Chapter 47

Deep in the Forest

Nan Yi suddenly quickened her pace and ran into the forest of withered trees.

By the time a group of men in black caught up, no one could be seen around.

They looked left and right, and upon hearing a rustling sound from a distance, they immediately turned in that direction.

It was Nan Yi, hiding in a towering tree, who had shot a crossbow bolt into the distance from the sleeve arrow tied to her wrist, creating the noise.

She was drawing the men in black deeper into the forest.

Then she drew her bow and shot another arrow into the distance.

In the military camp, Lady Gantang was conversing with Tang Rong near the tent, when suddenly a crossbow bolt flew through the air and embedded itself deeply in the flagpole.

The “Yu” military flag snapped in half, suddenly falling to the ground.

Though the noise wasn’t loud, it made everyone alert.

Tang Rong immediately shielded Lady Gantang behind him. After seeing no second arrow coming, he cautiously approached and checked the flagpole for the small crossbow bolt, then looked toward the direction from which it came.

He quickly made a decision, pointing to a squad of soldiers: “Go search the mountains. Kill anyone suspicious on sight.”

Nan Yi had led the men in black into the forest, and now she had led the Yu City army into the fray. Once the two groups collided, the Yu City army would surely protect itself and ensure that these intruders would never leave the deep mountains.

She herself hid in the treetop. Though the leaves had withered in the winter, the sparse branches still provided some cover. From her vantage point above, she could see the situation in the distance.

A cold wind carried a faint scent of blood.

Nan Yi knew that the battle must be over now, and she was safe.

She was about to climb down from the tree when, as soon as she moved, the trunk made a horrifying cracking sound and slowly began to lean backward. The slender fir tree, battered by the entire winter, was already in a fragile state. After Nan Yi’s movement, it was pushed past its breaking point, and this was the final straw.

She clung to the branches, not daring to move.

Her attention had been completely focused on the pursuers earlier, and after running into the forest, she had climbed the tallest tree at the farthest point. She had just escaped a close call, breathed a sigh of relief, only to discover that directly behind her was a cliff.

If the tree trunk broke and fell, it would take her along into the abyss.

She couldn’t jump down either; the tree was three to four meters high, and she had climbed it with great tension, not paying attention to what was around. Now, looking down, she felt dizzy.

Jumping down would mean broken arms and legs at best, or worse, a shattered skull and instant death.

She had narrowly escaped one pursuit but was now trapped in a perilous tree, unable to move. Nan Yi was on the verge of tears, feeling frustrated.

At this moment, she should have been celebrating her victory!

But in this desolate wilderness, no one would hear her cries. If anyone was to blame, it was for choosing this ill-fated tree.

The sun was setting in the sky, and the surroundings grew dark. Time seemed to have solidified, and all she could do was watch as it slipped away, powerless to stop it.

A faint sense of hopelessness began to rise within Nan Yi.

Was she really going to die here?

Her life, so insignificant in the grand scheme of the world, could easily be taken. But living had always been something she refused to give up on.

She had always believed that death had its signs, that it would arrive with a grand gesture. She thought that as long as she was careful and cunning, she could avoid it. But she never expected that death would be so mocking, quietly approaching with a calm face, catching her off guard.

At this moment, she could only humbly pray to the gods, asking for a savior to rescue her.

If Lady Gantang returned home and Xie Que Shan realized she hadn’t come back, he would surely come looking for her, right?

“Jump down, I’ll catch you.”

A voice reached her ears, like the sound of a celestial being descending from heaven.

Nan Yi looked down, and there, beneath the tree, stood a young man in a green robe. The last rays of sunlight fell on his face, making his features glow like jade.

She couldn’t believe her eyes—it was none other than Song Qilang, the one person she had never imagined would appear before her.

Fate truly had a sense of humor.

“Madam, don’t be afraid.” Seeing that she hadn’t moved, he comforted her.

Nan Yi’s heart settled, and she loosened her grip, letting herself fall.

Amid the wind in the deep forest, the light of the setting sun, the scent of withered branches, and the fragrance of soapberry flowers, she fell into his arms, her hair brushing her face.

The last withered leaf at the top of the tree drifted down, and the world seemed to fall into silence.

It was like stepping on the edge of a desolate cliff, gazing down at the perilous view—danger was what made it beautiful.

In that moment, it was stunningly beautiful.

After a brief moment of distraction, Song Mu Chuan quickly set Nan Yi down.

Stepping back a few paces, he cupped his hands and apologized, “Madam, my apologies.”

Nan Yi glanced at Song Mu Chuan’s sleeve, which had become wrinkled where she had grabbed it. She naturally stepped forward to pat it down and said casually, “There’s no need to apologize. You saved me; I should be bowing to you.”

However, Song Mu Chuan’s face reddened as Nan Yi approached, and he took another step back. “I am already indebted to you, Madam, for two lives.”

Nan Yi stepped forward in confusion, but Song Mu Chuan retreated once more. Nan Yi, feeling anxious, grabbed him and pulled him back.

“If you keep retreating, you’ll fall off the cliff!”

Song Mu Chuan’s face turned an even deeper shade of red. “Madam has saved me once again.”

“Don’t say it like that. It just so happened that I met you at that time. Anyone else would have done the same. I was worried I might have been too harsh with what I said last time and made you angry.”

“Madam’s words that day were like a refreshing revelation,” Song Mu Chuan said earnestly.

What was this about a teapot and a revelation? Nan Yi didn’t quite understand, but she guessed it was a compliment. She chose to act as if she understood and swiftly changed the subject.

“By the way, how did you end up here?”

Song Mu Chuan hesitated for a moment.

Of course, he had received intelligence that Lady Gantan might have hidden a group of Yu City soldiers in the Tiger Kneel Mountain. The Candle Holding Department had dispatched spies to monitor the mountain but hadn’t located the soldiers. However, they had unexpectedly run into the assassins from the Return Hall and overheard their conversation. From what they said, he learned that Madam Xie was also in the mountains, and they planned to kill her to cause a scene and force a search of the mountain.

The information had been passed to Song Mu Chuan, and he immediately dropped everything to cross the river and search for her in Tiger Kneel Mountain.

Using the small piece of cloth torn by thorns from her clothing and the crossbow bolt shot to mislead the assassins, he pieced together tiny clues and searched inch by inch until he finally found her.

Heaven must have been kind, for he had not arrived a moment too late.

But, of course, given his current special status, he could not reveal this to her.

“I was originally here to gather herbs in the Tiger Kneel Mountain and happened to find Madam,” he said carefully.

Nan Yi still had some doubts in her heart—what a coincidence, right?

But perhaps it was just that, a coincidence, and fate had spared her. She had sown good deeds and received good rewards.

There must be gods above, watching over her.

“It seems I’m really lucky,” Nan Yi smiled.

“The sun is almost set, and traveling at night by boat is inconvenient. I’ll take Madam back to Lidufu as quickly as possible.”

Nan Yi nodded, eager to leave this desolate place.

“Then I’ll trouble you, Young Master Song.”

Song Mu Chuan’s horse was waiting outside the withered forest. He helped her onto the horse but didn’t ride alongside her. Instead, he led the horse along the mountain path.

Nan Yi felt that he was a bit too old-fashioned. While he kept talking about being in a hurry, it would have been faster to ride together, but he refused to do so. Still, upon further thought, if they did ride together, she would also feel a bit awkward.

During her time at the Xie family, she had learned some of the social customs. He was an outsider, and she was now the young mistress of the Xie family.

Thinking of this, Nan Yi felt a little touched.

In truth, no one in Wang Xuewu took her seriously. As the young mistress of the Xie family, she was a joke.

If he had inquired even a little, he would know what kind of person the young mistress of the Xie family was. Yet, he still treated her with respect as if she were truly in that position.

“How have you been these days?”

Using the last rays of twilight, Nan Yi gazed at this porcelain-like young man. She vaguely felt that he seemed to have undergone a transformation.

He held the horse’s reins and turned back to look at her, smiling gently. “As if reborn.”

“And what are your plans for the future?”

“I do,” he replied.

Nan Yi waited, but he didn’t continue. She was still happy for him. In this world, as long as there was something one wanted to do, one could keep living, not thinking about death.

Suddenly, he stopped.

Nan Yi followed his gaze, and in the distance, she saw the dock. A small boat was slowly approaching, and on it stood a man in dark robes, holding a lantern.

The river had almost sunk into darkness, with only the dim yellow light of the lantern as the sole source of illumination.

It was Xie Que Shan.

But Nan Yi quickly noticed something unusual on Song Mu Chuan’s face.

She had once seen a similar expression on someone else’s face. However, Song Mu Chuan’s expression was much calmer than Pang Yu’s.