“Third Brother, please control your grief. Everything can be discussed. Stay calm, stay calm…”

Wei Shubin held both hands in front of her, not even knowing what she was saying as she faced the bald Hu man advancing with his drawn blade.

An San’s eyes had already turned red, appearing determined to avenge his son regardless of heaven or earth. He muttered a few prayers in the Hu language before sneering, “A Han Prime Minister’s daughter… that will do…”

“I didn’t kill your son!” Wei Shubin’s voice wavered out of control. “What use is randomly killing people? I’ll help you find the real culprit…”

“No need! I’ll find them myself!” The middle-aged Hu man laughed loudly. “You’ll be a burial servant, accompanying my son across the Bridge of Judgment!”

As the curved blade swung toward her, Wei Shubin screamed and stumbled backward, hastily pushing her veiled hat forward to block the blade. It was split open with a swoosh. In the chaos of moving figures, either the servants who came with them or the Hu warehouse guards tried to restrain An San, but his blade still managed to slice Wei Shubin’s forearm as she protected her face, though with much-reduced force, leaving only a shallow cut.

Wei Shubin felt warm liquid flowing down her forearm but strangely felt no pain. A familiar voice shouted “Stop!” from outside the door as chaos erupted. A strong force pulled her away and she stumbled into someone’s embrace.

Immediately after, that gleaming curved blade, still stained with her blood, pressed against her neck.

Two young men burst through the warehouse door – one fat and one thin – Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi.

Wei Shubin nearly collapsed with relief but An San’s arm held her up, bringing the blade even closer to her throat. Li Yuangui roared, “Let her go!”

An San gave a cold laugh. After the chaos, he seemed to have calmed down. Holding Wei Shubin hostage while facing the warehouse door, the bald Hu man raised his voice in Chinese:

“Li Fourteenth Young Lord, my son is dead, and I don’t plan to keep living either. My son and I will need someone to serve us on our path to heaven, and Miss Wei seems suitable. If you can’t bear to part with her, listen to my orders – bring two horses, fully equipped!”

By now there was a clamor of voices outside. Besides the original warehouse guards and the Han and Hu servants who came with them, it seemed Li Yuangui and Yang Xinzhi had brought additional men. Li Yuangui stared at Wei Shubin, his expression both anxious and furious, while Yang Xinzhi remained more composed, holding back the manor lord telling him “Don’t be rash” while turning to order horses from outside.

The horses arrived quickly. An San ordered his trusted Hu servant to pick up An Yan’na’s body from the ground and place it on horseback, with the servant mounting to support the corpse. Li Yuangui’s group didn’t interfere, with the thin youth’s gaze fixed intently on the curved blade at Wei Shubin’s neck, barely daring to breathe.

“Make way! All of you retreat outside!”

An San bellowed, and Yang Xinzhi pulled Li Yuangui out the door. The others in the room also backed out under the bald Hu man’s fierce glare. An San still held Wei Shubin with one arm as a shield while holding the blade with his other, slowly pushing her toward the door.

In the darkness, someone had lit two torches, with a crowd gathered outside the door. An San repeatedly shouted orders for everyone to move away from the two horses.

“My good sir, please hear me out.” A man in his thirties with a slight mustache spoke up outside. “I, Bei, don’t know either of you or the cause of today’s events, but it’s now nighttime, and all gates and exits in Xianyang Ferry Town are closed. If sir wishes this young lady to accompany you to the wilderness, that’s impossible. Why not release the young lady first and discuss this calmly? We guarantee no harm will come to you or your son’s remains.”

“Silence!” An San cut him off sharply, his gaze sweeping over Li Yuangui’s face before sneering, “Don’t I know about Li Fourteenth Young Lord’s status and capabilities? Go to the ferry dock now and find a boat. Miss Wei will accompany me across the river!”

It appeared he planned to take Wei Shubin and his son’s corpse onto a ferry boat, heading who knows where… Yang Xinzhi and the mustached man discussed briefly, and then the Bei surname man argued quietly with an elderly farmer in the crowd, who frowned and walked away shaking his head.

During this time, An San kept Wei Shubin hostage, slowly moving toward the empty saddled horse next to the mount carrying his son’s body, all under Li Yuangui’s unwavering stare.

Wei Shubin realized he intended to mount while keeping the blade at her throat, but this would be impossible. An San couldn’t manage to have them both leap and land on the horse simultaneously while maintaining his hold. He would have to release Wei Shubin to let either her or himself mount first, which meant the blade would briefly leave her neck.

She looked at Li Yuangui – the martially skilled young prince gripped his sword hilt, his entire body tense like a fully drawn bow. If only for that instant…

“All of you! Throw your weapons over there!”

An San jerked his chin toward the direction opposite the horses, which was also opposite the warehouse district gate. Seeing Li Yuangui’s group hesitate, the bald Hu man flexed his wrist, jabbing the curved blade’s tip into Wei Shubin’s left shoulder, immediately drawing fresh blood.

The crowd cried out in unison, though Wei Shubin remained silent. She had anticipated this move and bit down hard without making a sound.

Yang Xinzhi shouted the loudest and was the first to throw his waist blade toward the area An San indicated, then took Li Yuangui’s sword and threw it away too. With these two taking the lead, the Bei surname man and others also discarded their weapons and raised their hands to show they meant no harm.

In the flickering light of two torches, a circle of men and women stood with raised hands while Yang Xinzhi futilely called out things like “An-San Brother, don’t be rash.” Wei Shubin only watched Li Yuangui as his eyes slowly reddened, his newly emptied hands rising gradually. Suddenly her heart twisted in pain.

The women close to him or even just associated with him always seemed to suffer and vanish one by one before his eyes. She shouldn’t become one of them.

Seeing all opposition disarmed, An San slightly loosened his hold on Wei Shubin and ordered her to “mount up,” switching the blade to his left hand and holding it behind her heart with his reversed arm, never letting it leave her back.

Wei Shubin pressed against the still-bleeding wounds on her left shoulder and arm, grabbed the reins after two attempts, and weakly mounted using the stirrup, turning the horse’s head toward the warehouse district gate. Looking back at the bald Hu man, he still faced Li Yuangui’s group, watchfully observing their movements while slowly backing toward the stirrup, the reversed blade never leaving his waist area.

If Li Yuangui’s group tried to rush forward to save her, An San could still ensure his blade reached Wei Shubin first. From his posture, he seemed to plan on riding backward, facing the horse’s rear to watch for pursuers…

Wei Shubin exerted force, and shouted at the horse’s belly, while simultaneously stabbing its rump with the dagger she had just drawn from her bosom. The mount beneath the saddle suddenly bolted forward.