The Golden Hairpin

Amidst the jeers from the streets, Zhou Ziqin finally followed them to the inn. Rushing to the backyard, he saw a small clay pot simmering on a tiny stove. Zhang Xingying sat on a low stool, gently fanning the flames while lifting the lid to check the medicinal brew inside.

"Brother Zhang!" Zhou Ziqin bellowed, charging in so recklessly he nearly knocked over the medicine pot. "Weren’t you supposed to be heading to Hanzhou? What are you doing here?"

Zhang Xingying, startled, quickly shielded the pot. "Careful, careful! It’ll be ready in a little while."

"What happened? Are you sick? Injured?"

Seeing Zhang Xingying stammering and unable to explain the situation clearly, Huang Zixiang spoke up from behind, "He and a friend encountered danger on the road, so we brought him back first."

"What friend? I thought Brother Zhang was traveling alone." Zhou Ziqin peered into the room and gasped in shock. "Jing Yu?"

"Young Master Zhou," Jing Yu lay on the bed, turning his head to offer a weak smile. "Ah, no—it’s Constable Zhou now."

"You made it out too? Why are you staying here?"

"I... naturally, it’s better to stay by His Highness’s side." Jing Yu’s gaze shifted to Li Shubai as he murmured, "But... given the current circumstances, I fear I’ll only be a burden to His Highness..."

"Don’t say such things," Li Shubai interrupted. "Focus on recovering."

Jing Yu nodded with difficulty and gratitude. Just then, Zhang Xingying entered with a bowl of medicine. "I learned how to brew medicine when I was at Duanrui Hall. This should be just about right—drink it while it’s hot."

Li Shubai took the bowl and personally sat by Jing Yu’s bedside, blowing on the medicine to cool it.

Jing Yu hastily propped himself up against the pillow and took the bowl, not daring to let His Highness feed him. Zhou Ziqin sat nearby, watching Jing Yu drink.

Huang Zixiang pulled the jade hairpin from her bun and absentmindedly sketched on the table, mulling over the clues they had uncovered that day.

As dusk fell and the evening light faded, the group ate together in the inn. Zhou Ziqin, reluctant to leave, chattered away until nearly midnight.

Finally exasperated, Huang Zixiang pulled him up. "You should let Eunuch Yu rest early. Don’t disturb him any longer."

"I’m not leaving! I’ll just sleep here—no point going home this late only to rush back early tomorrow. Too tiring." Zhou Ziqin’s eyes sparkled as he looked at her. "Chonggu, is your bed big enough? Let me stay the night?"

A chill ran down Huang Zixiang’s spine. Just as she was about to refuse, Li Shubai’s calm voice came from behind. "It’s not."

She quickly lowered her head in deference.

Zhou Ziqin sighed in disappointment. "Fine, I’ll get a room."

"Don’t forget to settle our previous days’ lodging fees too," Huang Zixiang called after his retreating figure. Of course—the money seized from the captives was nearly spent. Might as well let Zhou Ziqin, the ever-willing spendthrift, foot the bill.

At last, with Zhou Ziqin settled, the group finally had some peace and retired for the night.

In the depths of sleep, sudden shouts of alarm erupted outside.

Huang Zixiang jolted awake just in time to see flames flickering against the window. Li Shubai was already knocking at her door. "Fire."

She dressed swiftly, though binding her chest inevitably took extra time. By the time she stepped out, Zhou Ziqin was stumbling toward her in a panic. "Disaster! Absolute disaster!"Li Shubai and Huang Zixiao ignored him and rushed straight to Jing Yu's room by the light of the flames.

The air was already thick with smoke. Zhang Xingying was already in Jing Yu's room, while the people from the front of the inn had all crowded into the small courtyard in panic.

"This fire... it's spreading too fast!"

The front of the inn was already engulfed in flames, thick black smoke billowing toward Jing Yu's room.

During their stroll through Chengdu's night market, Li Shubai and Huang Zixiao had once discussed how setting the inn on fire would be the most effective way for their enemies to strike. However, they had also observed that escaping this inn during a fire would be relatively easy—unless—

Huang Zixiao immediately stood up, grabbed a stool, and smashed it against the window. The lattice shattered, revealing flames outside. Every courtyard around them had erupted in fire almost simultaneously, trapping them in a raging inferno.

Their enemies had truly gone so far as to set the entire surrounding area ablaze just to kill them, even if it meant reducing the entire district to ashes.

Surrounded by flames on all sides, they were trapped in the only spot not yet burning, but thick smoke coiled around them, sealing their fate—escape seemed nearly impossible.

Li Shubai frowned slightly and motioned for Zhang Xingying to help Jing Yu up. "Let's go."

Before he could finish speaking, a loud crash came from outside—an old, dilapidated building next door had collapsed. Burning beams and pillars crashed into the inn's courtyard, where the crowd that had fled from the front was now packed. Several people were struck, their agonized screams piercing the chaos.

The inn stood in a desolate alley, surrounded by abandoned buildings. Now, with all the surrounding structures ablaze, the flames seemed to press in from every direction, thick smoke enveloping the inn at the center.

Many in the courtyard were already choking violently, some elderly, weak, and children even collapsing from the fumes.

Li Shubai tore the quilt from the bed. Without needing to be told, Huang Zixiao soaked the fabric in tea and handed a piece to each of them.

Covering their faces with the damp cloths, they left the room together. The fire was dire, but the suffocating smoke was even worse.

"Smoke rises—stay low, it'll be easier to breathe." Huang Zixiao crouched down, leading them toward the exit.

The smoke stung their eyes shut. They groped along the wall blindly, but the heat made it impossible to touch. They could only stumble forward in the murky darkness.

"Ah—!" Zhou Ziqin tripped over a body on the ground, scrambling back up in panic. He couldn’t tell if the person was alive or dead, but he frantically patted where he had stumbled. "Sorry, sorry!"

Huang Zixiao tried to call out to him, but the moment she opened her mouth, her throat burned, and dizziness clouded her mind. Her knees buckled, and she nearly collapsed—until a hand gripped her arm, steadying her.

"I'll take you out." Li Shubai's voice reached her through the chaos, close and clear, instantly calming her. She pressed the damp cloth over her eyes, nose, and mouth, letting him guide her. She didn’t need to see or think—as long as he led the way, she could keep going.

As if, behind him, was the safest place in the world.Li Shubai suddenly stopped. Ahead was the end of the courtyard wall—his keen sense of direction had led them straight to the back gate.

Zhang Xingying raised his foot to kick the door open, but Li Shubai grabbed his shoulder and whispered, "There's someone outside."

The moon was dark, the wind howled, and the fire crackled nearby. Surrounded by flames on three sides, the only remaining exit lay eerily silent.

Zhang Xingying strained his ears, then said in shock, "No... I don't hear anyone?"

"With a fire this big, how could no one gather at the only exit?" Li Shubai's voice wavered slightly. "Yet outside, there's not a single sound."

"Are they guarding the door?" Zhou Ziqin blurted out. "The moment we rush out, will arrows rain down on us?"

"This is inside Chengdu Prefecture. There's no cover outside—no way to hide a large number of archers. But... someone is definitely lying in wait. If we charge out, we'll be cut down."

A cold sweat broke out on everyone's back.

Just then, the crowd behind them began surging forward. Someone shouted, "The gate's there! Run!"

Amid the chaos, the panicked mob jostled wildly. Suddenly, with a deafening crash and a burst of sparks—

The nearby pavilion, weakened by the flames, collapsed entirely. The crowd behind trampled over each other—some fell, some were injured, some burned, some scalded—screams and wails filled the air.

Only the five of them remained trapped within the ring of fire. The scorching flames licked at their clothes and hair, the only escape being the gate ahead. The walls on either side burned blisteringly hot, nearby trees were engulfed, and the situation grew desperate.

Through the thick, billowing smoke, Huang Ziyao looked up and spotted figures atop the parapet, watching them and signaling below.

She turned to Li Shubai. "They've spotted us. They're waiting for us to walk right into their trap!"

Li Shubai gave a slight nod, his gaze returning to the gate.

Jing Yu, who had been leaning on Zhang Xingying while covering his mouth and nose, suddenly removed the wet cloth and stepped forward. "Your Highness... this servant takes his leave."

Zhang Xingying was stunned. "Where are you going?" he asked instinctively.

"If I go out first, they won't be able to surround us," Jing Yu rasped.

Li Shubai barked from behind, "Jing Yu, don't act recklessly!"

Jing Yu only glanced back at him, a fleeting smile crossing his face, then turned and threw himself against the door.

The fire-weakened door, along with its lock, gave way instantly. He crashed onto the stone pavement outside, the door collapsing with him.

The moment he hit the ground, blades flashed toward his fallen body.

Just as they had guessed—an ambush awaited outside.

As the swords descended, Jing Yu ignored them entirely and let out a piercing whistle. The shrill sound cut through the smoke and chaos, sending ripples through the darkness.

The others burst out with the smoke. The attackers only managed to strike the first one out—Jing Yu—while Li Shubai, Zhang Xingying, and Zhou Ziqin leaped clear, dodging the initial assault. In the swirling smoke, they seized weapons from their foes.Taking advantage of the thick smoke and darkness, the group swiftly infiltrated the enemy ranks, slashing wildly with their blades.

Li Shubai blocked the attacks while Huang Zixiao quickly dragged Jing Yu out, pulling him to the alleyway outside. The guards stationed there tried to stop them but were swiftly cut down by Li Shubai.

The fire grew fiercer, its raging flames dimming even the stars in the sky, rendering them faint and dull.

Amid the blazing inferno, she saw several figures swiftly closing in, charging directly into the midst of the assassins.

They were the elite of the Prince's army. Over the past few days while she had been investigating the case, they had already gathered in Chengdu and swiftly converged around Li Shubai. Jing Yu's earlier whistle had guided them to the fire and the Prince's location—now, there was no need for further worry.

She lowered her head, leaving everything to Li Shubai, and focused on dragging Jing Yu as far away as possible from the flames and the fighting to avoid further harm.

Outside the alley, someone shouted, "Someone's escaped over here! Put out the fire!"

Nearby residents rushed over with buckets of water. The ambushers, having already lost their chance to kill the Prince in the fire, saw the situation turning against them and fled, leaving behind several corpses.

Li Shubai signaled his men not to pursue—his shadow guards would handle it. After all, they were all exhausted, having barely escaped disaster, and lacked the energy to hunt down every last assassin.

They gathered around Jing Yu, whose previously staunched wounds had reopened. The slashes he had taken while charging out of the building left him drenched in blood, with no hope of survival.

Huang Zixiao quickly handed him over to Zhang Xingying, saying, "Hurry! I'll go fetch a physician—"

She had only taken a few steps when Li Shubai called softly, "No need."

She froze, turning back to look at Jing Yu. Clutching Zhang Xingying's hand, he gazed at Li Shubai and whispered, "From now on... there may be no one... to serve by Your Highness's side..."

Though many of the guards scattered on the mountain path had already regrouped, Jing Yi and Jing You had gone missing and never returned—leaving Li Shubai without a personal attendant.

Zhang Xingying gripped his hand, tears welling in his eyes as he murmured, "I... I will be there."

Jing Yu's gaze shifted to his face, and with great effort, he managed a faint smile. "You... dismissed brat... think you can handle it...?"

Li Shubai stepped forward, crouching beside him and meeting his eyes. "Don't worry about me. Go in peace."

But Jing Yu only tightened his grip on Zhang Xingying's hand, his already fading pupils shifting between Li Shubai and Zhang Xingying.

Huang Zixiao and Zhou Ziqin quickly moved to support Jing Yu.

Zhang Xingying, eyes wet with tears, knelt before Li Shubai.

Jing Yu's gaze remained fixed on Li Shubai, his lips trembling as if trying to speak, but no words came.

After a moment of hesitation, Li Shubai reached out and helped Zhang Xingying up. "You were once part of my honor guard. Returning to my side now... is a fitting end to your journey."

Zhang Xingying looked up at him, the moisture in his eyes finally spilling over as he choked out, "Thank you... Your Highness!"

A trace of relief flickered across Jing Yu's face—he seemed to want to smile, but the expression twisted and faded before it could fully form.

Nearby, doors and walls collapsed, and the burned, injured, and trampled survivors poured out in a chaotic flood. Amid the wails and cries, Jing Yu's hand slowly fell limp.Li Shubai held his hand and placed it back into Zhang Xingying's embrace.

Huang Zixiao saw his tightly pressed lips and slightly trembling eyelashes. Silently, she reached out and gently covered the back of his hand.