Chapter 13: The Rescue Arrives
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Chapter 13: The Rescue Arrives
The arrow whistled through the air, narrowly grazing Wei Shuyi's shoulder before embedding itself deep into a tree behind him.
"Protect the lord!"
Even before Chang Suining shouted, Chang Ji had already drawn his sword.
Wei Shuyi quickly came to his senses, grabbing Chang Suining's arm to pull her into the protective circle of the guards while retreating.
Chang Suining's eyes fixed on the source of the ambush—the opposite bank of the stream. Several dark figures had leaped out from the forest, wielding blades as they crossed the water, droplets splashing and reflecting a chilling light in the twilight of early spring.
The figures moved swiftly, brimming with murderous intent. But there were only a few, seemingly not enough to be a serious threat.
"Don’t underestimate them—" Chang Suining warned, looking toward the dense forest, "there are more coming."
They had chosen this resting spot after careful scouting, so the enemy’s numbers nearby must be limited. The few skilled archers who had attacked first were only probing the situation. The main force hadn’t shown itself yet.
No sooner had she spoken than a sharp whistle rang out from the forest, startling birds into flight, while raindrops dripped from the trees like needles.
Chang Suining drew a dagger, gripping it tightly.
Wei Shuyi raised an eyebrow in surprise. "?"
Running toward them, Ah Che pulled a cleaver from his coat.
Wei Shuyi: "??"
Amidst the clash between the guards and the dark figures, one of the assailants had his left arm severed, the mutilated limb spraying blood everywhere.
Wei Shuyi pulled Chang Suining closer, shielding her from the gory scene, while giving orders to Chang Ji: "Take her to the carriage and leave immediately."
"No." Chang Suining firmly objected, "I’m not their target, and I can protect myself. Don’t waste manpower and weaken our chances of winning—this is a poor strategy. A better plan would be to send someone on horseback to the city for reinforcements."
Wei Shuyi glanced at her, then nodded. "Alright, we’ll leave together once we handle this."
Just as he finished speaking, more dark figures appeared from various directions, some charging at them, others cutting off their retreat, forming a near-complete encirclement. There were at least a hundred of them.
The purpose of this ambush was now crystal clear—
Kill the imperial envoy, and destroy the prisoner transport.
Both sides were evenly matched in numbers. The sounds of swords clashing echoed through the air, horses whinnied in terror, and the shallow stream had already turned red with blood.
With a loud crash, the prison cart holding Prefect Magistrate Zhao was split into pieces by two of the assailants.
"Stop them!"
One of the guards shouted.
The next moment, a dark figure raised his sword—and before anyone could react, the prisoner, still in his shackles, was beheaded on the spot.
This wasn’t a rescue mission—it was an execution!
The assassins had succeeded, but they didn’t intend to retreat. The leader raised his hand and coldly ordered, "Kill Wei Shuyi! Leave no survivors!"
Wei Shuyi, whose head had just been "marked for collection," sighed and shook his head. "I knew it. Being an imperial envoy may sound dignified, but it’s clearly just a blood-soaked job."
Chang Suining turned her head and saw his face, looking genuinely frustrated.
Wait—are they really being ambushed?
Chang Suining wasn’t sure whether Wei Shuyi had lost his mind or had something up his sleeve, so she looked around at the chaotic battle—was this man just foolish, or did he have a backup plan?
Now that the prisoner was dead, the assassins turned their full attention to Wei Shuyi.
Their attacks were vicious, disregarding any finesse, aimed solely at taking lives. Some charged at him with blades, while archers hidden in the shadows fired volleys of arrows. The coordinated assault was relentless, and the sound of arrows cutting through the air filled the forest.
Chang Ji swung his sword at the front lines, blocking incoming arrows. The guards formed a protective wall around Wei Shuyi, retreating deeper into the woods.
Chang Suining had no idea what Wei Shuyi was planning, but seeing Ah Che trembling with fear, she grabbed the cleaver from him. She considered slipping away while she could—after all, she had worked so hard to live again; she wasn’t about to die so senselessly alongside this man!
She wasn’t afraid of death, but this kind of confusing and pointless death didn’t suit her.
Just as she was about to pull Ah Che deeper into the woods, far enough away from Wei Shuyi, she suddenly felt a cold wave of murderous intent coming from above.
Though she had lost much of her former strength, her instinct for danger remained—it was something she had honed through countless brushes with death, a survival instinct that was ingrained in her bones.
In an instant, she raised her eyes, almost immediately locking onto a dark figure hiding among the tree branches.
The archer, believing he had concealed himself well, was caught off guard when his gaze met a pair of sharp, cold eyes. Surprised, he quickly readied his bow and aimed.
All this happened in the blink of an eye, unnoticed by anyone else in the chaos—
Chang Suining dropped the cleaver and forcefully tackled Wei Shuyi, sending them both tumbling down the forest slope.
At almost the same moment, an arrow buried itself deep into the spot where Wei Shuyi had just been standing.
"My lord!"
"There are more ambushers in the forest! Be careful!"
"Protect the lord!"
Though Wei Shuyi was a civil official from the Menxia prefecture, he wasn’t weak or frail. Having trained in martial arts since childhood, while not exceptionally skilled, his strength allowed him to shield Chang Suining’s head with his arm as they rolled down the slope, his back slamming hard against a tree.
He let out a small groan, while Chang Suining swiftly scrambled up like a startled rabbit.
Sitting up with a grimace, Wei Shuyi propped himself up with his hands and looked at her.
"It seems more people are coming—" The girl, straining to listen, recognized the sound of approaching hoofbeats. Growing impatient, she asked, "Wei Shuyi, do you have a way out or not?"
If this dragged on any longer, she really wasn’t going to stick around!
Even his mother’s memory wouldn’t be enough to keep her here!
She had already died once, and she wasn’t eager to die again—not in quick succession like this, making all of King Yama’s effort to keep her alive seem wasted.
"I do." Noticing her impatience, Wei Shuyi actually smiled and nodded. "There’s a way out."
As he spoke, he looked toward the edge of the forest. "Look, the rescue has arrived."
Following his gaze, Chang Suining looked in the direction from which the hoofbeats came.
Chang Ji helped Wei Shuyi to his feet.
The remaining ambushers hidden in the forest had been dealt with. Wei Shuyi brushed some dirt and grass off his sleeve. "Let’s go meet an old friend."
Chang Suining's heart raced as she glanced at the approaching figures, sensing a strange pull that led her to slowly walk forward.
The newcomers were allies, not foes, and the tide quickly turned in their favor.
"Retreat!" Seeing the situation worsen, the leader of the black-clad assassins ordered his men to withdraw.
In the next moment, the leader himself froze, his body going rigid where he stood. He slowly looked down, only to find a gaping hole in his chest, blood gushing out.
He hadn’t even seen what pierced his heart.
Chang Suining, however, had seen it clearly—an arrow, fast as lightning, had torn through his body as easily as punching through paper.
Her eyes followed the direction the arrow had come from.
The last rays of a vivid sunset lingered in the sky, casting a pinkish hue, but before she could appreciate it, they were about to vanish completely.
Before that final light disappeared, someone rode up slowly—a black horse, its rider dressed in dark armor. One hand held the reins, while the other gripped a bow, exuding a chilling, murderous aura.
Chang Suining’s gaze lingered on the longbow in his hand.
If she wasn’t mistaken, that bow was…
"General Cui, it’s been a long time." Wei Shuyi's voice broke her train of thought.
General Cui?
So this was—
Cui Jing, the current commander of the Xuanzhe Army?
Chang Suining's eyes moved upward, instinctively looking at the man's face.
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