Yan Shang hadn’t figured out why Mu Wanyao went outside the city when she was supposed to be sightseeing with Pei Qing. If they had stayed within the city, his defensive arrangements would have made it impossible for the mountain bandits to gain any advantage.

But that wasn’t the pressing concern right now.

When the Regional Commander treated both the real and fake princesses as decoys when Cloud Shu told him with a trembling voice that Mu Wanyao had been captured by the bandits, Yan Shang immediately understood the situation—

If Pei Qing hadn’t betrayed Mu Wanyao!

Then the current situation was a three-pronged attack: eliminate Mu Wanyao, eliminate Pei Qing, and eliminate Yan Shang.

Though for three years, Yan Shang had maintained harmonious relations with the Jiang clan of Nanyang through his diplomatic abilities, appearing to have no conflicts, he knew very well in private that the natural position between him and the noble families made conflicts inevitable.

Moreover, now that the commoner forces behind Mu Wanyao and the noble families behind Third Prince Qin Wang were fighting to the death in Chang’an, the Jiang clan of Nanyang, as Qin Wang’s maternal family, might not have found an opportunity before… but once Mu Wanyao fell into the bandits’ hands if the Jiang clan didn’t kick her while she was down, they wouldn’t deserve their current status.

If Mu Wanyao were killed by a volley of arrows, it would be the bandits’ doing, and the Regional Commander would at most face a charge of “failing to rescue in time,” not a capital offense. The commoner forces represented by Pei Qing behind Mu Wanyao would also have to take responsibility for her death. Finally, since this bandit suppression plan was proposed by Yan Shang himself… the renowned minister Yan Suchen dying early for this matter, and Nanyang returning to the era of Jiang clan’s sole authority, would be ideal.

…Yan Shang saw through the Jiang clan’s intention to kick someone while they were down, and he absolutely couldn’t let Mu Wanyao be injured here.

However, with the Regional Commander directing the battle here, Yan Shang, as a mere county magistrate, was naturally one rank below him. In battle, having two commanders giving orders simultaneously was especially taboo, so if Yan Shang ordered everyone to stop fighting now, not only would it disrupt the battle formation, but the more orders he gave, the more chaotic the situation might become.

So Yan Shang, a blind man, equipped himself with a bow, arrows, and a long sword, leading his followers to personally charge onto the battlefield.

The people around Yan Shang shouted: “The Lord Magistrate has joined the battle! How dare you not give your all!”

These officials had always admired Yan Shang’s character, and in these three years as county magistrate, his performance had been beyond reproach. Now that Yan Shang, with his physical limitations, had entered the field, these men’s heroic spirit was ignited, and they fought even more fiercely. Once Yan Shang entered the battle, due to his natural status as an official, both government troops and bandits would gather in his direction.

Mu Wanyao was held by two or three bandits. The bandit binding her dismounted, grabbing her while yelling loudly. After the Regional Commander’s shout, the officials wouldn’t hold back for fear of hurting her; they would still kill as needed. These bandits who wanted to use her to stop the officials from fighting gained no advantage and were rather狼狈地 dealing with attacks from all directions from both officials and incoming arrows.

Mu Wanyao was held very uncomfortably by them, yet her face remained expressionless, never uttering a single word. Her unwavering fearlessness made these bandits more convinced she was the real princess—only a true princess would maintain such composure facing such a chaotic battlefield.

Mu Wanyao’s eyes were fixed on Yan Shang, who had become their leader in the field. She watched how inconvenienced a blind man was among them, saw his hands gripping the bow turning white with effort, saw him attempt to shoot arrows several times only to be disrupted by the cacophony from all directions. The bow in his hand and the arrows on his back seemed completely useless.

Arrows flew like locusts, death and injuries everywhere. Yan Shang stood among them, his eyes covered in white gauze, standing amid a circle of people with good vision, only able to rely on Han Shuxing and others’ protection. This became his greatest weakness.

His face was white as jade, clear and beautiful, wearing a long robe embroidered with green bamboo that gave off an elegant, graceful air. However, this was a battlefield, not a gathering place for scholars to show off their literary talents. His appearance, among a crowd of blood-thirsty warriors, looked very desperate and pale, completely out of place with his surroundings.

Mu Wanyao frowned, thinking: What’s a blind man doing standing so conspicuously?

On the other side, the Regional Commander himself hadn’t joined the battle. Seeing Yan Shang personally commanding this battle, when his subordinates asked for instructions, the Regional Commander’s eyes darkened as he smiled faintly: “If Young Master Yan wants to be a hero, we shall oblige him. The urgent matter now is suppressing the bandits; sacrificing one or two people is of no consequence.”

He shouted sternly: “Charge forward! These mountain bandits have plagued the region, today we absolutely cannot let them escape—”

Hearing the officials shouting “The County Magistrate is here in person,” and seeing the government troops fighting even more desperately under the Regional Commander’s urging, the bandits panicked momentarily. Those binding Mu Wanyao breathed more heavily: Should they capture that county magistrate as a hostage? Because now that they had captured the princess… the opposing troops hadn’t stopped.

On Yan Shang’s side, the more the fighting sounds shifted toward his direction, the more certain he became. His whole body was tense, hand gripping the bow, several times when killing intent reached his face, his instinct was to draw an arrow, but he held back. He had to appear incompetent, making himself a target for the bandits.

He needed close contact with the enemy to save Mu Wanyao.

Han Shuxing moved freely around Yan Shang killing enemies, his excellent martial arts making him completely at ease among these bandits, none could stop him. He was also looking for an opportunity to approach the princess held by the bandits, but they were wary of him with his superior fighting skills, and he couldn’t get close.

Han Shuxing kept informing Yan Shang of the enemies’ position changes.

Cloud Shu stood behind Yan Shang with a sword, after killing two people with trembling hands, his face turned pale, feeling he couldn’t go on.

So many dead people… Cloud Shu shakily called out “Young Master,” and Yan Shang quietly instructed: “Just act like you can’t handle this killing scene, after you run away don’t look back. Go to the mansion for reinforcements, find Fang Tong and the princess’s guards… don’t find Pei Qing’s people, nor those from the county office! Only the princess’s guards are truly reliable!”

Cloud Shu: “But Young Master’s side…”

Han Shuxing once again moved to Yan Shang’s side, his voice urgent: “Young Master, the bandits are losing control. Some are sneaking toward our direction…”

Yan Shang immediately pushed Cloud Shu back forcefully, commanding sharply: “Go quickly!”

At the same time, a blade swung toward Yan Shang, Han Shuxing shouted, his form like lightning as he rushed forward. Yan Shang staggered back two steps, seeming somewhat panicked that all his guards had left, he hurriedly called for others to protect him. A bandit mixed in the crowd’s eyes lit up, and with a fierce expression, he pounced toward Yan Shang, seizing this county magistrate of scholarly background under his control…

The bandits had captured Yan Shang, several people shouted: “Your county magistrate is in our hands, stop fighting now!”

They truly didn’t understand these minor conflicts between officials, after shouting twice and seeing no response, they were momentarily at a loss. But they also knew Yan Shang’s importance and couldn’t possibly release him. Gritting their teeth, one of the bandits who had captured someone shouted: “Brother, we have the real princess in our hands, and now the Lord Magistrate too! Those officials will surely negotiate with us! Why don’t we retreat for today!”

The bandit leader fighting on the battlefield laughed loudly upon hearing this: “Good! Well done!”

Bandits like them, not registered in the household system, occupy mountains as kings. They didn’t engage in production, only burning, killing, and looting, which was essentially betraying the court. When Great Wei officials ignored them, they could barely survive. When Great Wei officials truly wanted to deal with them, they were bandits!

And bandits like them, no matter how numerous, couldn’t withstand the court’s large armies.

These Nanyang bandits had only fought with government troops for just over two months, yet had already lost many men, suffering heavy casualties. Their complete annihilation was just a matter of time. However, now with both the princess and the Lord Magistrate in hand, why fear the government troops?

The bandit leader’s eyes were bloodshot as he shouted: “You take the hostages away first! Big Brother will cover your retreat!”

Those bandits who had captured the hostages called out emotionally to their Big Brother, saying they wouldn’t leave, but after being yelled at twice by their leader, seeing the current situation unfavorable to them, they gritted their teeth, grabbed the two hostages, mounted their horses one after another, and charged up the mountain path under the cover of the rear bandits!

From the rear, the Regional Commander dispatched men: “Chase!”

Han Shuxing called to Young Master Yan’s guards: “Follow them—”

The wind whistled in their ears as several horses galloped wildly on the mountain path.

Yan Shang was held on horseback by a bandit, with pursuers behind constantly shooting arrows. He was anxious in his heart, relying on his hearing to judge the current situation. Though he knew in his heart that Mu Wanyao must have been captured with him, that lady was too stubborn, not making a sound, making it impossible for him to judge where she was…

Yan Shang closed his eyes, desperately trying to calm himself and judge the timing.

Behind them, Han Shuxing and others pursued closely: “Release the Lord Magistrate and the Princess, and we’ll spare your lives—”

The bandits were terrified by their relentless pursuit, and several turned to engage the pursuers. In the chaos, the bandit holding Mu Wanyao suddenly let out a miserable cry, because when he turned his head back distractedly, Mu Wanyao had bitten his wrist. As he struggled to release the reins, Mu Wanyao took advantage to control them, her foot kicking hard against the horse’s belly, making it buck…

Yan Shang’s heart became chaotic, then, amid the confusion, he heard a crisp slapping sound from the diagonal front: “Damn woman! Dare to bite me!”

Then came the horse’s long neigh mixed with the sound of a palm striking flesh.

The lady didn’t make a sound.

Yan Shang’s heart bled; he could no longer calmly wait for the right moment!

The bandit holding Yan Shang thought this county magistrate carrying bow and arrows was just for show, as he had never seen him shoot an arrow. This bandit held a rope binding Yan Shang with one hand while riding, still looking back at the battle situation, watching how this side’s bandits went to block Han Shuxing and others, how they engaged in battle…

Then a dagger’s cold light flashed from below upward, when this bandit turned his head back to look toward the direction of the broken mountain path ahead, his throat had been cut from bottom to top.

In less than a breath’s time, that seemingly weak scholar-like Lord Magistrate he had been holding had somehow broken free from the ropes and kicked him off the horse. With a huge “thud,” someone fell from the horse, attracting everyone’s attention.

The bandits behind discovered Yan Shang had control of the horse, immediately became alert and pounced from their horses to subdue Yan Shang, but Han Shuxing and others had caught up, their lightness skills allowing them to leap through the air, one sword taking one life!

But Yan Shang couldn’t control the horse!

He gripped the reins, his palms covered in sweat. Because his eyes couldn’t see, he couldn’t judge direction, he listened to the chaotic hoofbeats, desperately trying to judge Mu Wanyao’s direction. He couldn’t help calling out: “Your Highness… Yaoyao!”

Give him a sound—let him know where she was!

Mu Wanyao was pressed against the horse’s back by the bandit, the horse bucking violently due to her earlier actions. Thanks to her horsemanship skills developed in Wuman, even being pressed on the horse by a man like this, at least she didn’t feel physical discomfort. Unfortunately, as a weak woman, her resistance against the man was limited to biting him and disrupting his focus… Earlier she had wanted to kick the bandit off when he was distracted, but she lacked the strength.

Instead, she was slapped several times by the man and pressed down on the horse!

Mu Wanyao was drenched in cold sweat, yet still maintained her silence through sheer force of will.

And it was in this dizzy moment that she heard Yan Shang’s trembling “Yaoyao” from behind. She gritted her teeth, managing to look back. The bandit noticed her struggling and slapped her again, cursing: “What are you looking at? Could that be your lover—”

Mu Wanyao suddenly exerted force, her back striking toward this man. Her knee bent, kicking hard against the horse’s side. The horse beneath her, having been so mercilessly tormented repeatedly, let out a shrill neigh before crashing into the mountain wall. Behind them, Yan Shang judged the position by sound, releasing an arrow that shot straight toward the horse’s body—

The bandit cursed: “Damn whore!”

The horse crashed into the mountain rocks, its entire body shaking violently, rocks and dirt raining down from above. And the bandit’s captive Mu Wanyao still wouldn’t stay; her vision blurry, she bit again toward anywhere she could reach… So the bandit fell from the horse with her, both tumbling down the mountain path with continuous thuds.

Yan Shang’s arrows followed the sounds closely, gradually embedding themselves in the ground.

He reined in his horse to stop but again faced total darkness, and chaotic sounds coming from all directions… He utterly despised his inability to see, his arms feeling like thousand-pound weights as he raised and lowered them, not daring to release arrows when he couldn’t hear sounds.

He feared shooting in the wrong direction and hurting her!

Finally, he heard an extremely low and hoarse voice, as if using every last bit of strength, trembling from a corner: “Yan Shang—”

The arrow in Yan Shang’s hand pointed toward that direction, whistling through the air as it flew, the arrow shooting out like a locust swarm!

The bandit had Mu Wanyao pinned beneath him, pressing her against the cliff’s edge amid the grass by the mountain path. Having witnessed how unruly this woman was, resolving to finish things once and for all, just as he was about to strangle the woman beneath him, his body suddenly stiffened. The arrow from behind had pierced through his chest cavity; he stared blankly before collapsing onto Mu Wanyao.

Mu Wanyao gasped for breath, her vision darkening.

The upper half of her body had been pushed almost over the cliff’s edge, only held up by the bandit’s body. As she trembled, unable to push this person off, she heard Yan Shang’s trembling voice: “Yaoyao…”

Mu Wanyao spat out blood, struggling to grab the bandit’s shoulder: “I’m here…”

The next moment, Yan Shang, having dismounted, stumbled over. His body was covered in dirt, having fallen many times on the winding mountain path strewn with rocks and shrubs, yet he rushed over, pulling the man off Mu Wanyao. He knelt on the ground, his long hair slightly disheveled around his cheeks, bending down to hold Mu Wanyao in his arms.

His ice-cold, sweat-covered hand caressed her cheek, his face tense but voice trembling: “Did he hit you…”

Mu Wanyao leaned against his shoulder, breathing heavily, her cheek swollen from being slapped, blood in her mouth. But she closed her eyes: “What does it matter, I slapped you before too…”

A thousand words, how could they express it all?

Yan Shang froze, then suddenly leaned forward and held her body tightly, wordless.

His body trembled like hers; he wasn’t the type of strong person who could fight ten men… Mu Wanyao felt a sourness in her heart, and though they hadn’t escaped their predicament yet, she felt somehow relieved.

Being held in his arms, she still felt that long-lost sense of security.

The crisis wasn’t over; seeing the two hostages together, the bandits naturally wouldn’t give up. Yan Shang had no time to say more to Mu Wanyao, he couldn’t see her current state, and could only grab her hand and pull her up. He abandoned his bow and arrows, following Mu Wanyao’s guidance to feel for a sword dropped by a bandit.

He held her hand with one hand, keeping her protected behind him; the other hand held the sword, facing those bandits who tried to approach.

Han Shuxing and other guards had also dismounted, engaging the bandits in combat. Several waves of bandits charged toward Yan Shang, all being wounded and driven back by his sword. These bandits were ultimately of varying skill levels, and Yan Shang could barely handle them.

But he never let go of Mu Wanyao’s hand.

In her exhaustion, Mu Wanyao felt the sweat in Yan Shang’s hand as it gripped hers. Despite sweating so much, he still wouldn’t let her go.

Han Shuxing called from his position: “Young Master, not just bandits are pursuing, government troops are coming too!”

Yan Shang said: “Block everyone—”

Han Shuxing gritted his teeth: “Why not let Her Highness escape first…”

After cutting down another charging bandit with his sword, Yan Shang breathed heavily: “No, she must stay with me, she must be by my side.”

Thus, they could only fight desperately… But with such disparity in numbers between friend and foe, continued fighting offered little hope of escape. Yan Shang could only hold Mu Wanyao’s hand while desperately thinking of ways to return to the city. Their entire group was spread out on the mountain path, a cliff on one side and, a rock wall on the other, making it truly difficult to break through.

They couldn’t go deep into the forest!

The forest was full of bandits.

They couldn’t retreat!

Friend and foe were indistinguishable among the government troops!

In this desperate situation with no way forward or back, the battle grew intense. Suddenly, Mu Wanyao, who had been pulled behind Yan Shang the whole time, said softly: “Do you feel the ground shaking?”

Yan Shang froze: “What?”

But there was no time to think!

The entire ground began to shake, the mountain walls started trembling. Yan Shang couldn’t see his surroundings, but Mu Wanyao’s hand trembled violently. Wails and pleas for mercy came from all directions, and as Yan Shang felt lost and tense, he heard Mu Wanyao’s trembling voice: “It’s an earthquake—the earth dragon has awakened!”

The earth dragon had awakened.

Perhaps it was awakened by the battle on the mountain.

Whatever the reason, Mu Wanyao watched helplessly as cracks in the ground spread toward her and Yan Shang’s feet, rocks and trees falling from above. Han Shuxing’s eyes bulged as he shouted “Young Master” and rushed over. Even Yan Shang, who couldn’t see, felt the violent tremors.

At that moment, with no other option, Yan Shang turned and held Mu Wanyao in his arms.

The next moment, the ground beneath them finally split open, and they were swept away in rolling dust.

Amidst flying sand and stones, Han Shuxing was constantly struck by flying rocks and trees, but his eyes never left Yan Shang. When Yan Shang’s robes were swept down the cliff by the flying sand, Han Shuxing rushed forward, without hesitation jumping down after the two of them…

No one knew how long the earth dragon’s awakening lasted, only that the sky and earth were dark, dust rolling everywhere. The entire forest swallowed both government troops and fierce bandits together, each person fleeing before nature’s terrifying power, life and death no longer under their control.

How those government troops and fierce bandits escaped or died, Yan Shang’s side had no way of knowing.

When he hazily regained consciousness, he found himself and Mu Wanyao buried in a cave. His body ached everywhere, probably with numerous wounds, but he couldn’t worry about that now. Afterward, enduring the pain, he woke Mu Wanyao who had fainted in his arms. Together, they worked to crawl out from the earth-covered cave.

This process took about half an hour.

After getting out, fortunately, they met Han Shuxing who had been searching for them. With the martially superior Han Shuxing accompanying them, they finally weren’t completely lost in this transformed mountain landscape.

Han Shuxing told Yan Shang they should be on the flat ground at the bottom of the valley. But after the earthquake, all the mountain formations had changed, and not knowing if the earth dragon would awaken a second time, Han Shuxing couldn’t determine where they were.

After Han Shuxing roughly described what he could see, Yan Shang made a judgment and, enduring pain, named a mountain, saying: “We should have been swept toward the stream at the foot of that mountain. There should be a stream here, but after the earthquake, who knows if it’s still there, no need to worry about that now.

“If I remember correctly, going east from here for about half a mile, there should be a wooden cabin where hunters rest, with clothes and food stored year-round… let’s go look for it.”

Han Shuxing hesitated: “Is Young Master certain? The terrain has all changed, will that cabin still be there…”

Mu Wanyao cut in bluntly: “Whether it’s right or wrong, let’s go look first. He’s in this state, those people might still be hunting us, we need to find a place to rest and get through tonight.”

Han Shuxing then looked at Yan Shang.

He saw Yan Shang being supported by Mu Wanyao’s arm, his face and body covered in dust. Due to the earlier battle, Yan Shang already had bloodstains on him, and now his back was largely crimson… Mu Wanyao’s face was pale as she supported Yan Shang, both of them limping along.

Han Shuxing judged that the crimson on Yan Shang’s back must have been from protecting the princess after the earthquake—

Yan Shang had truly prepared thoroughly.

With his dedication to suppressing bandits, he had memorized all the mountain paths and terrain around Rang County in every direction, keeping them in his heart. Even though the terrain had changed now, the general direction was correct. As the three walked in the pitch-black night, they didn’t encounter any enemies, and after walking just over half a mile more, before complete exhaustion set in, they found the wooden cabin for hunters that Yan Shang had mentioned.

Half the cabin’s roof had collapsed, crushed by a fallen elm tree from the mountain. But perhaps because the terrain here was flat, the cabin itself wasn’t too badly damaged. After entering, they found not only food and clothing left by previous hunters but also some basic medical supplies.

At this point, the three finally let out a breath of relief—

Yan Shang was helped by Han Shuxing to a corner of the cabin to change clothes and treat his wounds. Yan Shang sat against the wall, after being highly tense, now just completely exhausted in body and mind.

When Mu Wanyao came over holding a candle, she saw Yan Shang sitting with his clothes loosened. He had his knees bent, forehead resting on his knees, moonlight streaming coldly through the small window. His skin was as thin and white as snow, mountain streams flowing powerful and winding.

Han Shuxing wasn’t there, the blood-stained strips of cloth Yan Shang had changed out of were thrown on the ground, and clean fabric had been torn into strips, and placed to one side.

Mu Wanyao walked over, set the candle on the ground, knelt beside him, picked up a strip of prepared cloth, and bent down to bandage him.

As her hand touched his chest, he seemed to suddenly wake, saying: “Did you find water…”

Mu Wanyao: “What water?”

Yan Shang froze, grabbing her fingers pressed against his heart.

Then softly: “It’s you.”

Mu Wanyao kept her face neutral, saying: “Did you send Han Shuxing to find water? Let me help bandage you.”

Yan Shang said nothing.

Neither spoke.

Then after a while, Yan Shang suddenly spoke: “Is your face injured? May I touch it?”

At the same time, Mu Wanyao spoke: “Don’t the bandages on your eyes need changing? Don’t they need medicine?”

Speaking simultaneously, both were startled for a moment.

Yan Shang slightly pressed his lips together, saying softly: “It’s fine. My eyes… we’ll treat them after we get out, it won’t affect much.”

Then she took his hand.

She pressed her cold forehead against his shoulder, and pulled his hand over, letting him touch her face. Mu Wanyao seemed somewhat lost in thought: “When I slapped you that day, did it hurt very much?”

Yan Shang was quiet for a moment, his fingertips trembling as they touched her swollen cheek.

His heart bled once again.

How he wished he could see what she looked like.

But with thousands of words on his lips, Yan Shang only said: “…You’re so weak, it didn’t hurt at all.”

Mu Wanyao raised her head to gaze at him for a moment, asking softly: “Your face didn’t hurt, but did your heart hurt?”

He opened his mouth, and Mu Wanyao watched him try to speak several times, but his Adam’s apple bobbed, and he ultimately couldn’t say anything.

After a very long time, he said hoarsely: “It didn’t hurt.”

Mu Wanyao said: “Liar.”

He asked her: “Does your face hurt?”

Mu Wanyao said coldly: “No.”

Yan Shang: “Liar.”

He lowered his head, she didn’t speak.

Suddenly, Yan Shang reached out and held her in his arms. Mu Wanyao said nothing, reaching out to hug his waist, burying her face in his embrace.

The cold light shone on the young man’s thin back, like butterfly wings about to take flight. The lady’s long skirt spread on the ground, he bent down, his long hair falling on her face.

They just embraced, neither speaking. A thousand words, cold moonlight, the sourness and grievance in their hearts, how could they express it?

They could only embrace.

Until at some point behind them, Han Shuxing had returned. He gave a heavy cough, causing both the loosely clothed Yan Shang and Mu Wanyao with her face buried in his chest to freeze.