Before she could finish her thought, she suddenly heard the sound of wind, followed by an immense force pushing from the side!

“How dare you!” An angry voice accompanied it.

This force was as vast and powerful as a surging river, impossible for human strength to resist. Feng Miaojun was greatly alarmed, knowing she could never counter it. But not being one to passively await her fate, she turned her hand to thrust out her sword.

However, at that moment, a slender figure suddenly appeared before her, shielding her completely, directly absorbing that overwhelming force.

Like a pillar in the middle of a river, splitting the terrifying waves into gentle breezes and light rain.

Yun Ya.

He had been unhurriedly trailing behind Feng Miaojun and only extended his hand when he saw her in danger.

“Clang!” A sound of metal collision rang out as Yun Ya, wielding a purple-gold pestle, retreated several steps. The opponent rushed straight for Princess Hanyue but was repeatedly blocked by Yun Ya. He appeared to be struggling, not a match for his enemy, yet like a tree in the wind—bending but not breaking.

Feng Miaojun didn’t know if Yun Ya was deliberately feigning weakness or if his wounds hadn’t fully healed, but he shouted: “Step back, or she dies!”

This “she,” of course, referred to Princess Hanyue.

Feng Miaojun had already seen that the attacker from the side had tiger eyes and a swallow chin—who else could it be but Mo Tizhun? In that flash of lightning speed, countless thoughts passed through her mind, and after weighing the pros and cons, she still decided to temporarily stand on Yun Ya’s side.

If she revealed her identity to help Mo Tizhun, leaving aside whether he could handle Yun Ya, the current situation would be very different. The identity of “Princess Changle” had become particularly important. If she fell back into Mo Tizhun’s hands, she would certainly be taken back to the Jin Kingdom to serve as a pawn to influence the An Xia region and counter the Wei Kingdom.

Whom to oppose and whom not to oppose—she preferred to decide that for herself. Besides, if she returned to Jin this time, escaping again would be extremely difficult.

Feng Miaojun resolutely refused to tell Yun Ya the truth about the curse because she didn’t want to lose her freedom; now, for the same reason, she chose to stay by Yun Ya’s side.

Despite a sigh in her heart, she could only cooperate with Yun Ya’s words, gripping Princess Hanyue’s neck, applying pressure without fully releasing her force, while sternly reprimanding: “Step back! If you dare to harm a single hair on my master’s head, I’ll kill her!”

Mo Tizhun’s gaze, like that of a man-eating tiger, made her very anxious. But he wasn’t confident he could immediately rescue the princess, so he remained cautious, hesitantly taking two steps back as instructed. Yun Ya, meanwhile, stopped beside Feng Miaojun, his breathing unstable, yet he coldly smiled: “Still not giving up? Planning to kill to silence witnesses?”

When had he ever been so flustered? So as soon as Yun Ya spoke, Feng Miaojun was certain he was pretending to be at a disadvantage, and her heart was set at ease.

Mo Tizhun said sternly: “Release her, and I’ll spare your lives!”

Yun Ya pointed his sword tip toward the clearing in the forest: “First, let’s settle that account! Who exactly are you, and why did you come to attack in secret?”

Mo Tizhun had secretly placed a mystical technique on Princess Hanyue. The princess didn’t know about it, but once she distanced herself without permission, he would sense it through his blood connection and come to catch her.

Now, noticing a maid lying in a clearing seven or eight paces away, Mo Tizhun couldn’t help but frown; her face resembled the princess after the transformation.

No, that’s backward—the princess had taken on this maid’s face!

With just these few glances, how could Mo Tizhun not understand: Princess Hanyue hadn’t given up at all and had once again planned to flee from the marriage? Unfortunately, her luck was poor, and she was caught red-handed by the maid’s master while changing her appearance.

So it turned out his side was in the wrong. Mo Tizhun couldn’t help glaring at Princess Hanyue, who bit her lip, unwilling to accept this outcome. After this scene, even if Mo Tizhun could rescue her, her hopes of escape were dashed.

Mo Tizhun had also seen this Chi Zhe from Lang Yu Kingdom at the earlier bonfire gathering and had toasted him from afar. Knowing he was an envoy rather than a bandit, and having clarified the situation, his expression softened: “A misunderstanding, truly a misunderstanding. My niece is mischievous, but had no intention to harm…”

Before he could finish, Yun Ya tilted his chin toward a small tree nearby: “No intention to harm, hmm?”

The trunk had turned black, and Mo Tizhun saw points of cold light embedded in the tree. Those were the Ox-Mang Needles the princess used for protection—lethal upon contact, with no antidote.

Using such a thing, yet claiming no intention to harm? Was there some deep hatred between the parties? Especially since Princess Hanyue had been the first to ambush the maid.

“…” This was embarrassing. Mo Tizhun seemed somewhat awkward. He reached into his robe and took out a round pearl, holding it in his palm. “This is the inner core of a Northern Mao Kui monster. When I killed this creature, it already had two hundred years of cultivation. If you return my niece, this will serve as compensation for both of you.”

A monster’s inner core! Feng Miaojun had no fondness for such things, especially since the Ao Fish had once tricked her into swallowing a large fish ball, which she later discovered wasn’t a dragon pearl at all, but a curse.

But she understood that an inner core was indeed a valuable item, even though this monster’s cultivation and bloodline weren’t as impressive as the Ao Fish’s.

Words are cheap, and people can argue endlessly. So Mo Tizhun didn’t bother debating right or wrong, instead offering the most straightforward trade.

What was a maid’s worth, what was a small dispute’s worth? Take the Mao Kui inner core and the matter will be settled.

Feng Miaojun glanced secretly at Yun Ya.

How incredibly lucky it was that Princess Hanyue had fallen into his hands. Would Yun Ya return her?

If this question were posed to Feng Miaojun, her answer would be “no,” but she didn’t know how Yun Ya would resolve this major problem with Mo Tizhun; and as for herself, how could she protect both her own life and Princess Hanyue’s?

It was a technical challenge.

As it turned out, her understanding of this fiend wasn’t deep enough. Right before her eyes, Yun Ya smiled, and then very simply nodded: “Good, let’s do that.” With those words, he gave Feng Miaojun a look.

Release her.

As she comprehended his meaning, she was overjoyed. Not questioning why he had become so agreeable, she simply withdrew the force from the princess’s neck: “Go back!” She retracted her hand swiftly, fearing Yun Ya might change his mind.

Princess Hanyue naturally didn’t want to stay in her grasp for even a second longer and quickly rushed back to Mo Tizhun’s side with two swift strides—though she was single-mindedly trying to escape, in a life-or-death moment, she instinctively sought protection from the strongest person on her side.

Yun Ya beckoned to Mo Tizhun, who then tossed the inner core over while saying: “Master Chi is magnanimous, thank you!”

If “Chi Zhe” had resolutely refused to release Princess Hanyue, he would have had to expend much more effort. The current situation was ideal.

Before Yun Ya could speak, another voice suddenly came from nearby: “What’s happening here?”

As the voice fell, two more people emerged from the forest—a handsome man and a beautiful woman.

Feng Miaojun looked skyward, speechless. Was the moonlight particularly good tonight? Why did everyone feel compelled to take a stroll?