When Zhu Nanxian heard that Lin’er and Shu Xiang had been taken away by the authorities, his heart wasn’t without anxiety. But thinking again, they were only being taken to answer a few questions about the missing children. If he went looking for them now, it would rather be like protesting too much.

So be it—wait one more day.

Thus he replied to Jiang Yue’er, “Find someone else to accompany you,” and returned directly to the Jiang estate.

His body was stained with the stench of wild boar and mountain mud. He drew water to wash clean, and at night slept with the small wooden plaque. The plaque had a hollow-carved character for “rain,” carved in imitation of Su Jin’s jade pendant. His craftsmanship was poor—over three years he had ruined many, and only this one was barely acceptable.

The next day when he woke, he organized his traveling bundle again.

Su Jin had served three years in Ningzhou and was now permitted visitors. Zhu Nanxian had originally planned to set out for Ningzhou in these two days, but the unexpected reunion with Lin’er required long-term planning.

He actually didn’t lack silver at all. Back then, Liu Yun had helped him leave the palace and withdraw the private wealth accumulated over the years at the Thirteenth Prince’s Manor and Nanchang Manor. Coming to work as a guard at the Jiang family—firstly it was to conceal his identity, secondly, thinking that he would need to live a different kind of life in the future, he couldn’t be without means to make a living.

This deliberation continued from dawn to dusk. The sun sank in the west, the slanting rays gilding the eaves. Zhu Nanxian took up his blade, intending to go look outside Shu Xiang and Lin’er’s residence again. Before he had even left the main courtyard, he saw Jiang Yue’er and Uncle Tian hurrying toward him saying, “Young Master Nan, something’s happened.”

This time something had truly happened.

This afternoon, Magistrate Yao had suddenly ordered someone to prepare a carriage, taking Jiang Jiutong’s group and heading together to Jinzhou. It was said that Jiang Jiutong and Hu Zi’s father had even been injured.

“There’s a registrar at the county office familiar with the Jiang family. It was only through him that we learned—Magistrate Yao saw Miss A Xiang’s beauty and wanted to take her to Jinzhou to present her to the Prefect. Father and Hu Zi’s father desperately tried to stop him, which is how they got injured. Magistrate Yao feared releasing them early would cause him trouble, so he publicly claimed he was sending Father and the others to Jinzhou Prefecture for trial, but actually he’s going to present the beauty.”

Hearing these words, Zhu Nanxian’s heart sank.

Never mind that Magistrate Yao was forcibly seizing a civilian woman—Lin’er and Shu Xiang’s identities truly shouldn’t have too much contact with people in official circles. Moreover, in recent years with the implementation of new policies, the court had sent imperial envoys to inspect various prefectures. It was said that recently high-ranking officials had entered Shu. If any of them recognized Lin’er, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Thinking of this, Zhu Nanxian gripped the blade in his hand and asked, “Do you have a horse?”

“Yes, yes,” Uncle Tian said. “Right outside the courtyard.”

Zhu Nanxian grunted, returned to his room to get his bundle, led the horse out, and was about to leave.

Uncle Tian said in surprise, “Guard Nan, are you going to Jinzhou?” He added, “Why don’t you wait a bit? Master Chao and Young Master Su also know about this and are helping think of a way to rescue them.”

Zhu Nanxian sat mounted on the horse. “There’s no time.” With a flick of the reins, he galloped away, tossing back, “I’ll leave markers along the way.”

Hearing Zhu Nanxian’s abrupt “there’s no time,” Jiang Yue’er and Uncle Tian were completely baffled, like monks of eight feet unable to reach their heads. They could only hurry to request help from Su Jin and Chao Qing.

Hearing that Guard Nan had already taken the lead in chasing Magistrate Yao to Jinzhou, Su Jin actually breathed a sigh of relief. “Jinzhou Prefecture is too large. Since Magistrate Yao is going to ‘present a beauty,’ he won’t go to the government office or to the official residence. We don’t even know where he’ll go. Without someone following, it would be difficult to find them.”

Old Man Wu worried, “But this old one saw Guard Nan’s appearance—he looked more like he was going to abduct people. Young Master Su, won’t he startle the snake by hitting the grass?”

Su Jin pondered for a while.

Indeed it would startle the snake. But A Xiang was a weak woman. If she wasn’t rescued in time, delayed even for a moment or two—once the raw rice was cooked into cooked rice, even if they wanted to rescue her, it would be too late.

According to what these townspeople said, this guard named Nan Ting had extremely superior martial arts. As long as he could pick a good opportunity to rescue A Xiang first, she would always be able to think of a solution for what came next.

“Old Man Wu, have you found out who the two imperial envoys who recently entered Shu are?”

“This…” Old Man Wu hesitated. “Still inquiring.”

Imperial envoys from the court were all important figures. How could their names be something common folk like them could casually ask about?

Uncle Tian said hesitantly, “Young Master Su, are you really going to report this matter to the capital?”

What if they provoked Magistrate Yao or the Prefect to rage? What should they do then?

Su Jin had her own calculations in mind but found it inconvenient to explain in detail to them. She only said, “Uncle Tian, don’t worry.”

She looked at the sky again. Just moments ago it had been full of sunset glow, but now night had already deepened. From Cuiwei Town to Jinzhou Prefecture required rushing along the road for quite a while. She immediately asked the Jiang family to prepare a carriage. Together with Tan Zhaolin, Chao Qing, and several Jiang family guards, following the markers Zhu Nanxian had left along the way, they headed to Jinzhou.

Zhu Nanxian galloped for an entire day before catching up to Magistrate Yao. By the time they reached Jinzhou City, it was already the evening of the second day.

It happened to be the twelfth of the second month, precisely the Flower Festival. The entire city was extremely lively—tree branches and bridge heads were decorated with lanterns, thousands of flowers competed in bloom along both banks of the Funan River. Boats floated on the water with people on the boats watching the flowers on both shores, while people on the shore watched the river lanterns.

Magistrate Yao’s group passed through the bustling market, circled to a quiet alley, and stopped outside a residence.

Two young servants came forward. “Magistrate Yao, you’ve arrived so quickly?” They added, “The Prefect hasn’t arrived yet.”

Yao Youcai nodded. With a wave of his hand, the constables understood, pulling Jiang Jiutong, Hu Zi’s father, Shu Xiang, and the four children down from another carriage.

Zhu Nanxian leaned against the base of a wall and looked carefully. Aside from several young servants and subordinates, Yao Youcai had brought about twenty constables in total. Jiang Jiutong and Hu Zi’s father, injured, were pressed into a corner to kneel. The four children stood beside them. Shu Xiang was led by two constables to wait at the courtyard gate.

Zhu Nanxian surveyed this residence again. It should be the Jinzhou Prefect’s villa.

Looking at how these people waited respectfully, presumably this Prefect would arrive soon.

He thought carefully. These twenty constables only had third-rate skills—he could handle them. If he wanted to seize people, it was best to act now. Otherwise, once the Prefect arrived, things would go badly.

The evening light fell on the low wall, illuminating the alley entrance half in light, half in shadow. Zhu Nanxian’s entire body in dark tight clothing merged with the darkness as he quietly covered his face.

At the other end, little Yun Xi stood among the children. His gaze casually moved toward that low wall. After a moment of silence, he suddenly seemed terrified and shouted, “Aunt Xiang—”

The group originally hadn’t been paying attention to these children. Hearing his shout, they all turned to look at him.

This was the moment!

A dark-clothed figure, swift as lightning, suddenly darted from the corner of the wall. Taking advantage of everyone’s attention being drawn to Yun Xi, he rushed to Shu Xiang’s side. His right hand drew his blade, his left hand seized a constable’s throat, forcefully shoving him backward, scattering the constables who were about to rush forward.

Then he grabbed Shu Xiang’s wrist and said quietly, “Go!”

Shu Xiang was startled, only feeling this voice was extraordinarily familiar.

Before she could identify who this person was, Zhu Nanxian had already brought her with a turn to Yun Xi’s side, saying, “Follow closely!” With one hand he picked up Yun Xi, about to break out.

His horse was waiting outside the alley. This group of constables had been caught completely off guard, and given his fierce momentum—truly like killing gods who block gods, killing Buddhas who block Buddhas—it seemed he would succeed. Who knew that at this moment, Jiang Ci suddenly shouted excitedly, “Master! It’s my master!”

Zhu Nanxian’s head throbbed.

This stupid, unlucky child.

Magistrate Yao had originally been so frightened by this heavenly general who descended from who knows where that he was completely flustered. Only after Jiang Ci’s “reminder” did he realize it was actually someone from Cuiwei Town.

Since it was someone from Cuiwei Town, that was easy to handle.

With a lift of his chin toward Jiang Jiutong’s direction, in an instant the constables had placed blades at the necks of Jiang Jiutong, Jiang Ci, and the others.

Fortunately, Zhu Nanxian had also made his own response the instant he reacted.

He extended his hand toward Yun Xi. “Hold tight.”

Yun Xi nodded. Not only did his left hand grip Zhu Nanxian tightly, his right hand also firmly held Shu Xiang.

Zhu Nanxian quickly turned back. The moment the constables rushed toward Jiang Ci and the others, he swept over to Magistrate Yao’s side, pulling back to hide Yun Xi and Shu Xiang behind him, also placing his blade at Yao Youcai’s neck.

Each side holding hostages, forming a standoff.

Though Yao Youcai cherished his life, at this moment he made no sound.

He had figured it out—this man in tight clothing had come to rescue people. He not only wanted to save A Xiang and this little child, he also didn’t want to harm Jiang Jiutong’s group. The blade at his own neck—the man couldn’t bring it down, because he didn’t want Jiang Jiutong, Hu Zi’s father, and the other three children to forfeit their lives.

In any case, his fourth uncle, the Jinzhou Prefect, was about to arrive. As long as he dragged things out, the situation would only become more and more favorable to him.

Zhu Nanxian naturally knew he couldn’t drag things out, but what he was thinking was somewhat different from Yao Youcai.

He had long planned to kill this Yao person with one stroke—he was only calculating how to protect Jiang Jiutong and the other three children after killing him.

Zhu Nanxian didn’t see that at the moment he rescued Lin’er, two carriages following his trail had rushed to the low wall where he had been hiding.

Dusk brushed across his eyes. Over there, blades and swords flashed chaotically. Su Jin couldn’t see too clearly and asked, “Zhao Lin, how is it?”

Tan Zhaolin watched for a while and said, “Should succeed, it’s just—”

Just that he felt the body movements of that masked person holding a blade to Magistrate Yao’s neck looked somewhat familiar—he didn’t know where he’d seen them before.

He paused, not saying the second half of his sentence.

Su Jin nodded, instructing the several Jiang family guards in a low voice, “You take the first carriage, rescue Master Jiang, Hu Zi’s father, and the three children, then leave. Zhao Lin will cover for you.” She said to Uncle Tian, “After Zhao Lin leaves, we’ll go pick up Guard Nan, Yun Xi, and Miss A Xiang. When driving the cart, don’t stop. When picking up people, just slow down a bit to avoid being caught up to.”

Dusk came quickly, spreading out in a large swath. Several lanterns hung outside the villa, insufficient to illuminate.

Zhu Nanxian thought the matter shouldn’t be delayed. Just as he was about to bring down his blade, unexpectedly a carriage suddenly sped from behind the low wall. Several people masked like him jumped from the cart. Among them was a burly man who charged directly at the constables guarding Jiang Jiutong, lifting his hand to knock one down with a swing. At the same time, several others followed up. Under the big man’s cover, they first grabbed the children onto the carriage.

Zhu Nanxian looked at this man, finding him familiar. Just as he was about to look more carefully, he suddenly heard someone shouting from a fork in the street alley, “Who goes there—”

It was actually the Prefect who had arrived.

A stretch of firelight approached from afar. Su Jin looked and saw dozens of soldiers.

Over there, Tan Zhaolin and several Jiang family guards had already grabbed Jiang Jiutong and the others onto the carriage. As the sound of the whip cracking rose, Su Jin hesitated no longer and immediately said, “Uncle Tian!”

Uncle Tian responded, “Right!” Driving the carriage, he rushed out from the dusk, calling, “Guard Nan!”

Zhu Nanxian understood. He also couldn’t bother with Yao Youcai. With a swing of his blade he drove back the constables, in an instant bringing Yun Xi and Shu Xiang to rush over.

Behind them blazed fierce firelight and earth-shaking shouts and battle cries. Further away were thousands of peach and pear blossoms in abundance, the Flower Festival spring night, the long drawn-out melodies of people singing to each other across both ends of the riverbank. But he could only think of the family member beside him that he had finally found with such difficulty.

The carriage didn’t stop, only slowing down.

While helping Shu Xiang onto the carriage, he picked up Lin’er and handed him toward the young master’s hands inside the cart.

Time was pressing. In the instant of intersection, both were speaking.

Zhu Nanxian said, “You go first, I’ll guard the rear. You must protect—”

Su Jin said, “We’ll drive the cart to the Funan River bank. It’s lively there, they won’t dare—”

But before finishing their words, both abruptly stopped.

The bright moon suddenly emerged from the clouds, sprinkling down its pale radiance, falling precisely into his eyes and also into her eyes. But the carriage didn’t stop—it went faster and faster, racing forward.