The group made their way up the mountain. Along the way, Ye Li noticed several guards silently departing from their group at Mo Hua’s signal. She knew they were going to draw away any pursuers who might be following them. Watching the guards disappear without a sound, Ye Li remained silent and continued following the footsteps of the scouts leading the way up the mountain.
The pursuers seemed to arrive quickly. Soon, the sounds of a crowd and clashing weapons could be heard in the distance but gradually faded away as the fighting was drawn in the opposite direction. Mo Hua looked back at the increasingly distant sounds and frowned, “Your Highness, those pursuing us don’t seem to be imperial troops.”
Ye Li nodded silently. For anyone to have climbed the mountain so quickly from the base, they couldn’t be ordinary soldiers. They were all experts. “Lei Zhenting’s men.”
Zhuo Jing explained, “The Marquis of Zhennan has a secret personal guard unit called the Golden Guard. They number around a thousand men and normally protect his residence. The Marquis takes them on every military campaign. It’s because of their presence that the Marquis has escaped death on the battlefield several times. When he was defeated by the old Prince, it was this Golden Guard who sacrificed nearly their entire force to rescue him. Though they were almost completely wiped out saving the Marquis’s life, he rebuilt the unit afterward.”
As they continued up the mountain, Ye Li asked, “The Shadow Guard seems to have never received this intelligence.”
“Since the Golden Guard was nearly annihilated by the old Prince while saving the Marquis, they’ve never appeared in public again. Almost everyone believed they no longer existed. Young Master Mingyue told me about them before he left,” Zhuo Jing replied.
Walking through the forest, Ye Li pondered, “How does the Golden Guard compare to the Qilin?”
Without hesitation, Zhuo Jing answered, “They’re inferior. The Golden Guard only trains in martial arts. They’re solely responsible for the Marquis’s safety and occasionally handling certain individuals on his orders. According to Young Master Mingyue, their martial arts are no worse than the Shadow Guard’s.”
Everyone’s mood grew heavy. In their current situation, forget about being no worse than the Shadow Guard—even if they faced one or two hundred elite soldiers, they might not survive.
Moving swiftly, the group finally reached a cliff on the mountainside. Though only halfway up the mountain, the peaks in the Northwest were genuinely tall. Now in early winter, looking down the cliff at night revealed only a vast sea of white clouds, with nothing visible below. Looking at the cliff before them, Ye Li turned and asked, “How far is it to the other side?”
Mo Hua contemplated briefly before answering, “About fifteen to sixteen zhang.”
Ye Li thought for a moment, then nodded and asked, “How is everyone’s lightness skill? Can you make it across?”
Mo Hua nodded. Among those present, except for two guards with slightly weaker lightness skills, the rest could make it across. Ye Li addressed the two guards, “You can go down the mountain together or separately, being careful not to attract the pursuers’ attention. If the base is too heavily surrounded, wait for a while.”
The two guards hesitated, looking at Ye Li uncertainly. Ye Li sighed softly, “Go quickly. It’s just two people—we’re about to cross, and there’s no point in you staying.” Behind her, Mo Hua nodded silently. The two guards bowed to Ye Li before turning and quickly disappearing into the darkness.
“Alright, prepare to cross. Mo Hua, you’ve seen the terrain before, you go first,” Ye Li turned and said to Mo Hua.
Mo Hua didn’t waste time, launching himself toward the opposite cliff. After landing, his figure was barely visible through the mist from this side. Ye Li waved for the guards to cross one by one. When it came to Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin’s turn, neither would move first.
Ye Li raised an eyebrow, “What are you trying to do?”
Zhuo Jing said gravely, “Your Highness’s lightness skill—Wei Lin and I have both seen it. You can’t make it across.”
Ye Li froze, then finally smiled bitterly. If she had known a day like this would come, she would have trained her lightness skill to perfection even if it killed her. Her lightness skill was only second-rate, to begin with, and now her abdomen was giving her uncomfortable sensations. Trying to fly across herself was pure fantasy.
Ye Li glanced sideways at Zhuo Jing, “Can you carry me across?”
Zhuo Jing lowered his head and gritted out, “No.” A cliff fifteen to sixteen zhang wide required first-rate lightness skill just to cross alone. To carry another person across needed not just lightness skill but supreme internal energy to support it.
Wei Lin smiled faintly, “This servant cannot either, so we’ll stay with Your Highness.”
Distant commotion could already be heard. Ye Li gave them both an exasperated look, “Nonsense! Stay to die with me?”
From the opposite side, a dark figure flew through the air, landing and frowning at the three of them, “Why haven’t you crossed yet?” His gaze lingered on Ye Li as Mo Hua suddenly remembered—the Princess had only been training in internal energy and lightness skills for just over a year. Such a distance was impossible for her to cross with lightness skill alone.
“This servant failed to consider thoroughly. Please forgive me, Your Highness. This servant will carry Your Highness across.”
Ye Li smiled at him and asked, “What are your chances of success?”
Mo Hua remained silent for a long while before saying heavily, “Twenty percent.”
If it were daytime, perhaps the chances would be forty percent, but now with night fallen and thick fog, he had at most a twenty percent chance of success.
Ye Li shook her head with a smile, “So you’re saying we have an eighty percent chance of falling to our deaths at the bottom of the cliff? You all cross first, I have my way.”
How could Zhuo Jing and the others agree? Wei Lin said, “Then please cross first, Your Highness. We won’t take long either way.”
Mo Hua frowned, “The pursuers are already close. If they’re truly all martial experts, once they discover our trail, we won’t escape even if we make it across.”
All three were equally stubborn. Ye Li had to say, “Mo Hua and Wei Lin cross first, Zhuo Jing stays.” She took out a rope from her pack and handed it to Wei Lin. Wei Lin silently accepted it and leaped toward the thick fog on the opposite side.
Watching Ye Li secure the rope to a large tree at the cliff’s edge, Zhuo Jing asked, “Your Highness…”
Ye Li smiled helplessly, “Actually… I only have a fifty percent chance with this.” The cliffs were uncooperative—their side was lower while the opposite side was higher. This meant Ye Li couldn’t use an energy-saving sliding method but had to slowly pull herself across the rope. Because of the baby in her belly, she couldn’t even use any risky movements.
Just as Ye Li was about to start after securing the rope, an arrow shot out from the forest, flying past her. Soon after, a group of men in black burst from the woods, surrounding them at the cliff’s edge.
“Princess Ding? We don’t wish to harm Your Highness. Please come with us,” the black-clad leader stared at Ye Li, his sinister eyes full of malice and greed.
Ye Li released the rope and said calmly, “The Marquis of Zhennan’s Golden Guard?”
The man’s eyes narrowed as he sneered, “Your Highness knows quite a lot. Since Your Highness already knows our identity, please don’t resist pointlessly. If Your Highness were injured, we couldn’t face our lord.”
Ye Li raised an eyebrow and asked softly, “And if I refuse?”
The man grinned viciously, “Our lord is very displeased about the Hongzhou matter. If something unfortunate happens to Your Highness, surely our lord won’t blame us. Our lord is a hero of the age and truly admires Princess Ding. Why must Your Highness stay loyal to that waste Mo Xiuyao? Our lord has said that if Your Highness comes with us, he’ll grant you the position of Marchioness of Zhennan. As for that crip—!”
Whoosh! Whoosh! Two bursts of force-carrying silver light shot forth, leaving one slash high and one low across the speaking man’s face and neck. Ye Li coldly regarded the people opposite her and said icily, “If you’re seeking death, this Princess will grant it!”
The man touched the wound on his neck and couldn’t help drawing in a sharp breath. Hearing Ye Li’s frigid words, his heart chilled and he momentarily dared not respond.
“Since Your Highness is so unreasonable, don’t blame us for being discourteous!” The leader’s face darkened as he waved his hand, “Capture Princess Ding!”
The surrounding Golden Guard rushed forward. Zhuo Jing stood beside Ye Li, blocking them off. On the opposite side, Mo Hua and Wei Lin understood the situation and leaped back to join the battle. The Golden Guard truly lived up to Young Master Han Mingyue’s assessment of their combat ability matching the Shadow Guard’s. Under circumstances where they were outnumbered ten to one, the Shadow Guard simply couldn’t handle it.
Watching two more Shadow Guards fall into an already unfavorable situation, Ye Li took a deep breath and called out loudly, “Mo Hua, withdraw with everyone immediately!”
Mo Hua’s movements didn’t pause as his sword pierced a Golden Guard’s chest. He replied, “The Shadow Guard prioritizes Your Highness’s safety above all. We cannot obey that order.”
Ye Li slashed one Golden Guard’s throat as she retreated to a corner, one hand pressed against her aching abdomen. “Do you think this still has meaning? Withdraw!”
Mo Hua didn’t respond, his movements growing even more vicious, clearly showing his intent to disobey the order. Ye Li felt her heartache. Just as she was about to speak, a figure flashed through the night sky, pouncing toward her. Ye Li raised her knife to strike, but the person dodged to the side and grabbed her arm, saying, “It’s me.”
Ye Li froze. “Han Mingyue, why are you here?”
Han Mingyue appeared somewhat disheveled, having lost his usual graceful demeanor. Grasping Ye Li, he said urgently, “Quick, leave! The Marquis of Zhennan has arrived.” Seeing Han Mingyue, Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin’s faces lit up. With perfect coordination, they held back the Golden Guard before them and said, “Young Master Han, take the Princess and go first.”
Han Mingyue nodded, gripping Ye Li’s wrist and preparing to leap toward the opposite cliff.
“Han Mingyue, how dare you!” A deep male voice filled with rage came from the forest. Simultaneously, a blade of force as substantial as physical matter struck Han Mingyue. Caught in mid-air while carrying another person, Han Mingyue managed to dodge the attack somewhat awkwardly. His internal energy faltered for a moment, forcing him to abandon the leap and return to the ground, his white clothing now torn at the shoulder and stained with a faint red.
The Marquis of Zhennan emerged from the forest, accompanied by Su Meidie, who had left Hongzhou with Han Mingyue. Her beautiful face now wore an expression of smug schadenfreude as she smiled at Ye Li.
With the Marquis’s arrival, the fighting immediately ceased. Mo Hua and the others retreated to form a semicircle around Ye Li, protecting her. The Marquis gazed at Ye Li, who stood behind the group with a pale face, his eyes flickering with complex emotions. Looking at the corpses on the ground, he nodded in appreciation, “As expected of the Shadow Guard of the Prince Ding’s mansion. It seems my Golden Guard still falls short.”
Zhuo Jing sneered, “Your Lordship is too modest. The Shadow Guard serves multiple roles—how could they compare to the Golden Guard?” His words dripped with sarcasm, mocking the Marquis’s cowardice in training a thousand-man unit solely for his protection.
The Marquis showed no anger. Looking at Ye Li, he smiled, “You’ve impressed me, completely exceeding my expectations. If you come with me, I can forgive everything that’s happened before.”
“My Lord…” Su Meidie protested coquettishly, but a cold glance from the Marquis frightened her into swallowing her objections.
Ye Li looked at the confident Marquis before her and smiled slightly, “Your Lordship travels quickly; I’m impressed. I assume you’ve handled everything both inside and outside Hongzhou City. But… are you not at all concerned about the hundreds of thousands of reinforcements at the northwestern border?”
The Marquis’s expression darkened briefly before he smiled again, “I am indeed somewhat worried about the reinforcements. However… being outmaneuvered by a woman is a first in my life. So… I feel you are more important right now. Besides… somehow, I feel losing his Princess would pain Prince Ding more than losing the Northwest. And if this Princess Ding were to become my Marchioness of Zhennan…” Finding this idea increasingly brilliant, the Marquis couldn’t help but laugh heartily. The earlier gloom from his defeat at Hongzhou vanished completely. Standing beside him, Su Meidie’s face changed color at his words. She glared viciously at Ye Li but dared not speak due to the Marquis’s authority.
Ye Li laughed coldly, “I’m afraid Your Lordship thinks too much.”
The Marquis replied leisurely, “Whether I think too much or not will soon be clear. Little Li, be good and wait to become my Marchioness.”
“Ugh…” Finally unable to suppress her discomfort, Ye Li turned to retch against a nearby tree. The cliff edge fell silent as the Marquis stared with a livid expression at the woman who continued to vomit uncontrollably while leaning against the tree.
Han Mingyue casually tended to his arm wound and said with a pleasant smile, “Your Lordship, it seems Princess Ding has no interest in becoming Marchioness of Zhennan. Why force the issue?” Wei Lin sneered, “Some people are like toads trying to eat swan meat—delusional dreams.” The Golden Guard dared not speak rashly. For Princess Ding to vomit at the mere suggestion of becoming Marchioness of Zhennan showed her profound disgust at the proposal. They didn’t dare speak up, fearing their flattery might backfire.
The Marquis’s face turned ashen as he laughed coldly, “You think this will buy you time? Don’t worry, I’ll spare your lives… to tell Mo Xiuyao to attend my Marchioness’s installation ceremony. Capture Princess Ding!”
The battle on the cliff resumed. The Marquis didn’t intend to merely watch—he charged straight for Ye Li. Zhuo Jing and Wei Lin rushed forward to intercept him but were swept aside after just two or three moves. Han Mingyue and Mo Hua attacked the Marquis from both sides, but even with just one arm, his palm strikes cut like blades through the air, forcing them to use their full strength just to avoid being pushed back.
The Marquis snorted lightly and smiled, “So-called young heroes, you don’t even match Mo Xiuyao’s strength from when he was a teenager, yet you dare try to stop me? Be gone!” He struck at Han Mingyue’s chest, forcing him to desperately flip sideways to dodge, only to be immediately engaged by several Golden Guard members. Having dealt with Han Mingyue, the Marquis used the same method to evade Mo Hua, reaching Ye Li’s position in just seven or eight moves. Before absolute strength, fancy techniques meant nothing.
Ye Li’s dagger flashed as she struck swiftly at the Marquis. The recent violent retching and days of exhaustion had not only left her pale but had also clearly drained her strength at an alarming rate. The Marquis dodged sideways, exchanging a few moves with her in good spirits before gripping her wrist and smiling, “Not bad skills. Pity about your weak internal energy. If you’d trained from childhood, with your talent, you could have ranked among the world’s elite. But now… wait, you!” His grip on Ye Li’s wrist faltered, and his expression changed as he shouted harshly, “Well done, Princess Ding, truly devoted to Mo Xiuyao. I will make this bastard child—”
“Die, you whore!” Su Meidie, watching the scene with a twisted expression, raised her sleeve to reveal hidden weapons bound to her wrist and fired them at Ye Li. A shower of silver needles shot toward Ye Li like sudden rain. Han Mingyue, still entangled with the Golden Guard, blanched. “Meidie, no!” But it was too late—the silver flash of weapons had already left their sheaths. Han Mingyue had no time to think, sweeping aside the nearby Golden Guard with his sword as he leaped forward.
Simultaneously, the Marquis heard Su Meidie’s voice and turned to look. Ye Li seized the opportunity to twist her wrist, leaving a bloody gash on the Marquis’s hand with her dagger. The pain made him release his grip on Ye Li. She slipped backward, her body instantly falling toward the cliff’s edge.
“Ye Li!”
“Princess!”
The Marquis reacted incredibly fast, reaching toward the cliff edge, but was met with only Ye Li’s faint smile and the cold glint of her dagger. The merciless blade forced him to withdraw his hand even faster than he had extended it. With only one arm, this withdrawal meant he had no chance to grab Ye Li again. He watched somewhat dazedly at the falling woman’s smile and her silent words: You… will never harm my child…
A silver dart shot up from below the cliff, blooming a gorgeous flower of blood on the Marquis’s chest. As if awakened by the sudden pain, the Marquis looked down at the dagger in his chest. Due to insufficient force, it hadn’t struck any vital points. He raised his hand to grip the dagger in his chest. “Ye Li…”
“Princess!”