The soldier departed with his orders, and Jiang Xin Zhi swung himself onto the horse's back, affectionately patting Black Wind's neck. "Let's go."
Black Wind snorted and broke into a gallop. Though the Ebony Forest Path was easy to lose one's way in, an old horse knew the road well, so Jiang Xin Zhi wasn't worried.
They hadn't gone far when a winding stream appeared ahead. Because they were in the dense Ebony Forest, the thick branches overhead had blocked most of the rain, so the stream's water appeared crystal clear from a distance, completely untainted by mud. Just as Jiang Xin Zhi felt a surge of joy, Black Wind abruptly stopped.
Assuming the horse was tired, Jiang Xin Zhi patted its head. "We're almost there, Black Wind. Just a little further."
Black Wind snorted heavily, stomping its front hooves but refusing to take another step forward. Puzzled, Jiang Xin Zhi watched as the horse grew increasingly agitated, pacing in place.
Black Wind was a warhorse that had seen battle and possessed keen instincts. Suspicion creeping in, Jiang Xin Zhi subtly stroked the horse's mane, calming it down. He narrowed his eyes, listening intently—until a sharp whoosh cut through the air. Instinctively, he reached out and caught an arrow mid-flight, its shaft tied with a red cloth bundle.
Curious, he unwrapped it to find half a piece of amber. His breath hitched, and his fists clenched tightly.
When Zhao Mei was alive, she had owned two crescent-shaped amber pieces. Though separate, they fit together perfectly, each half encasing a butterfly wing so lifelike it seemed nature itself had crafted them. Zhao Mei had turned them into necklaces—one for Jiang Xin Zhi, the other for Jiang Ruan. The amber in his hand was unmistakably Jiang Ruan's.
Someone had taken something of Jiang Ruan's. Though their motives were unclear, this was undeniably about her.
Jiang Xin Zhi touched the amber hanging around his own neck, his eyes narrowing as fury radiated from him.
They were close to where the troops rested, but venturing deeper meant stepping into unknown danger.
Rustling sounds came from the trees, and suddenly, a flash of fabric darted through the thicket, heading straight into the heart of the forest.
Jiang Xin Zhi smacked Black Wind's flank. "Hyah!"
Whether this was a trap or not, the threat to Jiang Ruan left him no choice but to act—he couldn't even stop to alert the troops. His heart burned with urgency, as if scorched by flames.
Sensing his rage, Black Wind let out a long whinny and charged into the dense woods despite its reluctance.
The terrain of the Ebony Forest was treacherous, and Jiang Xin Zhi had never traversed it before. The figure ahead moved with uncanny skill, weaving through narrow, rugged paths. As they pressed deeper, the towering ebony trees blotted out the sky, leaving only slivers of light. In the oppressive darkness, the figure vanished without a trace.
Black Wind halted abruptly. Jiang Xin Zhi sat motionless atop the horse, the forest eerily silent. They had traveled far from the stream, and the distance to the troops was now unknown.
The disappearance of their quarry could only mean one thing: this was a trap.
But who had set it—and why?Jiang Xin Zhi's expression was calm. Once his agitation faded, the worry in his heart dissipated, replaced by a faint sense of relief.
Since it had been proven to be a trap, Jiang Ruan might still be safe.
Slowly, he drew the saber at his waist. As the blade left its sheath, three feet of cold steel reflected his silhouette. The young deputy general carried an innate air of lethality in his brow—after all, he was someone who had witnessed the brutality of the battlefield.
With a sharp shua , Jiang Xin Zhi swung his blade forward while simultaneously ducking low, narrowly avoiding an ambush from behind. In an instant, he turned his horse around and faced a row of unfamiliar men dressed as guards.
There were five strangers in total.
He urged his black steed, Hei Feng, to retreat a few steps. "Who sent you?"
"Young Master Jiang, if you know what's good for you, surrender your life so the five of us can return and complete our mission," one of them said.
Jiang Xin Zhi sneered. "You don’t know the meaning of death!" With that, he suddenly leaped from his horse, brandishing his saber toward one of the strangers.
The man had no time to evade. Though he dodged desperately, Jiang Xin Zhi’s blade still slashed his arm. None of them had expected Jiang Xin Zhi’s martial prowess to be so formidable. Exchanging glances, they wasted no more words and rushed into battle together.
Fighting one against five, Jiang Xin Zhi held his ground effortlessly. After a brief exchange, surprise flickered in the eyes of his opponents. They had underestimated him—this was no frail young master of the Jiang family as the rumors suggested, but a man tempered on the battlefield. The guards soon found themselves struggling, their stamina draining rapidly. One of them shot a meaningful glance at another, and the two suddenly intensified their assault, pressing forward with reckless abandon. Meanwhile, a third man circled behind Jiang Xin Zhi and slashed at Hei Feng’s legs. The horse let out a long whinny as its forelegs were deeply cut, buckling beneath it.
Jiang Xin Zhi rolled off the saddle, but the remaining two attackers seized the opportunity to strike. As he twisted to the side, his feet barely touched the ground when he suddenly felt his body sink. His heart lurched—looking down, he saw his legs already submerged in mud up to the knees. The more he struggled, the deeper he sank.
The guards immediately withdrew. Jiang Xin Zhi glanced beneath him—within moments, the mire had already risen to his waist.
This was a vast stretch of marshland, camouflaged with layers of withered branches. He hadn’t noticed earlier, but these assailants had intended to trap him here all along. Struggling in a swamp only hastened one’s descent. Realizing this, Jiang Xin Zhi ceased his movements and instead fixed a cold gaze on the men before him. "Who sent you?"
One of the guards smirked. "Eldest Young Master Jiang, blame yourself for standing in someone’s way. If you want answers, ask the King of Hell on your journey to the underworld!" With a wave of his hand, rustling sounds emerged from the forest as countless hidden figures emerged, each armed with a bow. Arrows were nocked, poised to rain down upon him.
Jiang Xin Zhi suddenly understood—this was the real trap. These men had meant to pin him in the swamp and riddle him with arrows. Their scheme was utterly ruthless! But who bore him such deep hatred?
No one answered his silent question. Another wave of a hand, and a volley of arrows whistled through the air, descending upon him like a deadly storm!Jiang Xin Zhi still held his sword, naturally unwilling to sit and wait for death. He swiftly swung his blade to deflect a volley of arrows, sending them clattering into the muddy ground. His brow furrowed tightly—each forceful swing caused his body to sink deeper into the mire. If this continued, even if he wasn’t pierced to death by arrows, he would be swallowed by the swamp, vanishing from this world without a trace.
Trapped between life and death, with no escape in sight—what a vicious scheme!
With a wave of the guard’s hand, another dense barrage of arrows rained down. Jiang Xin Zhi slowly raised his sword, but before he could swing, the arrows mid-flight seemed cursed, abruptly dropping from the sky. From afar came a rapid clashing of blades and the urgent thunder of hooves. Squinting, he saw a group of riders charging from the depths of the ebony forest, cutting down the archers in their path.
The sudden appearance of these riders shocked not only Jiang Xin Zhi but also the guards, who swiftly turned to engage the newcomers. The distance made it hard to see clearly, but the two leading men were unfamiliar. Between them rode a slightly slower horse, its rider clad in red with a wide-brimmed hat obscuring their face. Yet, Jiang Xin Zhi felt an inexplicable stir in his heart.
On horseback, Jiang Ruan clenched her fists. Though she had endured the torments of her past life and believed her heart had hardened to ice, the sight before her ignited an uncontrollable fury from the depths of her soul.
So this was the truth of Jiang Xin Zhi’s death in her past life!
The eldest young master of the Jiang family, who should have returned home triumphant, had instead been trapped like a beast in this gloomy ebony forest—sinking into the swamp, pierced by countless arrows, vanishing without a trace just outside the capital!
The Xia family, the Jiang family, the Li family—this debt would be repaid, or she, Jiang Ruan, would not be human!
The hidden archers, realizing the tide had turned, clashed fiercely with Zhao Yuanfeng’s men. But the sheer number of archers made the battle chaotic. Seeing Jiang Xin Zhi still sinking slowly into the swamp, Jiang Ruan’s heart clenched. Without hesitation, she spurred her horse toward him.
The guards, furious at the unexpected interference, split their focus—some engaging Zhao Yuanfeng and Zhao Yi, while one noticed Jiang Ruan. Her petite frame made her stand out among the riders. The guard leaped, his blade slashing toward her. Zhao Yi and the others were too far, entangled in their own fights. Jiang Ruan’s eyes narrowed as the blade descended. She ducked low, flattening herself against the horse’s back, barely avoiding the strike.
The guard, undeterred, twisted his wrist and swung again. The horse, startled by the blade’s gust, reared abruptly. With no room to retreat, Jiang Ruan raised her arm to block the blow. She gritted her teeth and shut her eyes—at worst, she would lose an arm.Yet the blade never descended. Jiang Ruan only heard a crisp "clang" and a muffled groan from the man. When she opened her eyes again, the man before her was clutching his wrist with his left hand, his right trembling so violently he could barely hold the blade. Blood seeped between his fingers.
Jiang Ruan looked down and saw a silver ingot on the ground. Just as the guard before her raised his blade again, a gust of wind seemed to pass by as a figure leaped forward, instantly engaging him in combat.
Jiang Ruan froze momentarily. Within moments, the guard had his throat slashed and collapsed to the ground, clutching his neck and writhing in pain.
Even Jiang Xin Zhi had been locked in prolonged combat with several opponents, yet this newcomer had effortlessly taken down one of them. Seeing this, the remaining guards immediately surrounded him.
Still on horseback, Jiang Ruan watched as the man turned his head slightly to glance at her—it was none other than Jinying Wang, Xiao Shao. His strikingly handsome face turned away as he commanded in a low voice, "Quick, get behind me." His cold eyes locked onto the two guards encircling him, as if they were utterly beneath his notice.
With the guards now focused on Xiao Shao, Zhao Yi seized the opportunity to gallop over, his voice laced with concern, "Cousin, are you alright?"
Jiang Ruan shook her head. When Zhao Yi noticed Xiao Shao, he stiffened in surprise. "Prince Xiao?"
Jiang Ruan urged him, "There's no time to waste. Go save my elder brother now."
The sounds of battle continued to echo through the ebony forest. Without another word, Zhao Yi charged toward Jiang Xin Zhi's location. However, the archers hidden in the thicket proved far more troublesome than anticipated. For one, their numbers were staggering—more than double that of the Zhao Family Army. Secondly, these men were no ragtag bandits but disciplined soldiers, organized and efficient. The remaining guards redirected their focus to Xiao Shao and Zhao Yuanfeng, though fortunately, both men were highly skilled and held their ground without faltering.
Zhao Yi expended tremendous effort to drag Jiang Xin Zhi out of the marsh. Just then, a booming voice rang out, "Xin Zhi, what the hell happened to you?!"
It was Guan Lianghan, who had followed behind. After waiting in place for some time and realizing something was amiss, the Guan Family Army had also arrived, drawn by the commotion. Seeing the situation, Guan Lianghan immediately barked orders, "Damn it, who the hell are these brats, daring to scheme against me? Wipe out those archers!"
The Guan Family Army vastly outnumbered the men Zhao Yuanfeng had brought, and subduing the archers was child's play for them. With Guan Lianghan's aid, the archers were swiftly overpowered. The remaining guards were swiftly disarmed by Xiao Shao and Zhao Yuanfeng, their blades at their throats. The men were aghast—what should have been a surefire victory had somehow gone awry.
Guan Lianghan strode forward and kicked the chin of the lead guard. "Hey, spit it out. Who sent you?"
The guard glared at them, his throat moving. Jiang Ruan's eyes widened in realization. "They're going to kill themselves!" These men were zealots—failure meant they couldn't return alive, and falling into enemy hands warranted suicide by poison. But Xiao Shao was no ordinary man. Since taking command of the Brocade-clad Guards at the age of ten, he had mastered such tactics. This display was nothing but amateurish in his eyes. In the blink of an eye, he dislocated their jaws, rendering them unable to swallow the poison hidden beneath their tongues. The men writhed on the ground in agony.Xiao Shao's sudden intervention saved them a lot of trouble. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief as Jiang Xin Zhi narrowly escaped disaster. He cupped his hands in gratitude and said, "Thank you all for today. However, I have a question I'd like to ask—" Before he could finish, a soft voice interrupted him.
"Elder Brother."
Jiang Xin Zhi froze. Jiang Ruan had already lifted the bamboo hat from her head and tossed it aside, revealing her face beneath. Seeing his stunned expression, she smiled faintly again and repeated, "Elder Brother." A faint shimmer of moisture glistened in her eyes.
Jiang Xin Zhi stared motionlessly at the young girl before him. Since leaving the capital six years ago, he had received no news of Jiang Ruan. The girl in front of him was almost unrecognizable, yet there was something familiar in her features. Who was she? The timid little girl from his memories—adorable and clinging to his sleeve as she shyly called him "Elder Brother"—was gone. The young lady before him now had delicate features, no longer bearing the childish innocence of the past. Instead, she resembled a flower in bloom, already exuding a youthful charm.
His little sister had grown up. Jiang Xin Zhi's eyes grew hot as he called out, "A Ruan!"
While Jiang Xin Zhi was studying Jiang Ruan, she too was quietly observing him. The Jiang family had always valued scholarship over martial prowess, forbidding its descendants from pursuing military careers and insisting they follow the path of letters. Jiang Xin Zhi had always been the epitome of a refined young master. Yet now, though his features remained handsome, the gentle elegance of his youth had faded. His skin was darker than before, replaced by the dashing aura of one tempered on the battlefield—the resolute bearing of a soldier. This was nothing like the Jiang Xin Zhi she remembered. When they met again, it was as though a lifetime had passed between them.
(End of Chapter)
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