Bai Qingyan stepped out of Luohong Tower, put her fingers to her lips, and whistled a long, loud call, standing alone at the forefront of all the soldiers.

The soldiers defending Luohong Tower at the foot of the steps were being forced to retreat continuously by the desperate men led by Prince Liang. Upon hearing the whistle, before they could turn to look, they saw a horse like white lightning emerge from nowhere, galloping and trampling people, ruthlessly knocking down the assassins beside Prince Liang. It leaped over everyone’s heads, neighing as it charged swiftly up the high steps of Luohong Tower… toward its master.

Prince Liang knew that Bai Qingyan’s arrows never missed and were extremely formidable. Even though Bai Qingyan wasn’t holding the Sun-Shooting Bow at this moment, he was still very cautious, hiding his entire body behind others, his whole body tensed in alert: “Fan Yuhuai… Bai Qingyan is right there! Kill her… rescue Father Emperor, and whether with me or with Father Emperor, you will be a great hero of the Jin Kingdom!”

Fan Yuhuai, who had only one eye left, beheaded an enemy soldier with one sword strike. The moment he looked up, he only saw the silhouette of a white horse leaping overhead, and cried out: “Stop that horse!”

The white horse charged with overwhelming force. Those who raised their blades to intercept were trampled down by the horse’s hooves. One man spat blood and died without even managing to cry out. The white horse didn’t linger in battle… rushing swiftly toward its master amid the sounds of killing.

Bai Qingyan took two steps in three strides, rushing forward to grab Taiping’s saddle and leap up. She seized the reins and pulled the horse to a halt. The snow-white steed reared up with a long neigh. The firelight reflected red on the silver armor that had experienced a hundred battles. The tall, slender woman’s red cloak fluttered like a banner, her features cold and sharp as a blade’s edge, her entire being radiating killing intent as scorching and oppressive as the raging fire.

“Your Majesty!” Shen Tianzhi found a red-tasseled spear somewhere and was chased out of Luohong Tower. Through the thick smoke, he threw the silver spear toward Bai Qingyan, “Catch the spear!”

Bai Qingyan twisted her wrist, driving the sharp blade in her hand deep into the jade steps beneath her horse’s feet, then reached up to catch the red-tasseled spear. She pulled the reins to turn her horse around and commanded loudly: “Guard Luohong Tower’s final line of defense!”

“Yes!” the soldiers responded in unison.

Bai Qingyan’s eyes locked onto Prince Liang. Amid the fierce flames leaping up on both sides of the stone steps, facing the scorching heat waves, gripping the cold blade, she spurred her horse to charge down the high steps, appearing as if galloping forth from the raging fire itself.

Prince Liang stared intently at the murderously imposing Bai Qingyan on horseback, shouting hoarsely at the top of his lungs: “Whoever kills Bai Qingyan will be rewarded with a hundred taels of gold!”

Under great rewards, there must be brave men. The desperate criminals gathered around Prince Liang, upon hearing the words “hundred taels of gold,” became even more bloodthirsty.

A hundred taels of gold! Even if Bai Qingyan was an invincible god of war, with so many people surrounding and attacking her, she was still only one person against many hands. There were always openings to exploit. Who knew if they might be favored by heaven and claim that hundred taels of gold? Then they’d never have to live this life of trading their lives for silver… licking blood from blade edges.

Bai Qingyan’s eyes were like bottomless valleys and abysses, showing no change whatsoever despite the excited expressions of those desperate men around Prince Liang. Her ink-black pupils reflected the firelight but contained only unpredictable cold silence, deeper than the night itself… so deep it made one’s heart race with fear.

Prince Liang instinctively wanted to retreat, but behind him, those desperate men, driven by the hundred taels of gold, howled and charged forward with raised swords like an unstoppable torrent of raging rapids, carrying Prince Liang forward with them, leaving no room for retreat.

“Force Bai Qingyan off her horse!” Fan Yuhuai shouted amid the fierce flames.

In the flickering firelight, Bai Qingyan’s face was stern. Wherever the silver spear’s cold gleam passed… blood sprayed. Fan Yuhuai, who had just stepped forward intending to force Bai Qingyan off her horse, saw the cold gleam approaching and retreated repeatedly. The spear’s red tassel floated past Fan Yuhuai’s eyes. He felt heat in his throat, his eyes widening as he covered his throat with one hand covered in blood.

Fan Yuhuai breathed heavily and swallowed saliva… his throat wasn’t severed! Fortunately, it was just a flesh wound!

He dared not imagine what the consequences would have been if he had been a step slower in retreating. With one hand covering his neck and the other pulling Prince Liang, he rapidly retreated down the steps, letting those desperate men who wanted the hundred taels of gold and weren’t afraid of death charge forward to fight.

Fan Yuhuai hadn’t forgotten how Bai Qingyan had once used that silver spear to impale and lift the corpse of the idle Prince of Nandu. Besides the Sun-Shooting Bow… that silver spear was also Bai Qingyan’s specialty weapon.

He dared not hesitate, pulling Prince Liang to retreat rapidly to save their lives. He saw Bai Qingyan’s steed rear up, kicking down a crowd of desperate men who wanted to force Bai Qingyan off her horse. Some who hadn’t even gotten close to Bai Qingyan were already pierced through the chest by her spear…

One assassin willing to sacrifice his life for the hundred taels of gold saw that Bai Qingyan’s spear was still in his comrade’s chest cavity, tightly grasped by his comrade’s bloody hands. He seized the opportunity to leap up in the air, his eyes revealing wild joy, feeling that Bai Qingyan’s head was his!

Shen Tianzhi’s heart instantly jumped to his throat at the top of the high steps. He wanted to shout a warning, but his throat constricted and he couldn’t make a sound!

But before that assassin could get anywhere near Bai Qingyan, he was pierced through the abdomen by the spear, his body seemingly frozen in mid-air by the spear in an instant.

Bai Qingyan gripped the silver spear with its butt resting against the saddle, lifting high the assassin who had leaped up intending to behead her. Her sharp gaze swept over those assassins who, seeing this, were filled with fear and continuously retreating.

Below the horse, the assassin Bai Qingyan had pierced through the chest, still maintaining his grip on the spear, looking down to see blood flowing out like water. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground, his face contorted grotesquely as he died, unable to believe until death how Bai Qingyan could be so fast!

Between nations, the weak fear the strong.

Between people, it is the same!

When they knew Bai Qingyan was strong, they still held a thread of hope. But seeing Bai Qingyan kill with her silver spear so fast that in this environment of blazing fire, their eyes could only catch glimpses of shadows… they knew Bai Qingyan was not someone their strength could match!

A hundred taels of gold was tempting, but one had to be alive to spend it.

The leaping flames surrounding Luohong Tower lit up the area like daylight, making the corpse Bai Qingyan held up… exceptionally clear.

The assassin impaled on the spear dropped his blade, spat blood, and gripped the spear shaft tightly with both hands. In just a moment, he was lifeless, like a puppet held high.

Fan Yuhuai’s heart was about to leap from his throat. Not only did Bai Qingyan seem to have eyes in the back of her head, but her speed… was unbelievably fast. It was one thing that he, with only one eye remaining, couldn’t see Bai Qingyan’s movements of drawing and thrusting the spear, but the surrounding desperate men… none of them could see clearly, not even knowing how Bai Qingyan had wielded her spear.

Bai Qingyan’s steed Taiping, seeing the sounds of battle suddenly dissipate around them, stamped its hooves and snorted hot breath with a long neigh. Those assassins retreated one after another, while Shen Tianzhi’s forces also gathered around Bai Qingyan.