb up!” The leader on horseback shouted. The two men who had tried to capture her earlier began climbing, furious at their failure.

Ji Yingying looked back – they were climbing quite fast. She continued upward, clinging to the trunk until she reached the treetop. Finding a secure spot where branches intersected, she settled in and broke off a branch as thick as a finger. Looking out over the official road, she opened her throat and screamed, “Help! Bandits!”

Her voice was high and piercing, and from her elevated position, it carried far across the plain.

By now, only one of the two pursuers could climb higher.

Watching him approach from below, Ji Yingying struck down hard with her branch while continuing to scream at the top of her lungs, “Help!”

The leafy branch struck his face, and despite his strength, he couldn’t effectively use it. Enraged, he freed one hand to grab at her.

It didn’t require much strength, just quick reflexes. Ji Yingying swung the branch like she was teasing a monkey, never letting him catch hold.

“Damn it!” The leader on horseback below could see the situation. He knew that with her screaming like this, someone on the official road would eventually hear and bring the authorities, making capture impossible. He retrieved a bow and arrow from his saddle and shouted, “You two, come down!”

The climbers, indeed helpless against Ji Yingying, obeyed the command. Seeing their leader nock an arrow, one couldn’t help but say, “Chief, didn’t we need her alive?”

“Better dead than escaped!” The leader drew the bowstring into a full moon, eyes narrowed as he aimed at Ji Yingying.

The Chinese parasol tree, who knew how many years old, towered several dozen zhang high with dense foliage. Her white dress stood out among the branches, yet made it difficult to target vital areas.

“Some of you go over there and watch – catch her if she falls wounded.” After giving these instructions, the leader released his fingers. The arrow whizzed through the air.

“Help! Bandits!” Ji Yingying was still shouting when she heard a sharp thud – an arrow had embedded itself in the tree beside her. Her heart turned to ice. These men weren’t just trying to capture her; they wanted her dead.

Terrified, she looked down and called out, “Stop shooting! I’ll come down!”

“Hmph.” The leader lowered his bow contemptuously and shouted up, “Then come down!”

“Alright, I’m coming!” Ji Yingying answered while stalling for time.

The leader grew impatient: “If you don’t come down now, I’ll shoot you dead!”

Ji Yingying broke into tears: “My legs are too weak from fear! I’ll come down, just don’t shoot!” She noticed someone on the official road stop to look before hurrying back toward the city, and hope rose in her heart. While calling down “Don’t kill me,” she untied her belt and secured herself to the branch.

“Coming down or not? I’m going to shoot!”

Ji Yingying responded with loud wailing: “Yang Jingyuan, you bastard! You abandoned me here, you bastard!”

They wanted to capture her alive but had lost patience with her delays. Just then, their lookout rode up: “Chief, riders are coming from the city! City guards are following – looks like they heard the commotion and are coming to help!”

The leader gritted his teeth and raised his bow toward Ji Yingying. The crying stopped. As the wind rustled the leaves, the leader saw an arrow pierce her back. “Let’s go!”

The group quickly mounted and rode toward the city exit. Before leaving, one rider charged into the tea pavilion, his blade falling in a swift strike that killed the tea master. As he turned to leave, his blade caught a pillar, and the pavilion collapsed with a crash.

From the city’s direction, several riders approached rapidly. Sang Fourteen and his servants followed Yang Jingyuan, cursing him: “Good thing I waited for you at the wine house by the city gate. If something’s happened to Second Miss Ji, what will you do?”

The tea pavilion wasn’t far from the city. Someone leaving the city had heard Ji Yingying’s cries for help and had run back, shouting at the city gate about a woman calling for help at the tea pavilion.

Yang Jingyuan and Sang Fourteen had been drinking at the wine house when they heard the news.

Yang Jingyuan’s mind went blank. Looking toward that patch of green in the distance, he wished he had wings.

“Third Young Master, you’re abandoning me here?”

Ji Yingying’s words echoed repeatedly in his ears. She had stood with outstretched arms, head lowered, her sleeves billowing in the wind like a green butterfly. Why hadn’t he answered her, “I’ll come back for you in the future”?

The tea pavilion wasn’t far from the city gate – it took less than the time to drink a cup of tea to arrive. They found the collapsed bamboo structure, and Yang Jingyuan leaped down, his face purple with exertion as he lifted one corner of the pavilion: “Yingying!”

“Quick! Help!” Sang Fourteen called to his servants, and together they lifted the roof.

The tea master lay dead by the stove, his chest soaked in blood.

“Yingying! Ji Yingying!” Yang Jingyuan crawled inside, frantically overturning fallen tables and chairs, searching for Ji Yingying.

Sang Fourteen circled to the other side, searched around, and called out, “Third Young Master, she’s not here!”

Yang Jingyuan collapsed to the ground: “Good that she’s not.”

Sang Fourteen hadn’t heard clearly: “What?”

Yang Jingyuan’s expression was as painful as if he were crying: “If she’s not here, she must still be alive.”

“Who would dare do this? This is an official road! So close to the city gate, yet they dare to kidnap someone.” Sang Fourteen also breathed a sigh of relief before expressing his confusion.

“The Zhao family!” Yang Jingyuan suddenly remembered Ji Yingying’s words. He was filled with regret – why hadn’t he believed the Zhao family would dare to kidnap someone in broad daylight?

He jumped to his feet and headed out: “I’m going to the Zhao residence!”

“Third Young Master! Don’t be rash! Do you have any proof?” Sang Fourteen rushed to stop him, then suddenly remembered, “Where are Xiangyou and the others? Didn’t you say they were just a step behind you with the Yang family’s carriage? Even if you rode faster on horseback, they should have arrived by now!”

Could something have happened to the carriage party too? Perhaps they had intercepted the carriage first, and finding Ji Yingying wasn’t there, came looking and found her alone in the tea pavilion. Yang Jingyuan took a deep breath and raised his head: “No matter who…”

Among the tender green branches, a white dress fluttered in the wind.

“Yingying.” Yang Jingyuan’s eyes suddenly grew wet as he rushed to climb the Chinese parasol tree.