Qing Zhu was also terrified, frantically searching for a doctor in the dead of night, pounding on the medical hall’s door like a madman. When the doctor came out to answer, he was extremely impatient, saying they were disturbing people’s sleep in the middle of the night and insisting on driving them away, until Bai Song could bear it no longer and drew his sword, forcing him to properly take Qi Ying’s pulse.

How could he know that the person before him was the legitimate son of Jiangzuo’s foremost noble family, the powerful minister whose name moved the world through these troubled times? If not for the special circumstances now, he would never have had the chance in his lifetime to take his pulse.

And it was from this country doctor’s mouth that Shen Xiling first learned just how seriously ill Qi Ying truly was.

He had always been a person who worked tirelessly. His family, his court – endless heavy burdens all pressed upon him alone, so much so that Shen Xiling remembered from childhood that he always slept little, almost every night staying up in Wangshi, working until deep night, working until dawn, wearing simple clothes and eating plain food, rising early and sleeping late, day after day, year after year.

How could he truly be unaffected?

He was also human, made of flesh and blood. He too could hurt, grow tired, and be unable to persist. Now he had collapsed, and all those years of accumulated fatigue had turned into illness tormenting him. His body had become weak to the extreme.

The doctor even said: “This young master has fallen ill from overwork – the damage is too deep to reverse. Hereafter he must absolutely avoid exertion and worry, otherwise… I fear his prospects are not long.”

Not long prospects…

The moment she heard these words, Shen Xiling felt her entire sky was about to collapse.

Like suddenly having all her support pulled away, like becoming destitute again, the panic and pain in her heart even far exceeded that of five years ago when she married far away. It was as if she had returned to that heavy snow in Jiankang City ten years ago, as helpless as then, as bleak as then.

But she knew she could no longer be like she was ten years ago.

Then she had been weak and incompetent, unable to do anything, only able to wait desperately for others’ salvation – but now she had to rely on herself.

She had to save him.

Even if everyone was using him and harming him.

Even if everyone came with knives to cut his flesh and blood.

She would still stand in front of him, just as he had once protected her, steadily and securely protecting him.

With such conviction supporting her heart, Shen Xiling was actually very calm at this moment. Qing Zhu beside her had already cried himself into a tearful mess, and even the usually stern-faced Bai Song couldn’t hide his shock and panic, yet only Shen Xiling appeared composed and steady.

She thanked the doctor, asked him to write a prescription and prepare medicine, then brought the unconscious Qi Ying to the carriage to find an inn for lodging. Along the way, she knocked on a money house’s door and withdrew several bank notes to carry with her.

He needed to rest well, at the very least, to properly drink a bowl of medicine.

They finally found lodging in the deep night of Qingyuan City – a run-down, inconspicuous inn. Bai Song carried Qi Ying into a second-floor room, Shen Xiling stayed by his side caring for him, while Qing Zhu went to the kitchen to brew medicine.

Soon Qing Zhu came running upstairs, his face pale with urgency, gasping as he said the doctor from the medical hall must have been sleepy and confused – he had failed to provide one medicinal ingredient. Now he had to return to the medical hall to get the missing herb.

At that time Bai Song wasn’t at the inn – he had gone outside to scout and guard alertly. Shen Xiling had to stay by Qi Ying’s side and couldn’t leave, so this errand could only be done by Qing Zhu himself.

Ever since Shen Xiling had last taken out her anger on Qing Zhu because of Qi Ying’s withdrawal symptoms, the atmosphere between them had become somewhat awkward. Of course Shen Xiling knew Qing Zhu wouldn’t hold a grudge over that small quarrel – he just had a somewhat stubborn temperament and hadn’t yet returned to normal.

Now with Qi Ying fallen ill, everyone’s hearts were extremely heavy, especially since Qing Zhu had just cried hard, his eyes still red and swollen. Shen Xiling wanted to comfort him, so she forcibly suppressed the sadness in her own heart, made an effort to smile at him, and even joked: “Otherwise I’ll go instead? Can you find the way?”

Upon hearing this, Qing Zhu indeed perked up, his face flushing red, seemingly very indignant at having his sore spot touched, but at the same time deeply understanding Shen Xiling’s good intentions. He smiled at her awkwardly, then stubbornly said: “Of course I’ll go! I… I can naturally find the way! I’ll be back in the time it takes to burn one incense stick!”

As his words fell, their friendship since childhood became even clearer: the colored lanterns of the Lantern Festival, the flowers and trees of Fenghe Courtyard, the covered walkways of the main family – those small past moments when she had given him directions appeared once again before both their eyes.

They smiled at each other, and all the small grudges in their hearts completely disappeared.

For the first time, Qing Zhu showed Shen Xiling a genuine smile, like a true old friend. He looked at the unconscious Qi Ying on the bed, lowered his head, and said: “Then I entrust our master to your care. I’ll go and return quickly.”

Shen Xiling nodded at him and said: “Don’t worry.”

That day Qing Zhu truly didn’t get lost – he returned in exactly the time it takes to burn one incense stick.

But when he returned, everything had already changed.

Before he came back, Qi Ying had briefly regained consciousness for a moment, but his body was still frighteningly hot and his mind very confused, as if half-dreaming and half-awake.

But this was already enough to delight Shen Xiling. She sat by his bedside tightly grasping his hand, but heard him saying something like sleep-talk.

Shen Xiling couldn’t hear clearly and could only bend down to listen closely, faintly catching some broken phrases.

He was saying: “Brush… give me a brush…”

A brush?

What did he want a brush for?

To write a letter? Or…

Shen Xiling was puzzled and hadn’t yet thought of anything when Bai Song burst into the room first.

He didn’t even bother to knock, directly pushing the door open forcefully, striding in and urgently saying to Shen Xiling: “Pursuers have come, we must leave quickly!”

In ten years of acquaintance, Shen Xiling had never seen Bai Song so urgent. Even the scar between his brows appeared more fierce, his entire person no longer wearing his usual calm appearance, like a true King of Hell.

Without another word, he shouldered Qi Ying onto his back. Shen Xiling also wasted no words, asking nothing but immediately following him out of the narrow room.

They were staying in a small room on the second floor. Just as they left the room and reached the corridor, they saw a large group of masked men in black pour through the inn’s main entrance, each wielding swords with murderous intent. The inn’s servant boy, seeing such a sight, quickly cowered under a table, while that group of people didn’t even glance at others, only running toward the staircase.

Bai Song cursed under his breath, quickly looked left and right, and said with extreme speed: “Go through the back door, I’ll hold them here!”

Having spoken, he immediately handed Qi Ying to Shen Xiling, then drew his sword to meet the group of assassins who had already rushed up to the second floor!

Flashing blades and shadows, blood spattering, figures swaying.

The originally quiet inn instantly became a bloody battlefield.

At that time Qi Ying had no consciousness at all. Shen Xiling was so frail – how could she carry such a tall man on her back? She was frantically turning pale with worry when fortunately Qing Zhu returned at this moment. He ran in through the back door, immediately understanding the danger upon seeing this scene, and promptly joined Shen Xiling to support Qi Ying from left and right, struggling to run toward the back door.

Bai Song was now entangled with five or six assassins. Though his martial arts were exceptional and he could fight several people simultaneously without falling behind, he still inevitably got wounded. When Shen Xiling and Qing Zhu looked back, they already saw him slashed across the back, the wound continuously bleeding.

But even so, he acted as if unaware, seeming to feel no pain, using his lone strength to trap all those assassins in place, preventing them from approaching.

Without turning back, he shouted to Shen Xiling and Qing Zhu: “Go!”

Just one word, yet containing how much resolution, how much loyalty.

Shen Xiling and Qing Zhu both knew this was no time for hesitation, so they both gritted their teeth and no longer looked back at Bai Song, only using all their strength to carry Qi Ying running toward the back door.

Running down the stairs from the second floor to the back door was clearly only a few steps, yet at that critical moment it seemed so very long. Every sound of clashing blades behind them, every muffled thud of someone falling, every cry of pain – all were like torture to them. They dared not look back, and had no way to look back.

The inn was now in complete chaos. Guests staying overnight were awakened by the sounds of fighting. Opening their doors to see this scene of flying blood and flesh, they were immediately scared out of their wits, then scattered and fled in the confusion. Shen Xiling and Qing Zhu finally reached the door with Qi Ying.

Qing Zhu pushed the door open forcefully. The warm night breeze of summer immediately rushed at them. By this time he was already streaming with tears, yet still stared straight ahead without turning back even slightly.

He only said, with his back to Bai Song, in a voice barely audible:

“…Come back alive.”

The inn’s back courtyard was also filled with confused voices.

Guests staying overnight were running outside in all directions. The horses in the stable were all frightened, their front hooves restlessly pawing the ground, each letting out neighing sounds that were especially piercing in the night.

During such an escape, they naturally couldn’t take a carriage. Shen Xiling and Qing Zhu quickly led two horses from the stable – Qing Zhu took one horse with Qi Ying, Shen Xiling took another by herself. At this time, sounds were already coming from the inn’s front courtyard, seemingly a new batch of assassins had poured in and were killing their way toward the back courtyard.

Shen Xiling concentrated and thought. While Qing Zhu helped Qi Ying mount the horse, she quickly untied the ropes of all the horses in the back courtyard. Steeling her heart, she took an iron shovel from the corner of the stable and struck a horse hard. The horse cried out in fright and immediately rushed out of the stable like mad, knocking down many bamboo poles and water buckets along the way. The other horses were also affected and scattered in all directions, rampaging through the narrow back courtyard, quickly turning the yard into complete chaos.

In the blink of an eye, the assassins from the front courtyard arrived, but were scattered by the frightened horses. At this time Qing Zhu had finally mounted his horse. Seeing this, Shen Xiling immediately climbed onto horseback. Both kicked their horses’ bellies hard. The horses reared in pain and galloped wildly out of the inn.

Shen Xiling had been most afraid of riding horses as a child. Every time Qi Ying taught her, she would try every way to avoid it. Even when she couldn’t avoid it and was caught and placed on horseback, she would definitely find ways to act coquettishly and make him personally hold the reins for her before she dared sit on the horse’s back for a while. If she were alone, she would never mount a horse, let alone during these five years when she had never ridden and had almost completely forgotten the essentials of horsemanship.

But at this moment of life and death, she somehow suddenly cast aside the fear in her heart. The horse beneath her ran extremely fast, her ears filled with rushing wind sounds, yet she felt no fear at all. She only wished to go faster, even faster, to bring that person to a safe place where he would no longer face danger.

However, the pursuers behind were only blocked for an instant. They quickly mounted horses to chase as well. The sound of hoofbeats behind gradually drew nearer, almost right beside their ears, each sound like thunder.

Shen Xiling struggled to quickly look back. The strong wind made it almost impossible for her to open her eyes, but even in that brief instant she still saw those men in black had drawn their bows, the arrow points seeming to gleam with terrifying cold light, about to pierce the night and shoot toward them.

Man as knife and chopping board… I as fish and meat.

Qi Ying’s body was already on the verge of collapse – how could he bear to be wounded again? Without even thinking, Shen Xiling immediately moved to pull the reins to slow her horse – she wanted to block behind Qi Ying, so that even if a rain of arrows enveloped them, she could still block one arrow for him.

Even just a little bit would be good, even if she could spare him just a little bit of harm.

However, before she could act, she heard Qing Zhu shout decisively beside her: “Don’t stop!”

Shen Xiling was startled and immediately turned to look at Qing Zhu.

He sat behind Qi Ying, his back directly facing the pursuers’ arrow points. As soon as they released their bowstrings, he would definitely be shot, and would definitely die before Qi Ying.

He was using his own flesh and blood as Qi Ying’s shield.

But how could Shen Xiling let Qing Zhu face this alone? Even setting aside loyalty and sentiment, she still had to block behind them, otherwise once Qing Zhu was shot there would be no one to control the horse, and Qi Ying would still be trapped.

Qing Zhu seemed to see through her thoughts. While forcefully wielding his whip to control the horse, he shouted hoarsely: “I’m just a servant, while you are the person who will accompany our master for life! If you die, what will become of him!”

Those were words carrying blood, clearly audible, distinctly heard, echoing long in the air with the night wind.

Shen Xiling heard his roar, but had no intention of obeying.

It wasn’t that she didn’t understand reason – she just never felt her life was more precious than others’. Moreover, Qing Zhu had been by Qi Ying’s side longer than she had. She knew that if Qing Zhu died, Qi Ying would equally feel heartache.

Taking ten thousand steps back…

…That was her own beloved. She would use her own life to protect him and would never rely on others.

I have spent this entire life under his protection, ever since our first meeting ten years ago.

Now, let me protect him once.

Night wind howling, hoofbeats thundering, the sound of bowstrings had already reached their ears. Sharp arrows broke through the air flying toward them. Qing Zhu saw Shen Xiling seem to smile at him faintly, then her horse moved backward, disappearing from his sight in the blink of an eye.

“No—!”

Arrows rained down!

Sharp blades pierced the air!

Horses cried out in pain!

Whose blood… scattered across the ground?