The fire on the ship was difficult to extinguish. The surrounding area was already filled with wailing, and this sound of someone falling into the water from the northern cabin was soon drowned out by other chaotic shouts and calls.

Seeing the two fall into the water, Xia Xiuyan’s pupils suddenly contracted. He leaped to the window, but the river surface was calm—he couldn’t make out the situation in the water. After another moment, there was a tremendous sound of breaking water, and the woman who had just tumbled into the river suddenly surfaced, reaching up to haphazardly wipe her face.

Qi Kedan had grown up on the grasslands since childhood. She gambled that her opponent couldn’t swim, so in this situation, she took a chance. Taking advantage of his unpreparedness, she pulled him to jump into the river with her. Once the two entered the water, Qi Kedan indeed began to struggle violently. When she went down, she was still gripping that arrow in her hand, so she fiercely stabbed it toward him again. When he loosened his grip in pain, Qiu Xinran immediately kicked him away and floated to the surface.

Xia Xiuyan reached out from the ship’s window to pull her up, but the boat was still moving forward along the river current—no matter what, he couldn’t reach her hand. He turned to look around the cabin, unable to find anything useful at the moment. Seeing the longbow hanging on the wall that had been brought onto the ship earlier, he took it down and extended it out the window to her.

Qiu Xinran reached out her hand. This time she truly managed to grasp it, just waiting for Xia Xiuyan to pull her onto the ship. Right at this moment, her ankle was suddenly grabbed by someone. The person struggling underwater, like a water ghost on the river, dragged her back down into the water with one pull. She choked on a mouthful of water in the current. Twisting her body, she kicked urgently several times, but that man gripped her ankle relentlessly like an evil spirit—for a moment, it was actually difficult to break free.

Right at this moment, she suddenly heard someone else jump into the river. Qiu Xinran opened her eyes in the pitch-black water and saw a figure swimming toward her. The river water at night was murky. The newcomer wrapped an arm around her waist and delivered several kicks to the face of the man underwater. When the other party finally released his grip, he quickly brought her rapidly toward the surface.

A large amount of air rushed into her lungs, and Qiu Xinran began coughing violently. Under the moonlight, her face was pale and her appearance bedraggled, though fortunately Xia Xiuyan wasn’t in much better condition. He apparently wasn’t proficient at swimming—just that brief time underwater had already made him choke on several mouthfuls of water. Afterward, it could only be Qiu Xinran bringing him as they swam toward shore.

The two followed the current to the northern side of Fish Mouth Gorge. Here the water flow was gentle, and after swimming just a few strokes they reached the shallows. The exertion in the water had been extreme. As soon as Qiu Xinran reached shore, she staggered and nearly fell to the ground, but fortunately the man beside her was quick-eyed and fast-handed, pulling her up in time.

The northern shore of Fish Mouth Gorge had a large expanse of pebbled beach. A few steps up was a small slope covered with trees. Xia Xiuyan half-carried her into the forest to a large tree. After helping her sit properly against the tree, he discovered she was still tightly gripping the arrow she had used for self-defense earlier. Her whole body was shivering with cold—whether from being soaked in the river water or from the lingering fear of nearly drowning just moments ago.

When she had grabbed Qi Kedan and flipped over to jump off the boat, he had felt his own heartbeat nearly stop. Now that the danger had passed, he wanted to scold her thoroughly, but seeing her pitiful, wretched state, his heart softened for a moment. Gritting his teeth, he said, “When you jumped down just now, did you not want your life anymore?”

Shivering with cold, Qiu Xinran hiccupped. Opening a pair of watery eyes, she looked utterly innocent: “But… but that was Qi Kedan!”

Xia Xiuyan’s face was cold as frost: “Is Qi Kedan more important than your own life?”

“He’s naturally not as important as my life,” Qiu Xinran observed the expression of the person before her and said sweetly, “But there’s still Your Lordship, isn’t there? You’re the Marquis of Dingbei, after all.”

Always so good at acting coquettish and pleasing! Xia Xiuyan glared at her, but the anger in his heart could no longer be vented.

He turned back to gaze toward the riverbank, as if discovering something. He then released his grip, turned around, and walked toward the river. Qiu Xinran didn’t know what he was doing, only seeing him walk into the water, bend down to pick up something, and walk back in this direction. When he came closer, she discovered what he held was actually the bow that had been used to reach her earlier! When Qiu Xinran had been dragged into the water, he had jumped in after her in his urgency. Unexpectedly, the longbow had also been swept along with the current and washed up on shore.

Carrying the bow, Xia Xiuyan walked to the base of the tree and handed it to her: “Do you still remember what I taught you?” Seeing she didn’t answer, he deliberately added, “Surely you can’t even draw the bow anymore?”

Qiu Xinran seemed to finally return to her senses, speaking haltingly: “After I returned to the mountain… I practiced too.”

After a brief moment of surprise, Xia Xiuyan began to laugh: “Good. Then are you still afraid, staying here by yourself?”

Qiu Xinran raised her head to look at him: “Is Your Lordship going to find Qi Kedan?”

“The place where he fell into the water isn’t far from here. He can’t swim, so he should have drifted to this vicinity as well.” Xia Xiuyan instructed, “Gao Yang and the others haven’t been able to intercept the boat for so long—they should have noticed something abnormal and might find their way here soon. You stay here. If there’s truly some danger you can’t handle, cry out loudly and I’ll rush over.”

Qiu Xinran hid in the tree, watching Xia Xiuyan walk far along the riverbank. She leaned against the tree trunk, resting with her eyes closed for a while. When she opened them again, she noticed people in the river swimming toward the shore. One of them was bald with a scar across his face. Qiu Xinran had some impression of this man—she seemed to have run into him once on the boat. He should be one of the Diyue people who had disguised himself as a boatman and infiltrated the vessel. Today when the passenger ship caught fire, this man must have taken advantage of the chaos to jump into the water and escape. Looking again, she saw him carrying a half-unconscious man on his shoulder—it was indeed Qi Kedan.

That scarred face looked fierce and menacing, and his build appeared even more robust than Qi Kedan’s. Qiu Xinran couldn’t help but worry, afraid that when Xia Xiuyan returned now and happened to encounter the two of them, two fists would be hard-pressed to fight four hands. But at this moment, she sat in the tree in a dangerous position herself, terrified of alerting the two people on the shore and exposing her hiding place.

Fortunately, after those two came ashore, they didn’t continue into the forest. Qiu Xinran watched as the scarred man laid Qi Kedan flat on the shore. After he groggily regained consciousness, the man busily helped him sit up properly against a rock. The two exchanged some words, then the scarred man stood up and walked toward the western woods, apparently planning to gather some firewood. For a moment, only Qi Kedan remained alone on the shore.

Qiu Xinran gripped the bow and arrow tightly in her hands. She only had one arrow, and facing this excellent opportunity, she hesitated for a moment. This was a prime opportunity to shoot and kill Qi Kedan, but she truly had little confidence in her archery. She was afraid that not only would she fail to take Qi Kedan’s life, but she would also summon back his subordinate who hadn’t gone far, and then her own life would be at risk.

Her hand gripping the bow tightened then loosened, loosened then tightened. Before long, someone came back along the riverbank from the other direction—this time it was indeed Xia Xiuyan.

The two men’s gazes met on the shore, and both their expressions changed. Although this situation was unfavorable to Qi Kedan, fortunately his subordinate was nearby. And Xia Xiuyan was alone—if he could delay for some time, there might not necessarily be no chance for a turnaround. Thinking this, the man leaning against the rock covered his wound and was about to speak, but unexpectedly the other party had already drawn his sword and thrust it toward him.

Qi Kedan was greatly alarmed. Under the instinct for survival, some unknown force erupted within his body. With a carp-like flip, he avoided this sword strike. As he rose, he executed a back spin and kicked the sword away with one foot.

Having exchanged blows with him several times today and then struggled in the river water, Xia Xiuyan was nearly at the end of his strength. This was why he wanted a quick decisive battle—otherwise, if things dragged on, the situation would likely become unfavorable. After the long sword left his hand, he didn’t rush to pick it up, but instead immediately attacked with a punch toward his opponent.

That earlier move had exhausted all of Qi Kedan’s strength. Now he could only forcibly endure this punch, taking the hit to his chest and spitting out a mouthful of blood. Before he could steady himself, the opponent’s next punch was already incoming. He was barely managing to defend on both sides, gradually becoming overwhelmed.

Qiu Xinran sat in a tree not far away, watching the two men on the shore roll together in combat. But Xia Xiuyan clearly had the upper hand. Before long, he had pinned the man to the ground, his fists raining down on the fallen man’s head and face. Each blow was delivered with deadly force, and Qi Kedan was soon beaten until he lost the power to resist.

At this moment, she saw Xia Xiuyan stand up unsteadily from the ground and bend down to pick up the sword that had fallen nearby. But from the western woods also came the sound of approaching footsteps. Qi Kedan’s subordinate, carrying a bundle of firewood, emerged from the forest. Seeing this scene by the river, he dropped the branches and ran swiftly toward the shore.

With his back turned, Xia Xiuyan picked up the long sword. He looked utterly exhausted, just one step away from taking Qi Kedan’s life—so much so that he didn’t even notice for a moment that someone was stealthily approaching from behind.

Qiu Xinran’s heart leaped to her throat. She wanted to cry out a warning, but looking at Xia Xiuyan’s current state, it seemed he couldn’t withstand another battle. The scarred man must have noticed this point as well. After he rushed to the shore, he suddenly slowed his pace, drew a dagger from his waist, and slowly approached Xia Xiuyan, preparing to seize the opportunity to end his life with a blade from behind.

Qiu Xinran drew the bow, the arrowhead pointing toward the distance. Her arms began to tremble slightly—whether from fear or tension, she didn’t know.

She hadn’t lied to Xia Xiuyan when she said she had practiced archery after returning to the mountain.

That day she had gone to White Deer Cliff and happened to see a senior brother from the Sword Sect demonstrating archery to newly initiated disciples.

Qiu Xinran found it interesting and couldn’t help but stand to the side to watch a bit longer. Under the scorching sun, a group of young men raised their arms to draw bows, their postures all different—it looked quite comical. A few were even worse than she had been when first learning the bow. At this moment, she suddenly heard a voice by her ear say quietly: “Straighten your arm.”

Qiu Xinran was startled, then seemed to hear that voice say sternly: “If you don’t shoot this arrow well, you won’t get dinner tonight.”

She shook her head in the sunlight and realized she had been hallucinating. So much time had passed—it seemed Xia Xiuyan had truly harmed her deeply.

Just as she was thinking this, there was suddenly a round of cheers from the square. It turned out that the Sword Sect senior brother had hit the bullseye with one arrow. The young man lowered his bow, his face breaking into a delighted smile. But Qiu Xinran couldn’t help thinking: This arrow really wasn’t good enough—she had seen someone shoot even better. That person never smiled when hitting an arrow. Even when hitting the bullseye, he maintained an expression as if it were perfectly natural, making people grind their teeth in hatred while also feeling an itch in their hearts, wishing they could cry out “well done” on his behalf.

That day, she stood unknowingly for a long time at the edge of White Deer Cliff’s square. When the people in the square had all dispersed, the senior brother leading the practice gathered up the bow and arrows and walked toward her. Qiu Xinran of the Divination Sect was naturally recognized by everyone on the mountain. The young man asked curiously, “Is Senior Sister Qiu looking for me about something?”

Only then did Qiu Xinran return to her senses, smiling at him somewhat embarrassedly: “Junior Brother’s archery skills are superb—I was watching and became lost in thought.”

Hearing this, the young man’s face flushed slightly: “Is Senior Sister also interested in archery?”

Qiu Xinran had wanted to shake her head, but when the words reached her lips, looking at the bow and arrows in his hands, she somehow perversely nodded: “Which days does the Sword Sect have mounted archery classes? I’d also like to come and audit them.”

Each year, the Nine Sects held examinations. Besides their own sect’s studies, sect disciples would typically learn another discipline at a different sect. For instance, disciples of the Divination Sect would mostly choose the Changes Sect, since the two sects’ studies were interconnected. As a result, afterward Qiu Xinran was possessed by some demon and studied mounted archery at the Sword Sect for seven years. In the end, she learned only to an ordinary level, single-handedly proving to others that those who have outstanding talent in certain areas might only be mediocre in others—which actually comforted quite a few disciples of her home sect.

Now she drew the bow and nocked an arrow, aiming at the scarred man with his back to her. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, feeling sweat moisten her palms. When she was thirteen, the young man had stood behind her, helping her draw that iron bow together, and asked her: “How many rings do you want to hit this time?”

Qiu Xinran stared intently at the man raising his dagger in the night, silently reciting in her heart: “Ten rings.”

The young man’s voice had lifted slightly at the end, laughing softly: “Good.”

The sharp arrow shot through the air. The bowstring snapped back violently, producing a deafening sound by her ear. Within that sound, she seemed to hazily hear once again the young man’s promise.

Xia Xiuyan raised his hand and pierced Qi Kedan’s heart and lungs with one sword thrust. Almost at the same moment, behind him came the sound of a sharp blade penetrating flesh and blood. After a muffled thud, with a “bang,” the dagger fell from his hand. The scarred man stared with disbelieving eyes and fell straight to the ground.

Hearing the sound, Xia Xiuyan turned his head. Blood still stained his face, and his gaze was like that of an alpha wolf returning from a hunt under the moon, still carrying a chilling murderous intent.

Qiu Xinran sat in the tree, holding the now-empty bow in her hands. Her gaze met that of the man turning to look at her. She watched as the killing intent in his eyes gradually receded, finally dissipating into nothing. Looking at her, he seemed to transform back into that young man in brocade robes and white cloak, standing under the moon with all his sharpness put away. He looked at her, his gaze seeming to hold some surprise. After a moment, he began to smile. Qiu Xinran saw his lips move. Though she couldn’t hear the sound, by the shape of his mouth it was clearly the word “good.”

In that moment, she felt as if the blood throughout her body began to flow again, her heart pounding rapidly. When that arrow shot through the air, it was like a sudden awakening, allowing her to see clearly in that instant the feelings she had held for so long.

Mei Que was right—she did have something with Xia Xiuyan. She had seen him in all kinds of states—whether full of ambition or enduring setbacks with forbearance, she remembered them all. Many years ago, she had already placed him in her heart.

Xia Xiuyan stood on the shore. Watching the woman in the distant tree stare blankly at him, unable to see her expression clearly, his heart stirred slightly. He withdrew the long sword in his hand and was about to step toward her. At this moment, the sound of chaotic footsteps came from the distance—it seemed a large group was rushing this way. In the forest, someone carried torches walking in this direction. One could vaguely hear He Zhong’s breathless voice: “Brother Rong, are you certain it’s here? We’ve walked for so long but haven’t encountered a single person.”