Under the cover of night.

Five or six bandits sat around a bonfire, drinking and eating meat, thoroughly enjoying themselves.

Suddenly, the group sensed something was wrong.

“Why is there no sound at all?”

“Could that bastard Old Eight have used too much force and killed the Young Lord of Pingxi?”

“If the Young Lord dies, we’ll all be buried with him!”

The Third Leader spat out a glob of phlegm, rose to his feet, and headed toward the small wooden shed where the prisoners were kept. Four or five men immediately followed behind him.

Yun Chu was just about to sneak out of the small wooden shed when she saw five or six people approaching head-on. The only place she could hide was behind the door.

Just as she positioned herself behind the door, bang—the wooden door was kicked open.

“Old Eight and Fatty are dead!” one bandit cried out in alarm. “That woman and the Young Lord are gone! They can’t have gone far—quick, go after them!”

The bandits turned and ran.

The Third Leader was also about to leave when suddenly his steps halted. He narrowed his eyes at the small window near the ceiling, then looked at the broken bamboo basket that had rolled into a corner.

That window could fit a small child, but an adult woman could never squeeze through it!

With this thought, the Third Leader picked up a knife from the ground and thrust it straight through the wooden door.

Hiding behind the door, Yun Chu watched as the wooden door was pierced, the blade stopping less than an inch from her face.

Immediately after, her hair was grabbed, and the Third Leader dragged her out and threw her beside the bonfire.

The other bandits who had gone searching returned one after another.

“Third Leader, we didn’t find the Young Lord!”

“I searched the back room thoroughly—no one there!”

“He couldn’t have run up the mountain, could he? It’s the middle of the night, and there are wolves on the mountain. If he gets eaten by wolves, that’s not on us, right!”

Yun Chu let out an imperceptible sigh of relief.

The Third Leader’s eyes glared darkly at her. “It’s this wench who ruined our plans!”

He should have known better than to lock this wench together with the Young Lord.

But regret was useless now.

“Everyone, speak up—how should we kill her?”

The Third Leader looked at Yun Chu as if looking at a corpse.

Those bandits couldn’t tear their eyes away at the sight of a woman, let alone such a strikingly beautiful one. What they were thinking was written all over their faces.

At that moment, one bandit suddenly spoke up. “I think I’ve seen this woman before.”

The Third Leader sneered. “Prince Pingxi’s woman—you’ve seen her too? Probably in your dreams.”

“No, no, no!” The bandit thought for a long while, then his eyes widened. “Right, I remember now! Five or six years ago, someone was selling portraits of the capital’s number one beauty at a high price. We had just pulled off a big job back then, and I had money on hand, so I bought that portrait. The woman in the portrait is this woman! The capital’s first beauty at that time was the legitimate eldest daughter of the Yun residence. The Yun residence… Third Leader, she’s the daughter of the First Rank Pillar General!”

The Third Leader bent down and gripped Yun Chu’s chin. “Truly worthy of the title of the capital’s first beauty. Although we lost the Young Lord, we now have the legitimate eldest daughter of the General’s residence in our hands. Using her fingers to exchange for thirty thousand taels of silver isn’t too excessive, is it?”

The bandits, finding hope in desperation, all grew excited. “Third Leader, before we chop off her fingers, let the brothers have some fun first—that’s not too excessive, is it?”

“How do you think Old Eight and Fatty died? They died from lust!” The Third Leader saw his subordinates’ disappointed faces and changed his tone. “The Pillar General’s military authority is even more formidable than Prince Pingxi’s. If we ruin the General’s daughter, none of us will escape punishment. Each of you, be gentle!”

“Third Leader, rest assured, we’ll definitely treat her tenderly!”

“Miss Yun, don’t be afraid. As long as you cooperate nicely, we definitely won’t hurt you!”

“Who goes first?”

The bandits began to discuss amongst themselves.

Yun Chu lowered her eyes. Having fallen into a bandit’s den, she never expected to leave unscathed.

As for her chastity?

She had lost that long ago—what was there to care about?

“Rip!”

Her clothes were torn open by the Third Leader, exposing her shoulder.

Just then, firelight suddenly appeared in the night. The bandits turned to look.

“The grain storage shed is on fire!”

“Damn it, I just came out and blew out the lamp—how could it catch fire!”

“Don’t talk so much—two of us will stay here and guard Miss Yun. The rest of you, go put out the fire!”

Yun Chu suddenly raised her eyes to look.

That small wooden shed was where she had told Yu’er to hide. That child, seeing her being violated, had recklessly set a fire regardless of the consequences.

If the bandits searched over there, Yu’er’s whereabouts would be exposed!

Yun Chu could no longer care about anything else. While the two bandits guarding her were looking toward the burning area, she reached into the fire pit, pulled out a burning stick of wood, and lunged toward the bandits.

“You wench is truly seeking death!”

The Third Leader’s rage exploded. Gripping his long blade, he swung it toward Yun Chu’s right arm.

He would chop off this restless arm and send it to the General’s residence!

The wooden stick in Yun Chu’s hand was cut in two. She could only watch helplessly as that long blade came toward her right arm.

Despair welled up in her heart.

Just then.

An arrow broke through the air.

Before that long blade could strike her right arm, the arrow pierced through the Third Leader’s throat.

The Third Leader didn’t even have time to let out a scream. His pupils dilated wide, his body went rigid, blood spurted out, and then he collapsed to the ground.

After he fell, Yun Chu saw Chu Yi’s face.

That man sat atop a tall horse, holding a drawn bow, his expression severe and imposing.

After the Third Leader fell, he didn’t stop. Drawing three arrows from his back, he released all three simultaneously, shooting them into the hearts of the three bandits ahead.

He rode his blood-red steed toward Yun Chu. Before Yun Chu could even see his movements clearly, the black cloak from the man’s shoulders fell onto her shoulders, covering her disheveled state.

“There are six bandits in total—two more left!” Yun Chu, afraid Chu Yi couldn’t hear clearly, called out loudly. “The Young Lord is also over there!”

Chu Yi nodded and rode his horse toward the wooden shed she had pointed to.

The fire blazed fiercely. The wooden shed was surrounded by flames on all sides. Yun Chu’s heart jumped into her throat.

She pulled the cloak tightly around herself and quickly walked in that direction as well.

Upon arriving, she saw that beside the burning wooden shed, two bandits were holding Chu Hongyu. One held a blade, the other drew a bow and arrow, confronting Chu Yi.

The collar was pressed against Chu Hongyu’s neck. The child’s face was pale—clearly unable to breathe properly.

“Prince Pingxi, your son is in our hands!” The bandits’ faces were full of fear. As they spoke, they retreated. “If—if you want to save your son, bring thirty thousand taels of silver in exchange!”

Chu Yi narrowed his eyes. “Thirty thousand taels of silver can save countless common people. Do you think this Prince would use it to save one child?”

The two bandits didn’t believe him at all. “Since Prince Pingxi insists on being stubborn, don’t blame us for being impolite!”

One bandit grabbed Chu Hongyu’s hand, while the other raised his blade, preparing to chop it down.

Whoosh!

An arrow flew forth.

Thud!

It struck directly into one bandit’s eye.

Immediately after, another arrow shot forth, precisely piercing through the other bandit’s heart.

Chu Hongyu fell from mid-air to the ground.

Yun Chu rushed over quickly and gathered the fallen child into her arms. “Yu’er, wake up, Yu’er…”

The child slowly opened his eyes, a smile appearing on his face. “Mother—Mother, it’s so good that you’re all right…”

Before he finished speaking, his pupils suddenly widened. He tried to shout for his mother to run quickly, but his throat seemed to be blocked by something—he couldn’t utter a single word.

In Chu Hongyu’s black pupils, Yun Chu saw a shadow gradually growing larger.

She turned around while holding the child.

A sharp pain came from her waist.