Something was wrong!

This was a shop, not a residence. Shop owners didn’t live in their shops, much less their families. How could this owner emerge from the shop so early in the morning? How could his family possibly live in such cramped shop quarters, sharing a courtyard with employees?

Unless this family wasn’t really his family!

Unless this owner had been staying in the shop since last night!

Recalling what he’d said before leaving, Jing Hengbo’s heart filled with regret—this shop was either some minister’s secret operation, or they were well-informed, having heard some wind of trouble and stayed overnight in the shop to avoid problems, coincidentally encountering her and deciding to detain her.

Detain her for what purpose?

She didn’t dare believe they wanted to keep her for dinner.

She struggled to get up, then suddenly felt something cold around her wrist. Looking down, she discovered her wrist had somehow been shackled to the bedside with an iron manacle!

Jing Hengbo was greatly alarmed and frantically tried to break free, but the iron manacle was solid—how could she escape?

Had she fled the encirclement of thousands at Imperial Plaza only to die at the hands of an unknown shopkeeper?

She sat on the bed, her whole body turning cold, thinking of that shop owner’s infinite sincerity and enthusiasm, his kind and benevolent smile—a face that inspired complete trust at first sight, a smile that warmed one’s heart.

Politicians and merchants were indeed the most fickle and heartless groups in the world.

She looked around, wanting to find something to smash the iron manacle, but after searching the entire room, she was disappointed—there was nothing inside.

Just as she despaired, she suddenly heard rustling sounds from under the bed, like mice, but listening carefully, there seemed to be sounds of moving bricks as well.

She was so startled that all her hair stood on end as she turned sharply toward the wall.

Of course there was nothing on the wall. She leaned down to look under the bed and was shocked to see a line of bright light!

Looking more carefully, a brick was missing from the wall. A hand was busily working at that gap, and amid the rustling sounds, another brick was removed.

Jing Hengbo’s scalp prickled—what did this mean? A thief? A thief breaking through walls to steal in broad daylight? Could she really be this unlucky?

She leaned under the bed, staring unblinkingly at that gap, her free hand quietly gripping the pillow from the bed.

Bricks were quickly removed one by one, and a dark head poked through.

Without hesitation, Jing Hengbo hurled the pillow in her hand!

“Smack!” A crisp sound as it hit the person’s head squarely. Unprepared for a flying pillow from under the bed, the person cried out “Ow!” and scrambled backward, disappearing beyond the wall opening.

Jing Hengbo breathed a sigh of relief, then grew nervous again—her strength was too weak to knock the person unconscious. When he crawled back in, what would she do without even a pillow?

More critically, she suddenly heard sounds from the front of the shop!

She looked ahead toward the front, then down below—the feeling of being surrounded on all sides returned. She didn’t know which threat to deal with first, or rather, she couldn’t deal with either one now.

Breaking out in a cold sweat, overwhelming weakness struck her like spinning heaven and earth. She swayed unsteadily.

There was movement below again. She mustered her last bit of strength to grab the golden hook at the bed curtain’s edge, preparing to gouge out anyone’s eyes who tried to assault her.

The hole indeed showed movement again, but not a head—rather, a hand.

That hand waved at the opening, and a slightly aged voice came through: “Don’t be afraid, don’t be afraid, we’re here to rescue you!”

Jing Hengbo was stunned.

After speaking, the person quickly crawled under the bed, climbed up using her bed frame, revealing himself as a man in his forties or fifties. Seeing her hand chained to the bedside, he sneered coldly and cursed: “Black-hearted Old Jin! Aren’t you afraid of divine retribution!”

Jing Hengbo looked up at this ordinary face, and unlike her strange feelings when looking at Old Jin, she suddenly felt at peace.

Though she didn’t recognize him, at this moment, anyone breaking through walls to get here was at least not in league with this shopkeeper.

Clamoring sounds came from outside, with mixed footsteps seemingly heading this way.

Jing Hengbo gestured to the iron manacle on her hand. The big man grinned and drew a wood-cutting knife, saying: “Close your eyes, don’t be afraid!”

Jing Hengbo didn’t close her eyes, watching as he didn’t hack at the iron manacle but instead pried off the entire wooden bed frame in a few quick moves. While apologizing, he wrapped her completely in bedding and stuffed her under the bed, also rolling up a quilt from the bed and tucking it under his arm.

Having done all this, the mixed footsteps had reached the door.

Jing Hengbo had just gotten under the bed when several hands immediately reached through the opening to carefully receive her.

Turning her head under the bed, Jing Hengbo heard a bang as the door was kicked open.

The big man couldn’t crawl back in time!

She vaguely heard the man curse something, then footsteps charged outward, crashing into tables, chairs, and benches with banging and clanging sounds. Someone shouted: “The person’s been abducted!”

“That way!”

“Chase them!”

She seemed to hear a distant scream as well, though she didn’t know whose it was.

Jing Hengbo bit her teeth hard, opened her eyes, and saw seven or eight hands above her head receiving her. The moment she was set down, someone immediately filled the hole. People were urgently conversing.

“Er Hu didn’t make it over?”

“No time. He ran off carrying the bedroll—should be able to draw away the pursuers.”

“If they catch him…”

“Shut up!”

Jing Hengbo opened her eyes wide, staring blankly at the sky above.

Who were these people?

The faces moving before her eyes—she didn’t recognize any of them. Who would risk their lives to save her like this?

Everyone worked together to carry her into a room and place her on a bed. An elderly man carefully cushioned her hand with cloth, saying “Don’t be afraid, Your Majesty,” and smashed open the iron manacle with a blacksmith’s hammer.

A young girl came to clean her hand with hot water. Several women were brewing soup and medicine in the corridor, and several men went out under the elder’s direction, saying they were going to meet Er Hu.

Watching the busy, orderly crowd, Jing Hengbo felt a sense of unreality. She carefully examined those faces—some seemed familiar, but most were strangers.

The girl cleaning her hand noticed her confusion, carried away the water, and came to sit beside her: “Your Majesty, don’t be afraid. We’re not like that black-hearted Old Jin—we won’t go to great lengths to harm you. Saving you today was, ultimately, a coincidence.”

After listening for a while, Jing Hengbo understood. This small courtyard was next to Longsheng Ji, home to blacksmith Old Niu’s family, who had always had poor relations with Longsheng Ji’s owner. Last night, this family’s second son got up to relieve himself and noticed the neighboring house brightly lit, so he climbed the wall to listen. He heard Old Jin going in and out, saying something had happened at Imperial Plaza and the ministers had coerced Her Majesty the Queen. There might be bloodshed afterward, so all staff inside and out should be careful and reduce transactions for the next few days. The second son was startled and went back to wake his parents. The family didn’t sleep all night. At dawn, when Old Niu went onto the street, he saw Jing Hengbo sitting on Longsheng Ji’s doorstep, but because it seemed so incredible, he didn’t dare recognize her and wanted to test the situation. In the blink of an eye, Jing Hengbo was helped inside by Old Jin. Old Niu’s family grew increasingly uneasy and had the second son climb a tree to observe the situation. He happened to see Jing Hengbo being helped into the back room of Longsheng Ji, just one wall away, and saw Old Jin hurriedly leave.

Old Niu’s family instinctively felt something was wrong. After consulting with neighbors, they simply came up with the idea of breaking through the wall to steal the person, thus rescuing Jing Hengbo.

The person Jing Hengbo had hit with the pillow earlier was the Niu family’s second son who had first discovered the situation.

Jing Hengbo lay stiffly, staring at the ceiling without saying a word, too many warm currents surging in her heart. She feared that if she opened her mouth, she wouldn’t be able to hold back.

Those she had tried hard to befriend, to whom she had shown smiling faces, were all persecuting her without exception, harming her. Yet these people she had never even seen, to whom she had never shown kindness—these people from the very bottom of society—remembered her, cared about her, and risked their lives and families to save her.

The girl thought she was still afraid and comfortingly squeezed her hand, saying softly: “Rest a bit. We’ll have you drink medicine shortly. Though this place seems dangerous, it should actually be safe. Old Jin wouldn’t think the person is right next door. Don’t be afraid.”

Among this group of people, the words Jing Hengbo heard most were “don’t be afraid.” She blinked her eyes and pressed her lips together.

The person who should have said these words had set the deepest, coldest precipice for her. She never expected that even now, there were still people willing to say to her: Don’t be afraid, we’re here.

The price paid had bloomed flowers—some with dark calyxes, others with pure white petals.

Suddenly there was commotion outside, and someone rushed in panic, saying: “Trouble! Er Hu’s been caught!”

“Oh no,” someone immediately said, “if they find out Er Hu’s identity, Your Majesty won’t be safe here!”

The women in the corridor immediately extinguished their stoves and poured out the medicine soup. An old woman quickly rushed in, scooped up Jing Hengbo, and said: “To my house!”

“What good would your house do?” the elder said. “Soon the whole street will be searched.”

“My house and Third Aunt’s house have a small door between them for convenience—it’s behind the wisteria trellis and not easily noticed. We’ll send Your Majesty to my house, and when they search my house, we’ll send her to Third Aunt’s house. When they search Third Aunt’s house, we’ll send her to my house. Won’t they be unable to find her?”

Everyone praised this idea. Without waiting for Jing Hengbo to express her opinion, people came up and lifted her onto a prepared simple stretcher, covering her tightly with quilts over her head and face.

Jing Hengbo was startled when she emerged from the back wall—there was also a large group of people there, receiving, keeping watch, constantly saying: “This way, this way, careful, careful, they’re coming this way… Quick!”

The stretcher passed through the crowd, and pairs of hands—young or old, delicate or rough—received her, flowing like water to carry Jing Hengbo to what they considered a safe zone.

Jing Hengbo buried her face in the bedding, afraid she might accidentally let out a sob.

Though the coarse bedding covering her face was clean, it was rough and didn’t smell very pleasant. Things washed with rice starch always had a slightly sour smell. Yet she felt this scent was the most fragrant she had ever smelled in her life, surpassing the blooming flowers and dragon ambergris incense in Jade Guard Palace.

The old woman received her in her small courtyard, settling her in a room near the side door. Without ceremony, she first forced Jing Hengbo to drink a large bowl of hot soup, saying: “Your Majesty, your complexion is too poor. At least eat some hot food to warm up. Too bad the chicken soup from earlier didn’t have time to finish cooking. When my boy comes back, I’ll have him kill a chicken for you.”

Jing Hengbo searched all over herself trying to find something valuable, but her clothes had already been changed at the Yelu residence—she now had literally nothing of value.

The old woman pressed down her hand: “Don’t, don’t move around. Don’t think about thanking us—this doesn’t need thanks. We common folk don’t know what happened to an important person like you, don’t know what the authorities really mean, and we’re not risking ourselves to save you because you’re the queen. We’re saving you to save our conscience, to save you as a person. You shouldn’t think so much or despair too much. The world is vast—no matter how many enemies you have, do they outnumber us common people? One person, one bit of strength—we can protect you to the end. As long as you don’t lose heart yourself, there’s nothing that can’t be overcome. No matter how high the threshold, just lift your foot and you’ll step over it.”

Jing Hengbo slowly raised her eyes, looking at the old woman before her. In her aged smile was the wise light accumulated from a lifetime of experience.

She slowly touched her face. Yes, now anyone could see she was haggard, disheveled, fallen, and suffering—that she had tumbled into life’s abyss.

So some people kicked her while she was down, while others wholeheartedly supported her. Every hand extended to her had never made her see so clearly the true meaning of human nature and life.

“You sleep a while. They probably won’t search over here for a bit…” Before the old woman finished speaking, knocking sounds came from outside. Someone with a rough, loud voice demanded to enter and search. Hearing the voice, Jing Hengbo felt it didn’t quite sound like the military.

The old woman’s face changed, and she hurriedly opened the side door and gestured, while going to open the front door. This agile old woman now walked slowly and deliberately, coughing as she walked, shuffling along saying: “Coming… coming…”

Several people came through the side door and quickly carried Jing Hengbo away again.

She was rapidly carried into neighboring Third Aunt’s courtyard, where a whole yard of people nervously listened to the movement next door. Sure enough, that group found nothing at the old woman’s place, left her door, and came toward Third Aunt’s place. The group nervously transported Jing Hengbo back to the old woman’s place.

Despite her defeated spirits, Jing Hengbo couldn’t help but want to laugh. The wisdom of the people truly was infinite. This situation really was like the textbook stories of common people sheltering underground party members or New Fourth Army soldiers. She never imagined she would one day play the role of the wounded soldier.

The stretcher suddenly tilted, the bedding caught on the door frame, and in the group’s anxious haste, it tore with a ripping sound, leaving a strip of cloth hanging. Jing Hengbo was about to warn them when the searchers had already entered the door.

The group pressed against the door crack nervously listening to the movement next door. Sure enough, the searchers found nothing and prepared to leave. Everyone was about to breathe a sigh of relief when suddenly someone stopped and said: “What’s that over there?” Then came footsteps approaching the side door.

Everyone immediately grew tense.

Third Aunt’s face turned deathly pale—the cloth strip hung conspicuously on the door crack, and the door hidden behind the wisteria trellis had been discovered.

The person who discovered the cloth strip reached out to push the door. When it wouldn’t open, he immediately said: “Bring an axe!”

Third Aunt suddenly broke free from those restraining her, strode toward the door opening, and shouted toward the street: “Run quickly! You must escape!”

“Chase them!” The searcher immediately pulled his hand back from the door and led people in pursuit. Only the sound of thundering footsteps, loud shouting, the sound of a body hitting the ground, and Third Aunt’s brief, sharp scream could be heard.

In the old woman’s small courtyard next door, everyone froze.

The sudden change lasted only a moment but was heart-stopping.

Jing Hengbo half-sat up, her face deathly pale, her fingers trembling slightly.

Looking at the faces around her, she suddenly threw off the quilt and tried to get off the stretcher.

Since they had discovered the side door, the old woman’s house would still be searched. She couldn’t implicate these good people anymore.

A pair of hands pressed her down. She followed those snow-white hands upward and saw it was the girl who had explained the situation to her earlier.

“Come to my house,” she said softly. “My house has a cellar that’s particularly hard to find—absolutely safe.”

“No, I can’t implicate you all anymore.” Jing Hengbo got off the stretcher to leave.

Having just stood steady, her body swayed. She smiled bitterly, discovering she temporarily couldn’t move. The several consecutive teleportations when leaving the Yelu residence had exhausted her strength.

The girl supported her arm, gestured to the people behind her, and half-pushed, half-dragged her out the back door of the old woman’s house.

Her house wasn’t far either, even more broken-down and cramped, but it truly had a very hidden cellar right under the stove in the kitchen, beneath a pile of firewood. The iron cover was almost the same color as the ground—even standing right in front of it, one might not notice it.

Not allowing Jing Hengbo to refuse, the girl pushed her down and had her ten-year-old brother go down to care for Jing Hengbo as well.

“Under no circumstances are you to come out!” she sternly instructed the boy. “Not even if you die! And don’t let Your Majesty come out either!”

“Don’t come out!” The boy’s gaze was direct, seeming somewhat slow.

Jing Hengbo lay on a pile of cabbages and potatoes, breathing the turbid air of the cellar, feeling a kind of empty, vast tranquility in her heart.

Though she had nowhere to rely, she seemed to have found peace.

Soon there was movement above again—the searchers might not be just one group.

This search lasted a long time, but it still seemed to yield nothing. Jing Hengbo heard heavy footsteps in the kitchen area, about to withdraw.

She quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

Suddenly the footsteps stopped. Above fell silent for a while. Jing Hengbo instinctively felt something was wrong and crawled up. The boy immediately came over to grab her arm, his eyes gleaming in the darkness.

Just as Jing Hengbo was about to pat his arm reassuringly, she suddenly heard a muffled “bang” from above.

It sounded like a human body being pushed down onto the ground.

Then came a weak cry, seeming to be the girl’s voice, but it was cut short—whether she held it back or was silenced, unclear.

All of Jing Hengbo’s hair stood on end—something had happened!

It wasn’t that they’d discovered the cellar, and the girl wouldn’t actively fight, so this was…

Many guesses flashed through her mind in an instant. She instinctively knew what was happening was the worst but most likely occurrence. She remembered this girl was quite pretty, and there seemed to be no one else in the family—just her and her brother depending on each other.

Wolf-like, tiger-like officials and soldiers—if they had even a moment’s evil thought, she would be beyond redemption!

She moved slightly but couldn’t—the boy was still gripping her arm with surprising strength. She turned to look at the boy, whose gaze was direct in the darkness, his movements stubborn.

This was a half-simple child, but he listened very well to his sister. Sister said not to come out, so he wouldn’t come out.

Jing Hengbo struggled, but the boy suddenly lunged forward, knocking her to the ground, and whispered in her ear: “Don’t go out!”

Jing Hengbo crashed into a pile of potatoes, her back painfully bruised, momentarily unable to push him away.

She heard struggling sounds from above, striking her heart like heavy blows.

She lay motionless for a long while, then tears slowly flowed from the corners of her eyes.

These were her first tears since the incident.

She hadn’t cried when Cui Jie died.

She hadn’t cried when Gong Yin made her take poison.

She hadn’t cried when the poison took effect.

She hadn’t cried when she stabbed the blade into Gong Yin’s chest.

Throughout her escape, enduring all kinds of suffering, her tears had remained dry, as if burned away by that hellish black poisonous fire.

She thought she would never cry again in this life, that even if she laughed again, deep in her heart would remain a permanently frozen layer. Yet at this moment, in the cellar, under the dust, the repeated sacrifices of these strangers finally let her taste human flavors countless times—not necessarily the most bitter reserved for herself alone.

Originally, the greatest sorrow was a dead heart, leaving only emptiness after fire burned snow fell. At this moment, her fingers slowly clenched tight, hearing the surging and crashing of ice layers deep in her heart, while snow was burning.

I will never sink into decadence and ruin!

Even if only for these Imperial Song citizens, I must return!

Jing Hengbo took a breath and whispered in the boy’s ear: “Everyone’s gone. Your sister wants us to go up. Let go of me first.”

The boy thought for a moment, then released his grip.

Jing Hengbo’s figure flashed and disappeared.

The next instant she appeared in the kitchen, immediately seeing the struggling figures and scattered clothing, the girl’s snow-white skin piercing her eyes with pain.

Without a word, she grabbed the kitchen knife from the stove and struck the back of the man’s neck with the blade’s flat side!

“Bang.” A muffled sound as the coarse, dark man silently collapsed. The girl looked up in panic, her gaze scattered.

Without hesitation, Jing Hengbo commanded in a low voice: “Move away! Close your eyes!”

The girl looked up to see her gaze sharp as a blade, startling her into trembling. Instinctively, she scrambled away and tightly shut her eyes.

Jing Hengbo’s second strike unhesitatingly slashed into the man’s neck!

Blood splattered with one cut, and the unconscious man didn’t even grunt before meeting his end.

Because she first knocked him unconscious before killing, the kitchen made no sound. The several men waiting outside in line were still laughing and joking with each other, excitedly waiting their turn.

The girl opened her eyes to see blood everywhere and was about to scream. Before Jing Hengbo could stop her, she quickly stuffed her fingers into her own mouth, using gestures to fearfully ask Jing Hengbo: What now?

Jing Hengbo braced her hands on her knees, breathing rapidly several times, feeling darkness before her eyes and swaying unsteadily.

Those two strikes had exhausted all her strength.

She could barely manage teleportation, but if she left, what would happen to these siblings? The person was right here in the kitchen—even if they fled to the cellar, they would certainly be found by those men. The fate awaiting these siblings would be unspeakably tragic.

She couldn’t leave. But she also couldn’t not kill this brute.

She could only take the risk.

Jing Hengbo gestured for the girl to quietly bar the door and block it with the table, while she walked to the chimney opening and took out a section of red signal flare from her chest—something Yi Qi had left her.

She hadn’t used it because she hadn’t left the city yet. Once she fired the obvious fireworks, pursuers might arrive before Yi Qi.

She pulled the fuse and shot the flare up through the chimney.

“Whoosh.” A slight explosive sound—not very loud, but still enough to attract attention. She walked behind the table, grabbed several sharp pieces of firewood, and waited.

The girl gradually calmed down, put on her clothes, and also picked up the hardest, sharpest pieces of firewood, walking to her other side.

Jing Hengbo smiled at the trembling girl.

The girl was stunned, then gripped the firewood in her hand tightly. Though her hands were still shaking, she was very quiet.

The laughter and conversation outside stopped the instant the fireworks were fired.

Someone looked up at that line of deep red shooting straight into the clouds, paused in confusion: “How can there be fireworks?”

Another reacted quickly, shouting loudly: “No good! Something’s changed inside!” and kicked at the door.

Bang—the door didn’t open. The group grew frantic and all kicked together. This kind of door was already old and flimsy, and after several kicks, with a crack, the door bolt broke and the door opened halfway, blocked by the dining table behind it.

A large foot extended in, about to kick the table.

Jing Hengbo struck again with fierce chopping!

“Ah!” A scream as the kitchen knife savagely chopped into the man’s leg bone. Jing Hengbo used too much force and couldn’t immediately pull it out. The man was already screaming and fell backward with the knife in his leg.

Jing Hengbo reacted quickly too—if she couldn’t pull it out, she wouldn’t. Seeing a shadow flash by the door, without thinking, she thrust the firewood in her hand fiercely at the person’s face.

“Hiss.” A soft sound, and the second person also screamed, covering his face and scrambling backward frantically, blood flowing down through his fingers along with wood chips.

Jing Hengbo’s two strikes were clean and decisive, her killing intent formidable, startling the remaining men outside. For a moment, none dared advance, frozen in place.

Jing Hengbo breathed rapidly. She had used all her strength for precisely this effect—as long as these men were too cowardly to advance for a moment, she might be able to wait for the Seven Kills to arrive.

The sky was gradually brightening.

There was still no movement outside for the moment.

Jing Hengbo felt dizzy and faint, cold sweat soaking through her clothes, but she dared not collapse or close her eyes. She feared that if she closed her eyes, she would faint.

Suddenly a scream rang out in the room.

Jing Hengbo looked up to see that somehow a big man had poked his body through the small window on the wall and grabbed the girl’s throat!

Jing Hengbo was both shocked and regretful—that window was half-hidden behind the firewood pile, and she hadn’t noticed it earlier.

She had to rush over, thrusting the stick’s point fiercely at the big man, and fearing she wouldn’t make it in time, she swung her arm and sent a piece of firewood flying through the air toward the man’s forehead.

The big man looked up to suddenly see a stick stabbing toward him. In great shock, he tilted his head, naturally loosening his grip. Jing Hengbo had also arrived by then, first pulling the girl away, then raising the firewood stick in her hand to stab at his throat.

When she struck now, regardless of force, she invariably aimed for the opponent’s vital points.

The big man dodged backward and retreated from the window. Before Jing Hengbo could breathe a sigh of relief, she heard another loud bang behind her.

Because she had left, the table blocking the door had been knocked aside.

Several figures rushed wildly in. Jing Hengbo heard wind sounds behind her—at least two or three big men were pouncing toward her. Her body flashed as she tried to teleport, but suddenly her vision went black.

The next instant, with a slap, she was pushed down by three or four people. The men’s burning body heat and turbid breath pressed down heavily.

Another scream—the girl seemed to have been knocked down too.

The firewood in her hand had been knocked away. Without hesitation, Jing Hengbo reached out to pull more firewood from the pile.

If she couldn’t stab them to death, she could stab herself to death!

The man on top of her saw her intention and sneered coldly: “What a fierce woman!” He raised his knife to chop at her wrist.

The blade gleamed snow-bright, reflecting countless fierce, bloodthirsty eyes.

She closed her eyes.

“Hiss.”

Not the imagined severe pain, not the sound of a knife severing a wrist, but the muffled sound of a sword point entering flesh.

“Splash.” Before she could raise her head, she felt something hot splash over her head—sticky and foul-smelling. Without touching it, she knew it was blood.

Her heart relaxed, and she lay on the ground almost unable to move.

The Seven Kills had finally arrived.

Suddenly she felt something was wrong. Those seven idiots were always noisy and clamorous—when could they be this quiet?

The heavy pressure on her body was lifted, and the continuous sounds of bodies hitting the ground rang out. It seemed the men pressing on her had all died in that instant.

A pair of strong hands reached over, very appropriately slipping under her armpits to gently help her up.

Jing Hengbo turned around to see someone unexpected yet reasonable.

“Tie Xingze…” she murmured. “How could it be you…”

In the dim kitchen, Tie Xingze looked guilty and pitying as he examined her from head to toe. “I’m sorry, Your Majesty. I arrived too late.”

Jing Hengbo wanted to give him a grateful look but suddenly remembered this person’s relationship with Gong Yin. Her heart immediately felt blocked, and she slightly turned her head away.

Tie Xingze was always perceptive. Seeing her expression, he said gently: “Last night, we hostages were all blocked at the periphery, unable to enter Imperial Plaza… I sent people to inquire about the general situation, then came out to look for you. I thought you might come to this area since you’re familiar with it, but I didn’t know exactly where you’d be. When I saw the fireworks just now, I rushed over… You…” He paused, then said: “I came to rescue you based on our past friendship. You are you, I am me. We only do what we want to do, unrelated to… anyone else.”

Jing Hengbo understood his meaning—he was making clear that his rescue was entirely his own initiative, unrelated to Gong Yin, so she shouldn’t refuse his help because of that.

Though she understood, her heart felt even more blocked. She didn’t speak, only turned to look at the line of bright light on the horizon.

By now, with no assistance, no subordinates, even her life saved by others, what qualification did she have to be precious or refuse any bit of help?

She had sworn to live well.

“Thank you.” When she looked back, she smiled slightly at him.

Tie Xingze’s expression immediately relaxed. He considerately helped her sit down, then assisted the girl, saying to Jing Hengbo: “Clean up and leave immediately. I’ll find a way to get you out of Imperial Song. I killed all these men just now, but there’s no guarantee there aren’t other pursuers.”

Jing Hengbo looked down at the corpses on the ground. They weren’t dressed as Kang Long or Jade Guard soldiers, nor even as Imperial Song prefecture runners. These people wore ordinary sturdy clothing, completely unidentifiable.

“Which side’s people are these?”

“Can’t tell,” Tie Xingze examined them and shook his head. “Imperial Song’s power structure is complex. Many families have private soldiers—anyone could be responsible.”

Jing Hengbo smiled. Yes, anyone could be responsible. Most of the court and even the highest ruler were her enemies. That Longsheng Ji owner ran a shop in West Song Square and could very well be some wealthy family’s front operation. A simple notification would bring a large group of assassins.

“Why don’t you come with me.” Jing Hengbo looked worriedly at the girl. These searchers had finally entered the girl’s house, and trouble occurred afterward. With a little investigation, they could find out, and then these siblings would suffer again.

The girl was stunned, seeming to remember something, and quickly opened the cellar door to call her brother. That simple-minded boy finally crawled out, indeed very obedient.

Tie Xingze saw the boy emerge, first startled, then stepped forward to help pull him up.

But the simple boy suddenly shrank back, looking fearfully at his eyes and shaking his head repeatedly.

The girl glanced at the handsome and dignified Tie Xingze, her face slightly flushed, and quickly coaxed her brother: “What are you afraid of? This is our savior…”

But the boy seemed very afraid of Tie Xingze and actually wanted to crawl back down. The girl was helplessly anxious and said to Tie Xingze: “He’s afraid of blood…”

Tie Xingze looked helplessly at the blood stains all over himself, smiled, and walked away. Only then did the boy crawl out of the cellar, though he still avoided him.

Jing Hengbo now only wanted to leave quickly. She turned and walked toward the door, saying weakly: “Let’s hurry and go…”

Her steps suddenly halted.

Her eyes widened.

She stared in shock at a vast expanse of sword light!

The sword light came suddenly, like waves and tides, whooshing as it lifted her long hair, passed over her cheeks, brushed her skin, leaving her covered in horrifying goosebumps, rushing toward… Tie Xingze.

“Hey! Little thief, let go!”

This voice!

Without thinking, Jing Hengbo extended her arm to block: “Stop!”

The sword light came like ocean tide and retreated like wind, whooshing as it withdrew from before her, accompanied by a series of people falling backward in succession with clanging sounds, and mutual cursing from their attacks.

“Damn it, Boss, why did you retreat!”

“My wife told me to retreat!”

“Third, you’re pressing on my chest!”

“Sixth, you stepped on my hand!”

“Seventh, stop—why are you picking my pocket!”

“Haha, Fourth, you’re not wearing underwear again!”

“You disgusting men!”

…

Chaotic cursing came through, but Jing Hengbo’s eyes suddenly moistened.

She stood there dazedly, watching a group of people rush in chaotically. Purple-furred Feifei ran along their shoulders, and flower-furred Er Gouzi joined in the cursing. At the back of the crowd, two girls rushed out anxiously, pushing through these big men and rushing forward urgently—it was Zirui and Yong Xue.

Everyone was shouting and calling out in various postures and expressions, but their gazes were all tightly focused on her.

There were really so damn many people…

Jing Hengbo wanted to laugh and cry, wanted to shout with joy “You’ve all finally come,” and wanted to curse loudly “Why are you only coming now?” Or maybe she didn’t want to do anything, just look at this group of people, not one missing, standing before her.

Her expression must have been too strange, because Zirui and Yong Xue stopped, the Seven Kills and Tian Qi ceased their arguing, and the crowd gradually quieted.

In the suffocating silence, she slowly extended her hand, as if toward everyone, and as if toward heaven.

“Good, everyone’s here…”

Then she swayed and fell down.

When Jing Hengbo woke up again, she smelled the familiar scent of potatoes and cabbage, almost thinking she was back in the cellar.

Then she became fully conscious, feeling the swaying motion beneath her with occasional creaking sounds, as if she was lying on a board cart.

Covered with sacks, through their gaps she vaguely saw the noisy flow of people around. Her position was extremely low—not like being on the cart, but rather like there was a hidden compartment under the cart, and she was in that compartment.

Suddenly a voice sounded beside her ear.

“Big Bo sister.” Yong Xue said quietly, “All nine gates have been sealed. Getting out of the city is very difficult now. Young Master Tie found retired standard armor from the Kang Long Army and had us disguise ourselves as a Kang Long Army team entering the city to purchase grain. Now only the military and officials with transit permits can leave the city. Don’t panic or move—just sleep here.”

Jing Hengbo nodded lightly to show she understood. She was quite surprised that her silly senior brothers were actually quite considerate of the big picture at critical moments. She had thought this group of idiots would smash the city gates and carry her out on fire wheels.

Before she finished that thought, she heard Yi Qi from the other side: “Wife, if you ask me, we should just carry you out like this. What city walls in this world can stop our Seven Kills? But Iron Block said the Kang Long Army is nearby, and if we alarm the great army, our Seven Kills would have to fight for several hours, and then we couldn’t take care of you. I think this makes some sense. Let’s disguise ourselves and get out first, then I’ll definitely smash the city walls to vent your anger.”

Jing Hengbo squeezed his finger through the sack to indicate this was fine, and Yi Qi went off beaming with joy.

The group pulled ten carts of vegetables, rumbling forward. In the rush, these vegetables were all contributed by the common people from West Song Square and Liuli Square area.

Jing Hengbo listened to the cart moving forward. The city gate was queuing, and soon it was their turn. The gate guards didn’t seem to have much suspicion about this team—after all, Kang Long teams entering the city to purchase supplies came every day, and the transit documents Tie Xingze produced were complete.

The soldiers just took a simple look and let them pass. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and was about to leave when suddenly an officer walked over, looked at the carts, and frowned: “Why are these vegetables so mixed and chaotic?”

Everyone’s hearts jumped—this indeed was the only flaw. The vegetables were gathered from various households, while military vegetable purchases were usually just a few varieties in large quantities each.

Fortunately, the officer was just speaking casually. He glanced at the vegetables on the cart and praised: “These purple melons are quite fresh. The cabbage is also robust. I happen to need them for making dried purple melons and pickled cabbage. Send these carts to my residence.”

The soldiers didn’t think much of it either—military officers taking some military camp vegetables wasn’t unusual. Immediately people came to push the carts, including exactly the one with Jing Hengbo.

The Seven Kills’ eyes widened and each was about to draw weapons when Tie Xingze suddenly stepped forward.

“General,” he said calmly, “I’m really sorry, but these vegetables probably can’t be given to you.”

“Hmm?” The officer raised his eyebrows, seeming not to expect anyone would refuse him, a fierce light flashing in his eyes.

Tie Xingze quietly approached him and said in a low voice: “The vegetables are mixed because they’re for Governor Cheng.” He smiled. “You know, the Governor recently lost his son and had no choice but to take a new concubine. The concubine loves dried purple melons—this is being sent to her.”

The suspicion in the officer’s eyes immediately disappeared, his expression somewhat embarrassed: “So it’s the Governor’s trusted aide. In that case, forget it.”

Cheng Gumo taking a concubine was very secret—except for his trusted subordinates and Kang Long high command, few people knew. This officer’s suspicions were completely dispelled, and he stepped back. But his facial expression still didn’t look good.

Tie Xingze smiled slightly and gestured for them to pass through.

But the officer had a temperament that couldn’t stand losses. After thinking it over, he felt displeased. As the cart passed beside him, he suddenly thrust his long spear at the cart, saying coldly: “Piled so loosely—have you been pocketing things for yourselves!”

He was stabbing at exactly Jing Hengbo’s cart!

Yong Xue and Zirui almost cried out.

The spear flashed down like lightning. Tian Qi, walking beside the cart, suddenly raised his hand and gripped the spear shaft. The officer tried to pull it back but couldn’t move it. His face reddening, he tried again. Tian Qi suddenly released his grip.

The officer’s return force rebounded, and he staggered several steps before sitting down in the mud and broken snow at the city gate.

Now everyone was looking over.

“Rebellion! This is rebellion!” The officer’s face was flushed red as he pointed at the crowd. “Arrest them! Arrest them!”

Yi Qi sighed and muttered: “I said we should fight our way out from the beginning. Why bother with this trouble…” He reached under the cart for weapons.

Suddenly an announcement sounded.

“The State Preceptor arrives—”