At this moment, in the imposing Zhuge mansion on Qianyuan Road in the inner city of Zhen Huang, low growls of discontent could be heard. Several gray-haired physicians knelt on the ground with hunched backs, their faces pale and bodies trembling like chaff in the wind.

“Young Master,” the little maid Huan’er’s face was ashen, and the white cloth in her hands was instantly soaked with blood. She knelt on the ground, her forehead covered in cold sweat and tears streaming down her face as she trembled, “Young Master, please let the physicians examine you.”

Zhuge Yue’s green robe was spattered with blood, and a large wound had been torn open on his arm. The injury was severe, with blood gushing out, yet he seemed completely unaware of it. He held a whip with an iron hook, staring vigilantly at the animal in the cage.

Inside, there was a mature spotted tiger! Its tail was thick, its claws and teeth sharp. Its entire body was covered in broken fur and dripping with blood. Its eyes were filled with hatred as it looked at the man. Despite being critically injured, it showed not the slightest fear or supplication.

Half a month ago, this tiger had been offered as a tribute from Great Yu, but now it was barely recognizable.

“The Master has arrived,” someone called out, and the room instantly fell silent. Zhuge Mu Qing slowly entered the room, still wearing his blue court robes that he hadn’t had time to change. He glanced at the messy beast house, slightly furrowed his brows, and finally waved his hand, saying, “Everyone, leave.”

The crowd felt as if they had been granted a great amnesty and hurriedly withdrew. Huan’er tried to bandage Zhuge Yue’s arm while crying, then wiped her tears and retreated from the room.

The large door was slowly closed by people outside. Zhuge Yue’s expression remained unchanged as he stubbornly stood in place, his eyes fixed on the cage, saying nothing.

“Are you dissatisfied?” the old man’s voice suddenly sounded low.

Zhuge Yue stood straight and did not speak for a long time.

“My son, what has Master Qiu Yue taught you all these years?”

Zhuge Yue remained silent for a while before saying in a deep voice, “The art of deploying troops, the way of handling affairs, the manner of being an official.”

“That’s good,” the old man nodded and slowly said, “At least he didn’t take it upon himself to teach you how to be a ruler.”

“Father?” Zhuge Yue suddenly raised his head, his voice low with a trace of alarm.

“Fourth son, among all my children, you have the highest aptitude—steady and mature at a young age, cautious in your actions. But your flaw is that you are too stubborn. Do you remember when you were young? When old Batu paid homage to the Emperor and brought a large mastiff, you liked it and tried every method to get it. You spent more than two months on that mastiff, suffered countless injuries, wore thick leather clothing to eat and sleep with the mastiff, used both soft and hard approaches, and finally, after much effort to tame it, you told your servant to kill and stew it. At that time, when I asked why, how did you answer?”

Zhuge Yue frowned deeply and remained silent for a long time before saying softly, “I said I liked the process of obtaining and taming it, not the dog itself.”

“Right,” Zhuge Mu Qing smiled faintly and said in a deep voice, “That’s exactly what you said. At that time, your grandfather was still alive. After hearing this, he told me that this child must be the hope for the revival of our Zhuge lineage. All these years, I have firmly believed this. But now, I’m beginning to doubt.”

“Father?” Zhuge Yue raised his head, his brows tightly furrowed, “I…”

“Fourth son, for that slave, you even fought with your eldest brother years ago. Later, you even switched them secretly, concealing the truth. You did it very cleverly and discreetly, but do you really think that Father completely believed you and disregarded your eldest brother’s words?”

Zhuge Mu Qing’s expression suddenly became stern, and he said in a deep voice, “I thought you would have made progress after seven years at Wo Long, but I didn’t expect you to still be so impulsive and reckless, disregarding the consequences. Do you know what kind of consequences your actions that night might bring? What obstacles and disasters they might cause for your future career?”

With a thud, Zhuge Yue immediately knelt, lowered his head, and said in a deep voice, “Son was rash.”

“You were indeed rash!” Zhuge Mu Qing raised his head and said sternly, “After the fall of the Mu He clan, the Batu Ha family in the northwest is also not what it once was. Wei Shu You has suffered from poisoning and his whereabouts are unknown. Heaven knows who will be next! If the Council of Elders does not unite, we will be devoured piece by piece. Our great families must both guard against each other and depend on each other. This is an unchanging iron law and the necessary path for our family’s prosperity for hundreds of generations. At this time, how can you divert your attention to other matters and neglect our family’s great enterprise?”

Zhuge Yue lowered his head, his expression unclear, but his deep voice could be heard saying slowly, “Son has realized his mistake.”

Zhuge Mu Qing didn’t speak. He walked to the cage and looked at the tiger offered by Great Yu. His narrow eyes slowly narrowed, and suddenly, the old man swiftly drew a long sword from the weapon rack nearby. With lightning speed, he slashed into the iron cage. The sword cut through iron as if it were mud, instantly penetrating the tiger’s neck. A line of bloodshot upward, and the fierce tiger roared once, convulsed a few times, and then moved no more.

Zhuge Yue turned his head, his eyebrows tightly knitted as he looked at the bloody scene, but he didn’t say a word.

“Child, even among beasts, there are differences. Like dogs, they can be tamed for your use. Like tigers, they can only be killed to avoid harming yourself. Having grown up in the mountains and forests for many years, Father hopes you understand this principle.”

The night wind was icy cold, and there was a thick smell of blood in the room.

“This time, the Council of Elders must join hands to avoid this disaster. Get ready.”

Zhuge Yue still knelt on the ground. Upon hearing this, he raised his head and asked in a deep voice, “Who did the Wei faction send?”

“Who else could they send?” Zhuge Mu Qing laughed coldly, “The Wei faction truly has no worthy successors.”

The moon was full, the stars few, and the rain had just stopped. A ragged and emaciated army, after explaining themselves for half a day, was still unable to enter the imperial city and had no choice but to camp outside, waiting to enter the city early the next morning. Looking at the city guards on the wall who were full of suspicion and watching them with wide eyes, the soldiers finally could no longer suppress their anger and began to complain.

“What kind of situation is this?”

A young soldier had just entered the tent when his stomach rumbled loudly. He couldn’t help but throw his helmet on the ground and shout angrily.

“Shhh! Keep your voice down. Be careful, the young general might hear.”

“So what if he hears? We are the prestigious Tian Division of Zhen Huang, but we’ve been reduced to this state, wearing these tattered clothes. Even with tokens, we can’t enter the city. I haven’t had a full meal in ten days. Even the Northwest Field Army lives better than us!”

“Exactly!” another soldier chimed in, “The young general pities those lowly commoners and can use his salary to help them. His Wei family is the richest in the land; they could build a hundred century-old soup kitchens and serve abalone and bird’s nests every day with plenty to spare. Why must we suffer together? On the way back, we gave away so much. Not having food to eat is one thing, but even warm clothes were given to those lowly people. Look at my foot, it’s still swollen.”

“Whose feet aren’t swollen? Even my legs are swollen. What’s most hateful is that even the military brothel has been disbanded. Being with General Shu Ye for these two years has been harder than living in Nanshan Temple.”

“To be honest, the young general is not a bad person and treats everyone equally, but he’s too much like a woman. He does things in a hesitant and overly careful manner. In the battle of Yuchi County, we were half an hour ahead of the 14th Army, but he insisted on going around White Mountain Ridge, afraid that the army would trample the commoners’ crops. Otherwise, how would the credit have been stolen by the 14th Army? No wonder, even though his family background, position, martial arts, and planning are not inferior to the young lord of the Mu family, his promotion speed in the military is far behind others.”

“Exactly…”

“Silence!” a stern shout suddenly came in. Lieutenant General Yelü stood outside the tent, his posture upright, his tone cold, saying harshly, “Go to sleep now! What time is it?”

Inside, there was instant silence. Yelü Yan frowned, looking at the distant tent with fluttering curtains, silent.

Two years had passed, and they had finally returned.

Three days later, it would be the day when the Huai Song envoys arrived at Zhen Huang City. As before, the special envoy from Huai Song would be led by Princess Imperial Nalan Hong Ye herself.

The Nalan clan of Huai Song was a great family of the same era as the Li clan of Bian Tang, with a lineage traceable back thousands of years. Even in the time of the previous Great Yin Dynasty, there were officials from the Nalan clan at court. Particularly famous was the Nalan clan’s ancestor, Nalan Jie, who had repelled the grassland cavalry outside Yao Pass, led his army to charge 3,000 miles, and deeply penetrated the great desert to completely eradicate the Quanrong people of the Helan Tianshan range. That battle was the first victory of the Eastern Continent against the grasslands. From then on, the grassland cavalry was in decline until the emergence of Pei Luo Zhen Huang, the ancestor of Great Xia, three hundred years ago, who restored the dignity of the grassland cavalry. However, soon after, the Pei Luo clan changed their emblem and surname after taking control of the Central Plains, completely rejecting the fact that they too had come from the grasslands.

As time passed to a thousand years later, the Nalan royal family had few descendants. By the time it reached the hands of the late Emperor Nalan Lie, there was only one son and one daughter. After Nalan Lie died in the southern border battle, his young son Nalan Hong Yu ascended the throne. The Empress Dowager Xiao was weak and ill and not skilled in court politics, so Nalan Hong Yu’s elder sister, Nalan Hong Ye, assisted in governing.

In five years, Huai Song’s national strength greatly increased, commerce flourished, and the country was peaceful and prosperous. The Nalan siblings also won great respect in the country. As the Princess Imperial of Huai Song, Nalan Hong Ye’s prestige and position were almost not inferior to the Emperor’s. However, what went unnoticed was that this gifted Princess Imperial was not yet twenty-one years old, and when she had taken up her responsibilities at a critical time, she had just come of age.

The day was clear and the breeze gentle. Opening the door of the academy, one could see Crown Prince Li Ce standing like a flower under the corridor, his smile radiant, his eyes narrowed into lines, happily waving his hand upon seeing her.

The young woman wore green palace attire and seemed not to notice him as she turned to head towards Shangyi Fang.

“Qiao Qiao,” a clingy voice sounded from behind. Li Ce wore a pine-green dragon robe with a matching jade belt, looking quite handsome. He strode forward to block Chu Qiao’s path, his eyes curved into a smile, saying, “Are you angry?”

Chu Qiao stepped back slightly. Under the corridor was a blue lake. The weather had warmed, and small fish were now gently swaying and swimming. The water was crystal clear, with aquatic plants floating.

“Qiao Qiao, I didn’t intentionally abandon you. I knew someone would stand up for you and just wanted to see how much charm my Qiao Qiao has.”

“Crown Prince Li, this is the inner palace. Please mind your words.”

Li Ce frowned, looking hurt, “Qiao Qiao, must you keep me at a thousand-mile distance?”

“Li Ce,” Chu Qiao slowly frowned and said in a deep voice, “You are truly unlikable.”

Li Ce laughed heartily, opening his fan with a flourish, and said with a smile, “This is the first time the Crown Prince has heard such words.”

“Is that so?” Chu Qiao smiled coldly, “There must be few people who dare to speak the truth. Then today I might as well make things clear to you once and for all. I dislike you. I dislike how you constantly parade around in your bright clothes in front of me. I dislike your insincere and affected manner of speech. I dislike your fox-like eyes. I dislike your overfamiliarity. I dislike your honey-tongued, malicious nature that thrives on chaos. Since we are destined to be enemies, please stop pretending to be close friends. I don’t have the time to act with you or to entertain your antics. Either behave with the dignity of a Crown Prince, and I’ll properly bow and pay my respects to you, or we can each go our way without further entanglement. I am just a lowly commoner, undeserving of Your Highness’s favor and affection. Whatever tricks or intentions you have, please find someone else.”

With that, the woman flicked her sleeve and walked away.

“Hey! Don’t go!”

Li Ce anxiously grabbed her clothes from behind. Chu Qiao frowned, using an elusive footwork technique to evade. With a splash, Li Ce’s body tilted and fell into the cold blue lake.

“Help!” cries immediately came from servants in the distance, “The Crown Prince has fallen into the water!”

In the afternoon, Chu Qiao sat under the corridor of Shangyi Fang, surrounded by flowering trees with willow buds sprouting. The sunlight warmly fell upon her, very comforting.

Suddenly, a black shadow appeared behind her. The person breathed slowly and approached cautiously, with light footsteps that were both unsteady yet somewhat stable, clearly someone who had practiced martial arts but was not proficient.

Chu Qiao was polishing a piece of pottery. Hearing the sound, she calmly put down the treasure in her hands and quietly waited for the right moment.

A black shadow slowly reached out to pat Chu Qiao’s shoulder. In a flash, the woman lowered her body, using her elbow, grabbing the wrist, and executing a shoulder throw!

With a loud thud, accompanied by a man’s wail, the well-dressed man landed face-up in the courtyard. The ground had just been sprinkled with water by Chu Qiao, and now it was covered in mud, soiling the man all over.

Li Ce got up with a pained expression, frowning in frustration, “Qiao Qiao, I just changed into fresh clothes!”

Chu Qiao gave him a cold look, then crouched down to continue polishing the pottery.

Li Ce limped over and squatted beside Chu Qiao, saying, “Qiao Qiao, this afternoon, the Princess Imperial of Huai Song will enter the city. Aren’t you going to watch?”

“A lowly servant like me has no right to welcome the golden branches and jade leaves of Huai Song.”

Li Ce sat down very familiarly, forcibly occupying half of Chu Qiao’s bench, “You’re not going? Then I won’t go either. Let’s go out of the city. I heard that the hunting grounds of Great Xia are vast. Now that winter has just passed, the hibernating bears have all awakened.”

Chu Qiao frowned deeply, her voice cold, “No.”

Li Ce cupped his chin, frowning, “Then where shall we go? I’m not familiar with this place either. The palace is so boring. Emperor Xia is very unreasonable. Zhao Qi hasn’t been seen for three days. They’ve assigned a bunch of old men to accompany me. They tremble all over when I so much as yawn. It’s completely dull.”

“Ah! It’s Crown Prince Li! This servant has been disrespectful!” Several female officials from Shangyi Fang walked by and suddenly spotted Li Ce. Everyone was startled and hastily knelt to pay their respects.

“It’s fine, it’s fine. Please rise.” Li Ce smiled at the palace maids, waving his hand in a friendly manner, his eyes almost narrowed into slits.

Looking at Li Ce’s expression, Chu Qiao’s frown deepened. She felt that all the words she had spoken in the morning had been wasted. Her composure was deteriorating; she got angry at such a person.

“You may go about your business. I’ll still be sitting here for a while.”

Li Ce chatted casually with the palace maids, showing no princely airs whatsoever.

“Qiao Qiao, let’s go out of the city to hunt!”

Chu Qiao said nothing, stood up, and carried the water basin into the room.

Li Ce rose to follow her, asking as he walked, “What do you think? Qiao Qiao, shall we go?”

Chu Qiao still didn’t speak and began organizing scrolls.

Li Ce circled, persistently asking, “Qiao Qiao, shall we go? Hmm?”

Chu Qiao told herself, I must not respond to him and continued to keep her calm, busying herself with unnecessary tasks, and refusing to give any reply.

“Qiao Qiao, shall we go? Please?”

“Qiao Qiao, if you don’t speak, I’ll take it as consent.”

“Qiao Qiao, do you want to go but can’t bring yourself to admit it?”

“Qiao Qiao, you want to go, right? I knew you wouldn’t truly be angry with me. Look, you pushed me into the cold lake, and I didn’t even get mad at you.”

“Qiao Qiao, why aren’t you changing clothes? When are we leaving the city? If we wait any longer, it will be dark…”

…

Chu Qiao didn’t know what madness had possessed her to come out of the city with him.

This was the first time Chu Qiao had left Zhen Huang City when it wasn’t snowing. The vast hunting ground was covered in green grass, lush and beautiful. Li Ce wore an exaggerated red robe embroidered with large peonies, which looked quite vulgar, but on him, it had a certain elegance.

The man rode a flashy white stallion with a purple rose silk flower tied around its neck, looking just like a groom going to collect his bride.

After standing for about half an hour, Chu Qiao finally asked her first question reluctantly, “Weren’t we supposed to hunt? Why aren’t we going?”

“How could I do something so cruel?” Li Ce widened his eyes in shock, then leaned close to Chu Qiao’s ear and whispered, “I’m not like those bloodthirsty Xia people who have no respect for life.”

The woman raised an eyebrow, “Then why did you come hunting?”

“Hehe,” Li Ce opened his fan with a flourish, looking smug, and said with a smile, “I just wanted to find an opportunity to be alone with Qiao Qiao.”

Chu Qiao had developed immunity to his crazy talk and, raising her whip, said, “You just said Xia people don’t respect life?”

“Yes,” Li Ce said, “I heard they even have a type of hunting called human hunting, which is truly inhumane.”

Chu Qiao’s heart trembled at these words, and she looked up and asked, “What about the royal family of Bian Tang? How do you treat your slaves?”

“In our Bian Tang,” Li Ce shook his head proudly and said, “Great Xia values the destruction of life, while we in Bian Tang value the creation of life.”

“Creating life?”

The woman frowned, asking softly in confusion. Li Ce suddenly chuckled, leaning over with a hoarse voice, “Would Qiao Qiao like to try? The Crown Prince’s excellent bloodline is available to you for free.”

Immediately understanding what “creating life” meant, Chu Qiao turned her head and gave him a cold look, saying sternly, “A dog can’t stop eating shit!”

With that, she walked ahead alone. Li Ce followed behind in high spirits, accompanied by a large number of elite guards. Since the successive misfortunes of Mu He Xi Feng and Wei Shu You, the already tense atmosphere in Zhen Huang City due to the Emperor’s birthday had become like a fully drawn bowstring, filled with urgency that made it hard to breathe. Nobles traveled with large escorts, and Li Ce was no exception.

This showed how powerful Yan Xun’s forces hidden in the shadows were. Perhaps only Chu Qiao in the entire Zhen Huang City knew that these fat, conscienceless imperial nobles would one day drink the bitter cup of regret.

“Qiao Qiao, wait for me. I’m not used to riding this horse.”

Li Ce called out loudly from behind again. Chu Qiao sighed helplessly and turned back to see Li Ce awkwardly twisting on the horse, which remained stubbornly in place, refusing to move.

Chu Qiao frowned and said, “Didn’t you ride quite well when we first met? You even dared to maneuver on horseback. Your horsemanship was excellent.”

“Just that one horse,” Li Ce smiled sheepishly, “It was a purebred horse gifted from the Fire Burning Hut in the Southern Frontier, raised by me since it was small, and it listens to me the most. Back then, I only learned that one horseback maneuver from the riding master because I thought it looked dashing.”

“Then why didn’t you ride that horse today?”

Li Ce answered naturally, “You’re riding a pure black horse with a tuft of white at the tip of its nose, so of course I needed to find a pure white one with a tuft of black at the tip of its nose. See? It’s right here.” Li Ce struggled to bend down, and pushed aside the rose flower covering the horse’s nose, revealing a tuft of black hair that looked quite spirited.

Chu Qiao suddenly felt completely drained of energy. Looking at Li Ce’s peach blossom-like face, she felt that any words would be superfluous. She shook her head and said in a deep voice, “Li Ce, if you’re truly pretending, if you have ulterior motives and are secretly causing trouble, if the behavior you display is all fake, then your skill is incredibly deep.”

Li Ce smiled proudly, “The Crown Prince came to Zhen Huang with ulterior motives to secretly cause trouble, but my behavior is genuine. The Crown Prince is the same gallant and graceful figure in any situation.”

Chu Qiao sighed helplessly, her eyes sweeping the area, and suddenly a strong sense of unease surged within her!

Her phoenix eyes scanned the prairie, and in an instant, the woman leaped up, throwing herself at Li Ce and knocking him off his warhorse!

“Qiao Qiao! Why is your leap into my arms so rough? You…”

“Shut up!”

The woman shouted angrily. Almost simultaneously, a dense rain of sharp arrows shot toward them like locusts. From the distant high slope, countless enemies suddenly emerged, each wielding bows and crossbows. Bowstrings twanged continuously. More than ten guards in front immediately fell from their horses like sieves. The riderless warhorses neighed in unison. Chu Qiao dragged Li Ce in a side roll, just avoiding the huge body of the white horse. Countless arrows were densely embedded in the white horse’s carcass, their tips glinting with a dark blue light—poisoned.

“Is this your trick?”

Chu Qiao shouted sternly. Li Ce’s eyes were also confused as he cried out, “I set up an ambush for myself?”

“Damn it!”

At the same time, battle cries erupted! Countless enemies sprang up from the tall grass. Each wielding a thick-backed war blade and dressed in civilian clothes, they charged forward with shouts.

“Protect His Highness!” Li Ce’s chief guard Meng Jiao shouted sternly, leading several personal guards forward. Fortunately, they had brought bows and arrows for hunting, and in the emergency, they were able to return fire a few times. Otherwise, they would have been annihilated without hope of survival.

Chu Qiao blocked several flying arrows and saw Li Ce standing behind her with a bewildered look. She became angry and sternly asked, “You don’t know martial arts?”

Li Ce nodded hurriedly, “Qiao Qiao, you must protect me.”

“Idiot!” The young woman was instantly furious. She kicked Li Ce’s knee, and the man cried out and fell into a crouch, just in time to dodge a flying arrow.

“Don’t panic! Those in front engage the enemy, those in the middle provide covering fire with arrows, and those at the rear gather the warhorses, ready to break through at any moment!” The young woman grabbed a crossbow and, while running, fiercely counterattacked. Her arrows seemed to have eyes, never missing their target. With each arrow she fired, a miserable scream followed.

Killing cries came from all directions. Arrows filled the sky, and shouts shook the heavens. The enemy’s forces came like the tide, endlessly surging forward, at least a thousand strong. Li Ce’s guards were now fewer than a hundred, all wounded. In an emergency, they could not possibly stand against the attack. Chu Qiao dragged Li Ce as they ran staggering. Seeing that a dense forest was not far away, her heart suddenly filled with joy, and she shouted, “Retreat into the forest!”

A fierce blade came straight toward them. Li Ce cried out in panic. Chu Qiao swiftly moved forward, delivering a flying kick to the man’s groin. Pig-like screams instantly rang out, but before the man’s voice could extend, Chu Qiao swung her sword and sliced off half of his head!

Blood instantly sprayed all over Li Ce. The man was startled and actually pulled out a handkerchief from his collar, rubbing it vigorously against his clothes.

“Idiot! Is this the time for that?” Grabbing the man’s hand, Chu Qiao pulled him into the forest. The rain of arrows was immediately blocked by the dense trees, with only a few arrows penetrating, though with much less force.

Seeing them hide in the forest, the enemies decisively abandoned their bows and charged forward with swords.

Enemies were all around, like locusts, dense and numerous. Chu Qiao’s sword moves were astonishing, cutting down all who opposed her. She pulled Li Ce forward, leading the way. Meng Jiao and the others followed behind. By now, there were fewer than fifty of them left, all covered in blood, seriously wounded, and no longer able to fight.

Chu Qiao’s mind worked rapidly, scanning for weaknesses in the enemy’s encirclement. Her methods were ruthless; she killed six or seven people in succession. The martial arts experience from her two lifetimes, combined with years of hard training, finally showed its great advantage in this jungle warfare. Although she was small in stature, she could better utilize the terrain, moving and killing in the forest almost unchallenged.

“Qiao Qiao! Qiao Qiao!”

Li Ce suddenly called out loudly. Chu Qiao turned back to see a large man wielding a knife and approaching him. Meng Jiao was covered in blood and swaying, obviously unable to hold on much longer.

Chu Qiao leaped up, kicking the large man’s shoulder, and brought her sword down in mid-air. The Breaking Moon sword sang as it slashed diagonally from the man’s face to his shoulder. The man screamed and fell to the ground, his skull shattered and bleeding profusely.

The precious sword’s long cry echoed in her ears. The man who was waiting in the back mountain, ready to assist at any moment, was startled. He frowned and raised his head to look toward the distant hunting ground.

Chu Qiao was also surprised; she hadn’t expected the Breaking Moon sword to be such a treasure that it would emit such a piercing sword cry. But now she had no time to consider this. Her left shoulder suddenly felt a burning pain. The young woman raised an eyebrow, her left hand drawing the dagger from under her ribs and instantly stabbing it into the attacker’s eye socket. Her right wrist flicked, blocking a spear from the right. As the opponent staggered back, she executed a flurry of sword moves, leaping up, her right foot kicking the man’s face repeatedly, and her sword following, piercing the man’s heart.

“Qiao Qiao!” Li Ce was shocked and rushed forward to embrace Chu Qiao, “You’re hurt!”

“Don’t worry about me! Meng Jiao, take your master and run west!”

“No! I can’t abandon you!”

Li Ce stubbornly stood in place, picked up a sword from the ground, waved it around with a fancy stance, and shouted with vigor, “Petty villains! Come on!”

Hearing this, Chu Qiao’s heart suddenly chilled.

She didn’t want to suffer this undeserved calamity. With her abilities, escaping through the forest was almost guaranteed; few in the world could stop her. Today’s situation clearly showed that the enemy was targeting Li Ce. As soon as she left him, she would be safe. But hearing his words, she suddenly found herself speechless. This man might have ulterior motives, might be devious, might be cunning and changeable, but at the very least, at this moment, she couldn’t see what other thoughts he could have. She could professionally say that this was not an act. If she hadn’t saved him several times, Li Ce would have long since died with no place for burial.

With a “snap,” Li Ce’s sword hadn’t even reached the enemy before he cut his sleeve and dropped the sword on the ground.

“Fool!” Chu Qiao shouted angrily, grabbing his hand and calling out to Meng Jiao and the others, “Follow me!”

The Breaking Moon sword’s blade was sharp, cutting iron as if it were mud. With a swish, the enemy’s sword was reduced to a short stub. The man was shocked and was then cut down by the pursuing Meng Jiao, falling to the ground covered in blood.

Stepping over the enemy’s corpses, Chu Qiao quickly moved up. Everyone followed her to a high slope. Below, the river water was rapid, with waves blooming like flowers, seemingly still containing ice floes—a river that had just thawed.

“Jump down!”

Chu Qiao called out loudly, kicking an assassin in the abdomen and shouting to everyone.

“Huh?” Li Ce stood behind Chu Qiao, stretching his neck to look down, frowning, “Qiao Qiao, we’ll freeze to death!”

“If you want to die, stay here!”

Li Ce hesitated on the high slope, unable to summon the courage. Suddenly, a man swung his knife up from the slope, attempting to ambush the young woman who was confronting enemies. The pampered Crown Prince of Bian Tang, from who knows where, found the courage to pick up a large stone and smash it against the man’s head. With a whistling sound, the man’s head was instantly bloodied, rolling down like a gourd.

“Haha!” Li Ce was delighted with his success and continued to fight the enemy by embracing stones.

Seeing the Crown Prince displaying great valor, others followed his example. For a time, the enemy’s momentum was suppressed.

“Quick, let’s go!” Chu Qiao turned around, embraced Li Ce who was fighting with gusto, and rolled down the slope with him. With a splash, everyone entered the water. The bone-chilling cold instantly assailed them, and Chu Qiao and Li Ce sank to the bottom of the water.

Chu Qiao remained clear-minded and swam upward quickly, but no matter how much effort she exerted, she still couldn’t surface. Looking down, she became furious. Li Ce was hugging his chest, tightly clutching a large stone as if it were a gold brick.

She punched the man’s back and grabbed the stone away, but before she could surface, suddenly a dense rain of arrows shot into the water. Screams continuously came from both sides, showing that Meng Jiao and the others had been hit underwater. Chu Qiao thought silently that fools have fool’s luck, and pulled Li Ce to swim away.

The water flow was very fast. After a while, the two surfaced. The enemies were still pursuing from the banks, but they had gone far.

Chu Qiao’s lips were pale, her shoulder bloody, and her strength gradually failing.

“Qiao Qiao, Qiao Qiao?” Li Ce’s voice grew increasingly muffled. Chu Qiao turned her head with effort and saw Li Ce struggling to paddle. Seeing her look at him, he quickly said in a deep voice, “You must hold on. We’re about to escape danger.”

This was the first time Li Ce had spoken to her so seriously. His face was somewhat blue, his lips pale and bloodless. His eyes lacked their usual playfulness and teasing, replaced by a seriousness that seemed to change his entire demeanor.

Chu Qiao wanted to tell him not to put on that frivolous, ridiculous act anymore, but though she opened her mouth several times, she couldn’t speak. Her body was frozen and trembling, and excessive blood loss had left her weak.

The river water was dark red. The enemies’ battle cries came from behind, endlessly. Gradually, fires were lit on other hilltops as well. It seemed that no matter which direction they headed today, they would have been ambushed as soon as they left the city. The enemy’s assassination plan was massive, with numerous forces deployed, beyond imagination.

There were no longer any sounds from the guards at her side. The water sound grew louder, and the sky gradually darkened. The river water was bone-chillingly cold, the spray increasingly high, the current accelerating. Chu Qiao and Li Ce cried out as they rapidly descended a small waterfall. In the whirling confusion, Li Ce suddenly exerted force and tightly embraced the young woman. The two fell together from the height, amid rugged rocks. Chu Qiao’s back struck a stone, and her vision went black as she lost consciousness.