The wilderness was bleak and desolate, and the night wind cut like a blade.
A mournful gale wailed through the cracks in the crumbling walls, forcing its way into the ruined Mountain God Temple from every direction.
The exile convoy had no choice but to spend the night there.
The clay statue of the Mountain God had long since collapsed, half its body reduced to rubble. Under the flickering glow of the campfire, its remaining features looked especially grotesque and sinister.
After a full day on the road, everyone was exhausted.
In one corner, the dowager consorts and elderly maids from the prince’s residence huddled together beneath torn blankets, shivering from the cold. Before long, a chorus of snores rose and fell through the temple.
Constable Zhao Tieniu and his men sprawled around the offering table in every direction, sleeping as soundly as dead pigs.
Only the area closest to the fire looked completely different.
Sang Wanwan had taken a thick, soft quilt from her space and spread it over a bed of dry straw.
At the moment, Tuantuan and Yuanyuan were curled up on either side of her.
Even in his sleep, Tuantuan still clutched his battered wooden sword tightly in his little hand. His tiny brows remained slightly furrowed, like a vigilant young guard standing watch at all times.
Yuanyuan, meanwhile, resembled a soft pink rice dumpling.
Half her body was draped across Sang Wanwan’s lap.
Her tiny lips were parted slightly as she breathed in a slow, steady rhythm, sleeping more soundly than anyone else in the temple.
On Sang Wanwan’s other side sat a completely different problem.
The six-foot-three Zongzheng Zhan had shamelessly dumped most of his body weight onto her shoulder.
His impossibly handsome face tilted slightly to one side, thick eyelashes casting fan-shaped shadows beneath his eyes.
He slept without the slightest guard up.
There even seemed to be a suspicious glimmer of drool hanging from the corner of his mouth.
Sang Wanwan sighed helplessly.
She extended a slender finger and pressed it against his forehead with obvious disgust, trying to push the oversized human hound away.
The moment she let go, however, he flopped right back against her like an especially clingy piece of candy.
No matter what she did, he wouldn’t stay away.
“Honestly, what debt do I owe you?”
Rolling her eyes, she finally gave up.
Closing her eyes, she settled into quiet rest.
The night grew deeper.
The fire crackled softly as the wood burned down, and the flames gradually dimmed.
Midnight arrived.
Outside the ruined temple, the wind seemed even harsher than before.
This time, it carried something else.
A murderous intent.
Zongzheng Zhan, who had supposedly been sleeping against Sang Wanwan’s shoulder, suddenly experienced an almost imperceptible change in his breathing.
His lashes trembled ever so slightly in the darkness.
Though his eyes remained shut, every muscle in his body tightened silently in an instant.
Killing intent.
Years spent walking the edge between life and death had sharpened his instincts beyond compare.
Without opening his eyes, he could identify both the number and position of the approaching enemies simply from the faint rustle of clothing carried by the wind.
Thirteen people.
Their footsteps were unstable.
Their breathing was heavy, disorganized, and crude.
A cold sneer surfaced in his mind.
Just a bunch of third-rate thugs.
And they dared come looking for trouble with him?
Outside the temple, more than a dozen masked men dressed in cheap black nightwear quietly surrounded the building under cover of darkness.
These were the bargain-bin assassins Sang Rourou had hired using the last of her secret savings.
The leader gripped a rusty, chipped broadsword.
Peering through a crack in the door, greed and bloodlust gleamed in his eyes.
“Master, the target is by the fire. That woman is Sang Wanwan!”
One of the lackeys rubbed his hands excitedly.
“This job’s ridiculously easy. Kill a helpless exile and pocket two silver notes. Easy money!”
The assassin leader snorted smugly.
“Stay sharp, brothers! The client wants her dead and in pieces!”
“As for anyone else who gets in the way, chop them down too! Move!”
The moment he finished speaking—
Boom!
The already unstable temple doors exploded inward under a vicious kick.
Wood splinters mixed with icy wind and blasted into the hall.
“Kill them!”
The black-clad men charged inside like demons crawling out of hell, waving their cheap broadswords as they rushed forward.
The sudden crash and battle cry instantly woke everyone.
“Ahhh! Murderers!”
Dowager Consort Shen and the old maids jolted awake. The sight of gleaming blades nearly scared them out of their wits.
Screaming hysterically, they scrambled behind the collapsed statue for cover.
“Assassins! There are assassins!”
Zhao Tieniu shot upright from his sleep.
The moment he saw more than a dozen armed killers storming inside, the arrogant constable who had acted so fierce during the day nearly wet himself.
He didn’t even remember to draw the saber at his waist.
His legs gave out.
With astonishing speed, he dove straight under the offering table.
On the way, he dragged several equally terrified deputies under with him.
A group of grown men huddled beneath the table, trembling uncontrollably.
“B-Lady Master! Save us! Bandits are robbing us!”
Zhao Tieniu wailed from under the table, his voice thick with tears.
The assassin leader ignored the useless cowards completely.
His murderous gaze locked onto Sang Wanwan by the fire.
“Bitch, your life ends tonight!”
Roaring, he raised his broadsword high and charged straight at her across the scattered debris.
At the same time, one of the other assassins saw an opportunity to claim extra credit.
His eyes landed on Zongzheng Zhan, who still appeared to be asleep beside Sang Wanwan.
Cruelty flashed across the man’s face.
Twisting his wrist, he swung the heavy blade mercilessly toward Zongzheng Zhan’s neck.
“I’ll use this fool to christen my blade!”
The sword howled through the air.
The icy edge was moments away from drawing blood.
Then—
At the critical instant.
The supposedly sleeping Zongzheng Zhan suddenly let out a terrified scream.
“Mother of Heaven! A monster’s eating people!”
His tall body jerked violently.
Like a frightened rabbit, he rolled backward in complete panic.
The deadly strike sliced through empty air.
Not a single person noticed.
At the exact moment Zongzheng Zhan rolled away and flailed his arms wildly, the index and middle fingers hidden inside his sleeve snapped together.
An invisible stream of terrifying true qi gathered instantly at his fingertips.
Whoosh!
A nearly inaudible sound cut through the air.
The invisible finger force, condensed from profound internal energy, shot forward like a bullet.
It struck the side of the assassin’s descending blade with pinpoint precision.
Clang!
A deafening metallic explosion echoed throughout the temple.
The assassin suddenly felt an overwhelming force crash into his weapon.
The pressure was so terrifying that the skin between his thumb and forefinger split open instantly.
Blood sprayed everywhere.
He didn’t even have time to scream.
His cheap broadsword was blasted from his hands as though struck by an invisible war hammer.
Buzz! Buzz! Buzz!
The sword spun wildly through the air before slamming into a thick wooden pillar nearby.
The blade buried itself deep inside the timber.
The hilt continued vibrating violently, producing a shrill metallic hum.
The assassin froze.
He stared blankly at his bleeding hands.
Then at the sword embedded in the pillar.
His mind went completely blank.
What just happened?
Did I swing too hard and lose my grip?
“Waaah! Wanwan! A monster tried to chop me with a knife! Baby’s so scared!”
Sitting on the ground, Zongzheng Zhan hugged his head and burst into tears, complete with snot and sobs.
The performance was flawless.
Not a trace remained of the heaven-shaking strike he had just unleashed.
The commotion also woke the two little ones.
“Mother… why is it so noisy…?”
Yuanyuan rubbed her sleepy eyes and sat up from beneath the blanket.
Her soft, sweet voice carried a hint of annoyance at being disturbed.
Sang Wanwan completely ignored the assassin leader charging toward her.
Instead, she turned slightly and gently pushed Yuanyuan back under the quilt.
She even tucked the blanket carefully around the little girl’s shoulders.
“Be good. Go back to sleep.”
Patting her daughter’s back softly, Sang Wanwan sounded as though she were coaxing her child through a peaceful bedtime.
“There are a few annoying wild dogs barking outside. Mother is going to chase them away. I’ll be right back.”
Then she slowly stood up.
She didn’t spare a glance at Zongzheng Zhan, who was rolling around on the floor pretending to cry.
Instead, she faced the assassin leader and the broadsword descending toward her.
Under the firelight, there wasn’t the slightest trace of fear or panic on her stunning face.
Quite the opposite.
A chilling smile slowly curved her lips.
It was the smile of an apex predator that had finally spotted prey worth hunting.
“I was just thinking how boring this journey has been.”
“And now, some rats have kindly delivered themselves to my doorstep.”
Before the words had fully left her mouth—
Her seemingly delicate right hand slipped into her sleeve.
Her consciousness sank instantly into her space.
Without hesitation, her fingertips reached toward the cold storage section where her special equipment was kept…