16: Escape
The mountain paths were treacherous with deep mud and wild thorns covering the wilderness. A slender figure stumbled and staggered as she ran through them.
Qiao Shilian gasped for breath, her gaze fixed firmly ahead. Even though her clothes were torn to shreds by the tangled branches and her delicate skin was covered in bloody scratches, she never stopped for a moment,
She knew that for every minute she was late, the danger for Zhou Shu increased.
Finally, under the lush green tress, Qiao Shilian found the horse Zhou Shu had tied nearby. As if grasping at a lifeline, she hurriedly scrambled onto the horse’s back with great effort, grabbed the reins and urged the horse back with all her might,
Fearing she might lose her way back and miss the chance to rescue Zhou Shu, she had deliberately left marks along the path, also hopping to signal her location to Zhou Shu.
In her past life, when she was plunged into despair, no one had lent a helping hand. In this life, facing danger again, someone had saved her, even willing to protect her with their life. Qiao Shilian only felt the wind and sand whipping against her face were too harsh, blowing tears from her eyes.
The sound of hooves beat urgently. Among the dappled shadows cast through the forest, the fleeing figure of Zhou Shu came into view, pursued close by assassins. Zhou Shu’s face was deathly pale, her steps unsteady. Fresh blood continuously welled from the wound at her waist, soaking into her dark clothes and leaving no visible trace.
A jolt of fear shot through Qiao Shilian. She hurriedly pulled the reigns, turning the horse and leaned down, stretching out her hand towards the approaching Zhou Shu. “Ah Shu, grab my hand and get up here!”
Zhou Shu nodded, leaping up to sit securely behind Qiao Shilian before slumping weakly against her back and wrapping her arms around her waist.
“Hyah—!”
Qiao Shilian whipped the horse to increase its speed. She felt her back grow warm and damp, and the sweet, metallic scent of blood in the air grew stronger. She knew Zhou Shu’s condition must be extremely grave.
We must shake off these assassins quickly and tend to Ah Shu’s wounds.
Qiao Shilian increased the force of her whip. The wind howled fiercely past her ears. At first, Zhou Shu remained conscious enough to cooperate, holding onto Qiao Shilian, but gradually her awareness faded, and she slumped completely against Qiao Shilian’s body.
Only when the forest began to thin out and the pursuing assassins finally vanished from sight did Qiao Shilian realize she had fled to a steep cliff edge. Below was a canyon of unfathomable depth.
Qiao Shilian was originally a novice rider. Now, having whipped the horse relentlessly to escape, it was not easy to rein it in at such high speed. She strained with all her might to pull back the reins, but couldn’t manage to stop before the precipice.
The bottomless chasm loomed right before them. Loose stones dislodged by the horse’s hooves tumbled over the edge, falling without an echo—once over, there would be no chance of survival.
Suddenly, Qiao Shilian twisted her body, holding Zhou Shu as she threw herself from the horse, rolling down a slope.
Elsewhere in the hunting grounds, a swift figure approached like the wind, sword in hand. It was Su Zhuoguang.
The blade was still stained with blood. None of the assassins who had delayed him earlier were left alive. They had either been killed by him or had taken poison after being captured, leaving no clues whatsoever.
Just as Su Zhuoguang was following the trail of blood among the grass and leaves, a disorderly crowd had already gathered in the forest. Most were young nobles from prominent families who had heard of the disturbance and come to see.
Fenglai reported beside him, “Master, those assassins were all death warriors. The horse Miss Qiao was riding… its legs were completely severed. There was a great deal of blood in that area of the woods… hard to say if it was from the horse or a person… but there was no sign of Miss Qiao herself.”
Earlier, he had pursued the assassins and found the corpse of the white horse Qiao Shilian had been riding in a place reeking of blood. The horse’s legs were hacked off by blades. A bit further ahead, quite a bit of blood was still splattered on the muddy ground, so it was difficult to say if it was only the horse’s blood.
Fenglai couldn’t help but worry for her. Qiao Shilian’s ambush and subsequent disappearance was partly his failure in duty. He could hardly imagine how her frail, delicate body could escape such a scene of flashing blades and bloodshed.
An unfathomable emotion settled in Su Zhuoguang’s eyes. He responded tersely, “I understand.”
Amidst the woods, shadows of figures scattered in disarray. Guards from the Eastern Palace cut swiftly through the wind, searching intently along the way—an intrusion that felt starkly out of place.
Fenglai glanced towards the Crown Prince’s men. “With assassins appearing in the hunting grounds, the forest hunt competition probably can’t proceed normally. But with the Crown Prince making such a conspicuous search for Miss Qiao, it’ll be hard for others not to find out she’s missing.”
“What about that guardsman, Luo Qi?” Su Zhuoguang asked.
Fenglai replied, “Ever since we discovered that Luo Qi was the one who harmed Miss Qiao, I’ve had people watching him. Today, he hasn’t made any suspicious moves; he’s been staying close to the Crown Prince.”
Suddenly, a voice, strained with desperation, could be heard not far away, asking everyone it encountered, “Have you seen my sister? Yes, the second Miss Qiao, have any of you seen her?”
Qiao Shiqing was no longer his usual gentle and composed self. His eyes were bloodshot, his expression frantic with anxiety.
“Master Qiao, we saw Miss Qiao a short while ago…” A group of ladies traveling together happened to pass by and, hearing this, called out to stop Qiao Shiqing.
Qiao Shiqing immediately turned around, his words agitated. “Where? Where did my sister go? Was she in danger?”
Among the group, Fang Yaoyao answered, “Miss Wang and I and a few others were strolling in the woods. At that time, we saw Sister Qiao riding together with a man.”
The Miss Wang she mentioned was the young woman who had just called out to Qiao Shiqing, Wang Lingxi, the daughter of a Minister.
Wang Lingxi continued, “Miss Qiao’s horse was very fast. We didn’t even have time to greet them before they were gone. We don’t know where they went.”
Qiao Shiqing quickly regained his composure, his face showing puzzlement. “My sister… with a man?”
Fang Yaoyao nodded. “Lately, I’ve noticed Sister Qiao has been rather cold towards His Highness the Crown Prince. It must be because…”
…
“Miss Qiao was alone when she got separated from us, and her horse was found dead with its legs broken in the woods. How did those young ladies encounter her? And where would another man have come from?” Fenglai found it strange when he overheard this.
Su Zhuoguang remarked, “What is seen is not necessarily true.”
As the sun set, melting into gold, and twilight clouds joined like jade, Su Zhuoguang had searched the entire hunting grounds without finding Qiao Shilian. After a full day of rumors fermenting, the story had morphed from its initial version.
“Have you heard… the second Miss Qiao came to the hunting grounds to elope with a man.”
“Is that true? But what about the assassins that appeared?”
“Wasn’t that just a fabrication to cover up the truth of their elopement? It could also allow the assassins to conveniently hinder anyone chasing them, killing two birds with one stone. After all, someone saw with their own eyes the second Miss Qiao galloping away from the hunting grounds with a man.”
The rumors spread like wildfire among the forest crowd. Even the Eastern Palace made no statement, indirectly lending credibility to the hearsay.
Only Qiao Shiqing would angrily shout at anyone he heard spreading it: “What nonsense are you talking about? My sister is not that kind of person!”
But with each rebuttal he made, a little more despair crept into his heart.
A matter that sullied a young woman’s reputation like this would only grow more severe as it festered.
He had just seen his father’s face, extremely grim. His father had even had a private meeting with the Crown Prince. Qiao Shiqing knew his father too well. If this situation with his sister continued to develop like this, his father, who always valued the Qiao family’s reputation, would likely… secretly send his sister away from the Qiao family, even if she were finally found.
And as the eldest son of the Qiao family, he could not defy his father’s decisions.
Qiao Shiqing clenched the hand hidden in his sleeve. He hated himself for being unable to find solid evidence to silence the endless gossip. Even the Qiao family shadow guards assigned to protect his sister reported that the last time they saw her, she was riding away from the hunting grounds, following the assassins.
Lately, his sister’s relationship with the Crown Prince had indeed been as Fang Yaoyao described. Could it be… that his sister truly had feelings for someone else and eloped to escape the Crown Prince? Thinking about how his sister had urgently begged him to bring her to Mount Jiumu and had deliberately kept it from the Crown Prince, the more Qiao Shiqing pondered, the more plausible the rumors seemed.
Until his subordinate came to report: “Master Qiao, a message has come from the Eastern Palace. They found a contract on the assassins’ bodies, showing that Miss Qiao hired them.”
“What…” Qiao Shiqing slumped into a seat by the table, finally resigning himself to the myriad rumors.
Outside the hunting grounds, in a cave on the mountainside.
Qiao Shilian limped into the cave carrying Zhou Shu on her back, carefully placing her against the wall. She had simply cleaned and bandaged the numerous cuts crisscrossing Zhou Shu’s body, but Zhou Shu’s injuries were too severe, and she wouldn’t wake for some time.
So Qiao Shilian went alone to find a mountain stream. She fetched water using taro leaves, carrying it back to the cave handful after handful to give to Zhou Shu.
As dusk settled, she couldn’t help but feel afraid.
She had no flint with her, and she didn’t know how to start a fire. Now, having not eaten all day, she was feeling dizzy and lightheaded.
Whether there were man-eating beasts in these mountains, which fruits were edible, which plants were non-toxic—she knew none of it. She could only tighten her belt and make trip after trip to the stream for water, drinking to stave off hunger.
But on this trip back from fetching water, she heard a soft rustling of someone brushing through dense foliage near the cave. Qiao Shilian saw a black-clad assassin lurking stealthily in the shade of the trees, peering towards the dark cave entrance.
They’ve pursued us here? Qiao Shilian was inwardly shocked.
She discreetly discarded the taro leaves and drew the short knife from her bosom. It was Zhou Shu’s knife, originally meant for cutting through grass and clearing a path, but now it was her only means of defense.
The assassin was lingering in front of the cave, and she faced a dilemma. If she let the assassin enter the cave to investigate, Zhou Shu would certainly be killed. But if she tried to ambush him herself… she would very likely be killed.
Qiao Shilian gripped the short knife tightly, her heart thumping uncooperatively harder.
She feared the pain of a blade striking her body. She feared death. But remembering how Zhou Shu had protected her without hesitation, ending up covered in wounds, Qiao Shilian crouched low and took a step forward.
No matter what, she owed Zhou Shu her life. She couldn’t let Zhou Shu die in vain in a disaster that started because of her; she would never rest easy for the rest of her life.
Qiao Shilian pressed her lips together. Seeing the black-clad assassin drawing nearer, she suddenly sprang up, mustering all her strength to thrust the short knife forward.
But the blow met only empty air.
The quick-reacting assassin dodged. Upon seeing his assailant, he didn’t hesitate to draw his weapon and slash at Qiao Shilian.
The moment she missed, Qiao Shilian felt all hope vanish. She slumped to the ground in despair, eyes wide open, watching the blade descending towards her, quietly awaiting the end.
She knew that once she was dead, the assassin could complete his mission and leave, and Zhou Shu in the cave would survive.
Well then, this life wasn’t wasted in vain; at least I saved someone else. The small, lingering regrets in her heart gradually faded with this self-consolation.
In both lives she had lived, Qiao Shilian had wronged no one, except… that one person.
“Close your eyes.”
Perhaps it was a last thought before death. In her daze, Qiao Shilian seemed to hear Su Zhuoguang’s voice. Before she could even process it, she instinctively obeyed and closed her eyes as he instructed.
Immediately, all movement before her ceased. Only the nauseating smell of blood gradually spread. Just as she was about to open her eyes, she felt a robe, still carrying body warmth, drape over her head, blocking her view.
“I told you to close your eyes,” he repeated coldly.
Qiao Shilian finally confirmed: the newcomer was Su Zhuoguang.
But before she could scramble to her feet, she felt herself grow light. Realizing Su Zhuoguang had scooped her up into a horizontal carry, her face under the robe instantly burned hot. “You… what are you doing?”
**