Chapter 28: The Protagonist’s Law Part 1

Blood sprayed in all directions, and crimson mists rose into the sky.

The road encircled by barren hills on the outskirts of the city was in a highly disadvantageous position once ambushed.

Fortunately, Xie Zhaoran had anticipated this problem. In addition to the guards in her convoy, she had sent men to patrol the mountains alongside the road to prevent any ambushes.

A group of archers hidden in the mountains had been cleared out, but Xie Zhaoran’s people had also suffered heavy losses.

Hearing the sound of galloping hooves from up ahead, Xie Zhaoran let out a breath of relief. She swept her sword across the neck of a nearby assassin and kicked him away with one foot before rushing to Shi Yuning’s side.

While clearing out the enemies around Shi Yuning, she scanned her with her eyes.

Thank goodness—Shi Yuning appeared to have only minor injuries.

“Hold on. Our people are here,” she said.

Shi Yuning also spotted the soldiers rushing down the road ahead. They looked like the escort that had just been protecting the Empress Dowager—likely they had heard the signals from this side and come to provide support.

Before they could feel any joy, however, the two women noticed something was wrong. That group of guards reined in their horses from a distance and stopped in place.

“This is bad!” Xie Zhaoran shielded Shi Yuning as they ducked behind the carriage.

In an instant, hundreds or even thousands of arrows tipped with roaring flames shot toward them.

They shot indiscriminately, without regard for friend or foe.

As the assassins fell one after another, many of their own people also lay dead or wounded.

“What is happening?” Shi Yuning asked, her brows furrowed tightly as she gazed at the tragic scene.

The air filled with the thick stench of charred flesh. Screams echoed shrilly through the valley, lingering without end—some from the assassins, some from their own side.

Qiangdi’s eyes were red as she broke through the encirclement and reached Xie Zhaoran’s side. “My lady, I don’t know if they’re in on it, but if we stay like this, we’re in grave danger.”

Xie Zhaoran nodded. Her gaze remained fixed on the group of archers ahead, lost in thought.

Was it a traitor in the Forbidden Army, or had the assassins been lying in wait up front from the start?

Either way, they had to deal with it first.

She slashed open the rear panel of the carriage with her sword, revealing a lacquered wooden box beneath the seat. From it, she drew her Cloud Breaking Bow.

“You protect Miss Shi. Wait for my signal,” Xie Zhaoran quickly instructed Qiangdi. She gave Shi Yuning a deep look. “Take care of yourself.”

Shi Yuning guessed that she planned to slip through the woods. Worry flickered in her eyes, but she nodded resolutely. “You too. I’ll cover you.”

With that, she let out a fierce shout. “I’ll fight you all to the death!” She charged out with Qiangdi from the other side, engaging the assassins who had drawn near amid the smoke and flames.

Shi Yuning had no idea where her courage came from. Though she had trained for years at a martial arts hall and even brawled with street thugs before, this was her first time killing with a sword.

It was the first time she had seen so much blood, the air thick with a nauseating metallic tang.

She didn’t dare stop, didn’t dare think too deeply. Her mind held only one conviction: she couldn’t die here, and she couldn’t let Xie Zhaoran die here either!

Shi Yuning slashed with her sword, cutting down a man charging on horseback. She then leaped onto the horse herself.

She was grateful that Xie Zhaoran had taught her mounted archery—and that she had learned diligently.

By the time Shi Yuning emptied the quiver hanging from the saddle, Xie Zhaoran had circled around nearby.

Shi Yuning and Qiangdi spurred their horses forward, drawing attention to cover Xie Zhaoran.

Xie Zhaoran drew the Cloud Breaking Bow, loosing four arrows at once. The men on horseback toppled one by one.

In the barren hills outside the city, a fierce battle raged. Countless fell dead or wounded. Xie Zhaoran used up all her arrows and carved a bloody path forward. Shi Yuning rode up to meet her.

Xie Zhaoran vaulted onto the horse behind her. The two women shared the mount as they led their surviving men in carving out an escape route amid the slaughter.

“Don’t be afraid. We’ll be safe once we reach Crane Cry Temple,” Xie Zhaoran said, holding the person in her arms tightly.

Shi Yuning clutched her sleeve desperately, unable to relax.

The sounds from behind grew fainter the closer they got to Crane Cry Temple.

By the time Xie Zhaoran and the others spotted the guards at the foot of the mountain, the pursuers had vanished entirely.

The guards were startled by the sight of Xie Zhaoran, Shi Yuning, and the others. When they heard about the assassins, they were baffled.

The Empress Dowager’s convoy had passed through without incident.

Xie Zhaoran let out a cold laugh. It seemed the attack had been aimed solely at them.

Shi Yuning immediately concluded it was Prince Yu, seeking revenge for past grievances.

The guard captain dispatched men with Qiangdi to pursue the fleeing assassins.

Xie Zhaoran led Shi Yuning up the steps toward the temple. After a couple of paces, she noticed the woman behind her hadn’t followed.

“What’s wrong?” Xie Zhaoran asked with concern. “Are you hurt somewhere?”

Shi Yuning shook her head and forced a smile. “I’m fine. My legs are just like jelly.”

She hadn’t had time to feel the fear amid the chaos, but now that they were safe, the aftershock hit her all at once.

Xie Zhaoran smiled in understanding. “The first time I encountered assassins as a child, I collapsed to the ground afterward. Qiangdi had to carry me home. You did great.”

Shi Yuning suspected Xie Zhaoran was just coaxing her, but hearing “you did great” still filled her heart with sweetness and a touch of pride. She hadn’t held them back.

“Shall I have them prepare a sedan chair?” Xie Zhaoran glanced at the steps leading up the mountain. They looked gentle enough, but there must have been a thousand of them.

“No need. I want to walk,” Shi Yuning replied. She thought a walk might help steady her fluttering heart.

Xie Zhaoran paused for a moment. She wiped the blood from her right hand with her sleeve and extended it hesitantly. “Want to hold hands?”

Shi Yuning stared at the hand offered before her. She remembered refusing Xie Zhaoran back by the carriage.

Then the deadly ambush had come. If she had died in it without confessing her feelings, she would have regretted it deeply.

“Yes!”

Shi Yuning reached out decisively and clasped Xie Zhaoran’s hand, flashing a brilliant smile.

The smile left Xie Zhaoran dazed for a moment, a faint blush creeping onto her cheeks.

She turned quickly, leading Shi Yuning upward step by step.

Along the way, aside from the sound of their shoes on the stone steps, Xie Zhaoran could hear only the pounding of her own heart.

Shi Yuning kept gazing at their joined hands, thinking of the future.

She had once planned to bury these feelings deep inside, but now she wasn’t so sure.

Just like earlier—if she hadn’t tried in what seemed like a hopeless situation, it truly would have been hopeless.

Maybe she should give it a real effort. Maybe Xie Zhaoran would see her good qualities. Maybe Xie Zhaoran could accept this slightly unconventional affection.

The two women walked on, each lost in her own thoughts, without exchanging a word.

Only when they reached the gates of Crane Cry Temple did Xie Zhaoran release her hand. She stepped forward to speak with the nun standing guard outside.

Shi Yuning stared at her now-empty hand, feeling as if a piece of her heart had gone missing.

“Amitabha. Please put away your sword, benefactress.”

Buddhist holy ground forbade killing and weapons within. Xie Zhaoran knew the rule and was about to comply when Shi Yuning, a step behind, reached her side and stopped her.

“Oh no! The scriptures I hand-copied for the Empress Dowager are still in the carriage.”

Shi Yuning gripped Xie Zhaoran’s arm with feigned anxiety, squeezing lightly.

A flicker of doubt passed through Xie Zhaoran’s eyes, but she played along. “Do you need to retrieve them?”

Shi Yuning nodded. “Of course. I spent several nights on them.”

The waiting nun smiled faintly. “Don’t worry, benefactress. This poor nun can send someone to fetch them for you.”

Shi Yuning’s expression hardened at once. She lifted her chin imperiously and snapped, “No! You rough types with your clumsy hands— what if you ruin them?”

With that, she tugged Xie Zhaoran around and strode off. “Come with me to get them.”

After two steps, she glanced back at the nun, who stood unmoving in her monastic robes, her eyes holding the habitual compassion of a nun. But that smile was too perfect—perfectly artificial.

It reminded Shi Yuning of the refined smile she had once practiced in the palace, nibbling on her chopsticks.

She waved at the nun. “We’ll be right back. Tell the Empress Dowager that I’m retrieving the hand-copied scriptures myself out of filial piety.”

The nun remained still, merely watching their retreating backs with a smile.

Shi Yuning pulled Xie Zhaoran along faster and faster. “That nun is suspicious,” she whispered urgently.

Xie Zhaoran had suspected as much but wasn’t sure how Shi Yuning had spotted it.

Time was short, so Shi Yuning explained quickly. “She smells of flowers.”

Xie Zhaoran understood instantly. Temple nuns should carry the scent of incense from daily rituals. She grabbed Shi Yuning’s hand and bounded down the steps three at a time.

Suddenly, a gust of wind surged from behind. Not good!

Xie Zhaoran spun Shi Yuning around just as an arrow whistled past them.

They looked up to see the nun who had spoken to them, still wearing that amiable smile. She took an arrow from someone beside her and nocked it.

As a second arrow flew toward them, heads popped up along the outer wall of Crane Cry Temple.

Rows of archers took aim at them.

Shi Yuning: ! Not again!

Xie Zhaoran curved her lips. She had been careless.

She had thought that sloppy assassination attempt was Prince Yu’s final desperate counterattack. The fool wasn’t quite that incompetent after all.

But this scale of operation was beyond what he could manage alone.

A storm of arrows hurtled toward them, thick with killing intent. Xie Zhaoran swirled her sword in a defensive flurry, blocking as many as she could.

Shi Yuning hacked apart an arrow that nearly blinded her. Seeing the endless barrage, she yanked Xie Zhaoran into a roll, diving into a thicket of thorny bushes and dense undergrowth.

They slashed through the obstructing branches, their clothes tearing to shreds. Xie Zhaoran swiftly tied up Shi Yuning’s disheveled hair and secured her trailing skirts before they plunged deeper into the forest.

The sounds of pursuit grew nearer. Shi Yuning looked around desperately but found no clear path.

“Which way do we go?” she asked, disoriented.

Xie Zhaoran pointed. “Down the mountain. The upper slopes aren’t safe anymore. Crane Cry Temple has probably fallen entirely.”

“What?” Shi Yuning’s voice trembled with fear. “What about my mother? The Empress Dowager and the others?”

“Don’t worry. If it’s Prince Yu, he won’t harm the Empress Dowager.”

To claim the throne with legitimacy, he needed her support. As for Madam Shi, Prince Yu had no reason to target her specifically.