Rescuing people from Xiliang territory was like snatching food from a tiger’s mouth – the danger was unimaginable.

Xiliang soldiers came wave after wave without end. Though Shen Liangyu’s Huying Battalion was brave and skilled in battle, two fists could hardly defeat four hands. Half of the twenty Huying Battalion elite soldiers had already died in battle, and most of the Dong family death warriors had also perished. Even Shen Liangyu had taken a blade strike – if the blow hadn’t been deflected, he would have died on the spot.

Shen Qingzhu wielded a long sword in one hand and a short blade in the other, taking lives wherever her blades reached. But there were too many… the Xiliang soldiers were truly too numerous! No matter how brave Shen Qingzhu was, fighting alone was already becoming difficult. Her arms grew heavy, and between violent, labored breathing, her vision was blurred by white mist. Blood sprayed on her face, condensing into ice that hung from her eyelashes. She relied on instinct, her swallow-like form ceaselessly weaving among the Xiliang soldiers. Faintly hearing war horses neighing from above, she took advantage of a breathing moment to look up and saw that commanding figure arriving on horseback… the person hadn’t arrived yet, but the killing aura had already descended.

Since Bai Qingyan’s injury, this figure had appeared countless times in Shen Qingzhu’s dreams. Shen Qingzhu had blamed herself countless times for not protecting the eldest miss properly, causing the Bai family army to lose that calculating, invincible young Commander Bai!

But now, she had returned!

Tears filled Shen Qingzhu’s eyes, melting the blood ice hanging from her lashes. She roared and gripped her twin blades tightly, as if infinite courage and strength surged up from her feet, enough to kill hundreds of Xiliang thieves.

Bone whistle sounds continuously came from above. Xiao Ruohai’s ears twitched as he carried Bai Qingyun on his back.

[Xiao Ruohai, Shen Qingzhu, quickly take the Ninth Young Master and retreat to Shaoyang Commandery!]

The bone whistle blew repeatedly with the same command. He heard it very clearly.

Xiao Ruojiang, on his black steed, saw his blood-covered elder brother and shouted, “Brother!” He spurred his horse toward Xiao Ruohai and extended his hand. Xiao Ruohai smoothly sheathed his sword and grabbed Xiao Ruojiang’s hand. As he was pulled onto the horse, Xiao Ruojiang dismounted and landed steadily.

Xiao Ruojiang’s gaze was calm and cold. He thrust his blade through an Xiliang soldier’s chest, and as the cold blade was withdrawn, blood splattered. He roared at Xiao Ruohai: “Go!”

Xiao Ruohai gripped the reins with one hand and held his blade with the other. He glanced at Bai Qingyun on his back, then looked back to see Bai Qingyan sitting imperiously on her horse, her eyes dark as she drew her bow and shot arrows with thunderous speed, her killing aura chilling to the bone.

An arrow whistled past Bai Qingyun’s ear with the wind, piercing through the throat of a Xiliang soldier raising his blade toward Xiao Ruojiang.

Bai Qingyun’s black hair, matted with blood, was lifted by the arrow’s wind. His powerless, blood-covered fingers hanging at Xiao Ruohai’s side twitched slightly.

Bai Qingyan’s eyes reddened as she spurred her horse forward. Finally seeing Bai Qingyun tightly bound to Xiao Ruohai’s body with cloth strips, wearing Xiao Ruohai’s outer garment, except for his face… there wasn’t a patch of good flesh on his exposed skin. In an instant, her eyes blazed with fury.

Just by looking, she could tell what kind of cruel torture and humiliation Bai Qingyun had endured. Rage surged in her heart as she drew out arrows, wishing she could kill every Xiliang dog who had laid hands on Bai Qingyun.

She shouted, “Quickly take Xiao Jiu away!”

Xiao Ruohai nodded, gritting his teeth as he spurred his horse: “Giddyup!”

On the jolting horse back, Bai Qingyun, leaning limply against Xiao Ruohai’s spine, struggled to open his eyelids just a crack and dimly saw Bai Qingyan riding past him.

Elder Sister? Was this a dream… how could Elder Sister be here?

“Elder Sister…”

Bai Qingyun opened his mouth, his extremely weak voice drowned out by the thunderous battle cries.

He could feel the restrained yet sharp killing intent in Elder Sister’s eyes, her red cloak billowing like an eagle spreading its wings, holding the Sun-Shooting Bow, as brave and invincible as in years past.

“Elder Sister…” His fingers moved slightly, wanting to grasp Elder Sister’s fluttering cloak, but caught only empty air… his whole body couldn’t move, only his black eyes could turn to follow Bai Qingyan, but in the jolting motion they grew farther apart, and his consciousness was gradually being swallowed by darkness again.

Had Elder Sister come to save him?

But how could Elder Sister’s weak body draw the Sun-Shooting Bow? He should be dying, so he must be dreaming…

What a wonderful dream!

To dream before death that Elder Sister came to save him, to dream that Elder Sister hadn’t abandoned him just because he was a bastard son – this life had no regrets.

He knew that if Elder Sister were truly here… she would save him! Just like every time, he was punished to kneel in the ancestral hall, it was always Elder Sister who rescued him!

How he hoped there was a next life.

In the next life, he would still be a son of the Bai family!

In the next life, he would still be part of the Bai family army!

He only hoped Seventh Brother could still be alive. If the legitimate son lived… There would be hope for the Bai family’s continuation!

He had always scorned the family rule of bastards protecting the legitimate, but at this critical moment of life and death, he finally understood why the Bai family rule existed!

It wasn’t that Grandfather was biased, but that the world viewed the legitimate as orthodox inheritance!

The legitimate sons of the Bai family must not die!

Bai Qingyun felt that the bright light in Qiushan Pass city was growing farther and farther from him. Thinking his death was near, he regretted not knowing before dying whether Seventh Brother had managed to survive.

Inside Qiushan Pass, Bai Qingyan led nearly a hundred riders, their horses trampling enemy bandits, long blades beheading enemies. They rescued their own generals and death warriors, pulling people onto horseback before retreating to the high mountains, then raising bows and crossbows to cover the Huying Battalion elite soldiers and Dong family death warriors climbing the mountain.

The Xiliang soldier killed by Bai Jinzhi’s spear had his eyes wide open, his hands desperately gripping her silver spear. Bai Jinzhi gritted her teeth but couldn’t pull it out. Seeing Xiliang warriors raising blades on all sides with cold light coming toward her, Bai Jinzhi held her breath, her mind blank as she roared and tried to pull out her silver spear.

“Xiao Si! Pick up a blade!” Bai Qingyan shouted hoarsely, spurring her horse straight toward Bai Jinzhi. She drew the last three arrows from her quiver and shot them…

Hearing this, Xiao Ruojiang turned back, his body moving faster than his mind… taking three steps in two, he leaped up and killed a Xiliang soldier with one blade, then pressed down on the stunned Bai Jinzhi’s head, protecting her in his embrace and using his back to block the Xiliang blade.

Three feathered arrows – one pierced through a Xiliang soldier’s chest, one passed through another’s throat, and one missed…

Cold light struck Xiao Ruojiang’s shoulder, nearly severing his entire arm. He roared and turned to swing his sword, beheading that Xiliang soldier!

“Xiao Si!” Bai Qingyan extended her hand.

Xiao Ruojiang gritted his teeth and lifted Bai Jinzhi toward Bai Qingyan. Only when Bai Jinzhi firmly grasped Bai Qingyan’s armor did she come to her senses: “Elder Sister…”

Bai Qingyan looked up to see the brave Huying Battalion warriors in the distance had charged into the Xiliang army and pulled Shen Liangyu and the others onto horses, galloping toward them through the rain of arrows. She shouted loudly: “Retreat!”

Shen Qingzhu spotted a riderless frightened horse, sheathed her short blade, grabbed the saddle, and leaped up, calling out the command: “Retreat!”

“Retreat!”

The Huying Battalion and Dong family death warriors, hearing the order, all grabbed nearby comrades’ hands to mount horses and galloped up the steep slope.

Bai Qingyan bent down to pull arrows from corpses on the rocky slope, drew her bow to shoot at Xiliang soldiers, and shouted to the galloping Shen Qingzhu: “Go first! Quickly!”