The sunlight was warm at this hour, and the mountain breeze felt refreshing. In the distance, the manor sat among green fields, its white walls and black tiles creating a beautiful scene.

Jin Yingying touched the small knife in her sleeve and whispered: “Third Young Master, you told me not to leave the manor carelessly. I didn’t listen. But constantly hiding isn’t the solution.”

A group of people slowly walked up the slope, dressed in black with covered faces. The leader held a sword, blood dripping down its silver blade. Seeing Jin Yingying, he laughed loudly: “Third Madam, there’s no tree for you to climb here. You got lucky at the tea house outside the city last time. Where will you run today?”

The arrow wound on her shoulder, barely healed, began to ache again. Jin Yingying smiled: “Do you see me trying to run? Where are my guards? Did you kill them all?”

The leader shrugged: “You think your guards were all so brave? Once they knew we were after you, they scattered like birds and beasts. Those who could run, ran.”

Jin Yingying smiled: “Better that fewer people die. Saves them from being sentenced to the oil cauldrons of the eighteen levels of hell. People should accumulate good karma.”

The leader spat: “Pah! I kill people like chickens, why would I fear the judge of hell?”

Jin Yingying stepped back to the ravine’s edge: “What does the Zhao family want? Why must you kill me?”

Yang Jingyuan hadn’t explained that her attackers were Madam Niu Wu’s guards, only saying the Zhao family was behind it. Jin Yingying naturally assumed these people were sent by Zhao Xiuyuan.

“Blame your marriage into the Yang family! Third Madam Yang, this day next year will be your death anniversary.”

The leader raised his sword and approached Jin Yingying.

Jin Yingying turned and jumped into the ravine, shouting: “In your dreams!”

The leader was startled and rushed to the edge.

At that moment, he heard a whistling sound. His pupils dilated. Before he could react, a gleaming arrowhead appeared before his eyes.

Following the leader’s scream, a dense rain of arrows shot from the forest.

“It’s an ambush!” the men behind the leader shouted, swinging their swords to deflect the incoming arrows.

After the volley, figures emerged from their hiding places on both slopes. Guards from the forest below quickly ran to the summit. Someone helped Jin Yingying up, asking: “Third Madam, are you hurt?”

“I’m fine.” Jin Yingying dusted off her clothes. Jumping into such a small ravine would at most result in a twisted ankle.

She looked back to see Yang Jingyan leading the Yang family guards up the summit. She waved at him cheerfully: “Second Brother!”

“Sister-in-law, you’re not hurt?” Yang Jingyan’s face also broke into a smile.

“My lady!” Before Jin Yingying could answer, Ling’er and Xiang’er ran over crying, examining her up and down, “My lady, you kept us in such painful suspense!”

If I had told you, how could we have kept it from Yang Fourth? Jin Yingying smiled: “See? I’m fine. The ravine wasn’t deep.”

Yang Jingyan had suspected something was wrong when their path kept getting blocked by landslides. Then Yang Fourth’s nighttime disturbance happened. So he had set up the trap. If these assassins hadn’t shown up, it would have just been a lesson for Yang Fourth. If they did appear, none would escape.

On the summit, all six attackers were dead. Four from arrows, two from poison.

Yang Jingyan shook his head: “Death-sworn warriors. They wouldn’t survive even if uninjured.”

Jin Yingying thought of the guards who had escorted her up the mountain, inwardly understanding they must have been the Yang family’s death-sworn warriors too. She glanced at the bodies and turned away: “I thought we could make them confess about the Zhao family. We had so many witnesses to testify against them.”

She didn’t understand such matters. Yang Jingyan smiled: “Second Brother will handle this. You should head down the mountain first.”

Second Master Yang waited two days for news. He not only received word of Yang Jingyan, his wife, and Jin Yingying’s safe return to the city but also learned that Yang Fourth had accidentally fallen into a deep pit and was carried back to the manor, unable to move.

Yang Fourth lay pale-faced, his head wrapped in white cloth, his lower body paralyzed.

Madam Zou fainted on the spot.

“Fourth Son, how could you be so careless, picking flowers!” Second Master Yang held his son’s hand, his heart breaking at the physician’s words. The attendants testified that Fourth Young Master had insisted on picking flowers by the ravine despite Jin Yingying’s attempts to stop him. Second Master Yang hated Jin Yingying and was angry at his son’s foolishness.

“Ji Er Niang harmed me, Second Brother harmed me, the rock was loose…” Yang Fourth struggled to speak, his voice barely a whisper.

Second Master Yang suddenly remembered Yang Jingyuan’s words: “I have two elder brothers. Both elder brothers have legitimate sons. The second branch only has two sons, and the Sixth Brother is only eleven. Think it through.”

It was the first branch’s doing, it must be!

His second son was young, Fourth Son was all he could count on!

Second Master Yang’s eyes turned bloodshot as he stood up abruptly: “Father will get justice for you!”

He led his servants to White Egret Hall, murderous intent in his bearing.

White Egret Hall was covered in white mourning cloth.

The first branch’s people all wore plain white mourning clothes, sitting in neat rows.

Second Master Yang, blood rushing to his head, ignored this. He charged into White Egret Hall with his people, and seeing Jin Yingying sitting in the hall, shouted furiously: “Drag this worthless woman out and beat her to death!”

“Crash!” Madam Yang Shi, sitting in the head position, threw a wine jar at him. The jar hit Second Master Yang, drenching him in wine before shattering.

“Second Master, how bold you are! Taking advantage of your elder brother’s death to bully us widowed mother and child, thinking we’re easy targets? Ordering people to beat my daughter-in-law to death while I’m still alive!” Madam Yang Shi roared.

Before she could say more, a group of Yang family guards rushed forward and dragged out the servants Second Master Yang had brought.

“Yang Shi!” Second Master Yang jumped in rage, “She didn’t maintain proper conduct and lured my Fourth Son, causing him to be paralyzed. If we don’t beat this worthless woman to death, how can I quell my anger!”

Madam Yang Shi laughed harshly: “Yang Junying, don’t you smell what’s on you?”

The red wine soaked Second Master Yang’s blue-green robe like splattered blood. The strong wine fragrance filled the hall.

Second Master Yang froze, suddenly recognizing this as the “immortal wine” he had given his elder brother. His heart trembled, but he tried to maintain composure: “Throwing wine at me, is this how a sister-in-law should behave?”

“Look, look at all this white mourning cloth. Your elder brother is watching you from heaven!” Madam Yang Shi stood up, “When I married into the Yang family, how old were you? They say an elder sister-in-law is like a mother. Which of you, you and Third Brother, haven’t worn the shoes and socks your elder sister-in-law made? When you married, who arranged everything? Is this how you treat your elder brother?!”

“It was eldest brother’s fondness for wine! We all drank it, why were we fine?” Second Master Yang shouted defiantly, his guilt making him forget he had come to seek justice for his son.

“Yes! It was your elder brother’s fondness for wine! So this matter, you know, I know, everyone understands in their hearts, and no one can say a word against you, Second Master!” Madam Yang Shi pointed at him, “Search your conscience, haven’t you had nightmares? Do you sleep peacefully? Have you dreamed of your elder brother!”

Second Master Yang’s face turned pale. Looking up at the spirit tablet of the First Master on the altar, the overwhelming white seemed to drown him. He shouted: “You’re talking nonsense!”