Tong Qiushi took an instant liking to Hua Youxian, and with a wave of his hand, offered a thousand taels of gold to make her his concubine. His sister was the current Provincial Governor, so even Madam Ding dared not offend him.

It wasn’t uncommon for courtesans from Ruyun House to become concubines of wealthy nobles. Madam Ding was usually happy to facilitate such arrangements – firstly because the girls themselves were willing, as it meant escaping the life of selling smiles at doorways, and secondly, because Ruyun House’s long-standing prominence in Jinling relied on maintaining such connections.

But Tong Qiushi had set his sights on Hua Youxian specifically.

Madam Ding could see that Hua Youxian’s heart belonged entirely to Scholar Wang. She understood this daughter of hers well – though she appeared diplomatically skilled, she was quite stubborn in her convictions. Now that she and Scholar Wang were deeply in love, how could she possibly be interested in Tong Qiushi? She would likely choose to shatter like jade rather than remain whole as tile, potentially causing irreparable damage.

When Madam Ding tried to dissuade Tong Qiushi, she discovered he was unyielding. That very night, he sent people to cause trouble, nearly burning down Ruyun House. The Provincial Governor feared his wife and naturally sided with his brother-in-law. Madam Ding was helpless, frustrated by Tong Qiushi’s unreasonableness but unable to do anything. Though Ruyun House had connections with many officials and wealthy households, a mighty dragon couldn’t overcome a local snake. No matter how beautiful Hua Youxian was, she was still just a courtesan. Offending the local Provincial Governor over a courtesan wasn’t a profitable venture. Moreover, since meeting Scholar Wang, Hua Youxian only performed music on stage, selling only her artistic talents. Consequently, fewer people were willing to stand up for her.

Tong Qiushi obtained Hua Youxian’s contract and had her placed under house arrest. He even picked an auspicious date to bring her into his household. Not satisfied with just that, he also tracked down Scholar Wang’s whereabouts and imprisoned him at his estate, subjecting him to daily torture and beatings.

These details were secretly relayed to Hua Youxian by her sisters from Ruyun House, who had learned them from others. Worried about Scholar Wang’s injuries and unable to protect herself, Hua Youxian, just as Madam Ding had predicted, fell seriously ill from excessive worry.

“If the young masters are willing to help, I ask for nothing else,” Hua Youxian pleaded earnestly. “I’ve heard that Scholar Wang is imprisoned at an estate in the northern part of the city. I beg you to rescue him. Tong Qiushi is after me, and Scholar Wang has been harmed because of me. I cannot sleep at night knowing this.”

This was a classic tale of an evil official forcing marriage upon a civilian woman, breaking apart a pair of lovers – the young men all felt a surge of heroic righteousness.

“This isn’t difficult, it’s just rescuing someone. Don’t worry, Miss. We’ll make sure to bring Scholar Wang back safely to you.”

Hua Youxian’s eyes brightened, and she bowed gratefully. “Thank you, young masters!”

Everyone quickly moved to help her up.

Lin Shuanghe looked at her thoughtfully and asked, “May I ask, Miss Youxian, what will happen after Scholar Wang is rescued?”

Hua Youxian paused, then smiled bitterly. “If the young masters can rescue Scholar Wang, please convey this message to him: Youxian and Scholar Wang were fated to meet but not to be together. I have already caused him harm, please ask him to leave Jinling quickly and forget about Youxian.”

“You don’t plan to see him?” He Yan, who had been sitting quietly at the side, finally spoke up. “What do you plan to do yourself?”

She had been hiding in the shadows, and Hua Youxian was startled when she first saw the masked person speak, but she quickly recovered and shook her head. “Since he is the Provincial Governor’s wife’s brother, I have no other options. None of this is within my control. It’s better to accept reality early.”

She spoke more freely about her future than when discussing Scholar Wang, showing that she loved him more than herself.

“Miss Youxian, don’t worry,” said the young man who had first climbed through the window. “Since we’ve encountered this situation, we must help until the end. Who would have thought that in broad daylight under Heaven’s eyes, there would be such disgusting creatures? How can we stand by while corrupt officials abuse their power? We will ensure both Scholar Wang’s and your safety!”

Though the words were spoken with conviction, the details of how to “ensure safety” needed careful consideration. As they were discussing, footsteps approached from outside. Hua Youxian stood up and said, “Someone’s coming. I’ll distract them while you leave quickly.” She bowed deeply to everyone again, “I entrust Scholar Wang’s matter to you, young masters.”

She went out to engage those outside in conversation. The remaining young men climbed back down through the window as they had come.

Yang Mingzhi, who had been anxiously waiting downstairs, was relieved to see everyone return safely. Just as he was about to ask what had happened inside, he noticed their grim expressions and asked curiously, “What’s wrong? Why do you all look so troubled?”

Lin Shuanghe sighed and shook his head, “It’s hard to witness others’ suffering.”

The companions explained the situation to him, and Yang Mingzhi became angry as well. “How can this be? Won’t the authorities do something?”

“The one doing this is from the authorities,” Yan He said dismissively. “You expect them to turn against their own?”

Everyone fell silent.

After a while, someone said, “Since we’ve already promised Miss Youxian, let’s first rescue Scholar Wang. Then we’ll deal with that despicable Tong Qiushi. He has Miss Youxian’s contract – we’ll make him sign it over and return it to her. Then Miss Youxian and Scholar Wang can return to Yangzhou together.”

“Rescuing Scholar Wang is simple, and getting back the contract isn’t difficult,” He Yan carefully spoke up, “but once the poetry meeting is over, we’ll be leaving Jinling. What if they cause trouble for Scholar Wang after we leave? They say civilians can’t fight officials. Scholar Wang’s family are merely merchants – the local Provincial Governor could easily deal with them. While we might seem to be helping them, Tong Qiushi might later take all his anger out on Scholar Wang.”

While the young men were acting on impulse, she, being a girl, naturally considered more for Hua Youxian. This was likely why Hua Youxian had only asked for Scholar Wang’s rescue without mentioning herself. Tong Qiushi was after Hua Youxian specifically – they might be able to help temporarily but not permanently.

“He Rufei, why are you dampening our spirits?” someone complained.

“I think Brother He makes sense,” Lin Shuanghe gripped his fan handle. “We need to plan for the aftermath before taking action. Huai Jin,” he asked Xiao Jue, who had been coldly observing, “do you have any good ideas?”

All the young men looked to him, after all, he was Xianchangguan’s top student, extraordinarily gifted and brilliant – he might come up with a perfect solution.

Xiao Jue glanced at them and sneered, “Yes, I do.”

Lin Shuanghe’s eyes lit up, praising, “I knew you’d have a plan! Quick, tell us what to do!”

“It’s just a Provincial Governor of Yingtian,” Xiao Jue spoke carelessly. “Reveal your identities, and he’ll naturally back down.”

He Yan thought to herself that he saw things. All this roundabout planning was unnecessary – one level higher in rank crushes the other, and among these young men were many whose families outranked the Yingtian Provincial Governor. Tong Qiushi relied on power to bully others, so someone with greater power could certainly bully him.

Bullies always prey on the weak and fear the strong.

As soon as he finished speaking, someone shook their head repeatedly: “No, no, if my family finds out I visited a pleasure house, they’ll break my legs. How can I reveal my identity?”

“I can’t either, Brother Huai Jin, this would hurt us as much as it hurts them!”

“Too brutal, we should be more tactful!”

Xiao Jue leaned against the wall holding his sword, lazily watching them, and said, “Take your time thinking, I’m leaving.”

He turned to leave but was caught by Lin Shuanghe grabbing his robe. Turning back, he saw Lin Shuanghe seemingly making a heroic decision. Waving his fan, he declared, “Let’s reveal ourselves! You may be afraid, but I’m not. Even if they break my legs afterward, at least I’ll have saved Miss Youxian and Scholar Wang.” He also tried to provoke his hesitant classmates, “Are you men or not, watching a lady jump into the fire pit? I, Lin Shuanghe, won’t associate with such cowards. Stay away from me! I’ll go alone to save them, be a hero alone!”

The young men protested indignantly, “Who are you calling cowards? Who’s not man enough?”

“I’m not afraid either,” Yan He played with his ponytail, his eyes unusually bright and even excited. “Getting beaten isn’t new to me. Getting beaten for saving someone is worth it!”

Such matters always became more lively with more people involved. With two people taking the lead and thinking “The law doesn’t punish groups,” the young men all agreed, quickly expressing that no matter what, they would ensure the safe rescue of Scholar Wang and Miss Youxian.

Xiao Jue hadn’t participated much in their discussion but was still pulled along by the young men, who surrounded him and pleaded: “Brother Huai Jin, come with us! With you watching, we won’t make any mistakes.”

He Yan stood to the side, finding it amusing – they were like fledglings, truly treating Xiao Jue as their father. Xiao Jue also looked impatient but finally gave in to everyone’s persuasion and reluctantly agreed.

So everyone returned to the inn to plan.

“Since we’re going to reveal our identities, why don’t we go directly to the Provincial Governor’s mansion?” someone suggested. “Make them return Miss Youxian’s contract immediately and release Scholar Wang, how about that?”

“No good,” Yang Mingzhi gently shook his head. “According to law, the contract is in Tong Qiushi’s hands. If we force them, we won’t be in the right, and those villains might even file a complaint first, letting that evil Provincial Governor report our families. Also, Scholar Wang is in their hands – it’s not good to startle them. What if Tong Qiushi decides to kill Scholar Wang?”

His reasoning made sense, and Lin Shuanghe sincerely asked, “Mingzhi, do you have any ideas?”

Yang Mingzhi thought for a moment, “Let’s rescue Scholar Wang first, then figure out how to get back the contract. Afterward, if Tong Qiushi comes looking for trouble, we’ll reveal our identities. By then, everything will be settled, and they’ll only be asking for trouble.”

“Brilliant,” his companions’ eyes lit up, “That way, Tong Qiushi will be like a mute eating bitter melon – suffering but unable to speak of it.”

Although they usually disliked using their status to bully others, in situations like this, using their identity to crush someone felt quite satisfying.

“When dealing with rogues, there’s no need to follow gentlemanly ways – it’s just about who can be more roguish,” Yan He raised an eyebrow. “So it’s decided. We’ll split into two teams – one to find the contract, one to rescue Wang.”

With Yan He’s decisive words, everyone immediately began dividing into teams. Xiao Jue and Yan He each led a group. The Provincial Governor’s mansion was heavily guarded, and since Xiao Jue had better martial skills, he led four people to find the contract there. Yan He took the remaining few to rescue the person at the northern estate.

After everything was arranged, He Yan finally raised her hand from the corner, asking timidly, “…What should I do?”

Xianchangguan had selected ten young men to come to Jinling, and He Yan had been forcibly brought along by Lin Shuanghe. Ten people were divided perfectly into two groups, but eleven was awkward.

“Why don’t… we let him stay at the inn? He’ll just slow us down anyway.”

“No,” Yan He frowned, “staying at the inn might cause more trouble. If officials find him and he reveals our whereabouts, the whole plan will be ruined. He Rufei, you come with me. Since your martial skills aren’t good, just keep watch outside, understand?”

He Yan: “Alright.”

She had become quite proficient at being decorative. She wasn’t bothered at all, though He Yan felt somewhat nervous. Although the Xianchangguan youths had top-tier martial skills in Shuojing, this was unfamiliar territory in Jinling. Even with their backgrounds as protection, before revealing their identities, the opposition might not show mercy.

This was their first time acting independently, facing so-called “important figures.”

She hoped everything would go smoothly.

…

As dusk fell, the two teams set out.

The Tong family estate in the northern outskirts was easy to find. Servants who had committed offenses were often sent there and tortured to death within days. Yan He had horses bought and they rode there under cover of night.

When they arrived, darkness had completely fallen. The location was desolate, surrounded by wilderness, making it difficult to hide – though Tong Qiushi probably hadn’t intended to “hide” anything. With a Provincial Governor as his brother-in-law, he acted openly without concern. Yan He and the youths dismounted, positioning He Yan in the wild grass near the estate entrance as a lookout: “Stay here. If anyone comes, whistle, and we’ll leave once we find him. Understand?”

He Yan nodded.

She spoke very little – before leaving, Madam He had warned her that the more one speaks, the more mistakes one makes, so she should be careful with her words.

Yan He’s group quickly disappeared into the wilderness. He Yan crouched in the tall grass. Summer mosquitoes were abundant – her covered skin was fine, but her exposed neck and wrists were soon covered in itchy welts. She dared not scratch them, fearing any noise might alert others and disrupt Yan He’s plan, so she could only endure silently.

After a long while, there seemed to be movement inside. He Yan stretched her neck – indeed, a group of people emerged, led by Yan He. Being tall, he carried someone on his back who must be Scholar Wang.

He Yan’s heart leaped with joy – they’d succeeded!

Just as she was about to wave to Yan He, thunderous shouts suddenly erupted: “Thieves! Catch the thieves!”

“Wang brought reinforcements, catch them!”

The estate, which had seemed deserted in the darkness, was full of people. One shout and torches lit up in all directions – a rough count showed over a hundred people.

Plans are never foolproof, and rescuing someone silently was incredibly difficult. While she had maintained her watch without being discovered, Yan He’s rescue attempt had caused quite a commotion. He Yan grew anxious – they couldn’t fight so many people head-on, they could only run. Without hesitation, she stood up and whistled, signaling them to flee.

Indeed, Yan He fled.

The sudden appearance of the crowd startled the young men, but their martial training served them well. Without a word, they ran to their horses, mounted, and galloped away from the estate. Hoofbeats faded into the distance as some pursuers gave chase while others remained at the estate.

He Yan stood dumbfounded.

They had left her behind.

She tried desperately to keep up with Yan He and the others, but how could two legs outrun four? Despite her exhausted cries of “Wait for me, Brother Yan—”

Her voice was quickly drowned out by the crowd.

She ran until completely exhausted, unable to continue when suddenly a whip lashed out from behind. He Yan felt a sharp pain across her back, her thin clothes instantly marked with a bloody stripe. She stumbled and fell, turning to see the approaching crowd.

The pursuers returned, cursing, “Boss, they got away.”

“No matter,” the man stared at He Yan with a vicious expression, “we caught this little one. If Young Master Tong wants someone, we can send this one to him.”

“Hey,” the man lifted her chin, asking, “Those people just now were your accomplices? Who are they? Tell us their whereabouts, and I might spare your life.”

He Yan pressed her lips together in silence.

It wasn’t time yet – they needed to secure the contract first. Once that was done, they could reveal their identities, and these people would be helpless.

But… would Yan He and the others come back to save her?

Seeing her stubborn silence, the man grew angry and kicked at her, but He Yan unexpectedly grabbed his knee and pulled him down. She rolled up from the ground and turned to run.

“Hah, so you can fight.” The man wiped blood from his mouth, “Catch him!”

Through long practice, her martial skills weren’t that poor. But bare hands couldn’t overcome superior numbers – if only Yan He had given her some weapon for self-defense, she wouldn’t be in this situation.

He Yan took a beating before being dragged to the leader. The leader looked at her and clicked his tongue, saying, “Why are you wearing a mask?”

“Is your face too ugly to show?” someone nearby guessed maliciously, “Why don’t we take it off and see?”

“Yeah, can’t even see his face with this thing on. Take it off!”

He Yan panicked and struggled desperately. Before coming to Jinling, Madam He had repeatedly warned her not to let anyone discover her identity. If they removed her mask here, these people wouldn’t return it, and even when meeting her classmates again, they would only see “He Yan’s” face – then “He Yan” would have to be “He Rufei” forever.

Moreover… they might discover she was female.

He Yan shuddered, trying to break free.

“Oh? He’s scared?” someone said, “This mute must care about his looks. Got all nervous at the mention of removing the mask.”

“That just makes me want to remove it more.” The leader watched He Yan’s struggles with amusement, saying sinisterly, “Take it off!”

He Yan was forced to the ground, someone gripping her chin and forcing her head up, trying to pry off her mask. However, the mask had a mechanism – only she could open it. The person struggled for a while but couldn’t budge it, finally turning to the leader, sweating, “Boss, something’s wrong. I can’t get this mask off.”

“How is that possible?” the leader cursed, “Let me try!”

He grabbed He Yan’s neck and tried forcefully to remove it, but it was impossible.

He Yan was in pain – the mask’s mechanism meant that the more force used to remove it, the more it hurt her. These people had no concern for her pain, and He Yan felt her head was about to split open.

She wondered why Yan He hadn’t returned. Hadn’t they noticed she was missing?

The leader pushed her face into the dirt, the earthy smell filling her mouth. Perhaps because the mask hid her tears and panic, this person’s mood worsened. He ordered two men nearby, “Hold him tight. He needs to learn my power the hard way – I’ve never met a mouth I couldn’t pry open.”

There was a clattering sound as if someone was fetching “torture implements.” Though He Yan hadn’t experienced it herself, she had heard plenty about private torture sessions.

“You brat,” the leader nudged her face with his shoe, “Still won’t talk? Don’t tell me you’re waiting for your companions to rescue you. Don’t wait – they won’t come back. Be sensible and tell us who took Wang Sheng away, and you might suffer less.”

Pinned down and unable to move, He Yan thought bitterly that Yan He and the others had truly forgotten her.

The deep night stretched endlessly across the wilderness, filled only with the sounds of insects and birds.

Then came the sound of hoofbeats.

Her ear pressed to the ground, and she heard clearly. Her heart jumped, then gradually filled with hope. She managed to turn her head slightly, looking toward the edge of the wilderness.

Someone was approaching on horseback.

They came! They hadn’t abandoned her! He Yan’s heart suddenly filled with wild joy.

The hoofbeats grew closer, and the estate’s people heard them too. Everyone raised their torches to look at the approaching rider. In the torchlight, a single horse and rider drew near, until finally they could see a youthful figure in white robes and silver crown, riding as if through the stars.

It wasn’t Yan He – it was Xiao Jue.

He Yan’s joy froze, her mask hiding her shocked expression.

Xiao Jue reined in his horse about ten paces from He Yan. Wearing a sword at his waist, his posture straight and proud, the silver-threaded giant python on his white robe gleaming brilliantly, he emerged from the darkness like warm sunlight, illuminating the entire night sky.

The youth’s clear, calm gaze swept over the fierce crowd at the estate, finally landing on He Yan, who was pinned to the ground.

“Sorry, I’m late.”