The forest was deathly silent. Xiang Lan didn’t dare move, her whole body trembling violently, causing the leaves of the low shrubs beside her to rustle. As she slowly shifted position, she suddenly touched something – upon closer inspection, it was a hand. Following the arm forward, she found herself face-to-face with a corpse, its eyes wide open with an expression of miserable terror. Xiang Lan was horrified, forcefully covering her mouth to suppress a scream, and biting down on her handkerchief to prevent her teeth from chattering.

Lin Jinlou lay motionless in the snow, his mind crystal clear. He had noticed the character “Lu” engraved on the arrow’s spine. Lu Shaotang’s troops were known for their archery skills, and after losing power in Jiangnan, he went to the capital to join the Second Prince. Now, with the Second Prince coveting the position of Crown Prince for so long, they were taking advantage of the Crown Prince’s absence from the capital and the weak defenses to stage a rebellion. These Imperial Guards, having been traveling light without heavy armor, now lay dead in the forest, becoming wandering spirits in the wind. Lin Jinlou secretly felt fortunate that he had already sent his subordinates to deliver a message; otherwise, the rebel army’s sneak attack with arrows would have caused even more casualties. If they had tried to break through to report, the chances of survival would have been slim. He then cursed to himself – now outnumbered, the situation was dire, and with Xiang Lan in tow, his mobility was further limited. His primary concern now was finding a way to get her to safety.

After a moment of silence, Xiang Lan felt her heart in her throat, the situation becoming increasingly unbearable. Just then, more arrows came whistling through the wind, thudding into tree trunks. These were fire arrows, like tiny lanterns flickering with the northwestern wind, dimly illuminating the forest scene. Lin Jinlou noticed only about a dozen fire arrows had been shot, immediately realizing the rebel forces weren’t very numerous. Though he only had two men left, and while one against a hundred might be impossible, the Lin family’s guards were each capable of fighting ten men – there was still hope. He quietly picked up a fallen Yanling Blade and threw it forcefully outward. The blade landed in the clearing ahead with a clang, and an arrow immediately shot toward it, causing the arrow’s feathers to quiver slightly.

Lu Shaotang sat mounted on his tall horse not far away. With the Emperor now strictly investigating the Second Prince’s secret collusion with Five Army Camp officers, the Second Prince had to seize the opportunity during the Emperor’s critical illness and the Crown Prince’s absence from the capital. Originally assigned to ambush the Imperial Guards here, after the initial battle, the cavalry had headed toward the Five Army Camp in the capital’s outskirts. He had left forty to fifty men to clean up the battlefield and support the main army, but unexpectedly spotted firelight at the forest’s edge, leading to this arrow attack.

Unable to wait any longer, Lu Shaotang ordered over ten men to investigate. Lin Jinlou quietly gripped his blade handle, watching as the rebels approached Xiang Lan’s hiding place. With a mighty roar, he leaped up, grabbed one rebel, and with a flex of his arm, threw the man entirely away. With a loud crash, the man slammed into a tree and was immediately impaled by the arrows stuck there, struggling briefly before his head drooped lifelessly. Chaos erupted as the other two Lin family guards also jumped out, instantly engaging in combat with the rebels. Another twenty-plus rebels immediately rushed forward.

Lin Jinlou, trained in martial arts since childhood and having survived numerous battles, displayed extraordinary prowess. His great blade moved like lightning, advancing like an unstoppable force. Soon the rebels lay dead, with the survivors too intimidated by his imposing presence to approach.

Lu Shaotang was shocked, thinking, “What kind of supernatural being has appeared in the dead of night, displaying such incredible skill?” He ordered his archers to shoot more fire arrows for illumination and was stunned to discover it was Lin Jinlou. Gnashing his teeth, he sneered, “Well, well, well. I was just wondering where to settle accounts with you, and here you are, barging into hell uninvited!” He commanded his archers, “Fire!”

An archer hesitated, “The arrows show no mercy, we might hit our men…”

Lu Shaotang gave the archer a cold look and waved his hand, signaling him to be silent. Suddenly, he drew his sword and with a swift motion, sliced through the archer’s neck. The man couldn’t even manage a groan before falling stiff to the ground.

Everyone was stunned. Lu Shaotang raised his sword high and shouted, “Fire! Fire! Fire!”

At his command, arrows rained down like a storm, followed by endless screams that quickly fell silent.

Only the howling northwestern wind remained, carrying snowflakes and whistle-like sounds.

Lu Shaotang still had over a dozen archers. He ordered them to fully draw their bows and carefully advanced on horseback with his men. As they drew closer, they could see the ground littered with corpses, sprawled and stacked, blood flowing like rivers. Suddenly, clouds obscured the moon, and a blood-covered figure rose from among the dead bodies, like a demon from a scene of carnage, striking terror into all who saw it.

The archers were startled, their fingers trembling as they released over a dozen arrows toward the figure. However, the blood-covered man grabbed two corpses as shields, blocking all the arrows. Lin Jinlou’s voice rang out, “Lu Shaotang if you have the courage, come fight me to the death!” With that, he hurled the corpses at the rebels, instantly knocking down several men. Such extraordinary strength left everyone in awe and fear. Taking advantage of the rebels’ momentary confusion, Lin Jinlou charged forward, striking with elbows, fists, palms, and kicks, quickly taking down several more men. The archers, skilled at long-range but weak in close combat, fell into chaos.

Lu Shaotang shouted, “Don’t panic! Stay in formation!” But weapons were already dancing in all directions in the dim moonlight, filled with shouts, screams, and warning cries in complete disorder.

After killing seven or eight more men, Lin Jinlou felt his strength failing. He thought to himself, “I’m already wounded by arrows and can’t fight much longer. Better to lead them into the forest so Xiang Lan can escape. Life and death are up to fate – if she’s fortunate, she might survive this ordeal.” With this in mind, he shouted, “Lu, you dog traitor, if you have the ability, follow your grandfather here, and let’s see what you’re capable of!” With that, he turned and ran into the forest.

Lu Shaotang couldn’t let him escape and pursued on horseback with his men.

As the hoofbeats grew distant, Xiang Lan emerged from behind the bushes, trembling and tear-stained. She stood up unsteadily, roughly wiping her tears away, feeling she had reached the absolute limit of terror and misery. With only the howling northwestern wind in her ears, she didn’t know where to go, only wanting to escape this hell on earth. Just then, she heard several screams from the forest and thought, “Lin Jinlou could have escaped alone with his men, but he stayed to save me and is now leading them into the forest. When he ran past, his steps were unsteady – surely he must be wounded by now. How can I be human if I abandon him?” For some reason, her heart was suddenly filled with mixed emotions and inexplicable grief, tears flowing unstoppably. She wiped them away with her sleeve and thought, “I’ll follow quietly, and in a critical moment, perhaps I can help somehow. One should repay even a drop of kindness with a spring of gratitude – I’ll do what I can, even if it means giving my life in return.” Shivering, she removed her cloak, turning the dark inner lining outward and wearing the bright red felt on the inside. Carrying a blanket and a hand warmer, she picked up a blade from the ground, held it close, and ran into the dense forest.

By now, Lin Jinlou was locked in fierce combat, killing with bloodshot eyes, his savage nature unleashed like a tiger descending from the mountains. His left hand seized a sword from an opponent while his right hand swung down, splitting the man’s skull like cutting vegetables, killing him instantly. Lu Shaotang let out a wild cry, seemingly both terrified and furious.

Lin Jinlou fought like a madman, his blade flashing like silver, moving with ghostly speed. Blood sprayed everywhere as rebels fell one after another, dismembered and disemboweled.

Lu Shaotang, seeing his men had worn down Lin Jinlou’s strength considerably, charged forward on horseback with his sword. With a clang, their weapons met. Lu Shaotang’s elevated position gave him a significant advantage, and the blow made Lin Jinlou’s hands go numb, forcing him to step back. Lu Shaotang struck again, and Lin Jinlou blocked four or five more times while continuing to retreat until his back hit a tree. He coughed up blood, his body failing him, his legs growing weak until he slid down the tree trunk.

The clouds parted to reveal the moon, its light filtering through the forest branches. Lu Shaotang saw the arrows in Lin Jinlou’s chest, heard his labored breathing, and saw his blood-soaked body. He threw back his head in triumphant laughter, dismounted, and approached Lin Jinlou, looking down at him saying, “Didn’t expect this, did you? Today you’ll die by my hand. After I cut off your dog head, I’ll make a stool from it.”

Lin Jinlou took several breaths, his body occasionally convulsing from intense pain. He pulled the arrow from his chest with a grunt, blood spraying out, yet he managed a faint cold smile, saying, “Today you killed three of my guards.”

Lu Shaotang raised his eyebrows, saying, “So what? Planning to complain to the King of Hell after you die?”

Lin Jinlou shook his head slightly, saying coldly, “These three men fought bandits and resisted Japanese invaders with me, risking their lives to protect our country. Today you killed them, and as their master, I must kill you in revenge.”

Lu Shaotang looked bewildered, examining Lin Jinlou up and down several times. Seeing him so weak and wretched, he found his words absurd and burst into mocking laughter. After laughing, he raised his sword and stabbed both of Lin Jinlou’s shoulders, saying through gritted teeth, “So, how do you plan to kill me? How? When you forced me to flee like a stray dog back then, did you ever think this day would come!”

Suddenly, Lin Jinlou leaped up and tackled Lu Shaotang, both men rolling on the ground. Lin Jinlou struggled to his feet, staggered back several steps, and then collapsed into the snow, breathing heavily.

Lu Shaotang stood up, trembling, and looked down in disbelief – the arrow was now lodged in his heart! Blood gushed from the wound. He looked at Lin Jinlou, then at his chest, and with his last strength, pulled out his crossbow and raised it. Lin Jinlou, completely exhausted, couldn’t move a muscle, not even to wipe the blood from his lips. He thought he would likely die here today and closed his eyes.

Thud.

Lin Jinlou opened his eyes. Lu Shaotang was kneeling on the ground, making gurgling sounds. The crossbow clattered to the ground, but he couldn’t speak a word. His eyes wide, he fell forward, creating a large flower of blood that bloomed across the snow. Behind him stood Xiang Lan, holding a large sword, trembling like an autumn leaf in the cold wind.