Watching the bandits turn and walk out of the cabin, Ling Jingyan and Madam Jiang both slumped as though they had narrowly escaped disaster, their bodies going completely limp, drained of all strength.

Wait — what had that bandit just said?

Find that pair of siblings… They had actually come for Ling Jingshu and Ling Xiao!

Ling Jingyan looked at Ling Daye and Sun Shi in horrified disbelief. “Father, Mother…”

“Not a word!” Ling Daye cut Ling Jingyan off with a trembling voice.

Since those men had come for Ling Jingshu and her brother, they presumably would not move against the rest of the family.

Callous as such a thought was, at this moment of life and death, they could barely look after themselves — how could they spare any concern for those two siblings?

Ling Jingyan opened her mouth, but found nothing to say, and finally let her head droop in dejection.

The Second-in-Command led several bandits, kicking open doors one by one as they searched their way through the cabins.

Ling Jingshu and Ling Xiao felt their hearts turn to ice. There were only so few cabins in total — it would be upon them in the blink of an eye. There was nowhere at all to hide.

At this point, fear was useless.

Ling Xiao drew a deep breath, straightened his slight frame, and stepped resolutely in front of Ling Jingshu. In a low voice he said, “Push open the window and jump into the river. You might still have a chance to escape. I’ll hold them off here for a while.”

A sharp, bittersweet ache rose in Ling Jingshu’s heart, yet Ling Xiao’s act also sent a warm current surging through her.

Even so, jumping into the water was absolutely not a good plan.

The deck above was full of bandits, and the three boats clearly each had men posted to keep watch. These bandits were surely all strong swimmers. Even if she jumped into the river, she would only be walking into a trap.

And even if there were a slim chance of survival, how could she abandon Ling Xiao and save herself alone?

Thud. The cabin door shuddered.

The bandits had finally found them.

“Second-in-Command, someone is hiding in this cabin.” A bandit shoved the door with force but could not force it open. Far from being unnerved, he was overjoyed.

The Second-in-Command let out a cold snort. “This is the last cabin left. Where else would they be hiding — have they sprouted wings and flown away? Stop wasting words and kick the door down. Get them and move.”

The pounding at the door grew louder and louder.

The chair toppled with a tremendous crash.

Then the wooden chest on the table began to wobble and teeter.

“A’Shu. Go, quickly.” Ling Xiao pushed Ling Jingshu in urgent haste. “If you don’t jump now, it will be too late…”

“A’Xiao, I am not leaving.” Ling Jingshu clasped Ling Xiao’s hand, resolve flashing in her eyes. “Today, we siblings stay together. We live together, or we die together.”

The wooden chest crashed to the floor with a thunderous bang.

It must have landed on Jingyu’s foot, for Jingyu cried out in pain. The two young maids were so frightened that they burst into wailing sobs.

Bai Yu’s face had gone ashen, but she did not cry. She moved swiftly to stand before Ling Jingshu. “Miss, this servant oversteps today.”

Even in death, she would die before the young miss.

Amid the thundering at the door, Ling Jingshu’s voice came through broken and faint. “Bai Yu, these men have come for me and A’Xiao. When the door opens, you and the others — don’t move. Perhaps you can still keep your lives…”

Wait!

Had she overlooked something?

Ling Jingshu’s mind raced. She had no grudge whatsoever with these bandits, and when they boarded in the night, they had not resorted to killing outright. Rather, they had the look of men intent on abduction… If that were so, she might be able to preserve everyone’s lives!

“Stop!”

Ling Jingshu suddenly called out in a raised voice.

Her gentle and melodious voice reached the bandits’ ears.

The lame man immediately grew excited. “Second-in-Command, she really is hiding in there.” He had heard that voice with his own ears — it had lingered in his mind these past two days, and he could never mistake it.

The Second-in-Command threw the lame man an impatient glare. The lame man grinned sheepishly and fell silent at once.

The girl’s voice rang out again. “As long as you do not take anyone’s life, I will come with you right now.”

Amid the sounds of weeping and wailing all around, the girl’s voice was remarkably composed and steady — something to be admired.

Ling Xiao was startled, and said without thinking, “A’Shu, you cannot go with them…”

“A’Xiao, be quiet for now and stay here. Otherwise, neither of us will escape today.” Ling Jingshu spoke rapidly in a low murmur, then raised her voice again. “Step back a little. I’ll come out on my own.”

The Second-in-Command was rather taken aback.

He had carried out abductions more than once or twice. When had it ever been anything other than terrified weeping and wailing? This girl had a fair amount of nerve.

The bolt had already been kicked apart.

Ling Jingshu and Bai Yu together pushed the table aside, then opened the door.

The light of torches flooded in all at once. Having spent so long in the darkness, Ling Jingshu instinctively squinted, then opened her eyes fully.

Black-clad, masked bandits filled her vision.

The Second-in-Command, who led the group, stared intently at Ling Jingshu, his eyes full of stunned admiration.

That fleeting glimpse from the other day had only shown him half her face.

Tonight, however, every detail was revealed — clear and unmistakable before his eyes. What it meant for a beauty to overturn kingdoms, what it was to make fish dive and geese descend, to outshine the moon and put flowers to shame — today he had finally witnessed it with his own eyes.

A beauty like this — never mind two hundred warhorses; even three or four hundred, and someone would surely be glad to offer them!

It was not only the Second-in-Command — the other bandits all stood gaping as well. No one shouted or clamored, which gave Ling Jingshu a little more time to manage the situation.

Ling Ji, who lay on the floor, wore an expression of shame and anxiety. He forced himself to endure the pain and spoke up. “Shu, my cousin — you cannot go with them.” An unmarried young woman, carried off by a band of villains — whether or not she could ever be rescued, her life would be ruined beyond repair.

Ling Jingshu felt a degree of goodwill toward Ling Ji grow within her, but with the bandits glaring like wolves and tigers, there was no time for anything else.

Ling Jingshu quickly drew out the dagger she had concealed behind her back, pressing its keen blade against her own throat. “I am the one you want. It has nothing to do with anyone else. Do not harm them, and I will go with you. Otherwise, I would rather die.”

The Second-in-Command was not one to be threatened. He laughed coldly. “It’s not just you — your twin brother must come with us as well.”

Ling Jingshu said icily, “Either you take me alone, or we both die here today. Choose.”

The Second-in-Command was silent.

Ling Jingshu raised her eyes and looked the Second-in-Command squarely in the face. “You do not wish to harm anyone, and you have no interest in silver. You only want to take someone. Naturally, you hope to exchange me for more money. If I die here and now, would you not have made this trip for nothing?”

“You have been watching for two days and gone to such lengths. Surely you do not want to leave empty-handed!”

The Second-in-Command was utterly unwilling to admit that he had been backed into a corner by a girl who could not even wring a chicken’s neck.

Yet what she said was not without reason.

As long as he took the most important target, leaving the boy behind did not amount to much.

Just as the Second-in-Command was about to speak, a disturbance suddenly erupted outside. A long, sharp whistle pierced the air.

Reinforcements! Danger!

The color drained from the Second-in-Command’s face.