Drip.

Chen Baoxiang wiped away the drops of water that had splashed onto her face.

She stared blankly at the rainwater that had collected overnight on the eaves of the Ministry of War, then suddenly asked the deputy official beside her: “Has there been any word back from Ningsu’s side?”

The deputy shook his head. “Not yet.”

By this hour, they should have long since arrived at the Medicine Preparation Bureau. Ningsu had clearly promised that she would send word once they arrived.

Absentmindedly fingering the sachet containing the small Buddha figurine, Chen Baoxiang suddenly felt a wave of unease. “Leave someone here to keep watch. I’m going to go and see.”

“But, Official Chen — they still haven’t brought out the appointment order.”

“If they truly intended to give it to me, they should have had the dispatch courier bring it directly to me — why make me wait here indefinitely?” She rose to her feet and strode toward the door. “Go and call Zhao Huaizhu and the others — as many as are available. Everyone comes with me.”

“Understood.”

Several military constables outside tried to play bureaucratic games and keep her detained, but Chen Baoxiang’s expression grew increasingly grim. She brushed them aside, walked straight out, mounted her horse, and rode in urgent pursuit in the direction that Daxian and Yin Yue had taken.

“Someone at the western city gate said they saw the Zhang Family’s carriage leaving the city.” Zhao Huaizhu caught up and reported. “It’s too congested inside the city — they may have gone around through the outskirts.”

Chen Baoxiang gave her reins a sharp pull and rode at full gallop toward the western city gate.

“Official Chen, that’s a back road — very few people ever use it.” Zhao Huaizhu shouted from behind.

“I know.” Chen Baoxiang quickened her pace. “But that’s most likely the very road they took.”

A road unfamiliar to others, yet one she knew very well. She rode straight through a grove of trees and onto the dirt path.

In the distance, faint sounds of voices.

Chen Baoxiang narrowed her eyes. “Wang Wu, take half the people and go check the situation over there — if you encounter bandits, cut them down without question. Huaizhu, come with me to the right.”

Zhao Huaizhu acknowledged the order, and as she followed, she couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe.

For all that their superior seemed easygoing and idle on ordinary days, whenever a real matter arose, she was more dependable than anyone. Out here in the wilderness, everyone else was like a headless fly — yet she could fix on a direction with complete certainty.

As though she had been here before.

And indeed — not two li into the pursuit to the right, they caught sight of a group of people engaged in fierce combat.

Chen Baoxiang charged into the encirclement on horseback, arriving just in time to intercept a sword blow on someone’s behalf with a sideways sweep of her blade.

The person stumbled a couple of steps, the dark-colored robe billowing slightly.

Chen Baoxiang looked closely — and her expression changed entirely: “Ningsu?”

Ningsu, covered in blood, stood in the muddy water with her blade raised. Upon seeing Chen Baoxiang, she immediately called out: “To the southeast — please, Official Chen, go and rescue them at once.”

Chen Baoxiang didn’t say a word — she simply charged off in the direction Ningsu pointed.

The rain had stopped over the wilderness, and the footprints in the road were very clear. From what could be seen, a considerable number of people were in pursuit of Zhang Zhixu — Ningsu had only managed to hold back a small portion of them.

She was anxious at heart, and her horse ran at a furious pace — but before even two or three li had passed, she came upon a fork in the road.

One path to the left, one to the right — both bore the same tangle of chaotic footprints.

“These two roads diverge too far apart. If we check them one by one, I’m afraid we won’t make it in time.” Zhao Huaizhu said. “What if we split up?”

“No. Their numbers are too great — if we divide our own forces further, we’d be even less of a match for them.”

Chen Baoxiang scanned their surroundings, then said abruptly: “Pursue to the right.”

“Right?” Zhao Huaizhu kept up with her, hesitant. “What if we’re wrong…”

“We won’t be wrong.” Chen Baoxiang gripped the reins with unwavering certainty. “In this world, aside from himself, no one knows him better than I do.”

To the right lay a vast bamboo grove. Pass through it for about a li, and it opened onto a wide river.

On the far bank were many bandits. Upon seeing her approach, those men began searching with even greater urgency.

Zhao Huaizhu was about to order her people to search the reeds along the riverbank as well — but then she saw her superior suddenly leap off her horse and into the river.

Chen Baoxiang swam with great effort to the area of the reed bed in the middle of the river. After searching around briefly, she seized a broken reed stalk jutting up from the surface of the water.

She reached down with her other hand and gave a firm pull —

A figure broke through the water’s surface. Flying droplets of water, together with a sharp dagger, came hurtling straight for her face.

Chen Baoxiang caught his wrist and held him tightly in her other arm. “Daxian — it’s me.”

Zhang Zhixu’s movement stopped.

Clear river water streamed down from his eyelids, striking the river’s surface and scattering into tiny ripples.

He stared at the person before him with something close to disbelief, and after a long moment finally released the dagger and let his expression soften. “How did you actually manage to find me.”

“You were clutching the Buddha figurine and calling for me again, weren’t you?” She patted his back. “I heard you.”

“You’re lying.” He pressed his lips together. “If you could hear me, you should have heard me from the moment I left the city.”

“That was my fault.” Chen Baoxiang guided him toward the direction of her own people as they swam. “I should have insisted on seeing you all the way there from the start.”

This could hardly be laid at her feet.

Zhang Zhixu glanced back at the bandits on the far bank who were itching to move, and with some urgency caught hold of Chen Baoxiang’s wrist: “Where is Yin Yue? Did you see Yin Yue?”

When the pursuing forces had been closing in, and in order to keep Yin Yue safe, he had sent Jiuquan away early with his people to separate from him.

“Wang Wu took his people to her. Don’t worry.”

Zhang Zhixu slowly exhaled a long breath.

His robes were soaked through, and his dark hair had come loose — wet strands of it falling across his forehead, making his lips appear all the more pallid.

Chen Baoxiang instructed Zhao Huaizhu to withdraw, pulled him swiftly up onto her horse, and reached over to retrieve the robe from the pack hanging at her side, handing it over to him.

“I’m not cold.” Zhang Zhixu held firm.

Chen Baoxiang raised an eyebrow, pressed her heels into the horse’s flanks — and the wind whipped up around them from all sides, sending a tremor through his fingertips.

Zhang Zhixu had no chance to recant his words; he was so cold he could only hold on tightly to the person in front of him.

The bandits on the far bank, seeing how many of them there were, appeared to give up and did not give chase again.

Chen Baoxiang glanced back, then tightened the reins and turned to Zhao Huaizhu: “Keep watch for me.”

“Understood.”

Zhang Zhixu, still dazed from the wind, was pulled off the horse and led into the bamboo grove. The wet, heavy robe on his body was skillfully unknotted at the ties.

“What are you doing?” He caught her hand.

Chen Baoxiang replied without a trace of patience: “Let go.”

Her tone, unusually fierce, left no room for discussion.

Zhang Zhixu complied and let go, allowing her to strip off his outer robe and inner garment, wring out the undershirt, and use it to dry the water from his body.

His complexion, already fair, had gone even paler from the soaking — and in some places, the skin had been broken.

Chen Baoxiang looked on with a tight press of her lips: “How long were you hiding?”

“I don’t know.” Zhang Zhixu shook his head. “That group of men kept patrolling back and forth along the bank — I didn’t dare move the whole time.”

“Have Jiuquan brew you ginger tea when you get back, and you’d better soak in a bath as well.” She helped him into the clean robe, then carefully straightened his cuffs.

Normally, even an oversized robe cut to a woman’s measurements would be somewhat constricting on him.

Yet this one fit just right.

Zhang Zhixu looked down at it: “Yours?”

“A gift from Official Xu — but he wasn’t sure how large to make it, so he just erred on the bigger side. Said you could layer extra garments inside it in winter.”

“…”

He tugged at the hem with an expressionless face: “It looks like it was made with care — and you’re just letting me wear it, just like that. Won’t your Official Xu be upset?”

“At a time like this, you’re still thinking about that?” Having finished arranging the robe, Chen Baoxiang pulled him up onto her horse. “Come on — let’s go join the others.”