The fiasco soured the mood of the temple visit, and Consort Song decided to return to the palace two days early. Attendants rushed to pack everyone's belongings and load it up to the horse carriages, creating a flurry of activity at the entrance of the otherwise serene temple grounds.

Zi-ning sat in her carriage, lifting the curtain slightly to watch the bustling going on outside. She spotted Lady Min boarding her own carriage ahead, with Meiyan and an anxious-looking Meisi trailing along behind her. The latter was likely worried about facing the judgement from their father and grandmother once they returned to the capital. Rightfully so, for her actions had grossly shamed their family name and the minister would not be pleased with it.

Since the incident, Zi-ning had not seen either Situ Zhiren or Du Zhenghuan. Might they have left already? The prince of Hua would likely not want to dally and be reminded of his embarrassment. As much as he appeared nonchalant, Zi-ning sensed the rage that he kept stoppered inside. She did not miss the pointed look that Situ Zhiren had given her before he stormed out of the room after the debacle. He was a smart man, and it would not be surprising if he had pieced things together and suspected her involvement in it. She would have to be on her guard from now on, at least until Situ Zhiren left Duan and returned to his own kingdom.

As for Zhenghuan... She sighed, setting the curtain back down. She was the one who had told him not to meddle in her affairs, so it was just as well that he was keeping away. She didn't need to drag another innocent person into this web of vengeance that she was spinning.

"Miss, I think we're ready to leave," Hana reported, stepping into the carriage. Ahri was riding outside with the carriage driver.

Zi-ning nodded.

Hana gave the instruction and the carriage rumbled into motion. Ryoko Temple was not far from the capital, and it would take them little over half a day to complete the journey. Closing her eyes, Zi-ning leaned back against the cushioned seat and tried to catch some sleep. It was just as well that this temple episode had come to a close, for it was too tiring having to constantly watch her back.

#

They had probably been on the road for an hour or two when Zi-ning was rudely awoken by a sudden jerk of the carriage. Her body lurched forward, and she would have hit the floor if Hana hadn't caught her in time. In the background, she could hear the loud pounding of horse hooves. It sounded like there were at least ten horses.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Hana asked worriedly.

"What's going on outside?"

Right on cue, an arrow hurtled in through the window, impaling itself on the wooden wall of the carriage. Both Zi-ning and Hana stared at the arrow in shock.

"Miss, we're under attack. Hang on," Ahri's voice echoed from outside.

The horse carriage sped up, jolting up and down as the wheels rolled over loose rocks along the rural forest path. Zi-ning looked out of the window. They were being chased by several burly men dressed in patched-up clothing, brandishing various weapons. She withdrew her head just in time to avoid being struck by yet another flying arrow.

"Are they forest bandits?" Hana asked, her face pale with fear.

"Perhaps," Zi-ning replied. From their manner of dress, they did look like regular bandits. It was not uncommon for merchants and travellers to encounter rogues in the woods surrounding the capital city who would rob them of their goods and belongings, yet her instincts told her that this was no ordinary bandit attack. Even though the men were dressed like bandits, the horses they were riding were pure breed stallions which would have cost them an arm and a leg. Of course, they might have robbed those horses off a horse merchant, but she suspected otherwise.

Also, where were the other carriages? Consort Song and the princess might have taken a different route to return to the palace, but Lady Min and her daughters should have been travelling together with her. Yet she had not seen any sign of their carriage when she looked out. All that pointed towards a more sinister plot, of which she was the likely target.

She lifted the curtain and peered out from the carriage entrance. Ahri was busy steering the carriage, while their carriage driver was cowering by the side.

"We won't be able to outrun them," Zi-ning said. With those horses, it wouldn't be long before the "bandits" caught up with them, and there was little chance of three girls and one terrified driver fending off the attack of so many armed men.

"How far are we from the capital?"

"We're only midway."

"Midway..."

If her memory served her correctly, then they were currently racing through the Kunling forest, and they would soon emerge from the woods and have to take a mountainside path along the side of the Ryonan mountain. The mountain path was narrow and treacherous, and one wrong step could send travellers hurtling down the cliffside.

But the change in terrain would present them with an opportunity.

As she expected, the surrounding scenery soon changed as the carriage left the shadowy Kunling forest behind. The craggy peak of the Ryonan mountain, the closest mountain to Huangcheng, loomed above them.

"Miss, I'm going to have to slow down, else the carriage could lose balance and topple off the edge," Ahri warned. She stole a quick glance at their pursuers, and the frown between her brows deepened. "I can get off the carriage and try to slow them down."

"No." Zi-ning reached out and held onto the girl's arm, preventing her from leaping off. She would not allow Ahri to sacrifice herself for her sake. She had enough blood on her hands from her previous life. "I have an idea." Leaning in, she whispered her plan into Ahri's ear.

After listening, Ahri nodded, and she tugged hard on the horse reins, slowing down their frenzied pace. They could see the bandits gaining on them from behind.

"Wait," Zi-ning commanded, keeping a close eye on the closing gap.

Ahri's fingers tightened on the reins.

Zi-ning held her breath, eyes unblinking as she focused on the rapidly shrinking distance between them and their pursuers.

Not yet... Not yet...

"Now!" she shouted.

Ahri sprung into action. She threw the helpless driver onto the first horse, then whipped out the dagger she always kept hidden beneath her waistband and cut that horse loose. Then, she quickly helped Hana and Zi-ning onto the next horse and did the same. Finally, Ahri leapt off the carriage and landed on the back of the first horse, behind the now passed-out driver.

Behind them, the wooden carriage became an obstacle that was blocking the path of the approaching bandits. Zi-ning heard the cries of whinnying horses and alarmed shouts from their riders as they struggled to stop their steeds in time. Several horses crashed into one another, and a few went over the edge, disappearing over the cliffside and taking their screaming riders with them.

But it was too early for them to rejoice.

Two of the riders managed to avoid the catastrophe, expertly steering their horses around the broken carriage and continuing their pursuit of Zi-ning and the others.

"Miss, they're catching up!" Hana cried, clinging on tightly to Zi-ning's waist.

"Keep going!" Zi-ning said. They had no other choice. Their best hope of escaping was by reaching the next town or village and enlisting the help of the people there. Huaidong, a small mining village, was located just past the Ryonan mountain. The question was, would they make it in time?

"Ah!"

The shriek from their carriage driver caught their attention, and Zi-ning turned in time to see the horse that Ahri was on buckle at its front knees and crash to the ground. An arrow was embedded at its posterior, fired by one of their pursuers. Thankfully, Ahri was skilled enough to lift both herself and the frightened man off the saddle in the nick of time, and the duo tumbled onto the gravelly path a short distance ahead.

Damn.

Zi-ning had two options. She could either stop to help Ahri and the driver, or she could continue forging ahead. As well-trained as Ahri was, it was still no guarantee that she would be able to escape from those men unharmed, especially since their attackers seemed more like highly skilled assassins than ragtag forest bandits.

In that split-second, she made up her mind. She yanked at the horse's reins, turning the horse around. She raced back towards Ahri, keeping a solemn eye on the fearsome men who were riding towards her. One of them was notching a new arrow upon his bow, while the other brandished a gleaming sabre in his hand.

I'm not losing anyone this time, she thought with grim determination. Even if she lost the fight here and now, she would not let another person die for her. Gritting her teeth, she pushed on, forcing her panting horse to run faster.

A sharp whistle sliced through the air as the bandit's arrow left its bow. It's metal tip caught the sunlight, glinting menacingly as it flew straight towards Zi-ning.

I'm not going to make it.

The arrow would reach her before she got to Ahri, and there was no avoiding it. If she tried to veer left, the horse would crash into the mountain's rock face; if she veered right, she would plummet over the cliffside.

"Zi-ning!" a voice came shouting, echoing off the mountain walls. "Bend down!"

Without thinking, Zi-ning immediately obeyed the instruction, lowering her body towards the horse's back and pulling Hana to follow suit. Something flew overhead—a spear—and in the next moment, the deadly arrow that would have struck her was knocked off its original trajectory, falling to the ground with a loud clink.

Du Zhenghuan.

From behind, the Shadow Lord raced past her on his black steed, charging towards the assassins. Leaning sideways, he picked up the spear that he had thrown from off the mountain path, gripping it tightly in his hand. Metal clashed as his spear met their sabres.

Zi-ning quickly pulled to a stop alongside Ahri and their driver, helping the injured duo back up to their feet. With only one horse between them, there was no way they could leave. They could only wait.

Her heart rose up her throat as she watched the battle continue between Zhenghuan and the attackers. As she expected, those men could not possibly be mere bandits. Their moves, each one laced with deadly precision and force, were far too sophisticated for that.

"Miss, look there!" Hana said, pointing further down the mountain road.

Several figures were closing in—the other "bandits", who were catching up on foot. She counted five of them in total. Even with the Shadow Lord's skill, it was difficult to say whether or not he would be able to take on so many.

She looked around, frantically surveying their surroundings for a way to escape.

"Ahri," she said, pointing up the mountainside at what looked to be a loose section of rock wall several metres up, "is there any way you can bring those rocks down?"

"But Miss, if we do that, there's a chance that we'll be struck by the rocks as well," Ahri replied.

"We'll just have to take the chance. If we don't do something, none of us are getting out of here alive anyway."

Ahri hesitated for a moment, then she gritted her teeth and nodded. "I'll need the horse," she said. Climbing onto the saddle, Ahri whipped the steed with its reins, sending it charging towards the rockface. The startled horse reared up on its hind legs when it realised it would soon crash, and Ahri swiftly tugged at the reins once again, using the momentum to force the horse to swerve sideways. The stallion's body collided heavily with the rock, sending a shudder through the mountainside.

The loose rocks above shifted.

Rumble.

Then an avalanche of stone and dirt came cascading down.

"Zhenghuan, move back!" Zi-ning yelled, warning him of the incoming danger.

The Shadow Lord took one glance at the falling rocks and quickly backpedalled away from the assassins. "Zi-ning, watch out," he shouted, his eyes fixed upon the space above her.

Zi-ning turned her gaze upwards. A large boulder was hurtling towards her. She instinctively shoved Ahri and Hana aside.

A strong arm grabbed her by the waist, pulling her away. From behind his silver mask, she could see the concern etched in his dark eyes. But then her feet slipped off the edge and treaded upon empty air. She fell backwards.

"Ah!"

She wrapped her arms tightly around his neck as they plummeted from the steep cliff, down to the valley below.