Inside the General’s Residence in Linnan City, laughter and cheer rang out as the officers drank heartily from large bowls and feasted. Someone stood, raised his bowl, and said with a laugh, “This humble officer offers a toast to the General—today the General’s drum tactics truly shook the very mountains! It scared the Chen army out of their wits!”

The officers in the hall all rose, raising their cups. “The General’s brilliant strategy repelled the enemy—this humble officer admires you!”

Liu Jue drank down the wine in his cup with a smile. Suddenly someone asked, “Why don’t I see General Tianxiang? This humble officer is still waiting to toast him.”

“General Tianxiang fought to exhaustion today and has gone to rest,” Liu Jue explained with a faint smile. He raised his cup. “The Chen army overreached in attacking us—let them come again and we’ll kill them again, and let them see the might of our southern army! Come! I offer you all a toast!”

Everyone laughed uproariously and drank.

When the feast finally ended, Liu Jue returned to his study, suddenly feeling uneasy. Every place at risk of attack had been staked out with sentries; he intended to let the Chen scouts come into Linnan and let them carry out their ambush unhindered, using it to lure the enemy in and deliver a heavy blow. He had thought it through many times, discussed every detail repeatedly, and confirmed nothing had been overlooked—only then had he relaxed and enjoyed the feast. So why did he still feel this unease? Liu Jue thought about it for a long while but couldn’t figure out why.

He walked into the courtyard; the begonias were still blooming brilliantly. A’Luo, A’Luo—his heart felt as though pricked by a needle, and unconsciously he looked toward the western mountain. Just then, Liu Ying rushed in. “My lord, something has happened to the Third Miss!”

Liu Jue felt his mind go blank with a buzzing sound. Liu Ying continued, “A Ming Faction guard returned to report—about ten black shadows entered the courtyard where the Third Miss is staying. It’s estimated they’re Chen army scouts, and reportedly all skilled fighters.”

A streak of blue-green fireworks flashed across the night sky in the direction of the western mountain, hanging in the darkness like a blade plunged straight into Liu Jue’s heart. Unless it was a critical emergency, the Ming Faction would not send up such a flare. Each Black-Clad Knight had their own distinctive firework; the ones for reporting news and those for urgent aid differed. The three Ming Faction members Liu Jue had sent to stay by A’Luo’s side were all top-tier fighters. Seeing this flare, he couldn’t be certain—he didn’t even dare think about what might be happening there. It felt as though a fire were burning in his chest, scorching his very organs with pain. Facing an enemy assault he could smile calmly and give orders with composure, but now, Liu Jue forced himself not to think and rushed toward the western mountain with the Black-Clad Knights and soldiers.

At that moment, the two Ming Faction death-warriors were fighting desperately to protect A’Luo against thirteen black-clad men. Both Ming guards were already wounded; the black-clad men were highly skilled and had not expected these two to fight to the death, still able to strike back after so long a battle. The lead black-clad man, calculating the time, grew somewhat impatient. Under different circumstances he might have felt a pang of admiration for their skill and let the two go, but now speed was essential. He leapt into the air, his short sword sweeping toward the Ming guard, then mid-strike changed direction, slashing diagonally at A’Luo instead. The blade, dark in the night, carried only a swift whoosh of wind with no glint of light at all. The sudden change of move was utterly unexpected. A’Luo couldn’t dodge in time; at that moment one of the Ming guards flung his body in front of her. The short sword pierced with a hiss into his chest. Gritting his teeth against the pain, the Ming guard shoved backward and cried out hoarsely, “Protect the Third Miss—go!”

The other Ming guard’s eyes flared with fury; without time to glance again at his wounded comrade, he grabbed A’Luo’s hand and leapt for the courtyard exit. The black-clad man snorted coldly and flung a sword after them. As the two were airborne, the Ming guard had no strength left to dodge. A’Luo, swept up in flight, felt only dizziness, unaware of the sword flying at her back. In that lightning-flash instant, a flying arrow struck the blade.

The Ming guard, carrying A’Luo, landed outside the courtyard wall and saw Liu Jue and the Black-Clad Knights had already arrived at the Changle Tavern; his heart eased and he fainted. A’Luo stood stunned for a moment, then without even looking at Liu Jue, turned and ran back into the courtyard.

Liu Jue, seeing A’Luo still standing there alive before him, felt a wave of relief; the anxiety and agitation of moments before vanished at once. But then he saw A’Luo running into the courtyard—his brow furrowed, and in a flash he was standing in front of her, blocking her way. A’Luo looked up at him, and tears welled up. “My mother and the others are still inside.”

Liu Jue said gently, “Don’t worry. Rest here.”

A’Luo stopped, wiped away her tears, her eyes anxiously fixed on the courtyard.

Liu Jue sighed inwardly, suppressing the urge to reach out and embrace her, and called out loudly, “Everyone in the courtyard, listen well! I am Liu Jue, General Pacifying the South of Ning Guo. I’ve been waiting for you. Lay down your weapons and surrender, and I will spare your lives!”

With a thud, a corpse was thrown out from the courtyard. It was the Ming guard who had just been killed by the sword. A’Luo let out a cry of shock, clapping both hands over her mouth. Fury blazed in the eyes of the Black-Clad Knights, and they drew their swords. Liu Jue walked to the body, opened the man’s robe to check the wound, and as he stood up, a bloodthirsty aura spread over his whole being. A dark red mist flickered behind his eyes. He turned to Liu Ying and said, “Escort the Third Miss back.”

A’Luo was startled and shouted, “I won’t go! I’ll wait for my mother and the others!”

Not wanting her to witness the bloodshed to come, Liu Jue said flatly, “Go back with Liu Ying. I will bring your mother and the others back myself.”

A’Luo couldn’t rest easy at all, standing there stubbornly. “If you don’t let me see with my own eyes that my mother and the others come out safely today, I will resent you for the rest of my life!”

Liu Jue was about to speak again when the courtyard gate suddenly flew open. The thirteen black-clad men stepped out, with Seventh Madam, Xiao Yu, and Nanny Zhang’s family of four standing beside them, their acupoints sealed, stiff as wood.

A’Luo couldn’t help crying out, “Mother!”

Seventh Madam couldn’t move or speak; tears streamed silently from her eyes. A’Luo’s heart broke as if cut by a knife. A smile rose on Liu Jue’s face—this group had aimed with such precision, of all people capturing the Chancellor’s Seventh Madam. He sighed.

As the black-clad men came out the gate, they saw the tavern was surrounded on all sides, torches lighting it up like daylight. The young officer leading them wore a faint smile, but his eyes, fixed straight ahead, were colder than the winter river; it sent a chill through them despite themselves. The lead black-clad man laughed loudly. “I’ve long heard that Ning Guo’s General Pacifying the South is formidable in his methods—seeing you today, you truly carry an extraordinary bearing. I don’t know whether we should regret entering the wrong courtyard, or be glad we captured someone the General values so highly.”

Liu Jue was inwardly startled at the sharpness in the black-clad man’s gaze, but on the surface he smiled. “Surrender! Tell us your plan, and as I said, I can spare your lives.”

The black-clad man burst into wild laughter. “You think we’re all afraid of death? We never intended to return alive once we came!”

Liu Jue waved a hand, and soldiers on all sides drew their bows and nocked arrows, waiting only for his command to turn everyone before them into pincushions. A’Luo stared at Liu Jue in terror, crying out in alarm, “No!”

Liu Jue’s brow furrowed as he saw a look of triumph appear in the black-clad man’s eyes. He sighed inwardly—this truly was a case of being caught in a dilemma, unwilling to harm the mouse for fear of breaking the vase. Forcing down the killing intent within him, he said harshly, “Shut your mouth! Rather than releasing the tiger back to the mountain and ruining my great plan, better they all die here! Would you have me sacrifice our chance for the sake of a few lives, and plunge the whole city into the flames of war? Would you have your own family’s sake cost the lives of my countless soldiers?”

A’Luo retreated step by step under his forceful words. Liu Jue was not wrong—Chen would certainly not stop attacking just because they were repelled once. These men were likely elite troops sent to help breach Linnan City; leaving them alive to use as a ruse could mislead the Chen army into a trap. Only by dealing Chen a crushing blow could further disaster be avoided. Tears fell from A’Luo’s eyes—how could she bear to watch helplessly as Liu Jue ordered Seventh Madam and the others shot dead? If she let them die like this, she would never forgive herself for the rest of her life. How could she save herself while living with that!

A’Luo’s resolve hardened. She snatched a sword from a nearby soldier and pressed it to her own throat, backing slowly toward the courtyard.

Liu Jue shouted, “A’Luo, what are you doing?!”

“I understand—not a single one of them can be let go, and I cannot bear the responsibility of subjecting the whole city to the flames of war. But I also cannot bear to watch my own family die before my eyes. I don’t blame you. I truly don’t blame you. I want to die together with them!”

Liu Jue, anxious, furious, and utterly powerless, watched A’Luo slowly retreat. A’Luo suddenly smiled at him—under the moonlight, that smile bloomed like a rare epiphyllum flower, breathtakingly beautiful. Liu Jue’s heart skipped a beat; it seemed even his breath stopped. Every muscle in his body tensed at once; not daring to blink, he stared fixedly at A’Luo’s moving figure.

A’Luo walked up to the black-clad man, pointed the sword at him, and said with proud composure, “Release my mother and the others—after all, we’re going to die together with you anyway!”

The black-clad man looked at her in shock, this woman who had slipped through their plan and even killed one of their skilled men. A’Luo reached up and untied her headcloth, and a head of hair slid down like silk to her waist. Her eyes shone as she stared the black-clad man down.

He was a woman!

A’Luo lightly slipped off the black garment; underneath, a thin silk robe fluttered in the wind. She knew exactly what kind of beauty such a garment would take on when caught by a gust of wind. With a captivating smile, her whole being seemed like a mountain spirit, a phantom of the night.

The black-clad man froze—she was so beautiful!

In that instant of shock and distraction, A’Luo had already swiftly swung her sword, forcing back the black-clad man guarding Seventh Madam and the others, and stood with her sword raised, shielding them.

Liu Jue’s figure shot forward like lightning; by the time the black-clad man reacted and lunged at A’Luo, Liu Jue had already arrived and blocked the incoming strike. The Black-Clad Knights of the Ming Faction followed close behind, cutting them off and surrounding the black-clad men. The outer ring of soldiers stood ready, bows drawn, arrows aimed unwaveringly at the black-clad men.

The lead black-clad figure stood stunned for a moment, then gave a bitter laugh. “So be it—it’s only my own fault, our resolve wasn’t firm enough, and we fell for a woman’s smile.”