The rain had stopped, though the heavy clouds lingered, and a lone star hung in the northeast corner of the pitch‑black night sky.
Gu Wan tilted her head, trying to recall—had there been no prison raid in her past life? Could the other side have given up midway, or had some obstacle arisen? She wasn’t too surprised; after all, some things were already different. For instance, in her previous life, the prison escort wasn’t Feng Linde. A butterfly effect was only natural.
The two of them watched for a while. There were many people—ten, maybe twenty. Once all the livestock had been driven out of the pens, a man and a woman emerged from the far side of the wall. Their faces were lost in shadow, but they looked young, mounted on horseback, flanked by guards on either side.
As soon as they appeared, their eyes swept the surroundings. Gu Wan felt Xie Ci press her back down, and the two immediately crouched low.
The man’s senses were sharp; the first place his gaze landed was their direction. But Xie Ci was no novice—he caught a cricket and tossed it off to the left. The insect chirped shrilly, springing away through the grass. The man’s eyes followed the sound briefly, then shifted away.
The group didn’t linger. Driving the herd before them, they soon departed. Xie Ci and Gu Wan slipped away as well, the muffled pounding of hooves and cattle feet echoing as the troop rushed toward the road and out into the wild. Xie Ci bent low, and Gu Wan deftly leaped onto his back. The wet grass swayed as he carried her away.
This time, the blisters on Gu Wan’s feet were large. She needed to heal quickly—better not to walk if she could avoid it, lest it hinder their next moves. It wasn’t the first time Xie Ci had carried her, and by now both of them were practiced at it.
From the outskirts of the town, Xie Ci slipped silently into the inn with a swift leap, pushing open the door of a half-worn guest room in the back courtyard and closing it behind him.
For the sake of tonight’s plan, the two of them had splurged a little, renting a room in the rear courtyard with its own private entrance.
Yawning, Gu Wan lit the oil lamp, kicked off her shoes, then hesitated. Carefully, she drew a small porcelain vial from her bosom and dabbed a bit of wound salve onto herself. The medicine worked wonders—by morning she would likely be able to walk without pain.
The small room held a narrow earthen kang bed, just enough for two to sleep at opposite ends. In the dim glow, Xie Ci watched Gu Wan bent over her bare feet, intent on cleaning and applying the salve. Her face was still youthful, her hair disheveled and dusty from travel. He asked softly, “Are you afraid?”
Guilt pricked him—if Gu Wan was frightened, he ought to go alone.
Afraid? Not really.
Gu Wan was bold and not one to shy from risk. She knew well that earning enough in a big city to buy a house in just two years was no easy feat. She disliked needless trouble and reckless ventures, but when something had to be done, she did not flinch.
She answered, “A little. But we have to get Eldest Sister-in-law, Second Sister-in-law, and Ming’er out.” With a roll, she flopped onto the shared bed, shaking out her outer robe to cover her stomach. “Go to sleep. We’ve got to be up early tomorrow! Maybe we’ll find our chance then.”
Exhaustion weighed heavily. She was asleep almost the instant her head touched the pillow, her words trailing into murmurs, leaving only the sound of her steady breathing.
Half the medicine bottles stuffed into the small bundle rolled to rest beside the pillow.
Xie Ci sat for a while, watching her sleeping face with closed eyes. Then, moving quietly, he picked up the bottles and tucked them back into the bundle along with the other odds and ends.
With a soft puff, Xie Ci blew out the oil lamp, plunging the little room into darkness before lying down himself. Only when his breathing grew long and steady did Gu Wan open her eyes.
She tilted her face toward the faint glow filtering through the window screen, blinked, then turned her gaze to the other end of the short kang bed. There lay Xie Ci, still in his clothes, curled on his side, one hand resting on the hilt of the long blade beside him. In the shadowed dark, she could only make out the sharp bridge of his nose and the faint outline beneath his deep brow. These days, he had been as skittish as a startled bird—so young, yet forced to shoulder everything alone. He never slept deeply; the slightest sound would wake him.
But Gu Wan’s movements never roused his guard. Just as now, though she had opened her eyes and stared at him for so long, he remained fast asleep.
Gu Wan exhaled softly and shifted her gaze away. After walking so far on foot, her body was nearly at its limit. And now, finally, they had reached the critical moment to rescue the Xie family. The thought nearly brought tears of excitement to her eyes.
Once the Xie family was rescued, she would have fulfilled her original goal—and lived up to the trust this young man placed in her. After settling them safely, she could finally move forward with the plan she had long envisioned: saving money to open a tavern. The only question was whether money here would be as easy to earn as it had been in her past life. Either way, she hoped tomorrow would go smoothly.
Gu Wan rolled over and drifted into sleep. At dawn, she was jolted awake by the noise outside the inn—shouts, curses, and the sound of running feet. Almost as soon as the commotion began, Xie Ci sprang up.
Gu Wan rubbed her eyes and scrambled to her feet. Together they pushed open the window a crack and saw people and horses rushing about, voices raised in anger.
Soon the whole town knew: during the night, livestock had been stolen from four different inns. The wealthy horse dealer who had rented out an entire inn had found his stables completely emptied.
Gu Wan stared in shock. “No way—four of them?”
That meant the other party had hit three inns in one night. What a grand operation!
For them, the enemy of their enemy was a friend. Their goals aligned, and clearly the larger show of force on the other side worked to their advantage.
The whole town was in an uproar, and soon the county constables arrived. They quickly found the hoofprints and chased off in another direction.
Only then did Gu Wan realize—the other side had split the livestock into two or even three groups, driving them away in different directions, instantly diverting the commotion elsewhere.
A clever tactic indeed. Numbers have their strength.
With nothing left stirring in the town, all was well!
Gu Wan snapped her fingers, and after making a few inquiries, the two of them left at once.
Gu Wan rode ahead, driving the animals, while Xie Ci hurried to catch up with the main exile convoy, watching for the right moment.
Summer days broke early, and so did the exile procession. At dawn, the prisoners in their worn gray cloth rushed to wash and tidy themselves, pushing carts, carrying loads, bearing loved ones on their backs, wiping away tears, and trudging forward step by step.
Many fell ill and died along the way; blisters on the soles of their feet were universal. Those without help could only lie down and wait for death. Families who refused to abandon their own carried them on, praying to reach Tieling—the place of exile—where at least they would no longer have to walk.
Dark clouds swirled overhead, the air stifling and hot. The official road, soaked by last night’s rain, was nothing but mud.
Second Sister-in-law Xie usually carried her young niece herself, but today she did something rare: she shifted the three-year-old onto the back of her ten-year-old daughter. With one arm, she supported her sister-in-law; with the other, she let her five-year-old son cling to her wrist, while she gripped a dry branch as a walking stick. The night before, she had secretly sharpened the end of that stick.
After receiving Xie Ci’s letter, the anxiety and worry need not be described—at this moment, the Xie family was waiting in tense anticipation.
Second Sister-in-law Xie, a woman of sharp insight and courage, whispered that the hills ahead were the most likely place. If there was no movement yet, they must be waiting for midday, when the soldiers stopped to cook. She advised them to avoid sitting near the riverbank and instead keep to the edges.
By mid-morning, a heavy rain fell. By the hour of Si, the clouds cleared, the rain ceased, and the sun broke through. The blazing light sent the temperature soaring.
It was damp and stifling, the ground soaked and muddy, and there was not even a dry spot to set up the cooking pots.
Complaints rang out from the soldiers and constables, curses and shouts filled the air, and some even lashed their whips. The exiles were driven in circles, exhausted and miserable.
The whole procession was weary and irritable—yet it was a rare, golden opportunity. Xie Ci signaled to Gu Wan.
Not far away, Gu Wan understood, turned quietly, and returned after half an hour. The livestock were in place, and she herself had bound her sleeves and trouser legs tightly with newly bought cloth strips. At her waist she had fastened metal clasps designed to secure a dagger and long sword, both firmly strapped to her side. She handed Xie Ci another set.
Xie Ci quickly armed himself, wrapping the end of the cloth around his palm as protection. He removed his bamboo hat, and Gu Wan casually placed it on her own head.
Their first targets were the sentries.
The two of them lightened their steps and moved swiftly. Xie Ci had already scouted the sentry posts—four in total, one at each cardinal point. The ones they had to deal with were the western and southern posts.
One acted as the lure while the other drew the blade, swiftly dispatching the first. This man had once harassed Third Sister-in-law Xie and Xie Ci’s eldest niece, Xie Rou.
Xie Ci struck fast and hard, the blade biting into flesh, blood spraying. Breathing heavily, he seized Gu Wan’s hand and pulled her across the grass straight toward the southern post. But just as they were about to take down the second sentry, a sudden glint of silver flashed not far away.
Xie Ci narrowed his eyes and instantly pulled Gu Wan to a halt. With a sharp hiss, a steel bolt tore through the air, piercing the sentry’s brow. His eyes widened as he collapsed to the ground.
The distance between them was close; in the next instant, the other side also realized someone was here. Xie Ci frowned, and so did they. Across the long stretch of wet grass, the two sides locked eyes for a moment, then slowly withdrew.
“It must be the same group from yesterday,” Xie Ci muttered. He gathered his breath and led Gu Wan in a series of rapid leaps. The wind roared past them as they descended to the foot of the slope in an instant. Gu Wan was filled with awe—internal martial arts were truly formidable, though sadly long in decline in modern times.
But there was no time to dwell on that. She whispered, “Looks like they’re making their move too.”
Both sides had chosen the same moment.
“More people are actually better,” Gu Wan remarked.
The greater the chaos, the more bodies in motion—ironically, that worked in their favor.
No matter; they had already discussed it the night before. If they happened to run into each other head‑on, they could simply borrow strength from one another.
Gu Wan said, “The only thing is, we don’t know who they’re trying to rescue, or whether their people are seated near ours.”
If they were close by, it would make everything twice as effective with half the effort.
Xie Ci and Gu Wan had thought through every angle; their plan was thorough. The other group was clearly here to raid the convoy and save prisoners, too. But in the end, the development still caught them off guard. The people this group wanted to rescue turned out to be members of the Xie family as well!
Cursing and grumbling, the meal was finally set to cook. The damp firewood sent up clouds of acrid smoke, stinging eyes and drawing tears.
After much effort, the water was finally boiled and the meal prepared. Each convict was issued two flatbreads—their daily ration. In twos and threes they squatted down to gnaw at them slowly. None dared to sit; even if there were few dry spots left on their bodies, every bit less dampness meant one more chance at survival.
The escort soldiers and officers spread out a large oilcloth, sat back-to-back, unbuckled their blades and tossed them aside, loosened their collars, and devoured steamed buns from wooden basins, shoveling vegetables with chopsticks.
“In this weather, even our dishes won’t keep. From here to Xingzhou there’s no town—we’ll be walking two days straight!”
“Bah, don’t even mention it, damn it!…”
Just then—suddenly—the thunder of hooves!
Because the Fen River was swollen with muddy waves, the sound of hooves had gone unnoticed until the herd was already close. The lead horse was lashed hard, rearing with a piercing cry, and the whole band charged down the slope, trampling the soldiers at the edge and crashing straight into the crowd!
From the other side, another wave of horses burst forth—this time even cattle among them!
They were not far off; everyone had vaguely sensed movement in the grass nearby. But Xie Ci’s vigilance was too keen—when the strangers probed, he had instantly drawn his long blade, and they had retreated. Each side had kept to itself, water from one well not mixing with another.
Now the pounding of hooves and bellowing of cattle threw the camp into chaos. Shouts rose; panic scattered the people. At that moment, Xie Ci and Gu Wan could no longer hesitate—they spurred their mounts forward, charging straight toward the Xie family!
Second Sister-in-law Xie and the others sprang up, rushing madly in their direction.
This move was extremely risky, but it was their best chance to meet!
Xie Ci and Gu Wan spurred their horses forward, but at that very moment they suddenly realized—another group was also charging straight toward the Xie family members.
Inside and out, Xie Ci, Second Sister-in-law Xie, and the others were utterly shocked. They had never anticipated this, and since the bamboo slip account was limited in detail, it hadn’t mentioned such a possibility. For a split second, Second Sister-in-law Xie was even dazed, unable to tell whether these newcomers were friend or foe.
“Are these your relatives?!”
“Never seen them before!”
Xie Ci saw one of the strangers step on the stirrup, vault into the air, and reach out to seize Third Sister-in-law Xie and her child, as well as Xie Rou. His eyes blazed, veins bulging, and with a furious shout he flung aside his whip, kicked off, and shot forward like lightning!
Both sides were stunned, but within a heartbeat they had already exchanged several blows. Xie Ci fought with unrestrained fury, forcing the opponent back in an instant, while Second Sister-in-law Xie had already rushed forward with her staff.
The soldiers quickly reacted. The adjutant, a trusted aide of Feng Linde, disregarded the danger and personally drew his blade to command the troops, who surged forward with weapons drawn.
Three sides clashed in chaos—blood, hooves, shrill cries filling the air. Gu Wan’s sharp eyes caught sight of a long-haired woman on the hillside, half-hidden in tall grass.
The woman wore men’s attire, her hair bound in Hu style, mounted on horseback with a guard at her side. She was the young lady among the pair—one man and one woman—surrounded by attendants.
The moment Gu Wan spotted her, she lashed her whip hard. Her steed, powerful and sure-footed, let out a piercing neigh and charged forward.
As the three factions battled in confusion, Gu Wan broke through, grappled with the guard and the woman in purple, and brought her down. Using a swift joint lock, she pinned the woman to the ground, face-to-face.
The opponent was breathtakingly beautiful—fair-skinned, alluring, with a supple waist and graceful curves, a true earthly enchantress.
Even Gu Wan was momentarily startled by her beauty, though it did not slow her hands or movements. What surprised her more was the woman’s reaction.
The purple-clad lady, upon finally seeing Gu Wan’s small face beneath the tangled hair, froze in terror—forgetting even to struggle or strike back. She gasped: “How are you still alive?!”
Gu Wan: “???”
“Are you out of your mind!” Gu Wan was utterly baffled. What nonsense was this? Why shouldn’t she be alive? Crazy woman!